Birmingham Mayor’s Race Goes to a Runoff
Birmingham Mayor William Bell will find out next month whether he’ll serve a third term. He and former school board president Randall Woodfin will face each other in an October 3 runoff.
Woodfin was one of 12 vying for the mayor’s seat Tuesday. He won 41 percent of the vote; Bell trailed with 37 percent at last count with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
More than 100 Bell supporters gathered at 4 Seasons, a club in downtown Birmingham, as votes were tallied. Jessie Lewis, former publisher of The Birmingham Times, said he’d been a long-time supporter of Bell. His reason? “Simply because he’s the best qualified candidate in this race,” he said.
Meanwhile, supporters of the 36-year-old Woodfin gathered in Southside at Haven, an event venue. Woodfin’s campaign called the event a “victory party” from the start. “Woodfin is young,” supporterBrandon Parnell of Ensley said. “And he’ll look out for all ends of the age spectrum. “He’s very supportive of the younger generation and also the senior citizens in our communities.”
Rod Reisner, another Woodfin supporter, has lived in Birmingham for more than 20 years. He said he supports the city’s revitalization, but he’s ready for new leadership. “We’ve been encouraged for Bell’s revitalization,” he said, “and we’re ready for some new blood and some new energy in the city.”
Earlier in the night, Reisner predicted Woodfin had a good chance of beating Bell, who has held the office since 2010.
The City Council will remain relatively the same, after most residents voted to keep their incumbents in office. But there are three runoffs to watch: In District 5, incumbent Johnathan Austin will face Darrell O’Quinn; District 2’s incumbent Kim Rafferty will go against Hunter Williams; District 9 incumbent Roderick Royal will square off with challenger John Hilliard.
In a key Birmingham Board of Education race, political newcomer Mary Boehm handily beat former school Superintendent Larry Contri for the District 3 seat. Contri has had a rocky recent history with the school board. For more background, read this and this.
Tributes, not politics, play center stage as Trump hosts the Kennedy Center Honors
President Trump said he was closely involved with picking the honorees, and on Sunday he became the first president to host the Kennedy Center awards ceremony.
Thailand launches airstrikes along border with Cambodia as tensions reignite
Both sides accused the other of breaking a ceasefire that halted fighting earlier this year. Longstanding border disputes erupted into five days of combat in July that killed dozens.
Rafael Ithier, a legend of salsa music, dies at 99
The pianist, composer and arranger spent more than six decades turning El Gran Combo into one of the premier salsa institutions of Latin America and beyond.
Light from satellites will ruin majority of some space telescope images, study says
Astronomers have long been concerned about reflections from satellites showing up in images taken by telescopes and other scientific instruments.
Defense Department is reviewing boat strike video for possible release, Hegseth says
In a speech on Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the strikes, saying: "President Trump can and will take decisive military action as he sees fit to defend our nation's interests."
Bama, Miami in, Notre Dame out and Indiana No. 1 in College Football Playoff rankings
Nobody paying attention for the past 24 months would be surprised to see Indiana – yes, Indiana – leading the way into this year's College Football Playoff.
