Birmingham Superintendent Selection Continues After Lawsuit, Bomb Threat
The search for a new Birmingham School superintendent continues after a judge on Wednesday denied a request to halt the process. Interim Supt. Larry Contri filed a lawsuit when he wasn’t included in the list of finalists.
Ed Still, Contri’s attorney, said Contri applied but was excluded because some believed he would retire in June. Contri agreed to a June 2017 retirement last year as part of a lawsuit settlement. But Still said no one asked the interim superintendent about his plans.
The school board interviewed three finalists, but not without tension. A bomb threat early in the day forced a delay in the interviews. Police blocked off the street, searched the building, and soon gave the all-clear. But by around that time, another candidate had dropped out – the second to do so this week.
The board completed interviews with Garrett Brundage of Conyers, Ga.; Lisa Herring of Louisville, Ky.; and Regina Thompson of Blythewood, South Carolina. The list will be narrowed to two finalists in a meeting at 5 p.m. Friday.
All of the interviews are available for viewing online and a survey for feedback also is online.
WBHM reporter Dan Carsen contributed to this report.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
Auburn fires coach Hugh Freeze following 12th loss in his last 15 SEC games
The 56-year-old Freeze failed to fix Auburn’s offensive issues in three years on the Plains, scoring 24 or fewer points in 17 of his 22 league games. He also ended up on the wrong end of too many close matchups, including twice this season thanks partly to questionable calls.
In a ‘disheartening’ era, the nation’s former top mining regulator speaks out
Joe Pizarchik, who led the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement from 2009 to 2017, says Alabama’s move in the wake of a fatal 2024 home explosion increases risks to residents living atop “gassy” coal mines.
