Dueling Endorsements for Mayor Among Birmingham Police

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2017/08/Bell-Woodfin.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:300;s:4:"file";s:24:"2017/08/Bell-Woodfin.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:5:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"Bell-Woodfin-336x168.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:168;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"Bell-Woodfin-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"Bell-Woodfin-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"Bell-Woodfin-470x235.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:235;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:24:"Bell-Woodfin-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM Public Radio
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1655251504 
1506015812

Talk about choosing sides — Birmingham police are split on who they support for mayor in the upcoming runoff election on Oct. 3.

The Board of Directors for Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #1, which represents  about 1,200 members, endorsed incumbent Mayor William Bell, said Heath Boackle, FOP President.

In a separate move, about 46 members of the FOP met with 30 members voting to endorse Randall Woodfin, Boackle said.

In a post on his Facebook page, Woodfin  welcomed his endorsement. “Everyday, I am inspired by the courage of our first responders,” he said. “Sadly, William Bell has failed to treat these brave men and women like the true heroes they are.” As mayor, Woodfin says he’ll reward public safety officers and first responders for their commitment and years of service to the city.

Bell, however, released a statement saying, “It is sad to see Randall Woodfin playing political games with our police officers. Randall Woodfin has not spent one day experiencing the tough job these men and women do for our city.”

Bell says he has been endorsed by the FOP because of his leadership and experience.

 

Israel says it killed 9 Iranian nuclear scientists, and braces for attacks from Iran

Israel's military says the nine nuclear scientists killed played spent decades working on Iran's nuclear program.

Can’t-miss interviews: Gavin Newsom, Dave Portnoy and Jason Reynolds

A lot happened this week, and NPR has you covered. Catch up on the big news and culture moments you might have missed.

Minnesota state lawmaker killed, another wounded in targeted shootings

A former Minnesota House speaker and her husband were killed and a state senator and his wife were wounded in targeted shootings early Saturday at their homes near Minneapolis, officials said.

10 years after the deadly church shooting, a new history of ‘Mother Emanuel’

Reporter Kevin Sack's new book is a history of Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, the oldest Black congregation in the South, where a white supremacist killed nine worshippers a decade ago.

In one of the nation’s most polluted communities, Trump terminates funding for air monitoring

Residents in majority-Black north Birmingham have long been subjected to industrial pollution. The new administration has cut funding for a program aimed at measuring the impact.

We’re all going to die. What now? ‘The Life of Chuck’ sits with this question

Tom Hiddleston stars in the new adaptation of Stephen King's novella — which is somehow a very sweet film about the inevitable approach of death.

More 2017 Birmingham City Elections Coverage