Birmingham Council Approves $90 Million For Stadium, BJCC Expansion
The City of Birmingham will contribute $90 million toward a new downtown stadium and an expansion of the BJCC. The council voted 6 to 3 on Monday for the plan following a four-hour debate that was contentious at times.
Council members Valerie Abbott, John Hilliard, Steven Hoyt, William Parker, Jay Roberson and Hunter Williams voted for the plan,. Council members Darrell O’Quinn, Lashunda Scales and Sheila Tyson opposed it.
Mayor Randall Woodfin lobbied for approval for the funding, which has the city pay $3 million annually for 30 years. Scales, a Woodfin supporter on the council, Lashunda Scales, said the mayor is not keeping his promise to prioritize neighborhoods. She also said Birmingham needs more representation on the BJCC board, which will govern the project. Councilman Roberson serves on the BJCC board, and the mayor is an ex-officio member of the board.
Councilman John Hilliard said Birmingham needs to expand its civic center to compete with Southeastern cities such as Memphis and Nashville to lure bigger events.
“All of them are expanding their footprint with their convention centers,” Hilliard said. “We’re not doing anything. We’re being left out of the market place while we sit here and talk.”
Woodfin said the BJCC expansion and downtown stadium will bring in an additional $9 million to $10 million a year. The council voted unanimously on Tuesday to earmark that money for neighborhood revitalization.
Australian woman is sentenced to life for poisoning relatives with mushrooms
An Australian judge sentenced triple-murderer Erin Patterson to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years for poisoning four of her estranged husband's relatives with death cap mushrooms.
Carlos Alcaraz wins his 2nd U.S. Open at match delayed by Trump’s attendance
The president's arrival delayed the match and left many ticketholders waiting in line. He watched from Rolex's luxury box.
More than 90,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees recalled over potential loss of drive power
Vehicles impacted by the recall include 2022 to 2026 plug-in hybrid electric models of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Trump walks back Chicago ‘war’ threat, but vows to ‘clean up’ cities
Trump posted online that Chicago was "about to find out why it's called the Department of WAR," but later said his administration wouldn't go to war with American cities but rather "clean them up."
Postal traffic to US drops more than 80% after trade exemption rule ends, UN agency says
The de minimis rule that allowed small packages worth less than $800 to be exempt from tariffs ended on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.
Colombia’s lone Amazon port faces drying river and rising tensions with Peru
Colombia's only Amazon port town could soon be cut off from the river that keeps it alive. As drought and a shifting river spark a tense border dispute with Peru, locals are scrambling to adapt—and politicians are raising flags, literally.