Two Incumbents, Including President, Ousted From The Birmingham School Board Of Education
Voters went to the Memorial Park polling place to cast their ballots in the Birmingham municipal election.
Two members of the Birmingham Board of Education, including President Daagye Hendricks, were defeated in Tuesday’s election, and a third incumbent was forced into a runoff.
Challenger Derrick Billups got 55% of the votes to oust District 4 member and board President Daagye Hendricks.
District 2 incumbent Terri Michal fell to Neonta Williams, who collected 56% of the vote in the two-candidate field.
In District 1, challenger Sherman Collins Jr. narrowly led incumbent Douglas Lee Ragland in a three-way race, but neither got a majority and they will meet in a runoff on Oct. 5. Each got 43% of the vote, with Collins leading by 13 votes.
Incumbent Mary Boehm soundly defeated Byron Lagrone with 85% of the vote to keep her District 3 seat.
Another incumbent who won big was Sonja Q. Smith in District 8. She got 62% of the vote in turning away three challengers.
In District 5, where there was an open seat, James A. Sullivan collected 54% of the vote to defeat David Tarrell McKinney.
Political newcomer Leticia Watkins won the District 6 seat, where there was no incumbent running, garnering 64% of the vote. Yancey Williams Sr. got 29% and Jamaree Collins got 7%.
There will be a runoff in District 9, where Le’Darius Hilliard got 43% of the vote to 42% for Jason Meadows.
Walter Wilson was unopposed for the District 7 seat.
The three main issues listed by all 22 candidates were getting Birmingham schools and students over the trauma of COVID, fulfilling the new state literacy law and preparing students for college or career training.
Ken Dryden, Hall of Fame goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, dies at age 78
Dryden backstopped the NHL's most successful franchise to championships in six of his eight seasons in the league from 1970-71 to '78-79. He died after a fight with cancer.
‘Twinless’ is a dark comedy that doubles up on the twists
Dylan O'Brien and James Sweeney craft a kind of chemistry that is equal parts funny and heart-wrenching.
Russ & Daughters in NYC celebrates ‘100 years of appetizing’ and family
At Russ & Daughters, it takes three months to learn how to slice salmon. NPR's Scott Simon visits the 100 year-old appetizing store to try his hand at the fine art and talk about their new cookbook.
20 years later, is it time to quit ‘Brokeback Mountain’?
Back in 2005, Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal captured lust shading into love, and love decaying into heartbreak. The movie got a lot of things right — but not everything.
As opposition to an Alabama medical waste treatment facility boils over, a mysterious Facebook page weighs in
Dozens of residents opposed to Harvest Med Waste Disposal’s site in Remlap packed the Blount County courthouse to voice their concerns. Online, a paid campaign supporting the facility has been active, though its backers have remained anonymous.
In April NPR profiled people who couldn’t get their HIV drugs. How are they faring now?
In Zambia, we met people who are HIV positive, couldn't get drugs to suppress the virus after U.S. aid cuts and were seeing symptoms. We checked in on them — and the man who's been their champion.