Coca-Cola Amphitheater poised to open mid-June
With just six weeks until the first show, construction at the new Coca Cola Amphitheater north of downtown Birmingham is still underway.
Piles of gravel and other construction materials surround the open air amphitheater, hugged by neighborhood streets and the remains of the Carraway Hospital. But the future loading bay is smooth with freshly laid pavement and construction workers are busily finishing up landscaping and adding the finishing touches to the dressing rooms.

“There’s a lot of activity going on back here,” Tad Snider, head of the BJCC said.
The BJCC owns multiple performance venues across the city. The amphitheater has been in the works for several years, Snider said, adding that the project is on a “very aggressive” schedule. But so far, crews are hitting construction milestones and are on track to finish the amphitheater by June 22 — the date of the first concert.
The venue features a premium ticket holder seating area known as the Vinyl Room, which can seat several hundred people and is part open-air stage viewing and part indoor seating with dining and drinking options offered.

On show days, one of the streets bordering the Coca Cola Amphitheater, 25th Street, will close to provide pedestrian safety at the main entrance. A free trolley service will run several blocks from popular hotels and restaurant destinations to the venue. The on-site parking plan is still being finalized, construction staff said.
Snider was optimistic that the new music spot will improve the existing portfolio of venues and offer an economic boost to the neighborhood.
“The amphitheater was always conceived to be the anchor of this larger redevelopment,” Snider said. “Just knowing that it’s going to draw the energy and interest that made up the former Caraway Hospital campus, that just makes North Birmingham more vibrant and that’s great.”
Snider says once it is fully operational, the amphitheater will generate 300 jobs. He expected that as many as 30 shows might be held there this summer.
Jane Goodall, legendary primatologist, has died at age 91
Jane Goodall, primatologist who transformed our understanding of the lives of apes, has died, according to an announcement from the Jane Goodall Institute.
Trump freezes $18 billion in funding for NYC, home to key Democratic leaders
On the first day of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration froze "roughly $18 billion" in infrastructure projects for New York City, home to two of Trump's Democratic congressional opponents. It's not the first time Trump has threatened city funding over politics.
When will the government reopen? Here’s how long past shutdowns lasted
Government shutdowns lasting more than a few days were relatively rare — until recently. The 2018-2019 shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, stretching on for five weeks.
Lawsuit filed against immigration authorities after U.S. citizen’s arrests in raids
An Alabama construction worker and U.S. citizen who says he was detained twice by immigration agents within just a few weeks has filed a lawsuit in federal court demanding an end to Trump administration workplace raids targeting industries with large immigrant workforces.
What will Congress do after the shutdown? We asked a Republican and a Democrat
Most of the federal government is shut down after Congress failed to reach a funding agreement. We asked two House members — a Democrat and Republican — where they think talks go from here
The BET Hip Hop Awards cut the cord as DEI dies
The show's suspension comes amid broader efforts to curb diversity at the institutional level. The next attempt to canonize the movement must learn lessons from its successes — and its missteps.