Tanya Ott
Tanya Ott is a part-time editor at WBHM and instructor for the University of Alabama's journalism department. She hosts a podcast on business strategy and emerging technologies and trains public radio newsrooms around the country. Over her 30+ year career, she has reported for Marketplace, NPR and other networks and worked at local stations in Florida, Colorado, Georgia and Alabama, including as WBHM's news director from 2002-2013.
Asian Soybean Rust
Alabama farmers are almost done harvesting cotton, corn and soy - the state's big three agricultural commodities. This year many soy farmers are breathing a sigh of relief. It was the first growing season soy farmers had to watch for a devastating disease that has crippled crops in Asia, Africa and South America. John Sepulvado has the story of the scientists from Alabama and around the southeast who are working to fight Asian Soybean Rust spores.
Asperger’s Syndrome: the Kids
Aspergers Syndrome is a mental disorder that only recently has been widely identified. As the rate of diagnosis increases, parents of young children with Aspergers look for resources. Reporter Donna Francavilla profiles a new choice in Birmingham.
Flu Pandemic
Today in Washington, state and federal officials are meeting to hammer out a flu pandemic preparedness plan. President Bush's proposal earmarks more than $7 billion for vaccine research, preparedness and buying anti-virals. But some states, including Alabama, say it's not enough. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Mental Health & Workplace Productivity
Depression and anxiety tend to peak as the holidays approach, either because of the stress of the season or simply the weather, with seasonal affective disorder brought on by darker, gloomier days. A new review of previous studies finds that depression and anxiety exact an enormous toll on U.S. businesses.
House Budget & Mental Health Programs
The U-S House of Representatives passed its controversial budget early this morning, but it wasn't easy. WBHM's Capital Connection Correspondent Laura Strickler reports on how the budget would impact many programs in the state of Alabama, including mental health care.
Special Education
Walk into any classroom in America - and chances are there'll be at least one special education student. You may not be able to pick him or her out of the crowd. His disability could range from dyslexia or attention deficit disorder to cerebral palsy. It used to be these students were segregated from the general school population, but legal changes beginning in the mid-1970s brought special education students into regular classrooms. It used to be called 'mainstreaming', but today's buzzword is 'inclusion.' Parents fought hard for it, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports - despite significant gains they say it's still a battle.
Young Zombies in Love
Zombie themes are very popular right now - and not just because of Halloween. There's been a resurgence in Zombie movies, including the locally produced hit Hide & Creep. And this weekend, Birmingham Southern College takes the genre to the stage, with a play called Young Zombies in Love. WBHM's Tanya Ott spoke with BSC's Theater director Michael Flowers about the play.
Lemony Snicket
For several years now fans have followed the story of the Baudelaire orphans. The latest and 'last before the last installment' in the Lemony Snicket 'Series of Unfortunate Events' has just hit bookstore shelves. There's been a lot of speculation as to the fate of the Baudelaires. WBHM's Tanya Ott spoke with Lemony Snicket's 'handler' -- Daniel Handler -- in hopes of clearing up some of the mystery. Judge for yourself whether it worked!
Birmingham: Open for Business
Thousands of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita evacuees have made their way through Birmingham in the last month, and now the city is considering rolling out the welcome mat even more aggressively. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Boarding Home Inspections
Hundreds of people with mental illness live in boarding homes scattered across the Birmingham metro area, and starting this week, there's effectively no inspection program to make sure those homes are clean and safe. As part of our continuing series, Making Sense of Mental Health, WBHM's Tanya Ott spoke with Shannon Weston, executive director of NAMI Alabama and Dr. Tom Hobbs, co-chairman of the blue ribbon committee tasked with finding a solution to the problem.
Hurricane Ruins Convention Business
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Black Belt Poverty
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
No Child Left Behind
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Hurricane Banking Troubles
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Teacher Shortage
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Teen Diary: Story of a Cutter
Some two million Americans intentionally injure themselves to cope with emotionally overwhelming feelings or situations. It's often called self-injury, or self-mutilation, or just 'cutting.' The Crisis Center in Birmingham says it's seen an increase in the number of middle-school-aged kids calling the crisis hotline to talk about cutting. We've got on 'cutter's' story...
Teen Diary: Brittany Labrake’s Story
This month we're airing a special series as part of our year-long mental health project. This series is called Raise Your Voice: Stories from Teens . Public radio producer David Sommerstein gave recorders to three young women in New York and asked them to document their daily lives. Today, we hear from Brittany laBrake. For a lot of kids in high school, the opportunity to live in your own apartment is like a dream come true, a long awaited chance for independence and freedom. That's what Brittany thought. She was living in a foster home for five years; but, a month before her 18th birthday, while she was still in high school, she signed herself out of foster care to live on her own. Brittany moved into an apartment with her boyfriend, Gary. She wanted to live her life independently, but she found out it's not that easy.
Teen Diary: Brittany Chase’s Story
This month we're airing a special series as part of our year-long mental health project. This series is called Raise Your Voice: Stories from Teens . Public radio producer David Sommerstein gave recorders to three young women in New York and asked them to document their daily lives. Today, we hear from Brittany Chase. Brittany is 16 years old. She lives in a foster home. Strife and substance abuse in her biological family landed her in the foster care system. Brittany says it saved her life. One note: these are teenagers, so the language is, at times, rough.
Mental Health: Small Business Coverage
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
SciGirls
Research shows that by the time girls enter high school their interest and self-confidence in scientific pursuits has dropped dramatically. One Alabama summer camp aims to spark an interest in science among girls. Amanda Shaw reports.
Winn Dixie Closing
The Winn Dixie grocery store chain has announced it's closing hundreds of stores throughout the southeast in an effort to shore up sagging sales. It's the latest closure in a battle for market share in the grocery industry. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports on the impact the closures will have a certain Birmingham neighborhoods, especially those with high minority populations.
2nd Homes
Real estate analysts may be warning about the pending burst of the housing bubble, but homebuyers don't seem to be 'buying' it. Vacation homes are selling at a record clip, especially on Alabama's lakes. WBHM's Tanya Ott talks to sellers, buyers, agents and experts about the wisdom of investing in the 2nd home market right now.
Koreans Driving Auto Competition
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Brown-vs-Board 2: Resegregation
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Pharmacy’s Prognosis
The pharmacy industry is rapidly changing, with new technology, and a shift in the types of students who apply to pharmacy school. Tanya Ott reports.
Mental Illness & Poverty
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
TR Pearson
T.R. Pearson has been compared to Mark Twain and William Faulkner for his Southern influenced prose and circuitous, anecdotal narratives. Pearson's first novel, 'A Short History of a Small Place' won rave reviews from readers and the praise of critics as well. 20 years later, he's out with its sequel: 'Glad News of the Natural World'.
Parental Leave
Just in time for Mother's Day, the National Partnership for Women and Children is releasing a study that grades states on their parental leave policies. Alabama gets an 'F'. WBHM's Tanya Ott talked with the group's president, Debra Ness.
The “New” New South
Sociologists and demographers talk about the 'New South'. But there's a 'New' New South, marked by a return of northern African Americans to their southern roots. Tanya Ott reports.
Mind’s Eye: Art & Mental Illness
Scientists are increasingly focusing on whether there's a common gene that predisposes people to creativity and mental illness. There's long been a link between the two and many famous artists and musicians had mental illness. WBHM's Tanya Ott and reporter Adam Allington explore the inner-connectedness.
ADHD Greentime
The number of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and its related conditions has skyrocketed in recent years. Parents often struggle with treatment options -- whether to medicate or not, what medicine to choose. A new study suggests that time spent outside might mitigate some ADHD symptoms, but some critics worry parents may think 'green time' is a magic bullet. WBHM's Francesca Rosko reports.
Music Therapy
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
