Government
Dozens Being Treated After Water Treatment Chemical Spill
A chemical spill at a Birmingham water treatment plant sent dozens of workers to area hospitals with respiratory problems. Officials say the water supply hasn't been affected.
Special Coverage: Michael Cohen’s Testimony to Congress
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, testifies today on Capitol Hill. Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) has signaled that the committee will question Cohen about topics including “debts and payments relating to efforts to influence the 2016 US Presidential election” as well as the president’s compliance with campaign finance and tax laws. Cohen pleaded guilty last […]
Council Delays Vote on MLB Youth Academy
The Birmingham City Council delayed a scheduled vote Tuesday on an agreement for a Major League Baseball-supported youth academy in the city. The program was planned for George Ward Park, but the council passed a separate resolution asking the park board to consider other locations instead.
Report Highlights Alabama’s Poor Roads as Officials Consider the ‘T Word’
The state’s roads are in bad shape. Those potholes and accidents costs the average driver in the Birmingham area about $1,800 a year, according to a new report from a Washington-D-C-based transportation group. State lawmakers are expected to discuss a proposed tax increase to fund road and bridge construction.
Reaching Everyone in the 2020 Census Might be Harder in Alabama
We’re not far into 2019, but those at the U.S. Census Bureau have long been focused on 2020. That’s when the next national census will take place. Many in Alabama say this census is especially critical for the state.
Judge Delays Decision on Whether Ed May Remains Fairfield’s Mayor, Orders May to Include Council in His Lawsuit
The question of who is Fairfield’s rightful mayor won’t be answered definitively any time soon, as Circuit Court Judge Pat Ballard ordered Ed May II, who was elected mayor, to add members of the City Council to his suit against the Jefferson County Personnel Board.
Plant Gorgas Latest Coal Giant to Fall as Power Companies Turn Toward Natural Gas, Renewables
By Hank Black The Alabama Power Co. announcement that it will retire its three coal-fired units at the William Crawford Gorgas Electric Generating Plant on April 15 is just the latest blow to coal power as economic realities pile up on the industry. In the past four years, Alabama Power has reduced its coal-fired units […]
Family of Emantic Bradford Jr. Renews Calls for Transparency
The family of a man killed by police in a Thanksgiving mall shooting wants authorities to release all video footage and the name of the officer involved.
PowerSouth CEO Blames ‘Extremist Environmental Ideology’ for Shuttering a Coal-Fired Plant in South Alabama
One of Alabama’s oldest coal-fired power plants will close next year. PowerSouth Energy Cooperative’s chief executive blamed the closure on “extremist environmental ideologies” and “environmental activists” in announcing that the Charles R. Lowman electrical generation plant on the Tombigbee River would be shuttered.
African-American Men and Law Enforcement Discuss Lowering Crime and Saving Young Men
Danny Carr didn’t stammer as he provided closing thoughts to a gathering Thursday night in downtown Birmingham. The Jefferson County district attorney was making a point to reduce the deaths of young African-American men and boys.
Fairfield Council Gives Mayor the Boot, but Ed May II Isn’t Backing Down
The long-running feud between Fairfield Mayor Ed May II and the City Council has reached a boiling point, as the council voted to remove May from office because he was continually absent from council meetings.
Auburn Yearbook Photo Shows Ivey’s Sorority Sisters in Minstrel Show; Governor Is Not in the Picture
The Auburn Plainsman reported Monday that a photo in the 1967 yearbook shows members of Gov. Kay Ivey’s sorority putting on a minstrel show that appears to have been taken during Rush that year.
Gov. Ivey Says Infrastructure is Top Priority
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says infrastructure is her administration’s top priority. Ivey made the comments in a speech Friday at the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama’s annual meeting in Birmingham.
Birmingham Council Supports Renaming CrossPlex for Langford, Question Parker’s Bid to Bring Oakland Raiders to Legion Field
Mayor Randall Woodfin and members of the Birmingham City Council announced Tuesday that they would support changing the name of the Birmingham CrossPlex to honor former Mayor Larry Langford, who died last month.
Drummond to Pay $775,000 Penalty to EPA, Jefferson County Health Department
Drummond Company has agreed to pay a $775,000 civil penalty as part of a settlement contained in a consent decree relating to alleged violations of environmental laws at its ABC Coke Plant in Tarrant.
Merrill to Testify Before Congressional Committee
Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill plans to testify Wednesday before a congressional committee looking into election security. Merrill is one of a handful of state and local election officials giving feedback on a bill meant to improve the nation’s voting laws. He has issues with some of the provisions in the proposed legislation.
Governor Announces Plan to Build Three Prisons for Men
Governor Kay Ivey announced Tuesday a plan to replace existing prison facilities with three regional men's prisons to address "violence, poor living conditions and mental illness" in Alabama's corrections system.
U.S. Steel Revives Furnace Project in Fairfield
U.S. Steel Corporation will restart work on its electric arc furnace in Fairfield. The $215 million initiative will replace the former blast furnace at Fairfield Works.
Alabama Prison Officials “Deliberately Indifferent” to Mental Health Needs
A federal judge ruled the Alabama prison system has failed to monitor the mental health of prisoners isolated in segregation cells, a failure to which the Alabama Department of Corrections is “deliberately indifferent,” the order says.
Alabama’s Teacher Shortages Reach ‘Crisis’ Level
Alabama’s teacher shortages are reaching crisis level, education leaders say.
Officials Won’t Name Hoover Officer Involved in Shooting. Why Not?
Officials still have not released the name of the police officer who shot and killed a 21-year-old black man at the Riverchase Galleria mall. The attorney general cleared the officer of any wrongdoing. Should authorities release his name?
Protests Move To Montgomery, Hoover Mayor Speaks Out
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato says the city plans to defend the unidentified officer who shot and killed Emantic Bradford Jr. in any future civil litigation. Meanwhile, outraged protesters demonstrate outside of the state attorney general's office in Montgomery.
AG Marshall: Hoover Police Officer Was Justified in Fatal Shooting
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall says the officer who shot and killed Emantic Bradford Jr. Thanksgiving night was justified. This comes in a report released Tuesday, more than two months after the shooting.
State of the Union: Democrats’ Response
Stacey Abrams, who narrowly lost the Georgia governor’s race in November, is delivering the Democrats’ response to President Trump’s State of the Union address. Reporters across the NPR newsroom are annotating her remarks, adding context and analysis. Loading…
Trump’s State of the Union Address
President Trump is delivering his State of the Union address, which the White House says will outline a “policy agenda both parties can rally behind.” Yet the speech follows the longest shutdown in U.S. history, and the deadline to avoid another one is in less than two weeks. NPR reporters covering the White House, Congress, […]
Alabama’s Federal Employees Return to Work as Federal Shutdown Is Temporarily Ended
Federal employees in Birmingham and across the state returned to work Monday after a record-setting, five-week partial federal shutdown that affected about 5,500 workers, almost 10 percent of the state’s 50,000 federal employees.
Alabama Lawmakers’ Pay up 4% in 2019
Alabamians’ median household income increased in 2017, which means Alabama lawmakers received a corresponding 4.03 percent pay increase this year. Their annual salary is now $48,123. This is the third raise for lawmakers since 2014, when their pay was tied to household incomes through a voter-approved constitutional amendment.
Bradford Family Renews Calls For Release of Shooting Video
The family of Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. renewed the call today for authorities to release all videos from the fatal Thanksgiving night shooting at the Riverchase Galleria mall.
Jefferson County Commission Plans Town Hall Meeting to Explain Sewer Rate Increases
Jefferson County Commissioners had a lengthy discussion during their committee meeting Tuesday about setting a town hall meeting to focus on rising sewer rates as a result of the county’s bankruptcy.
Scales Opens the Windows of the County’s Committee Meeting Room
Citizens of Jefferson County could only imagine the discussion and debate that happened when commissioners assembled for their committee meetings.
One-Third of Alabama’s Failing Schools Are in the Birmingham Metro Area
The Alabama State Department of Education has posted its list of the state’s failing public schools, and 25 Birmingham metro-area public schools are on it. Statewide, 76 public schools are on the list.
UAB Police Chief Named President of National Accreditation Group
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, or CALEA, has chosen UAB Police Chief Anthony Purcell to lead the national organization. The commission sets hundreds of standards for law enforcement agencies on everything from body cam usage to bias training.
