Government
Birmingham Schools Host Charter School Forums
Alabama may very well have its first-ever charter schools next year. The approval process, which has already hit snags in other parts of the state, will go either through a state commission or through local school boards that have elected to become authorizers. Birmingham City Schools is one of just two authorizers in the state, and last night, school leaders held a meeting to explain what that means.
Gasoline Could Flow Again this Week Along Leaking Shelby County Pipeline
Colonial Pipeline says it is constructing a temporary pipeline that will bypass a leaking section of its main gasoline pipeline in Shelby County. According to Al.com, Colonial says it could restart the pipeline through the bypass sometime this week.
Birmingham Leaders Want Civil Rights Sites Declared National Park
Leaders in Birmingham, Alabama want President Obama to declare the city's civil rights district a National Historical Park. Many notable events from the civil rights era took place in Birmingham including the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church where four black girls were killed by Ku Klux Klansman
From CIA to United Way: Weld for B’ham on Diverse Agencies
This week, CIA Director John Brennan met with Birmingham City School students as part of a self-described crusade to make the agency more diverse. That’s one story in the latest Weld For Birmingham. Editor Nick Patterson joins us most Thursdays to discuss Weld's top stories. He tells WBHM’s Dan Carsen about Brennan's visit, and about Weld’s cover story on the United Way and area nonprofit groups.
A Moratorium on Travel by Birmingham City Officials
Birmingham city officials often travel on trips related to their jobs. When those trips are for the public's benefit, they travel on the taxpayer's dime. But travel by the Birmingham City Council and the mayor's office has been scrutinized as excessive and with unclear returns. Travel became a flashpoint at this week's city council meeting and Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald says it a perfect time to institute a moratorium on travel.
State Board Approves Contract For New Superintendent Michael Sentance
Alabama’s new school superintendent Michael Sentance starts work Monday with annual salary and benefits of about $240,000. But the vote to approve his contract came with controversy over how the search was handled.
Special Session Ends with No Lottery and 2-year Fix for Medicaid
Alabama lawmakers are home again after wrapping up a special session on Wednesday. It’s a special session that began with Governor Robert Bentley wanting legislators to set up a lottery with the proceeds benefiting Medicaid and other general fund agencies. It ended with two lottery proposals dead and lawmakers using money from the BP oil spill settlement to fill financial gaps. To help us review the special session is Don Dailey. He’s host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
A New Building for Cooper Green Could be on the Way
Jefferson County's indigent healthcare system, Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, could be on its way to a new facility. Cooper Green transitioned from being a hospital to an outpatient clinic in 2013, but county officials say the former hospital building is expensive to keep up and they'd be better off with a new building. On Wednesday, the county commission voted in support of that idea. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald talks about the significance of the move and about a Birmingham Water Works Board contract that's drawing scrutiny.
Lawsuit Says Alabama Appellate Court Elections Violate Voting Rights Act
The civil rights group Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Alabama NAACP and four individuals challenging how Alabama elects appellate judges. The suit alleges the at-large elections violate the Voting Rights Act.
A New Direction for Birmingham’s Largest Public Housing Complex
Picture public housing and a certain image comes to mind. Typically, it is one of poverty, where hundreds of people live in a low-income neighborhood. Birmingham’s Housing Authority is hoping to re-shape this picture by re-developing Loveman Village, the city’s largest public housing complex. The idea is to build new apartments and diversify the area, but ultimately, the hope is to change the perception of public housing.
Alabama lottery bill dies in Special Session
The proposed Constitutional amendment died Friday (Aug. 26), when Senators voted not to concur with changes made by the Alabama House of Representatives and give the bill final approval.
Brighton Elects Brandon Dean One Of Alabama’s Youngest Mayors
Brighton, Alabama's Mayor-elect Brandon Dean may face hurdles because of complaints about absentee ballot applications.
A Bridge Between Police and Teens
This summer has seen headline after headline of violent encounters between people of color and law enforcement. In some cases, officers shot and killed black men. In others, police were the target of bullets. Now a Birmingham organization is trying to create a bridge between police and teens.
Study of School District Borders Shows US, AL Economic Segregation
A wide body of research shows that students in poor school districts face real disadvantages. But the way the U.S. funds schools creates pockets of poverty right next to enclaves of wealth.
Randall Woodfin to Run for Mayor of Birmingham
The assistant city attorney's campaign is set to officially kick off Saturday morning at the North Birmingham Recreation Center, close to where he went to elementary school.
New Schools Chief Steps Into Turbulent Education Climate
Alabama has a new public schools chief. Last week, the State Board of Education selected Michael Sentance. He's the former Secretary of Education of Massachusetts and worked with the U.S. Department of Education. But he's never been a classroom teacher or principal and he was chosen over three Alabama candidates. That has some in the education community in an uproar. We talk about the situation with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
A Preview of the 2016 Special Session
A special session of the Alabama Legislature begins today (Monday, August 15). Governor Bentley called the special session to solve financial problems which he says, have held the state back […]
State Board Taps Consultant for New Schools Chief
It took repeated tries, but today the state school board named Michael Sentance, a consultant and former Massachusetts Secretary of Education, its choice to be new Alabama Superintendent.
Hate-Filled Heckling in the Name of Religion
The hearing Monday for suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore sparked disturbing heckles directed at members of the LGBT community. Moore supporters chanted anti-gay slurs and mocked a speaker attempting to […]
What can we Learn from Other States’ Lotteries?
Alabama lawmakers will meet in a special session Monday to take up a lottery proposal from Governor Robert Bentley. The governor wants lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment setting up a lottery. The revenue would go to the general fund which supports agencies such as Medicaid, prisons, and mental healthcare. If passed, the plan would have to be approved by voters to go into effect. Alabama’s one of six states that doesn’t have a lottery, so to gain perspective on what’s happened elsewhere WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Mary Borg. She’s a professor of political economy at the University of North Florida and studies lotteries.
Gay Rights Group Calling for Moore’s Ouster Through Public Advertisement
The Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community put the sign up in downtown Montgomery. The sign went up just days before Moore’s hearing on judicial ethics charges. In January, he sent an order to probate judges saying the state’s gay marriage ban was still in effect even after a U.S. Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage.
What do we Learn from a Church Bomber’s Denied Parole?
Thomas Blanton will stay in jail. He's the last remaining Klansman convicted for Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which killed four black girls in 1963. Blanton was up for parole Wednesday after serving 15 years of his four life sentences. But the state's parole board did not free Blanton. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald reflects on the hearing and also comments on Alabama's likely new Speaker of the Alabama House Mac McCutcheon.
Birmingham Church Bomber Denied Parole
Alabama's parole board has decided against freeing a one-time Ku Klux Klansman convicted in a church bombing that killed four black girls more than 50 years ago.
Judge Dismisses Alabama’s Suit Against U.S. Over Refugees
A federal judge has dismissed Alabama’s lawsuit against the U.S. over potential Syrian refugee resettlement.
Many Unknowns Around Governor’s Call for a Lottery
Proponents of a lottery in Alabama received a notable boost this week after Governor Robert Bentley announced he would call a special session on that issue. He wants lawmakers to pass a measure to create a lottery which would then have to be approved by voters. Bentley says it's up to voters to decide but calls a lottery the best remaining way to deal with persistent budget crises. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald offers his take on the proposal.
How Alabama Ethics Laws Allow for Questionable Campaign Spending
A loophole in Alabama's campaign finance law allows for questionable contributions.
Governor Announces Special Session on Lottery
Governor Robert Bentley says he will call a special session in order for lawmakers to pass a measure that would allow residents to vote on setting up a state lottery. […]
Finding a Way to Talk About Racial Inequality in Alabama, U.S.
It's time to speak of reparations. That's the headline of the latest column by AL.com's John Archibald. The piece comes following the turbulent and deadly events involving black men and law enforcement in Louisiana, Texas and Minnesota. A discussion about this controversial column.
It Might Just Be Legal
Spending practices regarding election campaign funds in Alabama are under review. How those funds are spent, now, can be looked up as public information, and there are some questions that come […]
Birmingham Reacts to a Week of Violence with Marches, Rallies and Hope
The nation is still reeling from a string of violence last week, including the deaths of two black men, shot by the police, and the killings of five Dallas police officers during a peaceful protest. For more on the reaction from Birmingham, we’re joined by Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD. He spoke to WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley.
Judge Puts Temporary Hold on Abortion Restrictions
Two new Alabama laws restricting abortions were set to go into effect next month, but yesterday, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson blocked them, at least for now. In the latest […]
AG Puts Foot Down on Alabama’s Open Carry Law
Attorney General Luther Strange orders removal of all "No Firearms Allowed" signs around Alabama.
