Government

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Legislative Review and Preview 2006/04/18

Lawmakers have wrapped up their annual regular session of the legislature with budget money, tax cuts and reform and other monetary, policy and social bills that have been debated and passed. Others, including a death penalty moratorium and abortion ban, have failed.

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David Broder

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and columnist David Broder has been an 'inside-the-beltway' observer for more than 40 years, working much of his career at The Washington Post. Broder was in Birmingham as part of a lecture series and forum agreement that the Post just initiated with Samford University. Lately, among other issues, he's been keeping up with the latest news from Iran and that country's proclamation that it is now a member of the group of nuclear nations with its enriched uranium program.

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Bibb County resolve

Authorities have made three arrests in the spate of fires that've befallen churches in parts of rural Alabama. 19-year old Ben Moseley, 19-year old Russell Debusk and 20-year old Matthew Lee Cloyd, all college students in the Birmingham area, face conspiracy and arson charges. But while investigators were trying to find the culprits, life went on in rural Bibb County - where half of the fires occurred. Many residents told WBHM's Steve Chiotakis that the crimes brought a new resolve to churchgoers.

Women Leaders

The Black Belt of the Deep South got its name from the dark, rich soil, that made cotton king and fueled the institution of slavery. Today the area remains predominantly African American. It's also one of the poorest regions in the nation. One group in Alabama believes it can change the economics of the Black Belt - by getting more women into leadership positions in the state. WBHM's Tanya Ott explains.

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Highway Tango

When it comes to trucking safety, Alabama has been hauling up the rear in most categories: fatal accidents, inspections, traffic enforcement, number of state troopers. Over the past five years, the number of fatal car-truck crashes has remained steady, averaging around 137 each year and a recent poll by truckers in Overdrive magazine ranked Alabama the worst in truck inspections. The state hasn't done much to change those statistics. That means it's a 'drive at your own risk' mentality on Alabama highways, for car and truck driver alike. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis takes a look at how drivers of four- and eighteen-wheeled vehicles mix and mingle on the roads, and what can happen when things get ugly.

Meth Bill

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed sweeping new policies on methamphetamine enforcement. But as Laura Strickler reports from WBHM's Capitol Hill Bureau the vehicle for the meth legislation - the Patriot Act - faces a rough road in the Senate.

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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.

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Remembering Rosa Parks

She's being remembered as the 'mother of the civil rights movement.' Rosa Parks died at her home in Detroit of natural causes at the age of 92. Fifty years ago, while living in Montgomery, she defied an order to give her seat up for a white man. She was arrested and a bus boycott ensued. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis spoke with the Reverend Abraham Woods, president of the Birmingham chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He says Parks deserves her place in history for standing up by staying seated.

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One Stasi Victim’s Story

During the Communist era in East Germany dissonance was not allowed. Those who questioned the regime often found themselves behind bars, guests of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington recently returned from Germany where she met one such man.

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Gloria Feldt

The fight over reproductive rights is part of American culture and, over the last few years, that fight's dominated the political landscape. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington spoke with Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood of America, about her book on the changing political scene The War on Choice .