Government

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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 .