Issues
Birmingham Museum Of Art To Feature Paintings By Dutch Masters
The Birmingham Museum of Art opens a new exhibit Saturday that features works of well-known Dutch and Flemish masters. The exhibition called "Small Treasures" includes paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and their contemporaries. These artists are often known for large canvases, but these paintings are small.
John Archibald: Alabamian vs. American
A federal judge who struck down Alabama's same-sex marriage ban has released a letter clarifying the ruling applies to all government officials, not just those named in the suit. The ruling is on hold for now, but it's the latest in a legal firestorm sparked Friday when the decision came down. We talk about it with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Developers Receive Approval For New Downtown Publix Designs, Permits
The Birmingham Design Review Board on Wednesday approved developers design plans and permits for a Publix grocery store downtown at 3rd Avenue South and 20th Street. The 35,000 square foot grocery and pharmacy will anchor a $20 million dollar development that will include three apartment buildings, retail stores, restaurants, and office space.
Kyle Whitmire: Alabama Leaders React To Same-Sex Marriage Decision
The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed a judicial ethics complaint against Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. The complaint stems from Moore's criticism of a federal judge's ruling Friday striking down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage. Moore called it "judicial tyranny." Meanwhile, State Representative Patricia Todd, Alabama's first openly gay legislator, said she would "not stand by and allow legislators to talk about 'family values' when they have affairs." Alabama Media Group political commentator Kyle Whitmire sorts through the reactions as Alabama moves towards possibly becoming the 37th state to recognize same-sex marriage.
Supporters Rally for School Choice As Alabama Waits for AAA Ruling
As the state legislature prepares to take up the subject of charter schools and the state supreme court readies a ruling on the controversial Alabama Accountability Act, thousands are expected to gather in Montgomery on Wednesday to rally for expanded school choice.
Same-Sex Couple In Birmingham Denied Marriage License
Greg Mullins and Josh Laning went to the Jefferson County Courthouse to apply for a marriage license today, despite the two-week stay on a Friday decision striking down Alabama's same-sex marriage ban. They have been thinking about getting married for years, but they never believed it would be possible in Alabama.
Alabama Appeals Same-Sex Ruling
The state of Alabama is appealing a federal judge's order overturning the state's ban on same-sex marriage. Attorney General Luther Strange's office filed notice Monday with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saying it would challenge Friday's ruling by a district court judge in Mobile.
Federal Judge Puts Temporary Hold on Same-Sex Marriage Decision
Alabama same-sex couples who hoped to get marriage licenses today will have to wait a few more weeks to see if the state will legally recognize their relationships. A federal judge put a two-week hold on her decision striking down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage. WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley spoke to Andrew Yeager about what happened over the weekend and what might happen next.
Carsen And Lindley Talk Alabama Schools’ Low Test Scores
School test results have been in the news across Alabama lately, often next to words like "sobering" and "not on track." So what's going on? WBHM's News Director Rachel Osier Lindley sits down with education reporter Dan Carsen to shed light on a complex and heated issue. Carsen just returned from a conference put on by NPR's Ed Team, and part of that "Ed Summit" dealt with testing. Perfect timing for a while-the-iron-is-hot interview.
Federal Judge In Alabama Rules Same-Sex Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
Alabama has become the latest state to see its ban on gay marriage fall to a federal court ruling, as the issue of same-sex marriage heads to the U.S. Supreme Court. U.S. District Callie V.S. Granade ruled Friday in favor of two Mobile women who sued to challenge Alabama's refusal to recognize their marriage performed in California. Alabama's Attorney General's Office has asked the judge to put a stay on the ruling.
Interview: Alabama’s Growing Trade Relationship With China
The Chinese ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, is visiting Birmingham this week as part of the Birmingham International Center’s 2015 spotlight on China. The Birmingham International Center highlights a different country each year. The goal this year is to improve ties between Alabama and China. Senior executives, business leaders, government officials and community […]
John Archibald: Birmingham to Host 2021 World Games
Birmingham leaders are celebrating today's announcement the city has won the chance to host the 2021 World Games. It's an international competition of non-Olympic sports. Birmingham beat Lima, Peru, and Ufa, Russia, to capture the games. City officials are not only talking about history and civic pride but economic impact as well. We hear reaction from Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Auburn University’s Rural Studio Brings 20K Houses To Hale County
For some residents of Alabama’' Black Belt, good housing can be hard to come by. In Hale County, 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line -- meaning an individual lives on less than $11,670 a year. A group from Auburn University wants to help by designing an efficient and inexpensive house that anyone could afford. For WBHM, Ashley Cleek visited Newbern, Alabama to check out the homes.
BPD Issues Statement On Looming Pepper-Spray Trial
If you read this after 10 a.m. on Tuesday, January 20, the day after Martin Luther King Day, witnesses may already be on the stand in a federal courtroom in yet another Birmingham trial with civil rights implications. Barring a last-minute settlement, the Southern Poverty Law Center's suit against the Birmingham Police Department over officers using mace on city students will go forward, and lawyers representing the city and the police are promising a vigorous defense. WBHM's Dan Carsen has more.
Two Churches Join Forces For MLK Holiday Worship and Community Service
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The most segregated time of the week is on Sunday." Reverend James Sutton and Reverend Steven Castello, the leaders of Ardent Church and Holy Trinity World Outreach Ministry, are determined to change that. The two Birmingham churches -- one majority black, the other majority white -- are coming together this weekend to honor Dr. King Jr. by fostering friendships between the members of their congregations.
John Archibald: No Confidence Vote on UAB President
The UAB Faculty Senate will vote Thursday morning on a resolution expressing no confidence in university president Ray Watts. It's the latest fallout from his decision to end UAB's football, bowling and rifle programs. This is in addition to no confidence resolutions passed by the Graduate Student Government and the Undergraduate Student Government Association, the latter saying Watts misled people and didn't adequately inform the UAB community.
UAB Faculty Senate Passes No Confidence Resolution in President Ray Watts
Thursday morning, UAB's Faculty Senate passed a resolution expressing no confidence in university president Ray Watts. It's the latest fallout from his decision to end UAB's football, bowling, and rifle programs. Watts has said he would not resign even if the resolution passed. WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley has this recap.
Kyle Whitmire: Leadership in the Legislature and at UAB
The Alabama Legislature met for their organizational session this week, and much of their key leadership will remain the same. What does this mean for this year's legislative session? Kyle Whitmire from AL.com and The Birmingham News joins us to discuss this, along with the potential no confidence vote for UAB President Dr. Ray Watts.
Movie Stirs Memories in Selma
The Golden Globe Awards are Sunday and one film that could pick up a few statues is Selma . The film depicts the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches which led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act. This weekend, Paramount Pictures began free screenings in the movie's namesake town in Alabama.
John Archibald: The Northern Beltline Boondoggle
Supporters of the Northern Beltline had a good 2014. Construction began on the planned 52-mile, $5 billion interstate highway stretching across the northern half of Jefferson County. Critics have long pointed to the price tag as a reason to abandon the proposal, but some new maps and data are adding to the cry of boondoggle. We talk about it with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Schools Start Later Thursday Due To Cold
More than 30 Alabama school systems are delaying opening on Thursday because of forecasts of bitterly cold weather. Most of the postponements are in north and central Alabama. But systems as far south as southeast Alabama also are telling students to come later than normal. Officials are delaying openings because of temperatures in the single-digits and teens and wind-child readings that are expected to fall below zero in areas.
Nancy Worley and Alabama’s Democratic Party in 2015
What's in store for Alabama's fractured Democratic Party in 2015? A humorous holiday letter sent from party chairwoman Nancy Worley has al.com and Birmingham News political commentator Kyle Whitmire concerned about the party's future.
New Year’s Resolutions for Alabama’s Political Leaders
2014 was a busy year for Alabama -- Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard was indicted on felony corruption charges, Republicans swept all the major elections in the state and Jefferson County had, arguably, its first slow news year in a decade. What's in store for 2015? Kyle Whitmire of al.com and the Birmingham News suggests some New Year's resolutions for Alabama's leaders.
ASFA Musician on NPR’s From the Top
Andrew Downs, a double bass player attending the Alabama School of Fine Arts, recently appeared on the NPR program From The Top. Downs, age 17, spoke with WBHM's Program Director Michael Krall about his appearance on the program and about the double bass itself.
I Don’t Like Christmas and That’s OK
While Christmas can be "the most wonderful time of the year" for some, our guest blogger, Javacia Harris Bowser, thinks the season's social and financial pressures are a bit out of control. She writes about that in her monthly blog post for WBHM, along with the holiday that really brightens her winter: New Year's!
Magic City Writers Read: How the Swampers Changed American Music
The Shoals area of Alabama is known for a long list of popular musicians who recorded there in the 1960s and 1970s. Artists including Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan cut tracks in this otherwise sleepy corner of the state. But a part of the region's musical success is thanks to four men nicknamed the Swampers. In WBHM's first "Magic City Writers Read" event, author Carla Jean Whitley discusses her new book on the Swampers.
Kyle Whitmire: Is Governor Bentley Now Open To Expanding Medicaid?
Governor Bentley has repeatedly said he's opposed to the state expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. But in a speech to legislators last week, Bentley seemed to change his tune. Is Medicaid expansion on the horizon for Alabama?
Ollie’s Barbecue: The Case that Integrated Restaurants
One of the enduring images of the Civil Rights Movement is of black protesters being pulled away from lunch counters. Fifty years ago this Sunday a U.S. Supreme Court ruling effectively ended segregation in restaurants. That case came from Birmingham.
John Archibald: UAB President’s Leadership has been Damaged over Football
UAB President Ray Watts' decision to cut the school's football, bowling, and rifle teams has moved beyond a simple matter of athletic priorities now that a no confidence vote is in play. The UAB faculty senate on Tuesday agreed to draft a resolution expressing no confidence in Watts. They could vote on the measure next month.
Could UAB Afford To Keep Football? Depends Who You Ask
It's been just over a week since the University of Alabama at Birmingham announced it's canceling the university's football, rifle and bowling programs. UAB president Dr. Ray Watts cited the rising costs of college athletics and a report from independent consultants Carr Sports. The decision, the process behind it and the numbers in the Carr Sports report have drawn heavy criticism. But others are calling it an unpopular-but-necessary move.
A Moonshine Renaissance
Mention moonshine and you might think of an illegal backwoods still in the mountains of the South, carefully hidden to evade the authorities. In recent years though, legal distilleries have been popping up in sort of a moonshine renaissance.
Faculty Senate Vote For Reassessment of Sports And “No-Confidence” on Watts
It's been a week since UAB announced the end of its football, bowling, and rifle teams. Today at a meeting of the Faculty Senate, at least two-thirds of that body approved drafting two resolutions: a declaration supporting the school's athletic programs and a transparent financial reassessment of them; and, a "no confidence" resolution directed at university president Ray Watts. WBHM's Dan Carsen and Rachel Osier Lindley break down the day's events.
