Issues
The Forgotten History of the Voting Rights Act
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month on a challenge by Shelby County, Alabama, to a portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It’s legislation that in a certain sense was born in Alabama because of what’s known as Bloody Sunday. On March 7, 1965, police brutally beat protesters on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge which spurred President Lyndon Johnson to push for the bill. But University of Delaware history professor Gary May says there’s much more to the Voting Rights Act. He writes about the law in his book Bending Toward Justice:The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with May.
John Archibald: Evaluating the Jefferson County’s Bankruptcy Deal
The latest chapter in the saga of Jefferson County's troubled finances appears to be on the way to a resolution. County commissioners approved a tentative deal Tuesday to end the county's $4.2 billion dollar bankruptcy, with an official plan to be filed by the end of the month. We talk about the agreement with The Birmingham News and AL.com's John Archibald.
Spreading the Love on Loving Day
Loving v. Virginia is not as well known as other U.S. Supreme Court civil rights cases, but it has significant consequences for many people. The case overturned bans on interracial marriage and spawned an annual celebration called Loving Day. WBHM Race and Diversity Blogger Javacia Harris Bowser writes about one Birmingham couple who might not be together without that decision.
Tentative Deal in Jefferson County’s Bankruptcy
A judge will hold a status conference Wednesday on Jefferson County’s $4.2 billion dollar municipal bankruptcy, one day after county commissioners approved a tentative deal that could end the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Commissioners backed the plan Tuesday afternoon in a 4 to 1 vote. The deal still must be approved by a judge and creditors.
Questions Surround JeffCo Bankruptcy Deal
The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history could be coming to an end. Jefferson County has been saddled with more than $4.2 billion of debt. Wednesday a federal bankruptcy judge began reviewing a tentative agreement in the case. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
John Archibald: A Political Payoff on the JeffCo Commission?
An "I'll rub your back, you rub mine" attitude may be the grease that sometimes keeps the political process going, but it can create more squeaks. The hint of such a deal between Jefferson County Commission President David Carrington and Commissioner George Bowman is raising eyebrows. We talk about the situation with AL.com and The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald.
Kyle Whitmire: JeffCo Commissioners Deny Deal
A proposal to increase by more than $43,000 the office budget for Commissioner George Bowman has some county commissioners concerned. That proposal comes two weeks after Bowman provided a tie breaking vote for Carol Sue Nelson, the new county attorney. We talk politics with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Montgomery and Life are like High School
In his column this week, the Birmingham News' John Archibald writes that the just concluded legislative session was a bit like high school. Also, we discuss the new intermodal transit hub for downtown building, to be constructed on the site of one built just 14 years ago.
Kyle Whitmire: No Traction for Jefferson County Bills
The Alabama legislative session that wrapped up Monday saw heated debate on issues such as education and guns. But something we didn't hear much about this year is Jefferson County. The last few sessions Jefferson County issues made waves in the legislature. But this year most local bills quietly died. We talk a look with AL.com and The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Poverty on the Rise in Suburbia
Many people think of poverty as an urban issue, but a new analysis finds poor families are increasingly living in suburbs. In fact, in the last decade, poverty rose more than twice as fast in suburban communities as it did in urban centers. It’s a trend in Birmingham as well, although the metro area is not at the leading edge of the shift.
Carsen Talks “AAA” And More On Capitol Journal
Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently appeared as a guest journalist on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal,” a highly regarded program analyzing the week's significant stories. Among other things, Dan discusses the controversial Alabama Accountability Act, which will be a subject of debate in the final session of the state legislature today as lawmakers address Governor Bentley's call to delay establishing tax credits for families sending students to private schools.
Kyle Whitmire: Delay for Alabama Accountability Act?
Gov. Robert Bentley wants a two-year delay before implementing the Alabama Accountability Act, and the Alabama Democratic Party is broke. We talk politics with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Capitol Journal Update
There is now just one meeting day left in this year's Alabama legislative session. So lawmakers spent the week advancing key bills while there's still time. Alabama Public Television's Don Dailey updates us about changes to the Alabama Accountability Act, the education budget, an overhaul for Medicaid and a victory for homebrewers.
John Archibald
In his column this week, John Archibald of the Birmingham News and AL.COM writes that the Jefferson County Courthouse has more drama than CSI, but that the best drama is not in the courtroom but in County Commission Chambers.
Tanya Ott’s final day at WBHM
On her final day as News Director and Morning Edition host, WBHM's,Tanya Ott speaks with Michael Krall about her time in North Central Alabama and tells us about her new position with Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Kyle Whitmire: How was the Collapsed Airport Display Designed?
There remain many questions about what caused a flight information display at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to tip over earlier this spring, killing a 10-year-old boy. But we are getting a clearer picture of the design of the display. Also, Bessemer police shut down a popular blues juke joint. We talk about it with AL.com and The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
John Archibald: Unrest at the Jefferson County Commission
There's a lot of unrest in the Jefferson County Commission these days. The commission forced out its top attorney, then convinced a state Supreme Court justice to take the job. But then, he promptly withdraws.
Kyle Whitmire: Jefferson County Top Attorney Job Reopens
Jefferson County has put the "Help Wanted" sign up again for the top legal job in the county. The Water Works Board is wrestling with the future. We talk about those topics and more with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Black School, White School: Teaching The Civil Rights Movement
Most people know Birmingham was a Civil Rights Movement battleground. But how is that complicated history taught in schools today? And are there differences between white and black districts? As part of our special Civil Rights anniversary coverage, Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen went to class in urban Birmingham and suburban Mountain Brook to find out.
The Postman’s March
All this year we’re marking the 50th anniversary of key moments from the civil rights movement. While many are familiar with the turmoil in Birmingham, Gadsden was relatively calm. That is until a white man named William Moore set out on a solo protest walk across the south. It ended with his murder in Etowah County, Alabama. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager has the story of the “Postman’s March,” a case still unresolved today.
I Was Told I Couldn’t Be a Feminist Because I’m Black
I remember the first time I wrote and published a piece for a newspaper declaring myself a feminist. I received a message from a black man who couldn't believe that a black woman would dare associate herself with a movement that was spearheaded by "racist, wealthy white women."
Hostess to the Civil Rights Movement
The best remembered images of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama are of fire hoses and police dogs in Birmingham and officers attacking marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. But today we bring you the story of one woman working to preserve the behind- the-scenes role her house played in the movement's history.
1963 Church Bombing Seeks Compensation
The lone survivor of a 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls is seeking millions of dollars in compensation and says she will not accept a top congressional award to honor the victims.
John Archibald: Why Jeffco Is Paying Attorney $393K To Do Nothing
Jefferson County spends many millions of dollars a year on legal fees. From the $4.2 billion bankruptcy case to challenges to the county’s occupational tax, Jeffco pays a lot for the lawyers is employs. But this week it put the top in-house attorney on paid leave.
Common Core, Part 3: More Writing May Be A Challenge
New national Common Core education standards are designed to create better critical thinkers. To achieve this, students in 45 states can expect to be writing a lot more than they do now. Many educators say it's a good change, but one warns that the transition could be rough, especially for older students.
Commissioners Question Decision on County Attorney Jeff Sewell
Several Jefferson County commissioners say they still don't know why commission president David Carrington decided to place county attorney Jeff Sewell on paid administrative leave.
Diane McWhorter on Civil Rights 50th Anniversary
Birmingham is now in month four of commemorating the Civil Rights events of 1963. Some people welcome the chance to remember. Others say it was 50 years ago, why open old wounds?
Common Core, Part 2: Implementation a Challenge
By 2016, students in 45 states and the District of Columbia will be learning the same things, at the same time, under the same set of standards. But it won't be easy to implement the Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Common Core, Part 1: Is The Hype Really Just Hype?
There's been a revolution in American K-12 education: the 'Common Core State Standards.' Released in 2010, they're math and language arts standards meant to raise rigor and establish consistency across the nation. They've been adopted in 45 states. But in the first of a three-part series, the Southern Education Desk's Dan Carsen tells us that even in those places, all is not quiet on the Common Core front.
Remembering Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert has joined his friend Gene Siskel in the balcony in the sky, and according to WBHM blogger Billy Ray Brewton film criticism has died along with him.
Old Questions about Airport Death and New Questions about Auburn Football
It's been almost two weeks since a flight information display tipped over at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport, killing a boy and injuring his family members. There are still many unanswered questions about the incident and new questions about possible NCAA violations in Auburn University's football program.
White People Problems
You may have heard someone say "Sounds like a white people problem." Or how about "That's so ghetto." Some people toss around these phrases without even thinking about them, but not WBHM Race and Diversity blogger Jasmine White.
