Issues
Reaction to Jefferson County Bankruptcy
Jefferson County residents are trying to figure out what's next, now that county leaders have filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. The county's $4.1 billion filing is seen as closure by some. Others say the bankruptcy is an economic black eye for the entire state.
John Archibald on Jefferson County’s Bankruptcy
Jefferson County officials have filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Commissioners voted 4-1 yesterday to file an estimated $4.1 bankruptcy. Shortly after the vote, attorneys filed the paperwork. But what happens next? Birmingham News columnist John Archibald tells WBHM's Tanya Ott.
Jefferson County Votes to File for Bankruptcy
Jefferson County Commissioner voted this afternoon to file bankruptcy. The estimated $4.1 billion filing will be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.
Dan Carsen Interviewed Re Immigration Law on “The Takeaway”
Education reporter Dan Carsen is interviewed by PRI's "The Takeaway"about the latest immigration-law dust-up between the U.S. Department of Justice and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange.
Strange Rebuffs DOJ Again
In the latest chapter of a blunt back-and-forth over Alabama's immigration law, state Attorney General Luther Strange on Friday again rebuffed the U.S. Department of Justice over access to student information. Dan Carsen has more in this web-exclusive report.
IMMIGRATION LAW: State AG Balks at DOJ Request
The U.S. Department of Justice, concerned about the new immigration law, has requested enrollment data from district superintendents across Alabama. But it's unclear when or whether that information will be provided, as state Attorney General Luther Strange balked at the request. Dan Carsen has more in this web-exclusive report from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM.
Lynch v. Alabama Ruling
A federal judge recently ruled on a case that has implications for how schools are funded and taxes are assessed across Alabama. Dan Carsen has more on Lynch v. Alabama in this web-exclusive report.
Max’s Delicatessen & the Immigration Law
Alabama's new immigration law has been in the news a lot lately. There've been stories about police setting up road blocks outside immigrant neighborhoods and how schools are losing students. But this month one businessman has found himself at the center of the controversy - in a spotlight he never anticipated - or wanted. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Religious Exemptions to School Vaccine Requirements on Rise
Today's students and most of their parents are too young to remember a time when epidemics crippled and killed millions. And there's a reason we've forgotten: vaccines. Even so, a small but growing number of Alabama students are getting religious exemptions to school immunization requirements. The reasons are sometimes religious, sometimes philosophical, and sometimes health-based. Dan Carsen has more from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM.
Fantasy Football: International Edition
It's football season. College football. NFL football. And Fantasy football. And now, an international Fantasy football league based here in Birmingham (Alabama, not England).
Immigration Law and Schools: Trying to Calm Fears
Across Alabama, people have been marching to spotlight children affected by the state's strict new immigration law. The measure requires schools to record the immigration status of newly enrolled students. After more than 2,000 Hispanic students were absent from Alabama schools early last week, activists and educators are reaching out to families worried about what the law will mean for them. Dan Carsen has more from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM.
StoryCorps
StoryCorps is an oral history project based on the idea that the stories of everyday people are the most important and interesting of all. Listen to stories from Alabamians.
Remembering Fred Shuttlesworth
Flags are at half staff across Alabama in memory of Birmingham civil rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth. Shuttlesworth died Wednesday. He was 89. Shuttlesworth fought for integration in schools and on buses in the 1950s. He also was arrested many times. Mobs attacked him. Ku Klux Klansmen bombed his home and church. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reflected on Shuttleworth's legacy with biographer Andrew Manis.
Deciphering Alabama’s Immigration Law
Now that a federal judge has allowed most of Alabama's tough new immigration law to go into effect, lawyers, police and immigrants themselves are trying to figure out just how the law is applied. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke about what some parts of the law mean with Zayne Smith. She's the immigration policy director with Alabama Appleseed.
Immigration Law and Schools
Students, parents, and school officials are reacting to Alabama's new immigration law, the toughest in the nation. The law went into effect last week after a federal judge upheld many of its most controversial provisions, including a requirement that schools check the immigration status of newly enrolled students. And that extra layer of administrative responsibility may pale in comparison with the fear it's engendered. Dan Carsen has more from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM:
Hilary Hahn interview
Not only is Hahn one of the world's top violinists, but several years ago she gave the world premier performance and recording of the Violin Concerto by Edgar Meyer. This weekend, with the ASO, Hilary Hahn revisits the Meyer Violin Concerto - a work that was specifically commissioned for her.
Part 3: Walking School Bus
What has bright colors, traffic signs, dozens of feet, and provides exercise, companionship, and a safe way to school? It's a new community-oriented health and safety strategy called a "walking school bus." In the last of a three-part series on school transportation, Dan Carsen has more from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM:
Pt2-RuralChallenges
Safe transportation to and from school is a challenge across the country. Roughly 800 children die making that trip each year, and the dangers vary by location. The rural south has its own challenges, some preventable, some not. In Part Two of a three-part series on school transportation, Dan Carsen has more from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM:
School Transpo Safety Pt 1 – Urban Trains
It's no secret that kids trying to succeed in school face hurdles, some more than others. But for students in many of Birmingham's urban neighborhoods, serious safety challenges involving massive moving machines start before they even get to school. In Part One of a three-part series on school transportation, Dan Carsen has more from the Southern Education Desk at WBHM:
Justin Brown interview
In his sixth and final season, Justin Brown conducts the opening weekend of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra's Masterworks Series.
Tragic City Rollers
You're probably familiar with the Blazers and the Barons. But have you heard of the Tragic City Rollers? If not, you're missing out on another home team to root for.
Birmingham Bus Cuts
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority's motto is "We'll get you there." But they might not be able to due to a lack of funding.
The Sewer and the Legislature
Jefferson County Commissioners have two weeks left to reach a settlement with creditors over the county's more than three billion dollar sewer debt. Commissioners have been negotiating directly with Wall Street banks in hopes of avoiding what would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. While approving a settlement is an important part of resolving the sewer debt crisis, that's not the end. As WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports, it just means a trip to Montgomery.
FEMA Payments Delayed
As the east coast dries out following Hurricane Irene, the storm is causing financial snags for Alabma. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will delay certain payments for existing disaster operations, such as rebuiling after April's tornados or the twister in Joplin, Missouri. Instead money will be directed to Hurricane Irene response. Alabama Emergency Management Director Art Faulkner says this restriction does not affect individual payments or debris clean up. It will affect longer term projects.
AP-update
At Alabama public high schools that first implemented the A+ College Ready Program in 2010-2011, A.P. exam pass rates increased by 111 percent. The pass rate for minority students increased even more. But how did that happen? Click here to read Dan Carsen's web-exclusive report:
A Challenge to Alabama’s Immigration Law
Opponents of Alabama's new immigration law spent Wednesday in federal court trying to convince a judge to block the measure from going into effect on September first. The legal showdown over what's been called the toughest crackdown on illegal immigration in the country pits the U.S. Justice Department, a coalition of civil rights groups and church leaders against attorneys for the state of Alabama. They argue there's no reason the law shouldn't take effect as planned. NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliot is watching the action at the federal courthouse in Birmingham and spoke with WBHM's Andrew Yeager.
Gulf Economy Rebounds
Quarterly revenue reports show spending along the Alabama Gulf Coast is up significantly over previous record years. Although the BP oil spill is not forgotten, tourists are back.That's good news for the coastal businesses, but state officials note this doesn't mean BP is off the hook.
Defibrillators
All Alabama public high, junior high, and middle schools now have defibrillators. So, in a state with tightening education budgets, how did this come about? Click here for education reporter Dan Carsen's web-exclusvie story:
AdvancedPlacement
The Alabama State Department of Education has won a $1.3-million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support the state's improving Advanced Placement programs. And at least one reason for that improvement is controversial. Click here for education reporter Dan Carsen's web-exclusive story:
A Verdict in Alabama’s Gambling Corruption Trial
Prosecutors with the Justice Department are contemplating their next move after the jury in Alabama's gambling corruption trial returned no guilty verdicts. The partial verdict still leaves VictoryLand casino owner Milton McGregor and six others facing unresolved charges. While defense lawyers were glad to have acquittals on some counts, WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports they're still gearing up for what could be another court battle.
Alabama’s Gambling Corruption Trial
This summer nine defendants including Alabama casino owner Milton McGregor go on trial. They're accused of buying and selling votes around a pro-gambling bill in the state legislature. The case draws on hours of secretly recorded wiretaps and promises to reveal the underside of wheeling and dealing in Montgomery. WBHM's Andrew Yeager will follow the month's long case and offers updates of the unfolding action.
Open Meetings Law
Jefferson County Commissioners will meet tomorrow to determine their next move as the county struggles with more than three billion dollars of sewer debt. They could reach a settlement with creditors or file what would be the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. But they'll hold the meeting in executive session. That means meeting with lawyers, behind closed doors. And as WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports that has some questioning if they're violating Alabama's open meetings law.
