Issues
Birmingham-Southern’s Struggles: a Student Perspective
When students return to Birmingham-Southern College next week, they'll find a school that's $10 million in debt and has a new interim president. Budget cuts also forced the elimination of 51 faculty and staff positions and five majors. What do students think?
Price of Poverty: Food Deserts
What are the essentials of life? Food, water, and shelter. And to get those you have to have some kind of paying work or be enrolled in a government assistance program. But for the working poor even the basics can be too expensive. They often cost more for working poor than for middle class people, as we'll explore this week in our series "The Price of Poverty". We start today with a report on food.
Occupational Tax Settlement
Jefferson County commissioners approved a settlement today in the long running dispute over the county's occupational tax. Lawyers for workers in Jefferson County had successfully challenged the legality of the tax, prompting court ordered refunds. Under the plan, the county would get about $20 million in exchange for giving up the right to impose a new, retroactive tax. Employed Jefferson County residents would split nearly $31 million with lawyers who challenged the tax. The lawyers have requested a 35% fee. Alabama State Bar President-elect James Pratt mediated the settlement approved today. Pratt says he will now issue a report to the judge.
Robert Bentley
Bradley Byrne and Robert Bentley have just a few days left to convince voters they should be the Republican nominee for Alabama governor. Tuesday is the runoff election. It's been a hot contest at a time when Alabama's weak economy underlies virtually every issue. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with State Representative Robert Bentley who says legislation he authored in the last legislative session is helping put some Alabamians back to work.
Hotel Tax Dispute
More travelers will hit the roads this holiday weekend. AAA expects fourth of July travel across the south to rise about 11% over last year. Many of those tourists will book hotel rooms. And that means hotel lodging taxes for local cities. But Birmingham doesn't think it's getting all it's due from online travel sites. So it's suing. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Oil Spill and Hair Sausages
Many of us watch the coverage of the BP Oil Spill and wonder: What can we do to help? Some people are traveling to the Gulf region to volunteer. But others who can't make the trip are getting creative with hair?
Anne Frank and Me
What happens when a young holocaust denier travels back in time and finds herself sharing a cattle car ride to Auschwitz with Anne Frank.
Jefferson County Commission Runoff
'Vote early, vote often' is one of the more cynical sayings in politics. But those words have a ring of truth for voters in Jefferson County Commission District 1.
On the Line: Ask the Mayor
The city of Birmingham faces a major financial crunch with salaries and services likely taking cuts. Its mass transportation system remains unreliable. Big ticket projects have been put on the back burner. A difficult environment for Birmingham Mayor William Bell. Friday (6/18) WBHM's Bradley George talks to William Bell as we discuss these and other issues during On The Line: Ask the Mayor.
The Future of the Jefferson County Commission
Next Tuesday, voters will whittle down a field of nearly 40 candidates running for Jefferson County Commission.
New EPA Sulfur Dioxide Rules
Next week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will release much-anticipated new rules limiting sulfur dioxide in the air. When sulfur dioxide spews from smoke stacks and diesel engines it can cause acid rain. But that's just the beginning of the problem.
Alabama Gubernatorial Primary 2010
Alabama voters have less than a week to decide the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor. Alabamians have already endured months of campaigning, political ads, attacks and counter attacks. So as we look to the June first primary, WBHM's Andrew Yeager has this final exam of sorts for the candidates.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Seafood Safety
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is looming over the seafood industry. Early tests don't show substantial chemical contamination of Gulf seafood. But officials have closed many fishing grounds. And that means we're going to see more imported seafood in the coming months. But as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports, some people question the safety of those imports.
Bike to Work
Friday morning, the Greater Birmingham Regional Planning Commission is among the sponsors of a Bike-to-Work day. Tom Maxwell is an environmental planner with the planning commission. He agrees Birmingham is not particularly friendly to cyclists. But Maxwell tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager that discussion of these issues goes back quite a ways.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: One Family’s Story
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico is wreaking widespread environmental havoc. But there's a very personal chaos playing out in thousands of homes up and down the coastline. The oil spill has put many people out of work, and as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports many families are being forced to rethink their financial lives.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Hurricane Season
Hurricane season starts in just a few weeks, and experts say it's going to be an active year. What happens if a tropical storm hits while there's still oil in the gulf waters?
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Tourism Takes a Hit
Federal officials continue to monitor the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The latest projections indicate that, at least for, now the oil seems to be moving away from the Alabama coast. But people who make their living off tourism in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach areas say it might not matter if oil never hits the state. A lot of damage has already been done. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Protecting the Beaches
BP continues to try to stop the flow from the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil has already come ashore in Louisiana. And other coastal communities are scrambling to prepare. As WBHM's Tanya Ott reports, volunteers in Alabama are taking some low-tech steps to protect the shore.
On The Line: Fixing 280
It's the road you love to hate. But state officials say they have a plan to ease congestion on U.S. 280. Some business leaders like the idea. Local government officials are split on it. And a group of citizens has proposed an alternative plan. Friday (4/30) at noon on WBHM we discuss all this and more during On The Line: Fixing 280.
US 280: Tolling
All this week we've been exploring the debate around a plan to stem congestion on U.S. 280 in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. The proposal from the Alabama Department of Transportation would add elevated lanes to a portion of the route. It would also add tolls to four lanes. But how effective would tolling be? WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with Richard Arnott, an urban economist at the University of California, Riverside. Arnott says tolls are one strategy cities use to control congestion. But toll roads are less common within a metropolitan area.
Interview: Fred Schneider of The B-52’s
In the late 1970’s Athens, Georgia didn’t have much to offer in the way of music. One night, a group of friends were hanging out and decided to write a song. After all, it was something to do. A few months later, the B-52s were playing their first gig. Thirty-two years later they’re still making […]
The Oil Spill & Alabama
Governor Bob Riley and Alabama's cabinet heads are working on plans to deal with the massive oil spill that threatens to come ashore this weekend. When an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana exploded last week, gulf coast officials knew they had a problem on their hands. But it's worse than they originally thought.
US 280: The Environmental Perspective
All this week on Morning Edition/All Things Considered we're examining the state's proposed elevated toll road for U.S. 280. Yesterday we talked with someone from the Birmingham Business Alliance, one of the plan's biggest cheerleaders. Today, we hear from Gil Rogers, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.
US 280: The BBA’s View
All this week we're exploring the debate around reducing chronic congestion along U.S. 280 in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. The most prominent plan to address the problem comes from the Alabama Department of Transportation. It calls for adding lanes to the route with a portion of the highway elevated. It would also make some of the lanes tolled. One of the most visible backers of the state's plan is the Birmingham Business Alliance. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with the BBA's Vice President of Operations, Barry Copeland, about the proposal.
US 280: Local Governments React
If you've ever driven down Highway 280 you know how congested it can be. The state wants to build an elevated toll road and expanded lanes, but municipal leaders are split on the plan.
Legislative Review and Preview 2010/04/23
The Alabama legislature begins its 2010 regular session tomorrow. Legislators will be meeting in the midst of a weak economy with lower tax receipts. It's also an election year. Birmingham-Southern Political Scientist Natalie Davis previews the session with WBHM's Andrew Yeager.
2010 Legislative Interviews
Fridays during the legislative session, WBHM's Bradley George speaks with an Alabama lawmaker
Bingo Bill Investigation
Alabama lawmakers are being extra careful what they say and do after federal investigators revealed they're looking into corruption around a gambling bill. This bill and the issue of electronic bingo have already created a firestorm as WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Seagrass Beds in Crisis
Alabama is losing sea grass beds at an alarming rate, according to researchers at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. A new aerial survey indicates that Mobile Bay lost nearly 1,400 acres of sea grass in recent years. That comes on top of significant grass losses over the last quarter century.
Dr. Craig Witherspoon
Today is the first day on the job for Craig Witherspoon. He's the new superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools. Witherspoon takes the helm of a school corporation plagued with poor academic performance and declining enrollment. On top of that, the schools face significant budget cuts. Witherspoon tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager he'll address those issues first by listening and learning.
Legislature Mid-Session Progress Report
This week is spring break for school children and college students throughout Alabama. The state's lawmakers are taking a break, too. After dealing with the legality of electronic bingo, funding for road projects, and charter schools, legislators return to Montgomery next week for the second half of the 2010 session.
Charter Schools: The Texas Example
Alabama is one of only ten states that don't allow charter schools. Many states, including Texas, adopted charter schools in the 90s. Today, more than 113-thousand Texas children attend charter schools.
