Issues
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.
OTL: Charter Schools
This week on WBHM we're exploring Charter Schools: how they operate, whether they're effective, and what political forces shape the debate over legalizing charter schools in Alabama. Friday (3/12) at noon on WBHM we discuss all this and more during On The Line: Charter Schools.
Charter Schools: Politics
Advocates of charter schools in Alabama are getting a do-over. A bill to authorize such schools has been reintroduced in the state legislature after lawmakers killed a similar proposal last month. But if the topic of charter schools weren't controversial enough, mixing it with Alabama politics makes for a potent combination. WBHM's Andrew Yeager continues our look at charter schools by examining the political context.
Charter Schools: Do They Work?
There are nearly 5,000 charter schools across the country. They educate more than 1.5 million students. And President Obama wants more. But do they work? There are a handful of charter schools in wealthy communities and, perhaps not surprisingly, they tend to have high test scores. But most charter schools are in low-income, often minority neighborhoods. How do they fare? WBHM's Tanya Ott has our report.
Charter Schools 101
A bill to authorize charter schools in Alabama is dead in the state legislature, but don't expect the debate to die down anytime soon. President Obama is pushing charter schools, and several of the gubernatorial candidates say they support the idea as well. But just what is a charter school? They've been around for more than a decade in some other states, but here in Alabama there seems to be a lot of confusion.
Open Secret
The Alabama Legislature is about to reach the two month mark of its 2010 session. So far, lawmakers have devoted much of their time to the legality of gambling and the future of the state's prepaid college tuition program. This week, another big issue got some attention in the House--reform of Alabama's 1901 Constitution.
Southern Environmentalism
When Forbes Magazine ranked states by their "greenness" the usual suspects topped the list - Vermont, Oregon, and Washington, all progressive states known for their environmental movements. Seven out of the ten "least green" states were in the South, the land of coal mines and timber plots. But as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports there's a growing environmental movement down south and some of its members might surprise you.
Electronic Bingo Showdown
There's a new development in the showdown between Alabama Governor Bob Riley and the state's casino owners over electronic bingo machines. A judge will conduct a hearing next week on issues surrounding the closed Country Crossing casino in Dothan. Part of the debate is whether electronic bingo machines are allowed under state law. Riley says they're illegal slot machines. Casino owners insist they are perfectly legal. The face-off has prompted early morning raids of some high profile casinos. And as WBHM's Andrew Yeager report, many other operations have shutdown to avoid such a clash.
Dr. Freida Hill
Today is two months on the job for Freida Hill. She is the new chancellor of Alabama's two year college system. Hill spent 18 years working for Georgia's technical colleges. But in Alabama she steps into a system facing increased enrollment with shrinking budgets, plus lingering fallout from a corruption scandal. Hill spoke to WBHM's Andrew Yeager about some of those issues as well as her goals for the state's two year college system. She says she wants to improve the transition for students who transfer from a two year school to a four year school.
The Race for Mayor: The Runoff
Birmingham voters elected a new new mayor on Tuesday. William Bell won the runoff election with 54% of the vote.
Restoring Wetlands on Farmlands
Hundreds of years ago the Mississippi Delta was covered with hardwood forests that could withstand seasonal flooding. In the early 20th century, levvies and dams were installed to drain land for row crops. Some of that land has since been turned back into wetlands, and a new study tracks how that's effected wildlife.
Shelter and Cold
The cold weather gripping the south isn't just uncomfortable, it's dangerous. In Tennessee, police believe an 81-year-old man with Alzheimer's Disease froze to death after wandering outside in his bathrobe. In Birmingham, low temperatures in the teens make having a reliable source of heat essential. The city of Birmingham will open a warming center at Boutwell Auditorium this evening, but some people have already been looking for comfort in the area's homeless shelters. Ruth Crosby is head of First Light, a shelter which houses women and children. She tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager they have already been stretched thin by the economy.
Greening the Greens
This time of year golf might be the farthest thing from your mind. But during the off-season golf course managers get to strategize how to best treat their million dollar turf. Some golf courses have a bad rap with environmentalists. But as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports there's a budding green movement in the golf industry.
Magic City Marketplace
The Birmingham marketplace is connected by people who have to grapple with numbers and projections and spin. We try and slice through the psychobabble that can be business news with our occasional segment featuring the editor of the Birmingham Business Journal.
John Archibald
Our weekly segment features The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald, discussing the city politic (and county and state politic too). Instead of being unplugged as he is in the newspaper, we offer him a bullhorn. Sort of.
Mayoral Forum
WBHM presents a web exclusive of Catalyst's Birmingham Mayoral Candidates Forum. It was recorded at Workplay on Tuesday evening, December 1. Speaking at the forum was Emory Anthony, William Bell, Scott Douglas, Steven Hoyt and Carole Smitherman. Catalyst also invited Patrick Cooper but he said had a prior engagement. The forum included questions from the audience as well as from moderator Natalie Davis of Birmingham Southern College.
Estrogen Contamination in Waterways
A recent report from the U.S. Geological Survey confirms past findings that fish are in trouble. They're turning up with lesions and intersexed, meaning they have both male and female characteristics. What does this mean for humans?
Mercedes Moves C-Class
Automakers across the globe are looking for ways to save money. Mercedes Benz thinks it's found a way. It will move some production of its popular C-class sedan from Germany to Vance, Alabama.
Birmingham’s Airport To Expand
Look closely at Birmingham's city seal, and you'll see an airplane, along with Vulcan and the downtown skyline. Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport has been a part of the Magic City for nearly eight decades, but airport leaders say it's time to grow.
Davis on Constitutional Reform
Advocates of a new state constitution will make their case this weekend at a Birmingham workshop - part of statewide campaign on the issue. The group Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform has supported drafting a new constitution for almost 10 years. The idea recently received a boost from Democratic Congressman Artur Davis. Davis has made a convention to rewrite the state constitution a centerpiece of his gubernatorial campaign. He tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager the current 1901 Alabama constitution ties the state's hands in an array of areas.
Musical Examines Atlanta Lynching
The Civil War left Atlanta in ruins, but after the war the city quickly rebuilt and became a dynamo for the New South. But the tensions between the old and new boiled over in 1913. That's when frenzy erupted over the rape and murder of a young girl. Accused of that murder: a Jewish businessman from New York named Leo Frank.
Silly Bandz
If you're the parent of an elementary school student around Birmingham, chances are you've seen silly bandz. Some call them animal bracelets. They're colored rubber bands which look pretty normal on your arm. But take them off and they snap into the shape of a creature or object. If you're not the parent of such a child, you may not realize the craze they've become. WBHM's Andrew Yeager takes a look at those riding out the fad.
