Issues
Dan Carsen on Larry Langford
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's recent public expressions of his faith have met with all sorts of reactions, including these thoughts from commentator Dan Carsen...
Langford and Religion
The phrase 'separation of church and state' can be tracked back to a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. He referred to the First Amendment of the Constitution creating a 'wall of separation' between church and state. But in the South, that wall has always been a wobbly one, with local governments and school districts often ignoring court rulings on religion. In his first six months in office, Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford has blurred the line between church and state, and as Tanya Ott reports, his potent mix of politics and religion may result in another lawsuit.
Alabama Adventure sold
The theme park Alabama Adventure has been sold. Southland Entertainment, which bought the park five years ago for a fraction of what it cost to build, sold the acreage that includes the park, but not adjoining property that it hopes to develop.
Smoking ban legislation
A final push to ban cigarette smoking in many public areas and workplaces is set for Monday, the last day of the regular session of the Alabama Legislature. We hear from both sides of the debate: public health and restaurants who say it unfairly targets them.
It’s Elementary
For filmmaker Debra Chasnoff, her work goes back to her son. It was the mid-90s, he was about to enter kindergarten and she was concerned about the teasing he'd receive because he happens to have two mothers for parents. From her concern developed, It's Elementary , a film Chasnoff produced and directed designed to combat negative stereotypes of gay and lesbian people through education. The film has generated controversy, with some public television stations not airing the program. Some of that controversy in documented in an updated version of the film, It's Still Elementary which plays Wednesday in Birmingham. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with Debra Chasnoff.
Severe Storms
People throughout the South are cleaning up today after another round of severe weather stuck the region over the weekend. At least one tornado and severe thunderstorms tore through portions of north and central Alabama, waking people up in the middle of the night with vivid lightning, loud thunder and tornado warning sirens. There are no reports of injuries, but damage has been reported in Marion, Winston, and Cullman counties, with downed trees and power lines in many areas.
Langford Speaks
Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford is under a cloud of suspicion lately. Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against him. The S-E-C alleges that Langford accepted money from an investment banker who then got millions of dollars in contracts from the Jefferson County Commission, while Langford was a commissioner. Speculation abounds about the possibility of criminal charges. Mayor Langford sat down the WBHM's Tanya Ott to talk about the allegations and his response.
Construction Merger
Construction giant KBR, formerly known as Kellogg Brown and Root, announced today plans to buy Birmingham-based BE&K. The $550 million dollar deal would match the largest contractor for the US Army with one of Birmingham's largest companies. This announcement is just one of recent mergers to affect the Birmingham area. WBHM's Colin Quarello spoke with Professor Larry Harper from Samford University about what the deal means for Birmingham.
Alabama Sales Tax on Food
Alabama lawmakers are on overdrive to wrap up this year's legislative session. Despite a May 19th deadline, many bills remain unresolved including one which could mean some extra cash at the grocery store. Alabama is one of just two states which charge the full state sales tax on groceries without some kind of offset for low-income families. A bill that could eliminate the state sales tax on food is stalled in the senate. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Free Bus Rides
The price of oil topped $121 a barrel, suggesting the price we pay at the pump will continue to climb as well. That's part of the reason behind Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's proposal to eliminate fares on city buses this summer. So with gasoline prices on the rise, would free buses make a difference?
SEC Charges Mayor Langford
This afternoon, the U-S Securities and Exchange Commission charged Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford and two of his friends in a scheme involving county municipal bonds. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
High School Drop Out Rates
A new report says Alabama's high school dropout rate is the number one threat to the state's long-term economic growth. Although the dropout rate has remained relatively constant over the past quarter century, a high school diploma is becoming more important, especially in the metro Birmingham area, where the service sector has replaced manufacturing. And as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports, the lack of a high school degree costs individuals and the state.
Marriage and Immigration
In Alabama, there's a new battle brewing in the immigration debate. Some counties have begun enforcing a decade-old law which requires a social security number before a marriage license can be issued. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Baseball’s Black History
It was a time of separate and not-so equal. In society and baseball. Those days, the first half of the 20th century, featured African-American baseball teams from around the country, including Birmingham. As the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute gets ready to pay tribute to Negro Leaguers, WBHM's Steve Chiotakis talked with two former Black Barons, Shortstop Roger Brown and Outfielder James Jake Sanders.
College Fight Songs
It's March Madness and, as always, there were a couple of "givens" in the lead-up to this weekend's Final Four. There have been blowouts and upsets. And, if you if you've watched enough games, you've probably been humming fight songs non-stop. But it's not all just team spirit and nostalgia. There are a lot of people making money off university and college fight songs, as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Fee or Flee
It's been three months since the city of Birmingham initiated a one percent sales tax and business license fee increase to fund economic improvements in the city, including a dome stadium. At the time, Mayor Larry Langford said it was a way to raise money for infrastructure and public safety improvements and to help boost Birmingham's economy. But as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports, some businesses are wondering if it will have the opposite effect.
On The Line: Funding Arts
When the Jefferson County Commission eliminated its $4.2 million a year allocation for arts and cultural organizations it sent local arts groups scrambling to replace the funding. On the next On The Line (March 31), County Commissioner Sheila Smoot joins the leaders of local arts organizations to talk about Funding the Arts.
Public arts funding
The world of arts funding can be challenging. There are artists that rely on the marketplace for all of their support. There are artists who only take money from private donors. And then there are arts organizations that support themselves with local, state and federal funds. And it's the latter group that, for nearly a quarter century, has been at the center of a fiery philosophical debate. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Cave 9
There are a lot of well-known arts organizations around Birmingham. Big ones like the symphony and ballet and smaller ones like Red Mountain Theatre Company and Space One Eleven. But there's one very small non-profit that's doing something pretty unusual, as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
NonProfit Management
Used to be, it was enough for nonprofits to be run by someone with a big heart and a passion for a cause. Board members were friends and board meetings were more social than business. But, times have changed. A growing number of nonprofits are scrambling for a limited amount of donations, and many nonprofits are adopting for-profit business models to ensure their survival. In the latest installment in our weeklong series "Funding the Arts", Les Lovoy reports on how the executive directors and boards of non-profits are having to use both halves of their brains to manage their organizations.
ASO Bankruptcy Lessons
For many people, there's just something distinctive about taking in an orchestra concert. Maybe it's the feel of the auditorium or seeing the array of instruments on stage. For a time though, this orchestral thrill was not something Birmingham could offer. Fifteen years ago the Alabama Symphony Orchestra filed for bankruptcy and stayed silent for four years. While the ASO's rebirth represents hard work and dedication by many, it also contains lessons for any organization in turmoil. WBHM's Andrew Yeager continues our weeklong series on arts funding.
Alabama Appalachian Trail
State tourism officials are hailing their latest attraction as something hundreds of millions of years in the making. It is a natural path that connects Alabama's portion of the Appalachian Mountains to the Appalachian Trail. The decades long effort has spurred some to ask why the trail doesn't officially end in Alabama. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Loss of Arts Funding
The delicate balance of keeping an arts organization afloat, whether it be a symphony, theater, ballet or museum, relies on a constantly fluctuating web of private, corporate and governmental funding. What happens when a mainstay of that web disappears? In part one of a weeklong series, Reporter Haden Holmes Brown examines the repercussions of the loss of governmental funding.
Beer Brawl
75 years after Congress repealed Prohibition, booze-related debates are flaring up across the country. In Colorado, lawmakers considered limiting the alcohol content of wine and Virginia legislators spent a lot of time talking about Sangria after a restaurant illegally mixed brandy with wine. In Alabama - the "buckle" of the Bible Belt - the battle is over beer. Tanya Ott reports.
Parliament House checks out
The Parliament House hotel is history. Literally. It was built with fanfare in the 1960s, financed partly by actress Doris Day, patronized by President Richard Nixon, Governor George Wallace and Coach Bear Bryant. But it was a place that never seemed to take off for everyone else. Different owners tried different things. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis remembers the hotel, his family's part in it and an early morning wake-up call to watch it come to an end.
Kenyan Student Reaction
Talks in Kenya were temporarily suspended Thursday following the murder of Kenyan lawmaker David Too. It's just the latest act of violence in more than a month of civil unrest in that country. Demonstrations and fighting broke out following December's disputed election between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga. For many Americans, the news is unfortunate, but not much more than a blip in a global landscape dotted with conflict. However, for Kenyans living in Birmingham the violence is very real. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with several UAB students from Kenya. He found them deeply troubled but remaining hopeful.
Wheat Prices Soar
Wheat prices have doubled this year, hitting an all-time record. That's bad news for consumers who are paying more for food. But it's good news for farmers who are scrambling to cash in on the demand created by a global wheat shortage. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
SFS: On The Line
The CQ Press recently released its "Most Dangerous Cities" list, and Birmingham ranked number six. Cityrating.com says murder in the metro area is five times higher than the national average. But what do these numbers really mean? How safe are Birmingham's streets and what can be done to make them safer? Tonight at 6:30 we explore these issues with studio guests and questions/comments from listeners.
SFS: Black on Black
All this week, WBHM has explored how crime affects the community, whether suburban or central city. While crime knows no race or neighborhood, some areas have more of it. In those places where poverty depletes the community of hope and where gangs run rampant, crime takes hold. Many of those neighborhoods are inner-city and predominantly black, leading to the term 'black-on-black crime.' But critics say categorizing crime by race further detaches it from the mainstream consciousness. That it makes it someone else's problem - other peoples' trouble. Some say it is a community and economic problem that warrants everyone's attention. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis wraps up our series.
SFS: Police Ride-along
Turn on the TV during primetime and it probably won't be long before a police officer pops up on the screen. From high tech forensic equipment on CSI to reports of shootings on the nightly news, police work seems populated with high speed car chases and "heat packing" confrontations. But is that the way it really is for someone on patrol in Birmingham? WBHM's Andrew Yeager rode along with a police officer and has this glimpse of the day-to-day routine.
SFS: Juvenile Crime
In some ways, juvenile crime is the same as it ever was. There's shoplifting and drugs and gangs. But how those crimes are carried out, and how institutions are dealing with it--from schools to the courts--is changing dramatically. Reporter Gigi Douban takes a look at these issues, and the role of a major new initiative in juvenile detention reform under way in Alabama.
SFS: Broken Windows
"23 in Twenty-three". That's what Birmingham calls its massive community clean-up that currently has crew weed-whacking their way through nearly two dozen communities in 23 days. Officials hope the effort will result in greater community pride and less crime, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports "clean" doesn't necessarily translate to "safe".
