Issues
SFS: By the Numbers
The CQ Press recently released its "Most Dangerous Cities" list, and Birmingham ranked number six. Cityrating.dot com says murder in the metro area is five times higher than the national average. But what do these numbers really mean? How are they calculated and are they accurate? In the first part of our weeklong series "Searching for Safetown", Les Lovoy reports on the reliability of crime statistics.
Searching for Safetown: Crime Stats & Economic Development
Many criminologists believe 'Most Dangerous City' lists are misleading. Still, these rankings can negatively affect economic development. People from the suburbs are squeamish about coming to events downtown. Businesses question plans to expand. can they get employees to work in areas pegged as crime ridden? can they convince customers to shop there?
Bridge to Safety
According to the Federal Highway Administration, Alabama ranks 14th in the nation in the number of structurally deficient bridges in use. In the wake of last summer's collapse of an interstate bridge in Minnesota, there is a call to bolster the infrastructure here and in the rest of the country. Alabama Department of Transportation officials are checking and, in some cases, double- and triple-checking bridges to make sure they're safe. But is it enough? WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Langford takes over
A judge has ruled that Mayor Larry Langford was qualified to run for mayor and is a legal resident of the city and able to hold office. Judge Allwin Horn says Langford provided reasonable evidence that he did establish residency within the legal parameters. Second-place mayoral candidate Patrick Cooper filed the suit against Langford claiming he lived in Fairfield a majority of the time and set up in a loft downtown as an affront in his bid for the mayor's office. Langford took the oath of office Tuesday, November 13, a swearing-in that capped months of campaigning and years of what he calls stagnation and getting few things done. But Langford's never been at a loss for words and he's come into his new job with high hopes and lots of ideas. They are plans that will cost money in a city that doesn't have an endless supply of it. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis caught up with Langford.
Life Sentences for Teens
The United States is the only country that convicts young adolescents as adults and sentences them to life in prison without parole. A new report from the Montgomery, Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative identifies dozens of prisoners serving life sentences for crimes committed when they were 13 or 14. WBHM's Tanya Ott talks with Bryan Stevenson, executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative.
Conversations with the Homeless Czar
On any given night in the United States, 750,000 people are homeless. President Bush's 2008 budget proposal includes more than $4 billion for homeless services. Governments, non-profits and churches have all been putting record money into programs, but homelessness keeps rising. It's a problem that vexes Philip Mangano, the executive director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness. The so-called "U-S Homeless Czar" was in Birmingham recently and talked with WBHM's Tanya Ott.
On The Line: The Urban Divide
The city of Birmingham faces many challenges, from a shrinking population to struggling schools to a lack of affordable housing. But there are opportunities as well, including a growing downtown loft movement and a thriving arts community. Join us for a discussion about the city's future, as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis and a panel of guests take questions and comments from listeners. This edition of On the Line will be broadcast Tuesday, September 4th from 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Birmingham: Suburbanly Divided
For the last week, our series "Birmingham: the Urban Divide" has focused on issues affecting the city's changing population, a struggling school system, housing issues and economic development. But those things are part of a broader picture of how Birmingham not only faces its challenges, but faces its neighbors... and, more importantly, how the neighbors look back. Increasingly, they're not. Suburban communities have all but turned their backs on Birmingham, claiming that the city turned its back on them. Some see it as a racial problem - Birmingham is a majority black city - others see it as an historical problem. As WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports, one thing's for sure, very little is getting done.
Urban Divide: Arts & Economy
Over the last several months, there have been storm clouds on the Birmingham arts and culture horizon. Jefferson County faces a $30 million budget shortfall for 2008, and commissioners say some things may have to go. At the top of that list: eliminating $4.2 million in funding for the arts and culture. Les Lovoy examines how this could affect downtown Birmingham.
Urban Divide: Housing
In our Urban Divide series this week we've heard about how Birmingham is losing population, especially young professionals , and how the schools are bleeding students. More than a thousand students leave Birmingham city schools each year and that means fewer tax dollars for education. Ask anyone who follows these trends what's at the core of the problem and you'll likely hear "Housing". WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Urban Divide: Population Shift
Cities across the country are attempting to remain relevant in a society that's become increasingly focused on suburbs. The two are caught in a struggle over population, as residents flee urban cores for the 'burbs. And Birmingham is no exception. The Magic City has been losing population since the 1960's with no sign of stopping. That's bad news for a city that would like to regain its standing as a "jewel of the south". Rosemary Pennington has our first story in a week-long series called "Birmingham: The Urban Divide".
WBHM’s 30th Anniversary
Tom Godell was one of the first voices on 90.3 WBHM, when the station signed on the air more than 30 years ago. As part of our year-long look back celebrating WBHM's 30th anniversary, Godell -- who's now in Kentucky -- talks about the early days of public radio and what it was like to be in the studio when the switch was pulled and public radio in Birmingham came alive.
Semantics Antics
Proponents of an expanded civic center in downtown Birmingham will have to wait at least another year while lawmakers hammer out details of funding sources. It's not a new plan; it's been drawn up for years, and neither are the words that have been infused into the debate. Whether it's identified as a dome stadium or arena, WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports that the public relations effort has been exhausting on both sides.
Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power
From the Titusville neighborhood to the West Wing of the White House, it seems Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has made it past nearly every obstacle put in front of her. But according to the author of a new book, her upbringing in the segregated South had a lot to do with how she looked at those obstacles - and whether they even mattered at all.
Code Red
The Birmingham metropolitan area was placed under an air quality alert once again Wednesday for particle pollution, a code red for what officials say was a particularly dangerous situation: smoke coming from wildfires burning in Georgia and Florida. Winds have shifted and the smoke has moved out of the area -- for now.
Alabama lures steelmaker
German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp has chosen Alabama for a $ 3.7 (B) billion dollar steel mill that, at full capacity, is expected to employ more than 2,700 workers. The company says the plant will be built in northern Mobile County, near Mount Vernon. Completion of the project is expected in 2010.
Small Banks
As mega banks merge with other mega banks to form super mega banks, there's a counter-trend that may be somewhat surprising. Increasingly, career banking professionals are leaving the big guys to start their own community banks. Les Lovoy reports on how this phenomenon is changing the face of banking in Birmingham.
Chilton County Cold Snap
Farmers across the southeast are assessing damage from a weekend cold snap that caused temperatures to dip in the mid 20s in some areas. The fruit was further along in development because of an unseasonably warm weather March - and that means it was more susceptible to the cold. Many growers in Blount County say they suffered a complete loss. In Chilton County - home to Alabama's peach industry - the losses ranged from 30 to 80 percent of the orchards. WBHM's Tanya Ott spent some time in Clanton this weekend and filed this report.
Community College Controversy
Scandal is rocking Alabama's two-year college system. The problems first surfaced in 2004, when Former Governor Don Siegelman was tried on bribery charges alleging he funneled more than a half-million dollars through the state Fire College. Last year, the system's chancellor was dismissed for alleged mismanagement and nepotism. This week, suspicion spread to state lawmakers. WBHM's TAnya Ott reports.
Gadsden Auction Houses
When a city loses its main employer there's often a period of mourning, then an attempt to recover. In Northeast Alabama, one small city that used to be known for steel is making a name for itself in a business with a completely different image. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Chevalier Burning Bright
Author Tracy Chevalier rocketed to fame after the publication of her slim, stark novel "Girl with a Pearl Earring". The book was about the creation of the Vermeer painting of the same name. It went on to become an Oscar winning movie. Chevalier's newest novel, Burning Bright , also deals with the creation of a work of art. But this time the artist is more obscure.
Steel Deal
At a time when U-S manufacturers are moving overseas for cheap labor and lax environmental codes, a giant German steelmaker plans to build the largest steel mill project the United States has seen in nearly two decades. ThyssenKrupp says it's narrowed the choice to a site in Mobile and another one near New Orleans. Both Alabama and Louisiana offer incentive packages believed to be worth more than one billion dollars, as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Prison Arts and Education
The vast majority of people who are in prison will get out. Legally. And chances are, those inmates who were locked up won't be rehabilitated or prepared for re-entry into society. But some lockup programs are trying to tackle prison recidivism through education and the arts. Studies show that they?re working. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis looks at one particular program in Alabama that offers inmates the opportunity to learn while paying their debt to society. But it still has yet to win over some victims.
March Storms
March roared in like a lion across the Southeast and Midwest, bringing with it a band of bad weather. The system spawned several deadly storms that left a total of twenty people dead in Georgia, Missouri and Alabama -- including eight high school students in Coffee County.
VA Missing Hard Drive
Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the FBI continue their investigation into a missing hard drive with more than 1.8 million patient and doctor names and sensitive information that went missing from the Birmingham VA Medical Center. The VA says it's notifying those who may be included in the records, is updating its security policy and - according to the Associated Press - is eliminating its research enhancement awards programs in Birmingham and other sites until tighter security standards are met. But criticism continues about the length of time it took the department to disclose the disappearance and the security issues. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
WBHM 30th Anniversary
In celebration of WBHM's 30th anniversary year, meet some of the people who were there during the station's early years. WBHM officially signed on at Sunday, December 5, 1976 at 1 p.m. In this interview Michael Krall talks to Les Myers, WBHM's first Music Director...
Tuskegee Doubts
America's first black fighter pilots - the Tuskegee Airmen - are credited with shooting down more than 100 enemy aircraft during World War II. But perhaps their biggest claim to fame was having never lost to enemy fire an American bomber that they were escorting. That's been the story for more than a half-century, but now a former airman and historian says he's uncovered records that disprove that claim. The assertion is causing a firestorm, as Tanya Ott reports.
The Bodon Family Secret
During World War II no one fought the Nazis longer than the Czechs. Even after Czechoslovakia was taken over by Hitler's Germany, the Czech's fought on; the resistance moving from havens in Poland to France and, eventually, to Britain. One UAB filmmaker's father was one of those fighters. The whole time he fought the Nazis, and for the rest of his life afterward, he was keeping an enormous secret.
Justin Brown
On November 17-18, guitarist David Starobin played contemporary music with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. One of the works is Paganini Variations by Poul Ruders. David Starobin spoke with WBHM's Michael Krall about the work.
The Secrets of Amarna
For more than eighty years King Tutankhamun (or Tut) has been the superstar of ancient Egypt. Tut's reign was only a short one, the pharaoh died while still a teeanger, but the glittering treasure found in his tomb captured imaginations the world over. All that gold has, for years, outshone one of the more astonishing bits of Egyptian history -- the Amarna heresy, which was sparked by none other than King Tut's father.
Campaign 2006: The Results
Election Day dawned on Alabama gray and rainy but, later, the skies cleared. The mixed bag of weather seemed to fortell the evening ahead for politicos across Alabama as Governor Bob Riley's 'big coattails' didn't appear to be quite long enough for a GOP sweep in the state.
Rethinking Violence: Is it a Disease?
The homicide rate in Birmingham is on the rise. A recent study ranked the Magic City as the 6th most dangerous city in the country. A group based in San Francisco is working to fight violence by taking a public health approach and treating it as a disease; they're bringing their message to Birmingham.
