Issues
Jefferson County approves $5 million toward construction of amphitheater
The appropriation is a key step in making the $50 million amphitheater development on the campus of the former Carraway Hospital a reality.
In New Orleans, doctors and churches are teaming up to help Black parishioners get needed care
The effort, part of a five-year study, aims to meet Black patients in a space they feel comfortable to treat hypertension and reduce heart disease risks.
‘White Lies’ sheds light on a prison takeover in Talladega that led to today’s immigration system
Many don’t realize a notable moment that shaped our current immigration system happened in Talladega, Alabama, when Cuban detainees took over a federal prison there.
‘Unreformed’ podcast tells the largely untold story of an abusive Alabama reform school
A conversation with journalist and podcast host Josie Duffy Rice details the troubled history of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, or Mt. Meigs.
Who would put out a landfill fire near Moody? That question consumed officials for weeks
A private landfill near Moody smoldered for almost two months, inundating residents miles around with noxious smoke, before the EPA stepped in.
Some kids in Birmingham dodge trains and cars walking to school. More buses could help
Alabama only has to provide bus access for families that live within two miles of their school, which leaves some families having to walk in dangerous conditions. Birmingham City Schools is trying to add new routes to address these concerns.
Hoover City Schools canceled Derrick Barnes’ visit. He says it’s political
Hoover school officials say they canceled the Black children's book author's visit due to a controversial social media post. Officials never saw the post after an anonymous parent reported it.
In post-Roe Mississippi, pregnancy resource centers are becoming the last hope for maternal care
PRCs, like Life Choices in Columbus, can help expecting mothers in several ways, but experts say they're not a substitute for actual health care.
This swampy paradise is Alabama’s winter haven for sandhill cranes
As many as 25,000 sandhill cranes migrate to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge every winter, along with a handful of highly endangered whooping cranes.
400 Alabama inmates to be released early under 2021 law
The sentencing law sends prisoners to supervised release several months before their sentences are set to end.
Residents worry about unknown health impacts of toxic landfill fumes
Officials have advised people to stay inside, seek medical care if they feel sick and relocate if necessary, a response that frustrates many residents.
Jefferson County drug overdose deaths hit new peak in 2022
Drug overdose deaths topped gun and vehicle-related deaths investigated last year by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
‘Nobody is getting to you’: How workforce challenges leave Gulf South EMS agencies strapped
Emergency services in Louisiana are spending more time waiting to offload patients at hospitals and that means fewer are responding to calls at any given time.
Presence of chemicals in landfill fire smoke catalyzes EPA to step in
The EPA is taking action to extinguish the fire after air sampling results showed carcinogenic chemicals in smoke from the site.
Birmingham-Southern president says he’ll do everything possible to keep the college open
Birmingham-Southern College, a private institution, is asking the state to help bail it out after financial troubles. School President Daniel Coleman shared with WBHM what he sees as the path ahead for the college.
Alabama extends time for executions, ends automatic review
The Alabama Supreme Court abolished the one-day time frame for executions. Instead, the governor will set a window of time. The court also eliminated an automatic “plain error review” of death penalty cases.
Parole denied for 90% of Alabama inmates, a new low
The rate of state inmates being granted parole in Alabama has plummeted to a new low, with 90% of eligible inmates being rejected last fiscal year.
A Mississippi community is ‘grateful’ for more air testing, but skeptical of what comes next
A $500,000 EPA grant will make more air testing in Pascagoula’s Cherokee Forest community possible. Residents worry their voices will — again — not be heard.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey sworn in for her 2nd full term
In a wide-ranging speech, the Republican governor thanked supporters, promised a focus on education, broadband expansion and regulation cuts for businesses but also nodded to GOP hot-button issues.
In tornado-ravaged Selma, prayers of thanks
The Sunday after a tornado devastated much of the historic city of Selma, church congregations raised up prayers of gratitude for lives spared and gave prayers of comfort for lives lost elsewhere to the storm.
What came together to make a deadly Alabama tornado
Experts say a natural La Nina weather pattern, unusually warm moist air juiced by climate change, and long-term shift in where tornadoes hit all are factors in Thursday's devastating tornado in Alabama.
Tornado hits Selma; 9 deaths reported across South
Seven deaths were recorded in hard-hit Autauga County, Alabama.
‘Dangerous’ Alabama tornado slams buildings, uproots trees
The National Weather Service in Birmingham said a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” caused damage as it moved through Selma.
Lawsuit filed over landfill fire near Moody seeks class action status
The complaint cites years of inspections and violations from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management showing that the agency had found unauthorized waste on the property.
Birmingham wants to try micro shelters again. Here’s how they’ll be different this time
The pilot program centers around micro shelters from Pallet Shelters, which has built shelter villages for people experiencing homelessness across the country. This is the first program of its kind in Alabama.
Gov. Ivey announces rules for prison ‘good time’ incentives
Ivey's executive order categorizes offenses and outlines how much “good time” will be forfeited.
Officials break ground on a new $120 million Cooper Green facility
Healthcare leaders say the current building is more than 50 years old and too expensive to maintain.
Alabama woman who joined IS hopes to return from Syria camp
Hoda Muthana was born in New Jersey to Yemeni immigrants and was raised in a conservative Muslim household in Hoover, Alabama, just outside Birmingham. In 2014, she flew to Turkey and crossed into Syria.
An old school in Birmingham’s Bush Hills is now an urban farm. Residents are thinking bigger
The Bush Hills Community Garden and Urban Farm grows truckloads of produce each year that’s given to area residents free of charge. In addition, the old elementary school on the property will soon be home to a teaching kitchen and community center.
In the fight for environmental justice, Birmingham tells Jackson to stay loud
Gulf States communities have been living in contaminated environments for years. Jackson and Birmingham residents share strategies that can help.
St. Clair County declares emergency in response to landfill fire
The declaration means the county can ask the state for funding and resources. But residents are left with unanswered questions about the fire's affect on the local air and water quality.
Officials see hurdles to putting out landfill fire near Moody as neighbors suffer
Residents near landfill fire say the smoke is affecting their health, but officials are still trying to figure out how to put out the blaze — and who will pay for it.
