Issues
Alabama could use nitrogen hypoxia for executions in death sentences. What is it?
The state approved the method in 2018, but it has not yet been used or tested. A man awaiting a Sep. 22 execution said he opted for nitrogen hypoxia instead of lethal injection due to a fear of needles, but corrections officers lost his paperwork.
School resource officers turn to mental health to make kids safer
Parents’ school safety concerns carry more weight this year after the mass shooting in May at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. School resource officers in Hoover are adjusting by placing a greater emphasis on mental health.
Musicians say The World Games is shorting their payment for performances during the opening and closing ceremonies.
According the American Federation of Musicians, The World Games changed the contract for orchestra performers after the fact, causing payments to musicians to be reduced by about one-third.
Jefferson County Commission approves extra money for The World Games
Commissioners approved allotting an additional $4 million to help offset the deficit incurred by organizers of The World Games. The matter passed on a 4-1 vote.
Southern Decadence returns to New Orleans, marked by parades and monkeypox awareness
Health officials gave out monkeypox vaccines and encouraged everyone — not just the LGBTQ community — to take the virus more seriously at the annual festival.
In Jackson, Miss., volunteers work hard to bring water to residents who need help
Local nonprofits have been delivering water directly to some residents, but the groups are still working on scaling up to dealing with a problem that stretches across the city.
In Jackson, Miss., football goes on despite the water crisis
Football is a way of life in Jackson, Mississippi. So are boil water notices. The latest water crisis has not stopped fans from filling the stands to support a local college team.
Deion Sanders has ushered in a new era of HBCU football. Will the SWAC capitalize on it?
As a new college football season kicks off, a brighter spotlight will be put on HBCUs in the Gulf South, thanks to the influence of “Coach Prime.”
Imani Perry draws on her hometown, Birmingham, in her new book exploring the South
Perry is an Ivy League professor in New Jersey but a Southerner at heart. She was born in Birmingham, but today she teaches African American studies at Princeton University. In her latest book she argues to truly understand the United States start with the American South.
The story of ‘the Colony’: How a small, Black community thrived, survived in Cullman County
The Colony, Cullman County’s only Black community, has a rich history of resilience and self-made success. Its current residents are working to continue it.
The Tragedy of North Birmingham
Industrial plants in Birmingham have polluted the air and land in its historic Black communities for over a century. In an epicenter of environmental injustice, officials continue to fail to right the wrongs plaguing the city’s north side.
Alabama man’s execution was botched, advocacy group alleges
Alabama corrections officials apparently botched an inmate's execution last month, an anti-death penalty group alleges, citing the length of time that passed before the prisoner received the lethal injection and a private autopsy indicating his arm may have been cut to find a vein.
Confrontations between Alabama miners, strikebreakers a part of a rough labor history
Federal labor officials fined the United Mine Workers of America union $13.3 million for, among other things, property damage at the picket lines.
A Black pastor was watering his neighbor’s flowers. Then the police showed up
Michael Jennings, a longtime pastor at Vision of Abundant Life Church in Sylacauga, Ala., says he was doing a neighborly deed of watering his out-of-town neighbor’s flowers, per their request, when a police officer showed up.
A Louisiana woman sought a legal abortion and was denied. Now, she wants lawmakers to step in
The woman, who was denied an abortion after her baby was diagnosed with a lethal anomaly, is asking her state lawmakers to make the change in a special session.
A new mural, shop at Birmingham’s airport pays tribute to U.S. Civil Rights Trail
City and state leaders hope the mural gives visitors to Birmingham’s airport a memorable introduction to the city’s history within the civil rights movement.
Birmingham Modernizing Garbage Pickup
Birmingham will spend just over $6.5 million to give each household in Birmingham a new, 96-gallon garbage receptacle that Mayor Randall Woodfin said will modernize the way the city picks up garbage.
A woman’s denied abortion highlights how Louisiana hospitals are in limbo post-Roe
Nancy Davis' story underscores a new reality: Even the few legal abortions are hard to get when that access is now in the hands of hospital administrators.
New aviation high school in Bessemer aims to help students soar
At the Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School, students, parents and teachers are excited as they prepare for the school’s take off on Monday.
Jefferson County Commission delays discussion on World Games deficit
The World Games officials have asked the commission for an additional $4 million to help close a reported $14 million debt after the July event.
Secretary of State investigating Bessemer for potential voter fraud
While rumors of election fraud or irregularities have lingered in the city for years, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill confirmed to WBHM his office is looking into allegations of voter fraud in Bessemer this election cycle.
Local health officials plan to increase monkeypox vaccinations
Health officials will soon begin offering intradermal vaccinations, reaching more people with less vaccine.
Some 3rd graders in local schools could be held back under new law
This is the first school year that third graders who do not read at grade level by the end of the school year must be held back in that grade, rather than passed on to fourth grade. The Alabama Literacy Act was passed several years ago, but its implementation was delayed because of the pandemic.
How one Birmingham custodian preps for the first day of school
When the kids are away, the custodial and maintenance staff in schools work all summer long. One custodian told WBHM about what it takes to keep the kids happy and healthy as they trade sunshine for fluorescent lights.
Dollar store workers are organizing for a better workplace. Just don’t call it a union.
Fired up by a labor movement that’s seen big union victories recently, dollar store workers are organizing in their own way to improve work conditions.
Bill Clark has a knack for making comebacks. Will he make one more?
Bill Clark has had to overcome some serious hurdles during his career at UAB, as well as in his personal life. He not only resurrected a football program that had been neglected—and then out-right killed—he’s also been fighting through what he’s called a serious injury since childhood.
Expert says inadequate staffing is driving deaths in prisons across the Gulf South
An expert explains how issues from staffing to healthcare to climate change have contributed to a recent rise in deaths in prisons across the Gulf South.
Birmingham’s guaranteed income program aims to help single mothers who face inequality
Sixty percent of all households with children in Birmingham are led by single mothers. That’s one factor when it comes to inequalities working women face.
Alabama execution is set despite opposition from the victim’s family
Joe Nathan James Jr. was convicted and sentenced to death in the 1994 shooting death of Faith Hall in Birmingham. Hall’s daughters have said they would rather James serve life in prison.
Health department advises masks on as COVID climbs again
It’s time for Alabamians who do not want to catch COVID to put their masks back on. That was the advice from the Alabama Department of Public Health this week as cases continued to increase across the state.
Look back at The World Games 2022 in Birmingham
Germany finished the Games with the most golds with 24. The United States had the second most with 16. Italy won the most medals overall with 49.
World Games Human Exploitation Task Force announces arrests
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations says 34 arrests were made for commercial sex and six arrests for human trafficking during The World Games, which ended Sunday in Birmingham.
