Issues
Fatal Hoover Police Shooting Prompts Race Debate
The fatal police shooting of a young black man at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover has sparked weeks of vigils, protests and racial unrest. For some it has re-opened old wounds in the Birmingham community, decades after the civil rights movement.
ACLU and NAACP Request Policies on Police Use of Force
The ACLU of Alabama and Alabama NAACP filed public records requests with the Hoover police department and several others across the state. The organizations are looking for information on racial bias training, use of force and body camera policies.
Comet Passing is “Space Mission in Reverse”
There is plenty of activity in the night sky this weekend. In addition to the Geminid meteor shower, one of the brightest comets of the year will pass overhead.
State and Local Leaders Break Ground for BJCC Stadium
Local and state leaders turned the first dirt today on a lot that will become a new open-air stadium in downtown Birmingham. The $175 million stadium is part of a larger BJCC expansion.
State Attorney General Takes Over Galleria Shooting Case
State Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today his office is taking over the prosecution in the Thanksgiving shootings at the Galleria that left one man fatally shot by a Hoover policeman and two others wounded.
Trump’s EPA Seeks to Remove Much of Nation’s Headwaters and Wetlands From Protection
The action principally would remove oversight for small tributary headwaters that do not flow year-round and for wetlands not clearly connected to flowing streams.
Governor and Lawmakers Asking for Patience From Public in Hoover Shooting Investigation, Some Want More Information From ALEA
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey pledged Monday that information about the shooting death of an armed man by police would be made public, but she urged patience.
Ready, Set, Action: Birmingham’s Become a Film-Making Destination That Brings Jobs, Millions of Dollars to Economy
The Magic City is not quite Hollywood, yet. But Birmingham’s economy is getting a show business-sized boost with millions of film dollars flowing into the local economy. The city’s Red Mountain substituted for the Hollywood Hills, wearing the famous HOLLYWOOD sign in “Bigger,” one of dozens of films made in metro Birmingham in recent years.
State Looking at Plans to Fix or Replace Crowded, Crumbling Prisons; Lawmakers Don’t Expect to Be Part of Infrastructure Plan
Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Corrections aren’t yet talking publicly about possible fixes for the state’s crowded and aging prisons, but they are extending a multimillion-dollar contract with an outside project manager to study construction needs.
Hoover Grapples with Unrest as Questions Remain Around Mall Shooting
Eighteen days after a young black man was shot and killed by a Hoover police officer at a busy mall, many unanswered questions remain. For more on why so little is known, WBHM’s Gigi Douban spoke with Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato and City Manager Allan Rice about the aftermath of the shooting, including the investigation, claims that city police are racist, and the healing process ahead.
UAB Study Calls for Better Tracking of Spectator Injuries
Most people do not expect to go to a baseball game or a NASCAR race and leave in an ambulance, but it happens. Now, a group of UAB researchers says sports officials need to keep better track of it.
Bradford Family Continues to Push for Release of All Video of Mall Shooting
Civil Rights attorney Ben Crump says results from an independent autopsy of Emantic Bradford Jr. align with a short video clip before his death, a new release says.
Birmingham Poet Gives Voice to Enslaved Women
Dr. James Marion Sims, the man known as the father of modern gynecology, spent years performing surgery on women who experienced complications tied to difficult childbirth. This was in the 19th century at his makeshift hospital in Mt. Meigs, just outside of Montgomery. Sims, who is white, performed this experimental surgery on black enslaved women – without anesthesia. Birmingham author Kwoya Fagin Maples recently published a collection of poems meant to give voice to these forgotten women.
Gun Violence Through the Eyes of a Trauma Surgeon
The recent shooting at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover has renewed attention on the issue of gun violence. Dr. Jeff Kerby, head of trauma services at UAB, says to curb gun-related deaths and injuries, health officials must have a seat at the table.
Alabama Author Wants People to Take a “Fresh Look at Roadkill”
Why did the chicken cross the road? What about the armadillo? One Alabama writer says we have the answers. We just have to take a deeper look -- at roadkill. The author of a new children's book, Something Rotten, A Fresh Look at Roadkill, takes an up-close look at dead animals on the road. There's apparently a lot to learn from these flattened critters on the pavement.
As Alabama’s Unemployment Rate Decreases, Medicaid Enrollment Does Not
Alabama’s unemployment rate hit record lows in the past year, falling below 4 percent, but the number of people enrolled in Medicaid hasn’t decreased.
Utility Filings Show Coal Ash Ponds Are Too Close to Groundwater Reservoirs. Environment Groups Again Call for Moving Toxic Material
All of Alabama Power Company’s open coal ash ponds sit within five feet of an aquifer, or groundwater reservoir, in violation of federal standards, recent company filings confirm.
What’s Next in UAB Football’s Extraordinary Comeback
The UAB Blazers football team is on a roll. And commentators call it one of the biggest comeback stories of our time. Can the team keep it up and keep their coach?
Hoover Officials: Release of Info About Police Shooting ‘Premature’
The Hoover Police Department says it will not release any information regarding the shooting death of Emantic Bradford Jr. This is a departure from last week's statement in which officials said they could release details if the state's top law enforcement agency failed to do so by a Monday deadline.
Bradford Funeral a Celebration and Call to Action
Mourners in Birmingham Saturday remembered a young black man who was killed by police at a Hoover mall Thanksgiving night. The funeral was part celebration and part call to action.
Woodfin’s First Year: Priority Remains on Neighborhoods
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin began his second year in office Thursday. When he was elected, he pledged to improve the quality of life in the city, and make it a safer, more economically vibrant place.
Alabama Has Nation’s Highest Rate of Cervical Cancer Death
Alabama has the highest rate of cervical cancer death in the country. Black women in the state die from the disease at nearly twice the rate of white women. That is according to a report released today by Human Rights Watch, an international nonprofit.
Expert: Active Shooter Situations Can Easily Confuse Police
Active shooter incidents can be difficult for police officers. Events unfold in seconds and often end tragically. In Hoover on Thanksgiving night at the Riverchase Galleria, police shot and killed 21-year-old Emantic “EJ” Bradford Jr. Initially, they said he was the gunman in a shooting that left two wounded. They then backtracked and said the real gunman is still at large. Police responding to such situations can find themselves in the midst of chaos.
New Birmingham Bar Owner Named National “Bartender of the Year”
Laura Newman was named the 2018 “Bartender of the Year” by the U.S. Bartenders Guild. She’s the first woman to earn the title, and she’s opening a new cocktail bar in downtown Birmingham called Queen’s Park.
Birmingham Council Approves Funds for Transit Authority, With Conditions
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve funding for the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority and a handful of other organizations, including the Birmingham Business Alliance, Create Birmingham and REV Birmingham.
Airline Lost Your Luggage? Here’s Where it Lands.
Airlines don't lose passenger luggage often. But it happens enough to keep the Unclaimed Baggage Center in business. That's a private company in Scottsboro that sells lost bags that aren't claimed for 90 days .
UAB Partners with Facebook to Fight Online Drug Sales
Computer forensics researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently partnered with Facebook on an initiative that could ultimately curb drug sales and drug-seeking behavior on the platform.
A Top State Corruption Fighter Resigns. Now What?
He was a bulldog and an outspoken defender of ethics in state politics. As deputy attorney general, Matt Hart indicted several state and local leaders on corruption charges. Now Hart is out of a job. Attorney General Steve Marshall has already appointed Hart's replacement. What does this mean for the state's efforts to keep corrupt politicians in check?
Trey Glenn Resigns as EPA Regional Administrator After Indictment
Trey Glenn resigned Sunday as EPA Region 4 administrator for Alabama and seven other southeastern states following his indictment on multiple felony ethics charges last week in Jefferson County.
Conquering Hero or Political Villain? How Alabama’s Conservative Voters Will View Jeff Sessions After Turbulent AG Tenure
The end of Jeff Sessions’ topsy-turvy time as attorney general came abruptly, a day after one of the nation’s most important mid-term elections. After nearly two years of being publicly berated by President Donald Trump, Sessions is out and free to return home to Alabama, the state that sent him to the U.S. Senate for 20 years.
Written in Black and White: In Alabama’s Statehouse, the Parties Are Split Almost Entirely by Race
When newly elected Neil Rafferty takes his place in the Alabama House of Representatives next year, he will be the only white Democrat in the 105-seat chamber
Residents and Activists Oppose ABC Coke Air Permit
Speakers at the first hearing Thursday asked the Jefferson County Department of Health not to renew the emissions permit for ABC Coke. Companies with air emissions are required to have permits renewed every four or five years, the health department says.
