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Arc Stories: August 2016 Edition
This month on Arc Stories, we have four stories where our storytellers can’t quite comprehend what’s happening to them.
UAB CORD Program Helps Students Get Ahead of the Curve in Science
Students in Alabama and throughout the South are back in school this month. However, long before the first day of school, hundreds of kids spent part of their summer in labs at UAB. The goal? Getting ahead of the curve in science class.
Brighton Elects Brandon Dean One Of Alabama’s Youngest Mayors
Brighton, Alabama's Mayor-elect Brandon Dean may face hurdles because of complaints about absentee ballot applications.
A Bridge Between Police and Teens
This summer has seen headline after headline of violent encounters between people of color and law enforcement. In some cases, officers shot and killed black men. In others, police were the target of bullets. Now a Birmingham organization is trying to create a bridge between police and teens.
Noah Galloway: Living with No Excuses
Noah Galloway discusses the story behind his new book, Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an America Soldier, with our Greg Bass.
Pilot Project Aims to Make Trails More Accessible
A pilot project at Oak Mountain State Park aims to make trails in Alabama more accessible.
Study of School District Borders Shows US, AL Economic Segregation
A wide body of research shows that students in poor school districts face real disadvantages. But the way the U.S. funds schools creates pockets of poverty right next to enclaves of wealth.
Southern Living Celebrates 50 Years
Southern Living, one of the South’s most iconic magazines, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Birmingham-based institution has an enduring relationship with readers and a unique history, but at the same time, it’s evolving to appeal to a younger, urban readership.
Birmingham’s Evolving Luxury Home Market
Birmingham’s housing market has steadily improved since the recession with some pockets absolutely on fire this year. But there's a segment of housing worth look at more closely – luxury homes. We talk about these homes selling for more than a million dollars in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Randall Woodfin to Run for Mayor of Birmingham
The assistant city attorney's campaign is set to officially kick off Saturday morning at the North Birmingham Recreation Center, close to where he went to elementary school.
One Dead Following Afternoon Crash On I-65 Near UAB
“It looks like he hit one part of the guardrail and then came off the other section,” Harrell said.
Birmingham’s Comprehensive Plan: Four Years After the Launch
Some feel Birmingham residents are worse off now than they were before the Comprehensive Plan was implemented.
UAB Launching New Solar Energy System
The $122,000 project atop the Campus Recreation Center is part of a larger plan at UAB to use buildings as incubators for new sustainable technology.
New Schools Chief Steps Into Turbulent Education Climate
Alabama has a new public schools chief. Last week, the State Board of Education selected Michael Sentance. He's the former Secretary of Education of Massachusetts and worked with the U.S. Department of Education. But he's never been a classroom teacher or principal and he was chosen over three Alabama candidates. That has some in the education community in an uproar. We talk about the situation with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
What’s Ailing Birmingham’s Public Transportation Industry?
There are several transformative projects many feel have lost momentum. We start this week's Magic City Marketplace asking, "Where do we go from here?
A Preview of the 2016 Special Session
A special session of the Alabama Legislature begins today (Monday, August 15). Governor Bentley called the special session to solve financial problems which he says, have held the state back for decades. Bentley is proposing a lottery which he says is expected to raise $225 million dollars. Don Daily is host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public […]
State Board Taps Consultant for New Schools Chief
It took repeated tries, but today the state school board named Michael Sentance, a consultant and former Massachusetts Secretary of Education, its choice to be new Alabama Superintendent.
Maternity, Marketing and Malpractice
Medicine is a major economic driver in greater Birmingham. This week, a civil court lawsuit over medical marketing and medical malpractice may have major implications for maternity care in Alabama. Brookwood Baptist Health lost in Jefferson County Circuit Court. Nick Patterson of the weekly publication Weld for Birmingham give us an overview of the case.
Hate-Filled Heckling in the Name of Religion
The hearing Monday for suspended Chief Justice Roy Moore sparked disturbing heckles directed at members of the LGBT community. Moore supporters chanted anti-gay slurs and mocked a speaker attempting to give an emotional testimony. For more on this and other news, we turn to John Archibald, columnist for the Alabama Media Group.
Medicaid Cuts Sending Shock Waves Through Alabama Medical Community
The first round of cuts to the state’s Medicaid program went into effect on August 1. Officials did away with the “primary care bump,” a payment incentive given to primary care providers in an effort to encourage them to accept Medicaid patients. The cuts are already sending shock waves through Alabama’s medical community, especially in […]
What can we Learn from Other States’ Lotteries?
Alabama lawmakers will meet in a special session Monday to take up a lottery proposal from Governor Robert Bentley. The governor wants lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment setting up a lottery. The revenue would go to the general fund which supports agencies such as Medicaid, prisons, and mental healthcare. If passed, the plan would have to be approved by voters to go into effect. Alabama’s one of six states that doesn’t have a lottery, so to gain perspective on what’s happened elsewhere WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Mary Borg. She’s a professor of political economy at the University of North Florida and studies lotteries.
CEO Pay in Birmingham
Researchers have documented rising inequality between those at the top of the economic ladder and workers at the bottom. Perhaps nothing represents this split more than the CEO salary. We hear about the earnings of Birmingham area CEOs in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Gay Rights Group Calling for Moore’s Ouster Through Public Advertisement
The Human Rights Campaign, a group that advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community put the sign up in downtown Montgomery. The sign went up just days before Moore’s hearing on judicial ethics charges. In January, he sent an order to probate judges saying the state’s gay marriage ban was still in effect even after a U.S. Supreme Court decision legalized same-sex marriage.
Iron Giant Percussion Takes Drumming to New Heights
Four guys plus a table full of random stuff that makes noise equals Iron Giant Percussion. The Birmingham natives take drumming to new heights, pounding out rhythms on everything from bongos to porcelain floor tiles.
What do we Learn from a Church Bomber’s Denied Parole?
Thomas Blanton will stay in jail. He's the last remaining Klansman convicted for Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which killed four black girls in 1963. Blanton was up for parole Wednesday after serving 15 years of his four life sentences. But the state's parole board did not free Blanton. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald reflects on the hearing and also comments on Alabama's likely new Speaker of the Alabama House Mac McCutcheon.
Lyrical Skill, Lofty Aspirations: The Monastery
Their inspirations include modern rappers but also go all the way back to A Tribe Called Quest, Jimi Hendrix, and actual monks. They’re The Monastery, a duo making their mark on Alabama’s growing rap scene with intricate lyrics they hope will entertain and enlighten.
Birmingham Church Bomber Denied Parole
Alabama's parole board has decided against freeing a one-time Ku Klux Klansman convicted in a church bombing that killed four black girls more than 50 years ago.
Parole Hearing for Thomas Blanton, 16th Street Baptist Church Bomber, Set For Wednesday
Blanton has served the minimum of 15 years required in Alabama before parole is possible. Wednesday in Montgomery, the parole board decides whether Blanton goes free or continues to sow life behind the wired fences and steel doors of a state prison.
Alabama’s “Back to School” Sales Tax Holiday is this Weekend
Alabama’s annual “back to school” sales tax holiday starts on Friday. That’s when the state waves its 4-percent sales tax on school related items. Many counties and cities drop their sales taxes too. It represents a chance for parents to save but it's also a big weekend stores.
Birmingham Startup Lands $20 million in Venture Capital
Birmingham tech startup Shipt grabbed eyeballs earlier this year when its logo went up on a on a downtown building. It drew wider attention with the announcement the company pulled down $20 million in venture capital. We talk about what that means in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Judge Dismisses Alabama’s Suit Against U.S. Over Refugees
A federal judge has dismissed Alabama’s lawsuit against the U.S. over potential Syrian refugee resettlement.
JeffCo Schools Personnel Director Faces Federal Child-Porn Charges
The legal picture for Jefferson County Schools’ jailed human resources director has become even darker. Brett William Kirkham already faces charges that include having sex with a student. Now he faces federal child-pornography charges too. Joyce White Vance, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, today announced the indictment against Kirkham, a longtime area […]
