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High Costs of Heroin Addiction Treatment Put Significant Strain on Families
Heroin abuse continues to rise nationally and in Alabama, leaving more people searching for ways to kick addiction. Families ask friends, professionals and scour the Internet looking for the best, and most affordable, treatment for their loved one. But the financial burdens can be crippling, sometimes thousands upon thousands of dollars.
Self-taught Alabama Artist Thornton Dial has Died
The self-taught, African-American artist Thornton Dial has died at his home in Bessemer. He was 87.
The Low Price and High Cost of Heroin
Heroin overdose deaths are on the rise nationally. In Jefferson County, deaths increased by more than 140 percent in 2014. The numbers were shocking: Heroin caused or contributed to 144 deaths in 2014. Area law enforcement responded by increasing efforts to get traffickers and drugs off the streets, especially in Birmingham.
We Want to Hear from You about the Election!
We want you…to help with a political reporting project. Here’s what it’s about. As the election season heats up, surveys report voters across party lines are feeling anxious and angry. Issues such as stalled economic progress, terrorism and demographic shifts have people on edge.
Alabama’s Aging Infrastructure
Many economic development groups in Alabama consider infrastructure such as roads, bridges and railways essential for spurring growth and jobs. But when it comes to assessments of the state’s infrastructure, Alabama scores poorly. That’s where we start the conversation in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Alabama Eligible for Federal Disaster Relief Following Storms
Alabama is eligible for federal aid to assist in repairing damages caused by severe storms that moved through the state late last year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid is available to Alabama as a supplement to state recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding […]
Birmingham’s Police Chief on Combating Violent Crime in 2016
Birmingham finished last year with the highest number of homicides since 2008. That has city leaders worried, and pledging to put an emphasis on combating gun violence in 2016. And, according to Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper, Birmingham’s also seen a rise in violent crimes committed by young offenders.
Friday’s Winter Weather and School Dismissals
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory starting at 9 O'clock for cities including Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Gadsden and Anniston as snow is expected to fall across the state Friday.
Alabama’s Death Penalty System Faces New Scrutiny
Alabama executed a death row inmate Thursday evening for the first time in more than two years.Christopher Brooks died by lethal injection for the 1992 rape and murder of a Homewood woman. But Alabama’s death penalty system is facing new scrutiny after a U.S. Supreme Court decision this month overturning Florida’s process.
What’s Next for VictoryLand and Macon County
According to VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, the sprawling Macon County gaming and entertainment complex should reopen this year, almost three years after it closed. The closure followed years of legal battles and a 2013 raid where the state seized more than 1,600 bingo machines and $253,000. But in October, an Alabama Circuit Judge ruled in Victoryland’s favor, paving the wave for its return. For more we turn to Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD. He tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley that VictoryLand once held an important place in Macon County’s economy.
Jefferson County Groups Engaging in Unseemly Endorsement Process
Republican presidential contender Donald Trump grabbed headlines this week with the endorsement of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Alabama-based organizations are rolling out their endorsements too. But one Birmingham group is going about endorsing candidates in a way that very clearly reveals the ugly underbelly of politics. To explain is Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Matters of Choice: Race, Economics and Choice in North Carolina
In North Carolina, students get their choice of charter schools, but those schools are increasingly divided by race. In this southern state where some of the nation’s most noted school desegregation battles were waged, a recent Duke University study shows that many schools are either predominantly white or predominantly minority. Efforts are being made, however, to change that trend.
Ben Lewellyn: Member of the Month, January 2016
I’m Ben Lewellyn, and I’m the Sales Director at Good People Brewing Company where I’ve worked since 2011. I’ve lived in Birmingham and the suburbs my whole life except for a two-year stint in Texas for graduate school. While I was in Texas, I started listening to the podcast of This American Life and discovered […]
UAB Athletics Hits Another Fundraising Milestone
UAB Athletics announced yesterday that they exceeded a second crucial fundraising mark in the Finish the Drive campaign.
Matters of Choice: Florida — A Hot Spot for School Choice
While many ideas may have originated in other states, Florida has adopted them and created a massive alternative system. WFSU-FM’s Lynn Hatter takes a look at the decades-long movement that is school choice in Florida, one of the nation’s hot spots for school choice programs, as part of the Southern Education Desk's series, "Matters of Choice."
Small Alabama County Offers Cash Amid Struggle to Stop Tuberculosis Spread
There’s only one health department in Alabama where people can go to be tested for tuberculosis. It’s not in the state’s biggest city: Birmingham or any large city. It’s in Perry County, where an outbreak has so far claimed three lives since last year. And it’s getting worse. The infection rate is 100 times higher than doctors say it should be. Now, health officials are trying to get handle on the disease. But it hasn’t been easy.
Sanders Tells Black Voters U.S. Must Confront ‘Institutional Racism’
It’s not just Iowa and New Hampshire where Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders will have to perform strongly to win the Democratic nomination. He’ll also need to do well on March 1st, this year’s Super Tuesday. That's when a dozen, mostly southern states hold presidential primaries and caucuses. And in many of those states, African-Americans are a key Democratic voting block. That’s one reason Sanders spent Monday night in Birmingham celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Matters of Choice: New Orleans – The Choice Epicenter
Most Southern states allow for some form of school choice – magnet schools, vouchers for private schools, charter schools and more. How do these options affect learning, school demographics, and student success? We explore Matters of Choice beginning with this report from WWNO’s Mallory Falk in New Orleans.
Mother Angelica and the Eternal Word Television Network
Roman Catholics around the globe know the name Mother Angelica. She’s the founding matriarch of a small monastery in Irondale that grew into one of the largest religious media networks in the world, spanning 145 countries.
Correspondence That Shaped the Jefferson County Courthouse Murals
Since last Fall, the Jefferson County Commission has been debating what to do about the murals in the foyer of the county courthouse.
Madison Officer Acquitted of Excessive Force Charges
A federal judge in Alabama has thrown out a case of an officer accused of using excessive force against an elderly Indian man. This comes as prosecutors were considering a third trial. U.S. District Judge Madeline Haikala granted a motion of acquittal Wednesday in the case of Madison police officer Eric Parker. Parker was accused […]
Losing History in One of Birmingham’s Oldest Neighborhoods
Birmingham city leaders are stepping up efforts to deal with dilapidated or abandoned properties. In communities overshadowed by blight, preservation is rarely an option, since resources are devoted to cleaning up and demolishing hazardous properties. In these neighborhoods, residents want to document the past before it’s destroyed. A Crumbling History Andre Brown drives a blue […]
Calls for Hubbard to Step Aside Show Split Within Alabama GOP
Alabama lawmakers are set to being their 2016 regular session in less than three weeks. Presumably leading the House will be Speaker Mike Hubbard. That's despite the fact Hubbard faces trial in March on corruption charges. But this past weekend a Republican Party committee approved a resolution calling on Hubbard to suspend his leadership position. We talk about the move with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald. He also offers some hope sparked by the reopening of the Lyric Theatre in downtown Birmingham.
Same-Sex Marriage Supporters Call for Moore’s Impeachment
About 100 same-sex marriage supporters gathered in front of the Alabama Supreme Court building in Montgomery Tuesday to call for Chief Justice Roy Moore’s impeachment. Moore recently issued an order to probate judges telling them not to grant marriage licenses to gay couples.
A Visit to the Historic Lyric Theatre Before It Reopens This Thursday
An old Birmingham vaudeville theater starts a new life tomorrow. After two years and a more than $11 million renovation, the Lyric Fine Arts Theatre reopens downtown, exactly 102 years after its first performance. In its heyday, the theater hosted acts like The Marx Brothers and Will Rodgers. But decades of neglect left the theater in serious disrepair.
Fighting Blight: More Demolitions, Tougher Code Enforcement in 2016
It’s not unusual to drive along some inner city Birmingham streets and see well-maintained homes alongside burned structures and weed-infested lots. For years, residents have complained, and, if they were lucky, some lots and abandoned property were cleared. This year, with millions more in the budget and new laws with penalties for owners who don’t maintain their property, the city is hoping to stop blight in its tracks.
Alabama Lawmakers Propose Vote on State Lottery
State Senator Jim McClendon, a Republican from Springville, has proposed a bill that would allow Alabamians to vote on whether or not they want a state lottery.
Birmingham Mayor Delivers State of the City Address
Birmingham Mayor William Bell says the city is experiencing a renaissance. That’s the message Bell offered Tuesday in his State of the City address given to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham.
Committee Could Decide the Fate of the Jefferson County Courthouse Murals
Back in September, the Birmingham chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples (NAACP) petitioned the Jefferson County Commission to remove two murals that currently hang in the entrance way to the county courthouse.
Birmingham’s Blight – Ravaged Inner City Communities Ready for Change
Birmingham has received national attention for its booming downtown revitalization and new development projects. But that's not the whole story. Less than a mile from downtown gems like Railroad Park and Regions Field, inner city neighborhoods struggle with decaying, abandoned homes and buildings.
Alabama Republican Committee Calls on House Speaker to Suspend Leadership Position
The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee passed a resolution Sunday calling on House Speaker Mike Hubbard, who is awaiting trial on 23 felony ethics charges, to suspend his leadership position.
