News
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 […]
Reducing Recidivism in Alabama, U.S.
People who have spent time in prison for non-violent felony offenses have a difficult time finding - and in some cases - keeping a job. This lack of opportunity can often force people into situations where the only option is to break the law and risk being sent back to prison. It's called recidivism.
Arc Stories: July 2016 Edition
Four stories where the storyteller learns something new about themselves and others. A man attempts to find reconciliation with a childhood friend he betrayed 30 years before; a husband discovers something about his wife after she endures a major medical procedure; a young woman without any training moves to Africa to become a teacher; and what happens to a […]
Many Unknowns Around Governor’s Call for a Lottery
Proponents of a lottery in Alabama received a notable boost this week after Governor Robert Bentley announced he would call a special session on that issue. He wants lawmakers to pass a measure to create a lottery which would then have to be approved by voters. Bentley says it's up to voters to decide but calls a lottery the best remaining way to deal with persistent budget crises. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald offers his take on the proposal.
How Alabama Ethics Laws Allow for Questionable Campaign Spending
A loophole in Alabama's campaign finance law allows for questionable contributions.
Governor Announces Special Session on Lottery
Governor Robert Bentley says he will call a special session in order for lawmakers to pass a measure that would allow residents to vote on setting up a state lottery. In a video released by the governor’s office Wednesday, Bentley says money from a lottery would fund “essential state services” for children, the elderly, the […]
New International Baccalaureate School And Other Changes Ahead For Jeffco Middle School Students
Changes are on the way at some Jefferson County Schools following a federal judge’s approval of a realignment plan eliminating the systems’ three remaining K-8 schools and spreads the seventh and eighth graders out to nearby high schools.
Why is Commercial Real Estate such a Hot Commodity in Birmingham?
Birmingham is attracting a lot of commercial investment. Since 2011, out-of-state investors have spent more than $3.8 billion on commercial property in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. This trend is said to have peaked in 2014, but experts say investor money is still flowing into the city. In this week’s Magic City Marketplace, Ty West, editor […]
Housing Authority Fatherhood Initiative Seeks to Strengthen Families
The Birmingham Housing Authority’s Fatherhood Initiative, a program designed to empower fathers to help build strong families, uses barber shop talks to help men feel at ease talking about the issues men and fathers face.
The Junction: We Won’t Be Next
After police shootings and racially-charged murders this month, the national conversation is once again focused on the fraught relationship between police and black communities. To address these tensions, The Birmingham City Council recently hosted a forum in Ensley called “We Won’t Be Next.” Rachel Osier Lindley brings us the latest in our series, The Junction: […]
Major Interstate Closure Through Downtown Birmingham this Weekend
Beginning tonight at 7 o’clock, the junction from I-65 southbound to I-20/59 eastbound will be closed as well as the eastbound exit to 17th street.
Finding a Way to Talk About Racial Inequality in Alabama, U.S.
It's time to speak of reparations. That's the headline of the latest column by AL.com's John Archibald. The piece comes following the turbulent and deadly events involving black men and law enforcement in Louisiana, Texas and Minnesota. A discussion about this controversial column.
It Might Just Be Legal
Spending practices regarding election campaign funds in Alabama are under review. How those funds are spent, now, can be looked up as public information, and there are some questions that come from the details. Kyle Whitmire of AL.COM and the Birmingham News took a dive in to the data about Alabama Representative Mike Hill, a Republican […]
Utz Buys Golden Flake
“The South’s Original Potato Chip” will soon be a part of a company out of Pennsylvania. UTZ Quality Foods made a merger agreement, yesterday with the company that owns Golden Flake. Under the deal, Golden Enterprises will be operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of UTZ. Golden Flake says management and production of the southern […]
Birmingham Job Market Near Peak Employment
There's good news regarding the Birmingham job market. Since 2011, the city has added more than 30,000 jobs, just shy of the 45,000 needed for peak employment.
