News
Tax Refund: Paper to Plastic
Are you waiting for your tax refund? A lot of people are. But now a handful of low income taxpayers have the option of putting their refunds on a prepaid debit card. It's faster, more secure and the government says it'll save money. As WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports, a lot of eyes will be watching how this countrywide experiment pans out.
Impact Alabama’s Savings Contest
If you've ever bought a lottery ticket or played a slot machine, you probably know the thrill that comes with a chance to win a fortune. Of course, if you don't make the long odds, you're out some cash. But what if that same excitement could be turned into savings? One Alabama organization is using the current income tax season as a savings contest for low income residents. But as WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports it's an untested idea.
Spring Awakening
Nearly 125 years ago a German dramatist penned a play that criticized the sexually-oppressive culture of his country. It offered a vivid dramatization of the erotic fantasies of young teenagers who were just discovering their bodies. As you might expect, it was pretty controversial material. The play was often banned. More than a century later, it still raises eyebrows. And this month, it's on stage at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. WBHM's Tanya Ott pulls back the curtain for an intimate look at Spring Awakening.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Gulf Fish Numbers Up
Since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, marine scientists have come upon a surprising finding: more fish. Researchers at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab report dramatic increases in some species. But the seafood industry is responding to the news with a wave of skepticism.
On The Line: STUFF
Stuff. Everybody's got it. Some of us want more. Some of us don't know what to do with what we already have. Friday (1/28) at noon we open our phone lines for your questions, comments (and yes, even complaints) about the Stuff in your life.
Stuff: One Man’s Stuff
All this week we've been looking at stuff by examining some of the things we keep and the stories contained in them. Of course many of us have no shortage of possessions. We store things in basements or attics. Even rent storage units because we've run out of room. But what if all you had was what you could carry around yourself? What would you keep? WBHM's Andrew Yeager continues our series "Stuff" with a look at the things one Birmingham homeless man hangs onto.
Stuff: Telling the Story of Alabama’s First African-American Architect
Nearly 20 years ago Bessemer resident Allen Durough found something in his barn that he thought was junk. But it turned out to be a life changing discovery related to Alabama's first African American architect. A man by the name of Wallace Rayfield.
Stuff: Alabama’s Unclaimed Property
This week on WBHM, we're talking about stuff--how to manage it and what people do with it. One place to put valuable stuff is behind the steel doors of a bank vault, in a safe deposit box. But sometimes, people forget about those boxes, or they die before getting the valuables out of the bank. In Alabama, those items end up in the State Treasury's Unclaimed Property Division.
Stuff: Where Stuff Goes to Die
Think about all the stuff you have. Probably functional things like a car or cell phone. Also clothing, chairs or a kitchen table. There are sentimental items too, maybe a childhood toy or old pictures. For most of us, we have plenty of stuff. Those items contain stories and act as a mirror of sorts for our lives. And we'll explore some of that this week in our series "Stuff." We start with the end. WBHM's Andrew Yeager takes a look at where some of our stuff ends up when we're done with it.
Remembering Virginia Samford Donovan
The namesake of Birmingham's Virginia Samford Theatre has died. Virginia Samford Donovan passed away Tuesday at the age of 90.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Federal Report
A president commission studying last year's BP gulf oil spill is out with its final report this week. It contains recommendations the panel hopes will prevent another large-scale oil disaster. The include a new federal agency to oversee offshore drilling, an industry-created institute to police safety and increasing the liability caps for damages when companies drill off shore. The report also pieces together the events surrounding last April's oil well explosion. Commissioner Terry Garcia tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager that the panel concluded the disaster could have been prevented and that blame doesn't rest just with BP. It goes industry wide.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Gulf Real Estate Market
A survey of residents along Alabama's Gulf coast finds that, after the BP oil spill, many of them want to pick up and leave the area. But whether they can actually do that depends, in part, on the real estate market. And it's not good news.
Defense Spending Boosts Huntsville’s Economy
Many state and local governments are struggling to cut services as they try to head off billion dollar deficits. But new research suggests there may be truth in one old political standby.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Bayou la Batre
It's hard to put a number on the economic losses the Gulf region has experienced since the B-P oil spill. But it's clear that communities along the coast are hurting. The tiny Alabama fishing town of Bayou la Batre was still recovering from hurricanes Katrina and Ivan when the oil spill sent it into another tailspin. For many residents there just isn't enough money for basics, even food.
Magic City Marketplace
The Birmingham marketplace is connected by people who have to grapple with numbers and projections and spin. We try and slice through the psychobabble that can be business news with our occasional segment featuring the editor of the Birmingham Business Journal.
Alabama and The Oil Spill: GM to Recycle Booms into Chevy Volt
As oil spill cleanup continues along the Gulf coast, one of the big questions is what to do with oil-soaked booms. Clean-up crews deployed about 100 miles of booms along the Alabama and Louisiana coast. Environmental groups worry those used booms could end up in landfills. But General Motors has announced plans to repurpose the booms as parts for its new electric hybrid car.
John Archibald
Our weekly segment features The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald, discussing the city politic (and county and state politic too). Instead of being unplugged as he is in the newspaper, we offer him a bullhorn. Sort of.
Alabama and the Oil Spill: Environmental Justice
This week, environmental leaders from across the country will meet in Washington for the White House Environmental Justice Forum and the BP Gulf Oil Spill will be front and center.
Southwest, AirTran and Birmingham
AAA predicts more than 42 million Americans will hit the roads and take to the air this Thanksgiving, traditionally the busiest travel period of the year. At the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, many of those holiday travelers will fly the airport's biggest carrier - Southwest Airlines. Southwest announced this fall it would buy rival AirTran for $1.4 billion dollars. But as WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports the deal may not be the best news for Birmingham.
NASCAR Retailer Perfects the Two Minute Hiring Pitch
With more people looking for work these days, smaller companies with a job to fill are being flooded with applicants. How's a small business owner supposed to keep up? One Pelham company is using technology to speed up the screening process.
On The Line: Ask The Mayor
The city of Birmingham faces a major financial crunch with salaries and services likely taking cuts. Its mass transportation system remains unreliable. At the same time, there there are success stories such as the opening of Railroad Park and luring the Birmingham Baron's to a downtown baseball stadium. Mayor William Bell joins us for On The Line: Ask the Mayor.
Bare Hands Closes
A fixture in Birmingham's art scene will soon close. This week, Bare Hands Gallery announced it will shut its doors at end of the year. The gallery opened 14 years ago as place for contemporary Alabama artists to show their work.
Rent-a-Goat Business Takes Off
What do you do when you've got a large tract of land that's overgrown with weeds and brush? You could bring in big lawnmowers and bushhogs. But if you don't want the carbon dioxide they spew into the air, you might consider something a little more low-key: renting goats.
Polling Place Confusion
There are long lines at polling places across the state, but one of the most frustrating is in Homewood, where voters mix with people just trying to renew their vehicle tags.
Bob Riley: The Exit Interview
Governor Bob Riley talks about his two terms in office with WBHM's Bradley George.
On the Line: Election 2010
Next Tuesday, Alabamians head to the polls for this year's mid-term elections. Voters will select a new governor among other state offices. Control of the Alabama legislature and Capitol Hill are up for grabs. WBHM wants to hear your thoughts on the candidates and issues during our special call in program, On The Line: Election 2010.
Election 2010: Attorney General
Next Tuesday, Alabama voters will choose a new Attorney General. Incumbent Troy King lost the Republican nomination to Birmingham Attorney Luther Strange. Strange's Democratic opponent is Montgomery lawyer James Anderson.
Alabama Election 2010: Congressional District 2
Across the country, congressional democrats are at risk of losing their seats in next week's election, thanks to anti-incumbent fervor. In Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, polls put incumbent democrat Bobby Bright ahead of his republican challenger Marthy Roby. But some pundits say it could be a toss-up.
House District 47 Pits Jack Williams Against Chip McCallum
Alabama voters will decide many races in the mid-term elections next week, but one of the more contentious fights is over House District 47, which covers parts Vestavia Hills and Hoover. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports on the battle pitting incumbent Republican Jack Williams against Independent Chip McCallum.
Election 2010: Governor’s Race and Gambling
Next week, Alabamians head to the polls for this year's mid-term elections. Voters will select congressmen, state legislators, and a new governor. This morning on WBHM, we kick off Election 2010 - a week long look at some of the key races and issues on the ballot.
Southern Transplants Enjoy Football Above the Mason-Dixon Line
Auburn and Alabama football fans love their teams. But what happens if you move out of the South to somewhere there aren't huge stadiums to watch the game? And instead of a Quad for tailgating, there's only asphalt? It turns out, you start a fan-base of your own.
E-Recycling
You recycle, right? Of course you do! But what about that "less-than-smart-phone" you just replaced with the latest model? What about those batteries in the clock? Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with electronic gizmos, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports some e-recycling is up dramatically in the south.
