News
HealthSouth CEO Advises on Tough Economy
There's been a lot of bad economic news lately, with turmoil in the banking and housing sectors and wild fluctuations on Wall Street. HealthSouth President and CEO Jay Grinney says his company's "near death experience" holds lessons for other businesses in the current economy.
My City Was Gone
Have an unexplained phenomenon, unusual behavior or an unexpected baby boom? You can always declare, "There must be something in the water." But for the Anniston community, this is not simply an innocuous cliche. Dumping decades ago by the Monsanto corporation has left Anniston with elevated levels of PCBs, a chemical banned since the 70s, but blamed for high rates of cancer and birth defects in the east Alabama town. Public outrage culminated in a legal settlement about 5 years ago which approached $800 million. Journalist Dennis Love followed the case in his book "My City Was Gone." The Anniston native spoke with WBHM's Andrew Yeager.
Alabama Economy: Big Family
The current financial crisis is fueling chronic stress and limiting some people's ability to think clearly and control their emotions. But for one Trussville family with 16 kids, a little humor help keeps things in perspective.
Alabama Economy: Homeless
A sputtering economy, skyrocketing food and gas prices and the mortgage mess are forcing more Alabama families from their homes. More than 800 houses in Alabama are in some state of foreclosure. That's a big jump from last year. Most displaced homeowners find somewhere else to live, but some end up homeless. And as Les Lovoy reports, Birmingham's homeless shelters are struggling to keep up with demand.
Alabama Economy: Downtown Housing
Real estate isn't what it used to be. Home values are dropping. Mortgages are harder to get. And more people are foreclosing. The massive slowdown has hit all sectors of the economy and all places of American life. One area that had been on an upswing is downtown Birmingham, which once boasted a booming condo and loft business. Today, it's getting harder to sell those units, as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports as part of our series The Alabama Economy.
Alabama Economy: Regions Bank
This September is a month economists will remember like it or not. Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, Wachovia - it seems financial giant after giant just kept falling. Then yesterday, Birmingham-based Regions' stock plunged more than 40%. So what does this mean for our corner of the banking system? As we continue our series on the Alabama Economy, WBHM's Andrew Yeager looks at how Regions Bank is weathering the storm.
On The Line: The Alabama Economy
The economy again dominates news headlines this week. Nationally, Congress will vote on a massive bailout plan, and locally the Jefferson County Commission grapples with missing another bond payment deadline and filing for possible bankruptcy. The strain trickles down to a very personal level with high gas and food prices hitting everyone in the wallet and the mortgage meltdown leaving some people homeless. Tonight at 6:30 on WBHM we discuss all this and more during On The Line: The Alabama Economy.
Vipassana Behind Bars
Just outside of Birmingham lies what's arguably Alabama's toughest prison. The maximum security Donaldson Correctional Facility holds death row inmates, murderers, rapists...the worst of the worst some might say. But in the midst of this environment, and in the Bible belt of Dixie, some inmates are practicing an incredibly intense eastern meditation from the Buddhist tradition. And it's winning fans from prisoners and prison officials alike. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Dan Carsen’s Bug Lesson
Sometimes instinct isn't a good substitute for knowledge. Commentator and neophyte gardener Dan Carsen recently learned a lesson about biting the bug that feeds you.
Pump Prices
Drive by many gas stations around Birmingham and it's unmistakable - the cost to fill up is much higher than just a few days ago. It's little surprise then that more than 1,500 complaints about rising gas prices have flooded the Alabama Attorney General's Office since Friday. With the governor's emergency declaration prompted by Hurricane Ike, the state can now prosecute price gouging. But as Attorney General spokesman Chris Bence told WBHM's Andrew Yeager, even after weeding out cases which don't constitute price gouging, it's a long investigative process.
Election 2008: National Conventions
Republicans are leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, following the conclusion of the Republican National Convention. That leaves 60 days for John McCain's and Barack Obama's camps to battle it out on the campaign trail. One Republican delegate who is eager for that fight is Alabama State Senator Hank Erwin. He says he's upbeat, excited and energized about McCain as he returns to Alabama.
Steve Chiotakis leaving WBHM
WBHM's Steve Chiotakis will leave the station in October to take a network job with the Marketplace Morning Report.
Minority Science Brain Drain
To advance in the science-related fields of higher education takes a love of research and a commitment to academic excellence. The work is complicated, yet rewarding. But a large demographic is missing from the classroom and lab. Many African-American women who've chosen those science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields - STEM programs -- are not following all the way through to graduate school and beyond. And that's produced an educational catch-22, as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Bunking in Bartow
More than 12,000 people are making Alabama their temporary home today, fleeing the destruction of Hurricane Gustav. That doesn't count those who may be staying with relatives or in hotels, outside the official numbers of the state's shelters. One of those shelters is UAB's Bartow Arena. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke to evacuees bunking at Bartow. He heard plenty of frustration, anxiety, and anger. As well as plenty of talk about a hurricane other than Gutav.
Remembering Lou
Lou's Pub and Package Store is reopening today after its owner and namesake, Louis Zaden died at his home late last week. The place has been dark the past five days, yet regular customers have been holding court every afternoon and evening on its patio since the news of Lou's death broke. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis was one of those regulars who celebrated the life - and the cantankerous personality - of the man so many grew to love.
The XO goes to School
As children at Glen Iris Elementary School in Birmingham head back to school Monday, their backpacks will most likely contain notebooks, pencils and...small laptops. The Glen Iris students are part of a pilot program for the new XO Laptops. Mayor Larry Langford plans on bringing them to other Birmingham city schools this coming year as part of the first large-scale XO Laptop program in America. Despite criticisms these computers are a waste of money and merely toys, the little machines are getting a positive response from educators. WBHM's Katie Turpen reports.
Sewer Split
When it comes to Jefferson County's sewer debt crisis, there's a well-documented split among county commissioners. They've clashed over how to solve the problem, and now they're divided over how to even gather public input about it. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Eating Alabama
Food experts across the country are sounding a warning knell that US food systems are dangerously out of whack. They say the current system has undermined local food economies, making it harder for many Americans to get fresh foods. But some local residents are bucking that trend, as Haden Holmes Brown reports.
Wilcox County’s Pain at the Pump
We're all feeling the pinch from gas hovering around $4 a gallon these days, but in Alabama's poorest counties the situation is getting dire. The latest nationwide Pain at the Pump Index' finds that just south of Selma, in Wilcox County, residents are spending nearly 16% of their monthly income on fuel. That's the highest percent in the country. We sent WBHM's Tanya Ott down to find out why.
Banking Woes
It's been a sour housing market of late with rising mortgage defaults and consumer debt. And big banks have been feeling the hurt too. Birmingham's Regions Financial reported second quarter profits are down by more than 50% and cut their dividends by an even higher percentage. Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia had losses approaching $9 billion and is cutting more than 6,300 jobs nationwide, including some jobs in Alabama.
Larry Langford Profile
Birmingham mayor Larry Langford is a man on fire and under fire. In his first eight months in office, Langford has proposed nearly $1 billion in new projects including a bid for the 2020 Olympics. But his ability to get some of the projects done is being tested by federal investigations into alleged misdeeds and the mayor's own management style. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
HIV/AIDS in the South
A new report from the Southern AIDS Coalition says HIV has taken hold in the Deep South, plaguing some of the poorest people in the country and creating a health disaster.
Alabama Obesity Ranking
Alabama has once again been ranked as one of the most obese states in the country. The latest survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Mississippi was the most obese state, followed closely by Alabama.
Volkswagen Goes to Tennessee
Alabama economic develop officials are understandably glum after news Volkswagen is driving past Alabama as a location for its new U.S. assembly plant. A site in Limestone County had been in the running. But the German automaker announced Tuesday Chattanooga, Tennessee, will get the $1 billion plant and the estimated 2,000 jobs that come with it. It's a rare miss for the state which already has investment from foreign car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, Toyota and Honda. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with Neil Wade, the head of Alabama's Development Office, to gauge his reaction to the announcement.
Goalball: Blind Ambition
There are Olympians in town, training for the games in Beijing. They come from all over this country and Europe and Asia sporting athleticism, a pair of blacked-out goggles and a ball with a bell in it. It's not a competition for the faint of heart, or for the sighted.
Realty Check
Playing the numbers game is common when buying or selling a home - but there's one number that can't be avoided when looking at the real estate market.
Career Colleges
Twenty-five years ago, if someone wanted to continue their education after high school, but weren't inclined to attend a conventional college, they might enroll in a trade school. They'd learn shorthand, typing skills, or how to repair car engines and heating and air conditioners. Critics sometimes viewed trade schools as shady storefront 'diploma mills' handing out meaningless certificates along with an inferior education. But, over time, trade schools have morphed into career colleges, and as Les Lovoy reports they've gained a measure of respect .
Stopping Spam
Believe it or not, those unsolicited e-mail messages called spam turn 30 this year. That first e-mail sent over a government computer network opened a floodgate, with spam now accounting for 85% of all e-mail traffic by some estimates. It's annoying, sure; but there are real costs. Which is why researchers at UAB are developing a new tool...a tool they say will help stop spam at the source. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Election 2008
National Conventions: Alabama’s Perspective Birmingham (August 22, 2008) – Democratic Party officials from Alabama and across the country will assemble Monday in Denver for that party’s national convention. Republicans will do the same a week later in the Twin Cities. At the top of the “to do” list is nominating the presidential candidates, but […]
Strong Girls
Boot camp might work for some juvenile delinquents, but most troubled girls need a lot less shouting and a lot more talking. One alternative is Strong Girls, Alabama's only arts program aimed at female juvenile offenders. Gigi Douban reports.
Chief Roper: The Interview
He's been on the job for eight months, has initiated a zero-tolerance arrest effort to chip away at a culture of lawlessness on the streets, and says his faith tells him to fight the evildoers. The mountain is a steep one, but Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper tells WBHM's Steve Chiotakis the department is marking inroads.
Birmingham City Budget
The Birmingham City Council is expected to look at - and possibly vote on - the city's operating budget that Mayor Larry Langford proposed weeks ago. The council wants to approve the budget by July 1st, when the new fiscal year begins.
