News
Birmingham Post-Herald
Friday's edition of the Birmingham Post-Herald will be the newspaper's last. The owner of the afternoon daily, E-W Scripps, says the economics were --quote-- 'no longer favorable' to keep publishing. The company says it's developed a severance package for the Post-Herald's 43 editorial department employees. Post-Herald editor and president Jim Willis tells WBHM's Steve Chiotakis it's been a heart-breaking day for employees.
The Last Days
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Shelter Closing
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AIDS Evacuees
Thousands of Gulf Coast residents were displaced by Hurricane Katrina, forced to leave behind not only homes but sometimes entire lives. They're slowly picking things back up, but it may be easier for some hurricane evacuees than others.
Katrina-Alabama schools
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No Child Left Behind
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Hurricane Banking Troubles
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Teacher Shortage
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Animal Assisted Therapy
Nearly three-quarters of Americans have at least one pet. In the United States, more money is spent on dog and cat food than on baby food. And for centuries, doctors and researchers have tried to harvest this intangible love for animals in the healing process. Animals have been used to help patients recover from all kinds of ailments, diseases and surgeries - to lift spirits and bring a smile, to make patients feel better. Some studies show a more profound benefit: that animals help people become less anxious and perhaps even respond better to mental health therapy. As part of our yearlong Making Sense of Mental Health series, WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports that for kids undergoing mental health treatment, the healing often begins on all fours.
Teen Diary: Story of a Cutter
Some two million Americans intentionally injure themselves to cope with emotionally overwhelming feelings or situations. It's often called self-injury, or self-mutilation, or just 'cutting.' The Crisis Center in Birmingham says it's seen an increase in the number of middle-school-aged kids calling the crisis hotline to talk about cutting. We've got on 'cutter's' story...
One Stasi Victim’s Story
During the Communist era in East Germany dissonance was not allowed. Those who questioned the regime often found themselves behind bars, guests of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington recently returned from Germany where she met one such man.
Teen Diary: Brittany Labrake’s Story
This month we're airing a special series as part of our year-long mental health project. This series is called Raise Your Voice: Stories from Teens . Public radio producer David Sommerstein gave recorders to three young women in New York and asked them to document their daily lives. Today, we hear from Brittany laBrake. For a lot of kids in high school, the opportunity to live in your own apartment is like a dream come true, a long awaited chance for independence and freedom. That's what Brittany thought. She was living in a foster home for five years; but, a month before her 18th birthday, while she was still in high school, she signed herself out of foster care to live on her own. Brittany moved into an apartment with her boyfriend, Gary. She wanted to live her life independently, but she found out it's not that easy.
Teen Diary: Brittany Chase’s Story
This month we're airing a special series as part of our year-long mental health project. This series is called Raise Your Voice: Stories from Teens . Public radio producer David Sommerstein gave recorders to three young women in New York and asked them to document their daily lives. Today, we hear from Brittany Chase. Brittany is 16 years old. She lives in a foster home. Strife and substance abuse in her biological family landed her in the foster care system. Brittany says it saved her life. One note: these are teenagers, so the language is, at times, rough.
Help for Honduras
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Mental Health: Small Business Coverage
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SciGirls
Research shows that by the time girls enter high school their interest and self-confidence in scientific pursuits has dropped dramatically. One Alabama summer camp aims to spark an interest in science among girls. Amanda Shaw reports.
Winn Dixie Closing
The Winn Dixie grocery store chain has announced it's closing hundreds of stores throughout the southeast in an effort to shore up sagging sales. It's the latest closure in a battle for market share in the grocery industry. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports on the impact the closures will have a certain Birmingham neighborhoods, especially those with high minority populations.
Germany Photos
WBHM's Rosemary Pennington took part in the RIAS/RTNDF German American Journalist Exchange. She spent two weeks in June traveling through Germany and Brussels. These are some photos from that trip.
2nd Homes
Real estate analysts may be warning about the pending burst of the housing bubble, but homebuyers don't seem to be 'buying' it. Vacation homes are selling at a record clip, especially on Alabama's lakes. WBHM's Tanya Ott talks to sellers, buyers, agents and experts about the wisdom of investing in the 2nd home market right now.
Ensley
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Engineering New Territory
NASA's mission is an ever evolving thing. At one time research was its primary mission and UAB's Center for Biophysical Sciences worked closely with the space agency. But, as NASA begins to focus more on exploratoin, the CBSE is being forced to branch out. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington reports.
Activist Doctors and AIDS
Millions of people the world over have HIV/AIDS. As the infection rates go down in some countries, they go up in others. A group here in the U.S. thinks AIDS doctors need to take a more activist approach to fighting the disease.
Koreans Driving Auto Competition
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Rosemary’s German Weblog
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Brown-vs-Board 2: Resegregation
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Mental Health Court
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Pharmacy’s Prognosis
The pharmacy industry is rapidly changing, with new technology, and a shift in the types of students who apply to pharmacy school. Tanya Ott reports.
Mental Illness & Poverty
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Gloria Feldt
The fight over reproductive rights is part of American culture and, over the last few years, that fight's dominated the political landscape. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington spoke with Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood of America, about her book on the changing political scene The War on Choice .
Covering Suicide
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TR Pearson
T.R. Pearson has been compared to Mark Twain and William Faulkner for his Southern influenced prose and circuitous, anecdotal narratives. Pearson's first novel, 'A Short History of a Small Place' won rave reviews from readers and the praise of critics as well. 20 years later, he's out with its sequel: 'Glad News of the Natural World'.
Parental Leave
Just in time for Mother's Day, the National Partnership for Women and Children is releasing a study that grades states on their parental leave policies. Alabama gets an 'F'. WBHM's Tanya Ott talked with the group's president, Debra Ness.
