News
State Film Incentives Have Limited Impact in Birmingham
Birmingham Business Journal editor Ty West discusses the affect of Alabama's film tax credits eight years after they were implemented.
Roland Martin: ‘Is School Choice The Black Choice?’
Two years ago, Alabama passed a law authorizing charter schools to operate in the state but the concept has been slow to catch on. Alabama has only one charter school so far in Mobile and the state earlier this year approved a second to open in Birmingham. These schools are meant to offer access to better quality public education but many black families have been resistant to the idea. Washington based television host Roland Martin is trying to change that.
All Together Now! Alabamians Try for World’s Largest Rock Band
The Auburn group tried last year to break this record. A total of 850 people participated in that effort. Unbeknownst to them, a group in China outdid them with a 953-member rock band.
The Breakdown: How Woodfin and Bell Fared Around the City
If you want to know how 36-year-old former school board President Randall Woodfin captured the largest percentage of votes in his bid to win out over incumbent Mayor William Bell, just look at the numbers.
Internal City Government Spats Affect Election Outcome
Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald discusses the results of Tuesday's municipal elections in Birmingham.
Your Birmingham Election Roundup
WBHM’s city government reporter Sherrel Wheeler Stewart offers an overview of Tuesday's municipal elections in Birmingham.
Birmingham Mayor’s Race Goes to a Runoff
Birmingham Mayor William Bell and challenger Randall Woodfin will head to a runoff. The runoff will take place October 3.
Low Voter Turnout So Far at Some Birmingham Polls
Turnout appears low at several Birmingham polling places as voters go to the polls to elect a mayor, city council and school board.
Has Your Birmingham Polling Place Changed?
Polls open for voting in Birmingham at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Tuesday, as Birmingham voters cast their ballots for mayor, city council and school board.
Trudy Hunter Wants To Tackle Education, Poverty
For Trudy Hunter, a law school grad and a social worker from southwest Birmingham, this run for the city’s top job has been 10 years in the making. She says she wrestled with God about whether to step out on faith and run.
Patricia Bell Wants a Better City For Future Generations
Patricia Bell, no relation to William Bell, has run for mayor several times. But she isn’t discouraged. She's one of 12 candidates vying for the office in Tuesday's election. The community activist and marketer says the city still needs good leadership.
Innovate Birmingham Aims for a Generational Economic Boost
Birmingham Business Journal editor Ty West explains about the new economic initiative Innovate Birmingham.
High Technology Could Solve Solar Mysteries During Eclipse
Cutting-edge imaging technology from a Birmingham nonprofit could take advantage of the August 21 eclipse to solve solar mysteries. The telescopic camera system will fly almost 10 miles high on two revamped bombers that tag-team as they chase the moon's shadow.
SPLC to Secretary of State: Reinstate Inactive Voters by Next Month
The Southern Poverty Law Center on Friday asked Secretary of State John Merrill to reinstate the 340,000 Alabama voters that have been placed on inactive voter lists before the September Senate runoff. Many residents voting in Tuesday’s primary learned for the first time their status had been changed to “inactive.” Poll workers asked them to […]
UAB Opens New Football Offices and Practice Facility
UAB Blazer fans celebrated Friday as university and community leaders cut the ribbon on the football team’s new operations center and Legacy Pavilion. The $22.5 million facility is a major milestone for a program that university officials cut in December 2014, only to revive it six months later after an outcry from alumni and the Birmingham […]
In Birmingham, Debate Over Confederate Monuments Renewed After Charlottesville
Birmingham has a complicated relationship with racism. Some of the most notable events from the Civil Rights era took place in the city. Now, there's renewed debate about the fate of the city's Confederate monuments.
Bell Calls Birmingham’s Revitalizing Neighborhoods the Next Challenge
Birmingham Mayor William Bell has been a Xerox marketer and a probation officer, but since 1979, he’s been somewhere in local government. Voters will decide Tuesday during municipal elections whether he'll continue to serve in his position. After almost eight years as mayor, Bell tells WBHM’s Sherrel Stewart he wants to do it again.
Republicans Prepare for Battle in Senate Runoff
Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald discusses this week's U.S Senate primary and next week's municipal election in Birmingham.
State Sues City Over Confederate Monument
The City of Birmingham and its mayor are being sued by the state for allegedly violating an Alabama law that protects historic monuments. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit today after Birmingham Mayor William Bell ordered the construction of a plywood barrier to obscure a Confederate monument in a city park. Alabama law prohibits the removal, […]
Some Voters Required to Verify Information at the Polls
An attempt to update the state’s voter rolls left some Alabama voters confused and angry at the polls in Tuesday’s US Senate primary. Those whose status was bumped to "inactive" were permitted to vote after they verified their information.
Strange and Moore Headed to a Runoff
Senator Luther Strange will face former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore in a September runoff. Neither candidate took more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s special Senate primary.
Doug Jones Wins Democratic Senate Primary
Former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones will be the Democratic candidate in the race for Jeff Sessions' former seat in the U.S. Senate. Jones was declared the winner of Tuesday's primary election, with most districts reporting in by around 9 p.m.
Democrats Hope for a Comeback in the U.S. Senate Race
Doug Jones is best known for successfully prosecuting the 16th Street Baptist Church bombers and helping indict Birmingham abortion clinic bomber Eric Robert Rudolph. Now the former US Attorney is running in the Democratic Senate primary for the seat formerly held by Jeff Sessions.
New Soccer Team Adds to Birmingham’s Story of Revival
A new professional soccer team in Birmingham could mean an added asset for downtown.
Blazers’ Punter Comes From a Land Down Under
UAB's punter is from Australia, he's older than the average recruit and he loves Vegemite.
2017 Birmingham Mayoral Debate
WBHM and the Birmingham Business Journal partnered to present the 2017 Birmingham Mayoral Debate. We hear from the top three candidates in Birmingham's race for mayor as determined by public polling: incumbent Mayor William Bell, and challengers Chris Woods, and Randall Woodfin.
Outgoing State Ethics Commissioner Takes Aim at Fellow Commissioners
An outgoing member of the Alabama Ethics Commission says the panel has been lax in upholding rules to keep state government in line.
Birmingham Council District 5: A Tale Of Two Cities
Seven people are vying for the District 5 seat on the Birmingham City Council in the August 22 elections. That’s the area representing most of downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods from Crestwood to Smithfield. Managing this district won’t be easy. Some parts stand out as hip places to be in Birmingham, while others languish in extreme poverty and blight.
Many GOP Voters Still Undecided on Senate Candidates
Four candidates attended at the GOP Senate forum: incumbent Sen. Luther Strange, Bryan Peeples, Randy Brinson and Congressman Mo Brooks. They wanted to win votes. But as they hashed out issues from abortion to concealed carry laws, many voters left undecided.
What Birmingham Businesses Want From City Leaders
Birmingham business leaders weigh in on what they expect from city leadership. Birmingham's municipal elections will be August 22.
Bleached Creek Highlights ADEM Shortfalls, Say Critics
Alabama has some of the most ecologically rich waters in the world. But the agency tasked with monitoring them gets less funding per resident than in any other state. Some complain the Alabama Department of Environmental Management is not doing its job. They point to a contaminated creek in Shelby County as on example.
Seven-Year-Old Golf Prodigy Drives Hard Toward Success
Little Jerrell Anthony has been playing golf since he was two years-old. Now, at age seven, he competes against, and often beats kids twice his age.
