Sections
Snap Judgment
Snap Judgment (Saturday from 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.) is a program and podcast mix of real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Hosted by Glynn Washington, the program’s raw, musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling … with a BEAT!
Reveal
Reveal (Sunday from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.) is an investigative reporting program from The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) and PRX. It presents original work from CIR’s team along with various partners including stations, producers, websites, journalism centers, and reporters from around the world. The show examines what governments, businesses, and communities are doing […]
Mountain Stage
Mountain Stage (Saturday from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.) is the home of live music on public radio. Recorded in front of a live audience for more than 30 years, Mountain Stage features performances from seasoned legends and emerging stars in genres ranging from folk, blues, and country; to indie rock, synth-pop, world music, alternative, […]
Live Fact-Checking of Clinton And Trump’s First Debate From NPR Politics
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump go head-to-head tonight in the first presidential debate, and NPR’s politics team will be live annotating the debate. NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt will moderate the event starting at 8 p.m. at Hofstra University in New York. The debate will be divided into three 30-minute segments on three topics: […]
Lakeshore/UAB Partnership Spurs Disability Health Research
The 2016 Paralympics took place earlier this month. When that competition happens, the Birmingham-based Lakeshore Foundation often gets some attention. Lakeshore is a training center for Paralympic athletes. But it is also driving research around physical disabilities and technology. We hear about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Alabama Joining Antitrust Lawsuit Over Drug Used to Treat Opioid Addiction
Attorney General Luther Strange is joining 35 other Attorneys General in an antitrust lawsuit against the makers of Suboxone, a prescription drug used to treat opioid addiction. Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, now known as Indivior, is accused of conspiring with MonoSol Rx to switch Suboxone from a tablet to a film (that dissolves in the mouth) […]
UAB Researchers Develop New Way to Create Stem Cells
Researchers at UAB have found a new way to create stem cells, one they hope will lead to more efficient and personalized medical treatments.
Birmingham School Board Ousts Superintendent
After a heated meeting Thursday night, the Birmingham school board surprised many by voting six to three to fire the district’s Superintendent. Kelley Castlin-Gacutan, more often called “Dr. G,” had held the position for 14 months.
A Look at the Struggling Neighborhoods of Birmingham’s West Side
Communities like Ensley, West End and Fairfield were commercial hubs during the industrial heyday of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Birmingham Law Enforcement Responds to Unease around Mass Shootings
With recent shootings and terrorist attacks in Paris and Orlando, some in Birmingham are taking new interest in personal safety. Les Lovoy reports on how local law enforcement are trying to respond and what people can do to protect themselves.
Grand Jury Could Cut Through the Smoke
The political climate in Birmingham is taking on a new flavor after last week's news the state attorney general's office is opening an investigation in Birmingham. There's not much known about it other than a special grand jury will convene October 17th and it's looking into the Birmingham Water Works Board. This is the same unit that took down former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard. We talk about the development with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Gas Flowing Through Pipeline Again, Environmental Groups Following Cleanup
Gasoline is flowing once again through a pipeline that carries fuel to several southeastern states. But, it could still be several days until fuel delivery is back to normal. Crews worked day and night for nearly two weeks constructing a 500-foot bypass off a broken gas pipeline. Officials with Colonial Pipeline – the company that […]
Birmingham Schools Host Charter School Forums
Alabama may very well have its first-ever charter schools next year. The approval process, which has already hit snags in other parts of the state, will go either through a state commission or through local school boards that have elected to become authorizers. Birmingham City Schools is one of just two authorizers in the state, and last night, school leaders held a meeting to explain what that means.
Gas Leak Cleanup Going Well, Bentley Says
Colonial Pipeline, the company that owns and operates the gas pipeline, has deployed roughly 700 people to clean up about 300,000 gallons of gas. It spilled into a pond near Helena.
Picture Not Quite as Rosy for Law School Grads
Law school graduates seem to be in an enviable position. They're on the way to a solid job with good pay and a prestigious career. That rosy picture though has tarnished somewhat. We hear about it in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Gasoline Could Flow Again this Week Along Leaking Shelby County Pipeline
Colonial Pipeline says it is constructing a temporary pipeline that will bypass a leaking section of its main gasoline pipeline in Shelby County. According to Al.com, Colonial says it could restart the pipeline through the bypass sometime this week.
Birmingham Leaders Want Civil Rights Sites Declared National Park
Leaders in Birmingham, Alabama want President Obama to declare the city's civil rights district a National Historical Park. Many notable events from the civil rights era took place in Birmingham including the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church where four black girls were killed by Ku Klux Klansman
From CIA to United Way: Weld for B’ham on Diverse Agencies
This week, CIA Director John Brennan met with Birmingham City School students as part of a self-described crusade to make the agency more diverse. That’s one story in the latest Weld For Birmingham. Editor Nick Patterson joins us most Thursdays to discuss Weld's top stories. He tells WBHM’s Dan Carsen about Brennan's visit, and about Weld’s cover story on the United Way and area nonprofit groups.
A Moratorium on Travel by Birmingham City Officials
Birmingham city officials often travel on trips related to their jobs. When those trips are for the public's benefit, they travel on the taxpayer's dime. But travel by the Birmingham City Council and the mayor's office has been scrutinized as excessive and with unclear returns. Travel became a flashpoint at this week's city council meeting and Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald says it a perfect time to institute a moratorium on travel.
After 35 Years, ASO Musician Proud to Call Birmingham Home
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra features 53 full-time musicians from all over the world, each with a unique story. Kevin Kozak moved to Birmingham 35 years ago to join the group and currently plays 2nd horn. Mary Scott Hodgin speaks with Kevin about his journey to Alabama and why he has remained with the ASO for […]
Paddling Prevalent In Alabama Schools, South
One of the purposes in collecting this information is to determine if disciplinary polices are being used to discriminate. All the data so far tells us that black children are punished more harshly for the same offenses that white children commit.
CIA Director Visits Birmingham City School Students
Today Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan spoke to dignitaries and more than 50 high school students at Birmingham City Schools’ Central Office. His main goal was to get Birmingham students interested in careers at the CIA. He also acknowledged the CIA’s lack of diversity. “We need to have people from all different backgrounds and experiences,” he […]
Into White
Author Randi Pink knows her debut novel will ruffle feathers. It’s about a black student at a predominately white high school in Alabama. She prays to be turned white and it happens.
Where Clinton and Trump Stand on Business Issues
We’re less than 60 days from the presidential election. It’s been a roller coaster of a campaign already between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. But there are issues beneath the headlines and we look at some of the issues of importance to the business community in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Miss Alabama Competes Sunday for the Miss America Crown
This Sunday is the big day for Miss Alabama Hayley Barber as she competes for Miss America crown. T
State Board Approves Contract For New Superintendent Michael Sentance
Alabama’s new school superintendent Michael Sentance starts work Monday with annual salary and benefits of about $240,000. But the vote to approve his contract came with controversy over how the search was handled.
Special Session Ends with No Lottery and 2-year Fix for Medicaid
Alabama lawmakers are home again after wrapping up a special session on Wednesday. It’s a special session that began with Governor Robert Bentley wanting legislators to set up a lottery with the proceeds benefiting Medicaid and other general fund agencies. It ended with two lottery proposals dead and lawmakers using money from the BP oil spill settlement to fill financial gaps. To help us review the special session is Don Dailey. He’s host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Weld for B’ham on Living Beyond the Headlines, West of I-65
When you hear “Ensley,” or “Brighton,” or “West End,” what comes to mind? Many people who work, live, and raise families on the west side of Birmingham want you to know there’s more to life there than the crime and other problems that fill so many news reports.
A New Building for Cooper Green Could be on the Way
Jefferson County's indigent healthcare system, Cooper Green Mercy Health Services, could be on its way to a new facility. Cooper Green transitioned from being a hospital to an outpatient clinic in 2013, but county officials say the former hospital building is expensive to keep up and they'd be better off with a new building. On Wednesday, the county commission voted in support of that idea. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald talks about the significance of the move and about a Birmingham Water Works Board contract that's drawing scrutiny.
Lawsuit Says Alabama Appellate Court Elections Violate Voting Rights Act
The civil rights group Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of the Alabama NAACP and four individuals challenging how Alabama elects appellate judges. The suit alleges the at-large elections violate the Voting Rights Act.
An ITT Teacher on the Human Side of Today’s Shutdown
ITT Technical Institutes are part of a national chain of for-profit colleges with three campuses in Alabama, including one in Bessemer. Or, they were. The Indiana-based company shut down all their campuses across the country today.
A New Direction for Birmingham’s Largest Public Housing Complex
Picture public housing and a certain image comes to mind. Typically, it is one of poverty, where hundreds of people live in a low-income neighborhood. Birmingham’s Housing Authority is hoping to re-shape this picture by re-developing Loveman Village, the city’s largest public housing complex. The idea is to build new apartments and diversify the area, but ultimately, the hope is to change the perception of public housing.
