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1 reason people don’t evacuate for hurricanes? Rising costs, and they’re getting pricier
One researcher estimates evacuations can cost residents more than five times the amount they did 20 years ago.
Alabama executes man who killed 5 and asked to be put to death
Derrick Dearman was pronounced dead at Thursday at Holman prison in southern Alabama. He pleaded guilty to the killings that prosecutors said began when he broke into the home where his estranged girlfriend had taken refuge.
WBHM welcomes ‘The Lost Child’ to Saturday evening lineup
The Lost Child introduces listeners to an array of roots music from blues to bluegrass and beyond. For more on the show, WBHM’s Richard Banks sat down with the show’s host Burgin Mathews.
Suspect arrested in Five Points South mass shooting
Damien Laron McDaniel III is charged with capital murder in the case. The 22-year-old is also charged with the murder of two other people.
A federal judge halts an Alabama program that purged thousands of legal voters
U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco ruled in favor of the Department of Justice and civil rights groups and issued a preliminary injunction against a voter purging program launched by the Republican Secretary of State Wes Allen in August.
Woodfin tasks new commission with reducing homicides
Leaders in law enforcement, the business sector, religious groups and others will draw inspiration from violence reduction methods proven by cities from around the country.
Lilly Ledbetter, an icon of the fight for equal pay, has died at 86
Ledbetter had worked a Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant in Gadsden, Alabama, for 19 years when she received an anonymous note saying she was being paid significantly less than three male colleagues.
Meet Kashus Culpepper, the Alexander City-bred musician on the rise
With a freshly inked major label deal and a handful of official releases under his belt, the rising country crooner has quickly secured his place among the who’s who of the genre. However, stardom was never the goal for the Navy veteran-turned-musical sensation.
Alabama’s construction industry is in dire need of workers. Here’s how companies are responding
Nationally and in Alabama, a construction-workforce shortage has stretched for decades. Now, as increased demand after the pandemic shows no signs of slowing and as billions of dollars in federal funding for infrastructure and manufacturing projects flows to states, the problem is growing.
For small cities across Alabama with Haitian populations, Springfield is a cautionary tale
Amid mounting tension, a bipartisan group of local religious leaders, law enforcement officials and residents across Alabama sees the fallout in Springfield as a cautionary tale. They've been taking steps to help integrate the state's Haitian population in the small cities where they live.
Alabama voting FAQ: How to register, cast your ballot for Nov. 5 election
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5. Here’s how to register to vote, submit an absentee ballot, find your polling location and more.
‘Mississippi Five’ parole issues highlight the toll of ‘graying’ in Gulf South prisons
A campaign to free five women, known as the "Mississippi Five," shows how prison populations throughout the region are aging.
Judge refuses to dismiss Alabama lawsuit over solar panel fees
U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled Monday that a group of homeowners and the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution can pursue a lawsuit challenging the fees as a violation of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, a 1978 law that promotes renewable energy production.
The Lost Child
The Lost Child joined WBHM’s weekend program lineup on October 19, 2024. The Lost Child launched in 2012 on Birmingham Mountain Radio, a local independent music station located in Birmingham. It can still be heard on BMR on Saturdays from 9-10 am and Tuesdays from 11 pm to midnight. The Lost Child is a downhome roots music radio hour […]
‘A terrible experience’: LGBTQ+ students face challenges amid Alabama’s Title IX, sports ban debate
Transgender students’ rights have come under increased scrutiny with a new school year underway as Alabama continues to push back against new Title IX rules.
Alabama, Mississippi receive millions to improve rural health care; here’s how they’ll spend it
The federal funding from the Biden-Harris administration will help each state improve maternal health care and opioid addiction treatment in rural communities.
One thing about unspeakable tragedy … you have to speak about it.
Writer, musician, and standup storyteller, Sean Dietrich, entertains audiences across the country, including venues like the Grand Ole Opry. But he’s equally well known as an advocate for suicide prevention. His first bit of advice to people going through difficult times is to talk.
Coal miner dies at Alabama mine with dozens of recent safety citations
In the past week, the mine was cited for not having proper roof and mine support. The fatality follows a leadership change at the company and a federal lawsuit alleging that leaking methane blew up a home above the mine in March.
Justice Department sues Alabama saying state is purging voter rolls too close to election
Federal officials said the purge violates the “quiet period provision” of the National Voter Registration Act that prohibits the systemic removal of names from voter rolls 90 days before a federal election.
Alabama puts man convicted of killing 3 to death in the country’s second nitrogen gas execution
Alan Eugene Miller was pronounced dead at a south Alabama prison. He shook and trembled on the gurney for about two minutes with his body at times pulling against the restraints.
Q&A: Gulf States Newsroom reporters discuss covering Birmingham mass shooting
Reporters Drew Hawkins and Stephan Bisaha discuss their perspectives of covering the mass shooting in Birmingham’s Five Points Neighborhood.
Q&A: Is an innocent man on Alabama death row? Here’s the latest on Toforest Johnson’s case
Reporter Beth Shelburne talks with the Gulf States Newsroom about how Johnson's case has progressed a year after the release of her podcast, "Earwitness."
Hope and Help: You are Not Alone
Hope and Help: You are Not Alone “Hope and Help: You are Not Alone” is a locally produced audio special for Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The conversation is with experts and advocates from throughout Alabama working and specializing in areas around suicide and suicide prevention. Recorded at the studios of WBHM, it is an honest […]
Death penalty opponents speak out as Alabama preps for next nitrogen gas execution
Despite criticism, state officials have defended the use of “nitrogen hypoxia” ahead of Alan Eugene Miller’s scheduled execution this week.
Birmingham leaders plead for information on mass shooting and announce reward money
Authorities have still made no arrests after Saturday’s shooting killed four people and left 17 others injured. Police described it as a targeted “hit” on someone by multiple shooters who opened fire on a crowd waiting in line outside a nightspot in Birmingham’s bustling Five Points South district.
How Alabama food banks are keeping rural communities fed
As the November election approaches, food insecurity is one issue that’s top of mind for residents in Alabama’s newly redrawn District 2.
Birmingham Police: Five Points South mass shooting may have been murder-for-hire; 4 dead, 17 injured
Police say one person was the target of late Saturday's mass shooting, with bystanders caught in the crossfire. More than 100 shell casings were at the scene.
Lawsuit says Alabama voter purge targets naturalized citizens
Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced last month that 3,251 people who had been previously issued noncitizen identification numbers will have their voter registration status made inactive and flagged for possible removal from the voter rolls.
Jill Biden and Lloyd Austin visit an Alabama base to tout expanded military benefits
Biden and Austin visited a pre-kindergarten program the first lady has championed that funds universal preschool for children aged 3 and 4. The administration plans to expand it beyond military facilities and into education systems nationwide.
Homewood votes this month to change its form of government. Why is the issue so controversial?
A move by Homewood to change to a council-manager form of government began with little fanfare. But as the September 24th vote has grown closer, the relatively quiet, special election has spun into a controversial issue.
The first general election ballots are going in the mail as the presidential contest nears
While the ballot milestone is relatively quiet and comes in a state that is not a political battleground, it is a sign of how quickly Election Day is approaching after this summer's party conventions and Tuesday's first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump.
Jefferson County released from sewer consent decree
A federal judge on Thursday released Jefferson County from a decades-long consent decree ordering rehabilitation of its sewer system. As part of the agreement, the county committed to completing several additional capital improvement projects by early 2027 that are planned and funded to further reduce sewer overflows.
