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Birmingham Native And Curator John Fields Recalls His Hurricane Katrina Experience
It has been 10 years since Hurricane Katrina, and John Fields, curator at the Abroms-Engel Institute of Visual Arts and Birmingham native, lived in New Orleans when the disaster hit. In honor of the tenth anniversary of Katrina, he talked to WBHM's Gina Yu about his experience and the way it changed his life and art.
Mental Health Commissioner Jim Perdue On State’s Shrinking Mental Health System
State legislators still haven’t figured out how to fix a $200 million budget deficit for the upcoming year – and time is running out. Many in Alabama who work in mental health worry that public services could be on the chopping block again, after years of cuts and the closure of three state psychiatric hospitals. Perhaps most concerned is Alabama’s new Mental Health Commissioner, Jim Perdue, who was sworn in this summer. He says with more budget cuts, mentally ill Alabamians may end up in jail rather then getting the help they need.
Why Republican Presidential Hopefuls Need Alabama’s Support
Alabama has been in the political spotlight after GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump spoke to some 20,000 people in Mobile on Friday. But Trump isn't the only candidate visiting the state. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker was in Talladega on Saturday. Today, retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson is in Montgomery and Texas Senator Ted Cruz speaks in Tuscaloosa. On Wednesday Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida, is scheduled to be in Birmingham. For more on why Alabama matters to Republicans vying for the presidential nomination, WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley spoke to UAB professor Larry Powell. Powell has studied presidential campaigns since the seventies, and is co-author of a book on political campaign communication. Powell says this time around, Alabama looks very different from the way it has at this point in previous campaign seasons.
Construction Begins on I-20/59 Bridge Replacement Project
Work started this month on a major road construction project to expand one of Alabama’s busiest highways. It's the elevated portion of Interstate 20/59 that runs through downtown Birmingham. The highway is at twice designed capacity and is at the end of its useable life. The redesign will change how drivers can access the city center. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper about the project which generated strong pushback from some portions of the community. He asked Cooper what he anticipates when that stretch of highway is closed.
Gay Marriage’s Legal Ripples
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision earlier this summer upholding same-sex marriage seems simple enough, but the ruling prompts a wave of new legal questions. Those questions could keep lawyers busy for some time. We talk about some of those questions in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
First Charter Schools Open In Mississippi; Alabama Charters Could Come Soon
States across the U-S have increasingly been turning to charter schools in an effort to bolster struggling public school systems. Two of the most recent states to adopt the controversial form of education are Mississippi and Alabama. As part of a Southern Education Desk series examining charter schools in the South, we turn to Mississippi Public Broadcasting's Paul Boger for a report on how those states are adopting to the alternative form of public education.
Paying For Charter Schools In The South
Florida has about 650 charter schools. They are part of school districts but are privately managed and largely free of many of the rules governing traditional public schools. But as enrollment in charters has increased, so has the financial cost. WFSU’s Lynn Hatter reports for the Southern Education Desk that Tennessee and Georgia are also struggling to find ways to support their charter schools.
A Tale of Two Pay Raises
Some workers in Birmingham will see their paychecks rise in the coming years. The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday passed a minimum wage ordinance for the city, meaning the minimum wage will rise incrementally to $10.10 an hour by July 2017. While advocates for the poor welcome that news, it comes with a dose of deceit according to Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Alabama Media Group Cuts Staff in Birmingham, Huntsville, and Moblie
The Alabama Media Group is laying off at least 15 people total at its three main hubs in Birmingham, Huntsville and Mobile. The company announced the cutbacks Tuesday.
Getting Parent Buy-In For A New Alternative
The big push for charter schools in Louisiana started after Hurricane Katrina. The state’s Recovery School District took over most of the public schools in New Orleans, and quickly issued charters. The organization has moved on to Baton Rouge, but, without a hurricane scattering teachers and students, charters really have to get parents to buy into the alternative they’re selling.
Birmingham City Council Approves Minimum Wage Increase To $10.10
The Birmingham City Council has passed an ordinance to increase minimum wage in the city to $10.10-an-hour by July 2017. The council passed the measure during a meeting Tuesday. Kelsey Stein of AL.com reports that the city's legal department is reviewing the ordinance. Were it to take effect, the increase is believed to be the first of its kind in the Southeast U.S. Stein talked to WBHM's Michael Krall about today's meeting.
A Window On Other Arenas: Sports, Race, And More With UAB Sociologist Adrienne Milner
You don’t have to be a scholar to know that African-Americans are heavily represented in contact sports like football and basketball, but underrepresented in “lifetime sports” like tennis or golf. Some casual observers have come up with relatively simple explanations for that phenomenon. But a University of Alabama at Birmingham sociologist and author who studies […]
Lessons For New Orleans
Charter schools are changing American education. Some say for the better, some say the worse. This week the Southern Education Desk looks at the charter school movement throughout the south. We start in New Orleans, the testing ground for the movement.
U.S. Steel Announces Closure of Fairfield Works
In Birmingham, it’s the end of an era. The city was founded and fueled by the steel industry. But U.S. Steel announced Monday it would close its Fairfield Works mill just west of the city leaving about 1,100 workers without jobs. It’s a noteworthy passing for a city that still identifies with an industry now found mostly in historic pictures.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan Talks About Fixing No Child Left Behind Law
Sherrel Wheeler Stewart talks with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan about education and the hurdles in passing the law this year.
Governor Robert Bentley Endorses Ohio Governor John Kasich
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley publicly endorsed Ohio Governor John Kasich for the Republican Presidential nomination this morning at the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham.
Sports Medicine, Physical Therapy Business Booming in Birmingham
Birmingham's becoming a hub for sports medicine, and as more clinics open, providers of orthopedics and physical therapy are competing for their piece of the market. Providers are also buying real estate, creating jobs. That's where we start this week's Magic City Marketplace. Cindy Fisher Crawford is the editor of the Birmingham Business Journal.
Celebrating Andrew Glaze, Alabama’s Poet Laureate, And His New Book
Novelist, playwright and poet Andrew Glaze is Alabama’s poet laureate. He’s been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and praised by numerous literary magazines and personalities, like poet Robert Frost. Last month, he was inducted into the Alabama Writers' Hall of Fame. His latest collection of poetry, “Overheard in a Drug Store” was just published…. WBHM’s Rachel Lindley sat down with Glaze for a look at his career.
Controversy Over Birmingham City Council Pay Increase
Birmingham's City Council president Johnathan Austin is defending a recent vote to raise the group's salary. Last week the nine-member city council voted-1 to approve a raise for council members from fifteen thousand dollars to fifty five thousand dollars, a more than 200 percent increase. Council members say it’ll help attract top talent to city leadership. But Birmingham News & Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald tells WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley why he's skeptical.
Kyle Whitmire Draws Parallels from Special Sessions in 1975
One special session of the Alabama legislature is in the books, another is looming. That’s because the lawmakers were unable to agree on how to fund the state’s $200 million dollar shortfall in the General Fund. Kyle Whitmire is the state political columnist for The Birmingham News and AL.com, and he talks about this issue and […]
Civil Rights Attorney Fred Gray On Fighting George Wallace And Segregation
In 1957, on the heals of his successful lawsuit that ended the Montgomery Bus Boycott, civil rights attorney Fred Gray represented a group of African American voters from Tuskegee who were shut out of voting in local elections when the Alabama Legislature re-drew the city limits in such a way as to remove them from the city. Gray sued the State in Federal Court. Almost four years later, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that race-based gerrymandering was unconstitutional.
For Undocumented Alabamians, Medicaid Cuts Could Make Health Care Even Harder To Find
After more than a week of disagreement in Montgomery, Alabama Senators approved a cut-filled general fund budget on Monday. It includes millions of dollars in cuts to the state’s Medicaid budget. Medicaid provides health care for low income individuals and families. But often poor undocumented immigrants can’t receive care under Medicaid. Advocates for the undocumented say Medicaid cuts will make health care even more difficult to find for this marginalized group.
“Medicaid Cuts Will Affect Everyone” Says UAB Health System CEO
Alabama Senators are approved a cut-filled general fund budget after lawmakers could not agree how to fill a more than $200 million budget hole. The proposed spending plan cuts nearly that much from mental health services, law enforcement, state agencies and Medicaid. State hospitals are especially concerned about cuts to Medicaid. Will Ferniany, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of UAB Health System, the largest academic medical center in Alabama, told WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley why Medicaid cuts have him worried.
High School Banks On New Focus And Old Identity At Banks Academy In South East Lake
The glory days of Banks High School brought lots of sports championships before the high school closed in 1989. Graduates became lawyers and doctors, preachers and politicians, and almost any other profession you can name. Alumni and supporters are returning to their East Lake home base to continue a legacy at Lakeview Baptist Church on 8th Avenue South.
How the Business Community Sees the Birmingham City Schools
Birmingham City Schools students are back in class for another year. It’s a district Birmingham educators say has made progress in the last few years, but one that still faces a poor reputation in the wider community. We talk about how the business community sees the Birmingham schools in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
‘Watchman’ Publication Revives An Old-Fashioned, Boozy Alabama Dessert
The deep south has seen a resurgence of interest in southern culture since author Harper Lee published her newest novel, “Go Set a Watchman.” The author previously wrote beloved classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” so it’s no wonder her new book set off sparks of conversation about southern identity. Within that, however, there’s been speculation […]
Little Consensus Among Alabama Legislators During Special Session
Alabama Lawmakers are more than halfway through a special session designed to fix the state’s more than $200 million dollar budget shortfall. Legislators passed no new revenues this week, and agreed on very little. That means Alabama is likely headed to a special session. For more, we talk with Don Dailey. He’s the host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television. Dailey told WBHM’s Rachel Lindley what did and didn’t happen in Montgomery this week.
Birmingham Residents On The Racial Divide
There’s a greater focus on race in public discussion after the June murders of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina and a recent series of well-publicized deaths or assaults against blacks while in the custody of police custody. A recent poll by The New York Times and CBS News says nearly six in 10 Americans, black and white, think race relations are generally bad. For reaction to the poll and more on the local conversation, WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley spoke to Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD. He wrote this week’s cover story, “Thoughts on the Racial Divide,” and joins us most Thursday
Lawmakers Appear Headed to Another Special Session
Time is running out for Alabama lawmakers to come up with a solution to the state's general fund budget shortfall. The general fund faces at least a $200 million gap and state legislators are meeting in a special session to figure out what to do about it. But with plenty of disagreement among legislators that's fueling talk of another special session. We talk about it with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
As Heroin Use Rises, More Families Struggle With Loss And Addiction
Heroin use has exploded in Alabama, and heroin-related deaths more than doubled in Jefferson County last year. That means more and more relatives have to cope with the mistrust, deception and shame that come with addiction. Despite the stigma, parents and families are reaching out for help.
Does Anything Look Encouraging in the Special Legislative Session?
The special session in the Alabama legislature is underway, and it turns out to be not much different than the regular session. Lawmakers are unable to agree on how to fund the state’s $200 million dollar shortfall. Here to discuss this is Kyle Whitmire. He’s the state political columnist for The Birmingham News and AL […]
Civil Rights Attorney Fred Gray Reflects on Montgomery Bus Boycott
Tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of the law that abolished literacy tests and other tools designed to keep black people from voting. The momentum for Selma and the civil rights victories of 1965 started ten years earlier with the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955. Tuskegee civil rights lawyer Fred Gray was one of the forces behind that boycott. For WBHM, Greg Bass recently spoke with Gray about the bus boycott, and his extraordinary career. Gray went on to represent the Selma Marchers, Martin Luther King and a seamstress named Rosa Parks.
