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Naloxone Access Bill
With heroin use increasing in Alabama the last few years, public health leaders are looking for ways to reduce heroin overdose deaths. Naloxone could be part of it. The drug, more commonly known as Narcan, can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose if administered to a user in time. It's not addictive nor does it produce a high. State Representative Allen Treadaway (R-Morris) refers to it as a miracle drug. Treadaway is also a Birmingham police captain and he's introduced HB 208 in the Alabama legislature to expand access to Naloxone.
UAB’s Football Decision May Have Been Made Earlier
UAB President Ray Watts faces calls for his resignation after documents released this week suggest university leaders considered announcing the end of the school's football, bowling and rifle programs months earlier than they did. The documents come from a public relations firm that was devising a strategy for handling the controversial decision and mentions a task list for an announcement in September. But Watts has said the decision to kill the football program was not made until shortly before the announcement was actually made in December. We talk about the situation with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
How Law Enforcement Is Fighting The Heroin Problem
As heroin use increases in North Central Alabama, law enforcement is taking a hard look at how to stop the supply, and handle heroin dealers and users. But beyond arresting dealers, they're also often the first on the scene of heroin overdoses. Les Lovoy reports on how law enforcement officials are juggling drug enforcement and saving lives.
Obama To Speak On Payday Lending
President Barack Obama visits Birmingham Thursday. He'll speak at Lawson State Community College about payday lending. It's a big business in Alabama -- one of the states with the most payday lenders per capita.
Interview: Wye Oak
Thursday night, the band Wye Oak, Brooklyn composer William Brittelle, and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra collaborate on innovative orchestral re-imaginings of Wye Oak songs. WBHM's Michael Krall spoke with band member Andy Stack about the concert and the band's sound...
Preventing Addiction In Schools
In Part One of WBHM's five-part series, we heard about how and why heroin use is on the rise in Alabama. Now in Part Two, education reporter Dan Carsen looks at how some young people are trying to slow its spread in their schools. The story starts with a confession in a small office just outside downtown Birmingham.
A Recovering Addict’s Story In Her Own Words
Elizabeth Drennen tells the story of how she became addicted to prescription pain medication and then heroin to Addiction Prevention Coalition student leaders
Fighting Heroin Abuse and Overdose Deaths
Heroin use has exploded in Alabama, with heroin-related deaths more than doubling in Jefferson County last year. All this week, WBHM explores the heroin problem in our series Heroin in Alabama. We'll hear what schools, law enforcement, the courts, and others are doing to fight heroin abuse and curb overdose deaths. To start, a look at the scope of the problem and how we got to here.
Montgomery Catholic Mission Finally Celebrates Its Role in the Selma Marches
This month marks the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery. The march was a turn in the Civil Rights Movement. But it also brought about a change in The City of St Jude. It's not actually a city, but a Catholic mission that takes up two city blocks in west Montgomery. It was started in the 1930s in an attempt to address the lack of education and healthcare for African Americans in the South. Reporter Ashley Cleek brings us this story of a place before its time.
Governor Bentley Signs Charter School Bill Into Law
Governor Robert Bentley has signed a bill to allow charter schools in the state.The governor's spokeswoman said Bentley signed the GOP-championed bill into law on Thursday. Between the charter schools, the Alabama Accountability Act and 2-year colleges, it was a big week for education in the Alabama Legislature. Here to catch us up is Don Dailey. He's the host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
Birmingham Chosen For Community Pilot Program
Birmingham is one of six cities recently chosen for a pilot program designed to strengthen police and community relationships.
US Secretary Of Education Arne Duncan
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Alabama's high school graduation rate jumped eight percent between the years 2011 and 2013. That may not sound like a lot, but it was one of the largest increases in the country, which also saw its rate increase while racial gaps decreased. WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen caught up with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to talk about what the numbers mean for the state and for the nation.
John Archibald: An Impasse Over UAB Football
The UAB Blazers play Iowa State University today in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The tournament berth and a conference championship fired up Blazer fans and UAB alumni still angry over UAB President Ray Watts' decision to end the school's football, bowling and rifle teams. The decision may have been made almost four months ago, but opinions are still charged. That's especially now that an impasse has emerged around a task force reviewing the numbers used to justify the end of the programs. We talk about it with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Kyle Whitmire: Diluting The Birmingham Water Works Board
Alabama's largest water system is run by the Birmingham Water Works Board. Its holdings expand well beyond the city and even Jefferson county. The board's members are appointed by the Birmingham City Council, but in recent years the state legislature has stepped in, trying to change the composition of the board. Here to talk more about the issues behind the Birmingham Water Works Board is Kyle Whitmire. He’s a political commentator for the Alabama Media group, and he joins us most Wednesdays
Issues & Ales: Heroin in Alabama
Deaths from heroin overdose have increased dramatically in Alabama, doubling in Jefferson County alone last year. Heroin is cheaper than ever, and more and more people who are addicted to prescription painkillers are making the switch, tearing families and communities apart. Why is heroin usage on the rise and what can law enforcement, public health officials, families, parents, and teachers do to combat the growing epidemic? Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM will explore this topic at "Issues & Ales: Heroin in Alabama," Tuesday, March 24, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. South, Birmingham.
A Snapshot of the Convention and Event Business
Birmingham did not win the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Nor has it hosted an NCAA basketball tournament game in years. But players in Birmingham's tourism and convention industry are working to keep a steady stream of events through the city. We have a snapshot of that industry in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Capitol Journal Update: Same-Sex Marriage, Charter Schools and the Electric Chair
The Alabama House of Representatives has approved legal protections for those refusing to marry gay or other couples. Supporters say it will protect judges and others from having to violate their personal beliefs, those against it say it will lead to discrimination. Alabama Public Television's Don Dailey updates us on that bill, plus more from the state legislature.
John Archibald: Leaving the Birmingham Schools Behind
The Birmingham City School District has seen a steady decline of students from a peak of about 75,000 to only about 25,000 now. It's no secret many families with school-aged children left the school system through the years, often moving to suburban districts that are seen as having better schools. The move holds extra significance when the family involved is that of a Birmingham City Councilman.
Nick Patterson: Alabama Middle School Students Visit Selma
Thousands gathered in Selma last weekend to commemorate the 50th anniversary of voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery. Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, tells the story of several Birmingham middle school students who made the journey to Selma. Plus an update on proposed construction at Oak Mountain State Park.
Kyle Whitmire: Selma Boos Bentley and Remembering Gene Edelman
Thousands of people gathered in Selma last weekend to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday and voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery. President Barack Obama spoke, along with Georgia Congressman John Lewis and Alabama Governor Robert Bentley. But, as Alabama Media Group Political commentator Kyle Whitmire explains, Bentley's reception was less than warm. Whitmire also talks Gene "The Bean Counter" Edelman and Alabama education.
Recovering Heroin Addict Brad Blount On A Dark Time, And How He Escaped It
Heroin use is on the rise in Alabama. And contrary to old stereotypes, it doesn't respect race, class, or neighborhood boundaries. Brad Blount of Vestavia Hills is proof. He's from a solid family in that well-heeled suburb, but the 24-year-old tells WBHM's Dan Carsen that despite it all, his life took a dark turn.
Magic City Marketplace: A Long Time Coming
Much has been written about the investment and nightlife along Second Avenue North in Birmingham as a sign of the city center's rising fortune. But the area's comeback isn't just a post-recession story. And it's one economic development leaders hope isn't done. We talk about that in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Capitol Journal Update: 2015 Session Off And Running
Alabama lawmakers are off and running now that this year's regular session is underway. The first week began with the governor's State of the State Address. Meanwhile, legislators are already tangling over some high-profile bills. We hear details from Alabama Public Television's Don Dailey.
A Letter From Selma, 50 Years Later
Saturday, March 7 is the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. That's when police beat marches trying to walk from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights. While people look back at Selma 50 years ago, the weekly newspaper WELD has published a letter written just 11 days after Bloody Sunday. It offers a unique insight into what some of the people in Selma thought about those events as they unfolded. WELD editor Nick Patterson reads from the letter, which he says "offers a pretty significant glimpse into the mind of one particular facet of the community in Selma."
John Archibald: Latest Order in Gay Marriage Debate
Alabama probate judges are again in the crosshairs after a state supreme court order Tuesday telling them not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples. This is in opposition to a federal judge's ruling overturning Alabama's ban on gay marriage. We talk about the situation and emails in the Speaker Mike Hubbard corruption case with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Trisha Powell Crain On State Supreme Court Upholding Alabama Accountability Act
The Alabama Accountability Act has been controversial since the night it passed the state legislature in 2013. What started as a school flexibility bill morphed into a way to give tax credits and scholarships to students to attend other public schools and private schools. But late Monday the state Supreme Court upheld the law. WBHM's Dan Carsen caught up with Alabama School Connection writer Trisha Powell Crain to talk it over. Crain starts with a brief overview of the Act, and some concerns.
Remembering The Death That Sparked The Selma Marches
This week marks the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the day police in Alabama beat marchers going from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights. Less well-known is the violent confrontation that sparked the Selma marches. It happened a few weeks earlier during a demonstration in Marion, a small town near Selma. A black civil rights activist named Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot and killed.
TEDx Birmingham 2015: Move Mountains
This weekend, TEDx Birmingham featured the chance to hear individuals sharing their experiences and passions. WBHM's Michael Krall and Will Dahlberg attended TEDx Birmingham and share their thoughts.
INTERVIEW: State Senator Del Marsh On New Charter School Bill
Charter schools are public schools exempt from many of the curriculum and staffing rules that apply to standard schools. But to stay open, charters are supposed to meet achievement goals spelled out in their charter contract. Alabama is one of eight states that does not allow charter schools, but that could change soon. After failing to pass a charter bill in 2012, Republican lawmakers are trying again in the session that's starting today, March 3, 2015. WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, the charter bill's sponsor. He says being late to the game is actually an advantage.
Magic City Marketplace: Hospitals Set to Merge
Hospitals around Birmingham are preparing for a major shift in the healthcare marketplace -- the proposed merger of Baptist Health System and Brookwood Medical Center. That deal could close as soon as next month and would combine two big players in Birmingham healthcare. Thats where we start in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Interview: Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy, best known for his role as Mr. Spock on Star Trek has died at the age of 83. In 2009, WBHM's Michael Krall interviewed Nimoy who came to Birmingham to give a lecture about his photography. While there were plenty regarding his photography, along way Nimoy took time to talk about his role as Mr. Spock.
The General Fund Budget Pie
State lawmakers will gather in Montgomery Tuesday to kick off this year's legislative session. One of the biggest issues they face is how to make up for a projected shortfall in the General Fund budget. There are no easy fixes.
