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Flu Comes Early to Alabama
The Centers for Disease Control is predicting a bad flu season and today announced the Alabama and four other southern states are showing the most flu activity right now.
Alabama Shakes Up For Three Grammy Awards
A year ago the members of Alabama Shakes were working day jobs and playing small gigs in bars. Today, they're nominated for three Grammy Awards and being hailed by Rolling Stone, NPR and the New York Times.
Alabama, Auburn Among Wealthiest Athletics Programs
Alabama is Number 4 and Auburn is Number 9 nationally in survey of athletic department revenues. The Southeastern Conference dominates.
Question Linger in Shootout Involving Mayor
Birmingham Mayor William Bell has had a relatively low key tenure compared to his predecessor. But not last weekend. The mayor and his security detail were involved in a downtown shootout that could have been ripped from a Hollywood movie. There are still a lot of questions about the incident.
Kyle Whimtire: Birmingham’s Mayor Caught in a Shootout
It's not every day a city leader is in a roadside shootout. But that happened to Birmingham Mayor William Bell on Friday. And while the mayor is okay, The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire says police aren't being forthcoming with details.
Turnaround Schools: Alabama’s George Hall, Pt. 2
Sometimes, poorly run disadvantaged schools defy the statistics and turn themselves around. Sometimes, they even achieve at a level so high they become national models for education in any neighborhood. In the conclusion of our series on "Turnaround Schools," Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen picks up the story of an elementary school that did just that. How did it happen? It wasn’t easy, but persistence, teamwork, and a belief in the students is winning out.
Turnaround Schools: Alabama’s George Hall, Pt. 1
Imagine a school in a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood. It has discipline problems, a dismal reputation, and some of the worst test scores in Alabama. That was Mobile's George Hall Elementary in 2004. Now imagine an award-winning school known around the country for its innovative teaching and high student performance. That's George Hall Elementary now. So how'd it happen? In Part Four of our five-part series on "Turnaround Schools," WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen takes us there to find out.
Jefferson Finally Getting Public Defenders Office
Criminal defendants in Jefferson County who can't afford to hire a lawyer will have a new advocate in their corner. Birmingham Attorney Kira Fonteneau will lead the newly created Public Defender Office.
Turnaround Schools: Mississippi
Failing schools can flounder for years. But occasionally, a school will buck the trend and turn things around. Case in point: in Mississippi, a former failing magnet school has made the biggest gains in test scores of any school in the state.
Alabama Announces CollegeCounts Scholarship
Got a college-bound student in your life? There's a new opportunity to help finance that education. The state has created a new scholarship program that's aimed at Alabama students who are often overlooked for financial assistance.
Kyle Whitmire: The Fight over the BJCC Board
There are three open seats on the BJCC Board. The problem is four people have been appointed. It's a dispute that's embroiled the Jefferson County legislative delegation and is now spurring legal action. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire has details.
Turnaround Schools: Tennessee
This week we're running a special series on Turnaround Schools: failing schools that have managed to pull themselves back from the edge and thrive. Statistics show the odds are stacked heavily against them. Today, we have the story on one Tennessee school that climbed from the state's failing list to a Top Ten list, only to be set back by a violent attack.
Appellate Court Declines to Review Immigration Ruling
A federal appeals court has handed a new victory to opponents of Alabama’s tough immigration law. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta turned down a request by the State of Alabama Tuesday for the full court to review the decision made in a challenge brought by a coalition of individuals and groups.
Turnaround Schools: Georgia
This week, we're taking a focused look at failing schools that have managed to turn things around. We wanted to find out what goes into successfully turning around failing schools.
Gene Chizik Out at Auburn
Auburn University is giving head football coach Gene Chizik his walking papers and a sizable payout despite a dismal season and an NCAA investigation into recruitment violations.
Alabama Municipalities Dangerously Vulnerable
A new report shows some of Alabama's largest municipalities have very low financial reserves. Local governments rely a lot on sales taxes and revenues have been lower since the recession. The report from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama finds that the City of Montgomery had a negative fund balance for 2010, though the city's finance director disputes that. Kyle Whitmire says many other communities may be in the black, but they're still dangerously vulnerable.
Public Hearing on U.S. 280 Improvements
Tonight, the Alabama Department of Transportation holds a public hearing to discuss possible solutions to the congestion problems on U.S. 280. They'll be seeking public input and according to one source revealing new improvement proposals.
Potential Power Shift on Birmingham Board of Education
After months of infighting that resulted in a state takeover, there appears to be a power shift on the Birmingham Board of Education. New board member Carole Clarke was sworn in this week and minutes after taking the oath the board elected a new president and vice president. Who they elected and how is pretty telling.
Bentley Rejects Health Exchanges, Medicaid Expansion
Alabama is joining a growing list of states that will not set up an insurance exchange under the federal health care law. Gov. Robert Bentley says the tax burden is too high, but critics say the decision is a major blow to the state's health care system and the overall economy.
UAB Medicine Institutes Tobacco-Free Policy
UAB Medicine is instituting a new tobacco-free hiring policy. Starting July 1, 2013, all new hires will have to be tobacco abstainers -- no smoking, sucking/dipping, chewing or snuffing any tobacco product.
Democratic Leader Criticizes Bentley on ACA
House Minority Leader Craig Ford (D-Gadsden) says Gov. Bentley's decision to not set up a health insurance exchange is disappointing and dangerous.
Alabama Eyes Homeowners Insurance Reform
As the Northeast begins to rebuild after SuperStorm Sandy, many Alabamians probably can't help but think: been there, done that. From Hurricane Katrina to last year's deadly tornadoes, the state has taken a beating. So has the insurance agency.
Jefferson County First Anniversary Bankruptcy Check-up
Friday is the first anniversary of Jefferson County filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. The $4.1 billion dollar filling last year, mostly debt on the county’s sewer system, attracted a lot of attention. But with the case now working through bankruptcy court, it’s fallen off the radar a bit. We have a check-up with Samford University law professor Michael Floyd.
Your Guide to Alabama’s Constitutional Amendments
Voters will see many candidate names on November's ballot. But they'll also see eleven statewide constitutional amendments -- ranging from reauthorizing a popular conservation program to changing how state lawmakers are paid. Here's your guide to those ballot issues.
Alabama 2012 Election Results
Watch for results here as WBHM updates statewide and federal election from Alabama.
Mississippi School Segregation
Alabamians are voting today on a measure that would strip racist language from the state's 1901 constitution. It would remove reference to racially segregated schools. School segregation may be illegal, but in many communities it's still a reality. Southern Education Desk reporter Annie Gilbertson has the story from Mississippi.
Election 2012: Alabama and the Nation
Alabama voters go to the polls today to elect a president, members of congress, a state supreme court chief justice, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission and several other offices. They'll also decide on eleven constitutional amendments including one controversial measure that removes racist language from the 1901 constitution.
UA Has First Permanent Female President
As of today, the University of Alabama has its first female president in its 181-year history. Judy Bonner, provost and vice president, was chosen unanimously.
Baxley Loss Could Be End of Era
Democrats controlled Alabama for 136. But in 2010 Republicans wrest control of the legislature and today there's only one Democrat in statewide elected office and she faces an uphill battle in Tuesday's election.
Republican State Supreme Court Chief Justice Candidate Roy Moore
Voters will choose a new Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice next Tuesday. On the Republican side is a well-known name in Alabama. Roy Moore served as chief justice from 2001 to 2003. But he was ousted from that position when he refused to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama judicial building. Moore talks to WBHM’s Andrew Yeager.
UA Looks For New President
University of Alabama trustees will meet today to discuss a new president following the resignation of Guy Bailey after less than two months in office. The Birmingham News and al.com are reporting that key members of the board say they'll name University of Alabama provost and executive vice president Judy Bonner as the next leader of the Tuscaloosa campus.
Vance Responds to Allegations of Elections Violations
Democratic State Supreme Court Chief Justice candidate Bob Vance says allegations of elections violations are a distraction and a desperate effort by Republicans. Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead held a press conference Thursday accusing Vance of failing to disclose a donation to then Senator Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
