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Southwest, AirTran and Birmingham
AAA predicts more than 42 million Americans will hit the roads and take to the air this Thanksgiving, traditionally the busiest travel period of the year. At the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, many of those holiday travelers will fly the airport's biggest carrier - Southwest Airlines. Southwest announced this fall it would buy rival AirTran for $1.4 billion dollars. But as WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports the deal may not be the best news for Birmingham.
NASCAR Retailer Perfects the Two Minute Hiring Pitch
With more people looking for work these days, smaller companies with a job to fill are being flooded with applicants. How's a small business owner supposed to keep up? One Pelham company is using technology to speed up the screening process.
On The Line: Ask The Mayor
The city of Birmingham faces a major financial crunch with salaries and services likely taking cuts. Its mass transportation system remains unreliable. At the same time, there there are success stories such as the opening of Railroad Park and luring the Birmingham Baron's to a downtown baseball stadium. Mayor William Bell joins us for On The Line: Ask the Mayor.
Bare Hands Closes
A fixture in Birmingham's art scene will soon close. This week, Bare Hands Gallery announced it will shut its doors at end of the year. The gallery opened 14 years ago as place for contemporary Alabama artists to show their work.
Rent-a-Goat Business Takes Off
What do you do when you've got a large tract of land that's overgrown with weeds and brush? You could bring in big lawnmowers and bushhogs. But if you don't want the carbon dioxide they spew into the air, you might consider something a little more low-key: renting goats.
Polling Place Confusion
There are long lines at polling places across the state, but one of the most frustrating is in Homewood, where voters mix with people just trying to renew their vehicle tags.
Bob Riley: The Exit Interview
Governor Bob Riley talks about his two terms in office with WBHM's Bradley George.
On the Line: Election 2010
Next Tuesday, Alabamians head to the polls for this year's mid-term elections. Voters will select a new governor among other state offices. Control of the Alabama legislature and Capitol Hill are up for grabs. WBHM wants to hear your thoughts on the candidates and issues during our special call in program, On The Line: Election 2010.
Election 2010: Attorney General
Next Tuesday, Alabama voters will choose a new Attorney General. Incumbent Troy King lost the Republican nomination to Birmingham Attorney Luther Strange. Strange's Democratic opponent is Montgomery lawyer James Anderson.
Alabama Election 2010: Congressional District 2
Across the country, congressional democrats are at risk of losing their seats in next week's election, thanks to anti-incumbent fervor. In Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, polls put incumbent democrat Bobby Bright ahead of his republican challenger Marthy Roby. But some pundits say it could be a toss-up.
House District 47 Pits Jack Williams Against Chip McCallum
Alabama voters will decide many races in the mid-term elections next week, but one of the more contentious fights is over House District 47, which covers parts Vestavia Hills and Hoover. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports on the battle pitting incumbent Republican Jack Williams against Independent Chip McCallum.
Election 2010: Governor’s Race and Gambling
Next week, Alabamians head to the polls for this year's mid-term elections. Voters will select congressmen, state legislators, and a new governor. This morning on WBHM, we kick off Election 2010 - a week long look at some of the key races and issues on the ballot.
Southern Transplants Enjoy Football Above the Mason-Dixon Line
Auburn and Alabama football fans love their teams. But what happens if you move out of the South to somewhere there aren't huge stadiums to watch the game? And instead of a Quad for tailgating, there's only asphalt? It turns out, you start a fan-base of your own.
E-Recycling
You recycle, right? Of course you do! But what about that "less-than-smart-phone" you just replaced with the latest model? What about those batteries in the clock? Sometimes it's hard to know what to do with electronic gizmos, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports some e-recycling is up dramatically in the south.
WBHM Partners on Gulf Coast Consortium to Cover Oil Spill
WBHM is partnering with public media outlets across the Gulf Coast region to create the Gulf Coast Consortium, a multi-media project to expand reporting on the Gulf oil spill.
Gambling Arrests
Federal agents arrested 11 people in Alabama this Monday, including four state senators and Alabama's top two casino owners, in an alleged vote-buying scheme. The case centers on a failed effort to legalize electronic bingo. It's the latest in a months-long bribery and corruption investigation and legal battle over bingo expansion in Alabama. WBHM's Andrew Yeager retraces the events.
Blueprint Birmingham
WBHM continues a series of conversations reacting to Blueprint Birmingham. That's the regional economic development plan announced last week by the Birmingham Business Alliance. It offers a five-year framework for addressing issues from leadership to education to economic growth.
MASS Ensemble’s Earth Harp
Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House, the Alys Stephens Center. These are places you go to see music performed. But what happens when a building becomes the instrument?
Michele Norris: The Grace of Silence
All of us have secrets--things in our past we'd rather not discuss. NPR's Michele Norris discovered a secret about her father, years after his death.
Jefferson County Attorney’s Pay
Across the country, city and county governments are laying off employees in droves to deal with budget deficits. Jefferson County is no exception, so it may come as a surprise that the county's legal team appears to be among the highest paid local government attorneys in the country.
Alabama Symphony Orch. 2010-11 season
Music Director Justin Brown previews the Alabama Symphony Orchestra's 2010-2011 season which includes a world premier as well as a performance of all nine Beethoven symphonies...
Railroad Park Opens
New York has Central Park. There's Grant Park in Chicago. Atlanta has Centennial Olympic Park as well. They're parks sitting right in the middle of an urban landscape. And on Saturday Birmingham will have Railroad Park. The idea of a downtown park in Birmingham goes back decades. It took more than 10 years to build Railroad Park, which lays along the railroad tracks between UAB and downtown Birmingham. As officials open it tomorrow, they're hoping Birmingham's new "backyard" will bring not just people, but business too. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
The Tea Party in Alabama
Tea Party members are celebrating big wins in several states after yesterday's primaries. Across the country, the Tea Party movement continues to put pressure on incumbents. But here in Alabama the movement has been relatively quiet. WBHM's Tanya Ott wondered why.
Tokyo String Quartet
The Tokyo String Quartet has been making music for 41 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Tonight, the group plays in Birmingham.
A Receiver for Jeffco’s Sewer: What Does It Mean?
Jefferson County's troubled sewer system will soon be run by a receiver. So, what exactly is a receiver? What power will he or she have?
Conservation: The Behavior Gap
What are you doing to help the environment? Have you ditched the plastic water bottles and carry a reusable one instead. Maybe you bike to work a couple days a week. According to a recent study, there's sometimes a big gap between what we say we should do and what we actually do.
The Price of Poverty
What are the essentials of life? Food, water, and shelter. And to get those you have to have some kind of paying work or be enrolled in a government assistance program. But for the working poor (many of whom don't qualify for government assistance) even the basics can be too expensive. We'll explore this today (8/27) at noon on WBHM's On The Line: The Price of Poverty.
Price of Poverty: Time Banks
In times of economic instability many people turn to friends and family. But there's a new twist on that practice and it's called Time Banking. Members of time banks earn and spend "time" dollars by using their skills for other members.
Price of Poverty: Involuntary Flextime
If a job offers flextime, that's a good thing right? You can take off to make that doctor's appointment or catch your kid's soccer game. But in many low-wage jobs - particularly retail or hourly jobs - workers there face what could be called involuntary flextime. Schedules are posted only a few days in advance. Shifts may change. Work is unpredictable. That makes arranging childcare, taking classes or working a second job very difficult.
Price of Poverty: Buy-a-Meter
When you brushed your teeth this morning or took a shower, did water come out of the faucet? You probably didn't give it a second thought. For some though, even here in Alabama, water is far from a guarantee. As we continue our series The Price of Poverty, WBHM's Andrew Yeager takes us to Hale County in the black belt, a place where seeing to it that everybody has clean, reliable water has been a bit like swimming upstream.
Birmingham-Southern’s Struggles: a Student Perspective
When students return to Birmingham-Southern College next week, they'll find a school that's $10 million in debt and has a new interim president. Budget cuts also forced the elimination of 51 faculty and staff positions and five majors. What do students think?
Increasing Exports
Last year, Alabama companies exported more than 12 billion dollars of goods and services to other countries. While that number might sound impressive, it's actually a 20 percent DECREASE from 2008.
