Sections
Barons Adding to Protective Netting Behind Home Plate
The protective netting behind home plate at Regions Field will be extended before the start of the 2016 Southern League Season. The netting will now stretch to the edge of […]
This Week in Montgomery: PREP Act, Bentley’s Bond for Building New Prisons and More
This week in the Alabama Legislature, senator Del Marsh’s introduced the PREP Act. If it becomes law, Alabama teachers would be evaluated by student test scores and have to work longer before they get tenure.
Analysis Shows Great Voting Divide in Jefferson County, A Win for Ben Carson
Less than half of Jefferson County's 411,838 registered voters went to the polls on Tuesday. A total of 82,928 voted in the Democratic Primary and 93,985 voted in the Republican Primary.
A Party for Smarties with Says You! Live
Says You! returns to Birmingham for one spectacular performance — just in time for Mother's Day!
From Disco to Digital: Celebrating WBHM’s 40th Birthday
This year WBHM is turning 40 and WBHM's Junior Board invites you to a fundraiser to celebrate this child of the '70s! Come meet some of your favorite WBHM personalities and help support the station's award-winning regional journalism and entertainment programming. Tickets are just $40 each and all proceeds go to benefit the station.
Judge in Jefferson County Rules Alabama’s Death Penalty Statute Unconstitutional
In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hurst v. Florida that Florida’s death penalty statute was unconstitutional. Alabama and Delaware are the only other states with similar statutes that require a judge – not a jury – to make the final decision about life of death in a capital case. Attorney General Luther Strange has held that the Supreme Court ruling does not apply to Alabama. But today one judge in Jefferson County disagreed. Ruling that the death can’t currently be imposed in Alabama.
Issues & Ales: Crime in the Greater Birmingham Area
Join us on Thursday, March 10 for "Issues and Ales: Crime in the Greater Birmingham Area.” Local law enforcement officials and community members will discuss crime and brainstorm solutions.
Protesters Hold Memorial for Deceased Former Etowah County Detainee
The Etowah County Detention Center has been under increasing scrutiny in recent months after complaints about poor inmate health care and a detainee hunger strike. The center is used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold unlawful immigrants. Over the weekend, protesters held a memorial service for Teka Gulema, a former inmate who died shortly after being released.
Simple Investigation or Attempt to stop Speaker’s Ethics Trial?
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is conducting an internal investigation into suspected wrongdoing. Details are few but the admission comes two weeks after Governor Robert Bentley placed ALEA Secretary Spencer Collier on medical leave. At the same time, Collier signed an affidavit related to the ethics trial of House Speaker Mike Hubbard, something the governor didn't want Collier to do Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald talks about the situation and why he suspects the investigation is part of an attempt by the governor to stop the Hubbard trial.
Looking Forward to the General Election
Super Tuesday has come and gone in Alabama. What was surprising and what to expect come November? Analysis of the primary elections. And House Speaker Mike Hubbard is back in court tomorrow - Thursday, March 3. A look at what's happening in that trial taking place in Lee County.
Storms Couldn’t Keep Alabamians Away From Polls
Alabamians hit the polls yesterday for what’s been dubbed the "SEC Primary" and voter turnout was high despite severe weather.
Senator Richard Shelby Avoids Runoff, Wins Primary Bid for a Sixth Term
Alabama’s top Republican on Capitol Hill came through the primary unscathed. Senator Richard Shelby fought off four challengers to claim a win in his primary bid for a sixth term. He told supporters at an election night event in Tuscaloosa that his long tenure is a good thing.
Alabama Clinton Supporters Look to November After Super Tuesday Win
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton stormed through Alabama and much of the South on Super Tuesday, clinching victories. Clinton claimed a commanding primary victory over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders with 78 percent of the vote in the Alabama Democratic primary. Clinton was propelled by heavy support from African-American voters. Nine in 10 black Democrats supported Clinton.
Grading Teachers on Student Test Scores? Trisha Crain on “PREP Act”
Should educators be evaluated partly on student test scores? Should it take five years rather than three for teachers to get tenure? If State Senate Pro Tem Del Marsh’s “Preparing […]
Election Results
Results of Tuesday's Alabama Primary
What to Watch on Super Tuesday
The SEC Primary. Super Tuesday. Call it what you will, but today’s the day Alabamians vote for everything from local judicial races to presidential nominees. Dr. Angela Lewis, director of UAB’s political science program, tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley what’s at stake in Alabama.
Dr. Tommy Bice, State Schools Chief, Announces Retirement
Dr. Tommy Bice, Superintendent of the Alabama State Department of Education, today announced his retirement, set to go into effect at the end of this month.
US Senator Richard Shelby Spends Big in Alabama Primary
What does $5 buy you in Chilton County? All the chili you could eat, line dancing, and door prizes galore. Oh, and a chance to meet Senator Richard Shelby, who spent a recent Saturday campaigning at the Chilton County Chili Cookoff.
Alabama Democrats Trying to Get Their Groove Back
Being a Democrat in Alabama wasn’t always taboo. They held a majority in state government for more than a century. But that changed in 2010 when they lost those seats […]
Metro Birmingham’s Growth Hotspots
The Birmingham metro area has seen steady, albeit modest population growth since the great recession. However, that growth though isn’t even with some communities seeing growth rates far higher. We talk about this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Clinton, Rubio Among Presidential Hopefuls Pushing Through Birmingham
It was a politics-heavy weekend in the state as presidential candidates swept through in the days leading up to Super Tuesday. The Clintons, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and Donald Trump all held events throughout Alabama.
Clinton, Cruz and Trump to Visit Birmingham and Huntsville this Weekend
Presidential hopefuls Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Senator Marco Rubio will each make a final push campaigning in Alabama this Saturday, just days before Tuesday's SEC Primary. They will campaign separately in Birmingham. Republican front-runner Donald Trump will hold a rally in Madison on Sunday.
Bentley Signs Bill Blocking Minimum Wage Hikes, Senate Approves Lean General Fund Budget
The fourth week of the Alabama legislative session ended with a bang. Governor Robert Bentley has signed a bill blocking local governments from setting their own minimum wage. The governor signed the bill yesterday afternoon just after the Alabama Senate approved the bill 23 to 10, largely along party lines. Republican legislators supported the bill to push back against the Birmingham City Council, which voted to raise their city's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour.
Shelby County Residents to Vote on Sunday Alcohol Sales
During Tuesday’s primaries residents of Shelby County will vote on whether to allow alcohol to be sold on Sundays.
Multi-Million Dollar Contract Awarded for Phase Two of I-20/59 Project
In a deal totaling more than $208 million, the Alabama Department of Transportation has entered a contract with a California construction company that will begin Phase Two of the I-20/59 […]
Arc Stories: February 2016 Edition
Stories about growing up during the Civil Rights movement in Birmingham. A young black boy who lives in the basement of a wealthy white family’s home and then becomes a […]
In 2015, Prescription Opioid Overdoses Increased by 131 Percent
In Jefferson County, the number of people killed by prescription opioids more than doubled last year. That’s according to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner's Office 2014 annual drug report, released Wednesday.
Showdown Over Birmingham’s Minimum Wage
The Birmingham City Council and the state legislature are in a showdown over the minimum wage. The Birmingham City Council passed an ordinance on Tuesday to raise the city's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and make it effective Wednesday. It was an attempt to get ahead of a bill in the legislature which would prevent local governments from setting their own minimum wages. That bill has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate Thursday. We talk about the situation with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald. He also remembers To Kill a Mocking Bird author Harper Lee, who died last week at age 89.
Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South: Student Incentives in Alabama
Given thousands of related job openings but only hundreds of computer science college graduates, Alabama is trying to ramp up its computer science education. That includes a new policy allowing those classes to count toward core math graduation requirements. WBHM's Dan Carsen concludes the Southern Education Desk series "Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South" with a visit to a Birmingham-area class that's leading the way.
A Look Ahead to the “SEC Primary”
The SEC Primary, also known as Super Tuesday is next week. A look ahead at what we can expect to see when Alabamians go to the polls, and an update on the ethics trial of House Speaker Mike Hubbard. State Legislators are now getting involved. Hear the latest from Kyle Whitmire the state political columnist for The Birmingham News and AL dot com.
Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South: Coding as a Foreign Language Credit
Computer coders have found a champion in Florida Senator Jeremy Ring. Ring, a former Yahoo! executive who helped build the company, believes coding and technology is an art, rather than a science. He wants to attract more students to STEM studies. As part of the Southern Education Desk series, Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South, Lynn Hatter of WFSU reports on Ring’s proposal to allow Florida students to choose coding in order to fulfill a foreign language requirement for college.
The mental_floss Trivia Show benefiting WBHM, Feb. 25
This is not your typical pub trivia night. The mental_floss Trivia Show, hosted by mental_floss co-founder Will Pearson, along with special guests, Reed and Will Lochamy, is a fast-paced audience-engaging […]
