Series
Governor Bentley Vetoes Budget, Pledges to Bring Legislators Back for Special Session
Alabama’s 2015 Legislative session ended last night with Governor Robert Bentley vetoing an austere General Fund Budget that cut $200 million from state agencies. That means lawmakers will be back later this summer for a special session.
UAB Program Expands Access to Heroin Overdose Drug
Police and public health leaders in Alabama are trying to deal with a spike in heroin use in recent years. Naloxone -- or narcan -- is a drug that, when administered correctly, can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. A bill passed the Alabama Legislature this week that would allow first responders to give narcan to someone dying from an overdose. But some don't think the bill goes far enough. UAB researchers are working on a crowd-funded study that puts narcan directly in the hands of users' and family and friends.
John Archibald on UAB Football’s Return
UAB backers don't have a specific date or a timeline, but they can still revel in Monday's announcement that UAB President Ray Watts would reinstate the football, bowling and rifle teams. It represents the work of fans, boosters, donors and many others who refuse to accept the decision in December to shutter the teams. While this turn of events makes for a great story, it also brings on a new set of questions. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald comments on some of them.
The Decline of Bank Branches
Banking, like many industries, has seen technology-driven disruption. The latest victim of change is the neighborhood bank branch. With people writing fewer checks and many bank services available through a smart phone, demand for a brick-and-mortar building is dropping. We talk about that in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Bentley Calls Tutwiler Settlement ‘Positive Step’ For State
Governor Robert Bentley is praising a settlement between the state and the U.S. Justice Department over conditions at Alabama's only prison for women. Bentley says the agreement announced Thursday is a "positive step forward" for the corrections agency.
Special Session Likely For Alabama Legislature
With the clock winding down on the 2015 legislative session, Alabama legislators have still not solved the state’s largest problem: a general fund budget shortfall of more than $250 million. While some new revenue measures passed this week, it’s not nearly enough to fill the gap.
Is Birmingham Headed For A Parking Crisis?
There's an attitude in Birmingham that you don't have to pay parking tickets. Is the current system of street side parking sustainable or is Birmingham headed for a parking crisis? For more we talk Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD.
Arc Stories: May 2015 Edition
Stories about love, about loss, and the lengths to which both will make us go. A little boy finally gets his wish; and a young woman does her best to […]
UAB Needs Ray Watts and Football
UAB President Ray Watts should announce by Monday whether the university will revive its football, bowling and rifle teams after shutting them down in December. Football backers have aimed a lot of anger at Watts with some calling for him to go. A few voices have said this was the correct, albeit painful move for an institution of higher learning. But one prominent alumnus says UAB needs both Watts and football. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald talks about that and case of business incentives he says shows bad citizenship on the part of an Alabama bank.
Kyle Whitmire Discusses UAB Football Future And The Legislative Session
The much anticipated College Sports Solutions’ report on University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) athletics is now public and the findings are somewhat ambiguous. In essence, it says UAB can […]
Community Involvement in a Possible Return of UAB Football
UAB President Ray Watts is expected announce by June first whether to bring back the university’s football, bowling and rifle programs. It’s a decision that many students and alumni have an interest in. The business community is watching too. We talk about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Deadline To Introduce New Revenue Measures Approaching
Time is running out for the Alabama Legislature to address the more than $250 million General Fund budget shortfall during the regular session. Next Tuesday is the last day to introduce revenue raising measures that could pass this session.
Awaiting a Decision on UAB Football
UAB football backers are examining a report released this week that details the viability of bringing back the university’s football, bowling and rifle programs. University President Ray Watts ended those teams in December citing finances. That sparked a huge uproar among students, alumni and some community members. But Watts he says he’ll announce by June 1st if he’ll reinstate those teams. We talk about the report and what’s to come with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
UAB and the Alabama System Board of Trustees
UAB football boosters are waiting on a June first deadline to hear whether school leaders will reinstate its football program. But university president Ray Watts’ decision to cut the football, rifle and bowling programs in December sparked a larger conversation about whether the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees exerts too much influence over the Birmingham campus. It may be an education matter, but the business community is weighing in too. We talk about it in this week's Magic City Marketplace with Cindy Fisher Crawford. We'll also hear about a wave of hotel development in Birmingham's city center.
Legislative Committees Say “Yes” To Gambling And “No” To Taxes
With less than a month left in the legislative session, there’s still no consensus on how to fix the state’s more than $250 million dollar General Fund budget shortfall. And while the debate’s still active, the House Ways and Means committee did approve a budget with deep cuts this week.
What Alabamians Think About The Free Range Parenting Debate
In a scene from the film adaptation from of Harper Lee’s "To Kill a Mocking Bird," Scout, Jim and Dill walk unaccompanied through town. Adults they pass just smile and nod. Now take into account these kids are ten, six and seven-years-old. Back then, that didn’t seem out of the ordinary. But recently, there’s been a rise in the number of parents getting in trouble with authorities for letting their kids walk or play alone outside. Nick Patterson is the editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, and he wrote about free range parenting in this week’s edition. Patterson tells WBHM’s Rachel Lindley about this new—and old—parental philosophy.
Lying Politicians and our Threatened State History
Politicians are generally not known for their honesty. You can call it stretching the truth or spin. But sometimes elected leaders are caught in a lie plain and simple. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald says that’s what’s happening right now in Montgomery as state leaders search for ways to close a more than $280 million gap in the General Fund Budget. He also says that shortfall also threatens how we preserve our state history.
Family Values? Politicians On Maternity and Paternity Benefits For Alabama Patents
Sunday was Mother's Day and the love was flowing around the state and the nation, but there's not so much love for mothers and fathers when it comes to paternity and maternity benefits for Alabama parents. Despite all of our talk about family values, Alabama Media Group political columnist says the United States has family leave laws that are antiquated by even the healthcare standards of third world countries, and Alabama has an infant mortality rate worse than Ukraine. Whitmire discusses the landscape of political morality versus taking action with WBHM's Chris Osborne.
Bilingual Ed in the South: Enormous Economic Consequences
Students who don’t speak English as their first language – or “language minorities” – rank toward the bottom in almost every measure of academic achievement. Moral and legal concerns aside, […]
Alabama Prison Bill Gets Final Approval & More From This Week At The Capitol
Alabama lawmakers gave sweeping changes to Alabama’s prison system final approval this week. The legislature hopes these sentencing and probation reforms will alleviate some of the overcrowded prison system’s worst problems. For more on this, and the rest of the week’s news from Montgomery, we turn to Don Dailey. He’s the host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television, and he joins WBHM each Friday during the legislative session.
Do Birmingham and Alabama’s Rankings On Listicles Matter?
You probably see a new one each time you go online. A "listicle" -- that's the name for the article-list hybrid shared so often on social media. The methodology of listicles can vary dramatically depending on who's making the list. As Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, tells WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley, these rankings can change the way people see the place they live.
Conservative Alabama Lawmakers Talk Gambling and Taxes
Alabama is a conservative state where political and religious rhetoric will sometimes mix in the halls of the statehouse. As a result, vices, such as gambling, don't usually get favorable treatment in public policy. But the more than $280 million dollar shortfall in Alabama's General Fund budget has lawmakers uttering the words casino, lottery, and even taxes. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald talks about the political turnabout and a bill that would give Jefferson County lawmakers millions of dollars to dole out at their own discretion.
Bilingual Ed in the South: The Hurdles
Students who don’t speak English as their first language, or “language minorities,” are some of the most socially and economically disadvantaged in our nation and in the South. So far […]
Bilingual Ed in the South: Another School Across the Border (in GA)
As public schools become more linguistically diverse, some see bilingual or “dual-language” programs as a way to improve education for all – English speakers too. Yesterday we checked out an […]
Bilingual Ed in the South: It’s Happening, Even at This School
The number of Latinos in America’s schools is rising faster than any other group’s. And their share of the school population is rising fastest in the South. Many don’t speak […]
A Good Economic Year for Birmingham but with a Caveat
The end of the school year is coming quickly and those final report cards will be here soon. Birmingham received an economic report card of sorts last week from the Birmingham Business Alliance. It’s where we start this week’s Magic City Marketplace. Birmingham Business Journal editor Cindy Fisher Crawford tells WBHM’s Andrew Yeager about the report from the BBA. It shows the metro area’s economy did better in 2014 than the year before.
Alabama Lawmaker Says He Could Introduce Gambling Bill As Soon As Next Week
Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh says he might introduce legislation allowing casinos and a state lottery as soon as next week. It’s the latest move by Republicans to cover the states $250 million dollar General Fund budget deficit. We’ll hear more on this from Don Dailey. He’s the host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television, and he joins WBHM on Fridays to recap the week at the statehouse.
Why I Support WBHM: Chad and Allison Kahl
Chad and Allison Kahl are both WBHM members. Chad's in the Air Force. He's a flight surgeon attached to the 99th Air Refueling Squadron out of Birmingham. During Chad's most recent deployment, the Kahls say WBHM helped keep them connected.
A Prosecutorial Team Back Together
If you're a powerful politician such as a president, senator or governor, you can sometimes get the rock star treatment. But if you're a former federal prosecutor, probably not. It a move though by a federal former federal prosecutor that has Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald celebrating as if the Beatles reunited. He talks about that and a To Kill a Mocking Feud in Monroeville.
Small Alabama Banks Move to Birmingham
Birmingham has seen some big names in banking from Wells Fargo to PNC to come into the city in the last decade. But it’s also attracting small banks from around Alabama who hope to gain a foothold in the city. We hear about that, changes to Medicare and a bike sharing program comes to Birmingham in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Governor and Lawmakers Still Split over Budget Crisis
This week, Governor Robert Bentley defended his agency heads from accusations they’re using scare tactics in describing the effects of possible budget cuts to the state’s general fund. To fill us in on this and other activity in Montgomery this week is Don Dailey. He’s the host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
A Republican Reversal on Ethics Oversight and Birmingham Festivals find they now owe the City
Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard faces trial on ethics charges this fall. The Republican representative is accused of using his political office for personal gain. Hubbard's defenders contend his prosecution is politically motivated. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald says that refrain is familiar. Democrats used to say the same thing when they faced corruption scandals. He talks about this and how Birmingham festivals will now have to pay for city services that used to be provided for free.
