Series
Kyle Whitmire: What JeffCo Sewer Rate Hike Really Means
The County Commission wants to raise sewer rates even more than originally planned to help Jefferson County exit bankruptcy. Some argue this is what’s needed to help Jefferson County while others say it unfairly places a burden on the county's people. Kyle Whitmire takes a closer look at what the hike in rates really means.
Susan Werner: A Musician With Big Ideas on Farm to Table Food
Folk singer-songwriter Susan Werner knows food. She grew up on a family farm in Iowa. She has strong opinions about what we should eat and where that food should come from. So she says it was a no brainer when she was commissioned to write a concept album about farming. Werner brings that music to Birmingham tomorrow night.
John Archibald: A Sideshow over Power Rates
Government public hearings can sometimes be dry, perfunctory matters few people pay attention to. That not the case with a Wednesday hearing by Alabama's Public Service Commission. The panel is reviewing the rate structure that determines what Alabama Power charges its customers. AL.com and Birmingham News columnist John Archibald explains how contentious the process has becomes.
Kyle Whitmire: The Real Powers of an Elected Local Official
Local elections are taking place next month. Candidates are getting their platforms ready and thinking about what they want to accomplish while in office. But before they start making promises to voters, they may want to take a closer look at what power they actually have when elected. Kyle Whitmire with Al.com and The Birmingham News says, local officials are often surprised by what they can and cannot do once they get into office.
John Archibald: Coal Mine Hardball and Jackpot Justice
When you turn on the tap, you probably don't give much thought to where the water comes from. For some Birmingham residents it comes from the Black Warrior River. AL.com and The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald offers an update on a planned controversial mine along the river. He also talks about "jackpot justice" in the BP oil spill claims process.
Kyle Whitmire: A Closer Look at Board of Education Meetings
Kyle Whitmire with AL.com and The Birmingham News attended this week's Board of Education meeting. Tensions at the meeting were high between state intervention team officials and elected board members. Kyle explains why the state intervention team is there in the first place as well as what needs to be accomplished before it can leave.
John Archibald: A Wave of Murders in Birmingham
Birmingham has seen a violent crime drop in recent years, but a rash of homicides has police and city leaders scrambling to respond. It's a subject that's easy to gloss over if you live in a safe neighborhood or aren't directly affected. But AL.com and Birmingham News columnist John Archibald says it's something that should prompt outrage.
Kyle Whitmire: Tension grows in City Council
Kyle Whitmire with AL.com and The Birmingham News takes a look at the growing tensions in Birmingham's City Council, the surprising announcement of Edward Maddox's run for City Council, and thoughts on Jefferson County's bankruptcy exit plan.
Supreme Court rules on Voting Rights Act and Same-Sex Marriage
Republican leaders in Alabama are hailing this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning a portion of the Voting Rights Act. Democrats say it guts the historic civil rights legislation. AL.com and The Birmingham News' John Archibald says that's the wrong reaction. He also talks about the court turning back the Defense of Marriage Act
Kyle Whitmire: Reactions to this week’s Supreme Court rulings
In a 5 to 4 vote the US Supreme Court struck down section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Some see the ruling as a setback for voting rights others say it's progress for southern states. The Supreme Court also ruled the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. Kyle Whitmire with AL.com and The Birmingham News weighs in on what these rulings mean for Alabama.
Kyle Whitmire: What makes a failing school?
This week 78 schools were listed as failing in Alabama. Birmingham had the most schools listed than any other place in the state. We talk with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News on what this means for Birmingham schools.
Kyle Whitmire: Privacy Perceptions and Pondering Good News
Privacy concerns are news with the NSA and PRISM stories, Alabama makes news with roadblocks to gain samples from drivers. And good news about Birmingham? We talk with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
John Archibald: Evaluating the Jefferson County’s Bankruptcy Deal
The latest chapter in the saga of Jefferson County's troubled finances appears to be on the way to a resolution. County commissioners approved a tentative deal Tuesday to end the county's $4.2 billion dollar bankruptcy, with an official plan to be filed by the end of the month. We talk about the agreement with The Birmingham News and AL.com's John Archibald.
John Archibald: A Political Payoff on the JeffCo Commission?
An "I'll rub your back, you rub mine" attitude may be the grease that sometimes keeps the political process going, but it can create more squeaks. The hint of such a deal between Jefferson County Commission President David Carrington and Commissioner George Bowman is raising eyebrows. We talk about the situation with AL.com and The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald.
Kyle Whitmire: JeffCo Commissioners Deny Deal
A proposal to increase by more than $43,000 the office budget for Commissioner George Bowman has some county commissioners concerned. That proposal comes two weeks after Bowman provided a tie breaking vote for Carol Sue Nelson, the new county attorney. We talk politics with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Montgomery and Life are like High School
In his column this week, the Birmingham News' John Archibald writes that the just concluded legislative session was a bit like high school. Also, we discuss the new intermodal transit hub for downtown building, to be constructed on the site of one built just 14 years ago.
Kyle Whitmire: No Traction for Jefferson County Bills
The Alabama legislative session that wrapped up Monday saw heated debate on issues such as education and guns. But something we didn't hear much about this year is Jefferson County. The last few sessions Jefferson County issues made waves in the legislature. But this year most local bills quietly died. We talk a look with AL.com and The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Kyle Whitmire: Delay for Alabama Accountability Act?
Gov. Robert Bentley wants a two-year delay before implementing the Alabama Accountability Act, and the Alabama Democratic Party is broke. We talk politics with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Capitol Journal Update
There is now just one meeting day left in this year's Alabama legislative session. So lawmakers spent the week advancing key bills while there's still time. Alabama Public Television's Don Dailey updates us about changes to the Alabama Accountability Act, the education budget, an overhaul for Medicaid and a victory for homebrewers.
John Archibald
In his column this week, John Archibald of the Birmingham News and AL.COM writes that the Jefferson County Courthouse has more drama than CSI, but that the best drama is not in the courtroom but in County Commission Chambers.
Kyle Whitmire: How was the Collapsed Airport Display Designed?
There remain many questions about what caused a flight information display at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to tip over earlier this spring, killing a 10-year-old boy. But we are getting a clearer picture of the design of the display. Also, Bessemer police shut down a popular blues juke joint. We talk about it with AL.com and The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
John Archibald: Unrest at the Jefferson County Commission
There's a lot of unrest in the Jefferson County Commission these days. The commission forced out its top attorney, then convinced a state Supreme Court justice to take the job. But then, he promptly withdraws.
Kyle Whitmire: Jefferson County Top Attorney Job Reopens
Jefferson County has put the "Help Wanted" sign up again for the top legal job in the county. The Water Works Board is wrestling with the future. We talk about those topics and more with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
John Archibald: Why Jeffco Is Paying Attorney $393K To Do Nothing
Jefferson County spends many millions of dollars a year on legal fees. From the $4.2 billion bankruptcy case to challenges to the county’s occupational tax, Jeffco pays a lot for the lawyers is employs. But this week it put the top in-house attorney on paid leave.
Remembering Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert has joined his friend Gene Siskel in the balcony in the sky, and according to WBHM blogger Billy Ray Brewton film criticism has died along with him.
Old Questions about Airport Death and New Questions about Auburn Football
It's been almost two weeks since a flight information display tipped over at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport, killing a boy and injuring his family members. There are still many unanswered questions about the incident and new questions about possible NCAA violations in Auburn University's football program.
Kyle Whitmire: Still no answers from Birmingham’s Airport
It's been almost two weeks since a flight information display at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport tipped over killing a 10-year-old boy and injuring his mother and two of his brothers. There's still key information about the incident which hasn't been released. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire explains what we know and what we don't know.
John Archibald: Still Too Many Questions About Airport Tragedy
It's been nearly a week since a large airport sign fell on a Kansas family traveling through Birmingham, killing a ten year old boy and injuring his mother and brothers. Since the accident there have been a lot of questions about why it happened, who is responsible and how authorities are responding.
Kyle Whitmire: Questions for Birmingham’s Airport
There are many questions for airport officials, contractors and city officials following the death of a 10-year-old boy at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. A flight information display weighing at least 300 pounds fell over Friday, killing the boy and injuring his mother and two of his brothers. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire talks about why the display wasn't inspected and who is to blame.
John Archibald: Railroad Park Shooting and the Birmingham Barons
It's been a bloody week in the Birmingham metro area with five violent deaths yesterday and the fatal shooting of a teenager at a popular downtown park.
Kyle Whitmire: Railroad Park Shooting
For those living in urban areas, it's sometimes possible to become callous or indifferent to the steady drip of crime. While murders in Birmingham are low by historic standards, a shooting this past Sunday in Railroad Park left a 15-year-old boy dead. That's bringing new attention to the issue. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire talk about the community response.
John Archibald: Education Reforms, Gridlock and what of Atticus Finch?
Education was a leading topic in the courtroom and the statehouse. The Common Core seems to still be the curriculum path of choice in Alabama, despite a major effort to overturn it. Meanwhile, the Alabama Supreme Court has lifted a temporary restraining order that now paves the way for a controversial school choice bill to be signed into law by Governor Robert Bentley. John Archibald and Scott Hanley discuss how leaders came to make changes and also choose to not make a change. Is there room for reason, diplomacy, detail and unwavering decency?
