Issues/Program Report 1st Quarter 2025
April 1, 2025
Per the FCC, this is a list of the most frequently cited issues of concern to the people in the WBHM listening area during the last quarter. The list details the most significant programs addressing these issues. All of these programs were published at WBHM.ORG and broadcast on WBHM 90.3 FM between January 1, 2025 and March 31, 2025. The list includes the following issues:
Government
2025-03-27 10:31:31In cities across Alabama, voters have been inviting their elected representatives to town halls. They hope to air their grievances and pose their questions about federal funding and staff cuts.
2025-03-22 06:31:15State officials have ordered tighter monitoring of methane gas above coal mines in the state after a slap on the wrist from federal officials. Will it be enough to mitigate the risks?
2025-03-21 08:50:27Many lawmakers like tax cuts and evidence of that came this week when a package of $192 million in tax cuts flew through the Alabama House. We take a look at what's in that package, alongside other action in Montgomery this week, with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television.
2025-03-20 20:24:29The Republican dominated House of Representatives voted 94-2 to pass legislation that would offer up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave after the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child. The legislation now goes to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey.
2025-03-19 19:32:15The devices convert semi-automatic guns to fire like a fully automatic weapon. A bipartisan coalition pushed the Alabama legislation after several mass shootings last year, including the deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September.
2025-03-19 05:51:04A bipartisan coalition pushed the Alabama legislation after several multiple mass shootings last year, including the shooting deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September. The devices are already banned under federal law, but there’s currently no state law that bans them.
2025-03-18 19:00:00With the life-saving Weather Service in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump and chainsaw-wielding billionaire Elon Musk, weather forecasters like James Spann are speaking out to defend the agency that provides the backbone for their work.
2025-03-14 11:35:08Robin "Rocky" Myers has been on Alabama’s death row for more than 30 years. Then, on February 28, he became the first Alabamian this century to have his death sentence commuted.
2025-03-11 15:48:41The Hanceville City Council voted Monday night to suspend its police department until a new police chief can be hired. That chief will be tasked with building a new police department from the ground up.
2025-03-11 05:00:00Both states are part of just a dozen that do not offer the benefit. Proponents across the political aisle are likely to change that.
2025-03-10 16:10:07Brandy Lee was in the middle of her work day with the Birmingham VA Medical Center in February when she got a memo from the federal Office of Personnel Management. After four months in her dream job, she was fired along with thousands of other federal employees across the country.
2025-03-07 11:42:56Immigration is one of the major issues of the moment at the national level. Alabama lawmakers are not far behind by taking up several bills intended to fight illegal immigration. We hear about some of those measures plus other action this week in Montgomery from Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
2025-03-05 14:05:57Some Alabama lawmakers want to ban drag performances in public libraries and schools. But opponents fear the bill might have broader implications when it comes to self-expression and First Amendment rights.
2025-03-01 08:47:24Myers will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole instead of being executed later this year. Ivey noted that was the sentence jurors recommended at his 1994 trial.
2025-02-28 12:27:21Hanceville residents filled the city council chambers, lined the walls and spilled into the hallway Thursday night at the council’s first meeting since a grand jury called for the city to abolish its police department.
2025-02-28 11:00:14Smartphones are ubiquitous in today's world including in schools. But a bill in the Alabama legislature would ban phones during the school day. We hear about that and other legislative action this week with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television.
2025-02-27 12:51:20A recent bill in Alabama’s legislature would establish new legal protections for police officers who use physical or deadly force on a person while in the line of duty. Bill supporters say it will improve police safety, recruitment and retention. But critics worry it would give police officers immunity from criminal prosecution.
2025-02-27 10:52:16Faith activism against the state's plan to resume executions adds to a history of religious engagement with social questions in the South.
2025-02-26 09:53:33Advocates gathered at the Alabama Statehouse Tuesday urging lawmakers to reconsider their long-held reluctance to expand Medicaid, saying the decision is hurting both working families and health care providers. But the push comes at a time there is gathering uncertainty about possible cuts and changes in Washington to Medicaid.
2025-02-25 16:06:51The 1,600 jobs Space Command would bring to the Rocket City might not make up for potential cuts to NASA and the Department of Defense.
2025-02-22 14:02:59He cited his investments in infrastructure, including redevelopments of blighted structures and street paving. He also didn’t shy away from what many consider to be Birmingham’s biggest issue: public safety.
2025-02-21 09:53:38Social media is under fire nowadays, especially when it comes to use by children. Several bills in the Alabama Legislature would restrict how kids could use social media. We hear more about that and other happenings in Montgomery from Todd Stacy, host of Capitol Journal on Alabama Public Television.
2025-02-21 08:28:01Anxiety has reigned at some schools, churches and hospitals after moves by the Trump administration rolled back protections that had previously shielded them from visits from U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The moves have sparked conversations, including some worry and public pushback, in the South.
2025-02-19 17:40:07The indictment from the grand jury alleges that five officers including the police chief of the Hanceville Police Department tampered with physical evidence, sold and distributed illegal drugs and used an official position for personal gain.
2025-02-17 17:49:00A crowd of people carried homemade signs and American flags as they marched toward Birmingham City Hall through Linn Park on Monday afternoon. They chanted slogans, voicing opposition to various actions taken by the Trump administration.
2025-02-14 09:43:48Gov. Kay Ivey has said public safety would be her top priority this legislative session. Ivey put that into action this week as she and several mayors from around the state took to the Capitol to promote what's been called the "Safe Alabama" package of bills. We talk about that and other happenings in Montgomery with week with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television.
2025-02-13 17:33:42Birmingham has become one of the country’s leading hubs for biomedical research. Banners downtown brag about the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s status in the top 1% of institutions for NIH funding, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars into the region.
2025-02-13 08:29:44Conversion devices that speed the firing of semi-automatic weapons are already banned under federal law, but there's currently no state law prohibiting possession.
2025-02-12 12:20:33The state House of Representatives voted 77-12 for the bill that defines sex based on reproductive organs that are present at birth. The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey who has vowed to sign it.
2025-02-12 09:21:20The Alabama House of Representatives voted 86-5 for the bill that would allow prosecutors to pursue the death penalty when an adult is convicted of rape or sodomy of a child under 12. The legislation now moves to the Alabama Senate.
2025-02-08 05:00:00Alabama and a small but growing number of other GOP-led states are pushing to enact more laws this year to legally define the two sexes based on observations of genitals at birth. Many trans advocates say the bills feel like an attempt to erase trans existence or a attempt to capitalize on prejudice for political gain.
2025-02-07 11:31:58Republicans hit the ground running as the Alabama legislative session started this week. Among their top priorities is a package of immigration bills, which advanced out of committee and onto the Senate. We talk about that and other action this week with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television.
2025-02-06 20:33:59Demetrius Frazier was pronounced dead at a south Alabama prison Thursday evening for his murder conviction in the 1991 rape and killing of Pauline Brown. It was the first execution in Alabama this year.
2025-02-06 08:58:13Demetrius Terrence Frazier was convicted of the 1991 murder of 41-year-old Pauline Brown. Prosecutors said Frazier raped and shot her after breaking into her Birmingham apartment. If carried out, Frazier's execution will be the third in the United States in 2025 and the first in Alabama this year.
2025-02-05 07:39:50The proposals come in the wake of mass shootings that rattled Alabama cities, including the shooting deaths of four people outside a Birmingham nightclub in September.
2025-02-04 08:45:55After a violent year marked by multiple mass shootings in Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and many lawmakers from both parties are backing a proposed ban on so-called Glock switches and other conversion devices that make semi-automatic weapons fire like machine guns.
2025-02-03 05:00:00The 2025 legislative session in Alabama kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 4 with plenty on the agenda. Education, public safety, and of course the budgets are expected to come up. We get a preview of what's ahead with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television.
2025-01-31 15:43:34The Steel City Men's Chorus, formed in 2013, is the only queer identified chorus of its kind in Alabama.
2025-01-29 09:08:17The state of Alabama urged a federal judge Tuesday to allow the nation's fourth execution with nitrogen gas to proceed next week, but a doctor who witnessed an earlier execution by the new method told the judge the inmate appeared to be in distress and awake minutes longer than officials predicted.
2025-01-28 15:42:37“Fundamentally, to me, it's about survival,” says Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop, Birmingham’s new chief resilience and sustainability officer about fighting climate change.
2025-01-27 10:41:24Alabama is struggling to keep foster care caseworkers on the job. The state reports a turnover rate of 50%in 2024. Why does the state have such a high turnover rate and what is being done to fix this?
2025-01-23 12:35:59Damien McDaniel is accused of killing 11 people between July and September of last year in Birmingham — which would account for over 7% of all homicides in the city in 2024.
2025-01-23 09:53:33Mapmakers and teachers are re-thinking what to call the gulf of water between Mexico, the United States and Cuba after President Donald Trump ordered it renamed from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. There's no agreed-upon scheme to name boundaries and features shared by countries. And map lines are inherently political.
2025-01-21 14:54:14Watch a replay of the Gulf States Newsroom's virtual listening session discussing its coverage of Alabama's 2nd Congressional District during the 2024 election.
2025-01-21 13:29:57Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin really likes music. That’s one of the throughlines in his new memoir Son of Birmingham which is out January 21. In it he touches on his time in office, the influence of his older brother who died at the hands of gun violence, and of course, his favorite tracks.
2025-01-20 07:38:25The Alabama Supreme Court issued an administrative order that requires Alabama judges to have written procedures excusing breastfeeding mothers from jury duty. Previously, state code did not specifically make exemptions for nursing mothers.
2025-01-15 16:24:07Demetrius Terrence Frazier is scheduled to be executed Feb. 6. His attorneys in a Wednesday court filing asked a judge to block the execution unless the state makes changes to the protocol.
2025-01-09 12:01:07Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 37 Alabaman counties Thursday, including the Birmingham metro area, ahead of a weekend winter storm. Forecasters expect icy weather to sweep through the region from Thursday night through Friday night.
2025-01-07 09:10:49Woodfin was widely expected to make another run following electoral victories in 2017 and 2021. This year’s contest will take place August 26.
2025-01-07 08:28:00Following a record breaking year of homicides in Birmingham, a city commission submitted a report on potential solutions for the crisis to the mayor’s office on Monday. The report lays out strategies for how the city can reduce its homicide rate, particularly those stemming from gun violence.
2025-01-03 12:12:47Birmingham’s new trash, recycling and bulk waste collection schedule kicks off on Monday, January 6. Residents can expect regular trash pickup on one specific day each week and recycling collection on the same day every other week.
Economy
2025-03-19 07:00:00State leaders have lauded the beginning of two new projects, but some industry experts said they come with big power demands and few permanent jobs.
2025-02-25 16:06:51The 1,600 jobs Space Command would bring to the Rocket City might not make up for potential cuts to NASA and the Department of Defense.
2025-02-13 17:33:42Birmingham has become one of the country’s leading hubs for biomedical research. Banners downtown brag about the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s status in the top 1% of institutions for NIH funding, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars into the region.
2025-02-11 07:00:00The Super Bowl is in town, and so far, fears that visitors would avoid the big game because of January’s attack on Bourbon Street have not rang true.
Health Care
2025-03-18 10:48:25In Alabama, emergency departments were overrun during the Covid-19 pandemic – the state had one of the highest rates of hospitalizations in the country. Children’s of Alabama ER doc David Bernard remembers “the first time we started to feel that maybe we wouldn't die.”
2025-02-26 09:53:33Advocates gathered at the Alabama Statehouse Tuesday urging lawmakers to reconsider their long-held reluctance to expand Medicaid, saying the decision is hurting both working families and health care providers. But the push comes at a time there is gathering uncertainty about possible cuts and changes in Washington to Medicaid.
2025-02-20 07:00:00Trevor Malosh’s heart surgery was finally on the books after months of negotiations with his insurance company and the hospital. Then, another setback happened.
2025-02-13 17:33:42Birmingham has become one of the country’s leading hubs for biomedical research. Banners downtown brag about the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s status in the top 1% of institutions for NIH funding, bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars into the region.
2025-01-27 08:53:43An Alabama woman passed a major milestone Saturday to become the longest living recipient of a pig organ transplant – healthy and full of energy with her new kidney for 61 days and counting.
2025-01-09 17:17:53While some see telemedicine as a useful tool to help provide care to sexual assault survivors, others believe it's not enough to solve the nursing shortage.
2025-01-09 06:00:00Officials and health experts are working to make sure those affected by the Bourbon Street attack have access to the medical and financial resources they need.
Education
2025-03-05 14:05:57Some Alabama lawmakers want to ban drag performances in public libraries and schools. But opponents fear the bill might have broader implications when it comes to self-expression and First Amendment rights.
2025-01-14 15:35:59The complaint asserts the new law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators’ speech and classroom lessons.
Science and Technology
2025-01-27 08:53:43An Alabama woman passed a major milestone Saturday to become the longest living recipient of a pig organ transplant – healthy and full of energy with her new kidney for 61 days and counting.
Arts and Culture
2025-03-27 05:00:00The Birmingham-based pair count numerous musical influences – from jazz to Celtic, Appalachian to eastern music.
2025-03-20 05:00:00The Muscle Shoals area has given life to some of music’s most enduring hits, producing a sound that musicians far and wide have sought for decades. Part soul, gospel, country and rock, it’s something that transcends any one genre, ultimately getting chalked up to the “Muscle Shoals Sound.”
2025-03-09 14:58:55Selma on Sunday marked the 60th anniversary of the clash that became known as Bloody Sunday. The attack shocked the nation and galvanized support for the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965. The annual commemoration paid homage to those who fought to secure voting rights for Black Americans and brought calls to recommit to the fight for equality.
2025-02-27 11:07:44S-Town took the world by storm when it was released in 2017. Downloaded more than 100 million times, it’s become one of the most popular podcasts ever released.
2025-02-13 11:52:16It’s the season of love and we asked attendees at WBHM’s most recent News and Brews community pop-up event to tell us their stories of love or lack thereof.
2025-02-13 09:49:18The city is requiring more police officers at parades this year, putting higher costs on smaller, independent krewes vital to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras heritage.
2025-01-31 15:43:34The Steel City Men's Chorus, formed in 2013, is the only queer identified chorus of its kind in Alabama.
2025-01-30 05:00:00Incarcerated men in the Alabama prison system risked their safety to feed shocking footage of their horrifying living conditions to a pair of documentary filmmakers. The result is “The Alabama Solution,” which premiered this week at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Environment
2025-03-22 06:31:15State officials have ordered tighter monitoring of methane gas above coal mines in the state after a slap on the wrist from federal officials. Will it be enough to mitigate the risks?
2025-03-11 11:00:39A prescribed burn is harming air quality. Here's what Jefferson and Shelby County residents should do to protect their health.
2025-02-25 09:55:18The rule, finalized last year, would also protect taxpayers from shouldering the cost. The states suing, however,, say it will crush independent oil companies.
2025-01-29 07:00:00As the region grapples with poor sanitation, groups like the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program are taking it upon themselves to address the issue.
2025-01-28 15:42:37“Fundamentally, to me, it's about survival,” says Sherry-Lea Bloodworth Botop, Birmingham’s new chief resilience and sustainability officer about fighting climate change.
Religion
Crime
2025-03-21 09:32:42Alabama, like all states, has a program to compensate victims of violence. But very few survivors take advantage of such programs
2025-03-19 00:25:36With Hoffman’s execution, Louisiana joins Alabama as the only other state in the U.S. to use the controversial gas method on a person condemned to death.
2025-03-17 09:48:27Hoffman’s execution is set for Tuesday after the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a federal judge’s decision to block it earlier this month.
2025-02-27 12:51:20A recent bill in Alabama’s legislature would establish new legal protections for police officers who use physical or deadly force on a person while in the line of duty. Bill supporters say it will improve police safety, recruitment and retention. But critics worry it would give police officers immunity from criminal prosecution.
2025-02-27 10:52:16Faith activism against the state's plan to resume executions adds to a history of religious engagement with social questions in the South.
2025-02-21 08:28:01Anxiety has reigned at some schools, churches and hospitals after moves by the Trump administration rolled back protections that had previously shielded them from visits from U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The moves have sparked conversations, including some worry and public pushback, in the South.
2025-02-14 09:34:12The former New Orleans Saints player's family called on others, including the NFL, to advocate for Foster — who died while in police custody in Alabama.
2025-02-07 09:09:34U.S. veterans are worried that two deadly incidents involving current and former service members could increase stigma, or paint veterans as somehow damaged.
2025-01-09 17:17:53While some see telemedicine as a useful tool to help provide care to sexual assault survivors, others believe it's not enough to solve the nursing shortage.
2025-01-09 06:00:00Officials and health experts are working to make sure those affected by the Bourbon Street attack have access to the medical and financial resources they need.
2025-01-07 08:28:00Following a record breaking year of homicides in Birmingham, a city commission submitted a report on potential solutions for the crisis to the mayor’s office on Monday. The report lays out strategies for how the city can reduce its homicide rate, particularly those stemming from gun violence.
Race and Culture
Weather
2025-03-17 15:29:40The three-day outbreak of severe weather across seven states, including Alabama, kicked up a devastating combination of wildfires, dust storms and tornadoes, claiming at least 42 lives since Friday.
2025-03-16 17:30:08The deaths came in Dallas and Talladega counties.
2025-01-10 11:20:17Snow fell across the Birmingham area early Friday morning, making roadways dangerous, with officials urging residents to avoid travel if possible. Many schools closed in advance of the winter weather giving children the chance to revel in the snow.
2025-01-09 12:01:07Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency for 37 Alabaman counties Thursday, including the Birmingham metro area, ahead of a weekend winter storm. Forecasters expect icy weather to sweep through the region from Thursday night through Friday night.
Sports
2025-03-30 20:56:13The South Region champion Tigers, the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston.
2025-03-30 11:43:02Duke handcuffed Alabama's All-American, Mark Sears, and did a pretty good job stifling the rest of the high-scoring Crimson Tide, too.
2025-03-28 07:00:00The top women’s college basketball teams will play at Legacy Arena for a spot in the Final Four. Bringing the games to Birmingham was years in the making.
2025-03-26 07:37:10Now, Auburn is in its first Sweet 16 since 2019 looking to top that Final Four run with its first national championship.
2025-03-18 09:15:25With versatile point guard Mark Sears and mustachioed forward Grant Nelson, Alabama has two of the more recognizable players in the NCAA Tournament. The duo led the Crimson Tide to the Final Four last year and returned to school in hopes of delivering the program’s first national title.
2025-03-17 09:37:26Auburn has an unusual roster makeup for an overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Southeastern Conference’s regular-season champion — even in the topsy-turvy, transfer-friendly world of college sports.
2025-02-14 09:34:12The former New Orleans Saints player's family called on others, including the NFL, to advocate for Foster — who died while in police custody in Alabama.