Issues/Program Report 2nd Quarter 2021
July 1, 2021
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 April 1, 2021 and June 31, 2021. The list includes the following issues:
Government
2021-06-24 15:30:00National attention fell on Georgia for changes to its election laws earlier this year, but Alabama made changes too.
2021-06-23 08:42:12Five children have been killed or injured by gun violence in Birmingham this year, and city leaders are pleading for witnesses to come forward.
2021-06-16 11:23:31Two local environmental groups are appealing a Jefferson County Circuit Court’s recent decision to throw out the lawsuit against the Birmingham Water Works Board.
2021-06-15 11:14:21A drive-by shooting at Club Euphoria in west Birmingham left 21-year-old Lykeria Taylor dead and another male injured. Earlier that night, gunfire broke out at the club, leaving three others with non-life-threatening injuries.
2021-06-14 16:49:03Mayor Randall Woodfin and the CEO of Vulcan Park and Museum announced this week a series of events to celebrate Birmingham’s 150 anniversary.
2021-06-10 09:15:19Thousands of people in Alabama prisons received COVID-19 stimulus payments from the federal government, but state officials are holding the checks. They say people in prison will get their money, but maybe not all of it.
2021-06-09 11:09:07Since January of this year, six children under the age of 10 have been shot in Birmingham, according to police reports. Only one of the shooting incidents has led to an arrest.
2021-06-07 11:19:51Council President William Parker's plan includes gift cards, savings bonds, college scholarships and drawings in an attempt to encourage more people get vaccinated against COVID-19.
2021-06-03 15:26:45Alabama's new medical marijuana law is more than 100-pages long. We did the hard work and pulled out the highlights that may impact you.
2021-06-03 11:01:02State officials are back to the drawing board after Gov. Kay Ivey’s plan to lease three privately-owned prisons missed a major financial deadline this week.
2021-06-02 11:42:25In a campaign video, Ivey, 76, noted the state's economic growth, low unemployment and critical improvements in education and to the state’s infrastructure.
2021-06-01 15:17:38Birmingham’s 3,500 city employees could see extra “premium pay” later this month. The city council approved the one-time payments as a “thank you” for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
2021-05-25 10:21:13The city will seek federal funding for Boutwell Auditorium, Sloss Historic Landmark Furnace, the Southern Museum of Flight, Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Arlington Historic House.
2021-05-21 13:48:32Restrictions prompted by Gov. Kay Ivey's coronavirus public health orders will expire at the end of the month.
2021-05-18 14:47:30Employee pay raises and restored funding to agencies around the city are among the highlights of the proposed fiscal 2022 plan.
2021-05-18 11:34:56Many bills made it out before Monday's deadline. But the lawmakers also expect a special session later this year.
2021-05-18 08:45:05Lawmakers had a change of heart after decades of debate on the issue.
2021-05-11 14:04:24The Birmingham chapter of Black Lives Matter has called for the resignation of Mayor Randall Woodfin and Police Chief Patrick D. Smith following the fatal police shooting of an armed Black man.
2021-05-10 09:35:26Alabama will stop participating in all federally funded pandemic unemployment compensation programs beginning June 19. Gov. Kay Ivey says she made the decision because of the increasing difficulty of business owners and employers to find workers to fill jobs.
2021-05-07 10:53:44A medical marijuana bill goes to the governor. Meanwhile a gambling bill looks unlikely to pass this session.
2021-05-06 23:21:04The bill faced strong resistance among House lawmakers.
2021-05-04 07:47:09Legion Field is adding another HBCU football classic to its schedule.
2021-04-29 22:09:00Alabama lawmakers have been more receptive to bills that ease restrictions on alcohol this year. Senators approved a wine delivery bill this week without much debate.
2021-04-28 14:51:172021-04-27 12:48:23
Alabama avoided the loss of a congressional seat as its population grew from 4.8 million in 2010 to 5.03 million last year, according to figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
2021-04-27 10:19:40Of the 62 tornadoes that struck Alabama on April 27, 2011, the largest twister hit Tuscaloosa, killing 53 people and destroying more than 5,000 homes and businesses. A decade later, much of the city has redeveloped, but communities are still recovering.
2021-04-23 15:16:23Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin launched a partnership with federal and local law enforcement agencies to impose stiff penalties for people who have unauthorized guns.
2021-04-23 11:32:46A bill to ban racial profiling has failed to win support for almost a decade, but it was one of many measures debated this week in the Alabama Legislature.
2021-04-20 16:49:25Mayor Randall Woodfin plans to pardon more than 15,000 Birmingham residents convicted of marijuana possession.
2021-04-20 16:35:16The plan is for Jefferson County to purchase lots one and two of the property, which would remain under county ownership. The Greater Birmingham Humane Society would purchase lot three and build an animal hospital and adoption control facility there.
2021-04-20 12:24:57Major banks have backed off of financing two of the three proposed new prisons in Alabama. The banks’ sudden resignation as lead underwriters for the bond sale is considered highly unusual.
2021-04-16 09:53:08Alabama is one of several conservative states where lawmakers are considering a measure making it a crime to enforce federal gun regulations.
2021-04-13 14:27:26The redevelopment plans have been several years in the making.
2021-04-09 09:17:46The push to legalize medical marijuana is gaining momentum in the Alabama Legislature. The bill would allow people with certain conditions to buy medical marijuana with a doctor’s approval. We have more in our weekly legislative wrap-up.
2021-04-08 15:48:56The funding will come through HUD’s Home Investment Partnerships Program and is intended to help cities create affordable and supportive housing and services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
2021-04-08 12:32:01Merrill was expected to announce a run for U.S. Senate in 2022.
2021-04-07 15:03:09Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday issued a proclamation transitioning the state from an amended Safer at Home Order to a new Safer Apart Order.
2021-04-02 11:48:07That means a total of about four million Alabamians will be eligible starting Monday.
2021-04-02 11:40:13Alabama's prisons are severely overcrowded. Some state lawmakers say repealing a law that stiffens punishment for repeat offenders would help alleviate that.
Economy
2021-06-14 10:01:27Landing, an apartment rental company, will relocate it headquarters to Birmingham, creating more than 800 new jobs.
2021-06-07 10:17:32The strike has gone on for more than two months with no resolution in sight.
2021-05-26 14:31:17Water providers in some rural communities across the region often fail to deliver clean and reliable water. Black Bayou Water Association is addressing that issue by connecting small utilities.
2021-05-12 11:27:22Plans for a passenger line connecting New Orleans with Mobile are underway, but opposition from the freight train industry could derail the service – and possibly President Joe Biden’s vision for an Amtrak resurgence.
2021-05-10 10:48:48Colonial Pipeline shut down its 5,500-mile pipeline on Friday after a ransomware attack. The pipeline made news back in 2016 after a gasoline spill in Shelby County. Some say it takes major events to bring attention to the pipeline's vulnerabilities.
2021-05-10 09:35:26Alabama will stop participating in all federally funded pandemic unemployment compensation programs beginning June 19. Gov. Kay Ivey says she made the decision because of the increasing difficulty of business owners and employers to find workers to fill jobs.
2021-04-16 15:28:20Last week's overwhelming vote against forming a union at Amazon's Bessemer warehouse was the latest in a string of disappointments for labor unions. Now Amazon employees and union backers are trying to find a way forward.
2021-04-09 10:29:53The union accused Amazon of illegal anti-union tactics and will challenge the results.
2021-04-07 17:03:04Politicians across the aisle agree that grocery taxes harm low-income families. And yet the tax remains untouched.
Health Care
2021-06-30 05:00:00Trauma doctors in Birmingham are treating a record number of patients with gunshot wounds. Health officials hope a violence intervention program could help reverse the trend.
2021-06-24 06:22:51With the lowest vaccination rates in the county, many people in the Deep South remain at risk.
2021-06-17 21:11:16Roughly 30% of Alabamians are fully vaccinated.
2021-06-08 13:00:04The drug, aducanumab, is expected to help slow the progression of the disease, but not to improve current memory impairments, according to a release from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
2021-06-07 16:18:12Close to 70% of Alabamians are still not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but many people have stopped wearing masks and returned to normal activities.
2021-06-03 15:26:45Alabama's new medical marijuana law is more than 100-pages long. We did the hard work and pulled out the highlights that may impact you.
2021-06-02 11:08:25Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama have the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. and doses are going to waste. Other countries, such as India, are still struggling with high deaths and low vaccine supply.
2021-05-25 08:49:16When patients with certain blood cancers are looking for a cure, their options begin with finding a bone marrow match. But for African Americans, bone marrow matches are much harder to find.
2021-05-20 12:51:19Vaccine rates statewide have fallen significantly over the past six weeks. Public health leaders are grappling with how to encourage more people to get vaccinated.
2021-05-14 15:48:52UAB announced this week it's closing the majority of its public COVID-19 vaccination sites because of a decline in participation. Meanwhile, Alabama remains at the bottom nationally for the number of adults that have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
2021-05-13 12:50:14Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama have the lowest vaccination rates nationally, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Health officials are considering creative incentives to get the numbers up from church events to possible beer giveaways.
2021-05-13 11:57:51Health officials say at first they were focused on vaccinating elderly and at-risk people in Alabama. Now the focus is shifting to people who are skeptical or apathetic about the vaccine.
2021-05-11 17:49:03The Pfizer COVID-19 shot was found to be 100% effective in preventing disease among children aged 12 to 15 years old.
2021-05-04 19:12:41The powerful synthetic opioid is now being mixed with drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, leading to more overdose deaths.
2021-05-03 13:48:12CEO Mike Warren said he thought he could fix Medicaid, but he was naive.
2021-04-30 12:41:46While about 30% of Alabamians have received at least one shot of a COVID vaccine, officials said demand has declined in recent weeks, leaving thousands of unused doses sitting on shelves.
Many rural health leaders believe community health centers, which were born in the 60s to reach low-income communities of color, were a missing piece in achieving equity in the vaccine rollout.
2021-04-14 07:46:18CEO Will Ferniany will end his health care career having led the organization through the coronavirus pandemic. He plans to retire later this year.
2021-04-13 12:31:07Alabama is one of several states halting distribution of the vaccine as federal health officials examine links to adverse health effects.
2021-04-06 17:20:35A local ordinance replaces the statewide mask order expiring April 9. Some say the move is necessary, but others call it an "undue burden."
Education
2021-06-22 09:57:22Red River Parish Public Schools is the first district in Louisiana to throw out the traditional school calendar. The goal for school leaders is to provide more instruction and support throughout the year, but some parents say students are burnt out.
2021-06-21 13:57:09Alabama's children are graduating on time and more children have health insurance. But the state still falls behind the rest of the country in overall well-being for children.
2021-06-17 21:11:16Roughly 30% of Alabamians are fully vaccinated.
2021-05-28 14:16:57Birmingham City Schools and Alabama Regional Medical Services will be giving COVID-19 vaccinations to city school students and their parents over the summer in an effort to make schools and their communities safer when they reopen in the fall.
2021-05-25 16:58:40The Birmingham Promise Initiative has raked in $8 million in additional donations. The education scholarship offers graduates of Birmingham City Schools free college tuition, apprenticeships and paid internships.
Science and Technology
2021-04-23 17:57:54The loss of life from the once-in-generation storm still weighs on the iconic TV meteorologist.
Arts and Culture
2021-06-14 16:49:03Mayor Randall Woodfin and the CEO of Vulcan Park and Museum announced this week a series of events to celebrate Birmingham’s 150 anniversary.
2021-06-08 15:55:34The Birmingham Museum of Art will soon return several works of art to two Native American tribes that have requested them back.
2021-05-06 09:43:30In April, Mardi Gras Indians held a funeral and parade for one of their own – one of a few large cultural events to occur since the pandemic started and most large events in the region were canceled.
2021-04-27 11:50:10Three people recount their memories of that devastating day.
Environment
Religion
Crime
2021-06-28 16:58:06Birmingham residents are concerned about the city's gun violence. Local activists say reducing shootings has to be a community effort, with local government support. But some victims say there’s not much authorities can do.
2021-06-28 05:00:00Birmingham finished 2020 with a 25-year high in homicides. This year shows no sign of that slowing. WBHM talked with the city's police chief about how he plans to respond.
2021-06-23 08:42:12Five children have been killed or injured by gun violence in Birmingham this year, and city leaders are pleading for witnesses to come forward.
Race and Culture
2021-05-28 15:20:29The death of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement sparked police reform efforts and organizing all over the country. But in the birthplace of the civil rights movement, there hasn’t been as much action.
2021-05-26 11:36:15Those who gathered at a vigil Tuesday evening remembered Floyd and other Black people who died at the hands of police. They also called for police reform.
2021-05-25 08:49:16When patients with certain blood cancers are looking for a cure, their options begin with finding a bone marrow match. But for African Americans, bone marrow matches are much harder to find.
2021-05-13 15:29:49A group of young civil rights activists began their journey to the South to challenge segregation on interstate buses in May 1961. The riders were taunted and beaten by white mobs – and jailed. Participants of the movement share what their fight means now.
Weather
2021-04-27 14:29:12It's been roughly a decade since April 27, 2011, a day that marked U.S. weather history. Some of the tornadoes that day tracked more than 80 miles long, bringing wind speeds up to 210 mph in some areas. The storm killed about 250 people in Alabama, alone.
2021-04-26 08:27:17The powerful tornadoes that hit Alabama 10 years ago killed hundreds and left behind significant destruction. With trauma, time doesn’t always heal. Some of the survivors continue to show the scars.
2021-04-10 17:14:11Maybe you've weathered multiple storms or perhaps it's your first season. Either way, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest on how to prepare. We've got you covered with this guide.