Issues/Program Report 2nd Quarter 2022
July 1, 2022
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, 2022 and June 31, 2022. The list includes the following issues:
Government
2022-06-29 08:42:45Police, public works and youth programs were the biggest winners in the $517 million budget, the largest ever for the city.
2022-06-28 15:46:23World Games officials clarified that anyone will be able to walk through and access public areas around venues like Railroad Park, Linn Park, Protective Stadium and the new City Walk, despite those sites being behind security parameters.
2022-06-28 09:25:55The state is expected to go to the bond market on Tuesday, to provide financing for the construction plan. That money will be added to $135 million in state funds and $400 million in pandemic relief dollars that the state already agreed to put toward the construction project.
2022-06-24 10:34:01The ACLU of Alabama say it will continue its lawsuit to reinstate access to abortion.
2022-06-23 23:49:11That money will be added to $135 million in state funds and $400 million in pandemic relief dollars that the state already agreed to put toward the project.
2022-06-21 23:33:57Katie Britt won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama Tuesday, defeating six-term Rep. Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump took the unusual step of rescinding his initial Brooks endorsement.
2022-06-21 19:00:14Republicans will be choosing between Katie Britt and Roy Moore as their nominee for U.S. Senate. Democrats will pick a nominee for governor between Yolonda Flowers and Malika Sanders-Fortier.
2022-06-19 09:43:16Party runoff ballots are fairly light for Tuesday’s election. But at the top of the Republican ballot is the nomination to the U.S. Senate. At the top of the Democratic ballot is nomination to the governor’s race.
2022-06-11 06:28:21Trump called Britt "an incredible fighter for the people of Alabama." The former president had originally backed U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in the race, but rescinded that endorsement in March after their relationship soured.
2022-06-10 06:45:38U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks faces Katie Britt in a runoff for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on June 21.
2022-06-09 07:00:00Security parameters will be put in place, restricting access to otherwise public places. People without homes who use some of these public spaces for shelter will have to find other places to be.
2022-06-07 08:36:24Former President Donald Trump pulled his endorsement of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in the Alabama Senate race. Brooks took to Twitter to encourage the president to change his mind.
2022-06-02 17:37:22Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced Thurmond’s appointment as police chief Thursday. Thurmond succeeds Patrick Smith who announced his resignation as police chief in January citing personal matters.
2022-05-25 00:07:16Alabama's Republican primary for U.S. Senate is going to a June runoff between Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks after neither candidate captured a majority of the vote.
2022-05-25 00:01:42Up against eight Republican challengers, Gov. Kay Ivey will move forward to the general election for governor in Alabama where a Democrat hasn't been elected to the office for a quarter-century.
2022-05-24 19:00:35Statewide races include governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general and secretary of state.
2022-05-23 15:41:02Nine Republicans are for governor in Alabama and six for an open U.S. Senate seat.
2022-05-23 09:38:43Republicans hold all statewide offices plus supermajorities in the state legislature. But Alabama Democrats are in a good position this year, according to the head of the Alabama Democratic Party.
2022-05-21 10:00:31The race was supposed to be a cake walk for Gov. Kay Ivey, who still remains favored to win a second full term. But right flank opponents are trying to make it a referendum on her conservative credentials.
2022-05-20 12:36:51The Alabama primary elections are May 24th. Do you know who's on the ballot? Check out the complete list and sample ballots.
2022-05-17 16:30:57Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin introduced a $517 million budget proposal, the largest in city history, during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
2022-05-14 16:20:28A federal judge in Alabama ruled to block part of a law that makes it a felony to provide gender-affirming care to minors on Friday. Families with transgender kids tell WBHM they are cautiously relieved.
2022-05-14 10:34:56The law made it a felony to prescribe gender-affirming puberty blockers and hormones to transgender minors. U.S. District Judge Liles Burke issued a preliminary injunction to stop the state from enforcing the medication ban, which took effect May 8, while a court challenge goes forward.
2022-05-13 11:26:33Jefferson County’s chief election official is warning that a new voting security measure will delay returns from the May 24 primary elections.
2022-05-07 10:21:20Barring a judge's order, a new law is set to take effect Sunday in Alabama that would outlaw the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender minors.
2022-05-06 10:00:00Since last fall, Birmingham city officials have sued or taken other measures to shut down the businesses.
2022-05-05 20:31:13A group of parents and doctors want the judge to stop the law from going into effect while a lawsuit continues.
2022-05-03 17:29:32President Joe Biden credited the assembly line workers at a Javelin missile plant in Troy for doing lifesaving work in building the antitank weapons that are being sent to Ukraine.
2022-05-03 16:17:37People on both sides of the abortion divide have been expecting the Supreme Court this summer to reverse the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide. But many said the draft opinion was nevertheless stunning.
2022-05-02 11:43:28The new prison contact is part of a sweeping construction plan partially paid for by pandemic relief funds.
2022-04-28 11:50:48The Alabama Department of Corrections declined to release a copy of the contract. A spokeswoman said it needed to be redacted and that would take some time because it is a lengthy contract.
2022-04-21 09:08:02The new Alabama law makes it a crime for doctors to treat trans people under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm their gender identity.
2022-04-20 10:16:11Councilors sparred Tuesday over the maps which were redrawn based on numbers from the 2020 census.
2022-04-19 11:26:30A year ago, Mayor Randall Woodfin announced the launch of the Birmingham Civilian Review Board to offer independent accountability for police. But the board doesn't seem to be active.
2022-04-12 09:31:30Alabama has become the first state to criminalize the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender people under age 19. So what do these laws mean?
2022-04-12 09:27:10The new law makes it a crime for doctors to treat trans youth under 19 with puberty blockers or hormones to help affirm their gender identity.
2022-04-10 08:00:00Alabama now has its own version of a Florida law derided by opponents as the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
2022-04-09 08:00:00Transgender kids and their parents say they feel attacked by a wave of Republican-sponsored legislation and policies aimed at trans youth. Bills have been introduced to ban gender-affirming care and block transgender children from using school restrooms or playing on sports teams that don’t match their sex at birth.
2022-04-08 17:01:38MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers approved sweeping legislation Thursday to outlaw gender-affirming medications for transgender kids and advanced a separate measure prohibiting early classroom instruction on sexual and gender identity, a bill critics have dubbed "Don't Say Gay."
2022-04-06 14:07:49An Alabama Senate committee gave two bills affecting schools the go-ahead Tuesday as lawmakers aim to end the legislative session this week. One requires students to use the bathroom that matches their biological sex. The other bans teaching students “divisive concepts.”
2022-04-06 11:20:50With support for unions at its highest point since 1965, Democrats hope they can capitalize on that sentiment as they struggle to connect with voters on other issues.
Economy
2022-06-05 08:00:00The successful, 11-to-1 vote happened weeks after a former shift supervisor that led the unionization effort was fired by higher management.
2022-05-31 13:13:52As 2022's economic woes continue, more people are using vanpools as a cost-effective way to get to work. It’s also helping out their employers.
2022-05-27 12:46:14Workers at the downtown Birmingham coffee shop cast a near-unanimous vote to become the first Starbucks location in the state to say yes to forming a union.
2022-05-17 11:53:22Starbucks stores in Birmingham and New Orleans could be the next to unionize. Those leading the efforts sit down to discuss why and what they've learned so far.
2022-04-29 08:00:00A successful guaranteed income program in Jackson, Mississippi could offer insights to cities in Alabama and Louisiana as they launch their own pilots.
2022-04-22 08:00:00Amtrak is making its final pitch for a Gulf Coast passenger train line. The private companies that own the tracks the trains would run on, however, oppose it.
2022-04-01 08:00:00As the strike in Alabama drags on, coal miners say it’s not just about the money. They’re also fighting for their dignity.
Health Care
2022-06-29 16:27:48Officials plan to treat as many people as possible at on site medical tents. They say the biggest concern is heat-related illness.
2022-06-26 11:49:03Alabamians took to the streets this weekend after elective abortions became a felony in the state on Friday.
2022-06-24 10:34:01The ACLU of Alabama say it will continue its lawsuit to reinstate access to abortion.
2022-06-24 09:19:52The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion. Here’s what the decision means for the Gulf South region.
2022-06-08 08:00:00As the U.S. moves toward a post-Roe world, our digital world will need to change with it. A cybersecurity researcher explains why for the Click Here podcast.
2022-05-19 14:57:47The NAACP’s and SPLC’s federal complaint claims that Mississippi didn’t equitably spend its federal COVID-19 relief funds, leaving out communities of color.
2022-05-03 20:21:18While nothing officially changes until the Supreme Court delivers its decision, advocates on both sides of the issue are preparing for an end to legal abortion.
2022-04-27 10:01:23Scientist are puzzled over cases of hepatitis showing up in otherwise healthy children. Nine cases have been found in Alabama.
2022-04-21 19:00:00Transgender medical treatment for children and teens is under attack in many states, but it has been available for more than a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations.
Education
2022-06-13 07:00:12Fernando Colunga says it’s important to understand how food is grown and the culture it comes from. He’s a farming and cooking instructor at Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham and is passionate about teaching the significance of food to young people.
2022-06-03 11:38:58Not every student who starts school lives to graduate. It’s estimated nearly 2,000 children and teens die from gun violence every year in the United States. This week Birmingham City Schools awarded diplomas to the families of some of those lost students.
2022-05-27 06:00:00WBHM’s education reporter Kyra Miles, along with two Report for America colleagues at al.com, worked with students at Birmingham’s Ramsay High School to create podcasts.
2022-05-24 18:30:55Avis Williams transformed Selma, Alabama’s schools during her five years as superintendent. Now, she’s set to lead New Orleans’ all-charter school system.
2022-05-20 07:00:00Alabama passed its own so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law in April following states like Florida. It bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-5 classrooms.
2022-04-22 13:48:51Lavender Graduations, or Lavender Celebrations, are ceremonies that honor LGBTQ college graduates and their accomplishments. UAB has hosted an annual Lavender Celebration since 2017, but this year’s took on new meaning with new laws targeting transgender students.
2022-04-07 15:24:39This week, officials released an update to the annual Kids Count Data Book which measures the well-being of kids in Alabama. Advocates are hopeful spending on children's healthcare and education recently approved by state lawmakers will improve indicators.
2022-04-05 08:57:54"In Quarantine with Anne Frank,” helps students learn to talk to each other about discrimination.
Science and Technology
Arts and Culture
2022-04-05 14:32:38The Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration among public radio stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, is teaming up with Back Pocket Media to put on a live storytelling event on Tuesday.
Environment
2022-06-13 07:00:12Fernando Colunga says it’s important to understand how food is grown and the culture it comes from. He’s a farming and cooking instructor at Jones Valley Teaching Farm in Birmingham and is passionate about teaching the significance of food to young people.
Religion
Crime
2022-06-17 12:16:58Police say the suspect is a 71-year-old white male who occasionally attended the church. They haven’t released a motive but said he used a handgun.
2022-06-16 22:36:50The shooting occurred Thursday evening at Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in the Birmingham suburb of Vestavia Hills.
2022-05-20 10:24:39WBHM’s Mary Scott Hodgin talks with Brittany Brown of the Gulf States Newsroom about issues plaguing Alabama and Mississippi prisons.
2022-05-11 10:11:13U.S. marshals and sheriff’s deputies led an 11-day manhunt for an Alabama murder suspect and jailer who were heavily armed and preparing for a shootout when they were captured.
2022-05-10 08:46:39Jailer Vicky White was pronounced dead at a hospital after murder suspect Casey White gave up without a fight in Evansville, Indiana. The fugitives had spent more than a week on the run through three states.
2022-05-06 10:00:00Since last fall, Birmingham city officials have sued or taken other measures to shut down the businesses.
2022-05-02 12:04:25An arrest warrant has been issued for a jail official who disappeared while escorting a prisoner last week.
2022-04-28 10:49:48Advocates in New Orleans work to curb gun violence by focusing on prevention and community needs over policing and aim to spread it across the Gulf South.
2022-04-26 18:48:43The Gulf States Newsroom’s Brittany Brown details the Department of Justice’s report on the Mississippi State Penitentiary, and what comes next.
2022-04-19 11:26:30A year ago, Mayor Randall Woodfin announced the launch of the Birmingham Civilian Review Board to offer independent accountability for police. But the board doesn't seem to be active.
Race and Culture
2022-06-15 05:00:24The discovery of the ship on an Alabama river bottom has fostered a renewed hope for descendants of the Clotilda's captives, and the community they founded called Africatown.
2022-04-21 05:00:16The Equal Justice Initiative addresses America's history of racial violence at a time when state lawmakers nationwide have been trying to limit teaching about divisive topics in public schools.
Weather
Sports
2022-04-13 14:40:56The Alabama Crimson Tide coach is confident his program will thrive in this new era of college football, but he's concerned about the sport overall.
2022-04-01 13:42:35The World Games are expected to attract tens of thousands of people to Birmingham this summer. Experts say that’s likely to increase human trafficking. Here's what you can do.