Issues/Program Report 3rd Quarter 2025

October 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 July 1, 2025 and September 30, 2025. The list includes the following issues:

Government

Son of woman murdered by man now on death row asks Alabama to stop his execution
2025-09-23 09:14:00

Will Berry was 11 when his mother was murdered. Geoffrey West was 21 when he pulled the trigger. Berry and West exchanged letters ahead of West’s scheduled execution by nitrogen gas Thursday in Alabama. West expressed his remorse, and Berry offered forgiveness.

Federal judge orders Jefferson County to redraw racially gerrymandered districts
2025-09-18 09:01:29

U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala ruled the county map was unconstitutional because race was the predominant factor when the Jefferson County Commission drew districts.

Alabama asks court to lift block on limits to absentee ballot applications
2025-09-16 15:42:24

The Alabama attorney general’s office asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a judge’s preliminary injunction last year that found the gift and payment ban is “not enforceable as to blind, disabled, or illiterate voters.”

Ivey, Ledbetter go to court to try and allow voucher students to participate in athletics
2025-09-05 06:56:45

Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter filed the complaint in Montgomery Circuit Court against the Alabama High School Athletic Association. They are asking a judge to block the association's ruling on eligibility and pave the way for the students to participate in athletics this year.

Alabama looks to solve two problems at once by helping formerly incarcerated people enter the workforce
2025-09-04 05:00:00

The state incarcerates more of its people than most others, and when they’re released, those with criminal records struggle to find jobs – increasing the likelihood they’ll reoffend. Meanwhile, many businesses can’t find enough skilled workers.

Trump announces Space Command is moving from Colorado to Alabama
2025-09-02 14:55:01

The long-expected decision from Trump caps a four-year tug of war between two states and opposing administrations about where to locate U.S. Space Command.

Alabama town's first Black mayor, who had been locked out of office, wins election
2025-08-29 08:41:56

Incumbent Mayor Patrick Braxton was elected as the mayor of Newbern, winning 66 votes to his opponent’s 26, according to results posted by the town. His victory puts a punctuation mark in the dispute over control of the town government that drew national attention.

Woodfin wins third term as Birmingham mayor
2025-08-26 23:13:53

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin cruised to victory Tuesday, dominating a field of 9 candidates to claim a third term.

Here are the results of Tuesday's elections in Birmingham
2025-08-26 22:25:39

Birmingham voters made their picks in races for mayor, city council and school board.

Voters weigh in on Birmingham's future ahead of city election
2025-08-25 08:57:40

Birmingham voters will choose from among nine candidates for mayor in elections Tuesday. When residents around the city were asked to share what is on their minds as they head to the ballot box, two issues rose to the top. 

Federal judge rules Alabama Senate district violates Voting Rights Act, orders new map
2025-08-22 15:41:26

U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco blocked the state from using the current map in the 2026 elections and said a new map must be put in place that creates a new district in Montgomery where Black voters “comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it."

An overview of Tuesday's elections in Birmingham
2025-08-22 07:40:29

Birmingham’s municipal elections are on Tuesday, which means voters will have the chance to elect (or re-elect) candidates for mayor, city council, and the school board. Thanks to our friends at BirminghamWatch, you can find a list of candidates and other resources to help as you head to the polls.

Alabama sets October execution using nitrogen gas
2025-08-19 08:19:51

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday set an Oct. 23 execution date for Anthony Boyd. Boyd is one of four men convicted in the 1993 killing of Gregory Huguley in Talladega.

Federal judge refuses to block Alabama law banning DEI initiatives in public schools
2025-08-14 07:36:19

U.S. District Judge David Proctor wrote that University of Alabama students and professors who filed a lawsuit challenging the law as unconstitutional did not meet the legal burden required for a preliminary injunction.

US Rep. Barry Moore, an Alabama Republican, launches bid for the Senate
2025-08-12 10:30:56

Moore is in his third term in Congress and is a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus. In a campaign video announcing his candidacy, he emphasized his history as an early supporter of President Donald Trump.

Judges block appeal to redraw congressional district maps
2025-08-08 14:37:07

The three-judge panel unanimously, and for the second time, found that the state drew a map that unfairly discriminated against Black Alabamians.

District attorney says Alabama teen killed by police had grabbed a gun
2025-08-06 21:10:18

But the teen’s family questioned that conclusion and said they have many unanswered questions about what had happened.

The Voting Rights Act is turning 60. Civil rights marchers recall a hard-won struggle
2025-08-06 07:28:52

Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark legislation becoming law. Those at the epicenter of the fight for voting rights for Black Americans recalled their memories of the struggle, and expressed fear that those hard-won rights are being eroded.

Judges weigh preclearance requirement for Alabama congressional plans
2025-07-29 14:57:35

Black voters and civil rights organizations, who brought a lawsuit that gave Alabama a new congressional map, are asking a three-judge panel to require any new congressional plans drawn in the next seven years go through federal review. The Alabama attorney general and the U.S. Department of Justice oppose the request.

Family with a child facing cancer is divided after father detained by ICE agents
2025-07-29 10:10:00

A Birmingham man, whose four-year-old daughter is battling cancer, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a routine immigration check-in two weeks ago. His wife said the father, a construction worker, faces deportation to Guatemala.

Fact-checking claims about a proposed hyperscale data center
2025-07-26 07:00:00

The developer behind the $14.5 billion project in Bessemer has suggested residents’ concerns are based on misinformation. Here’s what we know about the project and its impacts.

Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder
2025-07-25 15:48:55

The bulk of sales for many independent grocers come from SNAP. Cuts to the program could leave some making hard decisions about their future.

Alabama officials worry about life-saving Narcan program's future as CDC grants stall
2025-07-24 20:49:48

OD2A funds helped Alabama make naloxone more widely available last year. Health experts say it's responsible for a promising downturn in overdose deaths.

Irondale police deny wrongdoing in death of Alabama man, dispute family's account
2025-07-22 17:11:41

Police employed no excessive force in the events leading up to the August 2024 arrest and death of Phillip Reeder, the City of Irondale and its police department said in a joint statement late Monday.

Alabama’s new utility commission president wants to hear from ‘all sides’
2025-07-22 10:24:35

Cynthia Lee Almond spent four years in the Alabama Legislature and 16 years on the Tuscaloosa City Council before being appointed president of the state’s Public Service Commission.

Alabama man's death is ruled a homicide after police kneeled on his neck
2025-07-21 13:54:51

The death of an unarmed 52-year-old man who died after an Alabama police officer kneeled on his neck was ruled a homicide by a county coroner, according to an official autopsy reviewed by The Associated Press. The finding led lawyers representing Phillip Reeder's family on Monday to compare his death to that of George Floyd in 2020.

Lawyer says an Alabama teen who was killed by police was shot in the back
2025-07-15 15:48:12

Authorities have not released police body camera video of the June 23 encounter or disclosed the name of the officer who shot 18-year-old Jabari Peoples in the parking lot of a soccer field in the affluent Birmingham suburb of Homewood. They also haven't released the findings of the county's official autopsy.

Judges to weigh request to put Alabama under preclearance for a future congressional map
2025-07-11 09:36:05

Black voters and civil rights organizations, who successfully challenged Alabama’s congressional map, are asking a three-judge panel to require any new congressional maps drawn by state lawmakers to go through federal review before being implemented. The Alabama attorney general and the U.S. Department of Justice oppose the request.

Alabama utility commission allowed to hike prices behind closed doors, judge rules
2025-07-10 10:14:42

The decision on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by Southern Environmental Law Center on behalf of Energy Alabama, a nonprofit that advocates for renewable energy sources.

Family seeks body camera footage from fatal police shooting of a Black teen in Homewood
2025-07-01 21:48:43

Jabari Peoples, 18, was shot June 23 by a police officer in the parking lot of a soccer field in Homewood.

Economy

20 years after Hurricane Katrina, East Biloxi’s casinos boom while Main Street dries up
2025-08-29 06:00:00

Despite progress in East Biloxi, a historically Black neighborhood remains worse off post-Katrina, according to residents.

Bay St. Louis became the place to be after Hurricane Katrina — for those who can afford it
2025-08-29 06:00:00

After Katrina wiped the town out, Bay St. Louis rebuilt itself into a coastal paradise. But insurance challenges limit who can live there.

Pascagoula still shows Hurricane Katrina's heavy toll in Mississippi 20 years later
2025-08-28 05:00:00

While much of the city was rebuilt over the past 20 years, it has never fully recovered. The cost of rebuilding has been prohibitive for many former residents.

Independent grocery stores have had a tough five years. SNAP cuts will make it harder
2025-07-25 15:48:55

The bulk of sales for many independent grocers come from SNAP. Cuts to the program could leave some making hard decisions about their future.

A dive into mermaid camp
2025-07-10 12:30:36

Mermaids may not be real, but that hasn’t stopped people from turning it into a career.  Mermaiding isn’t just about fantasy. It’s about building real confidence and skills that carry over into other water sports.

Amtrak's new Gulf Coast line will start service in August; see details
2025-07-01 10:52:37

Supporters say the line will boost tourism in the three states it connects, especially for the Mississippi cities along the coast.

Health Care

Gulf South pharmacies make their own rules amid confusing COVID guidance: ‘It’s clear as mud’
2025-09-26 10:10:59

Unclear rules and inconsistent interpretations of federal and state COVID-19 vaccination rules leave families confused and vulnerable patients unprotected.

Care close to home: how a rural doctor meets medical needs in Alabama's countryside
2025-09-18 09:47:15

Doctors are harder to come by in rural Alabama than in big cities. That’s why Cahaba Medical Care developed a residency program that both trains and then hires doctors in rural clinics.

NFL Legend Emmitt Smith, ‘The Bachelorette’s’ Zac Clark raise overdose awareness at LSU
2025-09-17 15:52:35

Smith has partnered with Clark for the Ready to Rescue initiative, stopping at college campuses across the country for short talks and hands-on training.

New Orleans musicians feel the heat of rising temperatures: 'You can hear it in the music'
2025-08-07 10:08:56

Data from climate scientists show that the heat is turning up in New Orleans, and the rate that it’s increasing is getting faster. Here’s why.

Alabama officials worry about life-saving Narcan program's future as CDC grants stall
2025-07-24 20:49:48

OD2A funds helped Alabama make naloxone more widely available last year. Health experts say it's responsible for a promising downturn in overdose deaths.

WATCH: SANEs and survivors in the South, a listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom
2025-07-18 12:34:09

The Gulf States Newsroom hosted a virtual discussion of Drew Hawkins' reporting on the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the region.

Q&A: How a conservative Mississippi mom became an advocate for legalizing drugs
2025-07-08 11:59:32

Christina Dent talks about founding End It For Good, her journey to rethinking drugs and addiction and how Mississippi can change its approach, too

Netherlands police embrace a public health approach to drugs. Will it work in the South?
2025-07-03 14:54:49

Despite the opioid crisis’ deadly toll, U.S police treat drug use as a criminal issue. But in the Netherlands, a public health approach has seen better results.

Education

No soil required: New York program brings hydroponics to Birmingham students
2025-09-11 12:08:41

The program aims to teach students about sustainable food practices and how to combat food deserts in their communities. It comes through a partnership with the New York-based non-profit New York Sun Works and Birmingham’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm.

RushTok backlash: Why sororities aren't letting prospects post
2025-08-16 18:54:53

Citing a need to protect prospects from harassment, many sororities have issued a de facto ban on talking to the press or posting on social media during rush week at Alabama.

Federal judge refuses to block Alabama law banning DEI initiatives in public schools
2025-08-14 07:36:19

U.S. District Judge David Proctor wrote that University of Alabama students and professors who filed a lawsuit challenging the law as unconstitutional did not meet the legal burden required for a preliminary injunction.

Science and Technology

Arts and Culture

Birmingham’s Bengali community breaks barriers with annual Durga Puja
2025-09-30 10:10:42

Durga Puja is a Bengali celebration during the 9-day long Hindu festival of Navratri, which celebrates divine feminine energy in all forms. Across India, celebrations vary in scale, focus and tradition. 

From painting to producing: Birmingham DJ Andrea Really releases first album
2025-09-29 16:56:41

Birmingham DJ Andrea Really wasn't always a music producer. She used to be a prolific painter. But when her art studio burned down in 2017, she pivoted careers. Really spoke with WBHM about that journey upon the release of her first album this summer, called Zeitgeist.

Over rocky terrain, Birmingham's Muslim women find sisterhood
2025-09-24 14:16:05

On a recent Sunday morning, a group of about ten women gathered in front of the entrance to Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. The women, dressed in hijabs and flowing athletic gear, laughed, chatted and prepared to take on the occasionally challenging terrain. It’s a monthly event connecting women from Birmingham’s greater Muslim community.

'Lullaby for the Grieving': Alabama's poet laureate on her journey through loss and hope
2025-09-17 10:51:20

Ashley M. Jones was on a roll. It was 2021 and she had just been named the youngest and first Black poet laureate in Alabama. Soon after, her father died without warning.

Birmingham youth choir returns to the stage after golden buzzer moment
2025-09-09 15:09:38

The Birmingham Youth and Young Adult Choir returns to NBC's "America's Got Talent" Tuesday evening after having won one of the show's golden buzzers earlier this summer.

New Orleans musicians found a home here after Katrina. Now, it's raising the next generation
2025-08-28 05:00:00

In the 9th Ward, New Orleans’ Musicians’ Village has been training the next generation of musical talent while providing affordable housing to many artists.

‘Down but not out’: The punk zine that helped keep New Orleans’ culture afloat after Katrina
2025-08-27 09:25:59

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Antigravity Magazine played a vital role in helping local media dispel rumors and keep their audience informed.

You've heard of a senior prom. How about a prom for senior citizens?
2025-08-26 07:28:06

Fitness instructor Tracy Williams has a passion for this age group. She's planning a "senior" prom for those who never had a chance to go to their proms or would like a do-over.

The legacy of civil rights martyr Jonathan Daniels
2025-08-20 14:02:31

Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of Daniels’ killing at the hands of an Alabama county official. Today, the Episcopal Church venerates Daniels as a saint and martyr. For the anniversary, Episcopalians from around the country gathered for an annual pilgrimage to the site of his death in Hayneville. 

“This Weekend Today,” WBHM's new calendar of events in partnership with Bhmstr
2025-08-14 16:07:11

WBHM is partnering with Bhmstr, providing a featured list of happenings each week in the Magic City.

New Orleans musicians feel the heat of rising temperatures: 'You can hear it in the music'
2025-08-07 10:08:56

Data from climate scientists show that the heat is turning up in New Orleans, and the rate that it’s increasing is getting faster. Here’s why.

Birmingham's Prince Hall Masonic Temple to be restored as hub of Black-owned businesses
2025-08-04 12:20:02

The hall is one of Birmingham’s most significant, but worn, historic buildings. Plans to restore the eight-story, downtown are underway.

Meet the team behind the JCC's witty sign
2025-07-23 11:14:38

The sign hosts puns, Judaic references, and pop culture riffs. While the sign is well-known and appreciated among the community, its authors have remained anonymous, until now.

Ghost tours bring historic places back to life across the South
2025-07-18 12:48:49

Lesley Ann Hyde started the Southern Ghost Girls Tours, a group of women using spiritual investigations of historic sites as ways to preserve pieces of Birmingham’s history.

Environment

No soil required: New York program brings hydroponics to Birmingham students
2025-09-11 12:08:41

The program aims to teach students about sustainable food practices and how to combat food deserts in their communities. It comes through a partnership with the New York-based non-profit New York Sun Works and Birmingham’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm.

As opposition to an Alabama medical waste treatment facility boils over, a  mysterious Facebook page weighs in
2025-09-06 07:00:00

Dozens of residents opposed to Harvest Med Waste Disposal’s site in Remlap packed the Blount County courthouse to voice their concerns. Online, a paid campaign supporting the facility has been active, though its backers have remained anonymous.

Wilsonville residents seek preemptive strike against massive data center project
2025-08-21 13:38:22

“That’s going to be their legacy, to potentially destroy a small town,” said one resident of the landowner and developers of a proposed hyperscale data center.

New Orleans musicians feel the heat of rising temperatures: 'You can hear it in the music'
2025-08-07 10:08:56

Data from climate scientists show that the heat is turning up in New Orleans, and the rate that it’s increasing is getting faster. Here’s why.

Capped Alabama coal ash pond still polluting groundwater 7 years after closure, lawsuit claims
2025-07-30 18:01:00

Coosa Riverkeeper filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Alabama Power, alleging significant groundwater pollution violations from the utility’s Gadsden coal ash pond that has been capped in place since 2018.

Religion

Birmingham’s Bengali community breaks barriers with annual Durga Puja
2025-09-30 10:10:42

Durga Puja is a Bengali celebration during the 9-day long Hindu festival of Navratri, which celebrates divine feminine energy in all forms. Across India, celebrations vary in scale, focus and tradition. 

Over rocky terrain, Birmingham's Muslim women find sisterhood
2025-09-24 14:16:05

On a recent Sunday morning, a group of about ten women gathered in front of the entrance to Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. The women, dressed in hijabs and flowing athletic gear, laughed, chatted and prepared to take on the occasionally challenging terrain. It’s a monthly event connecting women from Birmingham’s greater Muslim community.

Birmingham remembers the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, 62 years later
2025-09-15 16:17:39

The bombing was a significant moment in the Civil Rights Movement and Birmingham’s history.

Crime

Alabama executes Geoffrey Todd West for the murder of Margaret Parrish Berry
2025-09-25 21:16:40

The execution took place despite Berry's son's opposition to it and was marked by less movement than other nitrogen gas executions.

The manhunt for Eric Rudolph was the largest in US history: How it began. How it finally ended
2025-07-31 15:38:44

Eric Rudolph planted a bomb in 1998 at a Birmingham clinic that performed abortions. A new podcast explores the massive manhunt assembled to find him, and how his words and actions are possibly more accepted now, than they were then.

WATCH: SANEs and survivors in the South, a listening session with the Gulf States Newsroom
2025-07-18 12:34:09

The Gulf States Newsroom hosted a virtual discussion of Drew Hawkins' reporting on the shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners in the region.

In ‘The Jailhouse Lawyer,’ Calvin Duncan fights wrongful convictions behind the razor wire
2025-07-10 10:05:37

While incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, Duncan would help hundreds of prisoners file appeals for their cases and motions for improved treatment.

Q&A: How a conservative Mississippi mom became an advocate for legalizing drugs
2025-07-08 11:59:32

Christina Dent talks about founding End It For Good, her journey to rethinking drugs and addiction and how Mississippi can change its approach, too

Netherlands police embrace a public health approach to drugs. Will it work in the South?
2025-07-03 14:54:49

Despite the opioid crisis’ deadly toll, U.S police treat drug use as a criminal issue. But in the Netherlands, a public health approach has seen better results.

Race and Culture

'Lullaby for the Grieving': Alabama's poet laureate on her journey through loss and hope
2025-09-17 10:51:20

Ashley M. Jones was on a roll. It was 2021 and she had just been named the youngest and first Black poet laureate in Alabama. Soon after, her father died without warning.

Birmingham remembers the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, 62 years later
2025-09-15 16:17:39

The bombing was a significant moment in the Civil Rights Movement and Birmingham’s history.

'We just want to get to the truth': Jabari Peoples' family still seeking answers
2025-09-09 09:22:30

Eighteen-year-old Jabari Peoples was shot and killed by a Homewood police officer earlier this year. His family is still reeling from the loss and maintain their disagreement with police’s account of the incident.

Judges block appeal to redraw congressional district maps
2025-08-08 14:37:07

The three-judge panel unanimously, and for the second time, found that the state drew a map that unfairly discriminated against Black Alabamians.

Jabari Peoples' family, community, pushes for release of police body cam footage
2025-07-09 13:26:44

Pressure is mounting on Homewood and state officials over the shooting death of Jabari Peoples by a Homewood police officer last month. Protestors took to city hall on Tuesday evening to demand officials release body-camera footage from the shooting that killed the Black 18-year-old.

Weather

Children of the storm
2025-08-30 07:00:00

As 11-year-olds weathering poverty, we survived the winds and water of Hurricane Katrina along Alabama’s Gulf Coast. Twenty years later, we’re still wading through its wake.

Sports

Bruce Pearl, winningest men's basketball coach in Auburn history, announces retirement
2025-09-22 17:28:49

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement Monday less than six months after finishing the Tigers' best season in program history with another trip to the Final Four. Pearl's 38-year-old son Steven Pearl, who has been on his father's coaching staff for all 11 seasons at Auburn, will take over as coach.

Ivey, Ledbetter go to court to try and allow voucher students to participate in athletics
2025-09-05 06:56:45

Gov. Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter filed the complaint in Montgomery Circuit Court against the Alabama High School Athletic Association. They are asking a judge to block the association's ruling on eligibility and pave the way for the students to participate in athletics this year.

In a big step for Alabama, youth cricket comes to Pelham
2025-08-28 10:32:59

This summer Pelham Parks and Recreation hosted their first cricket camp for boys age six to 18 to learn foundational skills and techniques of the game.