Frustration With Health Department Intensifies as Environmental Groups Seek to Overturn ABC Coke’s Air Permit Renewal
Environmental groups say ABC Coke’s air permit renewal issued in April is flawed and are appealing to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to agree that it does not comply with requirements of the federal Clean Air Act.
Jones, Byrne Lead in Fundraising Among Candidates in 2020 US Senate Race
Democratic incumbent Sen. Doug Jones raised $1.8 million for his election campaign during the past three months, outpacing the still-forming field of candidates for Alabama’s 2020 U.S. Senate elections.
Energy Storage Research Center Opens in Birmingham
Energy officials from around the country gathered in Birmingham Tuesday to mark the opening of the Energy Storage Research Center. They say the facility has big implications for the future of renewable power.
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Avondale Elementary Climate Frustrates Parents and Teachers
Next month, many area students go back to school. But at Birmingham’s Avondale Elementary School, several teachers and students won’t be returning after what they say was a chaotic year.
New Virus Threatens State’s Cotton Crop
Many of the state’s cotton farmers are monitoring their fields more closely after agriculture officials issued warnings about a new virus threatening their crops.
Putting a Price Tag on a Fish Kill
Last month’s wastewater spill at a chicken plant in Hanceville resulted in the largest reported fish kill in years. Environmental groups and residents want to see hefty fines against those responsible for the incident, but how do officials come up with a dollar amount?
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Neighborhoods Want Trust Fund Set Up From Proposed ABC Coke’s Benzene Pollution Case
The North Birmingham community made clear this week that it wants money from an ABC Coke pollution penalty to be used to create a trust fund to benefit residents in the surrounding area.
Partnership Aims to Make Birmingham’s Economic Growth More Equitable
Birmingham has gained attention for its downtown rebirth. But the Birmingham area economy still falls behind similar cities, particularly when it comes to job growth. A partnership announced in December between the city and the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C. think tank, aims to boost the Birmingham economy with an eye toward making those gains more equitable.
Birmingham City Council Approves Healthy Food Overlay District
The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to establish a “healthy food overlay district,” designed to make healthy food options more accessible for the approximately two-thirds of the city’s population that lives within food deserts.
The Risky Business of Music Festivals
Later this month, Freedom Fest makes its debut in downtown Birmingham. But music festivals around here seem to come and go. We sent WBHM’s Janae Pierre to find out why it’s so hard to keep a music festival going here in the Magic City.
The Story Behind Parcak’s “Archaeology from Space”
UAB anthropology professor Sarah Parcak uses satellite images to find buried sites in Egypt and around the world. She takes readers on that journey of discovery in her new book, "Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past."
FBI Records Could Have Solved A Civil Rights Cold Case. Now It’s Too Late
The murder of the Rev. James Reeb was unsolved for more than 50 years. Now, Alabama officials who might have pursued prosecution tell NPR that if the FBI had shared its case file with them, they would have investigated Reeb's murder years earlier.