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From grief to leadership: Randall Woodfin’s journey in ‘Son of Birmingham’

Birmingham 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.

Lawsuit by college professors and students challenges Alabama’s anti-DEI law

The complaint asserts the new law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators’ speech and classroom lessons.

In pictures: snow blankets Birmingham

Snow 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.

The Gulf South needs more sexual assault nurse examiners. Is teleSANE the answer?

While 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.

Birmingham braces for winter storm: here’s what to do

Gov. 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.

In New Orleans, focus shifts toward community recovery, healing after terror attack

Officials 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.

Woodfin to run for a third term as mayor

Woodfin was widely expected to make another run following electoral victories in 2017 and 2021. This year’s contest will take place August 26.

Homicide commission report offers strategies to reduce gun violence

Following 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. 

Living HealthSmart in Alabama is getting easier thanks to a growing UAB initiative

The Live HealthSmart Alabama initiative, which the University of Alabama at Birmingham launched in 2019, has a goal of pulling Alabama out of the bottom 10 states in terms of negative health indicators by removing systemic barriers. Pilot projects in four Birmingham neighborhoods wrapped up this year, and organizers hope their success can be replicated throughout the state.

The 2024 moments that will stick with us: Reflections from the Gulf States Newsroom

Our regional reporters reflect on delightful, discarded moments they had in the field as they covered stories across Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

‘Driven by something greater’: Meet Birmingham’s trainer to the stars of today and the future

Otis Leverette, better known as ‘Coach O,’ is a strength and conditioning coach in the South that’s impacting athletes' lives beyond sports.

Alabama profits off prisoners safe enough to work at McDonald’s, deems them too dangerous for parole

No state has a longer, more profit-driven history of contracting prisoners out to private companies than Alabama. Best Western, Bama Budweiser and Burger King are among the more than 500 businesses to lease incarcerated workers from one of the most violent, overcrowded and unruly prison systems in the U.S.

Share your thoughts on gun violence in Birmingham

Anyone in Birmingham who wants to weigh in on how to address the city’s gun violence can do so through a survey offered by an independent gun violence commission. The commission has been working since October to find ways to reduce Birmingham’s homicide rates.

Federal regulators say an Alabama coal mine’s plans may violate law, leaving citizens at risk

A “ten-day notice” issued to Alabama officials aims to mitigate risks to citizens living above Oak Grove Mine. It comes after months of state inaction and community outrage.

Q&A: The little-known history of how enslaved people were jailed in antebellum New Orleans

Author John Bardes discusses how Louisiana’s complicated history with mass incarceration began with imprisonment being used as a tool against enslaved people.

Alabama wants to lower recidivism rates by 2030. What are the obstacles?

Last year, Alabama set an ambitious goal for itself: lower recidivism by 25% and increase post-incarceration employment rates by 50% by 2030. But a recent study on the state's criminal justice re-entry programming shows that many formerly incarcerated people are falling through the cracks.

An Alabama woman is doing well after the latest experimental pig kidney transplant

Towana Looney is the fifth American given a gene-edited pig organ — and notably, she isn’t as sick as prior recipients who died within two months of receiving a pig kidney or heart.

Remembering Gip’s Place and the Bessemer bluesman who started it all

The unassuming juke joint operated in the backyard of longtime Bessemer resident Henry “Gip” Gipson. Gipson died five years ago this fall.

Girls Rock Birmingham gives future artists the spotlight

Picture a rock band and chances are it’s a bunch of men. But Girls Rock Birmingham, a local youth organization, is fixing that spotlight on girls by giving them the chance to take the stage to rock out.

Alabama lawmakers eye change to school funding formula

Lawmakers have no plans to increase taxes but are looking to revamp the formula that divvies out state funds.

What is your favorite holiday scent and memory?

The holidays are rife with tradition and memories, with more than a few seasonal cookies, coffees and festivities sprinkled in between. So we asked visitors to our recent News and Brews community pop-up in Trussville: what is your favorite holiday scent and memory? 

Alabama leads US in ‘pregnancy criminalization’ cases following Dobbs decision: report

The report’s findings help shed light on the use of criminal laws informed by the idea of fetal personhood, a legal premise gaining traction in the South.

One-day strikes are in: Why unions are keeping it short on the picket line

Strikes can be a double-edged sword. Keeping them short can help workers gain leverage while minimizing the pain for those who don’t have it.

College sports reform could advance in GOP-controlled Congress

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who is set to take over as chair of the powerful Commerce Committee, said recently that a college sports bill will be a top priority, accusing Democrats of dragging their feet on needed reforms.

Bill Battle, former Alabama AD who founded licensing company, dies

Bill Battle, who was athletic director at his alma mater, Alabama, where he played for Paul “Bear” Bryant's first national championship team, has died. He was 82.

In the Marble Bowl, the heated rivalry between Alabama and Auburn is getting ‘wilder’

The Marble Bowl is a competition that pits fans of the University of Alabama against Auburn University. No tight ends or cornerbacks, quarterbacks or linebackers are needed, although they can play, too.

‘Iced Cherries’: Joe D. Nelson’s take on modern folk and age old tropes

It may be unusual for a musician to refer to his own music as a trope. But that’s what Birmingham singer-songwriter Joe D. Nelson does with his latest album Iced Cherries. 

Alabama carries out nation’s third nitrogen gas execution on a man for a hitchhiker’s killing

Carey Dale Grayson was executed at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in southern Alabama. He was one of four teenagers convicted of killing Vickie DeBlieux as she hitchhiked through the state on the way to her mother’s home in Louisiana.

Alabama Black Belt’s sewer crisis a tougher fix for residents in manufactured homes

Poor sanitation has long plagued residents in Alabama’s Black Belt. For people with manufactured houses, finding a solution has been more challenging.

In Birmingham, Black men’s groups work to save young men from the cycle of gun violence

As the city inches closer to its homicide record, community members are trying to address a sense of fatalism and lack of opportunity felt by some young men.

Federal appeals court won’t block upcoming nitrogen gas execution in Alabama

The 11th U.S. Court of Appeals swiftly affirmed a lower court's decision to let Carey Dale Grayson's execution proceed. Grayson had sought a preliminary injunction to block the execution. The three-judge panel wrote that evidence “did not show that nitrogen hypoxia creates a substantial risk of conscious suffocation."

WBHM is hiring a Community and Corporate Sponsorship Officer

WBHM is looking for a sales account executive who believes that the relationship matters more than the deal…who gets excited by discussing the quality of the audience…and who is passionate […]