Search Results for King
HABD Fatherhood Initiative
As the door to Jimmy’s Barber and Style in Eastern Birmingham opens, three barbers are busy cutting and trimming hair. James Mason is there too. Except he’s not a customer […]
Utz Buys Golden Flake
“The South’s Original Potato Chip” will soon be a part of a company out of Pennsylvania. UTZ Quality Foods made a merger agreement, yesterday with the company that owns Golden […]
Woodlawn Runner Jayla Kirkland Goes Against the World’s Best In Poland
Jayla’s time of 23.11 in the 200 meters captured first place last month at the prestigious New Balance Nationals Outdoor competition. In that same competition, she placed third in the 100 meter race.
Barbecuing to Stop Violence in Selma
For Tamalyn Whatley, living in Selma, Alabama, violence is always nearby. “It’s an everyday thing,“ the 24-year-old explains as she plays with her youngest son in the front yard of […]
Commentary: Paula Odogwu “…living life as the person I want to be.”
High school is a time when most students get a better idea of who they are, and what they want to be. For commentator Paula Odogwu (oh-DOUGH-goo), that transformation wasn’t easy. […]
Cleanup Efforts in North Birmingham Continue As Residents Wait
Vivian Starks enjoys growing plants and raising tomatoes in her backyard garden in Collegeville. She can only eat them occasionally though because of the contamination in her neighborhood.
Judge Puts Temporary Hold on Abortion Restrictions
Two new Alabama laws restricting abortions were set to go into effect next month, but yesterday, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson blocked them, at least for now. In the latest […]
Advocates Searching for Ways State can Improve Child Wellbeing
According to the report, Alabama ranks 46th in the country for overall child wellbeing, an area the state continues to fall in year over year. The state ranked in the bottom ten states in every category and VOICES analyzed what it would take to improve these numbers.
Hundreds Gather For Rally And March in Downtown Birmingham
Organizers of the rally say while they encourage peaceful protest, they want to see people push for policy changes and go to the polls to vote in elections.
House Speaker Mike Hubbard Sentenced to Four Years in Prison
Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard has been sentenced to four years in prison for breaking the state’s ethics law. A judge in Lee County sentenced Hubbard Friday.
Fairfield Residents Need Buses, But Regular Service Changes On July 5
Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority Leaders say they want to continue serving Fairfield, but can't do it without pay. Fairfield has a $545,000 debt with BJCTA.
A Private Gym For Birmingham Airport Leader Raises Questions
High-profile positions often come with perks. But with public positions involving public money, perks can drift into illegal ethics violations. Those are the concerns around Birmingham's airport authority CEO and what's been called his private gym. We talk about the controversy with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald. We also hear about the unanswered questions around the firing of a high-raking employee of the State Department of Finance.
The Junction: Stories from Ensley, Alabama – Janice Houston Nixon
In 1967, 12-year-old Janice Houston Nixon decided to transfer from the all-black school in her native Ensley, to an all-white school nearby. Nixon was inspired to do so by her sister, […]
Birmingham City Council Rejects $30,000 Request For Deontay Wilder Heavyweight Fight
Council members say they support Deontay Wilder, but the city has several pressing needs.
UAB MakerSpace Provides Place to Explore, Encourage Opportunities
Careers in 3-D printing and design are growing, and college students are taking note. A new student-run makerspace has opened in UAB’s Sterne Library. Students and faculty alike now have a place to learn and explore these new and innovative ideas.
Interstate 22 Interchange Opens Completing Link to Memphis
State leaders, along with officials from around Jefferson County and Washington D.C., cut the ribbon Monday on the interchange between Interstate 22 and Interstate 65, completing a long-awaited highway between Birmingham and Memphis.
The Junction: Stories from Ensley, Alabama — Holy Family Cristo Rey High School
Fair or not, the words "Ensley" and "success" don't often appear together in local media reports. But tucked among vacant buildings and weedy lots a few feet from an Interstate, there's a high school with a college acceptance rate most suburban schools would envy. For the latest chapter of "The Junction: Stories from Ensley, Alabama," education reporter Dan Carsen talks with the people making it happen to find out how this school works.
The Potential for a New Round of Bank Mergers
Birmingham’s banking industry is not what it used to be. After major acquisitions in the 2000s and the Great Recession, Birmingham is left with two big banks: Regions and BBVA Compass, which was snapped up by a Spanish financial giant. While all that activity has died down, there’s chatter we could see a pick up in mergers and acquisitions among banks. We start there in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Does My Vote Matter? We Ask What You Think
Your right to vote is arguably the most important and coveted right a person can have in this country. When the 2016 presidential election is over, one person, the president, will represent a nation of close to 320 million people. After this primary season, more than a few of those American's have lost faith in American’s voting process.
Bentley Impeachment Probe Underway
A committee of lawmakers opened impeachment hearings against Governor Robert Bentley today, beginning a probe on whether there are grounds to remove the two-term Republican from office. “When you’re looking […]
Commentary: She’lah Shreve “Have You Ever Used the F-word?”
With summer underway, some former high school seniors have a few months before they begin college. For commentator She’lah Shreve, there was a time when it looked like he might not […]
Alabama Republicans Look to Future After Mike Hubbard’s Conviction
Alabama Republicans are figuring out what's next after now former House Speaker Mike Hubbard was found guilty on 12 of 23 felony ethics charges last week. A jury determined Hubbard used his office for personal financial gain. He was considered one of Alabama's most powerful politicians. For more on what this means for future political leadership in the state, WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley spoke with Natalie Davis, professor of political science at Birmingham-Southern College. Davis says, while Hubbard’s political career is over, his impact on the Alabama Republican Party will last for years to come.
Orlando Shooting Shakes Birmingham LGBT Community
Sunday was Birmingham's Pride celebration, in honor of National Pride month. It's a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies come together to honor the LGBT community. That event was marred by what is now known as the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. Early Sunday morning a man entered a crowded gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida and began shooting. At least 49 people are dead and dozens more injured. WBHM's Esther Ciammachili spoke with Eva Walton Kendrick of the Human Rights Campaign of Alabama, an LGBTQ advocacy group. Kendrick says this tragedy has shaken the LGBT community in Birmingham.
Closing Arguments Begin in Speaker Hubbard’s Felony Ethics Trial
Indicted Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard’s trial on 23 felony ethics charges is drawing to a close. Lawyers make final closing remarks Friday. Hubbard is accused of using his position as Speaker of the House for personal financial gain. If convicted, Hubbard will automatically lose his position as Speaker.
Ira Glass on Birmingham Performance, Upcoming TAL Project on Syrian Refugees
Ira Glass has one of the most recognizable voices in all of public radio. He’s hosted the wildly popular program This American Life for more than 20 years, and influenced a generation of young audio storytellers. Glass brings his unorthodox stage show “Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host," to Birmingham this weekend. As the title suggests, it features Glass, two dancers from Monica Bill Barnes & Company, and storytelling. WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley talked with Glass to find out more.
“Resilience” is Theme to Documentary, Music about Syrian Refugee Camp
Birmingham native, Dunya Habash, spent two weeks in a Syrian refuge camp in 2014. She was filming for her recently released documentary, Za’atari: Jordan’s Newest City about a settlement created following the Syrian civil war. A recent honors graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, Habash tells WBHM’s Esther Ciammachilli about this experience and how her own music helped tell the story.
We’ve Got a New Look!
Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM – Your NPR News Station – is turning 40 this year. There have been a lot of changes in radio through the last four decades, […]
How to Protect Yourself Against Mosquitoes and Zika
The Zika virus has popped up in Alabama, although you can't blame mosquitoes yet. The pests spread the disease but so far the only cases in the state are from people who have traveled to Zika infected areas. But public health officials are offering tips to fight mosquitoes, which spread a number of diseases.
WBHM’s “On The Line” Talk Show Tackles Uneven Birmingham Revival
Walk around downtown Birmingham and there’s an energy you wouldn’t have felt a few years ago. Residents are moving to new lofts and apartments. Restaurants and retailers are opening. People do yoga at Railroad Park or take in a ballgame at Region’s Field. They’re visible signs of a Birmingham revival. But that revival is uneven. Talk to some in neighborhoods away from Downtown and they’ll say "revival" doesn’t mean much to them. No fancy lofts, just abandoned homes and potholed roads that never seem to be fixed. And all this takes place against the backdrop of Birmingham’s racial history, with investment, by-and-large, coming from whites in a city that’s been majority black for a generation.
Birmingham Revitalization: City Investments at Work in West Birmingham
Birmingham’s western business district is one of the city’s oldest. At one time, a thriving community of working class families surrounded it. A shopping mall anchored the retail center, and businesses, large and small, lined Third Avenue West. Now, it's a different story. The area has been in decline for decades. In 2011, the city Birmingham spent $46 million on the Birmingham Metro CrossPlex sports facility in hopes of giving the area an economic boost.
Birmingham Revitalization: An Alternative Model from Cleveland
When a city neighborhood rebounds, it’s typically a story of investors buying cheap property, building and attracting new residents. That runs the risk of pushing out current residents who are often poor. This week as we explore Birmingham’s revitalization, we have at an example from Cleveland of an alternative model – worker cooperatives.
BJCTA Cancels Bus Service to Fairfield Over Significant Back Payment
Birmingham City Council members want to restore bus service to Fairfield following a vote this week by the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority to stop service to the area on June 1.
