Search Results for King
TEDx Birmingham 2016: Pure Imagination
The theme for TEDx Birmingham 2016 is Pure Imagination. Last weekend, UAB’s Alys Stephens Center was home to a day featuring featuring 18 different speakers sharing thought-provoking ideas. The goal […]
Crime in Greater Birmingham: An Increase or Perception?
Birmingham finished 2015 with an increase in homicides. That’s a reversal from the last several years where those numbers dropped to levels not seen in a generation. With that rise and the headlines that come with it, crime is pushing back to the forefront of community conversation. This week, we’ll explore crime in the greater Birmingham area. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager kicks off our series.
End the Spring Fund Drive Before It Even Begins
WBHM’s Spring Fund Drive is scheduled to begin April 6, 2016 and last for ten days. Starting today, however, we are asking you to help end the fund drive before […]
Medicaid Funding Struggles Could Send Alabama Legislature into Special Session
Alabama is once again heading for a budget standoff. This week, the house committee approved a General Fund budget. The state's Medicaid commissioner says it would cause severe cuts to the program. The $1.8 billion budget steers an additional $15 million to Medicaid, but that's short of the $100 million the agency says is needed to maintain services. Governor Robert Bentley’s already threatened a veto, and state lawmakers are talking about a special session. Don Dailey, host of Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal, told WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley more about the budget and the rest of this week's news from Montgomery.
The Rising Cost of Helping the Homeless in Alabama
Life is difficult without identification. For homeless people, not having it can make life even more challenging. There are organizations that help homeless people get state-issued IDs, but cost increases […]
Does ALDOT Just Do What They Want?
As a federal judge considers a lawsuit seeking to block a planned rebuilding and expansion of Interstate 20/59 through downtown Birmingham, opponents of road projects often contend state transportation leaders ignore local concerns. They say the Alabama Department of Transportation does what it wants or that ALDOT doesn’t listen.
Alabama Lawmakers Could Consider “Ban the Box” Bill
Research shows a key factor in preventing a felon from reoffending is having a job. But studies also show half of employers are unwilling to consider an applicant with a criminal background. So-called “ban the box” policies try to close that gap and Alabama legislators could consider such a proposal this session.
UAB — Going More Dense and Vertical
UAB has been jokingly referred to as the university that ate Birmingham because of the steady growth its campus has seen through the decades. It’s an anchor of the region’s economy and a new master plan outlines where university leaders want to take Birmingham’s largest employer. We talk about it in this week's Magic City Marketplace. Birmingham Business Journal editor Ty West also discusses plans for development around Birmingham's CrossPlex and why lower oil prices are bad news for banks.
This Week in Montgomery: PREP Act, Bentley’s Bond for Building New Prisons and More
This week in the Alabama Legislature, senator Del Marsh’s introduced the PREP Act. If it becomes law, Alabama teachers would be evaluated by student test scores and have to work longer before they get tenure.
Judge in Jefferson County Rules Alabama’s Death Penalty Statute Unconstitutional
In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Hurst v. Florida that Florida’s death penalty statute was unconstitutional. Alabama and Delaware are the only other states with similar statutes that require a judge – not a jury – to make the final decision about life of death in a capital case. Attorney General Luther Strange has held that the Supreme Court ruling does not apply to Alabama. But today one judge in Jefferson County disagreed. Ruling that the death can’t currently be imposed in Alabama.
Protesters Hold Memorial for Deceased Former Etowah County Detainee
The Etowah County Detention Center has been under increasing scrutiny in recent months after complaints about poor inmate health care and a detainee hunger strike. The center is used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold unlawful immigrants. Over the weekend, protesters held a memorial service for Teka Gulema, a former inmate who died shortly after being released.
Alabama Clinton Supporters Look to November After Super Tuesday Win
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton stormed through Alabama and much of the South on Super Tuesday, clinching victories. Clinton claimed a commanding primary victory over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders with 78 percent of the vote in the Alabama Democratic primary. Clinton was propelled by heavy support from African-American voters. Nine in 10 black Democrats supported Clinton.
Dr. Tommy Bice, State Schools Chief, Announces Retirement
Dr. Tommy Bice, Superintendent of the Alabama State Department of Education, today announced his retirement, set to go into effect at the end of this month.
US Senator Richard Shelby Spends Big in Alabama Primary
What does $5 buy you in Chilton County? All the chili you could eat, line dancing, and door prizes galore. Oh, and a chance to meet Senator Richard Shelby, who spent a recent Saturday campaigning at the Chilton County Chili Cookoff.
Alabama Democrats Trying to Get Their Groove Back
Being a Democrat in Alabama wasn’t always taboo. They held a majority in state government for more than a century. But that changed in 2010 when they lost those seats […]
Shelby County Residents to Vote on Sunday Alcohol Sales
During Tuesday’s primaries residents of Shelby County will vote on whether to allow alcohol to be sold on Sundays.
Showdown Over Birmingham’s Minimum Wage
The Birmingham City Council and the state legislature are in a showdown over the minimum wage. The Birmingham City Council passed an ordinance on Tuesday to raise the city's minimum wage to $10.10 an hour and make it effective Wednesday. It was an attempt to get ahead of a bill in the legislature which would prevent local governments from setting their own minimum wages. That bill has passed the House and is being considered by the Senate Thursday. We talk about the situation with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald. He also remembers To Kill a Mocking Bird author Harper Lee, who died last week at age 89.
Charles Todd Henderson (D)
Name: Charles Todd Henderson Date of birth: July 18, 1964; age 51 Residence: Pleasant Grove Political experience: Ran for Jefferson County Sheriff, 2014; executive committee member, Jefferson County Democratic Party, […]
Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South: Student Incentives in Alabama
Given thousands of related job openings but only hundreds of computer science college graduates, Alabama is trying to ramp up its computer science education. That includes a new policy allowing those classes to count toward core math graduation requirements. WBHM's Dan Carsen concludes the Southern Education Desk series "Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South" with a visit to a Birmingham-area class that's leading the way.
Priming the Pipeline for STEM in the South: A Look Across the Region
Over the next ten years, the number of jobs in science, technology, engineering and math fields are expected to outpace other industries by about five to ten percent. That’s according to the group Change the Equation, an organization that pushes for greater STEM education in schools. Yet, throughout the South, particularly in rural and high poverty communities, administrators have trouble attracting educators qualified to teach STEM.
Birmingham City Council Strikes Back Over Minimum Wage Bill
The Birmingham City Council is once again trying move up the effective date of its minimum wage increase. This is in response to the fast tracked steps the State Legislature […]
Voter ID Law Creates Hurdles for Homebound Man
When Alabama primary voters go to the polls on March 1, they’ll have to show a government-issued photo ID. The law has been in place since 2014 and most people use their driver’s license. But for those who can’t get to a driver’s license office, the law creates difficulties. Samuel Stayer is one voter who ran into problems.
Tea Party Group Angered After Gun Store Owner Calls Off Senate Debate
An event featuring candidates for U.S. Senate took a bizarre turn Thursday evening. The Rainy Day Patriots had organized a debate for all five republican candidates at Hoover Tactical Firearms. But when Senator Richard Shelby didn’t attend, things quickly began to unravel.
Tea Party Senate Debate Featuring Shelby Opponents Halted
A debate featuring Alabama candidates for U.S. Senate was shut down Thursday evening and attendees suddenly asked to leave. The event was to showcase Republican opponents to incumbent Senator Richard Shelby.
The Compassion Experience: A Virtual Exhibit on Global Poverty
Global poverty can seem pretty abstract to the average American. The Compassion Experience aims to change that. This traveling exhibit immerses people in the lives and cultures of children living in poverty around the world. It's on tour across the South and returns to Alabama next week. WBHM's Amy Sedlis saw the exhibit on its last Birmingham stop, and has this preview:
Dennis Covington and Revelation: The Search for Faith in a Violent Religious World
"Faith, as St. Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, is a fruit of the spirit, and a fruit is something tangible, life sustaining, a gift." Dennis Covington.
Barbershop Forum Aims to Boost Support for Hillary Clinton
What happens when a handful of people gather in a barbershop to talk politics? People tend to speak their minds. That was the idea behind an event Monday evening at Moore Styles Barbershop in Birmingham’s Civil Rights District.
Tapeka Brown Fennell (D)
Name: Tapeka Brown Fennell Date of birth: January 1978, 38 Residence: Birmingham Political Experience: None Professional Experience: Treasurer, Alabama S.T.E.M. Education, 2016; ECA Accountancy, 2014-2016; analyst for Sirote & Permutt […]
Ron Griggs (R)
Name: Ron Griggs Date of birth: April 1, 1952; age 63 Residence: Alabaster Political experience: None Professional experience: Producer, The Insurance Store in Alabaster, 2013-present; assistant principal and principal, Thompson […]
Minnie L. Tunstall (D)
Name: Minnie L. Tunstall Date of birth: June 30, 1959; age 56 Residence: Bessemer Political experience: Ran for District Court Judge of 10th Judicial Circuit, Place 19, 2006. Professional experience: […]
Rukeya “Rudy” McAdory McCullough (D)
Name: Rukeya “Rudy” McAdory McCullough Age: 35 Residence: Hueytown Political experience: None. Professional experience: Managerial attorney/owner, The McAdory Firm LLC, 2006-2009 and 2011-present; assistant district attorney, Fourth Judicial Circuit, 2009-2011; […]
Ron Crumpton (D)
Ron Crumpton Date of birth: April 6, 1968; age 47 Residence: Pelham Political experience: Ran for state Senate, 2014. Professional experience: Executive director, Alabama Patients’ Rights Coalition, 2011-present; executive director, […]
