Search Results for King
The Miss Mary Case
When the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling, its decisions can carry weight for generations. For instance, civil rights decisions to overturn schools segregation or to uphold the Montgomery bus boycott are just as significant today. But another Alabama case from that era had a subtle effect on how courts treat defendants. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Joseph Walter: Doing Much More Than Surviving
Pompe disease is a rare and often fatal illness that attacks the heart and skeletal muscles. Many people with the early onset form don't survive past childhood. But just north of Birmingham there's an eighteen-year-old who's not only surviving, but thriving. He recently graduated high school, and as WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen tells us, that's just part of the story.
U.S. Supreme Court Overturns Portion of Voting Rights Act
In a five to four decision Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 4 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, a part of the law that sets out a formula for determining which states are examined for voting discrimination. Shelby County, Alabama, challenged that section along with Section 5 which requires certain states, mostly in the south, gain prior approval from the federal government before changing voting laws.
From Foster Care To College: A Little Help Bettering The Odds
Whether it's summer, spring, or fall term, some young people have trouble adjusting to campus life. College students coming from foster care face extra hurdles: 70 percent want to get a degree, but roughly three percent graduate by age 25. For the third and final part of the Southern Education Desk series "From Foster Care To College: Extra Help For Extra Hurdles," WBHM's Dan Carsen recently went to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa to learn about a new program that's trying to better those odds.
Remembering the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
Some images from the civil rights era are indelibly etched on our collective memory. For instance, the rubble left by the bombing of the 16th St. Baptist Church or the dogs and fire hoses set upon marching children in downtown Birmingham. Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of a third -- Governor George Wallace’s stand in the Schoolhouse door. Greg Bass reports.
Questions Surround JeffCo Bankruptcy Deal
The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history could be coming to an end. Jefferson County has been saddled with more than $4.2 billion of debt. Wednesday a federal bankruptcy judge began reviewing a tentative agreement in the case. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Kyle Whitmire: JeffCo Commissioners Deny Deal
A proposal to increase by more than $43,000 the office budget for Commissioner George Bowman has some county commissioners concerned. That proposal comes two weeks after Bowman provided a tie breaking vote for Carol Sue Nelson, the new county attorney. We talk politics with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Poverty on the Rise in Suburbia
Many people think of poverty as an urban issue, but a new analysis finds poor families are increasingly living in suburbs. In fact, in the last decade, poverty rose more than twice as fast in suburban communities as it did in urban centers. It’s a trend in Birmingham as well, although the metro area is not at the leading edge of the shift.
Tanya Ott’s final day at WBHM
On her final day as News Director and Morning Edition host, WBHM's,Tanya Ott speaks with Michael Krall about her time in North Central Alabama and tells us about her new position with Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Healing the Hurt in Hurtsboro
Hurtsboro, Alabama, is a typical Black Belt town. It's small and poor. The town's only medical clinic closed several years ago, meaning residents must travel at least 35 miles to either Opelika or Columbus, Ga., to see a doctor or fill a prescription. But, a Birmingham-based medical ministry hopes to help.
Black School, White School: Teaching The Civil Rights Movement
Most people know Birmingham was a Civil Rights Movement battleground. But how is that complicated history taught in schools today? And are there differences between white and black districts? As part of our special Civil Rights anniversary coverage, Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen went to class in urban Birmingham and suburban Mountain Brook to find out.
The Postman’s March
All this year we’re marking the 50th anniversary of key moments from the civil rights movement. While many are familiar with the turmoil in Birmingham, Gadsden was relatively calm. That is until a white man named William Moore set out on a solo protest walk across the south. It ended with his murder in Etowah County, Alabama. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager has the story of the “Postman’s March,” a case still unresolved today.
Hostess to the Civil Rights Movement
The best remembered images of the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama are of fire hoses and police dogs in Birmingham and officers attacking marchers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. But today we bring you the story of one woman working to preserve the behind- the-scenes role her house played in the movement's history.
1963 Church Bombing Seeks Compensation
The lone survivor of a 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four black girls is seeking millions of dollars in compensation and says she will not accept a top congressional award to honor the victims.
Diane McWhorter on Civil Rights 50th Anniversary
Birmingham is now in month four of commemorating the Civil Rights events of 1963. Some people welcome the chance to remember. Others say it was 50 years ago, why open old wounds?
Common Core, Part 1: Is The Hype Really Just Hype?
There's been a revolution in American K-12 education: the 'Common Core State Standards.' Released in 2010, they're math and language arts standards meant to raise rigor and establish consistency across the nation. They've been adopted in 45 states. But in the first of a three-part series, the Southern Education Desk's Dan Carsen tells us that even in those places, all is not quiet on the Common Core front.
Remembering Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert has joined his friend Gene Siskel in the balcony in the sky, and according to WBHM blogger Billy Ray Brewton film criticism has died along with him.
White People Problems
You may have heard someone say "Sounds like a white people problem." Or how about "That's so ghetto." Some people toss around these phrases without even thinking about them, but not WBHM Race and Diversity blogger Jasmine White.
Pre-K Series, Part 3: Access Is Everything
Most education researchers and even many economists think high-quality Pre-K benefits children and the communities where they live. But the effects are limited when programs just don't reach many kids. In Part Three of the Southern Education Desk series on Pre-K in the Deep South, WBHM's Dan Carsen has more from right here in Alabama, which has a highly regarded program that reaches a just a fraction of the state's four-year-olds.
Proving Preschool with Performance
Pre-Kindergarten education is a hot topic right now. In his State of the Union address, President Obama made it a priority. But critics say the research just doesn't support long-term gains from Pre-K. Today, we launch a series examining the value of Pre-K .
Kyle Whitmire: Controversial School Bill Blocked…For Now
A Montgomery judge is extending a temporary restraining order blocking Alabama's governor from signing a controversial school bill into law. But Republican leaders vow to appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court. We hear about the political fallout from The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Bloody Sunday: A Commemoration and a Challenge
An estimated 15,000 thousand people, including members of Congress and Vice President Joe Biden, marched across a bridge in Selma, Alabama, Sunday, to reenact what’s known as “Bloody Sunday.” In 1965, civil rights protesters attempted to march from Selma to Montgomery but were quickly met by police billy clubs and tear gas. Bloody Sunday galvanized support for the Voting Rights Act at that time. While the commemoration is an annual event, this year's comes just days after the U.S. Supreme Court heard a challenge to a portion of the law
Segregation Academies: Past And Still Present
Ever since the Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional in its 1954 Brown vs. Board of Ed decision, the racial makeup of our schools has been in flux. Forced integration made the South’s public schools some of the most integrated in the country, but now – here and across the nation – our schools are re-segregating. The Southern Education Desk is taking a deep look at the issue with a multi-part series exploring this complex trend. In the second installment, WBHM's Dan Carsen examines a strategy resistant whites once used to sidestep public school integration, one that still shapes communities today: private so-called segregation academies.
John Archibald Visits Alabama’s Worst Cities
Birmingham News columnist outraged some readers with his list of Alabama's Best and Worst Cities. He's making amends by visiting some of the underdogs.
John Archibald: Don’t Forget Common Sense in Gun Debate
Gun violence and school safety are taking center stage in Alabama this month. First, the fatal shooting of a school bus driver in Midland City; now, charges against a man accused of holding several Chelsea Middle School girls at gunpoint in a school locker room. And that's just the beginning...
Interview: Dr. Robert Corley
In Birmingham's historic Kelly Ingram Park, there's a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. One of the names on the stone pedestal is Robert Corley. Among other things, Dr. Corley teaches history at UAB. He was a founding member of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute board and has served on the city school board. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently sat down with him while researching stories for our special Civil Rights anniversary coverage. Corley says today's students are missing some of that vital history.
Do We Still Need Black History Month?
Eighty-seven years ago Dr. Carter G. Woodson created what at the time was called "Negro History Week". The second week of February coincided with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and was meant to recognize the contributions of African-Americans. Now, it's Black History month, but some question why -- in 2013 -- it's necessary.
MLK Unity Breakfast: Disunity?
For 27 years people of all races, ages and gender have celebrated Martin Luther King Junior's birthday by attending The Unity Breakfast, in the heart of downtown Birmingham. This year's breakfast has special significance because of the 50th anniversary of some of the major events of the Civil Right movement. But attendees at today's Unity Breakfast will see a public show of disunity.
Southern Schools Mix MLK and Robert E. Lee
Schools around the country are closed today in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. But schools in the Deep South are also observing the birthday of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and Mississippi all officially roll the holidays together and leave it to schools to communicate the confusing marriage to students.
A New Direction for Alabama’s Medicaid System
When Alabama lawmakers kick off the new legislative session next month, they’ll have to tackle Medicaid. The program provides healthcare for almost a million low income residents. It takes up about a third of Alabama’s non-education spending and the costs keep rising. As WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports, a panel met this week to recommend changes to Medicaid, but whether they’ll work is still unclear.
Kyle Whitmire: Inching out of Bankruptcy
A big question this year is whether Jefferson County will exit municipal bankruptcy. County commissioners spent a good deal of time this week working toward that effort in closed door meetings. We talk about it with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
State Officials Say School Safety a Priority
State officials say making schools safer is a top priority for the upcoming legislative session. More than a hundred people packed a school safety hearing Wednesday. But some communities aren't waiting for the state to take action. They're making moves of their own.
