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Selling Camp Coleman
For many children, summer vacation means the chance to go to camp. For Girl Scouts around Birmingham that tradition is about to change. Last month, the Girl Scouts of North Central Alabama announced it would sell four of its six camps, including the 87-year old Camp Coleman. The facility in Trussville is among the oldest continually operating Girl Scout camps in the country. As WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports, one group is trying to prevent that closure from happening.
State Steps Up Intervention, Could Take Over Bham Schools
The Alabama State Board of Education votes to have the state oversee the Birmingham School Board's day-to-day financial operations, specifically its implementation of a cost-cutting plan. But that could be just the beginning of state involvement. Dan Carsen has this web-exclusive story and national newscast spot.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Depression
One in ten Americans suffers from depression. All of us probably know someone who’s living with the condition. Anti-depressants work for some, but many find it difficult to keep their depression at bay with just medicines. Could magnets offer relief?
Backs to Wall, Birmingham BOE Approves Cuts
After another surprising and sometimes confusing meeting, the Birmingham Board of Education has approved a cost-cutting plan some hope will keep the state from taking over the district. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has this web-exclusive report.
B’ham Board Rejects State Cost-Cutting Plan
In a 5-4 vote along increasingly familiar lines, the Birmingham Board of Education on Tuesday rejected a cost-cutting plan proposed last week by the state team investigating the local board. An outright state takeover could be imminent. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has this web-exclusive story.
Let’s Manufacture Static
Normally, static is a bad thing on the radio. But not when you’re talking about the Birmingham band called Let’s Manufacture Static. They offer up soulful sounds on their newly-released self-titled EP.
What Makes a Good Teacher?
Good teaching is central to effective education, but it's not easy to pin down what actually constitutes good teaching. WBHM and the Southern Education Desk want your opinion. Join us for Issues & Ales to have your say.
The Labor Force Puzzle
The latest monthly unemployment numbers for Alabama are due out Friday. The state’s unemployment rate is down about 2% over the last year. While that seems like good news, there was something in the numbers which caught the attention of WBHM’s Andrew Yeager. And he went looking for an explanation.
Birmingham to Beijing
Lack of exposure to other kinds of people, languages, and ideas is a disadvantage for poor rural and urban students across the country. Inner-city Birmingham is no exception, but six local high school students are hoping to become exceptional ... in more ways than one. Thanks to their hard work and the efforts of a first-year teacher, they're planning to study in China this summer. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has the story.
Wilco Brings The Whole Love to Birmingham
In the last 15 years the members of alternative rock band Wilco have experienced the highs and lows of a performing life. And they keep coming back for more. Their latest is 'The Whole Love'. Wilco brings the show to Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces tonight.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Education Alabama
It's the final week of the legislative session and that means Alabama lawmakers are scrambling to pass several bills. One of them would tweak the immigration law by preventing school officials from asking students about their parent's immigration status. Still, the Justice Department is concerned about effects on Latino children. And that's just a little of what's happening on the education beat. Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen tells WBHM's Tanya Ott about that and more in this week's interview.
Bike Sharing in Alabama
Birmingham often finds itself at back of the pack when it comes to friendliness to cyclists. In fact, Bicycling magazine named Birmingham as one of the worst cities for cycling in the country in 2010. But a new pair of so-called “bike sharing” programs are trying to encourage residents to hit the streets on two wheels. WBHM intern Dannial Budhwani reports.
Tornado Mental Health Update
A year ago today, deadly tornados plowed through the state of Alabama. The storms tore down buildings and took lives. More than 250 people died statewide. In hard hit Tuscaloosa County, six University of Alabama students were killed. Today’s anniversary conjures up many strong feelings for survivors. And while debris has been cleared and rebuilding continues, the emotional scars linger. But as WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports, mental health professionals are still working on that part of recovery.
INTERVIEW: State Schools Chief on Birmingham Investigation
The state investigation and possible takeover of the Birmingham Board of Education has made national news. State Superintendent Tommy Bice and his investigative team met with the local board behind closed doors here in Birmingham late Thursday. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Superintendent Bice via cell phone while Bice was traveling late Friday. Click the link above or the picture for more of the story, or click an icon below to go straight to the web-exclusive interview.
Fight Continues over Shepherd Bend Mine
The Birmingham area has a long, intertwined history with coal. Coal fueled the steel plants which built the city. Coal mines still dot the Alabama landscape. But a planned strip mine along the Black Warrior River in Walker County has generated strong public opposition. WBHM intern Shelby Mauck has this look at the long simmering controversy over the Shepherd Bend Mine.
Alabama Author’s Family Connection to the Titanic
One hundred years ago, a young missionary couple boarded a new luxury liner that was making its maiden voyage from England to America. Alabama author Julie Hedgepeth Williams recounts the stories her great-uncle Albert told about his family's remarkable story of surviving the Titanic.
Witherspoon Is Still B’ham Schools Chief
UPDATED LATE THURSDAY: Despite repeated efforts by some at the Birmingham Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, Craig Witherspoon is still the school system's superintendent, and will remain so during a new state-level investigation of the local school board. Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen was at the charged meeting and filed this extensive web-exclusive report. Click on the story to read Witherspoon's statement in response to the investigation, the state board's official April 12 resolution initiating it, and more.
Carsen, Ott on All Things Alabama Education
These are interesting times for Birmingham City Schools. Standardized testing is underway just as there’s a standoff over the future of superintendent Craig Witherspoon. The Board of Education could vote this afternoon to terminate his contract. Check the station website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed for the latest developments. There’s been some drama on the state and national levels too, with a congressional committee looking into the Alabama Education Association. WBHM’s Tanya Ott interviews reporter Dan Carsen on that and more in this week’s education chat.
John Archibald
This week, members of the Birmingham City Council donned hooded sweatshirts in an act of solidarity with Trayvon Martin, the Florida teenager shot to death by a neighborhood watch volunteer. John Archibald says the incident points out real problems in our own backyard.
Carsen and Ott EduChat
Is the state legislature pitting business incentives against school funding? And why are some Republicans balking at the charter school bill? At least a situation that's literally toxic -- the mercury spill at Putnam Middle in Birmingham -- has been cleaned up.
Wilkerson Middle Defies the Odds
It's easy to focus on what's wrong with education. And it's no secret that Birmingham Schools, like other urban districts around the nation, face serious problems. But there are schools here that are achieving success regardless. From the Southern Education Desk at WBHM, Dan Carsen has much more.
Carsen and Ott EduChat
Severe thunderstorms, hail, and multiple tornadoes raked Alabama last week. Were any schools hit? And are there figurative storms on the horizon for the state's Education Trust Fund? In this fifth installment of a weekly series, WBHM's Tanya Ott starts the interview by asking about storm damage and an incredible recovery. The education budget may not be so lucky.
Birmingham-Southern’s Basketball Team Still on Top
March madness is right around the corner, which means college basketball players are gearing up to make their mark on the postseason hardwood. It’s a particularly exciting time for the Birmingham-Southern College men’s basketball team. They’re poised for a strong tournament run. But as WBHM intern Kenan Le Parc reports, the team’s success comes in spite of several big challenges.
Gin Phillips
The Los Angeles times called Birmingham author Gin Phillips's first book The Well and The Mine an astonishing new novel. It's been compared to To Kill a Mockingbird and earned Phillips the Barnes and Noble Discover Award. So when Phillips started shopping her next novel, Come In and Cover Me , she admits there was a bit of pressure. Come In and Cover Me follows the story of Ren Taylor -- an archeologist who's on a mission to understand an ancient community, but ends up discovering some things about herself.
Local Government with John Archibald
Details on an emergency bankruptcy hearing, looming Jefferson County layoffs, a proposal to term limit the Birmingham mayor and a packed room at a public hearing on a smoking ban.
Alabama’s Prison Problem
Alabama faces a potential $400 million shortfall in the general fund budget this year. And that could leave the state’s already-strapped prison system at a tipping point -- so overcrowded Alabama could face the possibility of a federal lawsuit. As WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports lawmakers are searching for ways to fix a system bursting at the seams.
Interview with Education Reformer Michelle Rhee
Michelle Rhee is an education reformer known for making controversial moves. After closing schools in Washington D.C., she was featured on the cover of Time magazine holding a broom. Her group StudentsFirst is in Alabama pushing for charter schools and new ways to evaluate teachers, among other things. She spoke with Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen, who asked her about what her group's goals mean for people around here.
Legislature Considers Immigration Law Tweaks
The Alabama Legislature begins its regular session today and one of the big issues lawmakers will consider is changing the state’s immigration law. That law, HB56, is considered the nation’s toughest crackdown on illegal immigrants. When it passed last year it got very little attention from Alabama’s business community, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports, business leaders are driving the latest efforts to modify the law.
The January 2012 Tornado
Residents along the north side of Birmingham are digging out after a line of storms rumbled across the state early Monday morning. A tornado killed at least two people in Jefferson County. And as WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports, the damage is a reminder of the killer tornados which struck the state just last spring.
Charter Schools: None in Alabama, but May Change Soon
In a national ranking on charter schools, Alabama did not even come in last. That's because the state is one of only nine that doesn't have charter schools, but that could change, and soon. Dan Carsen has more for the Southern Education Desk at WBHM:
Bards of Birmingham
When schools cut their budgets, arts and theater programs are often the first to go. But in Birmingham, a youth acting group is still teaching lessons to any kid with the chops to get on stage. It's also pushing boundaries in a way that might make some theater traditionalists and parents uncomfortable. From the Southern Education Desk at WBHM, Dan Carsen reports.
Home Energy Efficiency
It's cold outside... and maybe inside, if your house isn't properly insulated. Home energy efficiency is a big issue and a new study gives Alabama high marks - and low marks - for how the state handles it. WBHM's Tanya Ott has our story.
