Search Results for King
Sewer Split
When it comes to Jefferson County's sewer debt crisis, there's a well-documented split among county commissioners. They've clashed over how to solve the problem, and now they're divided over how to even gather public input about it. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Eating Alabama
Food experts across the country are sounding a warning knell that US food systems are dangerously out of whack. They say the current system has undermined local food economies, making it harder for many Americans to get fresh foods. But some local residents are bucking that trend, as Haden Holmes Brown reports.
Wilcox County’s Pain at the Pump
We're all feeling the pinch from gas hovering around $4 a gallon these days, but in Alabama's poorest counties the situation is getting dire. The latest nationwide Pain at the Pump Index' finds that just south of Selma, in Wilcox County, residents are spending nearly 16% of their monthly income on fuel. That's the highest percent in the country. We sent WBHM's Tanya Ott down to find out why.
Larry Langford Profile
Birmingham mayor Larry Langford is a man on fire and under fire. In his first eight months in office, Langford has proposed nearly $1 billion in new projects including a bid for the 2020 Olympics. But his ability to get some of the projects done is being tested by federal investigations into alleged misdeeds and the mayor's own management style. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Realty Check
Playing the numbers game is common when buying or selling a home - but there's one number that can't be avoided when looking at the real estate market.
Career Colleges
Twenty-five years ago, if someone wanted to continue their education after high school, but weren't inclined to attend a conventional college, they might enroll in a trade school. They'd learn shorthand, typing skills, or how to repair car engines and heating and air conditioners. Critics sometimes viewed trade schools as shady storefront 'diploma mills' handing out meaningless certificates along with an inferior education. But, over time, trade schools have morphed into career colleges, and as Les Lovoy reports they've gained a measure of respect .
Stopping Spam
Believe it or not, those unsolicited e-mail messages called spam turn 30 this year. That first e-mail sent over a government computer network opened a floodgate, with spam now accounting for 85% of all e-mail traffic by some estimates. It's annoying, sure; but there are real costs. Which is why researchers at UAB are developing a new tool...a tool they say will help stop spam at the source. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
Strong Girls
Boot camp might work for some juvenile delinquents, but most troubled girls need a lot less shouting and a lot more talking. One alternative is Strong Girls, Alabama's only arts program aimed at female juvenile offenders. Gigi Douban reports.
Chief Roper: The Interview
He's been on the job for eight months, has initiated a zero-tolerance arrest effort to chip away at a culture of lawlessness on the streets, and says his faith tells him to fight the evildoers. The mountain is a steep one, but Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper tells WBHM's Steve Chiotakis the department is marking inroads.
Air Quality: Portland
This week we've been talking about Birmingham's air quality: why it's bad on some days and the effect of particle pollutants on your health. We've looked at possible solutions, including 'smart traffic lights' and vehicle emissions testing. Today, we turn our focus to Portland, Oregon, which might seem like a strange choice. But a decade ago that city faced air quality problems like Birmingham's. Reporter Barbara Bernstein explains how Portland turned things around and what new challenges it faces.
Air Quality: On The Line
Birmingham's air quality has improved significantly over the last century. But you wouldn't know it. The area still has problems with smog and other particulate matter, exceeding federal standards. On the next On The Line, Monday June 23 at 6:30 p.m., our guests take your comments and questions about Air Pollution and how to clean up Birmingham.
Air Quality: Emissions
The average price of regular unleaded gas in Alabama is $3.94 a gallon, and that has many people thinking about alternatives. The Birmingham Regional Planning Commission says hundreds of people have signed up for their carpool program, and some businesses are moving to four-day workweeks. All of this could have an impact on the environment. In today's installment in our Air Quality series, reporter Gigi Douban examines vehicle emissions testing in Alabama.
Air Quality: Traffic
When people and businesses think about moving to a city they consider all kinds of things, including air quality and traffic. The two are linked, afterall. More time spent idling at traffic lights means more CO2 emissions. More air pollution. WBHM's Tanya Ott takes us on a road trip.
Air Quality: Health
Nearly half of Americans breathe air which falls short of the federal government’s standards for acceptable air quality. But what does polluted air mean for our health? Continuing our weeklong […]
Air Quality: a history
Birmingham's air quality has improved significantly over the last century. But you wouldn't know it. The area still has problems with smog and other particulate matter, exceeding federal standards. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis harkens back to a time when bad air meant big Birmingham business.
ShotSpotter
For many Birmingham residents, gunfire is a familiar sound especially around holidays... with bullets falling towards rooftops and city streets. In order to combat random gunfire, Birmingham Police recently spent one million dollars of federal grant money to install ShotSpotter, a gunshot detection system. WBHM's Colin Quarello takes a closer look at the system and ShotSpotter's effectiveness.
Langford and Religion
The phrase 'separation of church and state' can be tracked back to a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists in 1802. He referred to the First Amendment of the Constitution creating a 'wall of separation' between church and state. But in the South, that wall has always been a wobbly one, with local governments and school districts often ignoring court rulings on religion. In his first six months in office, Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford has blurred the line between church and state, and as Tanya Ott reports, his potent mix of politics and religion may result in another lawsuit.
Severe Storms
People throughout the South are cleaning up today after another round of severe weather stuck the region over the weekend. At least one tornado and severe thunderstorms tore through portions of north and central Alabama, waking people up in the middle of the night with vivid lightning, loud thunder and tornado warning sirens. There are no reports of injuries, but damage has been reported in Marion, Winston, and Cullman counties, with downed trees and power lines in many areas.
Alabama Sales Tax on Food
Alabama lawmakers are on overdrive to wrap up this year's legislative session. Despite a May 19th deadline, many bills remain unresolved including one which could mean some extra cash at the grocery store. Alabama is one of just two states which charge the full state sales tax on groceries without some kind of offset for low-income families. A bill that could eliminate the state sales tax on food is stalled in the senate. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
World’s Top Auctioneer
Drive out to Moody, Alabama and you can catch the 'World's Top Auctioneer' in action. That's not just hyperbole. Alabama's Bryan Knox was declared the best auctioneer in the world about a year ago. He's very good! But, as Gigi Douban reports Knox leads a double life. When he's not moving property, he's in the business of saving souls.
High School Drop Out Rates
A new report says Alabama's high school dropout rate is the number one threat to the state's long-term economic growth. Although the dropout rate has remained relatively constant over the past quarter century, a high school diploma is becoming more important, especially in the metro Birmingham area, where the service sector has replaced manufacturing. And as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports, the lack of a high school degree costs individuals and the state.
Science of Stuttering
More than three million Americans stutter. Researchers don't know what causes stuttering. Theories have ranged from nature to nurture. Whatever the cause, it's a disability that holds its victims in a prison of self-doubt, fear and humiliation. Les Lovoy recalls a personal journey of how he beat stuttering.
Teen Brains
If you've ever gone eye-to-eye with a teenager, trying to get them to see the consequences of their actions you may have been frustrated in your efforts. Are teenagers intentionally being reckless? Do they not even try to understand "this" causes "that?" Scientific research suggests that a young brain may not allow a teenager to fully appreciate the connection between actions and consequences. Les Lovoy reports how new research on teen brains is affecting the juvenile justice system.
Childcare in Birmingham
For families with young children in the Birmingham area, a report released Monday may present an already familiar reality. The survey by the non-profit Childcare Resources found the number of childcare programs in the area dropping while costs are on the rise. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke with Executive Director Joan Wright about this snapshot of childcare from 2003 to 2007. He began by asking what's behind that drop in the number of childcare programs.
College Fight Songs
It's March Madness and, as always, there were a couple of "givens" in the lead-up to this weekend's Final Four. There have been blowouts and upsets. And, if you if you've watched enough games, you've probably been humming fight songs non-stop. But it's not all just team spirit and nostalgia. There are a lot of people making money off university and college fight songs, as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
Fee or Flee
It's been three months since the city of Birmingham initiated a one percent sales tax and business license fee increase to fund economic improvements in the city, including a dome stadium. At the time, Mayor Larry Langford said it was a way to raise money for infrastructure and public safety improvements and to help boost Birmingham's economy. But as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports, some businesses are wondering if it will have the opposite effect.
On The Line: Funding Arts
When the Jefferson County Commission eliminated its $4.2 million a year allocation for arts and cultural organizations it sent local arts groups scrambling to replace the funding. On the next On The Line (March 31), County Commissioner Sheila Smoot joins the leaders of local arts organizations to talk about Funding the Arts.
Sister Helen Prejean
If you recognize the name Sister Helen Prejean, it's likely from the book or film "Dead Man Walking." This Roman Catholic nun's correspondence with a death row inmate inspired those works and also led her to become a leading advocate against capital punishment. Prejean is in Birmingham this evening, with a viewpoint she says has deepened through her more than two decades of advocacy. She spoke with WBHM's Andrew Yeager.
Public arts funding
The world of arts funding can be challenging. There are artists that rely on the marketplace for all of their support. There are artists who only take money from private donors. And then there are arts organizations that support themselves with local, state and federal funds. And it's the latter group that, for nearly a quarter century, has been at the center of a fiery philosophical debate. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Cave 9
There are a lot of well-known arts organizations around Birmingham. Big ones like the symphony and ballet and smaller ones like Red Mountain Theatre Company and Space One Eleven. But there's one very small non-profit that's doing something pretty unusual, as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports.
NonProfit Management
Used to be, it was enough for nonprofits to be run by someone with a big heart and a passion for a cause. Board members were friends and board meetings were more social than business. But, times have changed. A growing number of nonprofits are scrambling for a limited amount of donations, and many nonprofits are adopting for-profit business models to ensure their survival. In the latest installment in our weeklong series "Funding the Arts", Les Lovoy reports on how the executive directors and boards of non-profits are having to use both halves of their brains to manage their organizations.
Alabama Appalachian Trail
State tourism officials are hailing their latest attraction as something hundreds of millions of years in the making. It is a natural path that connects Alabama's portion of the Appalachian Mountains to the Appalachian Trail. The decades long effort has spurred some to ask why the trail doesn't officially end in Alabama. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
