Search Results for King
Student Group Helps Alabama Residents Sign Up for Health Insurance
The deadline to sign up for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act is March 31. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, many of Alabama's uninsured still don't understand how the new healthcare law works. But a group of Alabama college students are trying to change that. For WBHM, Greg Bass takes a closer look at Bama Covered, an organization that's getting Alabama residents signed up for health insurance.
Interview: Michael Saag, M.D., Discusses His New Book
UAB researcher and physician Dr. Michael Saag is know around the world as an AIDS expert. He started working with AIDS in the early eighties, a time when the disease was masked in uncertainty. Since then, he's made AIDS research and improving patient treatment his life's work. This month, Dr. Saag published his memoir "Positive: One Doctor's Personal Encounters with Death, Life and the U.S. Healthcare System." Dr. Saag spoke with WBHM's News Director Rachel Osier Lindley about the book, what it's like to lose a patient and his deep concerns about the U.S. healthcare system.
Sustainability: Creating Art Through Recycled Glass
Recycling glass in Birmingham can be tricky. It can't be put on the curbside like most recyclables. One of residents' few options is to take it to a downtown recycling center where two 30-yard containers wait to be filled with the unwanted material. The glass that's dropped off doesn't stay in Birmingham for long. It's shipped to Tennessee and Georgia to make fiberglass, bottles, and cement. But two Birmingham artists are trying to reuse the glass and keep it in the state.
John Archibald: A Culture of Fear at Tutwiler
State officials are working to turn around conditions at Alabama's Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women after accusations of rape and sexual abuse detailed in a Justice Department report. The prisons commissioner has a 58-point checklist outlining progress. But that tool bumps up against a deep seeded culture of fear at the prison. We talk about it with Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
SUSTAINABILITY: Grant Brigham Of Jones Valley Teaching Farm
In the middle of urban Birmingham, there's a farm. Jones Valley Teaching Farm is an education center offering local students and families gardening, nutrition courses, fresh food, and much more. As part of our sustainability series, WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen sat down with its Executive Director, Grant Brigham. Dan starts off by asking him if he sees the farm playing a part in Birmingham's long-term sustainability:
Sustainability: The Problem with Alabama’s Water Management
Compared to most states, water is plentiful in Alabama. In fact, you can see the many rivers that cross Alabama right on the state seal. But there are some who say Alabama is doing a poor job of managing this resource. As WBHM's Andrew Yeager continues our series on sustainability, that track record could catch up with us with as development, drought, and other pressures increase.
Weekend Edition Saturday
Weekend Edition Saturday, (Saturday from 7 a.m. – 10 a.m.) offers a wrap-up of the week’s news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of […]
3D Printing Pediatric Prosthetics: Changes For A Little Girl, And Much More
In Huntsville, there's a little girl who was born without fingers on one hand, but she now has an affordable prosthetic. Three-dimensional printing made it possible. That technology is spreading, which means her story is just one example of life-altering changes on the horizon. In this national story, with previously unpublished photos, WBHM's Dan Carsen has more.
Morning Edition
The best thing about waking up for more than 13 million people worldwide? Coffee, juice, and a staple to satisfy the curious with Morning Edition (weekday mornings from 5 a.m. – […]
Vets say Ft. McClellan Made them Sick
Life in the military can mean being in harm's way, but not necessarily from bullets and explosions. For instance, some soldiers in Vietnam cleared trees and vegetation with the herbicide Agent Orange. The substance has been linked to cancers and other diseases, which the military didn't acknowledge until years later. A similar situation may be brewing in Alabama. Some veterans of Ft. McClellan near Anniston say they're suffering from debilitating health problems and they're blaming their time spent at the base.
Commentary: What Do Alabama Teachers and School Administrators Think of Common Core?
There's a heated debate in the Alabama legislature, and beyond, about Common Core. It's a set of educational standards used in 45 states, including Alabama, which uses its own slightly modified version. Just last week, Republican Senator Scott Beason of Gardendale said he's working on legislation that would let school systems opt out of Common Core. The state school board originally adopted the standards in 2010. Commentator Larry Lee was curious about the debate, so he went and talked to some people working with the standards -- teachers and school administrators.
INTERVIEW: AdvancED CEO Mark Elgart
AdvancED is a private accrediting firm working with more than thirty thousand schools worldwide. A team from its Southern Association of Colleges and Schools division arrives in Birmingham today. They're checking whether Birmingham City Schools are fixing problems that led the agency to put the system on accreditation probation last summer. It got WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen thinking about what these firms actually do, and whether they have as much power as it seems. He caught up with AdvancED president Mark Elgart and asked him how his agencies decide which districts get accredited ... and which don't.
In Search of My Womanist Self
When someone says they identify as a feminist, some images and assumptions come to mind. But what if someone were to self identify as a womanist? What would you think then? The meaning behind these two words may sound similar, but they spark great debate. Our guest blogger Javacia Harris Bowser explores this in her monthly post for WBHM.
What’s Next For The Alabama Democratic Party?
It's been almost 12 years since a Democrat held a major office in Alabama. But recently, there seems to be new energy among Democrats. In April of last year, Mark Kennedy resigned as chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party. He created a new foundation, the Alabama Democratic Majority. Kennedy's split with party leadership wasn't pretty, but the new foundation has political leaders talking.
Commentary: Why We Still Need Black History Month
Ahmad Ward is Head of Education and Exhibitions at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Working with BCRI's educational outreach, he regularly meets young people who don't have basic knowledge of Black history. In this commentary, he discusses the origin of Black History Month and why it's still necessary.
INTERVIEW: Controversial Comedian Bill Maher
For his decades-long career, comedian and commentator Bill Maher has skewered cherished customs and beliefs. Whether on his HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher," in his film "Religulous," or doing stand-up, he doesn't shy away from controversy. Politics, drugs, faith -- nothing is sacred. He'll be performing in Birmingham this Sunday, but WBHM's Dan Carsen caught up with him first. It's a serious conversation, but it starts out on a light note and ranges far and wide from there.
Javacia Harris Bowser: 365 Days of Fitness
Our guest blogger, Javacia Harris Bowser, speaks to WBHM's Sarah Delia about her fitness goal for 2014.
Strong is the New Skinny
I have declared on my blog, on my social media networks, and to all my close family members and friends that I am going to exercise every day in 2014. Yes, I plan to work out 365 consecutive days.
Slow Progress In Road Clearing
ALDOT is working to clear vehicles from roadways once the thaw begins, today.
Coping with the Snow
Roads across the Birmingham area remain slick a day after snow blanketed a wide swath of Alabama. At least five people have died in weather related accidents. Some parents are still trying to get to children sheltering in schools. With many cities and businesses essentially shut down, WBHM's Andrew Yeager has a look at what people are doing to cope in one eastside Birmingham neighborhood.
Helena Could Be A Model Test Case For Citywide Wi-Fi
In Helena, Alabama, a private company thinks its up to the task of providing Helena's 17,000 residents with citywide Wi-Fi, all while competing with much larger internet service providers. Les Lovoy reports on how it's hoping Helena will be a successful test case for citywide Wi-Fi.
Birmingham Schools: Takeover To Today, Part 3
The Alabama State Department of Education's intervention team has left Birmingham City Schools. ALSDE staff are approving local board agendas and monitoring finances from Montgomery. A year and a half after the state first took the reins, the local board is quietly going about its business. As 2014 approaches, there's a new optimism from the Superintendent's office down to the trenches. But is it realistic? In this third and final installment, WBHM's Dan Carsen reports on the reality on the ground, and on where informed stakeholders think it's all headed.
Birmingham Schools: Takeover To Today, Part 2
In any big institution, good things are usually happening even when problems get the attention. This week WBHM is airing a three-part "status update" on Birmingham City Schools, from the state takeover to today. Yesterday, Part One explored some reasons why the state intervened and the district could lose accreditation. Today in Part Two, our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen talks with teachers, parents, and students to get a different view -- a view from the ground level.
State Seeks Dismissal Of Suit Against Birmingham Takeover
BREAKING: Lawyers representing the Alabama State Department of Education late Wednesday filed a brief asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit against the state's 2012 intervention in Birmingham City Schools.
Hops for Honeys
Some might open a bottle of wine for Thanksgiving dinner or crack open a cold one for the football game. If that drink is a craft beer, there's a good chance the person enjoying it is a woman. Recent surveys have shown a major driver of Alabama's growing craft beer market is women in their 20's and 30's. As WBHM intern Hollie Parrish reports, one Birmingham group is tapping into this growing interest among female beer drinkers.
Restoring the Lyric
As officials work to restore the Lyric Theatre in downtown Birmingham, some obstacles could be expected -- funding the project, removing lead paint and plumbing issues. But there are tougher, less obvious challenges too. When the Lyric opened in 1914, Birmingham was a city with lines of segregation and the theatre reflects that. So how do you faithfully restore a historic building still physically marked by the city's racist past?
Jefferson County Bankruptcy Round-Up
After multiple corruption trials, years of hand wringing and intense negotiations with creditors, Jefferson County has been cleared to exit municipal bankruptcy The $4.2 billion bankruptcy was the largest in U.S. history until Detroit's filing earlier this year. This is the collection of WBHM's stories to date.
Judge Approves Jefferson County’s Plan to Exit Bankruptcy
Federal bankruptcy judge Thomas Bennett has confirmed Jefferson County's bankruptcy plan, paving the way for the county to exit its $4.2 billion bankruptcy in December. Most of that debt was linked to corruption, mismanagement and bad deals around the county sewer system. Thursday's ruling ends two years under municipal bankruptcy, the second largest in U.S. history after Detroit's filing earlier this year. County leaders say the confirmation allows Jefferson County move past its fiscal turmoil.
Birmingham Author’s JFK Assassination Book Inspires Play
Next Friday, November 22, marks the 50th Anniversary of the assignation of President John F. Kennedy. It's a story James Douglas of Birmingham knows well. He's the author of the 2008 book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters." It’s a detailed account of his research into President Kennedy's work for peace and his assignation. The book has been adapted into a play, entitled "Noah’s Ark," by Pittsburgh playwright Ginny Cunningham. The Birmingham Festival Theatre will present a staged reading of the play this Sunday, November 17, at 2 p.m. As Douglas and Cunningham describe in this interview, there were many challenges involved in turning Douglas's 500-plus page book into a 90 minute play. The version presented in Birmingham this weekend is three years and 20 drafts in the making.
Birmingham City Council President Maxine Parker Dies
Birmingham City Council President Maxine Parker has died. She was 69. No word yet on the cause of death. The three-term councilwoman spent more than four decades working at Talladega College. She also served as president of the Collegeville Neighborhood Association in Birmingham. Vivian Starks succeeded Parker in that position. Starks tells WBHM's Andrew Yeager her memories of Maxine Parker.
Healing Body and Soul in Alabama’s Black Belt
While Birmingham is a city with large hospitals and many medical professionals, there are relatively few physicians in Alabama's Black Belt. It's an impoverished region already facing high rates of obesity, diabetes and cancer deaths. One doctor has made it her mission to provide medical care to residents of Pine Apple, a town of just 130 people in Wilcox County. She also happens to be a Roman Catholic nun.
Not quite “Mission Accomplished” for Jefferson County bankruptcy
Jefferson County commissioners are out talking to investors, pushing a revised plan which would allow the county to exit bankruptcy by the end of the year. It's a major accomplishment given that rising interest rates made a previous plan unworkable. But Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald says its too early to say "mission accomplished."
