Alabama
Kyle Whitmire: No Traction for Jefferson County Bills
The Alabama legislative session that wrapped up Monday saw heated debate on issues such as education and guns. But something we didn't hear much about this year is Jefferson County. The last few sessions Jefferson County issues made waves in the legislature. But this year most local bills quietly died. We talk a look with AL.com and The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Kyle Whitmire: How was the Collapsed Airport Display Designed?
There remain many questions about what caused a flight information display at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to tip over earlier this spring, killing a 10-year-old boy. But we are getting a clearer picture of the design of the display. Also, Bessemer police shut down a popular blues juke joint. We talk about it with AL.com and The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Kyle Whitmire: Jefferson County Top Attorney Job Reopens
Jefferson County has put the "Help Wanted" sign up again for the top legal job in the county. The Water Works Board is wrestling with the future. We talk about those topics and more with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
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.
Common Core, Part 3: More Writing May Be A Challenge
New national Common Core education standards are designed to create better critical thinkers. To achieve this, students in 45 states can expect to be writing a lot more than they do now. Many educators say it's a good change, but one warns that the transition could be rough, especially for older students.
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.
Kyle Whitmire: Still no answers from Birmingham’s Airport
It's been almost two weeks since a flight information display at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport tipped over killing a 10-year-old boy and injuring his mother and two of his brothers. There's still key information about the incident which hasn't been released. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire explains what we know and what we don't know.
Kyle Whitmire: Questions for Birmingham’s Airport
There are many questions for airport officials, contractors and city officials following the death of a 10-year-old boy at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. A flight information display weighing at least 300 pounds fell over Friday, killing the boy and injuring his mother and two of his brothers. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire talks about why the display wasn't inspected and who is to blame.
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.
Kyle Whitmire: Railroad Park Shooting
For those living in urban areas, it's sometimes possible to become callous or indifferent to the steady drip of crime. While murders in Birmingham are low by historic standards, a shooting this past Sunday in Railroad Park left a 15-year-old boy dead. That's bringing new attention to the issue. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire talk about the community response.
Kyle Whitmire: Fight Continues over School Bill
Alabama Republicans, Democrats and the education community are still in an uproar over the Alabama Accountability Act, almost two weeks after it was rushed through the state legislature. The bill would offer tax credits to parents for transferring their kids from a failing school to a non-failing public or private school. But now there are questions about differing versions of the bill. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire has details.
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
Carsen Talks Education Flashpoints on Capitol Journal
Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen recently appeared as a guest journalist on Alabama Public Television’s Capitol Journal, a highly regarded program analyzing the week's significant stories. Dan discusses controversial "school flexibility" legislation, school takeovers, the federal lawsuit against the state takeover of Birmingham Schools, and the Southern Education Desk series on re-segregating schools.
Supreme Court Weighs Future Of Voting Rights Act
Race is front and center at the U.S. Supreme Court today and so is Shelby County, Alabama. The county is suing the U.S. Justice Department, challenging a requirement that it get prior approval from the federal government to change voting laws or maps.
Kyle Whitmire: Tough Questions for the Voting Rights Act
Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court asked tough questions Wednesday about the need for portions of the Voting Rights Act. The court is hearing a challenge to the law filed by Shelby County, Alabama. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire talks about the case.
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.
Kyle Whitmire: The Fight Over Gambling, Renewed
Alabama's on-again, off-again battle over gambling is definitely on-again this week as Attorney General Luther Strange took action to try and stop four casinos in the state. One is a familiar target -- VictoryLand. The other is newer -- The Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire has more.
Kyle Whitmire: A Bankruptcy Deal in the Works
Jefferson County commissioners say they have a deal to lower interest rates on a portion of the county's debt. It's a sign a plan to exit municipal bankruptcy could be on the way. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire explains.
Kyle Whitmire: A Penny Sales Tax for Another Five Years
No relief for Birmingham shoppers as the Birmingham City Council, reauthorizes a one percent sales tax for five years. We hear more from The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire
Kyle Whitmire: A Big Week for Bankruptcy
This week is an important one for Jefferson County's efforts to exit bankruptcy. Two county commissioners spent time in New York meeting with hedge fund managers. On Wednesday a trail gets underway on creditors' request to lift a stay preventing legal action against the county. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire explains the situation.
Kyle Whitmire: Why the Legion Field Box is so important?
Two Jefferson County Commissioner deny a report they're split over a proposed redistricting plan. But there's no denying that which district Legion Field ends up in has major political implications. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire explains.
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.
Snow Arrives in Birmingham
Snow is falling in Birmingham and across north central Alabama, with forecasters predicting between one and four inches of accumulation. That's prompting many schools to close early and cancel activities. UAB will suspend normal operations and cancel classes after 3:30 pm today and will resume a regular schedule at 10 a.m. Friday.
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.
Kyle Whitmire: RSA vs. AEA
There's a battle playing out in Montgomery between the leaders of the Retirement Systems of Alabama and the Alabama Education Association. The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire explains the talk of a board "power play."
Kyle Whitmire: A New Year for Cooper Green
With the new year comes a new set up for Cooper Green Mercy Hospital. The Jefferson County-owned facility turned its emergency room into an urgent care center on January 1st. The hospital also closed inpatient care and laid off more than 200 people. We talk about it with The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Two-Year College System Chancellor Mark Heinrich
Mark Heinrich is finishing 2012 in a much different place than he started it. The former president of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa was selected in September as the new Chancellor of Alabama’s two-year college system. It’s a system that’s moving past a far reaching corruption scandal. It's also a system dealing with a revolving door of leaders.
Backpack Buddies Fighting Student Hunger
As we reported yesterday, about 17 million kids in the U.S. are in danger of malnutrition, which can trigger behavior problems and stunt brain development. Given the scope of the problem, the importance of subsidized school meals becomes clear ... but what happens to needy kids from Friday night through Monday morning? In his second story on student hunger, our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen looks at one solution in Shelby County.
Holiday Hunger: Harder To Address When School’s Out
Roughly 30 million students in the United States rely on federally subsidized school meals. Even so, more than half that number are in real danger of malnutrition. So many kids depending on school for food may seem troubling enough ... but what happens when school's closed? Our Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen has more on that deceptively simple question as districts across our area prepare for the holidays.
Kyle Whitmire: A Subpoena for GOP Financial Records
Alabama's attorney general has subpoenaed financial records from the State Republican Party, ones that show a company co-owned by House Speaker Mike Hubbard benefited from party spending. We talk about that with the Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire.
Kyle Whimtire: Birmingham’s Mayor Caught in a Shootout
It's not every day a city leader is in a roadside shootout. But that happened to Birmingham Mayor William Bell on Friday. And while the mayor is okay, The Birmingham News' Kyle Whitmire says police aren't being forthcoming with details.
