Birmingham
Bunking in Bartow
More than 12,000 people are making Alabama their temporary home today, fleeing the destruction of Hurricane Gustav. That doesn't count those who may be staying with relatives or in hotels, outside the official numbers of the state's shelters. One of those shelters is UAB's Bartow Arena. WBHM's Andrew Yeager spoke to evacuees bunking at Bartow. He heard plenty of frustration, anxiety, and anger. As well as plenty of talk about a hurricane other than Gutav.
Goalball: Blind Ambition
There are Olympians in town, training for the games in Beijing. They come from all over this country and Europe and Asia sporting athleticism, a pair of blacked-out goggles and a ball with a bell in it. It's not a competition for the faint of heart, or for the sighted.
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.
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.
Birmingham City Budget
The Birmingham City Council is expected to look at - and possibly vote on - the city's operating budget that Mayor Larry Langford proposed weeks ago. The council wants to approve the budget by July 1st, when the new fiscal year begins.
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 look at air quality in Birminghm, WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with Dr. Ed Postlethwait. He’s chair of UAB’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences and an […]
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.
Free Bus Rides
The price of oil topped $121 a barrel, suggesting the price we pay at the pump will continue to climb as well. That's part of the reason behind Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford's proposal to eliminate fares on city buses this summer. So with gasoline prices on the rise, would free buses make a difference?
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.
SFS: Police Ride-along
Turn on the TV during primetime and it probably won't be long before a police officer pops up on the screen. From high tech forensic equipment on CSI to reports of shootings on the nightly news, police work seems populated with high speed car chases and "heat packing" confrontations. But is that the way it really is for someone on patrol in Birmingham? WBHM's Andrew Yeager rode along with a police officer and has this glimpse of the day-to-day routine.
SFS: Broken Windows
"23 in Twenty-three". That's what Birmingham calls its massive community clean-up that currently has crew weed-whacking their way through nearly two dozen communities in 23 days. Officials hope the effort will result in greater community pride and less crime, but as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports "clean" doesn't necessarily translate to "safe".
Conversations with the Homeless Czar
On any given night in the United States, 750,000 people are homeless. President Bush's 2008 budget proposal includes more than $4 billion for homeless services. Governments, non-profits and churches have all been putting record money into programs, but homelessness keeps rising. It's a problem that vexes Philip Mangano, the executive director of the Interagency Council on Homelessness. The so-called "U-S Homeless Czar" was in Birmingham recently and talked with WBHM's Tanya Ott.
On The Line: The Urban Divide
The city of Birmingham faces many challenges, from a shrinking population to struggling schools to a lack of affordable housing. But there are opportunities as well, including a growing downtown loft movement and a thriving arts community. Join us for a discussion about the city's future, as WBHM's Steve Chiotakis and a panel of guests take questions and comments from listeners. This edition of On the Line will be broadcast Tuesday, September 4th from 6:30 - 8 p.m.
Birmingham: Suburbanly Divided
For the last week, our series "Birmingham: the Urban Divide" has focused on issues affecting the city's changing population, a struggling school system, housing issues and economic development. But those things are part of a broader picture of how Birmingham not only faces its challenges, but faces its neighbors... and, more importantly, how the neighbors look back. Increasingly, they're not. Suburban communities have all but turned their backs on Birmingham, claiming that the city turned its back on them. Some see it as a racial problem - Birmingham is a majority black city - others see it as an historical problem. As WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports, one thing's for sure, very little is getting done.
Twice as Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power
From the Titusville neighborhood to the West Wing of the White House, it seems Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has made it past nearly every obstacle put in front of her. But according to the author of a new book, her upbringing in the segregated South had a lot to do with how she looked at those obstacles - and whether they even mattered at all.
A Safe Haven; A Safe Home
Nearly 4,800 Alabamians are homeless on any given night and there's not enough room in the state's shelters for all of them. More than 1,400 sleep on the streets. The nomadic nature of homelessness complicates life for anyone experiencing it, but for those with a mental illness having no permanent shelter can be even more devastating. No fixed bed typically means no regular counseling or medications. A shelter in downtown Birmingham is working to change that reality for some chronically homeless women in the city. WBHM's Rosemary Pennington has more.
VA Missing Hard Drive
Officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs and the FBI continue their investigation into a missing hard drive with more than 1.8 million patient and doctor names and sensitive information that went missing from the Birmingham VA Medical Center. The VA says it's notifying those who may be included in the records, is updating its security policy and - according to the Associated Press - is eliminating its research enhancement awards programs in Birmingham and other sites until tighter security standards are met. But criticism continues about the length of time it took the department to disclose the disappearance and the security issues. WBHM's Steve Chiotakis reports.
Street Smart
Rush hour in the Birmingham-metro area now averages 6 hours per day. You've no doubt been caught in the gridlock either on 280 or I-65 or U.S. 31. From 1992 to 2002, the delay per traveler increased from 11 hours per year to 26 hours per year! But Gabriel Roth says there's a solution. He's the editor of a new book called 'Street Smart' that advocates 'privatizing' roads. You get your electricity and telephone service from private companies - why not transit? Roth explained the concept to WBHM's Tanya Ott.
General Wesley Clark
State and local Democrats have been spending time over the remaining weeks of this election cycle trying to bolster the party's image as being tough when it comes to national defense and offsetting attacks by Republicans - including President Bush - who say they are nothing but a party of 'Cut and Run' when it comes to Iraq. Helping in that effort was retired General Wesley Clark - NATO's Former Supreme Commander and a former presidential candidate - who was in Alabama over the weekend speaking on behalf of Democratic candidates.
Phyllis’s Story
Last year a record number of Americans needed emergency shelter. While the Department of Housing and Urban Development is unveiling its masterplan to end chronic homelessness there are still millions of Americans needing help. In the latest installment of our Making Sense of Mental Health Project WBHM's Rosemary Pennington recently visited a Birmingham shelter where the majority of the residents have a mental illness.
World AIDS Day
More than forty million people the world over are living with HIV/AIDS with five million new infections this year alone. December 1st is World AIDS Day. Started in 1988 it is an international event which aims to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS issues. In this web excluse WBHM's Rosemary Pennington speaks with an AIDS educator about the day and the epidemic.
Shelter Closing
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Economic Irony
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
The Clean Air Quest
NPR News and Classical Music for North Central Alabama
Hamming It Up
During times of bad weather or crisis, communication can become difficult, almost impossible. Oftentimes, because of their mobility and versatility, ham radio operators and their equipment become major players in providing information and assistance to authorities. They can monitor police and fire channels or be in touch with the weather service as storm spotters, all the […]
