Hoover
Family of Black Man Killed by Officer Wants Answers
During a press conference Sunday, the family of Emantic "EJ" Bradford Jr. and attorney Ben Crump called on the Hoover Police Department to release available video footage of EJ's death.
Galleria Mall Shooter Could be at Large
Hoover police issued a statement Friday night indicating the shooter who injured two people at the Riverchase Galleria mall in a shooting Thanksgiving night could be at large. Police shot and killed a 21-year-old Hueytown man who police say fled the scene of the shooting, but wasn't likely the one who fired shots injuring two people at the mall on that busy shopping night.
Shooting at The Galleria Leaves One Dead
A shooting at the Riverchase Galleria mall on Thanksgiving night left the gunman dead and at least two wounded on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Area Students Protest to Push for Safe Schools
Around the country and throughout metro Birmingham Wednesday, students from kindergarten through 12th Grade participated in National Walkout Day. They were honoring recent school shooting victims and raising awareness about the need for school safety.
New Soccer Team Adds to Birmingham’s Story of Revival
A new professional soccer team in Birmingham could mean an added asset for downtown.
Crime in Greater Birmingham: An Increase or Perception?
Birmingham finished 2015 with an increase in homicides. That’s a reversal from the last several years where those numbers dropped to levels not seen in a generation. With that rise and the headlines that come with it, crime is pushing back to the forefront of community conversation. This week, we’ll explore crime in the greater Birmingham area. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager kicks off our series.
Analysis Shows Great Voting Divide in Jefferson County, A Win for Ben Carson
Less than half of Jefferson County's 411,838 registered voters went to the polls on Tuesday. A total of 82,928 voted in the Democratic Primary and 93,985 voted in the Republican Primary.
Business Community Watching Bills in the Alabama Legislature
With the Alabama legislative session in full swing, the business community has a number of bills they’re watching closely. These bills could have a significant effect on companies around Birmingham. We highlight a few of them in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Hoover Could Use Zoning to Block Apartments
Zoning hearings can often be the white noise of local government, but zoning decisions do have a great effect on how cities develop. The Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission made a recommendation last week to rezone 273 acres along Interstate 459 from apartment use to commercial. The Hoover City Council could consider the change next month. It's a change that represents more than a simple government reclassification. Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald talks about the Hoover situation and about perceptions of rising crime around Birmingham.
Hoover Schools Unveil New Zoning Plan, Schedule Meetings For Parent Feedback
Parents will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed plan at four smaller meetings throughout the district this month.
Hoover Schools Chief Says No to Becoming Charter Authorizer
“I hold no assumption that there is a charter school entity out there that can do the work better than we’re doing,” says superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy.
In Football Country, Concussions Spark A Parental Dilemma
More and more people are learning about the risks contact sports pose to the brain. So even here in football-loving Alabama, parents and young athletes are wrestling with a serious dilemma, one that could affect them decades later: to play or not to play. To help parents facing that decision, WBHM’s Dan Carsen got some […]
New Hoover City Schools Superintendent Starts June 1
It’s been a headlined filled year for Hoover City Schools, with controversies over zoning and busing, and the resignation of their superintendent. Now a new leader, Dr. Kathy Murphy, is on deck to take the helm. WBHM’s Sherrel Wheeler Stewart sat down for a conversation with her as she looks ahead to this new assignment.
Preventing Addiction In Schools
In Part One of WBHM's five-part series, we heard about how and why heroin use is on the rise in Alabama. Now in Part Two, education reporter Dan Carsen looks at how some young people are trying to slow its spread in their schools. The story starts with a confession in a small office just outside downtown Birmingham.
AL.com, WBHM Event Yields Frank Talk On Hoover School Bus Fees
Today, AL.com and WBHM hosted a lunch discussion on the controversy over the Hoover school system's plan to impose fees on student bus riders. AL.com reporter Jon Anderson and WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen were on hand to facilitate the sometimes heated discussion and answer questions. Afterward, Carsen spoke with WBHM's News Director Rachel Lindley. To start, Carsen recaps how the situation got to where it is today.
INTERVIEW: Arnold Shober On The Importance Of School Board Leadership
Across the country, school boards have been losing power to state and federal authorities, and some experts see local boards as increasingly ineffective. But last month, an education policy think tank released a national report on the influence of school board leadership. According to the Fordham Institute, local boards really do impact student achievement. Given recent events in Birmingham City Schools and other area systems, WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen caught up with co-author Arnold Shober, who says the overall vision of a school board is key, as is the way members are elected.
Kyle Whitmire: Hoover School Bus Services Will Continue
On Monday members of the Hoover board of education agreed to overturn an earlier vote to stop offering bus services next school year. The vote came after months of complaints and protests by parents. Kyle Whitmire with Al.com and the Birmingham News discusses how this decision will impact students, families, and schools in the Hoover system.
INTERVIEW: Hoover School Bus Supporter Trisha Powell Crain
There's been a victory of sorts for parents whose children ride school buses in Hoover. In July, the school board got national attention and angered many residents by voting to scrap the sprawling district's busing program starting next school year. But after intense community pressure and input from the Justice Department, the board unanimously reversed itself Monday night. Shortly after, WBHM's Southern Education Desk reporter Dan Carsen caught up with Trisha Powell Crain, a Hoover parent and longtime education policy writer. Though she has some misgivings, she calls last night's school-board reversal an example of what persistent community activism can accomplish.
John Archibald: Grades for UA and Lessons from a Madame
The controversy involving race and sororities at the University of Alabama is subsiding. The student newspaper there detailed allegations earlier this month that sorority members were prevented from voting on accepting potential recruits because they were black. Since the dust up at least 11 black women have been granted bids. Al.com and Birmingham News Columnist John Archibald grades the parties involved. He also talks about what Hoover could learn from a famous Birmingham madame.
Hoover Cuts Buses, Ignites Controversy
Hoover’s school board recently voted to end its bus service, effective a year from now. District leaders say they have to cut costs as enrollments rise and revenues fall. But as WBHM’s Dan Carsen points out in a recent national report, many in the hilly, sprawling Birmingham suburb don’t believe that’s the whole story. Click above for more.
Hoover Stakeholders React To School Bus Cut
Hoover school leaders recently made their case for last month's controversial decision to end the system's regular-ed busing program, effective next August. In light of the outcry, the school board set up a public forum, held Thursday night at Spain Park High School, where system leaders explained school finances and heard stakeholders' numerous concerns. WBHM has archived the entire meeting as a matter of public record and broken out 10 key exchanges for listeners. Click above to listen.
John Archibald: Coming Full Circle in Bankruptcy
As Jefferson County works toward leaving bankruptcy, the discussion around new sewer rates sounds rather familiar. We talk about coming full circle in the county's financial saga with AL.com and Birmingham News columnist John Archibald.
Top 10 Places to Live in Alabama
What do you like about where you live? Maybe it’s your neighbors or the schools. A favorite restaurant or shop. Birmingham News columnist John Archibald has been crunching the numbers and his list of Top Ten Places to Live in Alabama.
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.
Carsen & Ott: Weekly Interviews on Education in Alabama
Carsen & Ott Talk Explosions and Explosive Issues Several Alabama school communities are reeling after incidents last week shook things up. E.P.I.C. Elementary School in Birmingham had to be evacuated Friday after a propane tank exploded. No one was hurt, but down in Mobile County, a teacher was taken to the hospital after an incident with a student. Nice, tame topics like charter-school propaganda, same-sex prom dates, and Louis Farrakhan round out this week's interview, which ends on a positive note.
House District 47 Pits Jack Williams Against Chip McCallum
Alabama voters will decide many races in the mid-term elections next week, but one of the more contentious fights is over House District 47, which covers parts Vestavia Hills and Hoover. WBHM's Tanya Ott reports on the battle pitting incumbent Republican Jack Williams against Independent Chip McCallum.
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.
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.
