Montgomery
At Huntingdon College, Alabama’s 1st NCAA women’s wrestling team is ready to roll
Players, coaches and school officials hope Huntingdon's women's wrestling program can serve as a blueprint to continue the sport's growth in the South.
Alabama riverfront brawl videos spark a cultural moment about race, solidarity and justice
A week after multiple videos showing the now-infamous brawl at a Riverboat in Montgomery and valiant defense of the outnumbered co-captain were shared widely on social media, it’s clear the event truly tapped into the psyche of Black America and created a broader cultural moment.
Riverfront brawl brings unwelcome attention to historic civil rights city in Alabama
Three white boaters in Alabama’s capital city will be charged with misdemeanor assault for a riverfront brawl with a Black boat captain that drew nationwide attention, with more charges likely to come.
Advocates criticize state environmental commission about response to Moody landfill fire
Speakers at the meeting argued the Alabama Department of Environmental Management took too long to act on the fire and that steps must be taken to regulate these types of landfills.
Parole denied for 90% of Alabama inmates, a new low
The rate of state inmates being granted parole in Alabama has plummeted to a new low, with 90% of eligible inmates being rejected last fiscal year.
Recorded state government meetings available through new League of Women Voters channel
The Alabama Channel will capture and save live video recordings of legislative meetings and make them available to the public online and on demand.
Slavery’s ghost haunts cotton gin factory’s transformation
What was once the world's largest cotton gin factory is being renovated into apartments. Some people in Prattville want the stories of the enslaved people who built and worked in the factory told along with that of its founder, Daniel Pratt.
Civil rights attorney Fred Gray receives the nation’s highest honor
Among the 17 honorees for the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, two of them are civil rights leaders: Fred Gray and Diane Nash.
Some teachers and LGBTQ families feel censored by Alabama’s “Don’t Say Gay” law
Alabama passed its own so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law in April following states like Florida. It bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-5 classrooms.
Judge hears testimony in challenge to Alabama’s ban on gender-affirming care
A group of parents and doctors want the judge to stop the law from going into effect while a lawsuit continues.
Birmingham City Council Approves The Council President’s Trip To Meet With Legislators
The Birmingham City Council has approved its first official travel since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year.
One Black Artist’s Quest To Shake Up The Comics World
Lashawn Colvin recently opened her very own comic book store in Montgomery, becoming the first known Black woman in the South to do so.
“Just Mercy” Sheds Light on Lack of Change in AL Justice System
The film “Just Mercy” premieres Friday in Montgomery. It’s based on civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson’s efforts to free a man who was wrongfully sentenced on death row. That was in 1989. But not a lot has changed since then.
Program Seeks to Preserve Queer History in Alabama
The South has the highest concentration of LGBTQ adults in the U.S. But they’ve largely flown under the radar, so collecting their stories has been a challenge. Enter the Invisible Histories Project, which seeks to showcase LGBTQ life in Alabama.
State’s Proposed Gas Tax Bill Places Fees on Electric, Hybrid Car Owners
State lawmakers went into special session today to consider a proposed gas tax increase to fund road and bridge construction. The bill would impact all motorists -- but some would pay significantly more than others.
Memorial Planned to Honor Jeffco Lynching Victims
Organizers of the Jefferson County Memorial Project will release findings today on 30 lynching victims in the county. That’s a small fraction of the thousands of African American lynchings that took place in the South. Now, the grassroots coalition wants to bring a lynching memorial to Birmingham as a remembrance.
Alabama Lawmakers’ Pay up 4% in 2019
Alabamians’ median household income increased in 2017, which means Alabama lawmakers received a corresponding 4.03 percent pay increase this year. Their annual salary is now $48,123. This is the third raise for lawmakers since 2014, when their pay was tied to household incomes through a voter-approved constitutional amendment.
Organist Hired by MLK Still Plays at Historic Church
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church from 1954-1960. King hired an organist named Althea Thomas. More than 60 years later, Thomas still plays at the historic church.
Jeffco Voters to Decide on Homewood’s Ability to Increase Property Taxes
Homewood doesn't want the state legislature to "micro-manage" its property tax rate. Instead, it wants local control. So a referendum on tomorrow's ballot in Jefferson County will let voters decide whether Homewood can hold a vote to increase property taxes to help fund schools. No such vote is planned at this time.
The Biggest Donors Eclipse The Rest In Gubernatorial Campaigns
By Glenn Stephens Hundreds of thousands of dollars from Alabama’s richest person and a group of Tuscaloosa-based political action committees are fueling the race for governor as the campaign enters its final three months. Incumbent Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and Democratic challenger Walt Maddox, mayor of Tuscaloosa, have gotten most of their campaign money from […]
Florida Gun Violence Survivors Join Alabama Activists In Gun Control Panel
When a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida earlier this year, killing 17 students and faculty, surviving students led a charge for gun control and launched a political movement to demand action from lawmakers.
Another Legislator Indicted in Corruption Case Involving Diabetes Health Clinic
by Virginia Martin Alabama Rep. Randy Davis has been indicted on allegations he was involved in a plan to pressure Blue Cross Blue Shield to cover diabetes treatments at a string of health clinics with which he was involved. Davis, a Republican from Daphne, was charged by federal prosecutors in Montgomery with several […]
Corruption in Alabama: The Role of the State Ethics Commission
We continue our examination of corruption that appears to plague Alabama politics
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Corruption in Alabama?
Alabama has a corruption problem. Former House Speaker Mike Hubbard is currently awaiting sentencing for 12 felony ethics convictions, Chief Justice Roy Moore is scheduled to go to trial for allegedly violating judicial ethics and Governor Robert Bentley is being investigated for possible impeachment. So, is there a way to solve the state’s corruption problem?
Meeting Over Changes to Mayor-Council Act Incites More Debate
At a public meeting Monday night, more than a hundred people huddled into a tight room in the Jefferson County courthouse. Residents poured out into the hallway. They gathered to discuss proposed changes to the Mayor Council Act, legislation that divides powers between the mayor and city council.
Payday Loan Bill Alive, But For How Long?
A public meeting was held in Montgomery Wednesday, March 9, to discuss legislation that would affect payday loans, a U.S. lawmaker from Alabama is chosen to advise Republican front-runner Donald Trump on national security issues and we say goodbye to a beloved, satirical social media entity. All that in this week’s conversation with Kyle Whitmire, […]
Governor Bentley Addresses Suing Feds Over Refugees
Governor Robert Bentley announced Thursday that he filed a lawsuit against the federal government alleging they violated the Refugee Act of 1980. Bentley held a press conference about this and WBHM’s Esther Ciammachilli was there. She talked to WBHM's Rachel Lindley about what the governor had to say.
NPR’s Michel Martin on the Montgomery Bus Boycott 60 Years Later
2015 has been a year of racial turmoil in America. The deaths of African-Americans by police ignited protests and riots, and the killing of nine worshippers at a church in South Carolina sparked national debate about the polarizing representation of the Confederate flag. These events reignited discussions about civil rights in the U.S., 60 years […]
More Robust FEMA APP Released Just In Time for Hurricane Season
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is launching a new feature to its app that is a one-stop-shop of sorts that will help people prepare for, respond to and recover from hurricanes.
Kyle Whitmire Discusses UAB Football Future And The Legislative Session
The much anticipated College Sports Solutions’ report on University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) athletics is now public and the findings are somewhat ambiguous. In essence, it says UAB can control it’s own destiny. But the question remains should the university divert its football funding to running a championship-caliber basketball program, or beg and borrow […]
Cutting-Edge Forensic Research At ASU Could Help Solve Murders
Believe it or not, in a healthy human body, microbial cells outnumber human cells by about ten to one. Scientists, doctors, and health-conscious people are learning more and more about our "personal ecosystems." But what happens to this individualized community of life after we die? Some Alabama State University forensics researchers are looking at patterns, which could -- among other things -- help investigators solve murder cases. WBHM's education reporter Dan Carsen has more:
Why Birmingham Bills have a Hard Time in Montgomery
Lawmakers from Birmingham have complained for years about their bills running into a buzz saw in Montgomery. In fact, it's a common complaint made by big city lawmakers against state legislatures across the country. So University of Rochester political scientist Gerald Gamm and his research partner took a look at records from 13 states including Alabama. They found that while big city bills did have a harder time, none of the usual suspects added.
