We Want to Hear from You about the Election!
We want you…to help with a political reporting project. Here’s what it’s about. As the election season heats up, surveys report voters across party lines are feeling anxious and angry. Issues such as stalled economic progress, terrorism and demographic shifts have people on edge.
Alabama’s Aging Infrastructure
Many economic development groups in Alabama consider infrastructure such as roads, bridges and railways essential for spurring growth and jobs. But when it comes to assessments of the state’s infrastructure, Alabama scores poorly. That’s where we start the conversation in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Alabama Eligible for Federal Disaster Relief Following Storms
Alabama is eligible for federal aid to assist in repairing damages caused by severe storms that moved through the state late last year. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced that federal disaster aid is available to Alabama as a supplement to state recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding […]
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Birmingham’s Police Chief on Combating Violent Crime in 2016
Birmingham finished last year with the highest number of homicides since 2008. That has city leaders worried, and pledging to put an emphasis on combating gun violence in 2016. And, according to Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper, Birmingham’s also seen a rise in violent crimes committed by young offenders.
Friday’s Winter Weather and School Dismissals
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory starting at 9 O’clock for cities including Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Gadsden and Anniston as snow is expected to fall across the state Friday.
Alabama’s Death Penalty System Faces New Scrutiny
Alabama executed a death row inmate Thursday evening for the first time in more than two years.Christopher Brooks died by lethal injection for the 1992 rape and murder of a Homewood woman. But Alabama’s death penalty system is facing new scrutiny after a U.S. Supreme Court decision this month overturning Florida’s process.
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What’s Next for VictoryLand and Macon County
According to VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor, the sprawling Macon County gaming and entertainment complex should reopen this year, almost three years after it closed. The closure followed years of legal battles and a 2013 raid where the state seized more than 1,600 bingo machines and $253,000. But in October, an Alabama Circuit Judge ruled in Victoryland’s favor, paving the wave for its return. For more we turn to Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD. He tells WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley that VictoryLand once held an important place in Macon County’s economy.
Jefferson County Groups Engaging in Unseemly Endorsement Process
Republican presidential contender Donald Trump grabbed headlines this week with the endorsement of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Alabama-based organizations are rolling out their endorsements too. But one Birmingham group is going about endorsing candidates in a way that very clearly reveals the ugly underbelly of politics. To explain is Alabama Media Group columnist John Archibald.
Matters of Choice: Race, Economics and Choice in North Carolina
In North Carolina, students get their choice of charter schools, but those schools are increasingly divided by race. In this southern state where some of the nation’s most noted school desegregation battles were waged, a recent Duke University study shows that many schools are either predominantly white or predominantly minority. Efforts are being made, however, to change that trend.
Ben Lewellyn: Member of the Month, January 2016
I’m Ben Lewellyn, and I’m the Sales Director at Good People Brewing Company where I’ve worked since 2011. I’ve lived in Birmingham and the suburbs my whole life except for a two-year stint in Texas for graduate school. While I was in Texas, I started listening to the podcast of This American Life and discovered […]
UAB Athletics Hits Another Fundraising Milestone
UAB Athletics announced yesterday that they exceeded a second crucial fundraising mark in the Finish the Drive campaign.
Matters of Choice: Florida — A Hot Spot for School Choice
While many ideas may have originated in other states, Florida has adopted them and created a massive alternative system. WFSU-FM’s Lynn Hatter takes a look at the decades-long movement that is school choice in Florida, one of the nation’s hot spots for school choice programs, as part of the Southern Education Desk's series, "Matters of Choice."
