Zoos Aren’t Just About Animals Anymore
The Birmingham Zoo is preparing to spend $15 million of an overall $50 million renovation project. Those dollars will be spent on both animal exhibits and non-animal projects. In today’s contemporary world, zoos must wrestle with how best to spend their funds in order to fulfill their missions and draw more diverse folks, who enjoy and expect interactivity. Les Lovoy reports on how the Birmingham zoo is keeping up with current trends by striking a balance between animal conservation and education and offering an overall entertaining experience for visitors.
Birmingham City Schools Released From State Takeover
State Board commends school system for improvements in finances and governance
Hale Woodruff’s Talladega College Murals At Birmingham Museum of Art
Hale Woodruff is regarded as one of the most important African-American artists of the 20th century. His best-known works are six very large murals he painted for the Talladega College library in the 1930s. An exhibition of the murals, along with early works from Woodruff’s career, opens this Saturday at the Birmingham Museum of Art. WBHM took a tour of the show this week with curators Kelli Morgan and Graham Boettcher.
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Birmingham City Schools Free From State Control
Birmingham, Alabama’s school system is now free of state control. The state had taken over after financial mismanagement, corruption, and fighting among local board members so intense it sometimes got physical. Voters have since elected a very different school board. And now, Birmingham’s schools are independent again.
Alabama Has Highest Number of Death Row Inmates Per Capita
Alabama has more inmates on death row per capita than any other state. Anthony Ray Hinton was on death row in Alabama for 30 years, sentenced to death in 1985 for murder. Hinton maintained he was not guilty, and in April he was released after reexamined ballistic evidence raised troubling questions about his conviction. Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD, discusses the state of the death penalty in Alabama.
James Hanks, a Dropout “Recovered”
The U.S. Secretary of Education recently recognized Alabama for having one of the nation’s steepest increases in high school graduation rates. Birmingham City Schools’ rate increased even more – up roughly 23 percent in the last four years. The latest data reported to the state education department puts the system’s rate at 79 percent — just below […]
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Commentary: The Steel City’s Spice via Bicycle
When commentator John Houser lived in Indianapolis, the city built a bike and pedestrian path weaving through the city’s downtown cultural districts. After trying bike commuting for just a few months, he sold his car — transforming his commute from a stressful ride on city streets into a leisurely jaunt past parks, public art, and along a downtown canal. […]
The Affordable Care Act and the Healthcare Business, Five Years Later
When the Affordable Care Act was signed into law five years ago, people expected it to dramatically change the healthcare landscape. So how has Birmingham -- the medical epicenter of Alabama -- fared? That’s where we start this week’s Magic City Marketplace. Birmingham Business Journal editor Cindy Fisher Crawford tells WBHM’s Rachel Lindley how the Affordable Care Act’s hit hospital’s bottom lines.
Governor Bentley Vetoes Budget, Pledges to Bring Legislators Back for Special Session
Alabama’s 2015 Legislative session ended last night with Governor Robert Bentley vetoing an austere General Fund Budget that cut $200 million from state agencies. That means lawmakers will be back later this summer for a special session.
UAB Program Expands Access to Heroin Overdose Drug
Police and public health leaders in Alabama are trying to deal with a spike in heroin use in recent years. Naloxone -- or narcan -- is a drug that, when administered correctly, can reverse the effects of a heroin overdose. A bill passed the Alabama Legislature this week that would allow first responders to give narcan to someone dying from an overdose. But some don't think the bill goes far enough. UAB researchers are working on a crowd-funded study that puts narcan directly in the hands of users' and family and friends.
A Look At What Passed And Failed In The 2015 Session
Alabama's 2015 legislative session ended with Governor Robert Bentley vetoing the general fund budget and pledging to bring lawmakers back into special session. Here's a look at what passed and failed this session.
Athletics controversy could help image, experts say
Two years ago, UAB launched its first ever unified brand campaign for medicine and academics under the common tagline: UAB- Knowledge that will change your world. Now the university’s brand and reputation could get a boost from canceling three athletic programs and recently deciding to bring them back. “There’s no such thing as bad publicity […]
