BW Recommends is a rundown of stories you might have missed this week. It offers insight into issues important to our area and sometimes tickles your curiosity.

Soon we’ll be offering Recommends via email. Sign up here to receive it. You can also sign up for The WeeklyWatch, the stories we’ve published over the previous seven days, and Monday Morning Watch, a roundup of public meetings scheduled for that week.  

Habitat for Humanity Breaks Ground on 22-Lot Roebuck YMCA Neighborhood (BhamNow)

The Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity on Thursday kicked off its newest development in the Magic City — the Roebuck YMCA Neighborhood. Designed to provide affordable homeownership opportunities and walkable access to critical community services, the Roebuck YMCA Neighborhood will include 22 high-quality homes.

Longtime Birmingham Judge, Lawyer Dies: ‘Outstanding Judge and an Even Better Human Being’ (AL.com)

Teresa Tanner Pulliam, a former Jefferson County judge and current executive director of the legal nonprofit Redemption Earned, died Friday. She was 67.

No Soil Required: New York Program Brings Hydroponics to Birmingham Students (WBHM)

Eight Birmingham City Schools will take part in a first-of-its-kind hydroponics program in the city. The program aims to teach students about sustainable food practices and how to combat food deserts in their communities. It comes through a partnership with the New York-based nonprofit New York Sun Works and Birmingham’s Jones Valley Teaching Farm. The project strives to create pathways to higher education and careers while growing thousands of pounds of fresh produce.

Despite Everything, US Solar Manufacturing Continues to Power Up (Inside Climate News)

Companies that make solar power components in the United States are still positioned to benefit from tax policy and tariffs, despite Trump administration policies that can make renewable energy projects more difficult.

The world’s six largest solar panel manufacturers are in China. But some big manufacturers, such as First Solar and Hanwha Qcells, are expanding, including one in Alabama, while smaller players also see opportunities.

If all announced projects get built across the country, Texas would still be the leader, with 26, followed by Ohio, with 16, and Alabama, with 9, according to a May report from the American Clean Power Association.

Alabama Family Finds 32-Million-Year-Old Sea Turtle Fossil: ‘Something I Will Never Forget’ (AL.com)

A family from Mobile found the fossil of a newly discovered genus of the endangered leatherback sea turtle along a riverbank in south Alabama, and the fossil is on display at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham.

The turtle, the largest sea turtle in the world, lived in the Black Belt region at a time when Lower Alabama was underwater.

Hoaxes Target Black Colleges, Shutting Classes as Anxiety Mounts in U.S. (New York Times)

Several historically Black colleges and universities canceled classes and events on Friday after a series of threats. The FBI said the calls were hoaxes. At Alabama State University, in Montgomery, officials suspended all activities, told students to shelter in place and had police officers clear every building on campus.

Alabama Department of Education’s 2027 Budget Request Focuses on Services (Alabama Reflector)

The Alabama State Department of Education will request a $5.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 to support programs such as the Alabama Reading Initiative, English language learners and speech pathologists.

The department plans to request $52 million to help coach struggling readers beyond third grade. It previously had planned to request $25 million but raised the amount based on a calculation figuring the cost “if every struggling reader in every school got the same services,” according to Alabama Schools Superintendent Eric Mackey.

Who Is Using Alabama’s Choose Act? (Alabama Daily News)

Of the more than 5,000 public school students who applied to use Alabama’s new school choice program this year, just under half are enrolled in their school of choice.

More than 1,300 students hoped to attend a different public school using the education savings accounts created in 2024 — but none have been able to do so, according to data from the Alabama Department of Revenue. Another 3,100 public school students applied to use ESAs at private schools, and fewer than half of them have activated their accounts.

By contrast, of the more than 10,000 private school students who were approved to use ESAs this year, nearly all – 96% – have done so.

New Assistive Tech Makerspace in Birmingham Coming Soon (Bama Buzz)

Lakeshore Foundation is launching an innovation lab called Lakeshore Garage to serve its members and people worldwide. This new makerspace in Birmingham will be one of two in Alabama through a partnership with TOM Global, also known as Tikkun Olam Makers.

TOM Global is a movement and international network of people who connect problem-solvers and makers with people living with disabilities, the elderly and the poor to address their challenges with assistive devices.