Author: Virginia Martin
Bham Council Nixes Church Plan for a Car Wash
The Birmingham City Council has nixed a church’s request to build a car wash in the city’s Huffman neighborhood proposed to help pay for church ministries. Read more.
‘Is It Soup Yet?’: Engineer Submitting Plans for Putting Out Landfill Fire
Dan Dahlke was reminded of a 1970s TV commercial when he was asked about his submission to Gov. Kay Ivey to put out the months-long smoldering landfill fire in Moody.
“Is it soup yet?”
“It’s getting there,” the St. Clair County engineer said Friday. “I’ve sent stuff over to the county attorney and I think he’s putting it all together and trying to figure out exactly who we need to send this to (in) the governor’s office.
“When he finds that, we’ll probably shoot this off to whoever this afternoon.”
Dahlke has received proposals from a number of contractors with varied ideas for dealing with the fire that has been burning for about two months and irritating residents as far as 30 miles away. Residents have been complaining not just about the smell and the smoke, but about health effects such as asthma, coughing and nausea. Read more.
Lawsuit Filed Over Landfill Fire Near Moody Seeks Class Action Status
A pair of Trussville residents have filed a lawsuit over the landfill fire that’s been burning for almost two months near Moody. The suit alleges, among other claims, the owners and operators of Environmental Landfill Inc. have been negligent and calls for compensatory and punitive damages. Read more.
Plan to Put Out Underground Landfill Fire in the Works
Dan Dahlke is preparing a package to send to Montgomery that he hopes contains the cure to what ails residents who have suffered from the smoke of a Moody landfill fire that’s been smoldering since November.
“This has gone on way too long already,” said Dahlke, the St. Clair County engineer. “That’s sort of my feeling but, regardless of that, I want to make sure whatever we send to the state, I want to feel as positive as I can be that we’re not gonna create a bigger problem.”
Speaking with BirminghamWatch on Wednesday, Dahlke said he is still awaiting some information and getting things together to send to state officials. He hopes to have the plans together by the end of the week to send to the state. Read more.
Related: Lawsuit Filed Over Landfill Fire Near Moody Seeks Class Action Status
Almost Ripe: Major Projects May Come to Fruition This Year, County Manager Says
Joe Knight had kind words for County Manager Cal Markert, his staff and county department heads as the Jefferson County Commission’s committee meeting neared its end today.
“All these people have put in the hard work on this,” Knight said. “I think you’ve got a good vision. I think you’re trying to pursue that vision. I know it’s a hard job. This isn’t easy stuff to do. It’s meticulous and it’s time consuming.”
Knight’s acknowledgement came after Markert listed several long-awaited projects that could this year come to fruition, including a new animal care facility, youth detention facility and several road projects. Read more.
Birmingham to Invest in Temporary Housing for Homeless Residents
Taking the first steps in a community-focused plan to combat homelessness, the city of Birmingham has signed on to purchase 50 units of transitional housing for the unsheltered.
The purchase, totaling nearly $1 million, is the first step in a program that will require significant participation from third-party nonprofits and for which details remain fuzzy.
Where the new shelters will be placed, for example, is still up in the air. That will be dependent on the results of a request-for-proposal process, through which local nonprofits can pitch locations and operational plans, including wraparound services they would offer on-site. Read more.
Officials Break Ground on a New $120 Million Cooper Green Facility
Health care leaders say the current building is more than 50 years old and too expensive to maintain. Read more.
An old school in Birmingham’s Bush Hills is now an urban farm. Residents are thinking bigger.
At west Birmingham’s old Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, on the near-four acres that were once the school’s grounds, area residents tend to their own small garden plots with all manner of fruits and vegetables. The potatoes, greens, squash and other produce raised here — as much as 50,000 pounds a year — is distributed within the community, free of charge.
What started as a means to prevent the old school from becoming a blight on the neighborhood is now the Bush Hills Community Garden and Urban Farm. Located about a mile from Legion Field, plans are underway for more than just agriculture. Some residents believe it is a model for other projects that adapt existing structures to the needs of their surrounding communities. Read more.
Damar Hamlin’s Horrifying Collapse Gives Some Football Writers Pause
I’m well aware of the many ways I benefited in my years as a sports journalist from the popularity of football. That’s true for all the sports media that report on, and therefore indirectly promote, football at any level.
More readership and ratings. More status and money.
It’s all good until a moment comes along that demands a look in the mirror and an answer to the question “Should I really be doing this?”
I saw some of that in the aftermath of Monday night’s horrifying collapse of Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin seconds after a normal tackle on live national TV. Emergency medical staff administered CPR and electrical shock while players kneeled and prayed and cried. Fans in the stadium hushed. Read more.
In the Fight for Environmental Justice, Birmingham Tells Jackson to Stay Loud
Gulf States communities have been living in contaminated environments for years. Jackson and Birmingham residents share strategies that can help. Read more.
