Author: Virginia Martin
Underground Landfill Fire Still Contained but Smoke Persists
James Mulkey was among some folks from Moody who went shopping for Christmas gifts Tuesday. As they returned, they happened by the White’s Chapel area, where a landfill fire has been the source of smoke since November.
Because of the wind, they weren’t greeted by the smell of smoke. But this too will pass.
“If you smelled anything at all, it was very, very little,” said Mulkey, the Moody fire marshal. “I imagine this morning with the change in wind direction that that (smell) got a lot worse at that same intersection.”
The Moody Fire Department updated residents about the status of the landfill fire that is producing smoke that’s irritating residents as far as 20 miles away. That department’s Facebook post said no change in fire activity has been noted and all burning is still contained within the fire break.
“Smoke continues to discharge from both the heavy fuels on top of the ground and from holes and cracks from the underground portion of the fire,” the post read. “The smoke does seem to be a little heavier than in previous days on the north end of the incident.” Read more.
County Sheriff in Talks Over Regional Jail, Says “It’s a Process”
Mark Pettway let the Jefferson County Commission know Tuesday that you can’t always believe what you hear.
The sheriff came to the commission committee meeting to ease concerns that a deal had been struck for the county jail to house inmates who are currently at the Birmingham Jail.
“There is nothing right now other than some talks that’s going on,” Pettway said. “If you hear something, you can check with me to make sure it’s happening. Right now, there’s nothing in writing. Nothing has gone forward.”
The sheriff said officials from the city of Birmingham have talked with him about the possibility of establishing a regional jail that could accommodate prisoners from Birmingham and surrounding areas. Pettway said he has also talked with attorneys for the city.
“We’re just talking some things out,” he said. “We need to have a chance to talk with the (county’s) legal department. We’ll find out some things that may not work. We’ll find some things that may work. It’s a process. Read more.
Birmingham to Give $850K to 8 Nonprofits
Eight Birmingham nonprofits will receive $850,000 in funding from the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development grant program.
Before Mayor Randall Woodfin instituted the BOLD initiative in 2018, Birmingham’s contributions to nonprofits were included as line items in the city’s operating budget. Now, the city’s Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity distributes $1 million in nonprofit funding via an application process.
All eight organizations receiving funding are minority- or woman-led, and five are first-time recipients. Read more.
Smart Homes Made Affordable for Birmingham Residents
One way people can reduce their impact on the climate — and save money on utilities — is to be more economical with energy at home. But making energy-efficient upgrades and installing new technology isn’t cheap.
Last May, Bertina Robinson was driving on First Street South in Birmingham and discovered the homes that are part of “Live on 1st,” a new affordable housing development. Now she lives in one.
“This is a smart system house. I can lock my doors from my phone, I unlock my doors from my phone. I can turn my heat on from my phone, I can turn my air on, from my phone,” Robinson said.
“Live on 1st” is a group of three smart, highly energy-efficient modular homes in the Titusville neighborhood. These homes are the first set of such homes built by Navigate Communities in the city. The organization, a subsidiary of the county’s housing authority, is taking a modern approach to affordable housing in a city where nearly 25% of residents live in poverty. Read more.
Recorded State Government Meetings Available Through New League of Women Voters Channel
The League of Women Voters has established a channel on which citizens can watch videos of the state Senate, House of Representatives and legislative committee meetings, searchable by keywords and phrases. “Ultimately, we anticipate that the Alabama Channel will improve civic engagement and government transparency,” said Kathy Jones, president of the education fund. Read more.
Lament and Hope Memorial Ride Honors Those Lost to Gun Violence in Birmingham
This weekend, over 100 cars with flags honoring people who have died in homicides this year will ride through downtown Birmingham. Read more.
Workers Across America, and in Alabama, Break Their Silence on Decades of Asbestos Exposure
New accounts from workers contrast sharply with what chemical giants have said on the record about worker safety at their facilities. At an Olin plant outside of McIntosh, Alabama, workers recall decades of continuing asbestos exposure.
When LaTunja Caster started working at the Olin Corp. chemical plant outside of McIntosh, Alabama, she had no idea that asbestos was used in the production process. But when she became a union safety representative around 2007, she started to pay attention. In certain parts of the plant, “you would see it all the time,” she said. “You definitely breathed it in.”
Six other people who worked in the plant, some with experiences as recent as this year, echoed her recollections about exposure to the potent mineral that has long been known to cause deadly cancers like mesothelioma and a chronic lung condition called asbestosis that can make it difficult to breathe.
Though designated asbestos workers were given protective gear and had special training, electricians, millwrights and general maintenance staff got no comparable protection even though they, too, were exposed, they told ProPublica. Read more.
Students Discover Hating on Journalists Has No Age Minimum
Smart college journalism students enhance their classroom work by doing internships or joining a campus outlet. They get to experience the real thing: published stories seen by an audience, with all the potential good and bad consequences that professionals face. Because, really, student journalists are journalists who just happen to be students.
This is a great philosophy. Until it isn’t.
The Washington Post recently published an alarming story with this headline: “Online mobs are now coming for student journalists.” It details severe online harassment of college journalists around the U.S., leaving some spooked and reconsidering their planned career. Primarily using social media channels, attackers hurl physical threats, obscenities and insults about personal appearance. They also doxx (publicly revealing private contact information). Not surprisingly, women, racial minorities and gender identity minorities get it the worst. Read more.
Old Carraway Complex to be Demolished All at Once Under New Deal With City
The city of Birmingham has revised its plans for the former Carraway Hospital complex to give developers more up-front money for demolition.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Birmingham City Council, councilors approved revision of a 2-year-old funding agreement with Corporate Realty (doing business as Northside Redevelopment LLC), which is redeveloping the former Carraway Hospital site into a mixed-use development, Star at Uptown, which is to include residential, retail, office and dining spaces, as well as a 9,000-seat amphitheater.
Under the original incentives package, the city would have remitted $9.1 million in future sales, use and property tax revenues to Northside Development; Tuesday’s revisions cut that number in half to $4.55 million. In return, developers will now receive $3.7 million from the city for demolition right away. Read more.
Alabama Coal Miners Begin Their 20th Month on Strike
Hundreds of coal miners in Brookwood reached a milestone Thursday: They’ve spent 20 months on strike.
That’s well past the six-week average for strikes, according to Bloomberg Law. The miners believe it’s the longest strike in Alabama’s history. They have continued demanding their employer, Warrior Met Coal, restore the pay and benefits that were cut in 2016 as a cost-saving measure to keep the mines from shutting down.
Out of the 900 miners who started the strike a year and a half ago, 500 remain, according to United Mine Workers of America. Read more.
