Virginia Martin

Yours, Mine or Ours? Jeffco Commission Discusses Who Should Get Credit for Distributing Relief Money for Food

The Jefferson County Commission heard Tuesday from entities seeking funds for feeding people adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. But the discussion spilled over to who was getting credit for the federal funds being sought. Commission President Jimmie Stephens closed the meeting by saying it appears that American Rescue Plan Act funds were being distributed by individual elected officials. “If we will depoliticize what we do, I think that this commission can move forward as a better unified body,” he said. “It's the entire commission who votes through majority, through resolution, as actually the donor of those funds. Read more.

Birmingham Council OK’s Plan to Bring Grocery Store to Five Points West

The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve an incentives package for a new Food Giant supermarket in the city’s Five Points West area. The store will be located at 2257 Bessemer Road, the former location of a Winn-Dixie store that shut down in 2018 after the chain filed for bankruptcy. In 2020, former NFL player Karlos Dansby announced plans to open a new grocery store in that location, but those plans fizzled ignominiously. Food Giant, owned by the Albertville-based Mitchell Grocery Corp., will receive $640,000 from the city for property improvement, in particular to divide the existing 50,000-square-foot building into two units; the Food Giant will take up only an estimated 22,000 square feet. Read more.

A Year Into Striking, Alabama Coal Miners Are Frustrated but Defiant as Ever

Coal mines are, unsurprisingly, a tough place to work. They’re dark and dirty and every breath brings in toxic chemicals. And Brian Kelly wants to be back there. “I love it,” Kelly said. “It’s paradise to me.” Kelly fell in love with the mines because of the brotherhood he forged 2,000 feet underground. Over the past year, that bond has been tested. Friday marks one year since Kelly and 900 other coal miners went on strike in Brookwood. The strikers demand that Warrior Met Coal, the company they’re striking against, restore the pay and benefits miners gave up in 2016 when the mines were in danger of shutting down. As the months crawled on, the miners stuck with a slogan — “one day longer” — as in, they’re willing to hold out on this strike one day longer than Warrior Met Coal will. But a year without their old paychecks has caused a few workers to cross the picket line. The hundreds that remain still defiantly say “one day longer,” though they admit that it requires deep sacrifice and it’s building resentment. Read more.

The World Games were delayed for a year, but did it help with preparedness?

The World Games was originally set to come to Birmingham July 2021, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed the large event for a year. Read more.

As Gulf South Lawmakers Fight Over Medicaid, New Moms Weigh-In: ‘Safety Nets Do Save Lives’

The COVID-19 health emergency could end soon; tens of thousands of new mothers could lose their healthcare coverage unless legislators take action. Read more.

World Games Officials Aim for Full Venues Amid Pandemic Uncertainty

Event organizers say they're following guidance from local health officials, who say it's impossible to predict COVID case numbers this summer. Read more.

Birmingham Has $53.4 Million Surplus, Will Fund 5% Pay Raises and Upgraded Trash Collection

Due to conservative budgeting and higher-than-expected sales tax revenues, a recent audit revealed that the city of Birmingham had a $53.4 million surplus for the 2021 fiscal year. On Tuesday morning, the City Council voted to spend $39.5 million of that surplus on a variety of items — most significantly a 5% across-the-board raise for all city employees. The raise will cost the city $11.6 million this fiscal year and is pending approval from the Jefferson County Personnel Board, which is slated to meet in early April. Woodfin also said he would be recommending in his budget proposal for the year beginning July 1 that city employees get merit raises of up to 5% in the next budget year, which could mean a raise of up to 10% for some city workers within the next four months. Other spending will include buying new garbage trucks and dedicated trash bins, paving streets and spending on the World Games. Read more.

Birmingham Asks Public to Consider Proposed New Council and BOE District Lines

The Birmingham City Council is considering the approval of new City Council and Board of Education district lines, redrawn to take into account population shifts shown by the 2020 census. City law mandates that districts be redrawn after each census to make sure that Birmingham’s population is evenly distributed among them. Each district elects a member of the City Council and the school board. The proposed changes would be in effect for the next two municipal elections, in 2025 and 2029. The council held a public hearing March 29 to hear residents’ thoughts on the new district maps, and tweaks could be made based on those comments. The proposal would shift territory out of relatively overpopulated districts — Districts 1 and 2, for example — and into underpopulated districts — Districts 4, 6, 8 and 9. Read more and see the full proposal.

ICE Withdrawing Detainees From Etowah County Detention Center, Cites ‘Serious Deficiencies’

U.S. immigration officials announced Friday that they would stop using the Etowah County Detention Center, in Gadsden, to house detainees. The decision was based on the jail having “serious deficiencies,” according to a press release from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Etowah County Detention Center, which houses the county’s jail and the federal detention area, has come under a litany of complaints for decades. The complaints have included physical conditions at the jail, improper actions by personnel and inadequate health care. Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton told the Gadsden Times that the news came as a shock to him. "It was just a bombshell," Horton told the Times. He also said ICE just this week notified him it would be sending 135 more detainees to the jail. The detention center, where the county has its jail as well as the federal detention area, has come under a litany of complaints for decades. The complaints have included physical conditions at the jail, improper actions by personnel and inadequate health care. Read more. BirminghamWatch’s Virginia MacDonald explored complaints about the Etowah County Detention Center in this 2019 report:

Alabama Site for Detained Immigrants Has History of Abuse Charges, Efforts to Close It.

Birmingham Dismisses Tickets Issued Before 2011

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has announced pardons for more than 756,000 outstanding traffic and parking violations that were issued before Jan. 1, 2011. Woodfin characterized the initiative, called Stop and Go — an acronym for Suspend Traffic Obligations Permanently & Grant Opportunities — as a “second chance” for residents living under the threat of fines or arrest. Read more.