WBHM Feelings of anger and frustration are bubbling up for many people in Alabama, 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic. A psychologist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham explains how to manage it. Read more.
Two incumbent city councilors and one incumbent school board member were unseated during Birmingham’s municipal runoff election Tuesday. Council President William Parker and District 9 Councilor John Hilliard lost their seats to political newcomers Jonathan “J.T.” Moore and LaTonya Tate, respectively, while Douglas Ragland lost his seat on the Birmingham Board of Education to his predecessor, Sherman Collins Jr. Jason Meadows, meanwhile, handily beat Le’Darius Hilliard in a race for the school board’s District 9 seat. Read more.
The give-and-take of county government will be apparent in coming weeks as Jefferson County commissioners consider how lines separating the five districts will be redrawn. Board of Registrars Chairman Barry Stephenson made a presentation during the commission’s committee meeting Tuesday, showing commissioners maps for three options for evenly distributing the county population using 2020 U.S. Census numbers. Commissioners, following the advice of Stephenson, will advance all three maps for public review. A hearing on the plans will be conducted during the Nov. 4 commission meeting. Read more.
Voters in parts of Birmingham return to the polls today to make final decisions in two races for the Birmingham City Council and two for the Birmingham Board of Education. The city’s election was held Aug. 24, when voters reelected Mayor Randall Woodfin and selected representatives for seven of the City Council seats and seven of the board of education seats. The runoff is being held because no candidate in two council races, districts 4 and 9, and two board races, districts 1 and 9, received more than half the votes.s. Read more. More information about the election: Birmingham Council and BOE Runoff Candidates. Voting Information
The Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism has announced the retirement of Carol Nunnelley, founding executive director of the organization. Nunnelley joined Jerry Lanning and Mark Kelly to found AIIJ in 2014 and became its first executive director in 2015. Nunnelley led AIIJ through the creation of its publishing arm, BirminghamWatch, and fostered steady growth in reporting and readership. Key projects included nonpartisan voter guides for local elections and a series on the Legacy of Race. Read more.
There’s been an overwhelming amount of drama this past year in Tarrant, a small town with fewer than 7,000 people. Many believe the tensions are rooted in racism and Tarrant’s changing demographics. In less than a year, the city of Tarrant has seen its fire chief get fired, its police chief resign, a councilmember blurt out a racial slur and its first Black mayor arrested twice. “We’re trying to bring about change to a 100-year-old city. People are used to doing things a certain way and it’s resistance,” said Mayor Wayman Newton, 41. Read more.
Construction will start early next year on the two 4,000-bed men’s prisons the Alabama Legislature approved after a rapid-fire, five-day special session last week. The package of bills Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law late Friday includes the borrowing of up to $785 million for the two prisons and the use of $400 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act for the mega-prisons in central and south Alabama. A second phase of construction allows for a new women’s prison and renovations to three existing men’s prisons. Prison proposals have floated around the State House for years, dying when they couldn’t overcome turf wars and pricetags. So, what changed the attitudes of legislators this year? “There was a recognition of need that I don’t think we’ve seen before,” Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, told Alabama Daily News. Read more.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Polling place: To find your polling place, confirm your voter status and see which district you’ll vote in, visit this voter information page. Absentee voting: The deadline to apply to vote by absentee ballot has passed unless you’ve had a medical emergency. In that case, you
Birmingham Council Council, District 4 William Parker J.T. Moore Birmingham City Council, District 9 John Hilliard LaTonya Tate Birmingham Board of Education, District 1 Sherman Collins Jr. Douglas Lee Ragland Birmingham Board of Education, District 9 Le’Darius Hilliard Jason Meadows
For decades, there’s been talk about a new football stadium for Birmingham. Saturday, it will finally open, when the UAB Blazers play their first home game at the brand new Protective Stadium. Read more.
