Virginia Martin

Jefferson County Gets New Human Resources Director, Raising Hopes for Lifting Consent Decree on Personnel Practices

Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight offered a predictable straight line after Caroline Brown was introduced as Jefferson County’s new human resource director at Tuesday’s commission committee meeting. “Can you get us a good deal on a Toyota?” Knight asked, referring to her long tenure with the automaker. “Not anymore,” the Montgomery native said as the boardroom burst into laughter. “Not anymore.” While Brown can’t provide the hook-up for a fleet of motor vehicles, county manager Tony Petelos calls her “the missing link” in the county’s efforts to escape from the consent decree on personnel practices with which it has dealt for nearly 40 years. Read More

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Should Jefferson County Charge More for Credit and Debit Payments? The Commission Mulls the Question.

The Jefferson County Commission will decide Thursday whether persons and businesses doing business with the county will have to pay more for the convenience of using credit cards when paying bills at the county’s Revenue Department. The department sought a resolution during today’s committee meeting to add 1% to a transaction amount with a minimum of $1.95 for over-the-counter electronic payments. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Woodfin Takes Focus on Neighborhoods, Race and Crime in his State of the City Address

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin delivered his State of the City address to the Kiwanis Club Tuesday afternoon. His speech focused largely on his administration’s neighborhood revitalization efforts and its nascent Birmingham Promise education initiative, though he also touched on race relations in the 74% black city. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Public Hearings Set on Use of By-Products Such as Sludge, Discharges from Gaston Steam Plant and a Toll Bridge Over Lay Lake

ADEM is conducting several public hearings in the next week. Tuesday, a hearing will be conducted on proposed new standards for the beneficial use of by-products such as sludge, biosolids and waste from municipal, industrial and private sources. That hearing will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management office in Montgomery.

by Virginia Martin

Education Town Hall Set for Jan. 15

A town hall meeting on the status of education in Birmingham has been set for Jan. 15, 6-8 p.m. State Reps. Mary Moore and John Rogers, both D-Birmingham, set the town hall, called "Where Do We Go From Here." Moore said a number of local and state Board of Education members as well as local and state elected officials have been invited to speak.

by Virginia Martin

Helping Walker County Families Destroyed by the Opioid Crisis

Not long ago, more than 66 million pain pills flowed through Walker County, a rural area 15 miles northwest of Birmingham. Today, the children of those who struggled with addiction still feel the effects, and people in the county are forging a new path to help rebuild families. Read more.

by Whitney Sides, WBHM

Doug Jones Weighs in on Trump Impeachment, Other Issues

WBHM – When the U.S. Senate returns from the holiday break, there will be one overriding issue: impeachment. Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones shares his thoughts on this and other actions on Capitol Hill. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

Amid Slow Sales, Charlemagne Records Closes its Doors

Charlemagne Records has been open for more than four decades. But at the end of the year, the store is set to close. Like many brick-and-mortar music retailers, Charlemagne has struggled with sales in the digital age. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

Crisis Center Hopes to Reach Rural Sex Abuse Survivors With Mobile Unit

There are no clues on the outside of the RV, no labels or identifiers, but inside is a fully functioning clinic. Rebecca Henderson leads the way up the stairs, where a sofa sits lined with pillows and a blanket. “This is where we do the counseling,” Henderson says. “And so, it’s pretty homey in here. And you know, I try to decorate it to be nice and comfortable.” In the back of the mobile unit is a medical exam room, equipped to conduct sexual assault exams and other medical screenings. The Crisis Center launched the mobile unit this summer. The Birmingham-based non-profit offers free services for victims of sexual violence – including rape response, counseling and advocacy – and reaches into Blount, Jefferson, Walker and St. Clair counties. Read more.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Alabama House Members Split Votes on Spending and Tax Cut Package

WASHINGTON – Alabama’s members of the U.S. House of Representatives split votes on a package of eight appropriations bills (HR 1865) that would fund non-defense agencies and departments for the remaining nine months of fiscal 2020. Read more.

by Voterama in Congress