Author: Virginia Martin
What would you say are the biggest issues facing Birmingham City Schools today?
What would you say are the biggest issues facing Birmingham City Schools today?
If elected to the school board, what do you bring to the table that can help solve these issues?
Given the recent series of superintendent changes over a relatively short period of time, how important is it to give the newly appointed superintendent time to achieve her goals? How long a period would you consider long enough for her to prove herself and/or turn long-standing problems around at BCS?
What will board success look like from your perspective? What is the maximum benefit to students in the BCS if the next board succeeds? Or how will you know that the next board will have succeeded?
Top Mayoral Candidates Talk Transportation, Education, Redevelopment and Government Efficiency in Debate
Both challengers involved in a recent mayoral election debate targeted what they said were shortcomings in Mayor William Bell’s administration, while Bell fired back with attacks on their records, or lack thereof.
Moore, Strange Advance to Republican Senate Election Runoff, While Jones Wins Democratic Primary Outright
Given his famous 6-foot-9 height, it’s not surprising that Sen. Luther Strange has an affinity for basketball, which he played in his younger days.
So when it came time to address his supporters in Homewood after winning a berth in a Republican primary runoff election for the Senate seat he was appointed to earlier this year, Strange used an analogy with roots in hoops.
“Eight on one has kind of been the game so far,” the incumbent said. “Now it will be one on one. And I like the odds in a one-on-one basketball game.”
But there won’t be a wooden court or squeaking sneakers in his next contest.
Strange finished second in Tuesday’s GOP primary behind Roy Moore, the two-time chief justice of Alabama who was removed from office both times after defying state laws and judicial regulations. Read more.
Confederate Monument in Linn Park Covered in Wake of Virginia Protests
Aug. 15, 2017 — Mayor William Bell had a Confederate monument outside Birmingham City Hall obscured by a wooden barrier Tuesday night while efforts are made to remove it.
But the state’s attorney general quickly sued the city and the mayor, saying the move violated a state law passed in the spring that says monuments more than 40 years old cannot be altered without approval from a new commission.
The topic of removing the statute was brought up during the Tuesday morning City Council meeting. Council President Johnathan Austin had called on Bell to remove the monument and others like it in Birmingham, calling them “offensive” and saying they “celebrate racism, bigotry, hate and all those things that the South has been known for. Read more.
Birmingham Council Delays Capital Projects for Lack of a Budget, Debates Unfulfilled Contracts
In its last regular meeting before next week’s municipal elections, the Birmingham City Council spent most of its time Tuesday directing key concerns on a variety of subjects toward Mayor William Bell.
The most notable of those discussions were about the still-unpassed FY 2018 budget and an unfulfilled construction contract. Read more.
