Author: Virginia Martin
Birmingham to Lobby for Legislation to Combat Exhibition Driving
Birmingham’s mayor told the City Council on Tuesday that he and other leaders hope to persuade state lawmakers to give police more options to combat the rise in exhibition driving, including using cameras to catch offenders. Read more.
Democratic Primary Runoff Voter Guide
Jefferson County Democrats will go to the polls Tuesday in the primary runoff to determine nominees in three races that were not decided in the March primary.
Two races on the ballot will be voted on countywide.
Jefferson County District Court Judge Place 3: Pamela Wilson Cousins faces Jacquelyn Grant Jones.
Jefferson County Probate Judge Place 1: Yashiba (Red) Blanchard faces Yawanna Nabors McDonald.
One race will be voted on in the Bessemer District.
Assistant Tax Collector in the Bessemer District of Jefferson County: Ves Marable faces Ron Marshall.
A constable race also is on the ballot.
There will be no Republican primary because those nominees were decided in March without runoffs.
Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Find profiles of the candidates by clicking the links above. Here is the sample ballot.
Sample Ballot, Democratic Runoff 2024
Commission OKs Incentive for World Police and Fire Games, Prez Says Don’t Let World Games Problems Deter Investment
Jefferson County can’t let the issues that followed The World Games keep the county from being involved with other economy-impacting events, Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens said Thursday.
During the County Commission’s meeting, commissioners supported a piece of legislation that exempted the World Police and Fire Games, which are slated for Birmingham in 2025, from taxes. Read more.
County May Flatten a Bit of Its Management Chain
County Manager Cal Markert could have a new link in his chain of command if the Jefferson County Commission passes a resolution on Thursday’s meeting agenda creating a separate Department of Fleet Management.
Well, it’s not exactly new. Read more.
Birmingham to Apply for $200K Law Enforcement Mental Health Grant
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to apply for a $200,000 federal grant to offer mental health services to law enforcement workers in the city. Read more.
PNC Bank Provides $10 Million Grant for City Students Through Birmingham Promise Program
Birmingham Promise received a $10 million grant from PNC Foundation to promote postsecondary success for city of Birmingham school graduates, the largest grant of its kind since the Promise program was created in 2019. Read more.
Forward Ever Day Is Different This Year at BSC as Closure Looms
“Forward Ever” is the motto of Birmingham-Southern College, which for 168 years educated students and prepared them for a future beyond the Hilltop.
But the liberal arts college’s days are numbered with the recent announcement that BSC will close on May 31. That announcement has left students, faculty and staff feeling like they’ve experienced a death in their family.
“We are all grieving,” said Virginia Gilbert Loftin, the school’s vice president for advancement and communications.
Today is Forward Ever Day at BSC. Annually, this is the day alumni and friends of the college are urged to give in support of the school. But Forward Ever Day has a somber feel this year as friends of the college will give in an effort to make the final days of students, faculty and staff as good as they can be. Read more.
Transportation Secretary Buttigieg Announces $14.5M Award to Turn 4th Avenue North Into a Two-Way Street
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stopped traffic on Fourth Avenue North on Wednesday to announce a $14.5 million grant to help reconnect parts of the community that have been divided by transportation decisions of the past.
The announcement, staged in the middle of the downtown thoroughfare, outlined a grant to Birmingham to convert Fourth Avenue North — which includes the historic Fourth Avenue Black Business District — from a one-way road to a two-way. Read more.
Did a reporter really ask that question?
It’s about five hours after a cargo ship hit the Key Bridge in Baltimore, collapsing it and sending six construction workers on the bridge into the water. The city’s mayor is holding a press conference when a reporter asks him: “How long is it going to take to rebuild the bridge?”
Calmly and immediately, the mayor responds: “We shouldn’t even be having that discussion right now. The discussion right now should be about the people, the souls, the lives that we’re trying to save. There will be a time to discuss about a bridge and how we get our bridge back up but right now there are people in the water that we have to get out.”
On social media, the mayor got mostly applause. The reporter got mostly ripped apart. One X poster wrote: “Shoutout to our mayor Brandon Scott for focusing on the people and showcasing empathy, because the nerve of that reporter to ask about the bridge repair. Like, sir read the (expletive) room.”
I understand why many people saw the reporter’s question as disrespectful to the victims. But I don’t have a problem with it. How about you? Read more.
