Author: Virginia Martin
JeffCo Commission to Consider Selling Property for BJCC Use
The Jefferson County Commission is expected to jettison the old Salvation Army Building on Abraham Woods Jr. Boulevard, selling it to the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority, during its meeting Thursday.
“The county was looking to sell the surplus property,” BJCC Executive Director and CEO Tad Snider said in an interview. “Given its proximity to the BJCC and City Walk, we chose to purchase and will redevelop or repurpose for additional parking.” The sales price is $810,000. Read more.
Birmingham Council Expresses Sympathy for Shooting Victims, Including Mayor’s Pregnant Cousin
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday passed a resolution expressing sympathies for six people killed in recent shootings. The victims included a city employee as well as the pregnant cousin of Mayor Randall Woodfin.
In his comments to the council Tuesday, the mayor expressed his frustration with the lack of leads in finding suspects in the shootings.
“When you have something like this happen in your community, it’s important we enact justice as swiftly as possible. But it turns out BPD can’t do it themselves … it takes people with information to come forward,” Woodfin said. Read more.
Democrats Name Nominee in Jefferson County Treasurer Race
After some spirited debate and two rounds of balloting, the Executive Committee of the Jefferson County Democratic Party left the Five Points West Library on Saturday with its nominee for county treasurer in the November general election. Read more.
How Birmingham Reflects an Entwined Struggle for Civil and Labor Rights
Movements for civil rights and workers’ rights often intersect. But many times the labor part of the picture is overlooked. That’s the case in Birmingham, which is well known for its civil rights history. Read more.
How Jefferson County Pulled Off a Billion-Dollar Refinancing to Help Stabilize Sewer Rates and Regain Trust
Jimmie Stephens remembers he wasn’t proud of Jefferson County when he took office as a county commissioner in 2010.
“I was embarrassed and ashamed of what Jefferson County had become and what its reputation was, in the state and in the nation,” recalled Stephens, now the president of the commission.
Jefferson County had become by most accounts one of the worst financially managed governments in the nation laying off more than 1,000 of its employees and filing the then-largest municipal bankruptcy in November 2011.
But Stephens, his fellow commissioners, county manager and department heads no longer feel that sense of shame and embarrassment, they say.
Last month, Jefferson County got positive reviews from investors and financial publications that would have been unimaginable more than 10 years ago. Read more.
Birmingham Council to Sell Old Scott Elementary, Nearby Community Center to Group to Establish a Community Health Center
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to sell the old Scott Elementary School and a neighboring community center to a group planning a health clinic at the property. The measure passed despite some pushback from community members, particularly those already involved in operating a community center there. Read more.
Gov. Kay Ivey’s 2024 State of the State Address
Balance in Journalism Is Good … Until It Isn’t
Two alarming recent headlines:
• “Why the age issue is hurting Biden so much more than Trump” (New York Times, Feb. 10)
• “Public equally concerned about Biden’s and Trump’s classified documents, new poll finds” (nbcnews.com, Jan. 29)
In politics, public perceptions like these arise because many people magnify events that support their existing views and distort or ignore those that don’t. That’s not the fault of the mainstream news media. But in some cases when perception does not match reality, the media are very much to blame. Read more.
How Racism Flooded Alabama’s Historically Black Shiloh Community
SHILOH COMMUNITY — If it’s been raining, the kids bring two pairs of shoes to the bus stop.
One pair is for before school—for the trek through high water in the historically Black Shiloh community in Coffee County, Alabama.
“They roll their pants legs up, too,” said Otis Andrews, who’s lived in the community nearly all his life.
Once they’ve made it onto the bus, they can change into their second pair, drying out for the school day to come.
“That’s not acceptable,” Andrews said. “It’s really not. They shouldn’t have to do this.”
Shiloh, he explained, is naturally flat. Flooding didn’t start until after the state elevated and expanded U.S. 84. Read more.
‘Don’t let a pandemic go to waste:’ Y Leader Says COVID Shined a Spotlight on Community Needs
Despite speaking on Super Bowl Sunday, Dan Pile chose not to say the Northeast YMCA will be a “Super Y” after a major redevelopment on that Roebuck campus.
His hope, Pile said, is that the redevelopment will be the new norm, the standard for all YMCAs.
“Actually, what I believe will happen is this will become a prototype of future YMCAs,” said Pile, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Birmingham. “We’re not the only provider but we’ve convened in bringing in other providers. I really believe this represents the future of the YMCA, especially here in Birmingham.” Read more.
