Virginia Martin

Neighbors Worry About Future of BSC Land as Officials Discuss Redevelopment Options

The mood was somber in the auditorium at A.H. Parker High School Monday night as neighbors of Birmingham-Southern College expressed their concern about the announced closing of the liberal arts college as of May 21. State Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, hosted a town hall to field questions about the school. Of particular concern was what will happen to the 192-acre campus. More than one compared BSC to the old Carraway Hospital property, which deteriorated for years north of downtown. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Miles Might Consider BSC Property as Other Universities Express No Interest

UPDATED — Miles College may have interest in the campus of Birmingham-Southern College, which announced this week that it will close at the end of May. “At this time, we do not have a formal plan to pursue the BSC campus,” Miles College President Bobbie Knight told BirminghamWatch. “As a Miles College community made up of faculty, students and families, our primary focus has been to support and address the needs of the BSC community. “Now that a resolution has been reached regarding BSC,” Knight said, “we look forward to a dialogue regarding the future of the campus.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

What Closing of Birmingham-Southern College Means to Residents in Surrounding Communities

If anyone knows the importance of Birmingham-Southern College, it would be Joanice Thompson, president of Bush Hills Connections, a nonprofit organization to pool resources and forge partnerships to benefit their neighborhood. One of the neighborhood’s biggest achievements, the Bush Hills Community Garden and Urban Farm, came about with the help of BSC students, she said. Read more. Read more about BSC’s closing. Birmingham-Southern College Closing After 168 Years Educating Students

by Barnett Wright, The Birmingham Times

Birmingham Council Allocates $2M DOJ Grant to Expand Youth Violence Prevention Program

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to give nearly $2 million from a federal grant to expand a local violence prevention program. The Restore program, which offers mental health and case management services to Birmingham youths, has covered children aged 15 to 19, but the initiative is being expanded to include children as young as 11. Read more.

by Daniel Gaddy

Birmingham-Southern College Closing After 168 Years Educating Students

Birmingham-Southern College is closing its doors May 31 after a nearly 18-month fight to overcome its financial shortfalls. The BSC board of trustees met Tuesday and decided to close the school after learning that a bill to lend the college $30 million from a state higher education loan fund was unlikely to pass the Legislature this year. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

For the First Time in 37 Years, Jefferson County Makes Major Change to Tax Maps

For the first time in 37 years, the Jefferson County Tax Assessor’s Office has completed a comprehensive countywide resurvey that has modernized parcel data that will impact more than 600,000 residents and departments such as the Board of Equalization. The tax map is the foundation for some of the county’s most important functions, from emergency services to the U.S. Postal Service and every municipality in the county. Read more.

by Barnett Wright, The Birmingham Times

Alabama Pharmacists Urge Lawmakers to Pass HB238

Supporters of the legislation say it would create a more transparent reimbursement system for struggling pharmacies. The bill's opponents worry it could drive up insurance costs.

by Mary Scott Hodgin, WBHM

Birmingham Council Gives $5M Toward Public Health Data System

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $5 million for a nonprofit research organization to develop a public health data system program that will leverage personalized medical data as well as data from clinical trials to help patients get the best care available. Read more.

by Daniel Gaddy

Where Do Your Dollars Go?

Mayor Randall Woodfin stood in front of a crowd Monday night holding up a dollar bill. The city spends 75 cents of every dollar on personnel, with just a quarter going to Birmingham’s operating budget, he told the residents and officials gathered. Birmingham officials held the town hall — during which Woodfin explained the city’s budget process and residents had a chance to voice their interests — as the city prepares to create a new budget, for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Council President Darrell O'Quinn said that, to the best of his knowledge, Monday’s event, held at Boutwell Auditorium, was the first such budget town hall city leaders have done. Read more.

by Daniel Gaddy

Special Elections Set to Replace Former Rep. John Rogers; Rogers Officially Resigns

John Rogers officially has resigned from the Alabama Legislature after more than 40 years representing his district, and the governor Monday set a special primary election for June 18 and general election for Oct. 1 to choose his replacement. Read more.

by Virginia Martin