Chris Woods Wants to Look Out for the City Like a Brother
Birmingham mayoral candidate Chris Woods could star in the reboot of the 2000 ABC situation comedy “Malcomb in the Middle.”
Government
Woodfin Points to ‘Progress and Rebirth’ as Reasons Voters Should Reelect Him Mayor
Mayor Randall Woodfin has a simple request for Birmingham: “Stick with me.”
HUD Secretary Touts ‘Millions and Millions of Dollars’ Coming to Birmingham for Infrastructure
One day after the Senate passed a $1 billion infrastructure bill, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge visited Birmingham Wednesday. Read more.
Linda Roper Richardson, BBOE D7
Linda Roper Richardson, BBOE D7 Linda Roper Richardson filed papers to run for the Birmingham Board of Education, District 7 seat but said told BirminghamWatch that she has withdrawn from the race.
Four Lower-Profile Candidates on the Ballot in the Mayor’s Race
A total of eight people have qualified to run for mayor of Birmingham in the Aug. 24 elections. Four of the candidates have drawn far less publicity than the rest, though in combined experience, several of them have decades of service as community activists. Cerissa Brown has never stood on the sidelines. She has been
Impasse Between City Council, Mayor’s Office on Scheduling Delays Spending of City Relief Funds
Scheduling problems between the City Council and mayor’s office have slowed Birmingham’s efforts to spend $74 million in federal relief funding. The city received its money from the American Rescue Plan in May and quickly allocated $17.5 million toward premium pay for city employees who worked through the COVID-19 pandemic. But negotiations over how to spend the rest of the remaining money stalled last month after Mayor Randall Woodfin proposed allocating the money into several different “buckets.” To Woodfin’s obvious frustration, councilors balked, questioning the apparent arbitrariness of those allocations, particularly to public transportation, and delayed the item until a committee of the whole meeting could be convened. That meeting still hasn’t happened. Read more.
Jeffco Commissioner Cautions About Travel Expenses
Jefferson County Commissioner Steve Ammons urged county employees and department heads Tuesday to be careful of excessive spending when traveling on behalf of the county. “I was just making sure that employees understand that we're still keeping an eye on travel,” Ammons said following the commission's committee meeting. “It's not a vacation.” Ammons’ eye was drawn to a trip someone from the county compliance office will take Sept. 18-22 to the Compliance & Ethics Institute Conference in Las Vegas. That trip will cost $3,354.55. He said some trips are to places that are expensive, but supervisors should be keeping an eye on expenses. Read more.
Community Leaders Gather for Open House of Montgomery Mental Health Crisis Center
MONTGOMERY — Community and Alabama Department of Mental Health leaders gathered Wednesday to get their first look at one of the three new mental health crisis centers going up across Alabama. These facilities will provide 24/7 care for anyone experiencing an acute mental health crisis and are meant to ease the burden on local emergency rooms and jails that have become the main receivers of individuals in crisis. The other facilities will soon open in Mobile and Huntsville. There are also plans to open a fourth in the Birmingham/Tuscaloosa area. Read more.
Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama Founder Looks Back At Two Decades Of Leadership
Alabama can be daunting for newcomers, especially when there are cultural and language barriers. More than 20 years ago, Isabel Rubio founded the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama to assist Latinos who migrate to the state and to push for economic equality, civic engagement and social justice. Last month, Rubio announced she would step down as CEO of the organization at the end of the year. WBHM’s Janae Pierre spoke with Rubio about her time leading HICA, who discussed how Alabama's Latino community has changed over the years, the effect of the state's immigration law, and her proudest moments with HICA. Read more. .
Alabama Becomes First in Nation to Certify All ALEA Officers in Sensory Inclusive Practices
MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is the first state police department in the country to have all of its officers certified in sensory-inclusive practices, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Tuesday. “Too often we have citizens with sensory issues or folks who have PTSD, autism, dementia and a whole host of special needs that, frankly, our heroes in blue haven’t been trained to deal with up to this point,” Ivey said. Read more.