Government

Birmingham and UAB Partner to Offer Free Tuition to City Graduates

The University of Alabama at Birmingham will offer full tuition scholarships to some graduates of Birmingham City Schools as part of a new partnership with the City of Birmingham. The city and UAB announced the scholarship program Thursday morning at a press conference. “It makes a down payment on our city’s economic competitiveness,” Mayor Randall Woodfin says. The Birmingham Promise Scholarship is part of a city initiative that plans to offer graduates of Birmingham schools full tuition to all in-state public universities and colleges. UAB is the first academic partner to support the Birmingham Promise with a scholarship. UAB estimates it’ll contribute $250,000 the first year, according to a spokesperson for the city. The Birmingham Promise Incorporated does not yet have an estimate on how much it’ll contribute. Read more.

by Miranda Fulmore

Jefferson County Gets New Human Resources Director, Raising Hopes for Lifting Consent Decree on Personnel Practices

Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight offered a predictable straight line after Caroline Brown was introduced as Jefferson County’s new human resource director at Tuesday’s commission committee meeting. “Can you get us a good deal on a Toyota?” Knight asked, referring to her long tenure with the automaker. “Not anymore,” the Montgomery native said as the boardroom burst into laughter. “Not anymore.” While Brown can’t provide the hook-up for a fleet of motor vehicles, county manager Tony Petelos calls her “the missing link” in the county’s efforts to escape from the consent decree on personnel practices with which it has dealt for nearly 40 years. Read More

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Should Jefferson County Charge More for Credit and Debit Payments? The Commission Mulls the Question.

The Jefferson County Commission will decide Thursday whether persons and businesses doing business with the county will have to pay more for the convenience of using credit cards when paying bills at the county’s Revenue Department. The department sought a resolution during today’s committee meeting to add 1% to a transaction amount with a minimum of $1.95 for over-the-counter electronic payments. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Woodfin Takes Focus on Neighborhoods, Race and Crime in his State of the City Address

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin delivered his State of the City address to the Kiwanis Club Tuesday afternoon. His speech focused largely on his administration’s neighborhood revitalization efforts and its nascent Birmingham Promise education initiative, though he also touched on race relations in the 74% black city. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Public Hearings Set on Use of By-Products Such as Sludge, Discharges from Gaston Steam Plant and a Toll Bridge Over Lay Lake

ADEM is conducting several public hearings in the next week. Tuesday, a hearing will be conducted on proposed new standards for the beneficial use of by-products such as sludge, biosolids and waste from municipal, industrial and private sources. That hearing will be at 1:30 p.m. at the Alabama Department of Environmental Management office in Montgomery.

by Virginia Martin

Education Town Hall Set for Jan. 15

A town hall meeting on the status of education in Birmingham has been set for Jan. 15, 6-8 p.m. State Reps. Mary Moore and John Rogers, both D-Birmingham, set the town hall, called "Where Do We Go From Here." Moore said a number of local and state Board of Education members as well as local and state elected officials have been invited to speak.

by Virginia Martin

Birmingham City Council Delays Vote on Five Points West/CrossPlex Grant

The Birmingham City Council on Monday delayed voting on an item granting funding to the Five Points West/CrossPlex Business Alliance under the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development (BOLD) initiative. The grant, proposed by Mayor Randall Woodfin’s office, would give the Five Points West/CrossPlex Business Alliance $26,500 to use for a variety of initiatives, including the creation of five new murals, the development of a training and resource program for the area’s business community, the establishment of a business office for the alliance, and the collection of data regarding businesses and commercial properties in the Five Points West commercial corridor. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Doug Jones Weighs in on Trump Impeachment, Other Issues

WBHM – When the U.S. Senate returns from the holiday break, there will be one overriding issue: impeachment. Democratic U.S. Senator Doug Jones shares his thoughts on this and other actions on Capitol Hill. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

Alabama House Members Split Votes on Spending and Tax Cut Package

WASHINGTON – Alabama’s members of the U.S. House of Representatives split votes on a package of eight appropriations bills (HR 1865) that would fund non-defense agencies and departments for the remaining nine months of fiscal 2020. Read more.

by Voterama in Congress

Jefferson County Commission Postpones Vote on Family Dollar Beer and Wine Sales

Jefferson County commissioners voted on Dec. 19 to postpone consideration of a request to allow the Family Dollar Store on U.S. 78 in Forestdale to sell beer and wine. While the area where the store is located is zoned for beer and wine sales, and there are other stores in the vicinity that do sell beer and wine, concerns about crime and security and issues regarding cleanliness at the Family Dollar property were at the forefront of the discussion. Read more.

by Cheryl Slocum