Government

New Bike- and Scooter-Sharing Service OK’d for Birmingham

A new micromobility service has been approved to operate in Birmingham despite open doubt from city councilors that such businesses are worth the trouble. Councilors approved allowing the Lime bike- and scooter-sharing business to operate in the Magic City, although some councilors suggested tightening city ordinances to make sure e-bikes and e-scooters don’t become a public nuisance, particularly if customers leave them randomly on sidewalks and streets rather than returning them. Read more.

City officials want parents to combat gun violence. Community leaders say it’s not that simple.

It’s been 20 years since Shunda Milhouse lost her daughter, April, to gun violence when she was 15 years old. The mother of six said she finds joy in seeing her daughters happy, but she said the pain of losing a child never goes away. “It’s almost like time has stopped,” Milhouse said. “I don’t look at it as being 20 years. To me, it’s almost like yesterday.” Milhouse says April asked to tag along with one of her older sisters for Senior Skip Day. Milhouse said she would usually say no to that kind of thing, but that day she said yes. April and her sister went to a park to meet up with other friends. While they were out, a man in his 20s tried to hit on April, and April said no. “So she walked away and somehow his ego got bruised,” Milhouse said. “And when she declined to speak with him, he went to the trunk of his car and he got out a gun and he just started shooting in the park and he shot my baby in her back.” Milhouse said she never expected that something like this would happen to her child. “A lot of parents say, ‘not my child. This wouldn’t happen in my home,’” Milhouse said. “But little do they know guns are being hidden right there in your home.” She said in order for things to change — and for fewer shootings to happen — people need to be invested in their community, because when young people are taken care of, they take care of their communities. Read more.

Teens Say Birmingham’s Gun Violence Takes a Heavy Toll

Teens Say Birmingham’s Gun Violence Takes a Heavy Toll

At least 11 students in Birmingham have died due to gun violence since the beginning of the year, and their peers say the ongoing issue causes their mental health to suffer. Read more.

Birmingham to Get Federal Help to Improve Stormwater System, Reduce Flooding

Birmingham will receive federal assistance to assess and improve the city’s stormwater drainage systems. The city is one of 20 in the nation — out of more than 100 applicants — to receive a technical assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “There’s no direct funding that will be given to the city,” Kim Speorl, a zoning administrator for the city, told councilors Tuesday. “We will be given a representative who will work with our stormwater and our floodplain and hazard mitigation department to identify projects to apply for FEMA grant funding in the future.” Read more.

JeffCo Commissioners Discuss How to Fix Slow Emergency Response Times

Steve Ammons gave a 30-minute report during today’s Jefferson County Commission committee meeting, telling his fellow commissioners what he learned from countless meetings to address an ambulance crisis in the county. “The problem is real,” one commissioner said. “So, what’s the solution?” asked another. As Rome wasn’t built in a day, Ammons said it will take time and continued effort to solve a problem that has been years in the making. He laid out short term, mid-term and long-term solutions to a situation that can leave county residents waiting hours for an ambulance. Read more.

Birmingham Council to Hear Arguments on Zoning for Medical Cannabis Dispensaries

The Birmingham City Council has set a Nov. 29 public hearing over proposed changes to the city’s zoning code that would allow for medical cannabis production facilities and dispensaries within city limits. It’s the next step in a process the council started last month when it approved an ordinance broadly authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries in Birmingham. The Alabama State Legislature, which legalized the production and distribution of medical marijuana last year, will maintain strict control over the licensing process via the newly created Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission, which is not expected to issue distributor licenses until July. The new zoning code also would change zoning definitions for opioid replacement therapy treatment facilities, moving them from the “special exception” category to “permitted with conditions.” Read more.

Childhood Literacy Program to Expand After City Approves Funding

The city of Birmingham has committed $1 million to expanding Birmingham Talks, a citywide program promoting early childhood literacy. With the funding, the organization is expected to more than triple its reach from 1,000 to 3,500 students across all 99 neighborhoods over the next three years. Read more.

Voter Deadlines Approaching

Deadlines to participate in the Nov. 8 election are coming up quickly. Monday is the last day you can register to vote, and absentee deadlines begin the following week. Read more.

Birmingham Kicks Off New Garbage Pickup Plan

Birmingham has begun to deliver garbage carts to city residents in the first phase of its plans to change garbage pickup in the city. The Department of Public Works will deliver about 20,000, free, 96-gallon garbage carts among the city's four waste management districts over the next four weeks. Plans are to deliver about 100,000 uniform garbage carts through next year. Read more.

Jeffco Commission Discusses Proposed Downtown Amphitheater

A proposed $50 million amphitheater that could seat up to 9,000 people received a less-than-enthusiastic reception when it was presented during Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission.  Commission President Jimmie Stephens doled out copies of The Star Uptown Amphitheater Opportunity, a seven-page information booklet produced by Corporate Realty, to fellow commission members. The plan calls for an amphitheater that could seat from 8,500 to 9,000 and would be owned by the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority and managed by Live Nation.  The downtown entertainment venue would be located north of Protective Stadium and west of The Star at Uptown development on the old Carraway Hospital campus. It would replace the “aging” Oak Mountain Amphitheater, which is managed by Live Nation.  Read more.