Alabama’s Hunting 101 Workshops Target Newcomers — and Conservation Dollars

November 18, 2022

State leaders hope to reverse a decades-long decline in hunting participation rates and secure more funding for wildlife restoration. Read more.

Alabama Health Providers Warn of Unusually Early Flu Activity

November 10, 2022

In recent weeks, outpatient providers across Alabama have reported high levels of influenza-like illness, with kids facing the highest risk of hospitalization. Read more.

Birmingham Hopes City Walk Will Bridge a Divide Between Neighborhoods

November 4, 2022

Birmingham’s City Walk is a linear, urban park that opened about five months ago under the Interstate 20/59 bridges. City officials say it’s an attempt to reconnect downtown to the northern neighborhoods. Read more.

Birmingham Kicks Off New Garbage Pickup Plan

October 19, 2022

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.

Martin Luther King’s 1963 Birmingham arrest spurred a Supreme Court case. The ruling still matters.

October 19, 2022

The case is Walker v. City of Birmingham, which ruled on the legal principles that allowed Bull Conner and Birmingham to jail Martin Luther King Jr. on Good Friday, 1963. Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy explains why the case continues to influence legal thinking during these tumultuous times. Read more.

Alabama Honors Hugo Black’s Complicated Legacy

October 15, 2022

Alabama native and Supreme Court justice Hugo Black became a civil rights champion after a brief time in the KKK. A new monument honors his complicated legacy. Read more.

New Aviation Charter School Aims to Diversify the Cockpit

October 13, 2022

Since the pandemic began, the aviation industry is down 2 million workers and those who remain are overwhelmingly white. One new charter school in Bessemer hopes to address both issues by preparing diverse students for jobs in aviation. Read more.

New Mental Health Crisis Center Aims to Interrupt Revolving Door of Jail and ER Visits

October 10, 2022

The new clinic in Jefferson County will offer short-term crisis care to people who might otherwise wait hours at a hospital or wind up in jail. Read more.

Birmingham City Council Moves Toward Approval of Cannabis Dispensaries

October 4, 2022

Birmingham has taken “the first step” on the road to legalizing medical marijuana. The City Council voted Tuesday to approve an ordinance authorizing medical cannabis dispensaries to operate within Birmingham city limits.

The Alabama Legislature authorized the production and distribution of medical marijuana in the state last year, though it maintains strict regulatory control over the licensing process. That process is ongoing — the state is not expected to issue licenses until July — but Tuesday’s vote opens the city up to potential licensees.
Read more.

COVID-19 Takes Another Dip in Alabama

September 23, 2022

COVID-19 continues to trend downward in Alabama and this week is averaging about 90% fewer average daily cases and hospitalizations than when the state hit its all-time peak in January. Read more.

Garbage Point of Discussion for Jefferson County Commission

September 20, 2022

Discussion of garbage segued to garbage of a different sort during Tuesday’s committee meeting of the Jefferson County Commission.

The agenda included a resolution to address garbage pickup at county facilities, including the courthouse. The resolution calls for EcoSouth Services of Birmingham to handle county facility garbage collection and disposal for three years for $785,400.

County Manager Cal Markert said that cost is double what it had been. The aim, he said, is to keep coverage in place until proposals can be accepted from other vendors. Read more.

Memoir Explores ‘Being Black but Growing Up White’ After the 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

September 15, 2022

“Dear Denise” follows Lisa McNair’s life in a series of letters to the sister she never met. Lisa recounts her experience growing up in the first generation of African Americans after legal segregation. Read more.

Birmingham School Budget Includes Raises, New Psychologists and More Pre-K Classes

September 13, 2022

The Birmingham Board of Education on Tuesday approved a $506,988,421 budget that includes pay increases for all employees and establishes a $15 minimum hourly pay rate. The 2023 budget also includes additional pre-kindergarten classes, six new school psychologists and adjustments in the teacher salary schedule to make pay more competitive with surrounding school districts, according to a news release from the board. Read more.

Vestiges of the Past Carry Ingrained Racism Into the Modern Age

September 1, 2020

Vestiges of segregation still thread through the systems and processes with which we engage throughout our lives, influencing Black Alabamians in large and small ways, including economic opportunities and lifetime wealth, relationship with law enforcement, health care and even projected lifespan. BirminghamWatch has an ongoing effort to analyze how these sometimes unrecognized vestiges of segregation are playing out in people’s lives today. Read stories in The Legacy of Race series.