Economy

County Considering $1.6M to Support Innovation Depot, Other Econ Dev Projects

Following a presentation from Innovation Depot, the Jefferson County Commission Tuesday moved to its Thursday meeting agenda a package of more than $1.6 million supporting the business accelerator. Brooke Gillis, CEO of Innovation Depot, told commissioners about the depot’s aim to nurture the efforts of entrepreneurs so that their businesses can grow beyond the walls of the business center in downtown Birmingham. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Civil Rights District Groups Get Nearly $2.7M in Support From JeffCo Commission

The Jefferson County Commission today approved $2,691,642 in federal ARPA funding to organizations in the Civil Rights District to improve civil rights tourism. The $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill was enacted to speed the country's recovery from the economic and health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jefferson County determined that tourism had been affected by the pandemic. After their applications were vetted by consulting firm Witt O’Brien, 16th Street Baptist Church, Urban Impact Inc., Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and historic Bethel Baptist Church in Collegeville were allotted funds for unique projects. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Jefferson County About Halfway Through With Houses Listed for Demolition

Docena is next up in Jefferson County’s bid to remove dilapidated houses. At its committee meeting Tuesday, the Jefferson County Commission moved to the agenda of its Thursday meeting a resolution declaring 29 structures in the unincorporated community off Minor Parkway public nuisances and targeting those structures for demolition. Those structures are part of Batch 3 of the county’s demolition program. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

With the NCAA Tournament in Town, Birmingham Is Ready for Thrilling Games, an Economic Boost

Birmingham is hosting NCAA Tournament games this weekend for the first time since 2008. It's the latest addition to the city's growing profile as a sports hub. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

Knight Backs Plan to Sock Away County Money for a Rainy Day

Jefferson County Commission Finance Chairman Joe Knight repeated Tuesday his plan to continue on a conservative path that includes squireling away money in the county’s reserve accounts. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

How This Year’s Selma Bridge Crossing Could Mark a Community Renaissance

President Biden visits Selma for the 58th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday." Residents there are still recovering from tornadoes that ripped through the city in January. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

As Alabama Coal Miners Strike Nears End, a Look at Why It Started, How It Failed

After 700 days, the United Mine Workers of America Union asked Warrior Met Coal to allow the strikers to come back to work unconditionally. Read more.

by Stephan Bisaha, WBHM-Gulf States Newsroom

Birmingham to Invest in Temporary Housing for Homeless Residents

Taking the first steps in a community-focused plan to combat homelessness, the city of Birmingham has signed on to purchase 50 units of transitional housing for the unsheltered. The purchase, totaling nearly $1 million, is the first step in a program that will require significant participation from third-party nonprofits and for which details remain fuzzy. Where the new shelters will be placed, for example, is still up in the air. That will be dependent on the results of a request-for-proposal process, through which local nonprofits can pitch locations and operational plans, including wraparound services they would offer on-site. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

An old school in Birmingham’s Bush Hills is now an urban farm. Residents are thinking bigger.

At west Birmingham’s old Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, on the near-four acres that were once the school’s grounds, area residents tend to their own small garden plots with all manner of fruits and vegetables. The potatoes, greens, squash and other produce raised here — as much as 50,000 pounds a year — is distributed within the community, free of charge. What started as a means to prevent the old school from becoming a blight on the neighborhood is now the Bush Hills Community Garden and Urban Farm. Located about a mile from Legion Field, plans are underway for more than just agriculture. Some residents believe it is a model for other projects that adapt existing structures to the needs of their surrounding communities. Read more.

by Richard Banks, WBHM

Birmingham in Line for Grant to Develop ‘Transformational’ Housing in Smithfield Area

A “transformational” housing redevelopment project could be headed to the Smithfield Community — if the city can obtain a highly competitive federal grant. Birmingham is applying for a Choice Neighborhood Initiative Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which would supply the city with up to $50 million to construct up to 1,000 new and replacement mixed-income housing units in the neighborhoods of Smithfield, Graymont and College Hills. The scope of the grant would include redevelopment of the Smithfield Court public housing community, though the affordable housing would be decentralized and blended with market-rate housing. Read more.

by Sam Prickett