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Today the state education department released a list of 78 "failing schools" under the controversial Alabama Accountability Act. Of the 78, 11 were in Birmingham. WBHM's Dan Carsen caught up with Birmingham Superintendent Craig Witherspoon for his reaction.
When foster care kids grow too old for the system, they're pretty much on their own. They're often unprepared for the basics of life such as finding a job, paying rent or buying insurance. Succeeding in college is a much higher bar. Many states have special programs to support foster care kids who want to go to college. Tuesday, we kick off a Southern Education Desk series "From Foster Care to College: Extra Help for Extra Hurdles."
There’s no question the housing market is bouncing back from the depths of the recession. That’s certainly true in Birmingham. But that fuels a new concern. Are we in another housing bubble? We talk about that in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Privacy concerns are news with the NSA and PRISM stories, Alabama makes news with roadblocks to gain samples from drivers. And good news about Birmingham? We talk with Kyle Whitmire, political reporter with AL.com and The Birmingham News.
Some images from the civil rights era are indelibly etched on our collective memory. For instance, the rubble left by the bombing of the 16th St. Baptist Church or the dogs and fire hoses set upon marching children in downtown Birmingham. Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of a third -- Governor George Wallace’s stand in the Schoolhouse door. Greg Bass reports.
Birmingham has seen its list of Fortune 500 companies shrink over the last decade. Now the city's list of public companies is shrinking too. A Memphis firm is merging with Birmingham-based Colonial Properties effectively moving that company’s operation to Tennessee. We talk about what that means in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this month on a challenge by Shelby County, Alabama, to a portion of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. It’s legislation that in a certain sense was born in Alabama because of what’s known as Bloody Sunday. On March 7, 1965, police brutally beat protesters on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge which spurred President Lyndon Johnson to push for the bill. But University of Delaware history professor Gary May says there’s much more to the Voting Rights Act. He writes about the law in his book Bending Toward Justice:The Voting Rights Act and the Transformation of American Democracy. WBHM’s Andrew Yeager spoke with May.
Loving v. Virginia is not as well known as other U.S. Supreme Court civil rights cases, but it has significant consequences for many people. The case overturned bans on interracial marriage and spawned an annual celebration called Loving Day. WBHM Race and Diversity Blogger Javacia Harris Bowser writes about one Birmingham couple who might not be together without that decision.
Public Radio WBHM 90.3 FM has hired Sarah Delia as a new announcer/producer.
Delia comes to WBHM from Northeast Indiana Public Radio in Fort Wayne, Ind., where she hosted All Things Considered. A graduate of James Madison University and The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Delia was an intern and production assistant at NPR and was an intern with Studio 360.
The latest chapter in the saga of Jefferson County's troubled finances appears to be on the way to a resolution. County commissioners approved a tentative deal Tuesday to end the county's $4.2 billion dollar bankruptcy, with an official plan to be filed by the end of the month. We talk about the agreement with The Birmingham News and AL.com's John Archibald.
The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history could be coming to an end. Jefferson County has been saddled with more than $4.2 billion of debt. Wednesday a federal bankruptcy judge began reviewing a tentative agreement in the case. WBHM's Andrew Yeager reports.
After multiple corruption trials, years of hand wringing and intense negotiations with creditors, Jefferson County is moving forward with what is the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. The $4.1 billion filing will take a while to sort out. And the WBHM News Team will be with you along the way reporting on the progress and the consequences. This is the collection of our stories to date.
