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EPA Formally Denies Alabama’s Plan for Coal Ash Waste
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here. The Environmental Protection Agency has formally denied Alabama’s plan to allow Alabama Power and other utilities to continue storing...
The Long View: Coca-Cola CEO Discusses New Project as JeffCo OKs $2M Investment
Mike Suco said Coca-Cola United looks well beyond the present when it looks into the future. “We are a company that thinks not in a year or two or three years,” the president and CEO told the Jefferson County Commission on Thursday. “We think in 50-year increments.”. With...
JeffCo Considering $2M for New Coca-Cola Development
Jefferson County during its meeting Thursday will consider being part of an economic development project that will create a new gateway in and out of Birmingham. Representatives of Coca-Cola Bottling Company United asked the commission for an economic incentive package of $2 million as the company looks to relocate from its longtime home north of Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport to the former Stockham Valves and Fittings location in Birmingham’s Kingston Neighborhood.
Even Watching Exhibition Driving in Birmingham Now Illegal
Now it’s not just a crime to participate directly in exhibition driving in Birmingham, it’s illegal to stand around and watch the people who do. The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday continued its campaign against exhibition driving by passing two measures aimed at curtailing the dangerous trend, in which drivers block traffic and put on a show of donuts, burnouts and other ill-advised maneuvers. The first item created a penalty for spectators of exhibition driving; the second set a public hearing to consider revoking the business license of a lounge that officials say is a hotbed for street-racing and other crime.
Alabama, Mississippi Among U.S. Leaders for Juvenile Life Without Parole Sentences, Study Shows
Gulf South states dole out some of the most life without parole sentences to children, with the bulk of those sentences handed down to children of color, a new study shows. Mississippi and Alabama are among just four states that top the nation in new juvenile life without parole sentences since 2012, according to recent data from The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. The nonprofit focuses on juvenile incarceration.
Alabama Coal Company Sued for a Home Explosion That Killed a Man Is Delinquent on Dozens of Penalties, Records Show
OAK GROVE — Clara Riley thought she was having a heart attack. As an Alabama mine has slowly approached the coal seam under her home, Riley’s anxiety has sometimes gotten the best of her. In late April, after a mine representative visited her home, the 90-year-old said she broke down. She could feel the weight of it all on her chest.
Proponents of a Gaza Ceasefire Resolution Continue Call for Birmingham Council to Pass Measure
Seven Birmingham residents spoke before the City Council on Tuesday urging city leaders to adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to the United Nations, more than 35,000 people have died in the 141-square-mile territory since Israel began a military offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
Birmingham Council Approves Incentives for Coca-Cola to Redevelop Former Stockham Valve Site
The old Stockham Valve and Fittings site in Kingston could be rehabilitated under a plan presented to the Birmingham Council on Tuesday. The council approved an incentive package for the $340 million redevelopment project in which the Coca-Cola Bottling Company United of Birmingham intends to build a new campus at the Stockham site.
Birmingham Council OKS Citizen Observer Patrol Unit Despite Safety Concerns
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday narrowly passed a measure to create a citizen observer patrol unit, with some council members expressing concerns about safety for both the unit and the public. “In your opinion, do you not think this a liability nightmare for the city of Birmingham,” Councilor Hunter...
JeffCo Allots $90,000 for Displays Highlighting History of Bham Barons
The Jefferson County Commission voted Thursday to play ball with a baseball historian, approving $90,000 for displays at Regions Field that will commemorate former members of the Birmingham Barons. Kenneth Cunningham, deputy director of the Negro Southern League Museum, said the project will produce walk-around exhibits at the ballpark the...
Missed Garbage Pickup Is No Joke for Frustrated Residents
Joe Knight demonstrated Tuesday that he can deliver a punchline. County Commission President Jimmie Stephens told his fellow commissioners during Tuesday’s committee meeting that former Commissioner David Carrington called Sunday to say his garbage had not been collected. “That was intentional,” Knight quipped as the room erupted in laughter....
Birmingham Council Nixes Parking Minimums Citywide; Mayor Voices Frustration Over Violence
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved zoning amendments that include removing parking minimums citywide, a measure supporters say will make Birmingham more walkable, bikeable and accessible to public transportation. “Significant portions of our population live day to day without reliable access to an automobile, yet the previous zoning requirements...
DA Raises Prosecutors’ Salaries to Retain Staff
District Attorney Danny Carr told the Jefferson County Commission on Tuesday that he is adjusting the salaries of his deputy district attorneys to help hold onto his veteran crew of prosecutors. “It’s hard to keep a good lawyer who sees what we see every day, who takes home what we...
Alabama to Begin Working With a Consulting Company That’s Under Criminal Investigation
Since 2021 — well before the state began working with the company — McKinsey has agreed to pay almost $1 billion to settle lawsuits and findings of investigations related to the firm’s work with opioid makers, mainly Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. That work happened during an opioid crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. McKinsey has not admitted any wrongdoing.
New Pilot Program Will Offer Housing, Resources to People Leaving Prison
Birmingham city officials and local advocates are celebrating the launch of a new pilot program to help people adjust to life after prison. “Until now there has not been a coordinated, holistic approach to returning residents post-incarceration,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said during a press conference Wednesday. The Birmingham...
Student Journalists Shine in Campus Protest Coverage
A student reporter at the Columbia Journalism School who is covering the campus protests there tweeted Wednesday that she was so overwhelmed that she had to quit … giving interviews to professional media. On this story playing out around the nation, it’s the campus media that are leading the...
Birmingham Council Approves $421K in Tax Incentives for Japanese Restaurant
The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $421,833 in incentives for a planned Japanese restaurant in Birmingham. The council approved $50,000 as well as $371,833 in tax incentives over three years for Johin’na LLC. The website for the restaurant advertises cuisine that includes sashimi, sushi, oysters, sake, cocktails and Robata, a Japanese style of barbecue.
BW’s Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Takes Firsts in State Journalism Contest
Writer Solomon Crenshaw Jr. recently was given top state awards for two stories published by BirminghamWatch and was named the sweepstakes winner for his cumulative performance in this year’s contest. Crenshaw won first place in the Alabama Media Professionals’ 2024 Communications Contest Award in the Specialty Articles – Government...
Do You Solemnly Swear to Smile for the Camera?
Very misleading subtitle on MSNBC a few days ago: “World watches Trump hush money trial.”. No, the world isn’t, because TV news cameras aren’t allowed in the courtroom. And they should be. Whatever you think of the merits of the Manhattan case against Donald Trump, this is...
Jefferson Commission Cuts Time It Takes to Help Cities with Storm Debris
The Jefferson County Commission on Thursday voted to reduce the time it may take for a municipality to be approved to receive assistance in debris removal in a disaster. The action, entered as new business at the commission’s meeting in Bessemer, authorized the acceptance of the memorandum of understanding between the Jefferson County Commission and municipalities in the county. Earlier, the commission passed resolutions that authorized MOUs with Pleasant Grove and the towns of County Line and Mulga for debris removal.
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The Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism is a non-profit, non-partisan organization serving the civic good of Birmingham and Alabama by supporting journalism that makes a difference and citizen engagement with news that is fair, factual, unflinching and focused on important matters.
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