By Alaina Bookman | abookman@al.com This is another installment in Birmingham Times/AL.com/CBS42 joint series “Beyond the Violence: what can be done to address Birmingham’s rising homicide rate.” Sign up for the newsletter here. Many parents charged with crimes sit behind bars for months, even years, losing time with family. Many have not yet been convicted of a crime and are awaiting trial from jail simply because they cannot afford bail. Cara McClure, founder and executive director of Faith and Works, a social justice nonprofit, will begin another round of bailouts Thurs ..read more

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times Evelyn Sherard and daughter Kenya Pickens are having fun inside Velvet Kake LLC, owned by Pickens, at 2466 Old Springville Road in Clay, Alabama. As Mother’s Day—Sunday, May 12—approaches, the two pose for a photoshoot and talk about a range of treats the shop offers. “My main thing is to help,” said mom Sherard. “I get a chance to be creative and do my own thing as well. I have my own identity in it. She has her thing; I have my own.” What started as just a hobby for daughter Pickens has turned into a business, officially licensing Velvet Cake LLC in 2016 ..read more

The Birmingham Times Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin said late Wednesday that passage of HB 474 to allow cameras to help law enforcement address dangerous exhibition driving will “make a major impact.” The bill now goes to Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk for approval. “Birmingham’s response to illegal and deadly exhibition driving continues each week with more arrests and vehicles towed,” the mayor said in a statement. “While police are committed to enforcing the laws, the additional tool of cameras to halt this criminal activity will make a major impact. “I want to ..read more

By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times Don’t ask DeWayne Bailey what it’s like to be named one of Birmingham’s 40 under 40, an honor bestowed by The Birmingham Business Journal (BBJ) this year on up-and-coming local professionals who have distinguished themselves in the metro area. Bailey, along with 39 others were honored at a special event in February at The Haven. “I still don’t know yet but ask me again in a few months,” Bailey said. “It’s hard to talk about myself. I’ve found myself having to do it (talking about myself) more often but it’s not something I like to do,” said Bailey. He may n ..read more

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is advancing so fast that our government and private companies are rushing to try to get ahead of the curve. This new age of AI technology has ushered in a new electronic criminal that has endless scam possibilities at the users’ fingertips. This week’s safety tip will review this new imminent criminal. Scientists have been programming computers to think and predict for decades, but only in recent years has technology gotten so sophisticated that a computer can actually mimic human voices, movement and writing style. Even more concerning is that they ca ..read more

BY GWEN DERU | The Birmingham Times HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY…from all of us…to all of you that are in the shoes or filling the shoes!!!! ENJOY !!! TODAY… **READ THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES. Catch up on the news! **JOB FAIR with the Alabama Department of Human Resources, 9 a.m. – Noon at the Jefferson County Department of Human Resources, 2001 12th Avenue North. Dress professionally. No children. Take your resume. Visit www.personnel.alabama.gov to complete an online application. **BLOOMS & BUBBLY at Lane Park. **ALABAMA BLAZIN BINGO, 6 p.m. at Overtime Grill and Bar. **FILM – 7 p.m. at the S ..read more

L’TRYCE SLADE, AFTER HAVING HER BABY THROUGH IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF); THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES, MAY 5 ..read more

birminghamal.gov The City of Birmingham on Tuesday passed a landmark parking reform that makes it the first major city in the Deep South to remove parking space minimums citywide. Under the Right Size Parking Initiative, new businesses are no longer locked into having to provide a fixed number of parking spaces. Birmingham joins a nationwide movement of over 70 other cities to have done so. “Current parking standards required an overabundance of parking spaces and this has had detrimental effects on our City and its residents,” said Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. “Birmingham is now on track to be ..read more

The Birmingham Times UniverSoul Circus is celebrating 30 years with a special presentation through May 12 at Birmingham’s Legion Field. The Atlanta-based circus features acts from Ethiopia, the Dominican Republic, and Mongolia and a never-before-seen 18-person flying trapeze act from China. Click here to purchase tickets. For photos click below: Click to view slideshow ..read more

BY JE’DON HOLLOWAY-TALLEY | Special to the Birmingham Times DARYEL AND VALARIE STEARNES Live: Leeds Married: Aug. 27, 1983 Met: Valarie and Daryel were born and raised in the Heights neighborhood, in Leeds and both attended Leeds High School and Bessmer State Technical College. However, in the Summer of 1981, Daryel realized he was falling in love with his long-time friend, which surprised Valarie because “…he used to bring his girlfriends by to see if I approved,” she remembered. After graduating from Leeds High School, Valarie attended Southern Junior College of Business where she earned an ..read more