ComebackTown
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ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion about a better Birmingham. Their mission is to make incremental and significant improvements in our government structure and to encourage governmental cooperation.
ComebackTown
2d ago
Today’s guest columnist is T.K. Thorne. Our story begins in Birmingham, where a small group of Black and White people, the Council on Human Relations, had been meeting since the 1950s despite Jim Crow laws that forbid them to do so. They met in the Black First Congregational Church, which welcomed them. The women made ..read more
ComebackTown
1w ago
By Susan Matlock & Michael Calvert When my wife, Susan Matlock, and I moved downtown to the John Hand Building, we began to eat out every day. We try to limit ourselves to just one meal out each day, but don’t always succeed. We have a full kitchen in our condo, but are drawn to the ..read more
ComebackTown
2w ago
Today’s guest columnist is Charlie Beavers. We are a nation which is divided in just about every respect and institution. This has been evidenced by the recent elections and the many months of rhetoric and discord leading up to the elections. Much of the division, in all regions of the country, has centered around race ..read more
ComebackTown
3w ago
By David Sher I’ve been publishing ComebackTown for 13 years and I’ve never asked you to do anything. But this time is different. It’s time for all of us to take action. UAB saved my wife’s life from a very aggressive breast cancer. I’ve been diagnosed by UAB doctors with a leaking heart valve that ..read more
ComebackTown
1M ago
Today’s guest columnist is Jay Taylor. In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about which Alabama city is the largest in our state. Population wise, that debate’s laughable. The truth is, more than 21 percent of Alabama’s 5.1 million residents live in metro Birmingham. But if you judge a city’s size by its ..read more
ComebackTown
1M ago
Today’s guest columnist is Blake Patterson. As an Ole Miss alum and avid football fan living in Birmingham, I kept hearing then-Alabama football Head Coach Nick Saban lament a recurring problem: fans, especially students, weren’t staying in the stadium for the full game. As Saban pled to students, “We play for four, so stay for ..read more
ComebackTown
1M ago
By David Sher You probably won’t appreciate what I’m going to say unless you lived in Birmingham before 2010. Prior to 2010, Birmingham had literally given up. Nothing seemed to work and we were wrapped in a never-ending downward spiral. Then POOF—Railroad Park. In 2010, after 25 years of agonizing paralysis and false starts, Rail ..read more
ComebackTown
1M ago
Today’s guest columnist is Tom Luckie. When people ask me what Birmingham’s brand should be, I often remind them that a brand isn’t just a logo or a tagline – it’s all the memories and associations people have with our city. Every visit to Regions Field, every game at Protective Stadium, every time they read ..read more
ComebackTown
2M ago
By James L. Baggett The story of the 1963 Birmingham civil rights demonstrations, and the brutal response from Birmingham officials has been told many times and often told well. But missing from these accounts is an explanation for why and how Birmingham acquired police dogs, armored cars, and firefighters trained in riot control. In the ..read more
ComebackTown
2M ago
Today’s guest columnist is Maury Shevin. The City Council of Birmingham appears to be wrestling with the issue of permitting Short Term Rentals (think VRBO and Airbnb) within residential neighborhoods of the City zoned for single families. Why this “no brainer” issue has so tied up the Council in knots is beyond reason. Residential neighborhoods ..read more