PARCA Alabama trails the nation in terms of convenience and access to the ballot — ranking 46th in ease of voting — according to a recent report released by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. PARCA found that reasons for the state’s high cost for voting include a lack of early in-person voting, restrictive absentee voting requirements and a lack of automatic voter registration. “Alabama has not adopted measures other states have to encourage citizen participation in our democratic process,” said Thomas Spencer, PARCA’s senior research associate and the author of the report ..read more

New industrial park planned for north Jefferson County near Exit 275 of Interstate 65. (Courtesy of Jefferson County Economic & Industrial Development Authority) Jefferson County Economic & Industrial Development Authority has added about 1,100 acres to its inventory of developable land to create its latest industrial park in north Jefferson County. JeffMet North Industrial Park, off Interstate 65 at Exit 275 near the Gardendale/Morris area, sets the stage for the creation of an estimated 4,700 new jobs and is expected to be a lure for auto suppliers. The authority — which has develope ..read more

Michael Reed poses at the ceremonial groundbreaking for his new house in Fountain Heights. (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.) The Birmingham Land Bank Authority on Friday held a ceremonial groundbreaking on what will be the newest home built in the Fountain Heights Neighborhood, marking the official launch of the Land Bank’s Accelerated Home Ownership Program. AHOP launched last year with a goal to help 25 individuals become owners of newly built homes in the historic community. It is a collaborative effort among the Birmingham Land Bank Authority, a local lender and home builders to cr ..read more

Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight. (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.) In an effort to keep a longtime business in the county, the Jefferson County Commission agreed to reimburse Red Mountain Distributing for 60% of the 1-cent sales tax the company pays to the county. Red Mountain, which does business as Ashley Furniture, has outgrown its warehouse in Bessemer. The city of Bessemer this week agreed to abate half the sales taxes the company pays to that municipality. “We’ll abate for 60% of the 1-cent,” said Joe Knight, chairman of the commission’s finance committee. “That 1-cent sales tax ..read more

Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens (and his finance degree) were credited with helping work out details on an employee investment fund. (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.) County Manager Cal Markert gave credit Tuesday to Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens in helping county employees get a better deal on investment funds. “Employees have an option for what is called a 457 Plan, where they can put additional funds in an account that’s pre-taxed,” Markert said. The county previously had as many as five companies that managed those funds. A fiduciary financial ad ..read more

Birmingham Board of Education Central Office (Courtesy of Birmingham City Schools) The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved $1 million to create a mental health program for students at Birmingham City Schools. The money is part of a yearlong agreement with the Birmingham Board of Education, under which the board will increase the number of school-based licensed counselors and provide students with school-based consulting services. According to city staff, the board will select which campuses will house the services. The mental health funding is part of a $6 million investment in youth s ..read more

BSC baseball players returned from their last game June 4, 2024, to an empty campus after Birmingham-Southern College closed the Friday before. (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.) Time flies but the Birmingham-Southern baseball team opted to take the bus. A day after falling in its third game in the double elimination Division III College World Series, the Panthers hit the road rather than taking to the sky. They weren’t delaying the inevitable – returning to a college that closed Friday. Instead, they were savoring every moment they had with one another. “I don’t think I would have wanted it any ..read more

Construction on the new downtown amphitheater, looking east toward the old Carraway Hospital property. (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.) The construction equipment left no doubt that the ground had already been broken behind the former Carraway Hospital. But the lack of virgin soil took nothing away from the celebratory feel of the ceremonial groundbreaking Monday morning for the planned amphitheater that’s coming to Birmingham’s Druid Hills Neighborhood. About 100 people were on hand at the intersection of 15th Avenue and 24th Street North. They heard from elected officials, and they ..read more

Former President Donald Trump. (Source: Gage Skidmore via flickrCC-BY-2.0 No one has published any interviews so far with members of the Manhattan jury that found Donald Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying records last week, but I’m certain multiple media outlets are trying. Juror names and addresses were shielded from the media and the public but I think it’s inevitable that enterprising reporters will eventually find a juror or two who is willing to talk. That’s usually what has happened with high-profile court cases in the past. A juror might be willing to allow publication of th ..read more

Alice Jackson, BSC development director, displays an old copy of The Revue. (Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.) Friday is the last day for Birmingham-Southern College, and it’s the last chance for alumni and friends of the school to collect a treasured memento. The Stockham Shop, in the Stockham Women’s Building on the BSC campus, will reopen from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday to sell BSC memorabilia, including a lot of yearbooks. The oldest one is the 1919 edition of The Revue. A lot of the other merchandise in the Stockham Stop was sold as alumni and friends of BSC were on campus for the clos ..read more