Wade on Birmingham

Archive for November, 2009

EXCLUSIVE – Crime Watch: Birmingham climbs to No. 7 in crime rate ranking

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Despite drop in major crimes, city jumps from eighth place in 2008

Birmingham may be seeing welcome relief when it comes to crime, but not enough to sway its ranking in the CQ Press’ annual city crime rankings released today. The city again made the Top 10, placing at No. 7.

Wade on Birmingham - Crime WatchIn 2008, the city ranked eighth, and in 2007 and 2006, it placed sixth.

Last week, Birmingham reported a 12 percent drop in major crime in 2009, including a 25 percent drop in homicides.

The Washington-based publisher used crime data reported to the FBI in six areas: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. In previous years, CQ Press referred to the rankings as the “Most Dangerous Cities” list, but dropped the designation this year.

Other Alabama cities ranked:

95. Huntsville
136. Mobile
140. Tuscaloosa
152. Montgomery

Camden, N.J. topped that list.

In the list of 2009 Metropolitan Crime Rate Rankings, Birmingham-Hoover came in at No. 21. Also on that list from Alabama:

11. Columbus, GA-AL
20. Mobile
64. Tuscaloosa
101. Montgomery
123. Huntsville
141. Gadsden
159. Dothan

Pine Bluff, Ark., is No. 1 on the list.

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Visit our Crime Watch page.

slowly the leaves turn

Sunday, November 22nd, 2009

Too much water, not
enough water, and the leaves
go pale without fail.

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Read more haiku.

home stretched

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Moments of silence
deafen the fields of high school
teams out of playoffs.

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Read more haiku.

wish list for mayor

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Good ideas, some
common sense, vision, fiscal
stewardship and charm.

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Read more haiku.

Can Jefferson County learn from HealthSouth’s comeback?

Friday, November 20th, 2009

CEO keynote explains parallels and possibilities

Jay Grinney told attendees of the Birmingham Economic Summit Thursday that HealthSouth’s comeback can show the way for Jefferson County to solve its debt and leadership crisis. The HealthSouth chief executive officer was the keynote speaker during lunch at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex.

Included above are slides from his presentation, which show how badly the rehab company screwed up, and how nothing short of replacing all top officers and changing the culture kept the company from shutting down.

Grinney pointed out that during his travels across the country, Jefferson County was known far and wide for its convicted officials and massive sewer debt: “More people are aware of Jefferson County’s problems than they were of HealthSouth’s problems.”

He cited the Birmingham Business Alliance’s plan in the works to stimulate economic development, and the need for a combined county-city government.

The two-day summit concludes today.

What do you think? Can the county learn from HealthSouth? Should it work on cooperative or combined government?

Eat local for the holidays

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Love holiday eating? If so, why not shop and eat locally for Thanksgiving, Christmas and any other upcoming holiday celebrations and feasts?

turkeyOur pal Amanda at Food Revival has a great list of farms and shops that sell organic or sustainably raised turkeys and vegetables. See her list, shop smartly and let us know about other places to shop in the comments.

Also, Birmingham Magazine has recipes to get you started, including Satsuma-Stuffed Locally Bred Turkey with Alabama Root Vegetables and Conecuh County Sausage and Collard Cheese Grits.

Enjoy your holidays!

vampire weekend

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

They live off blood and
apparently fervored teen
girl adulation.

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Read more haiku.

Birmingham-Southern professor named Alabama Professor of the Year

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Duane Pontius Jr., the T. Morris Hackney Professor of Physics at Birmingham-Southern College, is the 2009 Alabama Professor of the Year.

Duane Pontius Jr.The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education honored the state and national winners at a luncheon today in Washington as part of the U.S. Professors of the Year awards program.

Pontius, who graduated from Birmingham-Southern in 1981, began teaching at the college in 1999. Beyond his class and lab work, he also leads the school’s January Interim at Sea program.

The national winners:

  • Outstanding Baccalaureate Colleges Professor: Rob Thomas, professor of geology at the University of Montana Western in Dillon.
  • Outstanding Community Colleges Professor: Tracey McKenzie, professor of sociology at Collin College in Frisco, Texas.
  • Outstanding Doctoral and Research Universities Professor: Brian P. Coppola, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Chemistry at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
  • Outstanding Master’s Universities and Colleges Professor: Richard L. Miller, professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Also: Pontius discusses possible life on one of Saturn’s moons.

Vote 2009: And two more candidates for mayor make 14

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Two more candidates are in the race for mayor of Birmingham bringing the total to 14.
Wade on Birmingham - Vote 2009

  • T.C. Cannon — retired bar owner and former president of the Southside neighborhood association. He placed eighth in the 2003 mayoral election.
  • William Jason Sumners — no information available.

Also, Natalie Davis, political science professor at Birmingham-Southern College, and André Natta, publisher of the Terminal, discuss the candidates and themes so far in this election.

Here’s the final list of candidates:

The election takes place Dec. 8.

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More Vote 2009 coverage.

Crime Watch: Major crimes in Birmingham drop 12 percent in 2009

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

One bright spot in the turmoil that is Birmingham? Crime is down 12 percent in the first three quarters of this year, including a 25 percent drop in homicides.

Wade on Birmingham - Crime WatchBirmingham police chief A.C. Roper said, “We’ve experienced a double digit decrease in major crimes this year in spite of a bad economy,” crediting community support and his officers for the results.

So far, Birmingham has had 62 homicides to date this year, compared to 78 by this point in 2008. But will the drop in crime be enough to change the city’s Top 10 ranking among America’s most dangerous cities?

We’ll find out Monday.

• • •

Visit our Crime Watch page.

let out a woo hoo

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Let out a “Woo hoo!”
when something goes right, when you
feel like making noise.

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Read more haiku.

Free cake and coffee for Birmingham library patrons

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Need something to go with your lunchtime reading? To celebrate Patron Appreciation Day, all Birmingham Public Library locations will give visitors free cake and coffee from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday.
cake

Locations: Avondale, Central, East Ensley, Eastwood, Ensley, Five Points West, Inglenook, North Avondale, North Birmingham, Pratt City, Slossfield, Smithfield, Southside, Springville Road, Titusville, West End, Woodlawn and Wylam

(Looks like the $1 million cut to the Jefferson County Library Cooperative might affect sharing of books, but not cake. Whew.)

Photo by yangping / CC BY 2.0

Birmingham Economic Summit starts Wednesday evening

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Birmingham Economic Summit

The Birmingham Economic Summit will give the business community the opportunity to learn, share and collaborate this week. The City of Birmingham will hold its second annual conference starting Wednesday evening.

Two days of sessions begin in earnest on Thursday. But at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the kickoff event will feature Dalton Smith, the Birmingham Business Alliance’s president and chief executive officer.

He’ll discuss project overviews of the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport modernization, Railroad Reservation Park, Fair Park revitalization and BJCC expansion. It takes place at Alabama Power, 600 18th St. N., downtown [map].

Dozens of sessions, located in the BJCC meeting rooms [map], will cover:

  • The State of the Economy
  • Collaborative Strategies in a Rebound Economy
  • Office Market Analysis
  • How to do Business with Alabama Power
  • How to do Business with the Birmingham Water Works Board
  • Access to Capital
  • Education Impact on Workforce
  • State Bid Laws and Licensing Requirements
  • Technology and Urban Renewal

The keynote speakers will be Jay Grinney, president and CEO of HealthSouth, and Donna James, managing director of Lardon and Associates.

The entire conference is free and includes lunch on Thursday and Friday. To register, visit the event Web site.

Also:

  • WBHM (90.3 FM) talks with city council member/mayoral candidate Steven Hoyt and summit planner Michael Bell in 2008.
    [audio:http://www.wbhm.org/songs/ecosummit.mp3]

brisk

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

The wind whips up, as
if to show who’s in charge while
autumn takes its hold.

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Read more haiku.

Vote 2009: Miles puts on a mayoral meet-and-greet

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

Wade on Birmingham - Vote 2009If you prefer to meet your mayoral candidates for Birmingham in a less formal setting, Thursday’s event may be for you.

Candidate meet-and-greet, from Miles Law School Student Bar Association

  • When: 5-7 p.m. Thursday
  • Where: The H Martini Bar, Hotel Highland (formerly the Pickwick), 1023 20th St. S. [map]
  • Format: informal chat with the candidates; light hors d’oeuvres and drinks
  • For more information: E-mail milessba@gmail.com.

See more forums in our Vote 2009 special section.

The election takes place Dec. 8. Candidates have until Wednesday to file paperwork for eligibility.

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More Vote 2009 coverage.