McCain coming to town; Edwards dropping out

Breaking: CNN.com reports that John Edwards plans to quit the presidential race this afternoon, meaning no trip to Birmingham on Saturday.

Arizona Senator John McCain, fresh from his victory in the Florida primary, will join the parade of presidential candidates courting Birmingham voters.

His free public event will take place 1:30 p.m. at the Sheraton by the BJCC. [map]

Alabama votes Tuesday with 23 other states to select party nominees. Also, absentee voter registration closes Thursday.

Will the state pick McCain or Mike Huckabee for the Republicans?

The videos that McCain doesn’t want you to see, after the jump …

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Edwards to visit Birmingham Saturday, drops Huntsville

Use extreme caution: John Edwards (the former Senator from North Carolina, not the fake psychic) is coming to Birmingham on Saturday. He had originally planned to stop in Huntsville on Wednesday, but canceled for a jaunt to New Orleans.

Not only does he want to shake your hand, he wants to control your country.

Details remain sketchy at this point, but we’ll keep you posted as the situation develops.

The state’s presidential primary is Feb. 5.

Update: Edwards will visit Huntsville on Thursday. We call this a flip-flop.

Anyone for Edwards? Anyone?

The video that Edwards doesn’t want you to see, after the jump …

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Birmingham author shares global journey in ‘Trail of Crumbs’

She had planned on entering the Southern Living Cook-Off and wound up writing for the magazine. And she had planned on assembling a cookbook and wound up writing her memoir.

But Kim Sunée has grown accustomed to the winding path, one that leads her from place to place in search of home. She details this journey in her first book, “Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home.”

The Birmingham author and magazine editor signs copies tonight and Tuesday at local bookstores.
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Video highlights from this weekend’s visits by presidential candidates Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama …

Huckabee and Obama on Fox 6:

More after the jump …

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Huckabee, Obama barnstorm Birmingham

Today in politics … Dennis Kucinich dropped out of the presidential race … voter registration in Alabama closed for the primary.

And coming up this weekend, a heaping helping of handshakes and stump speeches.

First, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee will speak at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Samford University’s Brock Hall [Google map | campus map]. This will be the first visit to Alabama for the Republican candidate. The event is free and open to the public.

Second, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will hold a town hall meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday at UAB’s Bartow Arena [map]. This represents the Democratic contender’s third visit to the state. The event is free and open to the public — however, attendees must pick up tickets by 9 tonight from the campaign office at 1813 Fourth Ave. N. to be admitted.

The state’s presidential primary is Feb. 5.

Are you going to see Mike or Barack this weekend?

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Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

You have until Friday to name the new mascot at Vulcan Park (though we’re not quite sure why he isn’t named … Vulcan).

From the park’s site:

Vulcan Park and Museum’s new mascot needs a name!

All entries must include the following:

• Contact name, phone, address and e-mail (if applicable)
• Name suggestion
• Meaning of the name (if applicable)

The winner will receive a Family Membership to Vulcan Park and Museum ($50 value), a behind-the-scenes tour for four individuals, a Vulcan BobbleBun Doll and will be recognized at Vulcan’s Annual Birthday Bash in June!

Send your submission to info@visitvulcan.com or Vulcan Park and Museum, Attn: Vulcan Naming Contest, 1701 Valley View Drive, Birmingham, AL 35209. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. The winner will be announced on the Vulcan Park and Museum Web site on Feb. 4.

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You can also volunteer to wear the costume(!), but you must be 5-foot-8 to 6-foot-0 and weigh 180 to 200 pounds, a BMI of 27.1 or “overweight.” Great, fat mascot. Look, a new nickname already.

Our suggested monikers after the jump …

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Thompson ends presidential run

Fred Thompson, actor and Republican contender, dropped his bid for the presidency today. The Sheffield native had been in the race barely five months and a handful of primaries/caucuses before bowing out.

He previously served as a U.S. Senator from Tennessee for eight years before taking a role on the NBC drama, “Law and Order.” (Insert chung-chung sound effect.) His fund-raising and campaign stops included a $1,000-per-couple shindig in Mountain Brook in July, before he even announced his run.

Alabama, which holds its presidential primary in two weeks, has never had a native serve as President or Vice President. Two American Idols, but no Commanders-in-Chief.

Were you a Fredhead? Who will you support now?

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Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

Looking for something to do on your day off Monday? Check out the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, volunteering with Hands on Birmingham. Sign up at the site, and choose from a wide variety of projects, including cleaning up the Cahaba River, painting offices at First Light and fixing up Hill Elementary School.

It’s really easy. Just ask these volunteers …

Alabama’s presidential primary is less than three weeks away. But which candidate do you support? Do you even know his or her agenda?

On Feb. 5 (the sadly named Super Duper Tuesday), voters in this state will have a fresh opportunity to pick Democratic and Republican nominees, rather than let earlier states winnow down the field arbitrarily.

In our Vote 2008 coverage, we’ll bring you the issues that matter most to Alabamians, and how candidates stack up in key positions. Start by checking out the official Web sites for their platforms.

Then, try out Select a Candidate below, by filling out your choices on top issues and finding out which presidential hopeful matches up best. Tell us in the comments about your match, your actual vote-getter and why.

(You can also try glassbooth or the MyFox Candidate Matchmaker for alternate matches.)

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Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

As a holiday treat, we present the Top 10 versions of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Why that song?

• It was written by Birmingham native Hugh Martin.
• It debuted in the Judy Garland film, “Meet Me in St. Louis,” which screens at 7 tonight at the Alabama Theatre as part of this week’s Holiday Movie Classics Series ($7, $6 for senior citizens and children under age 12).

10. Ok Go

Holiday fun, minus the treadmills.

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“Hark how the bells, sweet silver bells, all seem to say throw cares away …”

Join the Alabama Symphony Orchestra for a free holiday concert at 7 tonight. Christopher Confessore conducts.

The event takes place at the Guiding Light Church, 1800 John Rogers Drive [map | directions].

A quick update: We’re leaving in a week, and we’re doing OK on fund-raising and supplies, but …

For those just joining us, a team of 11 Birmingham residents will be traveling to Biloxi and New Orleans for a weeklong volunteer trip in November as part of the Magic City Mission. So far, we’ve raised $950 (half of our goal) and received a fair amount of supplies and gift cards.

We’re especially grateful to Southern Progress Corporation, which generously donated $500 to sponsor the trip.

All of it, cash and goods, will go directly to the nonprofit agencies along the Gulf Coast:

• Camp Hope (New Orleans)
• Hands on Gulf Coast (Biloxi)
• St. Bernard Project (New Orleans)

The Wish List is bulging with new needs, including toys and tools for Biloxi. You might have the item we need just lying around your house.

How can you help? Help us donate cash or send supplies before Thursday, Nov. 1!

If you have questions, let me know.

Magic City Mission: Make it your mission to help the Gulf Coast.

We’re just about ready to go.

A dozen volunteers will drive to the Gulf Coast for the next Magic City Mission to help rebuild. These are your friends and neighbors working with Hands on Birmingham to let folks in Biloxi and New Orleans know they haven’t been forgotten.

But we still need your help.

We’re going to raise $2,000 in the next two weeks to go to our partner agencies: Hands on Gulf Coast (Biloxi), St. Bernard Project and Camp Hope (both in New Orleans). Your tax-deductible gifts will help pay for our food, shelter and other program costs during our volunteer week Nov. 4-11.

Every additional dollar will go straight to these programs.

Also, we’re loading our trucks, vans and SUVs with needed supplies for the agencies and the residents. You can help by donating tools, Home Depot gift cards, gas cards and more.

You can donate by check or credit card, or drop off supplies today. Here’s how:

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Our pal Arik has helped put together a fund-raiser for the Prichard family, in the wake of Michael Prichard’s death in September. I worked with Chris, Michael’s wife, for many years — she shot the beautiful city skyline you see from time to time at the top of this page.

Stop by Rojo tonight to help out a small, but personal, cause.

Local filmmakers pay tribute to colleague, raise funds for family

The Birmingham filmmaking community will gather Thursday to pay tribute to a fallen comrade, Michael Prichard. In addition, the group is raising money to help Michael’s family pay for expenses that continue to mount.

Michael worked as a trusted grip, audio operator, and camera operator for over 10 years. He died at age 40 on Sept. 14 leaving behind his wife and two children.

To help raise money, Southside restaurant Rojo will host “Things That Mike P. Would Have Liked,” a photography exhibit with photos exclusively provided by members of the local filmmaking community. Art and prints may be donated up until the day of the show. All proceeds from the sale of these works will go to Michael’s family.

The tribute and show kickoff begins at 6 tonight, at Rojo, 2921 Highland Ave. S. [map]. Admission is free and open to the public. The show will remain on display until Nov. 9, available during restaurant hours.

For more information, please contact Arik Sokol at 324-3900 or ariks@vazda.com, or Ned Boggan at dembyfilms@hotmail.com.

Birmingham has a new mayor, and surprisingly, without a runoff.

Unofficial results show that Jefferson County commissioner Larry Langford beat nine other candidates, including incumbent Bernard Kincaid, to win today’s election outright by a hair. Langford earned 26,227 votes, for 50.33 percent — a 172 vote margin of victory. His closest competitor was attorney Patrick Cooper, who won 15,392 votes, for 29.54 percent of the vote.

Kincaid, who served for two terms, placed third with 4,234 votes, or 8.12 percent.

With 52,111 votes cast in the mayor’s race, the turnout was around 45 percent.

Cooper hasn’t conceded, saying during a TV interview that he would consider asking for a recount, given the very tight margin. Another factor to consider would be any uncounted absentee ballots.

Langford ran on the slogan “Let’s Do Something,” pitching a one-point plan to fight crime: putting criminals in jail. He claimed it would take a “crazy man” to lead Birmingham, and that he was just such a man. During a TV interview, he promised a whirlwind of activity in the first 100 days in office, mentioning that a domed stadium would show outsiders that the city could move forward on a major project.

This run marked his second try for the top office in Birmingham, after a failed run in 1979.

The day was marked by low voter turnout, somewhat hampered by confusion over polling places. City officials claimed mailed sample ballots provided correct locations, but up to 100 voters were turned away from one station due to confusion or miscommunication.

What should the new mayor tackle first? And should Cooper contest the results?

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Complete Vote 2007 coverage.