Video: Alabama coach Nick Saban discusses his team’s
trip to the BCS National Championship Game.

In the 2009 season, it was Alabama. In the 2010 season, Auburn.

And this year, Alabama again plays for the national championship. The Tide faces LSU in a rematch, or perhaps, grudge match. Alabama lost to LSU 9-6 in overtime on Nov. 5.

No. 1 LSU was a lock for the game at a perfect 13-0. Alabama (11-1) waited until Sunday’s official announcement, just edging out No. 3 Oklahoma State in the BCS rankings. LSU beat Georgia Saturday 42-10 for the SEC Championship, while Alabama’s last game was the Iron Bowl, beating Auburn 42-14 on Nov. 26.

No matter who wins, the SEC will take home the national title for the sixth consecutive year. Auburn won the 2010 title, while Alabama won the 2009.

The game airs at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 9 on ESPN, in 3D where available.

• Heisman finalists will be announced tonight, and expected to make the short list is Trent Richardson, running back at Alabama. Mark Ingram won it at Alabama in 2009. Update: It’s official, as Richardson will be competing against Tyrann Mathieu of LSU, Andrew Luck of Stanford, Montee Ball of Wisconsin and Robert Griffin III of Baylor.

• Other bowl games:

• Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Virginia (8-4) will face No. 25 Auburn (7-5) on New Year’s Eve in Atlanta.
• BBVA Compass Bowl: Southern Methodist (7-5) will head to Birmingham for the Jan. 7 game, thanks to the SEC pulling out of the bowl this year, opening a slot for a Conference USA team. SMU will face Pitt (6-6) representing the Big East. Pitt defeated Kentucky this year at the first BBVA Compass Bowl.

• UAB finished its season 3-9, leading to the firing of coach Neil Callaway and Sunday’s hire of Garrick McGee, Arkansas’ offensive coordinator, as his successor.

• Hoover, the only Birmingham-area team to play in the state finals, lost to Prattville 35-34 Friday in Tuscaloosa.

Video: Auburn coach Gene Chizik and Oregon coach
Chip Kelly look ahead to the big game.

Auburn has had a perfect season, looking to cap it with a couple of important victories.

• First, Heisman Trophy finalists will be announced at 5 tonight, and quarterback Cam Newton is considered the one to beat this year. The winner will be announced at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN. Should Newton succeed, he’ll be Auburn’s third Heisman winner after QB Pat Sullivan in 1971 and running back Bo Jackson in 1985. It would also move Auburn up to a five-way tie for fourth place among all-time Heismans by school. Update: Newton is one of four Heisman finalists, along with LaMichael James, running back for Oregon.

• Second, the No. 1 Tigers head to Glendale, Ariz., to take on No. 2 Oregon on Jan. 10 in the BCS National Championship Game. Auburn earned its trip after crushing South Carolina 56-17 in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday. This marks the Tigers’ first appearance in the BCS title game and the school’s shot at a second national championship, the first in 1957. The game airs at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN and in 3D where available.

See Auburn’s SEC victory across
newspaper front pages from Alabama.

Other bowl games announced Sunday (all airing on ESPN):

• R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl: Troy (7-5) takes on Ohio (8-4) at 8 p.m. Dec. 18 in the Superdome. It’s the Trojans’ third trip to the New Orleans Bowl.
• Capital One Bowl: BCS No. 16 Alabama (9-3) faces BCS No. 9 Michigan State (11-1) at noon on New Year’s Day in Orlando. Alabama’s Nick Saban coached at Michigan State from 1995 to 1999; the Spartans’ coach, Mark Dantonio, was an assistant coach under Saban at that time. The two teams have not played against each other, and are scheduled for games in 2016 and 2017.
• BBVA Compass Bowl: Kentucky (6-6) meets Pittsburgh (7-5) at 11 a.m. Jan. 8 at Legion Field. The Wildcats make their fifth straight bowl appearance, with just two SEC wins this season.

Plus, the schedule and the networks for all 35 bowl games.

•

The AHSAA Super 6 football championships featured three teams from the Birmingham area. The Thursday and Friday results from Auburn:

• 6A: Daphne 7, Hoover 6
• 5A: Spanish Fort 14, Briarwood Christian 0
• 3A: Leeds 42, Hamilton 32

The Green Wave of Leeds won its second title, its first recently in 2008. All six games are available for viewing online.

Robert and Dianne Bentley on Election Day.

The mandate from Alabama’s voters on Election Day could not be more clear: Turn everything, and I mean everything, over to the Republicans for at least the next 2 years.

Let them screw things up for awhile.

The Democrats have screwed up plenty in the previous 136 years, and really, could the GOP do much worse? Alabama continues to trail in health, per capita income, transportation, education, crime, your category here. If this red state becomes any redder, you’d hope it would be from embarrassment rather than another shift to the right.

Not that conservatives haven’t been in control since the days of the Gipper. Essentially, most state races came down to the conservative Democrat or Republican since Ronald Reagan entered the White House. Which flavor of conservative suits you best?

• • •

Winners and losers from Tuesday
around Alabama and metro Birmingham.

• • •

So while the brand names may change, what can we really expect from the Republicans in power?

The new crew, including Gov.-elect Robert Bentley, has promised ethics reform out of the gate. We shall see, though my cynical side expects only token changes. Politicians are politicians after all, and you can hardly expect Republicans to clean up the cesspool in Montgomery if it also hides their fattened pockets.

Look back a mere month, and relive that infamous day when the FBI arrested four state senators (two Democrats, one Republican, one independent) in connection with selling votes on a gambling bill. Alas, the bingo bots and the mafia will have to try again in 2 to 4 years.

The mandate must include more jobs and a better economy. Like the president, the governor will likely receive an undue share of the credit or blame, though one leader has little say in global economic dynamics. Still, continuing to attract industry must remain a priority.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

• • •

With an all-Republican government, are we headed for sideshows popular in Texas and Arizona, from illegal immigration to revising school textbooks to repealing national health care? Let’s hope not, with more pressing issues such as constitutional reform and education funding.

Er, scratch that. Forget constitutional reform for at least another 4 years (sigh) and don’t hold your breath for an education miracle, though Gov.-elect Bentley has vowed to switch to a budget that determined by the previous year’s numbers (holds breath anyway). He took money from the Alabama Education Association and later lied about it. Such petty sins aren’t enough to keep you out of the governor’s mansion; likely, they are the only path to it.

Just imagine if it had been the learned Bradley Byrne had led the Republican charge instead.

Rural voters swept the new legislators into power and didn’t much care for the citified Byrne. City folk aren’t well represented in the new Republican regime. As a member of the city folk, I cast a wary eye at my country cousins calling the shots, probably no less menacingly then they’ve eyed us with suspicion.

They found a kindred spirit in Bentley, the dermatologist from Tuscaloosa. As he leads a unified party and state government, let’s pray feverishly that it marks the start of 136 years of progress and prosperity.

Otherwise, red state Alabama could end up dead state Alabama.

Wade Kwon is publisher of Wade on Birmingham.

• • •

More post-election thoughts:

• Second Front: “The GOP Agenda: ethics reform, redistricting”
• Flashpoint: “Alabama Beat Down”
• Doc’s Political Parlor: “Who Had a Good Election Night? A Bad Night?”
• Left in Alabama: “Election Day Winners & Losers – Alabama Edition”
• The World Around You: “Can the Alabama Democratic Party Return to its Promise?”
• Birmingham News: “OUR VIEW: This time around, Democrats took it on the chin for control of the Alabama Legislature; now, Republicans must govern”
• Opelika-Auburn News: “Jennifer Foster: Newly-elected Republicans need to ‘proceed with caution’”

• • •

What can we expect from the Republicans in charge? Tell us in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

More election coverage in our Vote 2010 special report.

(Updating throughout the evening.)

(Contested races only)

• D = Democrat | I = incumbent | R = Republican
  
• Winner in red

How did we do on our Facebook election predictions? Out of 13 races, nine predicted correctly for a 69.2 percent rate of accuracy.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Q: Where do I vote?

A: Call Jefferson County: (205) 325-5550, Jefferson County (Bessemer only): (205) 481-4105, Shelby County: (205) 669-3913.

Or use this handy widget by typing in your home address.

Wade on Birmingham:
Join us for complete election coverage tonight!

Remember, if you have problems at your polling place:

• Notify a poll worker immediately.
• Call the state attorney general at 1-800-831-8814 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Wednesday or fill out this online form.
• Call the secretary of state at 1-800-274-VOTE (8683) or visit her site, StopVoterFraudNow.com.
• And tell the probate court for Jefferson County (205-325-5203) or Shelby County (205-669-3713).
• E-mail us at Vote2010[at]wadeonbirmingham.com.

Q: What can I expect to see on the ballots?

A: Check out these sample ballots for each county.

You’re voting for governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, state and county officials, plus several state constitutional amendments.

Q: Who should I vote for?

A: You still have time to check out the candidates and a slew of endorsements.

Going to vote? Tell us who you want to win and who will win in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

The long march to Election Day 2010 ends Tuesday with some of us going to the polls, and many of us staying far away. Come on, people, is it really that difficult to vote once every couple of years?

Decision time is here, but if you’re like us, maybe you’re a little behind on your homework. Who’s still running? What’s in Amendments 1 through π?

Fret not. We have your cheat sheets.

First stop, the Vote 2010 special reports page:

• See the list of races.
• Determine your polling place with our shiny new widget.
• Read back through this year’s coverage.

Second, take a look at your sample ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties. (John Archibald of the Birmingham News says the 164 variations of the Jefferson County ballot reflects the fractured nature of local government.)

Third, see if Facebook can predict the results of state races.

Fourth, our list of resources for the discriminating voter …

Bhamwiki

• List of candidates in the general election.

Doc’s Political Parlor

• Full list of races for Alabama Senate and House.
• Full list of races for state offices and Congress.

The World Around You

• Candidates and their endorsements by newspapers and organizations.

The Birmingham News

• Full list of endorsements
• Guide to election stories

Bama Fact Check

• Journalists offer Truth Ratings on statements made by elected officials and candidates.

Alabama Right to Know

• A website that tracks money from political action committees to candidates, along with completion of campaign promises. The tool is from the Alabama Policy Institute, a Birmingham-based nonprofit, non-partisan research organization that advocates free markets, families and limited government.

Endorsements and predictions from partisan bloggers …

• The Attack Machine: Parts one, two and three
• Flashpoint
• Note: None of the Democrat/liberal blogs we know of made endorsements or predictions. Let us know if we missed one.

Update: Jennifer Foster of the Opelika-Auburn News makes her case for write-ins instead of Robert Bentley or Ron Sparks for governor.

• • •

Are you ready to vote on Tuesday? Discuss in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Video: Karen Hughes talks about social media
in modern campaigns

Facebook is the king of social media outlets, but can it predict elections?

Karen Hughes serves as Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm, but before that, she was an undersecretary in the State Department and campaign manager for George W. Bush’s Texas gubernatorial run. At BlogWorld 2010, her keynote mentioned an interesting study.

Looking at 10 Senate and 10 House races, the number of Facebook Likes on the candidates’ pages correlated with the primary results. Many candidates with more Likes than their opponents won their races.

Using that assumption, we looked at the races for Congress, for state office and for Jefferson County, tallying Facebook Likes for candidates to predict winners. (In several instances, a candidate used his profile page, making it an apples-to-oranges comparison of Likes vs. Friends.)

We’ll see how accurate these predictions are next week.

Election Day is Tuesday.

• • •

Update Nov. 2: ABC 33/40 interviewed me for Monday’s 6 p.m. newscast.

• • •

Update Nov. 9: With nine of 13 races predicted correctly, the Facebook election predictor debuted with a 69.2 percent rate of accuracy.

• • •

Key:

• D = Democrat | I = Incumbent | R = Republican
• * – Facebook profile page | ** – Facebook group page
• If a candidate had both a Facebook campaign page and profile page, the Likes from the former were used.
• red = leading in Facebook Likes

Check out the actual election results.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

(The Jefferson County sample ballot includes 164 versions, one for every combination of districts.)

Ballots can be printed, downloaded or viewed in full-screen mode.

Look for more coverage throughout, including all the results after polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

• • •

Sample ballots for all 67 counties.

• • •

Jefferson County ballot

Shelby County ballot

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Panelists include Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, who both appeared at Thursday’s kickoff event at Railroad Park.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The Birmingham Association of Black Journalists is the event sponsor.

Update: Full list of panelists …

Part 1: The Blueprint and Leadership

• William Bell, mayor of Birmingham
• Ann Florie, Leadership Birmingham
• Jay Grinney, chief executive officer of HealthSouth and co-chairman of the Birmingham Business Alliance Steering Committee
• Tony Petelos, mayor of Hoover

Part 2: Economic Development

• Bob Dickerson, Birmingham Business Resource Center
• Bill Ivey, TechKnowledge
• Patrick Murphy, senior vice president of Economic development at the Birmingham Business Alliance
• Lashunda Scales, Birmingham City Council

Also:

• Read Blueprint Birmingham.

A new view of Birmingham, from
the recently opened Railroad Park.

Birmingham has never run short on problems, or even solutions to those persistent problems. But what the city and its leaders have often lacked is action.

Today marks the start of a significant 5-year action plan called Blueprint Birmingham, assembled by the Birmingham Business Alliance with consultants from Atlanta’s Market Street Services.

Business leaders will unveil the economic development plan to the public today at 5:30 at the new Railroad Park, but a copy of the plan was furnished to me last week.

The mere existence of a plan — good ideas welded to action steps and deadlines — is a small miracle unto itself. (The Blueprint already distinguishes itself from the feel-good do-nothing approach of Region 2020 or the tax-and-dome policy of the MAPS proposal.) It should be an easy sell to those yearning for progress, any progress.

Let’s dig deeper into the plan itself, after the jump …

Click Full Screen button in lower right to read Blueprint Birmingham.
You can also download, print or share it.

Download the PDF of Blueprint Birmingham.

By the numbers

Blueprint Birmingham features four goals:

• Public and Private Leadership;
• Workforce Development;
• Economic Prosperity;
• Community and Regional Stewardship.

And those goals are broken into 16 objectives, each with its own set of actions. Overseeing all of this will be 12 main committees. The first 3 months will be spent organizing those committees, a mix of Birmingham Business Alliance personnel and leaders from businesses, government and nonprofit agencies.

(The regional plan encompasses seven counties, though I’m willing to bet most people can’t name them all. I surely cannot.)

Also during the first 3 months will be fund-raising, asking members of the alliance’s executive committee and board of directors as well as local companies to make a 5-year pledge. Count on requests for public dollars, too.

Dave Rickey, senior vice president of communications for the alliance, says the group expects to have all financial commitments in place by year’s end, but did not have the total cost available.

And that’s the big number, the cost. Opportunity Austin, a 5-year plan created by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and Market Street, cost $12 million. For their successful efforts, the city reaped huge rewards, including 123,400 new jobs and increased payroll by $5.6 billion.

Phillip McWane of McWane Inc. will lead the fund-raising effort on behalf of Blueprint Birmingham.

Keeping all those numbers front and center will be reports detailing the plan’s progress, at least twice a year and perhaps quarterly, on the Blueprint Birmingham website.

However, the implementation plan — reserved for alliance staff members and Blueprint workers — outlines specific names, timelines and numerous action steps and will not be made public.

The big picture

OK, here’s what you won’t find in the 57-page Blueprint Birmingham:

• cheap children’s laptops;
• a domed stadium;
• a plan for luring the Olympic Games.

What you will find is an emphasis on fixing those four areas: leadership, people, prosperity and place (though the Blueprint uses fancier language). The plan-making process involved community input, analysis of the region’s strengths and weaknesses as well as an examination of the alliance itself.

You will likely find something to love about the plan, and will surely find something you hate about it. Should that be enough to derail the entire effort? Let’s hope not. In a city and a region with fewer options, the plan seems like a sensible place to start.

Buried in the back of the Blueprint are the “Best Practices,” recommendations made by Market Street based on its work with other cities. Each Best Practice details a successful initiative elsewhere that can be duplicated here with less effort.

The Blueprint tackles the region’s most prominent failures head on. And note that admitting failure is not the same as admitting defeat.

Leadership, especially in the political area, remains a troublesome area, as residents have become ever more cynical about the people they put in charge (or likely, let other voters put in charge).

Education, transportation and business retention also mark the dismal recurring failures of the past few decades. And while not every municipality in all seven counties has seen the same problems as Birmingham proper, the effects are felt throughout the region.

Dave Rickey with the alliance notes that regional cooperation will be a tough sell. And the plan carefully steers itself away from any notion of regional government, just cooperation.

But if the plan accomplishes one thing early on, it’s justifying the existence of the Birmingham Business Alliance. Formed in 2009 from bits and pieces of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, Region 2020 and the Metropolitan Development Board, the alliance has stood out twice. Once for this plan, the other for the departure of alliance president Dalton Smith, just before the Blueprint was finalized.

The very first objective makes it clear: Have the business community speak with one voice. That should’ve been the alliance all along, but perhaps it will take this plan plus millions of dollars plus tremendous effort to realize that vision.

• • •

How Austin succeeded with its 5-year economic development plan

• • •

Nuts and bolts

• Public and Private Leadership: Who will lead the charge, after many have tried and failed spectacularly? If you believe in the private sector, you will like this part.

This goal pushes business leaders to unite to push for change through partnerships, publicity and legislation. It calls for more communication and collaboration with elected officials and a more transparent government. The goal even reaches out to minorities and young professionals, looking to increase their representation on boards and in public office.

Established business leaders will be asked to step up, too, to run for public office, with backing and guidance from the alliance. In addition, a political action committee will be considered as a means to support business-friendly candidates. The noble side of me recoils at the thought of a PAC, but the practical side thinks it may be the only way to get anything accomplished at the state level.

• Workforce Development: In other words, people. And in other other words, education.

It’s all in there in the objectives: corporate-school partnerships; charter schools; parenting workshops; networking of education leaders; child care; refocusing college programs on needed work skills.

The jobs that aren’t being shipped to foreign countries will require an educated workforce, and Alabama has been way behind in that effort. Fixing education remains a top priority if ever we are to attract new industry to the area.

But as Rickey pointed out, bringing people to the table for Blueprint meetings and changing policy at the boards of education are separate things.

Can business save education? Given our track record to date, we have nothing left to lose.

The plan builds the connection between businesses making education a priority and eventual economic benefit. It will take more than 5 years to see the payoff, but it seems like a good place to start.

• • •

More stories on Blueprint Birmingham.

• • •

• Economic Prosperity: Much of what you’d expect to find in an economic development plan is in this section. Keep established companies from fleeing, help small businesses and entrepreneurs get a foothold, and bring in new industry from elsewhere.

In other words, the job of a chamber of commerce or an economic development office.

Beyond that are two interesting objectives. One is better marketing, to ourselves and to our target markets. The plan calls for emphasis on Birmingham as a hotbed for technology research and innovation (including biology and medicine), and also an emphasis on Birmingham as a tourist destination.

The other interesting objective is betting on the city’s largest employer, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, as an engine for economic development. The plan goes into great detail on how to attract talent, connect businesses with researchers and commercialize discoveries and patents from the university.

In essence, UAB becomes a stronger source of innovation and new business, positioning it to compete with MIT and other research institutions. Pulling off this objective means a win-win for the school and the region.

• Community and Regional Stewardship: Place is the last of the four goals, and it has a grab bag of fixes to improve local quality of life.

For instance, fighting crime. Birmingham continues to rank in the Top 10 in violent crime, which scares off prospective businesses and employees. The Blueprint calls for coordination among public safety organizations, but also for a community court to handle lesser offenses in an alternate manner: more community service and rehab, less jail time.

It has a green section, with steps to improve air and water quality. A really good idea in this section encourages reuse and redevelopment of brownfields (abandoned and toxic industrial sites) and greyfields (unused sites covered in asphalt).

Under “quality of place” are calls to establish a downtown entertainment district, fund the Red Mountain Park and even put in bike paths, which for some reason wasn’t included in infrastructure. That area discusses transit, a quagmire that seems workable on paper but has been nothing but in reality.

Transit and transportation includes the Northern Beltline, Interstate 22, U.S. 280 congestion, broken mass transit, even improving passenger and cargo capacity at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. And for good measure, it also has a broadband wireless study thrown in.

Most telling is the final objective, turning us from naysayers into cheerleaders with marketing. After all, apathy has had a poisonous effect on the city’s prospects through the decades. And selling ourselves to outsiders would be far easier if we were sold on ourselves.

Maybe we will have more to brag about with each new action step accomplished.

• • •

Sign up for the free Wade on Birmingham newsletter.

• • •

Closing thoughts

I asked Dave Rickey of the alliance an unfair question: Is Blueprint Birmingham this city’s last chance?

He said that we’re at a pivotal time. As the economy improves, the city and the region need to position themselves to take advantage of it. But other cities are already moving into place. Rickey added that people are sensing some new optimism, but they’re hungry for things to get better.

Without any action, the City of 2015 will look much like the City of 2010: continuing to slowly decline in population and significance, broken and battered from years of neglect.

Look carefully through Blueprint Birmingham, and you may see a different future. That City of 2015 is the envy of Atlanta, of Charlotte, of Nashville. It still has 90 different municipalities, but they often pull in the same direction. It will have newcomers rushing in to fill jobs and live in a vibrant metropolis. And it will have promise, real promise, fulfilled.

All it will take is money. And a plan. And a lot of very hard work.

Wade Kwon is a Birmingham native and publisher of Wade on Birmingham, which celebrates its fifth anniversary in October.

• • •

Now that you’ve read Blueprint Birmingham, is it what you expected? Is it the way forward? What’s good about it, and what needs improvement? Sound off in the comments.

The first Birmingham Restaurant Week invites diners to sample dozens of restaurants and bars across town for special menus at fixed prices of $10.10, $20.10 and $30.10. Try sushi, pizza, Mediterranean, barbecue, French, Southern and other styles in this 9-day celebration, which started Friday and runs through Sept. 25.

The preview party took place Wednesday at Hotel Highland Conference Center in Five Points South. So popular was the event that food ran out by 7:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the Birmingham Restaurant Week official site. Or visit the event’s Facebook page or Twitter account, @bhamrestweek.

Participating restaurants

$30.10

• Bottega
• Century Restaurant and Bar
• Dreamland BBQ
• The H Bar
• Highlands Bar and Grill
• Jinsei
• Little Savannah
• Maki Fresh
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Ocean
• Veranda on Highland

$20.10

• Bottletree Cafe
• Brannon’s Public House
• Cafe de Paris
• Chez Fonfon
• Cosmo’s Pizza
• Crestline Seafood Company
• Culinard Cafe at the Palisades
• Dodiyos
• The H Bar
• Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
• John’s City Diner
• La Cocina
• La Paz
• Mafiaoza’s
• Maki Fresh
• Nabeel’s Cafe and Market
• Rojo
• Silvertron Cafe
• Sol y Luna
• 26
• V. Richards
• The Wine Loft

$10.10

• Bottega Cafe
• Brannon’s Public House
• Brick and Tin
• Cosmo’s Pizza
• Crestwood Coffee Company
• Dodiyos
• Dreamland BBQ
• The Gardens Cafe by Kathy G
• The H Bar
• Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
• La Cocina
• Maki Fresh
• Mellow Mushroom
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Ted’s Restaurant
• Urban Standard

Participating bars

• Bottletree Cafe
• The H Bar
• The J. Clyde
• Lou’s Pub

Which restaurant will you try? Let us know in the comments.

Also:

• Birmingham’s Best Eats
• Birmingham restaurant guide

Birmingham is winning the war on crime. Homicide is down 21 percent, violent crime down 13 percent and property crime down 10 percent, according to the 2009 Uniform Crime Report from the FBI. Overall, crime is down 10 percent in the metro area.

And yet, crime is down everywhere, at even better rates than in Birmingham.

The result? Birmingham came in at No. 4 nationally in overall crime for 2009, a slight change from placing No. 3 in 2008.

The city came in at No. 7 in the most recent CQ Press’ annual city crime rankings, announced late in 2009.

Homicide dropped to its lowest tally since 2004, with 71 murders in 2009, of which the FBI tallied 65 (the rest ruled justifiable and not counted). Across Jefferson County, the number of murders dropped 8 percent, from 125 in 2008 to 115 in 2009.

The city is safer. But among other U.S. cities, not nearly safe enough.

Also:

• Birmingham News: “Birmingham crime rate down overall; still ranks 4th in U.S.”

Is Birmingham losing the war on perception when it comes to crime? Tell us in the comments.

• • •

Visit our Crime Watch page.

It’s not clear which candidates will attend, or whether Sandra Little Brown and David Carrington will participate, as both are running unopposed on Nov. 2.

The forum runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. S., Lakeview [map].

[Map of Jefferson County Commission districts]

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Organic Harvest in Hoover has the best selection
of gluten-free groceries in the Birmingham area.
Photos by Sean Kelley.

By Sean Kelley

Finding gluten-free alternatives to breads and pastas hasn’t always been easy for Birmingham residents with celiac disease or wheat allergies. When our son was diagnosed in 2008 with a wheat allergy, we struggled to find gluten-free options, making most of his baked goods from scratch.

But going gluten-free in the Magic City is finally becoming easier.

Area supermarkets carry some gluten-free packaged and frozen foods as well as gluten-free flours and baking mixes from Bob’s Red Mill and Pamela’s Products. Often, we buy our pancake and bread mixes at Publix and rice noodles from Walmart.

For a better selection, we visit Whole Foods in Mountain Brook, which has its own selection under its Gluten-Free Bakehouse label. We also shop at two locally owned stores: Golden Temple in Five Points South and Hoover, for rice bread in the freezer and baking mixes on the shelves; and Organic Harvest in Hoover, with the most extensive line of products, including cereals, cookies and breads.

Gluten-free mixes for baked goods fill the shelves
at Organic Harvest.

Organic Harvest also offers gluten-free wraps in its cafe, one of a few restaurants with true alternatives. Several chains in town do offer gluten-free menus, such as Firebirds, Mellow Mushroom and P.F. Chang’s.

Mellow Mushroom offers a gluten-free crust on its menu.

We took our son to Mellow Mushroom’s Southside location recently for a Hawaiian pizza. The restaurant began offering a gluten-free crust this year.

“We’re all eating the same pizza,” he remarked.

For a kid who often doesn’t get to eat the same food as everyone else, having another option was quite a treat.

Have a gluten-free favorite in the Birmingham area? Share it in the comments below.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Celiac Disease Support Group
• Urbanspoon’s list of gluten-free restaurants in Birmingham.

• • •

Sean Kelley (@seankelley) is a Birmingham health writer and food lover as well as writer, editor and online content manager for Everwell.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Blueprint Birmingham, the regional plan for development, will be shown to the public on Sept. 23 at the new Railroad Park. So says our insider at the Birmingham Business Alliance for this Wade on Birmingham exclusive.

Originally set to be revealed in May, the plan from the Birmingham Business Alliance and Atlanta’s Market Street received so much public input that more time was needed to put it together, officials said.

Currently, the plan is in its final stages. Blueprint Birmingham is an economic development plan for the seven-county region. After input from the public, the plan will require funding and action during the next 5 years to succeed. No word yet on the price tag or other plan details.

Update: Dalton Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Birmingham Business Alliance, resigned today, just a little more than a year since the organization was formed. He plans on forming an ethics reform advocacy group.

In the absence of a designated successor, we often find ourselves heading toward chaos.

George W. Bush anointed no one as a possible Republican successor to the presidency. The mad scramble left an opening for the Democrats to exploit.

Gov. Riley had no preferred candidate in the GOP to follow in his footsteps. Well, at least not until Saturday, when he finally tossed a late endorsement to Bradley Byrne.

It has been chaos in the Republican camp in Alabama leading up to Tuesday’s runoff election. The two biggest names running for governor were Tim James, the son of a former two-term governor, and Roy Moore, former chief justice of the state supreme court — and they finished in third and fourth place.

The runoff featured front-runner Byrne, former chancellor of the state’s 2-year college system and scourge of the Alabama Education Association. It also had a dark horse, Robert Bentley, a doctor and state representative.

Tuesday night, Bentley, shown at right, pulled off the upset by soundly defeating Byrne 56 percent to 44 percent in unofficial results. He had trailed Byrne just 6 weeks ago in the primary election 25 percent to 28 percent.

City folk may have liked Byrne, but it was country folk who supported Bentley. Rural counties overwhelmingly went for the doctor over the lawyer.

• • •

Runoff winners and losers from Tuesday
around Alabama and metro Birmingham.

• • •

Bentley faces Democratic challenger Ron Sparks, shown at left, who pulled off an upset of his own in knocking out Artur Davis, the 7th district congressman.

As many of you may not know, Sparks has served two terms as the state’s agricultural commissioner. And even if you did know that, your Sparks knowledge probably ends there.

The two unknowns, Bentley and Sparks, are left to battle for the state’s top office. Who’da thunk it 2 months ago?

Headed toward chaos? No, just the orderly progression of moneyed interests.

In this year’s election, those two interests are the AEA and the gambling lobby.

The AEA and Byrne have been at odds over merit pay and tenure law for years. Naturally, the AEA bankrolled millions of dollars in anti-Byrne ads during the runoff campaign.

It has also be a big contributor to … Sparks. Both sides covered.

Note to AEA head Paul Hubbert: Next time, it’ll probably be cheaper just to run for the governor’s office yourself in 2014.

Make no mistake: A teacher’s union isn’t the same as an educational reform group. One is there to maintain benefits and protection for teachers, even as the state remains in the Bottom 2 in education decade after decade.

As for bingo, Sparks wants to legalize it and tax it, following a public referendum. His campaign has been funded in part by gambling political action committees.

No such funding appears to have come into Bentley’s largely self-funded campaign. While personally against it, Bentley says he’s OK with a state referendum on bingo, which, if approved, should be taxed.

Are Alabamians screaming for bingo, or for other forms of gambling from dog racing to lotteries to casinos? We may soon have our say at the ballot box.

The same ballot box where we’ll still be scratching our heads on Nov. 2 over the curious race between Robert Bentley and Ron Sparks.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

• • •

• U.S. House: On the Democratic side, Terri Sewell beat Shelia Smoot in the District 7 race to replace Artur Davis. On the Republican side, Don Chamberlain beat Chris Salter for the nomination.

The heavily gerrymandered district favors Democrats. Should Sewell win in November, she would be the first black female Representative in state history.

• Attorney general: James Anderson clinched the Democratic nomination, defeating Giles Perkins. Anderson faces GOP nominee Luther Strange.

• Jefferson County Commission: The members will be all new in the fall after the last standing incumbent went down Tuesday.

In District 1, George Bowman beat Johnathan Austin in the Democratic runoff. If this sounds familiar, he beat Austin a few weeks ago in the special election to fill the seat immediately. Bowman faces Republican Greg Stanley in the fall.

In District 2, Democrat Sandra Little Brown beat Gary Richardson, winning the seat with no Republican opposition.

In District 3, Jimmie Stephens defeated incumbent Bobby Humphryes Jr. on the Republican ticket. He’ll face Vivian Ford, who defeated fellow Democrat Ron Yarbrough.

In District 4, Republican Joe Knight beat Ronnie Dixon. Knight will face Democratic challenger Roy Wood.

• Jefferson County Sheriff: Willie Hill defeated Ron Blankenship to win the Democratic nomination. Hill battles Republican incumbent Mike Hale.

Election Day is Nov. 2.

• • •

Also:

• ABC 33/40: Election analysis from Second Front writer Kyle Whitmire
• Clarion Caller: Jenn Foster on Bentley’s victory
• Flashpoint: Post-runoff thoughts
• Doc’s Political Parlor: Who had a good night last night? A bad night?
• The World Around You: Hello Governor Sparks – The Upside Down World of Alabama Politics

• • •

Who will win the governor’s race in November, Bentley or Sparks? Who should win? Tell us in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

More election coverage in our Vote 2010 special report.

(Updating throughout the evening.)

The general election takes place Nov. 2.

Runoff results

Winner in red

Turnout in Jefferson, Madison, Mobile and Montgomery Counties was 19.8 percent. In just Jefferson County, it was 20.1 percent.

More live coverage:

• Second Front
• The World Around You
• The Birmingham News
• Test of new vote tallying system showing Jefferson, Madison, Mobile and Montgomery Counties

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Tuesday, some voters head back to the polls for the statewide runoffs. The June 1 primary election had about a 33 percent turnout across Alabama, but under 25 percent in Jefferson County.

The big showdown on the Republican ticket is for governor: state representative Robert Bentley vs. former two-year college chancellor Bradley Byrne. Bentley edged out third-place finisher Tim James by just 270 votes in the recount.

Meet the two remaining GOP gubernatorial candidates.

Republicans Don Chamberlain and Chris Salter are competing in U.S. House District 7. And in two runoff races for Jefferson County Commission, incumbent Bobby Humphryes Jr. faces Jimmie Stephens in District 3, and Ronnie Dixon faces Joe Knight in District 4.

On the Democratic ticket, Terri Sewell and Shelia Smoot are battling for U.S. House District 7 in a top race; either one could become the first black female representative in state history.

James Anderson takes on Giles Perkins for state attorney general.

For Jefferson County Commission, three runoff races will be settled. In District 1, Johnathan Austin and George Bowman face off for the fourth and final time. Bowman recently won a special runoff election to fill the seat immediately (vacated when William Bell became Birmingham’s mayor in January). Tuesday’s re-rematch will be for the next full term. In District 2, Sandra Little Brown faces Gary Richardson; in District 3, Vivian Ford faces Ron Yarbrough.

And either Ron Blankenship or Willie Hill will win the Democratic ballot for Jefferson County sheriff.

• • •

Results from the June 1 primary election.

Determine your polling place and districts (state and county).

• • •

A roundup of other resources for Tuesday’s runoffs …

Bhamwiki

• List of candidates in primary and runoff elections.

Doc’s Political Parlor

• Full list of races for Alabama Senate and House.
• Full list of races for state offices and Congress.

The World Around You

• Candidates and their endorsements by newspapers and organizations.

• • •

Sample ballots are included for Jefferson and Shelby Counties below. (The Jefferson County ballots include versions for every district.)

For easier viewing, you can print, download or zoom to full screen with each ballot.

Sample ballots for all 67 counties.

• • •

Jefferson County: Democratic ballot

Jefferson County: Republican ballot

Shelby County

Democratic ballot, left; Republican ballot

The general election is Nov. 2.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Thunder on the Mountain: Despite funding difficulties, the annual fireworks show atop Red Mountain appears to be a go, thanks to a last-minute $15,000 sponsorship by … the Alabama Education Association?! Look to the skies at 9 p.m. Sunday for Thunder on the Mountain, also airing live on Fox 6. The musical accompaniment will air on Cox radio stations: WZZK (104.7 FM), The Eagle (106.9 FM), The Buck (97.3 FM), WENN (101.9 FM),  JAMZ (95.7 FM), Kiss (98.7 FM) and Heaven WAGG (610 AM).

Video: Thunder on the Mountain, fireworks over Vulcan

I Love America Summer Celebration Series: Get a head start on the holiday fun Thursday at Wald Park [map] in Vestavia Hills. 6:30-7:30 p.m: free swim. 6:30-7:45: children’s activities by Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. 7: Pops in the Park, patriotic music by the Shades Mountain Baptist Church Orchestra. Around 8: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Free. For more information, see the flyer.

Jazz in the Park: Magic City Smooth Jazz kicks off its 5-week summer park tour with a performance on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. at Caldwell Park on Southside [map]. The free show features Keith Williams, Dee Lucas and Scrollworks. For more information, see the flyer.

UAB Summer Band: Annual free concert led by director Sue Samuels, featuring patriotic songs, traditional band music, pop tunes, Disney favorites, movie and Broadway themes and more. Free; raffle winner will conduct part of the performance, $2 for one ticket, $5 for three. 7:30-9 p.m. Sunday, leading up to the Thunder on the Mountain display. Bartow Arena lawn, 617 13th St. S. [map]. For more information, see the activeculture.info listing.

Video: UAB Summer Band performs Leonard Bernstein’s “Slava!”

Birmingham Barons: World Cup? Feh. Baseball! See the Barons play the Mississippi Braves at Regions Park in Hoover [map]. It’s a doubleheader on Thursday, starting at 5:05 p.m. Friday’s game starts at 7:05, while Saturday starts at 6:30; those games will have fireworks. Tickets are $7 to $12. For schedule and ticket purchase, visit the official site.

Independence Day Celebration in the Vineyards: Drive down U.S. 280 to Morgan Creek Vineyards for jazz and fireworks. 6-10 p.m. Saturday, with performance by Tekneek and wine tastings. $10. For more information, visit the site.

Helena concert and fireworks: Texas country performer Derryl Perry will be at the Helena Amphitheater [map] for the city’s holiday celebration. Fireworks follow the concert. Free, 6-9 p.m. Saturday. For more information, see the flyer.

Video: Derryl Perry

Turkey Creek Preserve hike and swim: Go for a short day hike with Southeastern Outings, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. The trip through Turkey Creek Preserve will include time for a picnic lunch and swim. Hikers bring their own lunch, water, swimsuit, towel and river shoes or sneakers. Free. Departing from the Pinson Chevron, 6710 Ala. 79 [map]. For more information, see the activeculture.info listing.

Project Codename: Vulcan’s Underpants: Birmingham-based improv comedy troupe Extemporaneous Theatre Company will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Birmingham Festival Theatre, 1901 1/2 11th Ave. S. [map]. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door; Thursday is pay what you can, with $5 minimum. For more information, visit the site.

Video: Extemporaneous Theatre Company performs
“Pick-Up Lines: Hooters.”

What will you be doing this holiday weekend?

A semi-soggy Primary Election Day in Alabama brought some surprising results amid light voter turnout.

• Governor: Rep. Artur Davis, long touted as the frontrunner in the Democratic race, fell to opponent state agriculture commissioner Ron Sparks (pictured below left) in a landslide.

Davis picked up less than 38 percent in his attempt to become the first major black candidate for governor of Alabama. It appears not so much that Sparks won as much as Davis lost, and the reasons are many. Davis failed to win the endorsement of key black Democratic groups; he voted against his party on health care reform; he could still be the wrong color for a conservative Southern state.

Byrne, left, will face either Bentley,
center, or James in a runoff.

Meanwhile, a very tight three-way race among Republicans kept watchers guessing until late Tuesday night. State senator Bradley Byrne eventually pulled far enough ahead with 28 percent to secure one runoff spot. With 99 percent of precincts counted, Robert Bentley had a tiny 140-vote lead over Tim James, 25.15 percent to 25.12 percent.

It’s likely the close vote will trigger an automatic recount, which will set the stage for the July 13 runoff. The winner faces Sparks on Nov. 2.

• • •

Results from Tuesday’s primaries, state and metro Birmingham.

• • •

• U.S. Senate: Incumbent Richard Shelby handily won the GOP nomination, facing and probably trouncing Democratic attorney William G. Barnes in the fall.

• U.S. House: In District 6, Republican Spencer Bachus won 76 percent of the vote to secure re-election to his 10th term.

In District 7, the seat being vacated by Artur Davis, Don Chamberlain and Chris Salter are headed for the GOP runoff, while Terri Sewell and Shelia Smoot will compete in the Democratic runoff. Keep in mind: Only three times in history has a non-Democratic candidate filled the seat.

• Lieutenant governor: Democratic incumbent Jim Folsom Jr., who ran unopposed, will battle state treasurer Kay Ivey, who knocked out two opponents in the Republican primary.

• Attorney general: James Anderson came up just a hair short to win the Democratic nomination outright, facing a runoff with Giles Perkins. But the real tale is in Luther Strange‘s trouncing of incumbent Troy King, who not only faced opposition in a primary but also from GOP leaders after an extended battle with Gov. Riley over bingo and gambling. Strange day, indeed.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

• • •

• Jefferson County Commission: We’re still not sure why anyone wants this job, given that previous members have sent the county into billions of dollars in debt and have gone to prison. Certainly not most of the incumbents, since only one ran for re-election.

In District 1, a seat that came open when William Bell became mayor of Birmingham, Democrats Johnathan Austin (Birmingham city council member) and George Bowman (former county commissioner) are headed to two runoffs. One runoff to immediately fill the position, the other for the regular 4-year term.

In District 2, former Birmingham city council member Sandra Little Brown and radio station owner Gary Richardson will compete in the Democratic runoff.

In District 3, Vivian Ford, a minister and a Realtor, will be in the Democratic runoff against Ron Yarbrough, who served recently as assistant tax assessor in the Bessemer cutoff. Incumbent Bobby Humphryes Jr. will face businessman Jimmie Stephens in the GOP runoff.

In District 4, Democrat Roy Wood, ran unopposed, will face the winner of the GOP runoff, businessman Ronnie Dixon or attorney Joe Knight.

And in District 5, Republican business owner David Carrington won the seat outright by defeating two opponents.

• Sheriff: In Jefferson County, incumbent Mike Hale handily defeated Republican challenger and convicted felon Jim Woodward. He’ll face the winner of the Democratic runoff, Ron Blankenship or Willie Hill.

In Shelby County, incumbent Chris Curry easily won re-election in the Republican race.

• Voter turnout: Secretary of State Beth Chapman had predicted 35 percent to 38 percent turnout among registered voters Tuesday. In 2006′s primary, turnout was 38.4 percent, while in 2002′s primary, it was 35 percent.

But in Jefferson County, voter turnout was under 25 percent Tuesday. That was about the same turnout for Madison County and Huntsville.

With such low figures in the major cities, it’s likely the statewide turnout will be low, too, maybe even below 30 percent.

Update June 3: Birmingham News estimates statewide turnout to be about 33 percent.

• • •

How did your candidates do on Tuesday? Are you planning to vote in the runoffs? Leave us a comment with your thoughts on the primaries.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.