The strokes: Many Birmingham-area natives have fond memories of spending their blazing hot carefree days growing up at the neighborhood pool. What better way to get out of Mom and Dad’s hair for a few hours while getting in some play time and exercise? Sadly, cities in Jefferson County are operating fewer pools, thanks to costs and liability issues. Those cities are Birmingham (17 pools), Fairfield, Homewood (two pools), Hoover, Leeds, Trussville and Vestavia Hills. Guess that leaves sneaking into apartment complexes, joining the Y or moonlight swims at the McMansions for us …
• While still a hit with residents, city pools prove costly to keep [Birmingham News]

Pay to win: Together, Alabama and Auburn spent more than $100 million on athletics. Was it worth it? Both ended up in the middle of the SEC when it came to overall championships, as well as spending. Florida, Georgia and Tennessee spent $65 million each and were ranked in the Top Three. See, it’s not whether you win or lose — it’s how (much) you pay (for) the game.
• Biggest spenders top SEC rankings [Birmingham News]

Delta shelter: Thanks for Forever Wild, the state’s land conservation program, paddlers have a place to play and explore. The Bartram Canoe Trail, a 200-mile canoe and kayak trail, is ready for visitors in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, just north of Mobile. The trail is one of the longest in the nation in the second-largest river delta in the nation. Paddlers can choose from day trips or overnight trips. Said one kayaker, “There is really quite a racket, from water and land fowl. You get a real concert going there.” Music to our ears.
• Canoeing in Alabama’s rich delta [Birmingham News]

Pro or con: Can Alabama survive one more minute without pro football, even as other Southern states reap the benefits (and costs)? Is college ball enough? And why does the writer mention only the Stallons, forgetting the misbegotten Americans, Birmingham Vulcans, Alabama Vulcans, Alabama Magic, Fire, Barracudas and ‘Bolts? So many questions, so little interest.
• Football-crazed Alabama doing just fine without NFL’s presence [USA Today]

Also:

• Southside dance club expels drunks, decibels all night long
• Steel coil breaks loose, robs liquor store
• Municipalities to make up tax-holiday shortfall with random property seizures

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A shot at justice: Justice may be blind … but it ain’t bulletproof. More homicides mean more cases, and Jefferson County Judges find themselves with less security than ever. Gee, what could possibly go wrong at a capital murder trial or with gang suspects or violent suspects? Ask people in Atlanta; Reno, Nev.; Seattle; Kingston, Tenn., Middletown, Conn.; …
• Court security a concern [Birmingham News]

Too little information: A Birmingham lawyer’s new book explores the Freedom of Information Act — and how the “war on terror” is crippling the public’s access to vital data and facts. In “The Federal Information Manual: How the Government Collects, Manages and Discloses Information Under FOIA and Other Statutes,” Stephen Gidiere says the White House has gone too far in its secrecy, all in the name of battling terrorists. Tuesday marked FOIA’s 40th anniversary. Which is scarier: not knowing, or finding out each new thing government does in the name of security?
• City lawyer writes book on Freedom of Information Act [Birmingham News]

Legion of honor: Paris honored two American legends on America’s 230th birthday. Montgomery native and civil rights icon Rosa Parks had a sports complex named after her. She died in October at age 92. The other honoree, Thomas Jefferson, received only a statue and may have owned Parks’ great-grandmother. Vive la différence.
• Jefferson, Parks given honors to mark Fourth [Associated Press]

Also:

• Organizers of crime-awareness parade arrested for criminal negligence
• Proposed “Auntie Violence” character beaten to death
• When sense is outlawed, only outlaws will have guns, knives, clubs

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After holiday,
back to work, wretched peons.
Work waits for no one.

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We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Have a safe and glorious Independence Day!

I pledge allegiance
to the flag … with liberty
and justice for all.

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VESTAVIA HILLS — 27 OCT 2018 — Released earlier today from federal prison, Don Siegelman and Richard Scrushy received a warm welcome from dozens of supporters as they returned to the outside world. Siegelman and Scrushy both completed 12-year prison terms following their 2006 convictions on charges of bribery, conspiracy and fraud.

The pair shook hands with friends and made short statements at the rally, skipping media questions before exiting quietly. The rally featured a marching band and former investors in the men’s careers.

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Freedom means power
not to do things as well as
doing them unchecked.

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The break-up: How tough is it to lead a school system? In Hoover, you can have the backing of a contract (with a $500,000 buyout), the support of the teachers, administrators and parents — and still be fired. That’s what happened last week when the school board decided to fire Connie Williams with three years to go on her contract. The board have given her a job performance review in May with a “more than satisfactory” rating. Since then, two board members have been replaced, and the long-rumored firing was approved. Math must work differently over the mountain, where half a mil is nothing compared to political suicide.
• Hoover schools’ Williams fired [Birmingham News]

The need for less speed: A lot of folks out on the roads this holiday, folks speeding along and not paying much attention. We admit it: We used to be speed freaks, too. But the state wants drivers to slow down, not just to improve safety, but to remember those already killed on the highways. The Alabama Public Safety Fatality Victims Memorial offers families a chance to share their photos and memories online of loved ones lost in car accidents, more than 1,000 killed each year. Those roadside crosses just keep piling up — but you can do something about it.
• Alabama launches Web program to remember traffic fatalities [Associated Press]

Independent lens: Tuscaloosa native, photographer and artist William Christenberry has a new yearlong exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The works include photos and sculptures of evolving buildings in small-town Alabama. Christenberry, who’s lived in Washington since 1968, makes annual trips back to Hale County to continue documenting the landmarks of his home territory. The story includes several slideshows of this current and past work, including a 37-year odyssey of one Hale County building.
• Southern Exposures: Past and Present Through the Lens of William Christenberry [New York Times]

Also:

• We’ll take some fried chicken, some beans, chips, rolls, fruit salad, tea and coleslaw for starters
• Governor ponders run for U.S. Poet Laureate
• If you lose a finger or a house from fireworks, don’t say we didn’t warn ya

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Patience may be a
virtue, but who is able
to wait forever?

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We can sum up June in four words: City Stages, politics and movies. Not a very exciting summary, but still …
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Now is the time to
start on resolutions for
second half of year.

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