Wade on Birmingham

Wade on October 2007

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Then and now

Hello, Larry: After a relatively subdued campaign, Jefferson County commissioner Larry Langford bested nine other candidates to become Birmingham’s mayor. Soon thereafter, second-place finisher Patrick Cooper challenged Langford’s residency in court, only to drop it two months later.

The mayor-elect wasted no time in stirring things up, even though he wouldn’t officially take office until November. (See below.)

Check out his inauguration on Nov. 13 …

Goodbye, Rush: The stardom came quick, the end much quicker. A year after becoming one of MTV’s biggest stars on “Two-a-Days,” Hoover High football coach Rush Propst resigned in disgrace after turmoil, scandal and even a secret family.

The shenanigans have cost the school board nearly $300,000 in investigations and payoffs. Meanwhile, Hoover finished 11-2 after losing 17-21 to rival Vestavia Hills in the first round of state playoffs in November.

And the school hired Oxford coach Josh Niblett in December. Both Propst’s and Niblett’s teams shared a dubious distinction this season: forfeiting wins for using an ineligible player. Go, team?

At least Rush can pursue his other dream: host of a hunting show.

One more casualty in the war on crime: So much for praying away the violence. Annetta Nunn, the first female police chief in Birmingham, stepped down after meeting with Mayor-Elect Langford. Less than two weeks later, he named A.C. Roper to the position. Roper previously served as Hoover’s assistant police chief and continues as an Army Reserve colonel.

This just in: Birmingham records its first homicide of the year. Guess we’ll build that dome over their dead body.

For more on the city’s crime epidemic, check out the Wade on Birmingham Crime Watch page, featuring maps and links to more coverage.

Haiku flashback

atop vulcan, saturday night [Oct. 7]

You look up, you see
his butt. Down, you see the ground.
Out, you see it all.

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Archives: October

Special report: Wade on 2007

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