With a few weeks left till Election Day, voters still have time to study the candidates and issues.
We have the sample ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties for the general election. (The Jefferson County ballot has 178 versions, one for every sub-district.)
Cask and Drum takes place in Lakeview on Saturday.
Video: “Live Forever,” by Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
The second annual Cask and Drum music festival takes place in Lakeview on Saturday. Included in this year’s event is the sixth annual Kick’n Chick’n Wing Fest and a tent with 12 TV sets showing college football throughout the day.
Schedule
Cask and Drum Stage
1:30 p.m.: Kansas Bible Company
2:30: Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires
4: Wild Cub
5:45: Lucero
7:30: Drive-By Truckers
9:45: Girl Talk
Reg’s Coffee House Stage
2 p.m.: Paul McDonald
3:15: Jamestown Revival
5: The Apache Relay
6:45: Houndmouth
9: Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday between First and Second Avenues South and 27th Street in Lakeview [map].
Tickets are $30 in advance and available online. Proceeds from the event benefit Magic Moments, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization granting wishes to children in Alabama with life-threatening medical conditions.
Video: “Tolerated,” by Girl Talk and Freeway,
featuring Waka Flocka Flame
Musician/doctoral candidate/ TEDx Birmingham performer Gabriel Tajeu released a new single Tuesday. “The Beat Goes On” features his social justice message with a mix of rock and soul.
Tajeu sang it at March’s TEDx event, along with “Raindrops and “Southern Skies.”
Birmingham mayor William Bell speaks at the National Press Club on Sept. 25 in Washington to campaign for the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Birmingham mayor William Bell has not sat still for long. Since August 2011, he has traveled out of state on city business some 37 times, including 17 trips to Washington.
Many newspaper subscribers in Alabama and Georgia won’t see today’s front page. Not unless their carrier has snow tires or a hover car.
Winter Storm Leon hit Alabama and Georgia Tuesday with an unexpected 1 to 2 inches of midday snow. The sudden accumulation in freezing temperatures created roadway hazards for cities in both states. A reported five are dead, with hundreds of vehicles temporarily abandoned along interstate highways and roads.
Thousands of children in Hoover, along with several hundred in Birmingham, stayed overnight in school with their teachers. (More than 11,000 students statewide remained in their schools.) Motorists who abandoned their cars and trucks found shelter at nearby businesses and churches, while many stuck it out at their workplaces.
Below are today’s newspapers, with front pages showing Leon’s aftermath.
Vanderbilt coach James Franklin celebrates with his team
Sunday over their BBVA Compass Bowl invitation.
The state of Alabama excels at football. Doubters, see evidence below …
• While No. 2 Auburn heads west to play for the national championship, rival No. 3 Alabama (11-1) will play Jan. 2 in the Sugar Bowl. Facing the Tide in New Orleans will be No. 11 Oklahoma (10-2).
Should both Auburn and Alabama win their bowl games, they could end the season ranked 1 and 2.
Leading candidate Jameis Winston, left, quarterback at No. 1 Florida State, is a Hueytown native.
• Closer to home, the BBVA Compass Bowl will feature Vanderbilt and Houston, both 8-4. The Jan. 4 game at Legion Field will be the last to feature the bank as title sponsor; a new sponsor has not been announced.
Vanderbilt last played in a Birmingham bowl game in 1982, for the Dec. 31 Hall of Fame Classic. The Commodores lost to Air Force 36-28 (and yes, I was at that game).
• Mobile will hold its two annual bowl games. The GoDaddy Bowl on Jan. 5 will pit returnees Ball State (10-2) against Arkansas State (7-5). It’s Arkansas State’s third consecutive appearance, and the first for Ball State since 2009.
And the 65th Senior Bowl will take place Jan. 25.
• With 78 bowl-eligible teams but only 70 slots, someone has to stay home and watch all these games. Alabama teams Troy and South Alabama — both 6-6 — didn’t receive invites.
Hoover, right, defeated Vestavia Hills 31-28
in Friday’s semifinals.
Two Birmingham-area teams are back in the state high school football championship games this week. Defending 6A champ Hoover is making its 13th trip in 14 years, while Leeds returns for its third trip to the 3A finals in 5 years.
Hoover (14-0) will play Auburn (13-1) on Friday. Leeds (12-2) will play undefeated Madison Academy today. The Green Wave of Leeds won titles in 2008 and 2010.
All Super Six games take place today and Friday at Tuscaloosa’s Bryant-Denny Stadium, airing on CBS 42.2 and streaming online. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the gate, and available online.
Today
11 a.m.: Class 3A: Leeds (12-2) vs. Madison Academy (14-0)
3 p.m.: Class 1A: Maplesville (14-0) vs. Pickens Co. (14-0)
7 p.m.: Class 5A: Spanish Fort (14-0) vs. Muscle Shoals (13-1)
Friday
11 a.m.: Class 4A: Charles Henderson (14-0) vs. Oneonta (13-1)
3 p.m.: Class 2A: Washington Co. (13-1) vs. Tanner (12-1)
The last time he won a reality TV competition 10 years ago, Ruben Studdard donned a “205” jersey.
This season, the Birmingham singer sports the “462,” his starting weight as the heaviest contestant on “The Biggest Loser.”
Studdard, the winner of “American Idol” in 2003, will be among the 15 contestants competing for a $250,000 grand prize, awarded to the one who loses the highest percentage of weight.
The NBC show enters its 15th season.
Age 34 when the competition began, he comes in not only with a weight problem, but also sleep apnea, high blood pressure and diabetes. Studdard is the first celebrity contestant among the 300 in the show’s history.
Even the show itself is slimming down, with most episodes to run 1 hour instead of the usual 2.
“The Biggest Loser” premieres at 7 p.m. Oct. 8 on Alabama’s 13. The finale will air Feb. 4.
Video: A look at season 15 of “The Biggest Loser,”
with a shocking announcement for Ruben Studdard
•
Video: The first workout. Ruben: “Realizing I was
the heaviest guy on the ranch was an eye-opening
experience for me.”
Birmingham mayoral candidates, from left:
Kamau Afrika, Pat Bell, William Bell,
Stephannie Huey and Adlai Trone.
Every 4 years, Birmingham has elections for city council. And for mayor, but not on the same cycle. And neither election coincided with state or national elections.
Because.
Tuesday marks a historic change, as both city council and mayoral races will be on the same ballot, along with the board of education races. In 2011, the elections aligned for the first time, though the mayoral term was for an abbreviated 2 years.
Baby steps.
Mayor: Incumbent William Bell, who won a special election in 2009 and then won re-election in 2011, runs for a full 4-year mayoral term against challengers Kamau Afrika, Pat Bell, Stephannie Huey and Adlai Trone.
For city council (by district):
1: Pat Davis, Keith Rice, Lashunda Scales (I).
2: Rolanda Hollis, Kim Rafferty (I), Richard Rutledge, Neil Shah, Bart Slawson, Everett Wess.
4: Maxine Herring Parker (I), Edward Maddox.
5: Johnathan Austin (I), Robert Walker.
6: Keith Aaron, John “JC” Harris, Willis H. “Buddy” “Mickey Mouse” Hendrix, Latonya Millhouse, Michael R. Morrison, James Stewart, Sheila Tyson.
7: Gary Bruce Lavender, Jay Roberson Jr. (I).
8: Steven Hoyt (I), Gerri Robinson.
9: Leroy Bandy, Angene Coleman, Eric Hall, Marcus Lundy, David Russell, Ellen H. Spencer.
I = incumbent
For board of education (by district):
1: Tyrone Belcher (I), Sherman Collins Jr., Douglas Ragland, Jerry Tate.
2: Virginia Volker (I), Lyord Watson.
4: Daagye Hendricks, Rodney Huntley, Gwen Sykes.
5: Martha Casey McDowell, Randall Woodfin.
6: Lavon Beard, Gwendolyn Thomas Bell, Charie Gardner, Ervin Philemon Hill, Joy Smith.
7: Wardine Alexander (I), Lawrence Jackson, Darius Moore.
8: Patricia Bozeman-Henderson, April Williams (I), Antwon Womack.
9: Sandra Brown, Emanuel Ford (I).
I = incumbent
Candidates in district 3 races are running unopposed.
In 2011, the districts were redrawn to reflect changes in population. This election represents the first year using the new boundaries.
New districts: Click on the map to determine district number.
The Birmingham municipal election takes place Tuesday. Runoffs take place Oct. 8.
Sample ballot for 2013 Birmingham municipal election
(click icons to print or download)
Chef Andrew Zimmern featured the Birmingham food scene in the most recent episode of “Bizarre Foods America.” It premiered Monday on the Travel Channel.
American schools teach students that slavery ended with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. A PBS documentary explores the forced labor by newly freed black slaves between the Civil War and World War II.
“Slavery by Another Name,” based on the book by the same title, tells the story of the South through research into documents and interviews with scholars. The 90-minute film also features interviews with descendants of victims of forced labor.
Filming took place in Birmingham and Atlanta. It first aired on PBS in February 2012, a month after screening at Sundance.
Author Douglas A. Blackmon won the Pulitzer Prize for his book [Amazon aff. link] in 2009. Birmingham and Shelby County are featured prominently as centers for virtual re-enslavement of black citizens.
See his journey narrated by him on social media, including a stop in Bayou La Batre beforehand.
Andrew Zimmern tours Birmingham
Chef Andrew Zimmern filmed outings Jan. 15-17, 2013, around Birmingham, Ala., for his show, "Bizarre Foods America." [http://bit.ly/YhQPwA] See his journey narrated by him on social media, including a stop in Bayou La Batre beforehand.
Andrew Zimmern was here #bhamChef Andrew Zimmern filmed outings Jan. 15-17, 2013, around Birmingham, Ala., for his show, "Bizarre Foods America." http://bit.ly/YhQPwA
Bayou La Batre
10pm in rural ‘Bama, dinner was TacoBell. Sour cream gun is same tool that makes spritz cookies and yes, the chalupa is a Bizarre FoodAndrew Zimmern
10 pound cow nose taken w bow …. It’s been a good night so far w warm fromt ahead of the cold snapchefaz
Donuts of the decade at Sugar Rush in Bayou La Batre Alabama …. Amazing find!chefaz
Oyster shucking house in Bayou la Batre…. Vietnamese community is culturally rich here and dominates the seafood trade in terms of employmentchefaz
Shrimp and fish traps along w Smell from porch tells me I am eating Vietnamese food… Appliances and scrap metal in yard remind me I am in the Southchefaz
Lunch in a Vietnamese home in Bayou La Batre. Fermented shrimp , fermented fish salad, pork belly with homemade shrimp paste…chefaz
Visual definition of a clusterfuck. Splitting crew and equipment en route to show location 2of 3.chefaz
Fermented shrimp from scratch. Pour sugar an fish sauce syrup over raw shrimp. Let sit in jar in sun for month. Add green papaya and garlic, store for 60 days in fridge and you have finished product at bottom left of pic. Insane condimentchefaz
.@kittenwithawhip @eatocracy This ones for you http://twitpic.com/bvaafeAndrew Zimmern
It was an honor to be a guide for the big hoss @chefaz and the #BizarreFoodsAmerica crew around #BayouLaBatre!vit_pham
Birmingham
Biology lesson at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Draining sperm from an east coast urchin at UAB…. Aquaculture!chefaz
14 day old urchin under electron microscope at UAB labschefaz
3 weeks old, urchin inverts itself and sprouts feelers and needles. Amazingchefaz
Mapping year old urchin feed trails in algae bedschefaz
Look closely between the needles and you can see the feet extended moving food to the urchin mouth. You never see that!chefaz
Urchin on right has feelers extended to grasp food and reposition its body. UAB research aimed to develop way to save this wild food by offering restocking and aquaculture options to a frighteningly popular market for these tasty critterschefaz
Fresh live urchin from UAB’s pilot program to create viable product to meet escalating demand for uni. The stuff is incredible. Game changer.chefaz
.@potlikker @johntedge @kittenwithawhip Lunch for one at Niki’s West in Birmingham…. A stunnerchefaz
Stewed tomatoes w toasted bread ‘dumplings’ at Niki’s might be tops in my book. I ate 2 bowls.chefaz
Real succotash …. Can’t stop eating it…Niki’s Westchefaz
@andrewzimmern @johntedge @potlikker HUMINAH! I’m gonna need to know more about that slaw sauce, sir.Kat Kinsman
@kittenwithawhip Have you not been B’ham? Niki’s has a finely shaved cabbage w salt and house made "real French" dressing that is amazingAndrew Zimmern
@andrewzimmern Ooooh! I went to B’ham but save for a Piggly Wiggly jaunt with @jennifervcole, didn’t get to explore. Gonna fix that in ’13.Kat Kinsman
Love Nikki’s West. @potlikker oral history for back story: http://southernfoodways.org/documentary/oh…@andrewzimmern @johntedge @kittenwithawhipJohn T Edge
Wanna see the Magic City? Check out @instagrambham , cool account that I stumbled on posting my own B’ham photos on @chefazAndrew Zimmern
Eat well & support #Alabama fishermen & foragers @HotnHotFishClub http://ow.ly/gQ1Tr #restaurantsAndrew Zimmern
Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q
Ribs at Miss Myra’schefaz
Entry way ….wall of fame of pigs at Miss Myra’s…. Can’t wait to try the chicken w white saucechefaz
Another hour and these are readychefaz
BBQ chicken at miss Myra’s in B’ham AL. Quite possibly best I have ever eaten… Amazing , check out the skin…!!chefaz
Miss Myra’s ribs…. Ray Sokolov called them the best he ever tasted… Can’t disagree. And the green beans are etherealchefaz
Best bbq chicken and best banana pudding I have ever eaten…top five ribs for sure, top ten in potato salad, green beans and slaw…incredible food at Miss Myra’s in B’hamchefaz
@andrewzimmern Thank you for choosing Miss Myras it was awesome having you and your crew to choose us to dine with thank you very muchMyra Wheat
@dauphinlover21 Thx Myra! Say hi to your dad and grandma for me , what a great time last mightAndrew Zimmern
Talking with chef Chris Hastings
Welcome to AL! “@andrewzimmern: Real succotash …. Can’t stop eating it…Niki’s West http://instagr.am/p/Ug9JASIK_1/”Chris Hastings
@chrishastings00 Great seeing you today! Looking forward to cooking with you tomorrow. Thrilled to be eating my way around your townAndrew Zimmern
@andrewzimmern This city is our little secret AZ. An honor to share it with you!Chris Hastings
Talking with Chad Fisher and chef Frank Stitt
It’s neat that @andrewzimmern’s been making the rounds in #Bham today. He’s at Ms. Myra’s now, one of my favs. Where would you send him?Chad Fisher
@RegsCoffeeHouse @ChadFisher77 @andrewzimmern @SliceBirmingham @dreamlandbbq @sawsbbq @littlesavannah I second those choices!Frank Stitt
@FrankStitt @RegsCoffeeHouse @ChadFisher77 @SliceBirmingham @dreamlandbbq @sawsbbq @littlesavannahFrank has my attention. Done.Andrew Zimmern
Talking with Justin Bieber
Both @andrewzimmern AND @justinbieber in Birmingham today. Twitter is going to explode.UAB Students
I think B’ham might not survive! RT @UABStudents: Both @andrewzimmern AND @justinbieber in Birmingham today. Twitter is going to explode.Andrew Zimmern
.@justinbieber You and I are both in B’ham today and tonight. Wanna grab some dinner later? Couple of places ya gotta see before you go.Andrew Zimmern
.@justinbieber You need to leave me your number when you leave a message on my phone, call back options blocked on your service plan.#kidsAndrew Zimmern
Gridlock at my hotel because of Bieber Fever in B’ham. Local Walgreens reports mascara scarcity at record levelsAndrew Zimmern
.@andrewzimmern, did you and @justinbieber ever meet up in Birmingham? The world wants to know!HuffPost Food
@HuffPostFood @justinbieber The Beebs flew in and out, and stood me up! Lesson learned, never make firm dinner plans with a teen idolAndrew Zimmern
@andrewzimmern Great time hanging out and cooking w/ you yesterday you and your team are amazing. Safe travels!Chris Hastings
@chrishastings00 pleasure was all mine. You have an amazing gift my friend.Pics rolling out this morning. Brilliant food, better companyAndrew Zimmern
Brassicas and other foraged greens at Hot & Hot courtesy of @chrishastings00chefaz
.@Chrishastings00 …Same greens on plate w grille mushrooms,pine meringue, mushroom taffy and Meyer lemon. Dish is called Walk in the Woods and comes from one foragers moment in time collecting one morning. Brilliant. Delicious.chefaz
.@chrishastings00 shrimp and grits with Benton ham and urchin saucechefaz
Hot & Hot pig skin noodle bowl from @chrishastings00chefaz
Bon white quail w blood sauce and offal forcemeat stuffed pasta from .@chrishastings00chefaz
Interview: 5 Questions with Hot & Hot Fish Club #Chef /Owner Chris Hastings. http://ow.ly/gU8eo #restaurants #alabamaAndrew Zimmern
Hot and Hot Fish ClubWhen Chris and Idie Hastings opened Hot and Hot Fish club in 1995 they were ahead of the farm-to-table craze, using locally sourced ingre…
Chris Hastings’ Alabama BouillabaisseFor the Seafood Broth 12 head-on large hoppers (or large pink shrimp) 12 snapper jowls 6 long, thin strips of orange peel, white pith rem…
Flurries in B’ham. Not a canned good left on grocery shelf anywhere. City braced for Snowmageddon.chefaz
Only place you find a bigger picture of @rodneyscottbbq than the one @jimnnicksbbq is in my house! Lunch is in play!chefaz
BBQ shoulder sandwich @jimnnicksbbq is in hall of fame IMHOchefaz
.@jimnnicksbbq brisket ribs pork turkey platter w sides… Thx Nick Pihakis, you are all about excellence!chefaz
Lemon pie @jimnnicksbbqchefaz
Birmingham snowshowers …once in a blue moonchefaz
Just spent last few hours bailing out my crew!Club raided by Bham PD, 13 dancers arrested | http://al.com http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/01/illegal_strip_club_raided_by_b.htmlAndrew Zimmern
Typical day in Alabama. Boudin noir from @FatBackTeam pigs & rosé. Thanks @cochonbutcher @jimnnicksbbq @andrewzimmernLockerz
@Angiemosier @FatBackTeam @cochonbutcher @jimnnicksbbq Thx to you all for an amazing day. Truly, you are all the gold standardAndrew Zimmern
.@cochonbutcher You two have now set a record! 3 bizarre foods eps… see you at the Super Bowl…chefaz
Hog heaven… Step one from @fatbackteamchefaz
Some hogs just taste better! @fatbackteam @cochonbutcher @jimnnicksbbqchefaz
Birmingham dinner event with guess who??? @jennifervcole in the house getting her goat groove on.chefaz
Thursday night private dinner club at Fish Market… Superb meal from George Sarris , note goat head in bottom right. Insane soup with yogurt and herbs…chefaz
Barns make the best sets thanks to @mrattnight and @tommystewardchefaz
Sweet Home Alabama. Thank you for an amazing week. From top to bottom a breathtaking and delicious culturechefaz
Wade Kwon is a communications consultant based in Birmingham, Ala. He has also been a journalist for 25 years.
The Mérida Report1Last week, I went on a Mexican vacation. It included seeing my married friends Jen Barnett and Brett Andrews, who moved there in 2023. They run a company called Expatsi, which helps Americans move abr …
The death of Twitter logs1I share a lot on Twitter, as I have documented in my weekly Twitter logs for 14 years on this site. But that ends today.
Musician/doctoral candidate/ TEDx Birmingham performer Gabriel Tajeu released a new single Tuesday. “The Beat Goes On” features his social justice message with a mix of rock and soul.
Leading candidate Jameis Winston, left, quarterback at No. 1 Florida State, is a Hueytown native.
Runoff elections took place across five districts in Birmingham today.
Q: Where do I vote?
