The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, killed nearly 3,000 people. Several had ties to Alabama, including:

• Lynn Edwards Angell, 52, a Birmingham native;
  library volunteer, aboard American Airlines flight 11

• Carl Max Hammond Jr., 37, of Geneva;
  physics researcher, aboard United Airlines flight 175

• Nehamon Lyons IV, 30, of Mobile;
  operations specialist second class, U.S. Navy, serving at the Pentagon

• Marsha Dianah Ratchford, 34, of Prichard;
  information systems technician first class, U.S. Navy, serving at the Pentagon

• Dorothy Temple, 50, a Montgomery native;
  New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, at the World Trade Center

• Sgt. Tamara C. Thurman, 25, of Brewton;
  classified employee, U.S. Army, serving at the Pentagon

• Maj. Dwayne Williams, 40, a Jacksonville native;
  U.S. Army, serving at the Pentagon

Thomas Franklin of The Record of Bergen County, N.J., shot the photo of firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero on the afternoon of Sept. 11. (The flag has gone missing since then.)

On Sept. 9, 2002, my newspaper, the Birmingham Post-Herald, published a memorial page, which features the names of all those lost in New York, Washington and United Airlines flight 93 outside Shanksville, Pa.

(You can download the 4.3MB version, which prints out at roughly 12 by 18 inches.)

Please take a moment today to remember all of the victims and their loved ones on the fifth anniversary of this dark day in American history.

Have a carefree Labor Day!

One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go August go. It’s only the best of the month, but we like it.
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It’s a Colbert Nation call to arms, the MySpite top 8.

Thanks to BJ, who put us on notice first (see after the jump).

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As you may have noticed, I have freshened up Wade on Birmingham with a new look and several new features.

Update: I have even more exciting news at Wade Kwon.com.
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If you thought July was hot, well, you’re right, temperatures were above normal. Um, yeah …
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Bigger isn’t always better.

The most recent list from the United Health Foundation, a nonprofit health research group in Minnesota, ranks Alabama as the nation’s fattest state, tied with Mississippi. Among Alabamians, 28.8 percent are considered obese, having a body mass index of 30 or higher.

That’s a lot of unwanted pounds.

It’s time for elected officials to do something about this health crisis with consequences from skyrocketing rates of heart disease and diabetes to staggering financial costs.

And Mayor Kincaid is already on the job.

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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!

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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We can sum up June in four words: City Stages, politics and movies. Not a very exciting summary, but still …
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For those who love numbers — and I love numbers — and self-congratulatory blather, this is post No. 500 for Wade on Birmingham.

In the past eight months, I’ve covered quite a bit of territory (most of it in hastily written haiku), from current events to state politics, from pop culture to trends of the future. Birmingham is my home, and I love it dearly, warts and all.

So, thank you for reading the site. Your comments, your testimonials and your feedback have been and will always be welcome. Your readership has made this news site the 95,081st most popular site on Technorati! (Watch out, Leaping Sun and Moon Raves o’ the Day — we’re gaining on ya.)

I’ll continue to bring you the best (and worst) in Birmingham and Alabama, with a wink and a smile. Or a lecherous grin. Or gritted teeth. Or rolled eyes. Basically, it’s all going to be emoticons and innuendo.

Thanks again for stopping by.

If you thought May 2006 was awesome, wait till you see May 2006, again …

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We have no country of our own,
We who sleep in glory;
We died your hatreds to atone,
Still you shun our story.

— “Arlington,” Marian H. Neudel

Wishing you a safe and sound Memorial Day.

The best of April, one more time …

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To all our peeps out there, Happy Easter!