CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” has been investigating whether White House politics pushed for the prosecution of former governor Don Siegelman. He and HealthSouth founder Richard Scrushy were convicted on charges of conspiracy, bribery and more. Republican operatives with White House ties have been accused of setting up Siegelman, a Democrat. Among those interviewed by CBS is Rep. Artur Davis (D).

The story had originally been scheduled to air in November, but was postponed, stirring up blog rumors galore. It could air at 6 tonight on CBS 42 or within the next few weeks. (The show Web site doesn’t say one way or the other.)

Update: It’s not Feb. 17. Maybe Feb. 24? (Against the Barbara Walters special before the Oscars.)

Update: Yep, Feb. 24.

Update: Watch the full report from “60 Minutes.”
• Hartselle Enquirer: Legislators not happy with Riley’s numbers

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The Southern Foodways Alliance recently sampled the Greek cuisine of our fair city, paying homage to it in a blog post: “Whether it’s souvlaki or hot dogs, baklava or peanut butter pie, Greeks in Birmingham have perfectly melded their own food traditions with those of the Deep South — [a] feat that must be experienced to be truly appreciated.” It has an oral history project focusing on Greek restaurants and pioneers here.

Greek eats represent just part of the menu at the alliance’s Potlikker Film Festival on Feb. 23 at WorkPlay. The showcase includes more regional faves in food, beer, music and film for $40. Opa!
• Serious Eats: “Southern Foodways: The Greek-Owned Restaurants of Birmingham”

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ABC affiliates in Dothan and Huntsville are among the 52 stations fined by the FCC for broadcasting “patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium.” Or to be more specific: Charlotte Ross’ bare tush on “NYPD Blue.”

Five years ago. Between 9 and 10 p.m.

The $1.43 million fine — $27,500 per station — is the second-largest indecency fine ever. No telling how many serial killers this 42-second scene spawned.
• Poynter: “FCC Fines 52 TV Stations for Airing “NYPD Blue” Episode”

The shocking video, after the jump …

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Former Jefferson County commissioner Gary White was convicted Thursday of bribery in the never-ending but always depressing $3 billion sewer debacle. White, 61, took bribes, up to $4,000 in $100 bills, to favor one bidding company in sewer contracts. He faces up to 85 years in prison and $2.25 million in fines. His fellow commissioners Jeff Germany and Chris McNair were also convicted in 2006.

Ah, life on the county commission. You either end up in jail or city hall.
• The Birmingham News: Jury finds White guilty of bribery

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The J Records bloodbath continues. After dropping 2003 American Idol Ruben Studdard in December, the label dropped 2006 American Idol Taylor Hicks Monday. The two Birmingham singers are the first champs in show history to be dropped by Arista. Studdard released three albums, including one platinum and one gold, while Hicks released just one, which went platinum.

Looks like the Soul Patrol let their commander down. Dishonorable discharges all around.
• E! Online: You Can Spell Taylor and Ruben Without J

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Time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. UAB Hospital continues its first blood drive of the year through Friday in its North Pavilion. What’s so special about this particular event? Fabulous prizes.

Yes, you should give because it’s the right thing to do, and supplies are low. But UAB has teamed with the American Red Cross to open a new donor facility on campus, one with wi-fi-enabled computers at your fingertips. In addition, the new Touch Points program offers prizes after five donations, including a spa kit for six donations and a $500 Marriott gift card after 12 donations.

The catch? Only donations at UAB’s donor center (1802 Sixth Ave. S., second floor) or this week’s blood drive earn points. You can still donate at any Red Cross center, but no points. Save lives, yes, but no points.
• The Birmingham News: UAB opens year with blood drive, Jan. 4-11

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The local dead-tree media made its annual roundup of the hottest wettest bloggiest blogs, name-checking our pals Amy Bailey at My Scoop and André Natta at The Terminal. We applaud the report for two reasons: First, it shamelessly plugs its in-house blogger (who said blurring the line between news and promotion was limited to blogs?). And second, it gives this site a thrifty seven-syllable mention (hey, we’re shameless, too). How’s that for edgy?
• The Birmingham News: For local bloggers, heart is where homepage is

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Embrace our bowl game. Embrace it! (shakes fist)

The second Papajohns.com Bowl, featuring a semi-Top-25 matchup with No. 22 Cincinnati against Southern Miss, is live today at Legion Field and ESPN2. Does Birmingham care? Should it care? Even the CEO of Papa John’s said he’d rather move the game to Louisville. Louisville?! Don’t sweat it: Mayor Langford’s new dome will show him. (shakes fist)
• The Birmingham News: Birmingham community still hasn’t embraced Papajohns.com Bowl

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Wow, this is the best season of “Two-a-Days” yet! Except that all of the action has been in the boardroom instead of on the field.

Rush Propst, head football coach at Hoover High and reality TV star, resigned this evening but plans to lead the team through the remainder of the season. The school and system have been rocked by allegations of grade changing for players (which Propst has denied) and violations of state athletic association rules involving ineligible players, leading to forfeits of wins from this season.

Oh, and Propst had an extramarital affair resulting in one child. Guess the secret family is no longer secret.

The board met behind closed doors several times before releasing a report [pdf] detailing its own $151,000 investigation into the machinations at the high school. Propst was cleared of having an affair with a colleague, assistant principal Carol Martin, who resigned earlier this month. The system will pay Propst $141,000 to end his contract early, though he’ll be working for them through Aug. 31.

Parents have been vocal in their support and denunciation of Propst this season, citing his televised verbal abuse of players and win-at-all-costs attitude. During his almost nine seasons, the team won five state championships and earned a 108-15 record.

MTV should’ve opted for a third season, huh? Ding!

• Birmingham News: Rush Propst resigns but will coach through end of season

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Chalk one up for the new Langford administration, one that has yet to be sworn in, cleared of election challenges or legal hurdles. After meeting twice this week with Mayor-Elect Larry Langford, police chief Annetta Nunn will step down to become a technology consultant with the department.

Nunn, who made history as Birmingham’s first female police chief in 2003, oversaw a skyrocketing homicide rate, even as other violent crimes dipped slightly. It’s more than a year since we called for her ouster, after her repeated demonstrations of ineptness at fighting crime. But if that seems like too short a period, just remember that more than 110 murders took place while she remained on the job since then.

The next question: Who will succeed her, and how will that chief get criminals off the streets?
• Birmingham News: Birmingham Police Chief Nunn to step down

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After months of speculation and rumor mongering, Hoover High football coach Rush Propst bared his soul to Fox 6 in a lengthy interview. You may remember him from an MTV reality show called “Two-a-Days” (so yesterday!).

Among the tidbits:

• When asked about the possibility of a second secret family in Alabama, he said he wouldn’t discuss, but did not deny the allegation outright.
• He denied any responsibility for changing athletes’ grades.
• “Two-a-Days” may have been good for high school football, but not for Hoover. (Unless you count untold profits in merchandising and recruiting.)
• And, he’s cussing less, so there’s that.

He’s been awfully chatty lately, complaining that “Two-a-Days” was manipulated and too focused on the negative aspects of the football program.

And he’s been awfully busy tending to legal matters, whether trying to quash a subpoena in fired principal Richard Bishop’s lawsuit against the school board or playing offense in the court of public opinion before tonight’s meeting at 6. What on the agenda? The school board finally takes up an attorney’s $78,949 report investigating the grade-fixing allegation. Sounds like it’d make a good reality series …

• Fox 6: Rush Propst Ends His Silence

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Ken Burns’ 14-hour, seven-night documentary “The War” (now with more Hispanics!) kicks off tonight at 7 on Alabama Public Television stations. The extensive look at World War II has been sanitized for your protection, as state PBS affiliates will be showing the clean version, because children will be forever scarred with the four words uttered in context of battle: “fuck” (twice), “shit” and “asshole.”

The story unfolds through the citizens of four American towns, including Mobile, which grew tremendously during the war years jumping from cotton to shipbuilding. Don’t worry: If you can’t catch it this week, the entire series repeats through November [full schedule].

Our pal Amanda at APT is working on “WWII: Alabama Remembers,” a homegrown doc with more remembrances from vets and civilians, airing on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. You can submit your stories online or by mail.

Previews of both after the jump.

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As Election Day draws ever closer, the money men are hard at work behind the scenes. Case in point: Two-term mayor Bernard Kincaid, left, is fighting off eight other candidates. At least his campaign war chest is full, thanks mostly to one man, attorney Donald Watkins and his $95,000 contribution. Oh, PAC transfers, is there anything you can’t do?

The self-proclaimed scandal-free candidate returned the love with $40 million in city deposits in Watkins’ Birmingham-based bank, Alamerica. That’s a lot of free toasters. See, everybody wins!

Other big money candidates include Carole Smitherman ($94,750 from 30 PACs) and Larry Langford ($79,000 from 14 PACs). And it’s all legal. Scandalous, but legal.
• Birmingham News: Kincaid’s campaign has one big contributor | City is Alamerica’s top patron

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The 10: Congratulations to Birmingham Weekly on its 10th anniversary. The alt-weekly has survived financial turmoil, ownership changes, boycotts and redesigns (online and in print). Even its current staff members seems amazed and a little puzzled at its continued existence.

To wit, editor-in-chief Glenny Brock writes, “Now, the mayor’s office call us back. Now, the governor’s office calls us back. Now, I am regularly invited to my alma mater, Birmingham-Southern College, to speak to a class called Writing for the Print Media. It is worth noting that the only writing class I never took at BSC was Writing for the Print Media.” Oh, well, you made it further than the latest corpse in Hoover print, the Gazette.
• City News, Views & Entertainment [Birmingham Weekly]

Criminal minded: Black and White is taking an interesting approach to crime reporting for its third annual crime issue. Our pal Kerry, the editor, e-mailed a request …

“If you have been the victim of a crime in the Birmingham city limits during 2007, please e-mail an account of the incident to crime@readbw.com. Please tell us:

• where and when the incident occurred;
• whether the crime was reported to the police;
• what, if any, interaction you had with law enforcement;
• and whether there was any resolution to the crime in question.

“Any and all published accounts will maintain your anonymity, but we do request your name, address and telephone number for purposes of verification.” We’ll get them started: Try the Victims of Birmingham Crime MySpace page.
• Black & White needs your crime stories [via e-mail]

World beat: When the State Department has diplomats to entertain, where does it go? Crestwood. Yes, Crestwood.

The neighborhood holds several alley parties each year, and Sept. 17, an extra-special party will welcome 30 diplomats with covered dishes and ice-cold cooler beers. The fun begins at 6 p.m., which coincidentally is when the event starts.
• It’s time for an alley party [via e-mail]

Also:

• Mayoral forums highlight differences among grandstanding, overpromising
• Red Mountain Park to feature two roller coasters, princess castle
• Coaches ask players to give 110 percent in 10 percent increments

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Records are made to be broken. Mobile native Hank Aaron once held the record for career home runs, until Tuesday. Some guy named Barry Bonds, pictured here, now holds the title with 756 homers, and counting. Aaron stepped aside gracefully, offering these words via video: “I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historical achievement. My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record will inspire others to chase their own dreams.”

The San Francisco Giants, even with Bonds’ steroid-fueled help, lost 8-6 to the Washington Nationals.
• Los Angeles Times: Losing his crown, but not his class

Video after the jump …

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