Election Day at long last. Get out and vote. You have till 7 tonight to cast your ballots for candidates in state and county races.

Q: Where do I vote?

A: Call Jefferson County: (205) 325-5550, Jefferson County (Bessemer only): (205) 481-4105, Shelby County: (205) 669-3913.

Or use this handy widget by typing in your home address.

Wade on Birmingham:
Join us for complete election coverage tonight!

Remember, if you have problems at your polling place:

• Notify a poll worker immediately.
• Call the state attorney general at 1-800-831-8814 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Wednesday or fill out this online form.
• Call the secretary of state at 1-800-274-VOTE (8683) or visit her site, StopVoterFraudNow.com.
• And tell the probate court for Jefferson County (205-325-5203) or Shelby County (205-669-3713).
• E-mail us at Vote2010[at]wadeonbirmingham.com.

Q: What can I expect to see on the ballots?

A: Check out these sample ballots for each county.

You’re voting for governor, U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, state and county officials, plus several state constitutional amendments.

Q: Who should I vote for?

A: You still have time to check out the candidates and a slew of endorsements.

Going to vote? Tell us who you want to win and who will win in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Be thankful it’s almost over.

The long march to Election Day 2010 ends Tuesday with some of us going to the polls, and many of us staying far away. Come on, people, is it really that difficult to vote once every couple of years?

Decision time is here, but if you’re like us, maybe you’re a little behind on your homework. Who’s still running? What’s in Amendments 1 through Ï€?

Fret not. We have your cheat sheets.

First stop, the Vote 2010 special reports page:

• See the list of races.
• Determine your polling place with our shiny new widget.
• Read back through this year’s coverage.

Second, take a look at your sample ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties. (John Archibald of the Birmingham News says the 164 variations of the Jefferson County ballot reflect the fractured nature of local government.)

Third, see if Facebook can predict the results of state races.

Fourth, our list of resources for the discriminating voter …

Bhamwiki

• List of candidates in the general election.

Doc’s Political Parlor

• Full list of races for Alabama Senate and House.
• Full list of races for state offices and Congress.

The World Around You

• Candidates and their endorsements by newspapers and organizations.

The Birmingham News

• Full list of endorsements
• Guide to election stories

Bama Fact Check

• Journalists offer Truth Ratings on statements made by elected officials and candidates.

Alabama Right to Know

• A website that tracks money from political action committees to candidates, along with completion of campaign promises. The tool is from the Alabama Policy Institute, a Birmingham-based nonprofit, non-partisan research organization that advocates free markets, families and limited government.

Endorsements and predictions from partisan bloggers …

• The Attack Machine: Parts one, two and three
• Flashpoint
• Note: None of the Democrat/liberal blogs we know of made endorsements or predictions. Let us know if we missed one.

Update: Jennifer Foster of the Opelika-Auburn News makes her case for write-ins instead of Robert Bentley or Ron Sparks for governor.

• • •

Are you ready to vote on Tuesday? Discuss in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Video: Karen Hughes talks about social media
in modern campaigns

Facebook is the king of social media outlets, but can it predict elections?

Karen Hughes serves as Global Vice Chair of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm, but before that, she was an undersecretary in the State Department and campaign manager for George W. Bush’s Texas gubernatorial run. At BlogWorld 2010, her keynote mentioned an interesting study.

Looking at 10 Senate and 10 House races, the number of Facebook Likes on the candidates’ pages correlated with the primary results. Many candidates with more Likes than their opponents won their races.

Using that assumption, we looked at the races for Congress, for state office and for Jefferson County, tallying Facebook Likes for candidates to predict winners. (In several instances, a candidate used his profile page, making it an apples-to-oranges comparison of Likes vs. Friends.)

We’ll see how accurate these predictions are next week.

Election Day is Tuesday.

• • •

Update Nov. 2: ABC 33/40 interviewed me for Monday’s 6 p.m. newscast.

• • •

Update Nov. 9: With nine of 13 races predicted correctly, the Facebook election predictor debuted with a 69.2 percent rate of accuracy.

• • •

Key:

• D = Democrat | I = Incumbent | R = Republican
• * – Facebook profile page | ** – Facebook group page
• If a candidate had both a Facebook campaign page and profile page, the Likes from the former were used.
• red = leading in Facebook Likes

Check out the actual election results.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

With Election Day on Tuesday, voters across Alabama will have the opportunity to select a new governor, a U.S. Senator and many local officials. Be ready with these sample ballots for Jefferson and Shelby counties.

(The Jefferson County sample ballot includes 164 versions, one for every combination of districts.)

Ballots can be printed, downloaded or viewed in full-screen mode.

Look for more coverage throughout, including all the results after polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

• • •

Sample ballots for all 67 counties.

• • •

Jefferson County ballot

Shelby County ballot

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

A town hall will give attendees the first opportunity to ask business and city leaders about the new Blueprint Birmingham, a 5-year economic development plan from the Birmingham Business Alliance. The free 2-hour event takes place at 6 tonight at Alabama Power, 600 18th St. N., downtown [map].

Panelists include Birmingham Mayor William Bell and Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, who both appeared at Thursday’s kickoff event at Railroad Park.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The Birmingham Association of Black Journalists is the event sponsor.

Update: Full list of panelists …

Part 1: The Blueprint and Leadership

• William Bell, mayor of Birmingham
• Ann Florie, Leadership Birmingham
• Jay Grinney, chief executive officer of HealthSouth and co-chairman of the Birmingham Business Alliance Steering Committee
• Tony Petelos, mayor of Hoover

Part 2: Economic Development

• Bob Dickerson, Birmingham Business Resource Center
• Bill Ivey, TechKnowledge
• Patrick Murphy, senior vice president of Economic development at the Birmingham Business Alliance
• Lashunda Scales, Birmingham City Council

Also:

• Read Blueprint Birmingham.

At a glance: Blueprint Birmingham is a well-considered plan, peppered with great ideas and perhaps a few pie-in-the-sky objectives. Achieving most of the goals in 5 years will make the region far more competitive with an economic impact in the billions of dollars. Two critical components remain unknown for now: the price tag, and the willingness of enough citizens and investors to make it fly.

A new view of Birmingham, from
the recently opened Railroad Park.

Birmingham has never run short on problems, or even solutions to those persistent problems. But what the city and its leaders have often lacked is action.

Today marks the start of a significant 5-year action plan called Blueprint Birmingham, assembled by the Birmingham Business Alliance with consultants from Atlanta’s Market Street Services.

Business leaders will unveil the economic development plan to the public today at 5:30 at the new Railroad Park, but a copy of the plan was furnished to me last week.

The mere existence of a plan — good ideas welded to action steps and deadlines — is a small miracle unto itself. (The Blueprint already distinguishes itself from the feel-good do-nothing approach of Region 2020 or the tax-and-dome policy of the MAPS proposal.) It should be an easy sell to those yearning for progress, any progress.

Let’s dig deeper into the plan itself, after the jump …

(more…)

A new promotion for local restaurants started this week.

The first Birmingham Restaurant Week invites diners to sample dozens of restaurants and bars across town for special menus at fixed prices of $10.10, $20.10 and $30.10. Try sushi, pizza, Mediterranean, barbecue, French, Southern and other styles in this 9-day celebration, which started Friday and runs through Sept. 25.

The preview party took place Wednesday at Hotel Highland Conference Center in Five Points South. So popular was the event that food ran out by 7:30 p.m.

For more information, visit the Birmingham Restaurant Week official site. Or visit the event’s Facebook page or Twitter account, @bhamrestweek.

Participating restaurants

$30.10

• Bottega
• Century Restaurant and Bar
• Dreamland BBQ
• The H Bar
• Highlands Bar and Grill
• Jinsei
• Little Savannah
• Maki Fresh
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Ocean
• Veranda on Highland

$20.10

• Bottletree Cafe
• Brannon’s Public House
• Cafe de Paris
• Chez Fonfon
• Cosmo’s Pizza
• Crestline Seafood Company
• Culinard Cafe at the Palisades
• Dodiyos
• The H Bar
• Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
• John’s City Diner
• La Cocina
• La Paz
• Mafiaoza’s
• Maki Fresh
• Nabeel’s Cafe and Market
• Rojo
• Silvertron Cafe
• Sol y Luna
• 26
• V. Richards
• The Wine Loft

$10.10

• Bottega Cafe
• Brannon’s Public House
• Brick and Tin
• Cosmo’s Pizza
• Crestwood Coffee Company
• Dodiyos
• Dreamland BBQ
• The Gardens Cafe by Kathy G
• The H Bar
• Jim ’N Nick’s Bar-B-Q
• La Cocina
• Maki Fresh
• Mellow Mushroom
• Michael’s Restaurant
• Ted’s Restaurant
• Urban Standard

Participating bars

• Bottletree Cafe
• The H Bar
• The J. Clyde
• Lou’s Pub

Which restaurant will you try? Let us know in the comments.

Also:

• Birmingham’s Best Eats
• Birmingham restaurant guide

Birmingham ranks No. 4 on FBI overall crime list

Birmingham is winning the war on crime. Homicide is down 21 percent, violent crime down 13 percent and property crime down 10 percent, according to the 2009 Uniform Crime Report from the FBI. Overall, crime is down 10 percent in the metro area.

And yet, crime is down everywhere, at even better rates than in Birmingham.

The result? Birmingham came in at No. 4 nationally in overall crime for 2009, a slight change from placing No. 3 in 2008.

The city came in at No. 7 in the most recent CQ Press’ annual city crime rankings, announced late in 2009.

Homicide dropped to its lowest tally since 2004, with 71 murders in 2009, of which the FBI tallied 65 (the rest ruled justifiable and not counted). Across Jefferson County, the number of murders dropped 8 percent, from 125 in 2008 to 115 in 2009.

The city is safer. But among other U.S. cities, not nearly safe enough.

Also:

• Birmingham News: “Birmingham crime rate down overall; still ranks 4th in U.S.”

Is Birmingham losing the war on perception when it comes to crime? Tell us in the comments.

• • •

Visit our Crime Watch page.

Birmingham civic group Catalyst will hold a forum for Jefferson County Commission candidates on Tuesday. The event, called “Birmingham: Looking Back, Moving Forward,” will include a conversation with Birmingham News metro columnist John Archibald and editorial board member Joey Kennedy and Eddie Lard, and Second Front writer Kyle Whitmire (updated per new info from Catalyst in comment).

It’s not clear which candidates will attend, or whether Sandra Little Brown and David Carrington will participate, as both are running unopposed on Nov. 2.

The forum runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at WorkPlay, 500 23rd St. S., Lakeview [map].

[Map of Jefferson County Commission districts]

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Organic Harvest in Hoover has the best selection
of gluten-free groceries in the Birmingham area.
Photos by Sean Kelley.

By Sean Kelley

Finding gluten-free alternatives to breads and pastas hasn’t always been easy for Birmingham residents with celiac disease or wheat allergies. When our son was diagnosed in 2008 with a wheat allergy, we struggled to find gluten-free options, making most of his baked goods from scratch.

But going gluten-free in the Magic City is finally becoming easier.

Area supermarkets carry some gluten-free packaged and frozen foods as well as gluten-free flours and baking mixes from Bob’s Red Mill and Pamela’s Products. Often, we buy our pancake and bread mixes at Publix and rice noodles from Walmart.

For a better selection, we visit Whole Foods in Mountain Brook, which has its own selection under its Gluten-Free Bakehouse label. We also shop at two locally owned stores: Golden Temple in Five Points South and Hoover, for rice bread in the freezer and baking mixes on the shelves; and Organic Harvest in Hoover, with the most extensive line of products, including cereals, cookies and breads.

Gluten-free mixes for baked goods fill the shelves
at Organic Harvest.

Organic Harvest also offers gluten-free wraps in its cafe, one of a few restaurants with true alternatives. Several chains in town do offer gluten-free menus, such as Firebirds, Mellow Mushroom and P.F. Chang’s.

Mellow Mushroom offers a gluten-free crust on its menu.

We took our son to Mellow Mushroom’s Southside location recently for a Hawaiian pizza. The restaurant began offering a gluten-free crust this year.

“We’re all eating the same pizza,” he remarked.

For a kid who often doesn’t get to eat the same food as everyone else, having another option was quite a treat.

Have a gluten-free favorite in the Birmingham area? Share it in the comments below.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Celiac Disease Support Group
• Urbanspoon’s list of gluten-free restaurants in Birmingham.

• • •

Sean Kelley (@seankelley) is a Birmingham health writer and food lover as well as writer, editor and online content manager for Everwell.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Blueprint Birmingham, the regional plan for development, will be shown to the public on Sept. 23 at the new Railroad Park. So says our insider at the Birmingham Business Alliance for this Wade on Birmingham exclusive.

Originally set to be revealed in May, the plan from the Birmingham Business Alliance and Atlanta’s Market Street received so much public input that more time was needed to put it together, officials said.

Currently, the plan is in its final stages. Blueprint Birmingham is an economic development plan for the seven-county region. After input from the public, the plan will require funding and action during the next 5 years to succeed. No word yet on the price tag or other plan details.

Update: Dalton Smith, president and chief executive officer of the Birmingham Business Alliance, resigned today, just a little more than a year since the organization was formed. He plans on forming an ethics reform advocacy group.

Plus more results from Tuesday’s state runoff election

In the absence of a designated successor, we often find ourselves heading toward chaos.

George W. Bush anointed no one as a possible Republican successor to the presidency. The mad scramble left an opening for the Democrats to exploit.

Gov. Riley had no preferred candidate in the GOP to follow in his footsteps. Well, at least not until Saturday, when he finally tossed a late endorsement to Bradley Byrne.

It has been chaos in the Republican camp in Alabama leading up to Tuesday’s runoff election. The two biggest names running for governor were Tim James, the son of a former two-term governor, and Roy Moore, former chief justice of the state supreme court — and they finished in third and fourth place.

The runoff featured front-runner Byrne, former chancellor of the state’s 2-year college system and scourge of the Alabama Education Association. It also had a dark horse, Robert Bentley, a doctor and state representative.

Tuesday night, Bentley, shown at right, pulled off the upset by soundly defeating Byrne 56 percent to 44 percent in unofficial results. He had trailed Byrne just 6 weeks ago in the primary election 25 percent to 28 percent.

City folk may have liked Byrne, but it was country folk who supported Bentley. Rural counties overwhelmingly went for the doctor over the lawyer.

• • •

Runoff winners and losers from Tuesday
around Alabama and metro Birmingham.

• • •

Bentley faces Democratic challenger Ron Sparks, shown at left, who pulled off an upset of his own in knocking out Artur Davis, the 7th district congressman.

As many of you may not know, Sparks has served two terms as the state’s agricultural commissioner. And even if you did know that, your Sparks knowledge probably ends there.

The two unknowns, Bentley and Sparks, are left to battle for the state’s top office. Who’da thunk it 2 months ago?

Headed toward chaos? No, just the orderly progression of moneyed interests.

In this year’s election, those two interests are the AEA and the gambling lobby.

The AEA and Byrne have been at odds over merit pay and tenure law for years. Naturally, the AEA bankrolled millions of dollars in anti-Byrne ads during the runoff campaign.

It has also be a big contributor to … Sparks. Both sides covered.

Note to AEA head Paul Hubbert: Next time, it’ll probably be cheaper just to run for the governor’s office yourself in 2014.

Make no mistake: A teacher’s union isn’t the same as an educational reform group. One is there to maintain benefits and protection for teachers, even as the state remains in the Bottom 2 in education decade after decade.

As for bingo, Sparks wants to legalize it and tax it, following a public referendum. His campaign has been funded in part by gambling political action committees.

No such funding appears to have come into Bentley’s largely self-funded campaign. While personally against it, Bentley says he’s OK with a state referendum on bingo, which, if approved, should be taxed.

Are Alabamians screaming for bingo, or for other forms of gambling from dog racing to lotteries to casinos? We may soon have our say at the ballot box.

The same ballot box where we’ll still be scratching our heads on Nov. 2 over the curious race between Robert Bentley and Ron Sparks.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

• • •

• U.S. House: On the Democratic side, Terri Sewell beat Shelia Smoot in the District 7 race to replace Artur Davis. On the Republican side, Don Chamberlain beat Chris Salter for the nomination.

The heavily gerrymandered district favors Democrats. Should Sewell win in November, she would be the first black female Representative in state history.

• Attorney general: James Anderson clinched the Democratic nomination, defeating Giles Perkins. Anderson faces GOP nominee Luther Strange.

• Jefferson County Commission: The members will be all new in the fall after the last standing incumbent went down Tuesday.

In District 1, George Bowman beat Johnathan Austin in the Democratic runoff. If this sounds familiar, he beat Austin a few weeks ago in the special election to fill the seat immediately. Bowman faces Republican Greg Stanley in the fall.

In District 2, Democrat Sandra Little Brown beat Gary Richardson, winning the seat with no Republican opposition.

In District 3, Jimmie Stephens defeated incumbent Bobby Humphryes Jr. on the Republican ticket. He’ll face Vivian Ford, who defeated fellow Democrat Ron Yarbrough.

In District 4, Republican Joe Knight beat Ronnie Dixon. Knight will face Democratic challenger Roy Wood.

• Jefferson County Sheriff: Willie Hill defeated Ron Blankenship to win the Democratic nomination. Hill battles Republican incumbent Mike Hale.

Election Day is Nov. 2.

• • •

Also:

• ABC 33/40: Election analysis from Second Front writer Kyle Whitmire
• Clarion Caller: Jenn Foster on Bentley’s victory
• Flashpoint: Post-runoff thoughts
• Doc’s Political Parlor: Who had a good night last night? A bad night?
• The World Around You: Hello Governor Sparks – The Upside Down World of Alabama Politics

• • •

Who will win the governor’s race in November, Bentley or Sparks? Who should win? Tell us in the comments.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Today’s runoff results from state and metro Birmingham races …

More election coverage in our Vote 2010 special report.

(Updating throughout the evening.)

The general election takes place Nov. 2.

Runoff results

Winner in red

Turnout in Jefferson, Madison, Mobile and Montgomery Counties was 19.8 percent. In just Jefferson County, it was 20.1 percent.

More live coverage:

• Second Front
• The World Around You
• The Birmingham News
• Test of new vote tallying system showing Jefferson, Madison, Mobile and Montgomery Counties

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Runoffs are upon us. (That almost rhymes.)

Tuesday, some voters head back to the polls for the statewide runoffs. The June 1 primary election had about a 33 percent turnout across Alabama, but under 25 percent in Jefferson County.

The big showdown on the Republican ticket is for governor: state representative Robert Bentley vs. former two-year college chancellor Bradley Byrne. Bentley edged out third-place finisher Tim James by just 270 votes in the recount.

Meet the two remaining GOP gubernatorial candidates.

Republicans Don Chamberlain and Chris Salter are competing in U.S. House District 7. And in two runoff races for Jefferson County Commission, incumbent Bobby Humphryes Jr. faces Jimmie Stephens in District 3, and Ronnie Dixon faces Joe Knight in District 4.

On the Democratic ticket, Terri Sewell and Shelia Smoot are battling for U.S. House District 7 in a top race; either one could become the first black female representative in state history.

James Anderson takes on Giles Perkins for state attorney general.

For Jefferson County Commission, three runoff races will be settled. In District 1, Johnathan Austin and George Bowman face off for the fourth and final time. Bowman recently won a special runoff election to fill the seat immediately (vacated when William Bell became Birmingham’s mayor in January). Tuesday’s re-rematch will be for the next full term. In District 2, Sandra Little Brown faces Gary Richardson; in District 3, Vivian Ford faces Ron Yarbrough.

And either Ron Blankenship or Willie Hill will win the Democratic ballot for Jefferson County sheriff.

• • •

Results from the June 1 primary election.

Determine your polling place and districts (state and county).

• • •

A roundup of other resources for Tuesday’s runoffs …

Bhamwiki

• List of candidates in primary and runoff elections.

Doc’s Political Parlor

• Full list of races for Alabama Senate and House.
• Full list of races for state offices and Congress.

The World Around You

• Candidates and their endorsements by newspapers and organizations.

• • •

Sample ballots are included for Jefferson and Shelby Counties below. (The Jefferson County ballots include versions for every district.)

For easier viewing, you can print, download or zoom to full screen with each ballot.

Sample ballots for all 67 counties.

• • •

Jefferson County: Democratic ballot

Jefferson County: Republican ballot

Shelby County

Democratic ballot, left; Republican ballot

The general election is Nov. 2.

• • •

More Vote 2010 coverage.

Celebrate your independence or codependence all Independence Day weekend long, whether that weekend is 2 days, 3 days or even 5 days. Take a look at the multitude of holiday activities around the Birmingham area.

Thunder on the Mountain: Despite funding difficulties, the annual fireworks show atop Red Mountain appears to be a go, thanks to a last-minute $15,000 sponsorship by … the Alabama Education Association?! Look to the skies at 9 p.m. Sunday for Thunder on the Mountain, also airing live on Fox 6. The musical accompaniment will air on Cox radio stations: WZZK (104.7 FM), The Eagle (106.9 FM), The Buck (97.3 FM), WENN (101.9 FM),  JAMZ (95.7 FM), Kiss (98.7 FM) and Heaven WAGG (610 AM).

Video: Thunder on the Mountain, fireworks over Vulcan

I Love America Summer Celebration Series: Get a head start on the holiday fun Thursday at Wald Park [map] in Vestavia Hills. 6:30-7:30 p.m: free swim. 6:30-7:45: children’s activities by Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. 7: Pops in the Park, patriotic music by the Shades Mountain Baptist Church Orchestra. Around 8: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” Free. For more information, see the flyer.

Jazz in the Park: Magic City Smooth Jazz kicks off its 5-week summer park tour with a performance on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m. at Caldwell Park on Southside [map]. The free show features Keith Williams, Dee Lucas and Scrollworks. For more information, see the flyer.

UAB Summer Band: Annual free concert led by director Sue Samuels, featuring patriotic songs, traditional band music, pop tunes, Disney favorites, movie and Broadway themes and more. Free; raffle winner will conduct part of the performance, $2 for one ticket, $5 for three. 7:30-9 p.m. Sunday, leading up to the Thunder on the Mountain display. Bartow Arena lawn, 617 13th St. S. [map]. For more information, see the activeculture.info listing.

Video: UAB Summer Band performs Leonard Bernstein’s “Slava!”

Birmingham Barons: World Cup? Feh. Baseball! See the Barons play the Mississippi Braves at Regions Park in Hoover [map]. It’s a doubleheader on Thursday, starting at 5:05 p.m. Friday’s game starts at 7:05, while Saturday starts at 6:30; those games will have fireworks. Tickets are $7 to $12. For schedule and ticket purchase, visit the official site.

Independence Day Celebration in the Vineyards: Drive down U.S. 280 to Morgan Creek Vineyards for jazz and fireworks. 6-10 p.m. Saturday, with performance by Tekneek and wine tastings. $10. For more information, visit the site.

Helena concert and fireworks: Texas country performer Derryl Perry will be at the Helena Amphitheater [map] for the city’s holiday celebration. Fireworks follow the concert. Free, 6-9 p.m. Saturday. For more information, see the flyer.

Video: Derryl Perry

Turkey Creek Preserve hike and swim: Go for a short day hike with Southeastern Outings, starting at 1 p.m. Saturday. The trip through Turkey Creek Preserve will include time for a picnic lunch and swim. Hikers bring their own lunch, water, swimsuit, towel and river shoes or sneakers. Free. Departing from the Pinson Chevron, 6710 Ala. 79 [map]. For more information, see the activeculture.info listing.

Project Codename: Vulcan’s Underpants: Birmingham-based improv comedy troupe Extemporaneous Theatre Company will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the Birmingham Festival Theatre, 1901 1/2 11th Ave. S. [map]. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door; Thursday is pay what you can, with $5 minimum. For more information, visit the site.

Video: Extemporaneous Theatre Company performs
“Pick-Up Lines: Hooters.”

What will you be doing this holiday weekend?