A quick rundown of results for Alabama from Election Day 2008:

• President: John McCain (R) beat Barack Obama (D) by 21 percentage points, winning the state’s nine electoral votes.

However, Obama handily defeated McCain to become the first black president of the United States.

• Senate: Republican incumbent Jeff Sessions crushed Democratic challenger Vivian Davis Figures to earn his third term.

• House of Representatives: In contested races, Republican incumbents Mike Rogers and Bob Aderholt held onto their seats, while Democrat Parker Griffith defeated Republican Wayne Parker Jr. in the Fifth District (vacated by outgoing Democratic Rep. Bud Cramer).

The big surprise? In the Second District, Bobby Bright (D) defeats Jay Love Jr. (R) for the seat held by retiring Republican Rep. Terry Everett. So Alabama flips a House seat from GOP to Dem.

Updated with called races on jump …

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Thanks to everyone who joined us last night for our four-and-a-half hour(!) live blog of Wade on Birmingham Election Night Live Blog, part of our Vote 2008 coverage.

My special thanks to pundit extraordinaire Jen Barnett and comedian Christopher Davis for their tireless contributions to the cause. I loved having the opportunity to share such a historic night with all of you.

On the jump, the full minute-by-minute transcript from the live blog …

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Welcome to the Wade on Birmingham Election Night Live Blog!

Sign in, join the conversation, and leave comments below.

Or if you want to e-mail us, send it to Vote2008 [AT] wadeonbirmingham.com.

Our full live blog, plus up-to-the-minute coverage maps, after the jump …

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The polls are open! You have until 7 tonight cast your ballot in this historic election.

Q: Where do I vote?

A: The answer is a call away. Jefferson County: 325-5550, Jefferson County (Bessemer only): 481-4105, Shelby County: 669-3913.

Or try AlabamaVotes.gov and click on “Search for My Polling Place.”

Join us from 7 to 11 tonight for the Wade on Birmingham Election Night Live Blog.

Remember, if you have problems at your polling place:

• Notify a poll worker immediately.
• Obtain a complaint/evaluation form (or download jpgs of pages 1 and 2). Print it, fill it out, copy and mail it.
• 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 (325-5203) or Shelby County (669-3713).
• Contact us at Vote2008 [at] wadeonbirmingham.com.

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In 12 hours, the polls open in Alabama. Election Day will finally be here.

And in 24 hours, we’ll start our special live blog, right here at Wade on Birmingham. For the latest election results from local, state and national races, turn to CNN. But for the funniest, trippiest, most unbalanced coverage, turn to us.

Sure, we’ll keep you apprised of the counts as they come in, but we’ll also be fielding questions, comments, horror stories and outright lies from you, the voters.

Join Wade and Ginny and comedian Christopher Davis and any other pundits we can chain to a computer for four (or, Ohio willing, more) hours of Election Day coverage.

Whether you’re at a red party, a blue party or a party of one, log on to Vote 2008 to join the action.

And be sure to vote. See our special Vote 2008 section for sample ballots, bonus coverage and more.

Remember: Join us from 7 to 11 p.m. CST Tuesday for the Wade on Birmingham Election Night Live Blog.

Election Day is tomorrow!

• • •

Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

Alabama may be a solid red state, with polls predicting a 20-point John McCain victory come Election Day, but the newspapers have endorsed Barack Obama by a more than 2-1 by a 5-3 margin by a 2-1 margin. [See third McCain endorsement by the Opelika-Auburn News, added Oct. 28, and sixth Obama endorsement by the Selma Times-Journal, added Nov. 4.]

Of the eight nine 10 newspapers that have published endorsements in the presidential race, five six support Obama, two three support McCain, and one endorsed neither. Before the cries of “liberal media bias” ring out, keep in mind that most of these same papers endorsed Republican George W. Bush in the previous two elections.

See what the editorial boards had to say …

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If you plan on voting, and you’re not yet registered, hurry! You have until Friday to register. Where?

• any branch of the Jefferson County Libraries;
• any courthouse.

For more info, visit the Alabama secretary of state site.

Also, you can check out sample ballots (PDF) for Jefferson and Shelby Counties. Warning: The Jefferson County sample ballot has 162 pages, reflecting the various districts and races. Apparently, they included “Ralph Nadar” on the list of presidential nominees — especially amusing since it’s spelled Ralph Nader.

And for those wondering who won the mayoral runoffs in Brighton, Calera, Fairfield, Gardendale, Graysville Montevallo, Pelham and Trafford … wonder no more: Here are the complete results.

It’s two weeks until Election Day!

• • •

Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

Barry McCulley is out. The three-term Homewood mayor was trounced by council member Scott McBrayer by nearly a 3-to-1 margin in today’s municipal elections.

Tommy Joe Alexander won re-election for Irondale mayor with 60 percent of the vote, beating three challengers, including former mayor and convicted extortionist David Krider.

Up to five other incumbent mayors are also out in Argo, Brighton, Clay, Leeds, Lipscomb and West Jefferson. Mayors in Columbiana and Fairfield could be in runoffs on Oct. 7.

The new officials take office Nov. 3.

• • •

Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

Polls are open, as voters pick their city leaders in 40 municipalities in Jefferson and Shelby Counties.

In Homewood, incumbent Barry McCulley faces a challenge from council member Scott McBrayer. (The council members all Seven council members ran unopposed for re-election.)

In Irondale, incumbent Tommy Joe Alexander is running against council members Joan Ratchford and John Schoen, as well as former mayor David Krider. During his second term, Krider resigned, plead guilty to extortion and served two years in prison. Oy.

• More info on all the races
• Locate your polling place, or call Jefferson County, 325-5550; Jefferson County (Bessemer only), 481-4105; or Shelby County, 669-3913.

Polls close at 7 tonight.

Look for results on Wade on Birmingham tonight after polls close.

• • •

Complete Vote 2008 coverage.

Photo by Angelo Juan Ramos

Independence Day activities around Birmingham

The long weekend is upon us. How shall we celebrate America’s 232nd birthday?

Fireworks

Check out Friday’s shows:

• American Village | dusk (around 8 p.m.), Montevallo, daylong celebration starting at noon, $5
• Morgan Creek Vineyards | 9 p.m., Harpersville, with Tekneek performing before, $10
• Old Towne Amphitheatre | 9 p.m., Helena, with Elvis performing at 7
• Roosevelt Park | 8:45 p.m. Bessemer, giveaways to first 200 children
• Thunder on the Mountain | 9 p.m., Red Mountain (also to be broadcast live on Fox 6 and on its Web site). Check out these prime viewing locations.
• Trussville Freedom Celebration | 9 p.m., the Mall, with Three on a String performing at 8

Festivals

Eat, drink, gawk and shop before the rockets’ red glare:

• Bessemer | Marines parade, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Dickey Springs Road to Springdale Road in Greenwood
• Five Points South | bands at the fountain before 9 p.m. fireworks; food and drink specials
• Homewood | downtown festival, 6-9 p.m.; also, Jo Moore Band performing at 6 and Legends performing at 7 in Homewood Park
• Indian Springs Village | parade, 10:30 a.m.; barbecue, noon-2 p.m.
• Our Lady of Sorrows | Homewood, rummage sale 9 a.m.-4 p.m., barbecue 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• UAB Summer Band | 8 p.m., Bartow Arena lawn

June 20, 2008

City Stages
1929 Third Ave. N., No. 900
Birmingham, AL 35203

Dear Guy McCullough and George McMillan:

Thank you for your hard work for the past 20 years on City Stages, including this year’s milestone festival. While your dedication and past success have kept the event going, we’ve decided to terminate your services effective immediately.

It should surprise no one that ticket sales didn’t reach stated goals and that the event will again lose money. This follows the pattern of previous years. And though you’ve publicly stated that each year would show an improvement in revenues, even with costs under control, the event bleeds money.

And while attendees and non-attendees can continue to debate the quality of the lineup or the importance of other factors (timing, weather), your track record has been one of continued debt, unresponsive leadership and increased dependence on public funds.

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City Stages 2008, the historic 20th edition, has wrapped. We’ll know in a week whether or not it lost money, broke even or turned a profit to help erase its persistent debt.

Not having been since 2006, I was glad to check out the familiar sights and sounds. Not much has changed, and for those who like the feel of the downtown event, that should be of great comfort. For those who crave even modest improvement, that news is downright disheartening.

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Still don’t know which movies you want to see yet? We can help.

Check out the updated 2008 Ultimate Summer Movie Guide, with dozens of free or cheap flicks throughout the season.

In addition, we’ve added complete lists by

• alphabetical order
• date order

so you can quickly find the right movie at the right time and place.

In addition, you can see video previews of just about every movie listed, along with links to buy or rent them, if you happen to miss them here in town.

See you at the show!

The big 2-0. Yes, City Stages 2008 launches its 20th edition on Friday. (Oh, how we miss the tongue-twisting title sponsor …) In honor of this milestone, we present our best of the fest playlist.

Look for artists from every stage and every style. Enjoy the sonic diversity of these 20 tracks, even if you can’t make it this weekend.

One’s a freebie, the rest will run you about $20 on iTunes.

The songs in detail, after the jump …

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Time to go to the movies. But not just the standard Hollywood fare at the multiplex.

Welcome to the 2008 Ultimate Summer Movie Guide, with more than 60 movies in over a dozen venues. And most of them are free — some even have free food and drink.

It’s a comprehensive look at all films in all places around Birmingham. So thank you, and enjoy the movie.

Updated with full alphabetical and chronological lists …

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