Runoff races took place around the state today. Here are the results from Birmingham-area mayoral races:

• Center Point: Bobby Scott;
• Columbiana: David Mitchell;
• Fairfield: Eddie Penny;
• Homewood: Patrick McClusky.

The U.S. general election takes place Nov. 3.

• • •

More Vote 2020 coverage.

Fifteen years ago today marked my first foray into blogging. On this very site, some 7,000 posts ago.

Birmingham has come a long way since 2005, as have I, your humble blogger. I’m proud of the city as it stands in 2020, even if we still struggle with our place in the world.

And 2020 has been hard on all of us. Loved ones laid out by COVID-19, jobs lost, businesses too. Not to mention our fraying mental health in quarantine, our fight to show Black Lives Matter, our daily battle to contain the coronavirus.

Oh, and making sure we can vote and vote safely.

Today is an Election Day for most towns across Alabama, a runoff race for the offices of city council and mayor. Elections are one of the few reasons I do extra coverage on this site, and we’ll have results posted after poll close this evening.

I spun off all the daily haiku in 2019 from this site to, appropriately enough, Wade’s Daily Haiku. I took the #Sundayread recommendations in 2019 to, well, Sundayread.org. At least I left the funny and weird videos on the weekly Birmingham channel post.

I still love Wade on Birmingham, blogging and the few who are still blogging out there. Maybe I’ve got another 15 years in me. And I’ve entered a new phase of my own: On Monday, I started working as a data analyst after training for a few months at the Innovate Birmingham boot camp this year.

We can always grow. We can always become better. Thank you, whether you’ve been a loyal reader over the years or a first-time visitor.

Stay strong, stay safe.

We have two local elections this month …

Tuesday: Residents will pick mayors in these runoffs from August’s municipal elections:

• Center Point: Tom Henderson and Bobby Scott;
• Columbiana: David Mitchell and Teresa A. Whiting;
• Fairfield: Eddie Penny and Michael Williams;
• Homewood: Chris M. Lane and Patrick McClusky.

Also, city council runoff elections will take place in various suburbs.

Oct. 20: Birmingham residents will vote for officers of the 99 neighborhood associations. The officers serve 2-year terms.

For more information on polling places, call Community Resource Services at (205) 297-8192. Or contact your neighborhood association president.

Polls will be open on both days from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• • •

More Vote 2020 coverage.

One month and 1 day till Election Day.

• If you’re not registered to vote, you have until Oct. 19 at 5 p.m. Register online with the State of Alabama. Register in person at:

• local boards of registrars,
• state and county offices that provide public assistance,
• driver’s license renewal offices,
• county library branches
• and some city library branches.

Note: Many of these locations may be closed to the public or open limited hours because of COVID-19, so call ahead.

Call the Secretary of State at 800-274-8683 for additional information.

• We have the sample ballots for Jefferson and Shelby Counties for the primaries. (The Jefferson County ballot has 87 versions, one for every sub-district.)

Find your polling place/districts.

The ballot has federal, state and county offices, along with six state amendments (Fox 6 has more info on what the amendments mean). And check out the Alabama Voter Guide 2020, with voting procedures and frequently asked questions.

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

Absentee voting

Because of COVID-19, the State of Alabama will allow any registered voter to vote early by absentee ballot. I voted in person on Wednesday in under 30 minutes.

Download, print and fill out an absentee ballot application. These forms are also available at courthouses in every county. Applications must be submitted by Oct. 29.

The Secretary of State says to check the following box as the reason for the absentee ballot: “I have a physical illness or infirmity which prevents my attendance at the polls. [ID Required]”

If you mail it in …

• Make sure to use both envelopes provided.
• Have your witnesses sign it.
• Put proper postage.
• Have it postmarked by Nov. 2 (the day before Election Day). Try to mail it earlier, given the Trump-directed slower mail service.

If you want to vote in person …

• I went to the Jefferson County Courthouse downtown, Room 500. Remember: Security will scan you and your bag at the door.
• Some other voters may be seated in the hallway waiting their turn.
• Give your completed, signed absentee ballot application to one of the clerks.
• They will call you in when it’s your turn and guide you through each step.
• Last day to vote by absentee ballot is Nov. 2 (the day before Election Day).

Election Day is Nov. 3.

• • •

Sample ballots for all 67 counties.

• • •

Jefferson County

[Mobile version]

• • •

Shelby County

[Mobile version]

• • •

Alabama Voter Guide 2020

[Mobile version]

• • •

Today was my Election Day. I filled out an absentee ballot form, went to the Jefferson Co. Courthouse this morning and voted in about 20 minutes. The staff couldn't have been nicer and walked me through each step.

If you want to vote early, now's your chance, #Bham. #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/UfF4YGPJPr

— Wade Kwon, Data Guru (@WadeOnTweets) September 30, 2020

• • •

More Vote 2020 coverage.

A look at Birmingham in videos …

A Chicago transplant talks about why he loves Birmingham while driving around. From Huf Media.

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Worst Spills performs in October at East Village Arts of Birmingham in East Lake. From Majid Araim.

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »

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1. the line between fear and paranoia
   A phobia here,
   a conspiracy there, it
   all adds up to squat.
2. the majority leecher
   A toady who does
   it all for those in power,
   lickspittle for life.
3. everyday hustle
   We all out here with
   our game faces on, ready
   to make that paper.
4. time of the prepper
   A cellar fully
   stocked with canned goods, candles and
   assorted ammo.
5. the tips, not the protesters
   Lots of bystanders
   have tips for protesters, most
   of them horrible.
6. rise of the sidewalk cafes
   Bistros and hot dog
   joints claim limited spaces
   for al fresco feasts.
7. tangible gratitude
   Marbles in a jar,
   scribbles on slips of paper,
   lines in a Word doc.
8. facial security blanket
   The mask made him feel
   only a little safer
   in an unsafe world.
9. cans of lysol in the carport
   She took grocery
   deliveries at the side
   door and sprayed them down.
10. salt strife
    Waves mindlessly lap
    the shore, as tourists make the
    most of a crap year.
11. all summer in a season
    Let the festival
    of sweaty tees and violent
    thunderstorms commence!
12. the spare minutes
    Time to breathe deeply,
    to compose a love note, to
    gaze in bright wonder.
13. covering while uncovered
    Modern media
    fired upon by police,
    targets of ire.
14. any sports is better than no sports
    Empty stands, no one
    hawking $7 cups
    of beer. Players … play.
15. the looting of america
    From the corner stores,
    but especially from the
    swank corporate board rooms.
16. on the plaza in the early evening
    She hobbled by with
    a friendly greeting and a
    bare foot in pain.
17. just another pandemic in america
    How casually
    we conduct our business while
    the virus rages.
18. social undistancing
    Despite our caution,
    it’s good to see people once
    more. We need contact.
19. furloughed and frustrated
    Everyone needs a
    job yesterday. The rent’s past
    due, the kids need shoes.
20. the fun police
    The mere suspicion
    that someone somewhere feels such
    unauthorized joy.
21. the floor is lava
    The floor is lava.
    As is everything else. Yeah,
    the world’s on fire.
22. this is just to haiku
    I ate the icebox
    plums saved for breakfast forgive
    me so sweet so cold
23. can’t have pets
    Allergic not to
    dander or fur but to un-
    conditional love.
24. the vocal minority
    They took their pouty
    entitlements and their hurt
    feelings and raged on.
25. 7/4 3/5
    A declaration
    of freedom for some, leaving
    all others behind.
26. the opposite of schadenfreude
    That pang of envy
    when someone, anyone marks
    a great achievement.
27. under wraps
    Look, I get it. You’re
    frustrated by the whole mask
    dilemma. Wear it.
28. cause and effect and effect and effect
    The numbers climb. The
    hospitals struggle. The world
    trudges on weakly.
29. love in the time of corona
    Will COVID Cupid
    find coronavixen who
    takes my breath away?
30. regret neutrality
    It isn’t enough
    to not be racist, but to
    be anti-racist.
31. the launch
    The developers
    lock in the code. Fans look on.
    All systems are go.
32. protection not persecution
    What does it look like
    when a society re-
    thinks its policing?
33. representation matters
    I want to see those
    who look like me and those who
    have yet to be seen.
34. jeremy bearimy, baby
    This 2020
    has been a hellscape of at
    least 35 months.
35. moments of glee
    Profound joy sneaks in
    between the bouts of anger
    and pure depression.
36. be now
    This is the now. This
    is the moment we are in.
    Now this is the now.
37. a devious undeviating satire
    Comedic grace: She
    takes his words and makes them her
    own, makes him her own.
38. mom and pop sore
    The anxiety
    of watching your dream wither
    away to nothing.
39. the pandemic p&l statement
    How do we pay rent?
    Pay employees? Stay open?
    Live to fight again?
40. the disquieting fear
    Burrowed deeply in
    our brains, driving us to run
    from all the known threats.
41. the empathy spectrum
    Sacrifice for all
    others vs. in it for
    only me me me.
42. browser breaking point
    Click. Save. Read later.
    Click. Save. Check out later. Click.
    Click. Too many tabs!
43. that homeostatic feeling
    Even constant pain
    becomes background noise in a
    body on the move.
44. booted from the swanky italian restaurant
    He played with gusto
    to the sun-soaked parking lot
    amidst the Audis.
45. project pandemic pick-me-up
    Business is down. Why
    not renovate the inside
    before shoppers return?
46. surrounded by patients zero
    Every cough suspect,
    every forehead possibly
    ablaze, bugs abound.
47. we jazz july
    Another blazing
    tornado-dodging virus-
    ravaging summer.
48. maskholes
    They threw little snits
    at each store asking them to
    wear face coverings.
49. the strivers
    Striving to be loved.
    Striving to be accepted.
    For equality.
50. only one shot a year
    They decided to
    postpone the event and pray
    they’d come back next year.
51. hang on to the summer
    Ice cream cones and long
    drives, starry nights and fire-
    flies, storms and breezes.
52. first will and testament
    Let’s hope that courage
    is contagious and that our
    leaders aren’t immune.
53. back-to-school shopping 2020
    Bulletproof backpack,
    face mask, hand sanitizer,
    tiny body bags.
54. school of hardest knocks
    This fall, send the kids
    back to school in person and
    let God sort ’em out.
55. other people’s impatience
    Some of us are born
    to wait and wait, while others
    make waiting painful.
56. a totally chill pandemic
    Neighbors having big
    parties, coworkers touching
    all the coffee cups.
57. cities under siege
    Protesters marching
    peacefully and lawfully.
    Shock troops on the way
58. let freedom ring
    Climate deniers,
    school shooters, killer cops. This
    is America.
59. an unmissed connection
    Deep empathy brings
    hope to the forlorn, the love-
    less, the also rans.
60. reliable sources
    Experts and mainstream
    media, but also your
    high school dropout aunt.
61. the emotional roller coaster
    Why do the tears come
    so readily? Before, I
    was a stoic man.
62. down with democracies
    Disinformation
    arrives in harmless tweets and
    brash targeted ads.
63. spiral unspiral
    Neutral leads to sad-
    ness leads to shame leads to wor-
    ry leads to calmness.
64. how we decide
    Rational does not
    mean selfless or detached from
    any emotion.
65. no good choices, back-to-school edition
    Set them in front of
    a screen, or set them loose in
    a germy classroom.
66. an alabama loophole
    Schools practice social
    distancing for teachers, kids
    (except for football).
67. radical monarchs
    Shy caterpillars
    transform into cool pillars
    of social justice.
68. in search of
    We look for humor
    in dark places and comfort
    in strange bedfellows.
69. america’s national pastime*
    The crack of the bat,
    the roar of an empty sta-
    dium in strange times.
70. virtual fans
    They yell, they cheer, they
    boo. But then, no drunken brawls
    or doing the wave.
71. lessons in world geography
    The other countries
    did it right in beating the
    pandemic. We balked.
72. a natural enmity
    People are good. But
    that one guy definitely
    is out to get me.
73. pandemic plan zero
    We’ve tried absolute-
    ly nothing, and yet the num-
    bers keep going up.
74. poems to the wind
    Freestylin’ verses
    to the masses with brains and
    social media.
75. the zoom cocktail hour
    A bevy of drinks,
    a so-so wifi signal,
    a lot of crosstalk.
76. amoral adversary
    The virus doesn’t
    punish bad behavior or
    reward good. It just is.
77. chaotic neutral
    Alignment is not
    only good and evil but
    also the method.
78. what does a family look like?
    Are they blood ties or
    select friends and lovers? The
    mind and heart see all.
79. the trouble with first drafts
    Balancing speedy
    writing with a nagging need
    to edit right then.
80. try someone else
    On the street and at
    the crossroads, they beg. The re-
    ply is always no.
81. on brand
    He positioned the
    camera just so, making sure
    his fans saw it all.
82. cupid’s victim
    A young girl mused on
    her infatuation with
    bright eyes, aching heart.
83. ’90s jukebox
    The melodies and
    riffs take me back to my young-
    er, more hopeful self.
84. aa scheme
    A real poem should
    rhyme. Which is why this is a
    real poem this time.
85. popsicle sticks and glitter
    She carefully plans
    the art projects so her girls
    can dream, make messes.
86. the road to the white house
    Hearts and minds up for
    grabs as we squabble over
    fault in the margins.
87. bugaboo
    It seems risky to
    re-open society
    as the virus roams.
88. the law of diminishing fucks
    The moment we step
    out to embrace our feelings
    no matter the risk.
89. surrender to the storm
    Each hurricane brought
    fewer relief trucks in the
    nation’s new climate.
90. essential workers, inessential wages
    We prize work, but
    not equally, not fully.
    Our values must change.
91. casualties of indifference
    The suffering has
    no meaning. The dreams and lives
    lost were for nothing.
92. built-in bruising
    We react without
    thinking. The suffering is
    truly optional.
93. eat dessert first
    Such is a nation
    that manages its sweet tooth
    better than its health.
94. a foreign notion
    When will we stop the
    white domestic terrorists
    who hide in plain sight?
95. declaration of dependence
    I told her this year.
    I haven’t thought about lost
    love in a long time.
96. take this job and inhabit it
    Work is everything:
    self worth, time suck, lame hangout,
    comparison stick.
97. four-wheel money machine
    It’s tough to work when
    other drivers treat your car
    like a piñata.
98. awash with sensations
    She tracked her feelings
    as they racked her body in
    tumultuous waves.
99. she brought in a gun
    She brought in a gun,
    and everyone in the whole
    restaurant just froze.
100. unnoticed rituals
     Actions designed not
     to make the time pass but to
     ease anxiety.
101. dread of the drops
     The falling rain brought
     on the worries big and small,
     not soothing comfort.

• • •

Read more Wade’s 101.

Read more poetry at Wade’s Daily Haiku.

Subscribe via RSS to Wade’s Daily Haiku.

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A look at Birmingham in videos …

Indigo Girls performs at City Stages 1994. From Lifeblood.net.

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Touring Alabama in “Microsoft Flight Simulator” (jump to 16:46 for Birmingham). From CodeRed2448.

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »

Video: Enjoy the holiday, but please protect yourself
and others against COVID-19.

Happy Labor Day! Just because it’s a holiday weekend doesn’t mean you should let up on masks, social distancing and being safe during the pandemic.

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Marcus Fetch painted “Find Your Magic,” a new mural on the Liquidators building in Arlington–West End. From Princess Ebbie.

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Talking with Birmingham artist and teacher Helga Mendoza (our vertical video of the week). From BMA Education

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »

A lot of cities across Alabama held elections today, so let’s get to the main results …

Mayoral race winners from today for towns in Jefferson and Shelby Counties:

 •

I = incumbent

•

Runoffs:

• Center Point: Tom Henderson and Bobby Scott
• Columbiana: David Mitchell and Teresa A. Whiting
• Fairfield: Eddie Penny and Michael Williams
• Homewood: Chris M. Lane and Patrick McClusky

Runoffs take place Oct. 6.

The general election takes place Nov. 3.

• • •

More Vote 2020 coverage.

It’s time to pick some local leaders.

Polls open for 12 hours at 7 a.m. in 44 towns in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. Voters will select mayors and council members in these municipal races.

Runoff elections will be Oct. 6.

Cities in Jefferson and Shelby Counties holding elections today:

Up next is Election Day on Nov. 3.

Also:

• BirminghamWatch has a guide to Jefferson County races.
• The Shelby County Reporter has its guide to municipal races.

•

Video: Hoover mayoral forum 1

•

Video: Hoover mayoral forum 2

•

Video: Hoover mayoral forum 3

• • •

More Vote 2020 coverage.

A look at Birmingham in videos …

Driving to a parking deck downtown (our vertical video of the week). From Gabriel Lorenzo.

More videos, after the jump …

Continued »