If you haven’t been digging deep recently in a couple of our local print publications, you may have just missed something that’s quite interesting surrounding no-contract bids and Birmingham mayor Larry Langford.

The fun started Wednesday when Birmingham Weekly’s Kyle Whitmire posted this story to their website (ahead of the delivery of fresh copies of the weekly across the city yesterday), talking about how while many were focusing on the mayor’s plans for fountains and plazas (including our own Magic City Question), a bigger story was about to take place involving approval of a city contract and the nuances associated with it – including the fact that the same person was connected with two companies that had received large contracts from the city.

The Birmingham News picks up the story this morning, (on Section C’s front page – far left column). This story focuses on the concerns of council members about the contract (and others with similar large invoice amounts attached to them). The measure was delayed while councilors called for a closer look.