Category Archives: Birmingham

DRC member apologizes for News building vote

Posted on April 25, 2007 | 17 comments

During this morning’s Design Review Committee meeting, committee member Cheryl Morgan read a statement into the record of the minutes voicing her regret and concerns about the vote that allows for the demolition of the Birmingham News building. Morgan serves as the director of the Auburn University’s Urban Studio in Birmingham.

The statement asks for all to take part in protecting the assets of the city and suggests that there is some irony with regard to the News’ reporting and its actions with regard to the 1917 structure.

Click through to view a copy of Morgan’s statement in its entirety: Continue reading →

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Posted in 35203, Alabama, Birmingham, Birmingham News, Business, Design Review Committee, News

Metro Bistro goes WiFi (free WiFi)

Posted on April 24, 2007 | 2 comments

Those who visit Metro Bistro beginning this afternoon will notice a”free wifi access” sign in the window. The popular downtown bar/hang out spot has become #333 on Bhamwifi.com‘s ever-growing list of free wireless access points in the metro Birmingham area. The list began in late 2004 with less than 50 locations documented ; it now contains 97 listings for the City of Birmingham alone. The website is a partnership between Internet Professionals Society of Alabama (IPSA)and TechBirmingham.

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Posted in 35203, Alabama, Birmingham, Business, Restaurants/Bars

Mayor, Council agree on new bond deal

Posted on April 24, 2007 | Leave a comment

The mayor and city council (or most of them) appear to have agreed on a new bond deal to pay for several city projects, including fund for the Railroad Reservation Park and the new Wal-Mart on the former Eastwood Mall site. The Birmingham News reports that after more than three hours of negotiations, a proposed $143 million bond deal has been agreed upon, including $79 million in new borrowing. A Digital50.com report states that Fitch Ratings gives the city a AA bond rating, providing a stable outlook. The deal now gets read to the public at this morning’s weekly meeting (probably even as this is being posted). There are still concerns, most notably from Councilor Steven Hoyt, about… minority participation in the deal. Time will tell how the public reacts to the latest list, which includes several items fought for by Councilor Maxine Parker (great news for residents of District 4) that several councilors said must be included in order for the deal to move forward.

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Posted in 35203, Alabama, Birmingham, City Council, News

“It’s a Thick Book” shows at Virginia Samford on Monday

Posted on April 20, 2007 | Leave a comment

Still image from “It’s a Thick Book” DVDJust in case you’ve missed one of the more talked about documentaries in our state, your next opportunity to view it is close (really close). The next screening of “It’s A Thick Book” in the Birmingham area is scheduled for next Monday, April 23 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Virginia Samford Theatre in Caldwell Park. The film was made by Homewood High School graduate Lewis Lehe. The ACCR Foundation has been using the forty-five minute documentary “as an entertaining and engaging way to help others learn about [the] 1901 state constitution.” The foundation is working towards constitutional reform for the world’s largest and longest governing document – the Alabama state constitution.

Just in case you miss Monday’s showing, the next screening event is scheduled for Trinity United Methodist Church on April 26 and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute on May 22. You can also order your own free copy of the DVD by visiting their website (to order, click on “Get Involved” link).

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Posted in 35205, Alabama, Birmingham, Events, State Constitution

It’s not too late to go to PhotoCamp tomorrow!

Posted on April 20, 2007 | Leave a comment

PhotoCamp Birmingham logo

Professional and amateur photographers rejoice; PhotoCamp is near! The one day workshop will take place tomorrow (Saturday, April 21) at the Homewood Public Library (1721 Oxmoor Road; directions) from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. It is building off of the success of Birmingham’s BarCamp, providing an intense one-day “un-conference” where you are not only the audience, but potentially a presenter as well. BarCamp focused on our tech community, while PhotoCamp switches gears and provides the same opportunity to members of our photog community. The agenda is based on whatever participants want to learn about and what they are able to share with others.

PhotoCamp is being sponsored by the Birmingham Public Library; they wrote about the event on their blog. Check out the event information on Upcoming.org or the official wiki page for the event for additional information.

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Posted in 35209, Alabama, Birmingham, Events, Homewood

Ex-President Clinton talks to Dems tonight

Posted on April 20, 2007 | Leave a comment

Bill Clinton imageIf people think the Friday evening commute along Highway 280 is already too long as they approach I-459, they may just want to leave a little earlier this afternoon. Former President Bill Clinton is giving the keynote address at this evening’s Jefferson-Jackson celebration of the Alabama Democratic Party at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center. According to the Associated Press, the party expects to net $250,000 for use in preparing for the 2008 election season.

The event is named for former Presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson and is commonly used by local offices of the Democratic Party as the title of their annual fundraising event. Don’t try to get tickets; it’s already sold out. It may just be the excuse you need to find something to do that keeps you from venturing down the road for a little while this evening. If you really wanted to go, they’re saying that they’ll hold a similar event this fall. (Read: advanced warning of additional traffic problems).

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Posted in 35243, Alabama, Alabama Democratic Party, Bill Clinton, Birmingham, News

So what does Memphis think of Birmingham’s planned entertainment district?

Posted on April 20, 2007 | Leave a comment

The Memphis Flyer earlier this afternoon posted a blurb in their Business Buzz section that linked to our own Birmingham News. The brief discusses an article by News reporter Stan Diel filed earlier this month about Performa Entertainment Real Estate, Inc., the firm that the BJCC is planning to hire to develop an entertainment district with retail adjacent to the existing facility.

Rendering of BJCC entertainment district

The fact that no one has commented on the expose so far can be interpreted a number of ways, but for now it just says that it may just be a non-issue for those in The River City. According to the announcement released by the BJCC in February trumpeting the agreement, both sides are aiming for completion of the project within the next 18-24 months.

If the Flyer had waited for two more days, they could have included a link to the feature story in the current issue of Black & White, discussing some of the local perspectives on the issue. Christina Crowe’s piece assumes that the approval of the project is imminent. We’ll see if we can’t figure out if that’s the case and let you know later today.

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Posted in 35203, Alabama, Birmingham, BJCC, News, Performa Entertainment Real Estate