Tag Archives: AL

Election ’10: The Battle for endorsements

We figured it was only a matter of time before we started covering next year’s governor’s race. What we didn’t expect was the battle for endorsements to get jump started so quickly.

First, word came yesterday of former Birmingham mayor (& the first African American to be elected to the post) Richard Arrington planning to announce his endorsement of Democratic gubernatorial candidate and Alabama’s agricultural commissioner Ron Sparks (that formal announcement is scheduled to happen around 2 p.m. this afternoon). Word came shortly thereafter from fellow candidate Artur Davis‘ campaign that U.W. Clemon, the first African-American to receive a federal judicial appointment, had endorsed the U.S. congressman.

Hopefully neither of these endorsements will mean as much as when the candidates meet during “State the Case”, the first of a series of Gubernatorial Informational Community Awareness Sessions being organized by the Metro Birmingham NAACP on Friday, October 23 beginning at 6 p.m. at Boutwell Auditorium.

Peeling back history…

Peeling back history - revisedFolks who’ve been in Birmingham, AL for a while who take 22nd Street home in the afternoon may have noticed the painted wall adjacent to the 22nd Street Bridge going over the railroad tracks. While our photo shows what happened after the canvas that had been attached to the wall was removed, it does give you an idea of what Daze, Roke and Priest did to create a rather unique piece of street art.

For a closer look at how the finished work looked, you’ll want to check out this post on the Wooster Collective website.

Photo: Peeling back history – revised. acnatta/Flickr

Stitt, McCrary, James join Academy of Honor

Three Birmingham area residents are in pretty select company.

Yesterday Alabama Power CEO Charles McCrary, Vulcan Materials CEO Donald James and Birmingham restaurateur Frank Stitt were among five individuals inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor during a ceremony in the old House chamber at the Alabama Capitol.

According to the Associated Press report, “…membership in the academy is limited by law to 100 people whose accomplishments and service have greatly benefited the state.”

Promoting compassion for animals and people…

The Chicago Tribune shined the spotlight on the work of Cynthia Bathurst, a recipient of the American Veterinary Medical Association‘s 2009 Humane Award. in yesterday’s edition of the paper. The Birmingham, AL native currently serves as the head of Safe Humane Chicago, a “2-year-old effort to fight violence by promoting compassion for animals as well as people,” as reported by the Mobile Press-Register earlier today.

The program works with more than 60 area organizations, including schools and churches and community groups to help get a message of anti-violence out to residents in the city’s high-crime areas.

Bathurst has also been featured on the City of Chicago’s website and was a founder of D.A.W.G.

What to add to Google Street view…

…that’s the question being asked by Google to all of us.

Would you add the grounds at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens? Linn Park? Rickwood Field? The Shades Creek Greenway? Well, here’s your chance to let the folks at Google know what venues in Birmingham, AL (and everywhere else) need to be added. You’ve got until October 28.

Plus, we’d get a chance to check out the Google Street View trike in person. That alone seems to be worth it…

GreenCup Books is closing

GreenCup Books, the not-for-profit independent bookstore located on Birmingham’s Southside, has announced it’s closing its doors after this year’s Dia de los Muertos festival on November 2.

Travis Bryant provides more details about the news, which apparently broke over the weekend, on {head}:sub/head.

PostSecrets to be revealed at UAB on Thursday

IMG_0583 joelogon/FlickrIf you’re not familiar with the popular blog PostSecret, you may want to click on the link and get acquainted; then you’ll have a reason to be excited about the creator of the site, blogger Frank Warren, being in Birmingham on Thursday evening, October 22.

UAB’s student newspaper, Kaleidoscope, first reported about the lecture, entitled “The Most Trusted Speaker in America: Frank Warren’s ‘PostSecret,’” last week. Warren’s also included the appearance on recent blog posts and in Facebook invitations to his appearances. UAB students get in for free while general admission tickets will be $10.

Photo: IMG_0583 joelogon/Flickr.