Tag Archives: B’ham

Baseball downtown? Survey tries to find out if it’s possible

Posted on May 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

Baseball. theseanster93/FlickrSeveral people have received emails in recent days linking to a survey that is part of a privately financed study to “determine the feasibility of building a new ballpark in downtown Birmingham that could become the new home of the Birmingham Barons minor league baseball team.”

There has been several hints in recent years that some people would like to see the Barons return to playing within the city limits of Birmingham.

In April, the Birmingham Business Journal told readers that approximately $40,000 in private funds had been put up for the study.

Several reports last summer mentioned the Merita bakery across from the soon-to-be completed Railroad Park in Birmingham’s Southside was a possible location, though not specific site has been suggested in the 27-question survey. The story received new attention in January when Birmingham City Councilor Johnathan Austin suggested that the city providing additional financial support for a survey.

Photo: Baseball. theseanster93/Flickr

Leave a comment

Posted in Sports

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Council committee to consider Fire Station No. 22 sale

Posted on May 10, 2010 | 3 comments

IMG_3168. JCMcdavid/FlickrToday’s Birmingham City Council Budget and Finance committee meeting is possibly going to be a little more crowded than usual.

The committee meeting takes place at 4 p.m. on the 3rd floor Birmingham City Hall in its administrative wing. Among the items on today’s agenda is a contract to sell the former Fire Station No. 22 to a developer who wants to replace the Spanish Revival structure with a Walgreens. The Birmingham News reports that the property is currently being offered by the city for $200,000.

The fact that the contract has not been approved as of yet by the City Council may partially explain why the presentation made to the city’s Design Review Committee was conceptual on April 29.

Citizens upset with the decision have turned to Facebook, Twitter and blog posts in hopes that City Councilors would listen to “constructive alternatives” to the current proposal. The committee’s recommendation will be considered by the full council, which must still make a decision on the matter.

Photo: IMG_3168. JCMcdavid/Flickr

3 Comments

Posted in architecture, Business

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Late arrivals

Posted on May 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

Mirrors

Arrest announced: Prosecutors announced early this morning that they were filing capital murder charges against 27 year old Joacquas Haywood of Irondale related to the disappearance of Nadia Kersh eighteen months ago. Kersh’s mother shared her thoughts on the development via the Internet this afternoon.

Cost cutting: The Birmingham News reports that the Birmingham Board of Education narrowly approved a plan submitted by new school superintendent Craig Witherspoon that eliminates 40 admin positions. The superintendent sounded confident as he spoke with Fox 6 after the special meeting concluded.

Star drops by: Today City Councilors got a surprise visit from actor Wesley Snipes during their weekly meeting. He informed the councilors and those watching that his next film would be made in Alabama. According to The New York Times, he’s got a few that are in the works…

Photo: Mirrors. Kevin Worley/Flickr

Leave a comment

Posted in Last car

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Metro Birmingham’s newest team is 1-1

Posted on May 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

Birmingham Steel logoIt makes sense for us to have a sports team in metro Birmingham named Steel.

The minor league basketball team is the fifth and newest member of the Continental Basketball League. They play their home games just up the road at Leeds High School.

They also just recorded their first home win (and their first win of the season) last night over the Wilmington Sea Dogs of North Carolina, 114-102.

Their first road game of the season is on Sunday in Savannah, GA.

Leave a comment

Posted in Sports

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

On the agenda: Sloss and travel

Posted on May 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

There are really two items on this week’s Birmingham City Council agenda that may be of significant interest to you:

Item 24 allows Alabama Power the right to do the necessary work to power Sloss Furnaces‘ proposed (and long-awaited) visitors center. It’s currently on consent.

Item 36 is an interesting one on today’s agenda. It is a resolution to pay no more than $2,000 to the Neighborhoods USA Conference taking place in Little Rock, AR later this month.

Based on the late registration fee for the conference, this allocation would cover the costs of no more than 10 delegates’ attendance and would not include transportation to and from the conference. Birmingham historically sends the largest delegation to the conference (it normally includes a representative from each of the city’s 99 neighborhoods). Several of our previous mayors have tried to reduce the number of delegates attending so that the money spent on that trip could instead be used for neighborhood projects. Neighborhoods normally used their allocated funds to cover the registration costs of the trip.

Leave a comment

Posted in On the agenda

Tagged , , , , , ,

Late arrivals

Posted on May 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Lyric (48 of 54). Josh Self/Flickr

Take heed: A voluntary precautionary recall of over the counter children’s medicine by drug maker MacNeil Consumer Healthcare was announced last Friday that included Children’s Tylenol and Children’s Motrin.

Geek out: If you wanted to RSVP for Tuesday evening’s TechMixer Expo (organized by TechBirmingham), your last chance was at 5 p.m. Monday evening. That’s OK – walk-ins are welcome at the Sheraton Birmingham downtown.

Busy weekend: The Birmingham News reported today that 132 arrests were made during this past weekend’s Schaeffer Eye Care Crawfish Boil. Ninety of those were of minors possessing alcohol.

Enter The Marketplace: Birmingham Mayor William Bell introduced a proposal to build a new Westin hotel and an entertainment district adjacent to the BJCC to the City Council this afternoon. It must still be approved by the BJCC Board.

Photo: The Lyric (48 of 54). Josh Self/Flickr

Leave a comment

Posted in Last car

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Highlands, Hot and Hot outstanding to us regardless

Posted on May 3, 2010 | 1 comment

Frank StittThe James Beard Foundation announced earlier this evening that Daniel in New York City has been awarded the 2010 James Beard Awards for Outstanding Restaurant.

Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood had been named a finalist for the prestigious award presented during the awards ceremony at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.

It is the second time in three years that Frank Stitt‘s restaurant had been honored with a finalist nomination. The other time was in 2008.

Stitt himself was named Best Chef, Southeast by the Beard Foundation in 2001. Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club was nominated for the same honor in the Southern region this evening but also wasn’t victorious. He has also been nominated twice in the last three years (2008, 2010).

This year’s finalist selection had probably received even more attention than normal locally due to his ongoing objection to a project that would place a Chick Fil A restaurant – with a drive-through window – around the corner from the award-winning destination.

The Bright Star in Bessemer was honored as an American Classic (as reported by several media outlets earlier this year) during the ceremony.

Photo: Courtesy Southern Foodways Alliance.

1 Comment

Posted in food

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,