Tag Archives: update

The latest on the USFL and Birmingham? We’ll find out tonight

USFL July 2012 logoWith so much focus in recent weeks on one group’s hopes of landing an NBA franchise for Birmingham, we’ve been ignoring talk of plans to bring football back to the Magic City this spring.

As mentioned on the site and others back in May, the USFL has been looking at Birmingham as a possible location for one of eight franchises as the league is reimagined in 2013. A Birmingham News article filed on July 3 cites league president and CEO Jaime Cuadra as stating that there had not been significant talks with city officials as of yet.

This brings us to this evening, when Cuadra will join Steve West on 101.1 FM at approximately 7:15 p.m. (according to the league’s brand page on Facebook) to discuss “potential” plans for a team in Birmingham, AL. The league did release a new logo last Friday (seen to your left) along with unveiling a new website. They’ve also been touring cities long considered options for franchises in recent weeks.

Incidentally, another thing to keep in mind as all of this talk moves forward is NBC Sports reporting that the UFL (the league that tried to enter the Birmingham market back in 2007) may announce plans for a comeback with four team later this week. Their official website makes it look like it could be all but certain…

A chance for college students to work at the airport this summer

new BHM concourse under constructionIf you head on over to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport the back way (maybe to grab some lunch at VJ’s on the Runway), you’ve probably been paying a lot more attention to the facility’s modernization project than most. Well, you and the folks that regularly line that one stretch of fencing along East Lake Boulevard to watch the planes take off and land…

This year’s Summer Internship Program at BHM is going to give a few lucky individuals a chance to probably know a little more about the project. It’ll give students currently enrolled in a college, community college, technical institute, or university who’s planning to return to class in the fall an opportunity to work on various projects at the state’s busiest airport.

Of course, you could always visit the website set up to chronicle the progress of phase one. That phase is scheduled to be completed this coming December. The entire $201 million project is slated to be finished in 2014.

Photo: BHM’s new concourse under construction from East Lake Boulevard.

Congratulations Stephen!

Stephen Vinson-at-332The first time Stephen Vinson was mentioned here on The Terminal in July 2009, he’d just launched “Who Ate My Blog?” that February. He was also training for the BE&K 5K as part of his quest to lose 300 lbs.

A quick look at the list of goals and milestones on his site shows he’s tackled that goal and several others. Early last year, he had his sights set on participating in the Mercedes Half-Marathon. Yesterday, he announced that one of his initial goals had been reached – he currently weighs in at 342 lbs having lost 300 pounds.

We know the fact that he reaches his milestone in advance of this year’s Aaron’s 499 at the Talladega Superspeedway is probably not lost on him or any of his longtime followers – though he’s already been able to cross that off of his list too (last year). Now, he’s got a few other things to cross of the list in the coming months, including the potential formation of a “Who Ate My Blog?” team – one he’s been excited about eventually launching since our first conversation with him.

Photo: Stephen Vinson at 332 lbs. whoatemyblog.com.

BJCC posts Marketplace renderings online via Facebook

Marketplace General OverviewThe BJCC posted architectural renderings of their long-planned entertainment district to their fan page on Facebook yesterday.

The proposal has gone before (and was approved by) Birmingham’s Design Review Committee in April and a drive by the construction site gives folks the impression that substantial work will begin soon. There were some concerns about a digital sign included in the design proposal though it appears as though they’ve been settled. Visitors to the fan page’s post have offered additional feedback on the design and the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new development, including a new hotel, restaurants and shops, was held back in late-January.

They also announced that there would be a link to a progress camera in the coming weeks and hinted that they’d be taking suggestions for the development’s name. Its working name is currently The Marketplace.

Plan to save Birmingham’s Powell School on the table today

Powell School post fire. acnatta/FlickrSince we’ve already mentioned The Birmingham News earlier, today a story was posted to their website talking about a possible plan in place to save the historic Powell School building in downtown Birmingham from the wrecking ball.

According to the piece, the proposal currently on the table for consideration by the City Council’s Budget and Finance Committee this afternoon would give the city’s oldest school building to the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. The city would give them up to six months to secure a developer and stabilize the structure or else the building would be demolished.

Sam Frazier is presenting the proposal on behalf of the Trust and he’s got personal experience in saving historic structures. He serves as chairman of Birmingham’s Design Review Committee, the National Trust for Historic Preservation advisor from Alabama and a member of the Alabama Trust’s board.

Needless to say that many people in the city are hopeful that the building can be saved, especially when you see how many blog posts and photos exist across the web sharing that sentiment. This list includes the front page of the Alabama Trust’s Spring 2011 newsletter. The school was named for the first president of the Elyton Land Company, the real estate company responsible for the city’s existence.

Photo: Powell School post fire. acnatta/Flickr

On the agenda: A new home for the Birmingham Batmobile?

Birmingham_Batman. Courtesy of BhamWikiThe most interesting item on this morning’s Birmingham City Council agenda involves the Batmobile. Back in 2007 we linked to a post written by Lou Anders about Birmingham’s BatmanWillie Perry.

The car that Perry drove around while providing assistance to those in need has been the focus of a lot of attention in recent years. Today, so long as the issue isn’t deferred again, it will find a new home. Item 2 on today’s agenda hopes to accomplish just that as it would allow the mayor to enter into an agreement with Old Car Heaven to house the car for an indefinite period of time.

This morning’s agenda also includes potential approvals for contracts with companies to demolish structures throughout the city (Items 9-14) as well as a funding request that would allow Main Street Birmingham to move forward with plans to develop an arts incubator in the Woodlawn commercial district (Item 6).

It should be an interesting meeting to watch… The live stream begins with pre-council at 9 a.m.

This year, join Stephen’s 13.1 mile team

Stephen Vinson at Railroad ParkA lot has changed since we first mentioned Stephen Vinson’s blog, Who Ate My Blog, back in July 2009. Back then we were trying to help him get the word out about pulling together a team for the 2010 BE&K 5K (now 5KBR).

This year he’s set an even bigger goal for himself – to complete this year’s Mercedes Half-Marathon.

He’s also been able to share his story with much larger platforms than before, including this year’s New Year’s Day cover story for The Birmingham News , being interviewed as part of the Champions of Health initiative and one of the subjects of a B-Metro piece on members of Birmingham’s local social media community.

His site’s also undergone a redesign since that first visit as well, meaning that you’ve got a great excuse to check-in and say hello to Stephen.

Photo: Vinson at Railroad Park, September 2010.