Category Archives: Alabama

What we give up by living in Alabama, ask Nick Saban

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Birmingham on May 8, 2024.Patrick Greenfield (al.com)
Former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am in Birmingham on May 8, 2024.Patrick Greenfield (al.com)

By David Sher

Coach Saban seems to understand what we give up by living in Alabama.

This spring my wife and I attended our grandson’s high school graduation in Atlanta.

We’re so proud because our grandson had been accepted to Georgia Tech.

But then it struck us. Continue reading What we give up by living in Alabama, ask Nick Saban

Birmingham, a story of Communism you may not know

Dr. Thomas Reidy
Dr. Thomas Reidy

Today’s guest columnist is Dr, Thomas Reidy.

A blackjack split open Joe Gelders’s head before three men shoved him into a nearby sedan. It was late in the evening on the 26th day of September 1936.

The kidnappers drove an hour and half from Birmingham to a wooded area near Maplesville, where the tormentors stripped Gelders naked but for his underwear, then beat him nearly to death.  Continue reading Birmingham, a story of Communism you may not know

Poignant plea: Parents need marijuana for suffering kids

Dr. Sam Blakemore
Dr. Sam Blakemore

Today’s guest columnist is Sam Blakemore.

“Sam, I’m angry at God… that little girl is too precious for Him to do this to her.

She doesn’t deserve this; and I’m mad at God for doing this to her!”

I saw rage in her father’s eyes because Anna’s health was taking a turn for the worse. Continue reading Poignant plea: Parents need marijuana for suffering kids

Pelham, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook flimsy excuse to raise taxes

Pelham Civic Center
Pelham Civic Complex

By David Sher

I don’t get the logic.

I read the headlines and excuses, but they make no sense.

Read this recent headline.

Pelham raises sales tax for the first time since 2013 Continue reading Pelham, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook flimsy excuse to raise taxes

Is Jefferson County about to lose #1 license plate?

Alabama License Plate
Jefferson County license plates begin with the number 1.

By David Sher

I’m going to talk about Alabama’s  license plate codes to  belly-ache about our Birmingham regions lack of growth.

When I was a child traveling out of state and I saw an Alabama license plate beginning with the number 1, I would proudly proclaim to my family that the folks in that car were from Birmingham, and I would think to myself: Birmingham, the #1 city in Alabama.
Continue reading Is Jefferson County about to lose #1 license plate?

Alabama may be the most pro-Israel state in the country

Richard Friedman
Richard Friedman

Today’s guest columnist is Richard Friedman.

During my long tenure as Executive Director of the Birmingham Jewish Federation, an Israeli Consul General told me something I’ve never forgotten. “You know,” he said. “We consider Alabama the most pro-Israel state in the country.” Continue reading Alabama may be the most pro-Israel state in the country

What do you do when your children are attacked by an Alabama politician?

Karen Musgrove
Karen Musgrove

Today’s guest columnist is Karen Musgrove.

On April 1, 2022, the children at our school, the Magic City Acceptance Academy (MCAA), were attacked.

MCAA, a free public charter school founded in 2021 by BAO (Birmingham AIDS Outreach), opened with 250 students grades 6th through 12th. Continue reading What do you do when your children are attacked by an Alabama politician?

Are the ghosts of George and Bull keeping Alabama poor?

Billy Field

Today’s guest columnist is Billy Field.

I first learned about reputation, at least the reputation of a state, in the summer following my 7th grade year, the summer of 1963.

My mother loaded up my sister, my half-blind grandfather (meaning he couldn’t help with the driving), me and my good friend Reid, and we set out across America in a 1961 straight-shift Rambler with a canvas cargo carrier on top, packed with a five-person tent, sleeping bags and fishing rods. Continue reading Are the ghosts of George and Bull keeping Alabama poor?

Alabama paying the cost of Medicaid expansion but getting none of the benefits

Ryan Hankins
Ryan Hankins

Today’s guest columnist is Ryan Hankins.

The purpose of expanding Medicaid is to provide access to medical care for a population of adults who don’t have employer-provided insurance and whose incomes are too low to qualify for a subsidy on the healthcare exchange.
Continue reading Alabama paying the cost of Medicaid expansion but getting none of the benefits