“Hosting the Penny Games signals that our city is investing in next-gen talent — connecting HBCU excellence with local opportunity, supporting workforce development, and strengthening talent retention.” - Elbi Elm, director of communications and philanthropy for The Penny Foundation.

Yesterday marked ten years of serving Birmingham as a nonprofit news source. Our @acnatta.bsky.social took a moment to reflect on our past and hint at what our future may hold.

Jimmie Stephens, who represents the district where the data center is proposed, said the roadway that would complete the interstate loop around Birmingham should be given a higher priority than the data center.

The proposed ordinance would empower city officials to pursue foreclosure on nuisance properties in certain cases. “This is a judicial process that targets the property and not the person,” Katrina Thomas, director of the city’s Department of Planning, Engineering and Permits, told councilors.

The price tag will not only cover the replacement of the municipal court parking lot's gate but also the parking sensors at the municipal court's parking lot. The project will also include upgrading the payment system to accept credit cards.

Incidentally, we've also started updating our Birmingham municipal runoff election guide. It's scheduled for Oct. 7, and we'll be updating with more information between now and then.

Yes, it's Tuesday, but it's time for the first Monday Morning Watch in a while. Let's see what happens...

Incumbents Sherman Collins Jr., Derek Billups and Leticia W. Harvill are headed back to the Birmingham City Board of Education after being reelected Tuesday night. Candidates in Districts 2, 8 and 9 did not receive the 50% plus 1 vote needed to win those races outright. Runoffs will be held Oct. 7.

With three incumbents — Councilors Crystal Smitherman, Wardine Alexander and Clinton Woods — winning their races outright Tuesday and two incumbents — Hunter Williams and Darrell O’Quinn — running unopposed, the makeup of the council will remain largely the same.

Amid cheers of threepeat and “Randemic,” Randall Woodfin won his third election for mayor of Birmingham on Tuesday night, a feat not achieved since former Mayor Richard Arrington Jr. ended his five-term run in 1999.

Our voter guide for next week's municipal elections in Birmingham, Alabama, is now available to peruse! Find candidate bios and profiles, sample ballots + a what-you-need-to-know primer as you head out to vote for mayor, City Council, and the school board.

Birmingham radio station WJLD invited 5 of the city’s 9 mayoral candidates to participate in a debate last night at the historic Carver Theater. A healthy crowd filled the 450-seat venue and more than 1,800 people streamed the event live online. The insults, however, were innumerable.

“Blacks make up less than half of Jefferson County’s population, but, in 2024, 88% percent of Jefferson County’s homicide victims were Black, with 172 deaths,” the report states. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/31/p...

The board will likely request an opinion from Alabama’s attorney general about whether it can legally continue contributing funds to a foundation it established to help low-income residents pay their water bills and repair leaks. birminghamwatch.org/2025/08/01/w...

The Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism is suspending publication of BirminghamWatch until at least early September, as it is unable to secure enough bridge funding to operate until grant funds are scheduled to arrive in October.

The closing of West End High in 2008 was marked by a ceremony with a parade, pep rally, picnic and alumni basketball game. The school was torn down and eventually replaced by West End Academy, a grades PreK-5 school. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/30/w...

According to city staff, 1,691 private lots have been cut by the city this calendar year. There are currently 14,820 tax delinquent properties in Birmingham. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/30/b...

The Smithfield Estates resident is one of nine people running for mayor in the Aug. 26 city election. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/25/r...

The choir earned national recognition as it competed on the NBC show “America’s Got Talent.” birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/24/g...

The winning bids for the work came from Dunn Construction Company, which moved its headquarters to Birmingham in 1900. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/22/b...

Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance and Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama is each in line to receive $120,000 – up from $100,000 a year ago. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/22/j...

“My understanding is that they had not produced a lot of results,” Phillip Wiedmeyer, board vice chairman, said after the meeting in explaining why the board decided to cancel all agreements with the Birmingham Business Resource Center. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/22/w...

We need your support now more than ever. We'll have to temporarily suspend publishing at the end of July if we can't succeed. More info at the link, including ways you can help—financially, by sharing stories with others, or both. Thank you in advance!

"Credit and linking matter. They are a reward for good, hard-working and usually local writers who don’t get a lot of morale lifts in this business," writes Tom Arenberg. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/17/s...

In 12 to 16 months, ratepayers would see paper bills and an online customer portal that include information currently available to customer-service staff but not customers, said Barry Williams, an assistant general manager of the water works. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/18/w...

The market, a project of the Fountain Heights Cooperative, broke ground July 9 at 1201 16th St. N. Organizers say it will serve as a permanent space dedicated to food access, education and entrepreneurship in the historic Fountain Heights neighborhood. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/15/c...

“I think this is great. Southside is a disaster when it comes to parking and I’ll be glad to see it enforced,” said Councilor Valerie Abbott. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/15/b...

“The law makes Commissioner Stephens one of the appointing authorities for the water board, as it currently stands. The commission, on the other hand, is not an appointing authority and has no role so there will be separate defenses," the county attorney said. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/10/s...

In each year after the Lead and Copper Rule Improvements is issued, EPA estimates it will protect up to 900,000 infants from low birthweight and reduce up to 1,500 cases of premature death from heart disease. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/10/i...

“It is not possible financially. It’s not realistic” for the city to maintain these properties for absentee owners, the mayor said. He added it would take roughly four years to cut this amount of lots one time with the city’s current personnel. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/09/b...

While most service lines in the local system are not made of lead or galvanized metal requiring replacement under the new EPA rule, 471 lines are known to be made of those materials, and the material type of about 39,000 service lines is unknown. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/09/b...

The $9.7 million contract will add cameras to a citywide network of video equipment used by police. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/08/c...

“Sometimes you just can’t buy that,” Deputy County Manager Daren Lanier said of the public relations. “When people look at that and you think about it, if you give them a positive image, they’re gonna want to come back and spend more money.” birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/08/n...

Finding and replacing all those lines by the 2037 deadline will be an immense undertaking for Alabama’s largest water utility, and it’s complicated by funding challenges and questions about whether the water works has authority to replace privately owned lines. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/08/l...

Rice said he would give the City Council permission to put together a study on the best way to change the Mayor-Council Act. He cited the inability of council members to answer citizen questions about the budget, which is generated by the mayor’s office. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/06/m...

The board was to consider two options: halting the project, at a cost of approximately $10 million in contract-termination fees, or completing the initial phase at a cost of $28 million. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/08/w...

This story is the result of a collaboration between Birmingham Watch and @alabamareflector.com birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/03/g...

At the American Society of Landscape Architects’ Central States Conference in May, East Side Park’s design earned an Award of Excellence, the highest honor presented. Construction on the project is set to begin in December or January. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/03/r...

According to the mayor, police officials wanted the additional cameras installed soon because crime typically increases during the summer months. They are also concerned that upcoming tariffs will further increase the costs of the equipment. birminghamwatch.org/2025/07/01/b...

President Trump last week approved the controversial merger of U.S. Steel and Nippon Steel, which is based in Japan, after the companies signed a national security agreement with the U.S. and granted Trump veto power over certain types of business decisions. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/26/n...

Seventeen hundred people registered for the technology conference, up from 1,000 the previous year, said Deon Gordon, CEO of TechBirmingham, which, along with Telegraph Creative, launched Sloss Tech in 2015. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/28/s...

The event will host nearly 8,000 first responders from nearly 80 countries in 1,600 medal events. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/26/r...

County officials were on hand Monday for the ribbon-cutting of the new facility at 100 Leaf Lake Boulevard off of Lakeshore Parkway. Plans for the new 32,000-square-foot office were born when construction of the new Cooper Green Medical Clinic began. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/24/c...

"I feel like it’s our job to have better budget tracking information and not just see appropriations once a year,” Councilor Carol Clarke said. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/24/b...

Two members also raised questions about how items are added to the board's agenda. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/25/b...

The University of Alabama System board of trustees established the budget and scope of Bartow Arena renovations, voting unanimously in favor of Stage II project approval. With this approval, UAB Athletics is authorized to negotiate an agreement with an architect. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/19/s...

Shan Paden, an outside attorney for the Water Works, recommended the declarations to allow for repairs needed because of a transformer failure and a large leak in a 60-inch pipe at the two water-intake facilities that feed the water-treatment plant. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/19/b...

The event was organized by U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and held Tuesday at Birmingham’s Innovation Depot. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/17/i...

The agreement with Axon Enterprises includes a new feature that automatically activates the devices when officers unholster their Tasers. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/17/c...

"National news organizations get criticized for insufficient volume and prominence of protest coverage. That was especially the case with Hands Off," writes Tom Arenberg, an instructor of news media at the University of Alabama. birminghamwatch.org/2025/06/11/t...