Alabama Opinion Spotlight

A brick-and-mortar location of food truck Underground Vegan will open in the Five Points South neighborhood of Birmingham, AL in 2021. Birmingham native Khalilah Sowell currently operates Underground Vegan as a food truck where she serves comfort classics such as vegan fried chicken (in strips and sandwiches) and shrimp (a la carte or in po’ boy sandwiches), along with sides such as fries and coleslaw. Sowell started the company after returning to Birmingham from college in Washington, DC—where she fell in love with vegan food thanks to her roommate—to raise her family and share her knowledge of vegan food with her hometown.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Kathie Martin will never forget the 20 minutes she spent at the Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham on October 25, 2005. Martin, who has run the Etiquette School of Birmingham since 2003, had been asked to be part of a documentary involving a nameless foreign reporter learning about American customs. Little did she know, she would be taking part in the first “Borat” movie.

Have you heard of spelunking? I hadn’t until a few weeks ago, but now that I’ve taken a deep dive into everything underground, I’m fascinated. Here’s a look at this adrenaline rush of a hobby and some of Alabama’s most awe-inspiring caves. What is spelunking?. If you’re like me, I...

In celebration of the Columbus Day holiday, the Birmingham Zoo will be open on Monday, October 12 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The community is invited to bring your family and friends for a fun day at the Zoo. Columbus Day at the Zoo offers something for everyone to...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - If you’re having a hard time finding a healthy work-life balance during this pandemic, you’re not alone. In fact, one UAB doctor said “quarantine fatigue” is more common than you think. He said it happens when you’re working from home and the lines between your job...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Trying to manage school and athletics during a pandemic is hard enough, but student athletes can’t really ever have a break. From the classroom to game day, student athletes have new protocols including masks and tough cleaning regimen. “We are at a disadvantage as opposed to...

Strollers and fitness have brought together a new community of mothers in Birmingham this year. When Homewood’s Jasmine Hartfield became a certified instructor for Fit4Mom, a fitness program geared toward pregnant women and women with young children, she was uncertain how her services would be received — especially amid a pandemic.

Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an older health crisis still rages. After dropping for the first time in 25 years in 2018, drug overdose deaths soared to their highest-ever level this past year. Nearly 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2019 — a higher total than the worst-ever years for AIDS, gun violence or motor-vehicle deaths. Preliminary data for 2020 shows that the problem is, if anything, accelerating in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis. An analysis by the New York Times reported a 13 percent increase in drug deaths in 2020 compared with the same point in 2019.

One of Birmingham’s newest restaurants doesn’t have dancing forks and spoons like the ones that sing out the welcome-to-the-table tune in “Beauty and the Beast.” But “Be Our Guest” could be the theme song for Rob and Emily McDaniel’s Helen in downtown Birmingham. Chef Rob’s favorite food memories of his...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We’re getting answers about whether it’s safe for younger children to wear masks for extended periods of time after hearing complaints from local parents about their kids getting nosebleeds. Wearing a face covering does take some adjusting to, especially if worn for an extended period of...

Alabama Power can keep charging a monthly fee for customers who have solar panels on their roofs. In fact, that solar fee, one of the highest in the nation, is about to go up. The Alabama Public Service Commission on Tuesday granted Alabama Power’s motion to dismiss a challenge to the fees it charges residential customers who use solar panels or other methods to generate their own electricity.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (UAB ATHLETICS) – The UAB football team is set to open the 2020 season this Thursday, Sept. 3, by hosting Central Arkansas at Legion Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN3. The Blazers enter the season with extremely high expectations as the back-to-back C-USA West Division...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — In a proposed budget statement to employees and City Councilors on Aug. 18, 2020, Mayor Randall Woodfin informed everyone that due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the city’s finances, more than 500 city employees will face pay cuts and furloughs. It was understood...

This is a developing story. This story will be updated. The Red Mountain Theater, Alabama Symphony and Alabama Ballet are among the groups that would get no money from the City of Birmingham next year while hundreds of city workers would face furloughs and pay cuts in order to continue essential services next year under the mayor’s proposed budget.