Page 8 - Erica Wright News Today

The Birmingham Times After an officer-involved shooting death of a 28-year-old Black man on Easter Sunday and calls from Black Lives Matter Birmingham to step down, Mayor Randall Woodfin said he will not resign.  Last month, Desmon Ray Jr. was killed by Birmingham Police on Easter Sunday when responding to a domestic dispute call in the 200 block of Ninth Avenue West.  On Monday, Black Lives Matter Birmingham called for the resignations of Woodfin and Police Chief Patrick Smith, stating t...

Special to the Birmingham Times “You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Erica Wright ewright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique. AMARIO AND CHRISTINA BROWN Married: October 26, 2018 Met: January 2017, in Midfield at Piggly Wiggly. Amario was the...

Special to the Birmingham Times “You Had Me at Hello’’ highlights married couples and the love that binds them. If you would like to be considered for a future “Hello’’ column, or know someone, please send nominations to Erica Wright ewright@birminghamtimes.com. Include the couple’s name, contact number(s) and what makes their love story unique. KENNETH AND ORLETTA RUSH Married: June 29, 2002 Met: Spring 1999, at Lee County Youth Center in Opelika, Ala. Orletta was a teacher ther...

The Birmingham Times While working as a medical assistance instructor at Jefferson State Community College, Jessica Clark remembers one student 12 weeks away from graduating who stopped coming to classes. “I’m like ‘did she get sick’ because they can only miss so many days,” Clark recalled. “I was at McDonald’s one day in Roebuck and I ran into her and I didn’t recognize her but she recognized me. I asked her what happened and she was telling me her mom had just been diagnosed w...

The Birmingham Times A surge in fentanyl-related cases has pushed the number of drug overdose deaths in Jefferson County to record highs, prompting dire warnings from health officials concerned about tainted drugs. The number of Black people who have died from overdoses increased 72 percent in the first quarter of 2021, according to health officials. On Tuesday, the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) along with representatives from other health entities held a press conference at the ...

We asked Birmingham-area residents, Where’s a place you visited as a child that you remember fondly? DARIAN TRAVIS: “I remember going to Dauphin Island [Alabama] throughout my childhood. My grandparents lived there and I would visit them every summer. I love that place, it was beautiful and we would chill on the beach and I even got stung by a jellyfish once but it was worth it because I would have so much fun.” QADEEM HASSAN: “The Portofino Island Resort in Pensacola, Florida. I went t...

By Erica Wright Apostle Wanda Stephen knows the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. Stephen, pastor of Jesus Real International Ministry, and founder of Mothers Who Want the Violence to Stop, lost her son, George Powell Jr., 15 years ago when he was only 23. “I’ve been fighting out here ever since,” said Stephen on Wednesday at the Homer E. Hayes Soccer Complex in the 200 block of Glen Crest Drive in Fairfield where a shooting occurred Tuesday night. “I want to tell the communit...

The Birmingham Times  On Monday, The United States Census Bureau released the results of the 2020 Census, with population totals and congressional seat distributions updated in all states.  According to the results, Alabama will get to retain all seven of its Congressional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Rep Terri A. Sewell (AL-07), said she was extremely pleased with the results of the 2020 Census.  “During the 2020 Census, my office worked diligently to ensure our constitue...

StateImpact Pennsylvania State Senate Republicans say they will block Gov. Tom Wolf’s appointments to Pennsylvania’s utility regulator unless he stops his effort to have the state join a regional cap-and-trade program targeting power plant emissions. It’s the latest escalation of their fight against the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which they say will hurt coal communities. The move shocked some environmental and consumer protection groups, who say Republicans are holding th...

By Erica Wright The Birmingham Times Birmingham’s mayor and police chief; Jefferson County’s Sheriff and DA and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama on Friday announced a partnership to stem gun violence in Birmingham and across Jefferson County. The alliance comes in a month that has seen an uptick in gun violence including one week that left at least seven dead and more than 10 wounded.  “This constitutes a unique law enforcement partnership that I believe ...