There were a lot of significant local stories last week in the Birmingham metro. Here are five you might not have seen unless you read the Lede.

· In our Sunday Q&A (out today) the Lede’s Heather Gann talked to Jilisa Milton, the new co-director of the environmental justice group GASP, about what’s next in the fight to improve quality of life in the community.

· Gann also reported in the same issue that Jefferson County’s $1 billion budget is the biggest in the state.

· Gann asked five questions of State Sen. Juandalynn Givan, who talked about the shock of the redistricting fight – among other things.

· Also, thanks to Gann’s reporting you now know that if Jefferson County can get released from the consent decree in a sewer-related legal case – it still won’t lower that sewer bill you pay every month.

· If you haven’t seen it yet, Friday has become the regular day to get in on the Lede’s exclusive College Football Picks contest.

Every day of every week, there’s a lot more local news, not to mention state, national and world events, worth reading about in the Lede. And each edition has a page designed to tell you how to navigate The Lede. It even has a cool YouTube video.

We’re working to make the Lede better every day and we want your input. Suggestions? Constructive criticism? Stories you’d like to see? Questions about your community? Something for us to look into that will make your life better? Send me a note at [email protected].