Alabama News

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Country’s only skilled trade high school puts students to work in Birmingham

In a series of stories, AL.com will continue to explore big ideas for transforming Birmingham.

Simeon Franklin takes precise measurements of metal boards and carefully cuts through them.

He ascends a ladder, hammering the boards into place beneath the roof of a shed he’s building from the ground up.

This is the work of a skilled tradesman — and Franklin is only 17 years old.

At Build Urban Prosperity Community School, Franklin is part of a one-of-a-kind program in Birmingham: Students receive a high school diploma and associate’s degree while learning trades and building houses. They can choose to learn construction, automotive, electrical, HVAC and other skills. By the time they graduate, they have credentials, bank accounts and a pathway to home ownership.

“It makes me feel worthy, like I’m valuable. I can provide for people, whether it be my family or friends. Just having the skills to know that I can do something that makes me happy, it‘s reassuring, knowing that I have those skills in my tool belt,” Franklin told AL.com.

As interest in vocational skills increases, more high schools and colleges are expanding their career and technical education programs.

Build UP calls itself the nation’s first early college workforce development high school.

“We work at the intersection of education, workforce development and affordable housing to have a holistic and comprehensive solution to generational poverty. By having a through line through each of these, we’re able to better tackle the issue of educational inequity, lack of career skills and poverty,” David Hardin, CEO of Build UP, said.

The Build UP impact: ‘More opportunities’

With hard hats on, hammers pounding and drills whirling, Build UP students work together on the shed.

They take feedback from their teacher in stride. They maneuver around the worksite like professionals, patient as they troubleshoot issues, yet efficient and confident.

These skills did not come easily.

Franklin was homeschooled from fourth to eighth grade. He said Build UP taught him how to be open to new experiences.

“Coming to Build UP, I had to reprogram myself to understand that productivity is the natural flow of life. I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Franklin said. “They’re helping me get that real life experience.”

As a junior, Franklin is one of many Build UP students working to make a lasting impact throughout Birmingham.

Build UP has graduated 42 students who all built and rehabilitated more than 30 homes purchased by low to moderate income individuals in Birmingham.

“I’m making a positive, a fruitful impact,” Franklin said. “Build UP has helped me learn that I can do whatever I need to do, and whatever I want to do, as long as I just get up and do it.”

Joshua Rose, 17, said transferring to Build UP his sophomore year helped him to find himself.

“My freshman year, I was overwhelmed, I wasn’t focused or motivated. I feel like I was overlooked. I came here and I just really found myself. I’m able to strive, able to do what I got to do, get my work done,” Rose said.

Every week, Rose and his peers go out into the community to learn skills that will help to transform Birmingham.

“With Build UP, there‘s more opportunities. I feel it‘s more of a community. I’ve got a great connection with all my teachers, all my peers…I feel like Build UP has a very positive impact on the community.”

As a junior, Rose works an internship with New Metro Automotive, a local Black-owned mechanic shop.

“My internship now is more hands-on, more independent. I think they trust me a little bit more, and it‘s more like a community rather than a business. Everybody up there treats me like family,” Rose said.

Build UP aims to help students become productive members of their community.

What is Build UP Community School?

Since 2018, Build UP has provided low-income young people with career-ready skills.

The program uses industry-focused coursework and paid internships to create educated and credentialed leaders.

Participants split their time between the classroom, where they work toward earning a high school diploma, and job sites, where they build and rehabilitate affordable housing throughout Birmingham.

“I just knew this was something that could be a game changer for kids and communities, especially in low income and under resourced communities where they’ve seen so much disinvestment,” Mark Martin, Build UP‘s founder, CFO and board member, told AL.com.

“This is about empowering the youth to be the game changers and the change agents for their communities.”

It costs $10,000 to attend Build UP, but all families receive a scholarship through state tax credits that lowers tuition to $50 a month.

Build UP was originally located in the Ensley neighborhood. The school started with a team of 15 staff members and over 70 students.

“I was devastated and shocked at what a low bar we had in most of our city’s high schools…The system was miseducating children and not ensuring that they have opportunities when they leave high school,” Martin said.

“I think Build UP has changed that.”

Martin said Build UP is setting a new standard for education, career readiness and community revitalization.

“In Ensley, the investments that we’ve made are helping to transform that community,” Martin said.

“One of the first houses that we did was on Fourth Avenue South, which literally had human trafficking, drug trafficking. It was one of the more dangerous places…Today though, that street has completely changed, and we built four houses on it.”

Since 2018, home market values on Fourth Avenue South in Ensley have risen, according to the Jefferson County Property Tax Administration.

The school recently moved to Titusville, allowing students to extend their reach to another Birmingham community in need of revitalization.

Build UP currently supports 50 students, with 100% of juniors and seniors placed in internships, which include the National Association of Women in Construction, New Metro Automotive Service and Magic City ToolBank, according to the program.

In those internships, students earn a $300 monthly stipend and high-demand trade certifications.

Many of the upcoming graduates have already received multiple job offers with local employers such as Hoar Construction and Sophia Consulting.

“In their work-based learning course, they get exposure to the fundamentals of the trades, carpentry, electrical, piping, etc. But really, we use that as a vehicle to teach them career skills, because ultimately, what we’re doing is getting them ready to be the drivers of what career path they’re going to go down,” Hardin said.

Each student opens a bank account, and the school works to teach them financial literacy skills.

Build UP also follows students two years after graduation with regular check-ins to help them learn new job skills, build their credit and coach them through the home buying process.

If students meet the six-year criteria, Build UP provides them with a low-interest mortgage with equity in the home through local partnerships.

The Build UP promise

Build UP Principal Brearn Wright and Assistant Principal Arnold Stringer recently held an open house for potential students and their families.

“My bond with the students is very important. Tying that love, the academics and the belief that you can come out of this is what makes this work. A lot of students that we get are fed up with school. We’re trying to reinvigorate that love for learning,” Stringer said to the families.

“Although our name is Build UP, we’re trying to tear down some of those misconceptions of ‘I can’t do it. It‘s too hard.’ You can do it here.”

Every week, William Blake Terry, a contractor that teaches an automotive repair class at Build UP, comes to the school bright and early. He lifts the garage doors and leads his students on lessons on shop safety, basic automotive services, braking systems and engine repair.

“We are able to give real world skills to people who need them, and we are able to prepare them for the rest of their life,” Terry said.

With the skills he learned from his automotive class and his internship, Rose recently helped a family friend fix her tire.

He said Build UP has helped him to feel confident that he can help others throughout his community.

“It just feels really good to know that what you’re teaching is not only received, but understood and proven,” Terry said. “I love when my students are able to make the connection, when they have that ‘aha’ moment…Seeing them grow, and learn and earn these skills that they’ll have for life, it just makes me very happy.”

In 2022, in the U.S., 69.3% of the automotive service technicians and mechanics workforce were white, compared to 25.5% who were Hispanic, 7.4% who were Black and 3.62% who were Asian, according to Data USA.

The automotive industry lacks both gender and racial diversity at the leadership level, according to a 2020 U.S. International Trade Commission report.

“I want everyone to know that the students I teach can be just as qualified and certified to perform the services as anybody else. Typically, you don‘t see a lot of African American people in the automotive industry,” Terry said.

“These students are the next leaders in the industry.”

Nathaniel McBride, the Build UP Career and Technical Education instructor, teaches his students about workplace etiquette, safety and carpentry.

His students have worked on multiple construction projects from installing walls within the school to building homes in the community. Their current projects include building sheds and pods for meditation.

“Most our kids are from environments where there‘s a lot of negativity, people telling them ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that‘…So here, I try to foster positivity,” McBride said.

He said some of his students told him that they don’t have bed frames, so he is teaching them how to build them.

“It‘s giving them a sense of pride, having that skill set,” McBride said. “These kids have a great opportunity to learn skills that no one can ever take from them.”

Build UP also helps the community. Students work alongside construction professionals to build and refurbish homes.

Rebuilding local neighborhoods

In addition to transforming existing, substandard housing in blighted neighborhoods, quality homes from other locations are loaded onto trucks, transported into the neighborhood and put back together on vacant lots.

“We’re revitalizing the community. Our students have actively worked on several homes that have become owned and purchased by community members. We have fixed a lot of blighted houses. We’ve helped to raise property values. Many of our students’ families have rented or owned the houses that we have worked on,” Hardin said.

Torrey Washington was one of Build UP‘s first students. In 2023, Washington became a homeowner in one of the houses he rehabilitated.

Washington is the only student, so far, to receive a home through the Build UP program. Wright said he is determined to changed that.

“We are really cracking down on that piece, because if we’re making this promise of home ownership to families and the students, we got to uphold that promise,” Wright said.

Hardin said Build UP delivers on its promise to create productive community members.

“The whole notion is that they have been working on homes since they were freshmen in high school, and now they have the financial literacy to be good stewards of their wealth and they also have the skills to be good stewards of their home,” Hardin said.

What‘s next for Build UP?

Another Build UP program is YouthBuild, a community-based pre-apprenticeship program.

YouthBuild serves young adults, ages 16 to 24, who may have struggled in a traditional academic setting and left school without a diploma.

Participants earn a high school diploma or GED and vocational training in fields such as construction, health care and information technology.

Build UP is also opening a third school to tackle blight and poverty in Selma.

“We’re taking students and through the power of education, real world career skills and affordable homeownership, we’re building generational wealth and community stewardship. That‘s how we’re changing Birmingham,” Hardin said.

Families who are interested in applying to Build UP can register here.

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Former UAB medical school employee claims hostile workplace, sues

A former employee is suing the University of Alabama at Birmingham, alleging she experienced gender discrimination and was fired after she experienced a medical issue.

Mitzi Pitzing, a former program director, filed a federal lawsuit against UAB in October 2024, alleging she qualified for medical leave and protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act but was not allowed to use all of her benefits.

“Defendant’s intentional retaliation against Plaintiff for exercising her rights under the FMLA resulted in the termination of her employment,” the suit states.

Pitzing says she received positive work evaluations and was repeatedly promoted. She began working for the medical school in 2014 and had previously worked other roles across the University of Alabama System.

“Ms. Pitzing worked diligently through several personal medical crises, and put up with disparaging comments about her wife,” the suit said.

Her allegations against the school focus on her former boss, Dr. Jean Ann Larson, then an associate dean at the School of Medicine. She claimed that in 2019, she was asked to work from her hospital bed.

Pitzing also claimed she hurt her back at work in 2023 and was required to attend work events despite being told by a doctor to stay home. The suit claims she was fired later in 2023 as retaliation, an allegation the university denies.

“All employment decisions at issue relating to Plaintiff were based on legitimate, non-discriminatory, non-retaliatory business reasons that were not pretextual,” the school said to AL.com in its response in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says Larson created a hostile work environment, criticizing Pitzing’s personal life in work meetings, with statements such as, “you need to pick a better partner,” and “you need to stop taking care of your children.”

In court filings, UAB denied Pitzing’s claims, including the claim that Pitzing had had only positive evaluations. It denied that Larson had made disparaging comments about Pitzing’s personal life.

Pitzing’s attorney, John Saxon, said UAB is a great institution but sometimes gets things wrong.

“Unfortunately, that happened in Mitzi’s case. And it is particularly ironic, and a bit sad, that it happened in the Leadership Development Office of the School of Medicine.”

UAB spokesperson Adam Pope said the school could not comment about pending litigation.

“UAB is committed to providing a positive work environment in which all faculty and staff are respected and supported,” he said.

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Severe storms possible today in Alabama; greater weather threat forecast for Tuesday

Isolated severe storms will be possible today in north Alabama, but attention is also on Tuesday, when there is a more substantial risk for severe weather.

The National Weather Service in Huntsville said there is a low chance for a few strong to severe storms for extreme north Alabama later this afternoon, roughly from 2-7 p.m.

NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a Level 1 out of 5 risk for severe weather today for north Alabama, and a small area in the northeast part of the state has a Level 2 risk.

Here’s the severe weather outlook for today:

A few severe storms affected north Alabama overnight, and storms and heavy rain were tracking across that part of the state this morning.

There will be a low chance for a few additional storms later this afternoon.

The weather service said damaging winds, hail and heavy rain will be possible this afternoon in the Level 1 and 2 risk areas.

No severe weather is expected in the rest of the state today.

TUESDAY

A more significant threat for severe weather is shaping up for Tuesday in Alabama, according to forecasters.

A cold front is expected to approach the state, and severe storms could develop along or ahead of it starting on Tuesday afternoon.

All modes of severe weather will be possible, including tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, hail and heavy rain.

The Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a Level 3 out of 5 (enhanced) severe weather risk for a sizable part of north and west Alabama (see the outlook for Tuesday at the top of this post).

The rest of north Alabama and a part of central Alabama will have a Level 2 (slight) risk on Tuesday. And much of the rest of central Alabama will have a Level 1 risk.

A Level 3 risk means that numerous severe storms will be possible. Scattered severe storms will be possible in the Level 2 areas, and isolated severe storms will be possible in the Level 1 areas.

South Alabama could get rain and storm storms, but widespread severe weather was not anticipated there as of Monday morning.

Storms could reach northwest Alabama by 4 p.m. or so on Tuesday and track to the south and east through the evening hours.

Cooler temperatures and calmer conditions are expected statewide after storms move out on Wednesday, and there is no severe weather in the forecast for the rest of the week.

Here’s more from the National Weather Service:

NORTH ALABAMA

CENTRAL ALABAMA

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General

Sand in My Boots Day 3 photos: Country star Morgan Wallen takes the stage

“Before we get any further, I’d like to introduce myself,” said the last performer to take the stage at the first-ever Sand in My Boots festival. “My name is Morgan Wallen.”

Rarely has an introduction been less necessary. The people in front of Wallen had snapped up 40,000 tickets the day they went on sale last October. At the time, they didn’t know a lot about the event. They knew it would keep the familiar setting and timing of the Hangout Music Fest. They knew it would feature a slate of artists heavy on country with some rock, rap and pop mixed in. Mainly they knew that Wallen, arguably the hottest thing in country music for the last half-decade, had a hand in shaping its lineup and other features.

They’d swarmed back and forth across the beach in Gulf Shores all weekend, catching Post Malone and Brooks & Dunn and Ella Langley and Riley Green, among others, on the main Sand in My Boots Stage, and a more eclectic roster including T-Pain, Three 6 Mafia, 2 Chainz, Future Islands, The War On Drugs and Wiz Khalifa on the Dangerous Stage. It’s a safe bet that many of them, when not on the festival site, had been listening to Wallen’s latest album, “I’m the Problem,” released on Friday.

So when Wallen bounded out onto the stage Sunday with the energy of a tennis player, no introduction was required. No explanation was, either, but when Wallen paused after the first couple of songs, he offered a few thoughts on the origins of Sand in My Boots and maybe a hint of its future.

“I appreciate you choosing to spend your Sunday night here with me,” he said. “Me and a couple of my closest friends and teammates, we’ve been throwing the idea of doing a festival around for a long time now, and we just happened to run into the right partner and the right people to work with. And with a lot of hard work and a lot of really great artists to come out here, man, we got to make that happen.

“And I’ve heard nothing but great reports about how this weekend has went,” he said. “I mean, you guys tell me, have you had a great time this weekend?” The crowd cheered.

“Okay, we’ll try to do it again sometime,” he said. “Thank you guys for making this possible.”

With that, Wallen launched into the title track from the new album, cueing up the last hour of music at Sand in My Boots.

The festival’s third day, like its first two, was a hot one. Crowds built a little more slowly than they had on Saturday, but by sunset the turnout was just as strong. The sporadic congestion that had affected some bottlenecks on Saturday didn’t seem quite as heavy, whether because people were getting more savvy about navigating the site or because they were staking out their turf and staying put as Wallen’s set approached.

“We’ll try to do it again sometime” leaves a few questions unanswered. Organizers have presented Sand in My Boots as a one-year takeover of the Hangout Fest – but its effortless sellout is a feat that Hangout hasn’t matched in a long time. Before either one can return, organizers and Gulf Shores city leaders will have to come to terms on a new franchise agreement, as the old one expired with this year’s event.

In the short term, the aftermath of Sand in My Boots will look much like the aftermath of a Hangout Fest: A rapid exodus of visitors, and a rapid teardown of the festival site in order to clear the way for the Memorial Day weekend. Plans called for all of Gulf Shores’ public beaches and beach access points to reopen to the public by 6 p.m. Thursday, May 22.

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U.S. issues new travel advisories: Think twice before visiting these 2 countries

Travelers to two popular European tourist destinations are urged to exercise increased caution during their visits.

The U.S. State Department regularly issues travel advisories related to foreign countries. It recently reissued advisories for Germany and Spain, both rated as Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution.

READ MORE: US State Department issues warning for super-popular travel spot: Terrorist plots continue

Germany’s ranking was due to the potential for terrorist attacks, with tourist locations, travel centers, markets, malls, and hotels, clubs and restaurants all potential targets.

“Terrorist groups and lone actors remain a constant threat in Germany and Europe, attacking people in public locations with knives, small arms, rudimentary explosive devices, and vehicles. Such attacks may occur with little or no warning and target,” the warning noted.

The same concerns exist for Spain, where travelers face threats from terrorism as well as civil unrest. Targets for terrorists are similar – any place where there is a large gathering of people – like places of worship, parks and sporting and cultural events.

Civil unrest also places visitors to Spain at risk. Demonstrations are common in response to political or economic issues, particularly during politically sensitive holidays and during international events, the State Department warned. Visitors are advised to avoid demonstrations and crowds and remain aware of their surroundings.

When traveling to any location, visitors are advised to:

• Be aware of their surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.

• Follow the instructions of local authorities.

• Monitor local media for breaking events and adjust your plans based on new information.

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General

Huntsville continues to soar as Alabama’s other big cities lose thousands of people

The Rocket City drew 11 people per day into its orbit in 2024, continuing to widen the population gap with Alabama’s other big cities.

New population estimates released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau showed Alabama’s largest city by population added more residents last year than anywhere else in the state.

It’s no accident, Mayor Tommy Battle said, but rather an outcome of fiscally responsible planning and smart investment.

“People are drawn here by a strong job market, excellent schools, safe neighborhoods and countless opportunities to thrive,” he said. “As we grow, we remain focused on ensuring Huntsville remains a smart place to live, work and raise a family.”

The Rocket City grew by nearly 4,200 people, the most in a year since 2020, according to an AL.com analysis. Having added 15,000 residents since the decade began, Huntsville’s population is estimated to be north of 230,000.

As Huntsville continued to rise, Alabama’s other big cities continued to lose population. Birmingham, Mobile and Montgomery all lost population last year, the new data shows. Each city is down thousands of residents since 2020.

North Alabama has seen steady growth in incomes and in home values. Millions of dollars of investment in the space, defense and manufacturing sectors along with a burgeoning Redstone Arsenal have brought new jobs to the region as well.

Lucia Cape, senior vice president of economic development and workforce for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, attributed part of the increase to north Alabama’s economic growth — and concerted work to attract talent to fill those new jobs.

The Chamber’s efforts, “include social media campaigns through ASmartPlace.com and national media accolades around quality of life and affordability,” she said. “As we attract more jobs and investment, we are also catching the attention of people across the country who are looking for better opportunities.”

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Recyclables from Birmingham suburbs burned for fuel: What is ‘energy feedstock?’ 

What happens to the tons of plastic bottles, aluminum cans and cardboard boxes residents of the Birmingham suburbs leave on their curbs each week?

It’s a burning question for those who care about what happens to the recyclables after the waste hauler picks them up.

While many may believe their waste is eventually reborn in another life as new plastic bottles or Amazon delivery boxes, some of it instead may be going up in smoke.

How? In a process that turns the material into “energy feedstock” to be burned as fuel, local officials say.

Glen Adams, the interim city manager in Homewood, said the production of energy feedstock diverts trash away from landfills. “But it doesn’t do what everybody considers true recycling.”

In the suburbs, the trash and recycling are “commingled” in one collection that’s picked up by AmWaste, the private company that contracts with the cities for waste pickup. A spokesperson for AmWaste said the company sometimes takes the commingled collection to Big Sky Environmental, a landfill north of Birmingham. Big Sky determines what is recyclable, and the “highest and best use to do so,” said David Mowery, spokesperson for AmWaste.

The larger items from the commingled collection are sorted out, Mowery said. Then, a combination of solid waste and recyclables are taken to VLS Environmental, an industrial waste provider in Bibb County. VLS turns those items into “energy feedstock.”

Big Sky and VLS did not respond to repeated requests for comment. VLS Environmental advertises on its website its ability to create “alternative engineered fuel” at its Alabama location.

But the “energy feedstock” practice raises questions among environmentalists, and the issue is causing the state to update its recycling rules.

What is ‘energy feedstock?’

Adams in Homewood described the process as cleaning and pulverizing waste, which is then burned as a fuel source.

According to the city of Vestavia Hills, the energy feedstock is used as a fuel source in cement production facilities. The energy feedstock burns “cleaner than coal,” the city claims on its website.

But not everyone is sure it’s the best method for diverting trash from landfills.

Shenghua Wu, a professor at the University of South Alabama and director of the school’s Solid Waste Sustainability Hub, said energy recovery is ideally a “last resort” for waste management.

“This method involves combusting materials such as plastics, paper, and biomass-based recyclables to generate electricity or heat,” Wu said. “While this practice offers potential benefits, it also presents significant challenges and environmental trade-offs.”

In addition to air quality concerns, waste-to-energy also takes recyclables out of use. Some plastics are very recyclable, Wu said, but not if they are burned for fuel or disposed in a landfill.

“Waste-to-energy systems may offer short-term relief by reducing landfill pressure, but without robust emission controls, incentives for material recovery, and public transparency, they risk undermining long-term goals such as zero waste and a circular economy,” Wu said in an email. “Ideally, energy recovery should serve as a last resort, implemented only after all options for waste reduction, reuse, and recycling have been exhausted.”

Last month, AL.com reported that recyclables tracked from Homewood, Vestavia Hills and other suburbs went to Big Sky Environmental, a large landfill northwest of the city, instead of RePower South, a recycling facility in Montgomery.

Normally, the “commingled” collection is supposed to go to RePower South, which has a machine that is supposed to be capable of sorting trash from recycling. Some hard-to-recycle paper and plastics are converted to fuel at RePower South, too.

But when RePower South is closed, AmWaste previously told AL.com they bring the commingled collection to Big Sky, and some of it then goes to VLS Environmental.

Both Big Sky and VLS Environmental have state permits to recycle, but specific permission to convert recyclables to fuel is not required. That’s according to an official from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

Kate Cosnahan, board president for the Alabama Environmental Council, said she doesn’t know much about Big Sky’s recycling capabilities. The council frequently received questions from Birmingham metro residents about where their recycling was going, and she and others at the nonprofit researched the topic and didn’t get many answers. She said she has a lot of questions about the “energy feedstock” method.

“I don’t know what kind of fuel they’re capturing, where is the exhaust going, what’s the air quality like around the area?” said Cosnahan, an environmental scientist. “I just don’t know.”

Recycling in the suburbs

AmWaste said the “energy feedstock” method meets the requirements of its contract with the cities.

“It is an approved method of recycling under Alabama law, and it satisfies AmWaste’s obligation to the authority,” Mowery said in an email.

Lynn Battle, a spokesperson for the state’s Department of Environmental Management, said that using recycled materials as fuel is not considered recycling in Alabama.

“In accordance with ADEM Administrative Code … recycling does not include the use of materials as a fuel,” Battle stated in an email. “However, converting recyclable material into a fuel source is considered diversion from the solid waste stream and is an allowable activity by properly registered facilities.”

Still, ADEM is looking closer at the practice.

“The department is currently updating its regulations to include reporting on the utilization of solid waste materials as fuel and to improve the reporting of recycling activities in Alabama,” Battle stated in the email to AL.com.

Waste haulers like AmWaste are not a direct part of this recycling process.

Once the private company drops off the commingled collection, it’s out of AmWaste’s hands, Mowery said.

“What happens at RePower, Big Sky, [Birmingham Recycling and Recovery] or any number of facilities across our footprint is the concern of that company,” Mowery said. “Unless there are state issues with ADEM or other permitting authorities, we will assume these companies perform the duties they say they will, just as we do for them.”

Under the Birmingham suburbs’ contract with AmWaste, the commingled collection must be sent to a facility capable of sorting recycling from the trash and “reducing placement in the landfill.”

In Vestavia Hills, city officials say AmWaste’s program is less expensive and more efficient than the previous way of recycling.

City Manager Jeff Downes recently told the city council that he estimates 2,933 tons of waste from the city is diverted from the landfill under the AmWaste system each year.

Under the old system, the city paid more than $1 million per year for a recycling-only pickup each week, Downes said. And the city’s “effective tonnage,” or the amount of recycling that was actually recycled, was 1,700 tons in the last year of the old system.

“So, more effective if you’re looking at diversion from landfills, not necessarily if you’re a purist and want commodities to be resold,” Downes said during the meeting. “But diversion from landfill, it’s effectively doing what we said it’s going to do.”

Beyond how plastics, cardboard, and cans are “recycled,” city officials in Homewood expressed frustration at what they said was a lack of communication about where recycling from the Birmingham suburbs is going.

Councilman Nick Sims said he, like a lot of other Homewood residents, solely uses the “commingled” collection. He reserves all of his trash for that pickup each week, instead of using the “trash only” pickup, in the hopes that as much will be recycled as possible.

“The lack of communication not only is bad for AmWaste, it’s bad on the city now, because we’re the ones who actually are responsible for providing the service to the residents,” said Sims. “It’s the resident’s taxpayer dollars that they’re paying for this service, and if we’re not providing what we’re saying we are, then that’s a serious problem.”

Ultimately, though, the cities are still sticking with AmWaste for the time being. Adams said AmWaste was trying to “meet the intent” of their contract.

“[AmWaste] just didn’t understand how they need to be communicating,” Adams said. “We could have gotten very adversarial and gone a different route…I don’t particularly want to go that route unless the rest of the cities are wanting to do that. And right now, I don’t know that they are.”

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Country music icon calls it quits touring, but there’s one more show: ‘Y’all gonna make me tear up’

Alan Jackson confirmed Saturday his concert in Milwaukee was his last, but the country music icon did say there was one more show to perform.

During the final show of his “Last Call: One More For the Road Tour,” Jackson said he retired from touring.

However, the 66-year-old announced one final concert set for the summer of 2026.

“Y’all may have heard that I’m kinda winding down, and in fact this is my last road show of my career,” Jackson said.

“Y’all gonna make me tear up out here. But I will say, this is my last road show out here, but we’re planning on doing a big finale show in Nashville next summer sometime,” the singer went on to say. “It just felt like I had to end it all where it all started. And that’s in Nashville, Tenn. Music City.”

Last June, Jackson explained why he decided to call it quits.

“I’ve been touring for over 30 years, you know, played everywhere in the country and parts of the world,” Jackson posted on X almost a year ago. “Have had a wonderful career, and getting into my twilight years, and all my daughters are grown, and I got one grandchild and one on the way. Enjoy spending more time at home, and don’t want to be away like I had to be in my younger days, and I don’t tour as much now as I did 10 years ago. But I think it’s getting time to start thinking about hanging it up full-time.”

In 2021, he revealed, per Taste of Country, was living with a degenerative nerve condition called Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, which causes nerve damage, primarily in the arms and legs.

Last month, Jackson took advantage of the stage and had his wife of 45 years join him during a performance to celebrate her birthday. He was performing a festival at Georgetown, Texas’ Two Step Inn.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.

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The Hall of Fame case for Pete Rose is far from a grand slam

This is an opinion column.

Disgraced former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon is barely one year into a 15-year NCAA show-cause penalty, which matches the longest in college sports history.

Disgraced and deceased Major League Baseball hit king Pete Rose is a mere three years away from induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, if he’s luckier in death than he was in life.

Bohannon’s downfall began two years ago at the BetMGM Sportsbook inside the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, the city where Rose played and managed and wagered on baseball for much of his storied career.

What are the odds?

Both men gambled and lost because of their involvement with betting on baseball, a cardinal sin in their chosen professions. Both men were permanently banned, Rose explicitly, Bohannon effectively. His Feb. 1, 2024 show-cause order from the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions stated, “If Bohannon becomes employed during the show-cause period, he shall be suspended for 100% of the baseball regular season for the first five seasons of his employment.”

That’s a ban by any other name.

According to the infractions report, Bohannon’s crimes against college baseball included providing “insider information to an individual he knew to be engaged in betting on an Alabama baseball game” and refusing to cooperate in the NCAA’s investigation of that allegation.

More specifically, he messaged an associate that Alabama was going to make a late scratch of its starting pitcher before a game against LSU. The associate, Bert Eugene Neff, stationed at the above-mentioned sports book in Cincinnati, then attempted to place a wildly suspicious $100,000 bet on LSU.

It had to be the biggest red flag the home of the Reds had ever seen.

Alabama fired Bohannon within days, and the program is far better off under successor Rob Vaughn. The NCAA hammered Bohannon nine months later. Unless Rob Manfred one day becomes NCAA president, Bohannon’s college coaching days are almost certainly over.

Manfred, adding to his already strong case for worst MLB commissioner ever, recently redefined the meaning of “permanent” regarding Rose’s ineligibility from baseball. It no longer mattered that Rose himself accepted in August of 1989 his placement on the permanently ineligible list after an MLB investigation documented his betting on baseball, a direct violation of the sport’s Rule 21.

How sacred is that rule, which has been plastered throughout clubhouses for decades? If baseball had commandments, it might be No. 1.

“In my view,” Manfred wrote in a letter to the Rose family’s attorney, “once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game.”

Opinions will vary on that last point, especially if Rose ends up in the Baseball Hall of Fame despite his blatant disregard for Rule 21, his almost comical denials after getting caught and his defiant lack of contrition.

His enshrinement in Cooperstown is possible now that Manfred has found a creative way to pass the buck. It’s possible but far from a sure thing. If you’re into that kind of thing, you can probably find people setting odds and taking bets on the subject.

Rose died last September at age 83 so he’ll never get to bask in the glow of a Hall of Fame induction, which his playing career alone between the lines certainly deserves. His newfound eligibility has reinvigorated the debate over whether his excellent play should outweigh his abhorrent behavior, which extends beyond his repeated barreling over Rule 21 as if it were the American League catcher in an All-Star Game.

Granted, there are sinners of many kinds among the faces on those bronze plaques in Cooperstown, but few candidates for induction have had their worst traits dissected in as much detail for as long as Rose has.

Ultimately, his Hall of Fame fate will be decided by a Historical Oversight Committee, which must put him on an eight-person ballot, and a Classic Era Committee, a 16-person panel that will vote on that ballot. The next such election – for people whose greatest contributions to the game came before 1980 – will be December of 2027.

If Rose makes the ballot and receives at least 75 percent of the votes – 12 of 16 – he’ll be enshrined in the summer of 2028. Will that be too late? Better late than never? Or an insult to the integrity of the game? Does the game have the same integrity on this point now that it embraces gambling among its fans if not its players and managers?

The Hall of Fame asks its electors to consider a player’s record, playing ability and contributions to the teams on which he played. By that score, Rose is 3 for 3, but there are other stated considerations. In terms of integrity, sportsmanship and character, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that he’s 0 for 3.

In the Hall of Fame case for Pete Rose, that oh-fer will be and should be an awfully big donut to overcome.

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General

How Auburn basketball players performed at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine

Auburn basketball had several players working out at last week’s NBA Draft Combine and G League Elite Camp.

Miles Kelly and Dylan Cardwell participated in the elite camp as Tahaad Pettiford and Johni Broome were invited to the combine.

Here’s a recap on how the Tigers looked during their NBA workouts:

Cardwell and Pettiford shine in scrimmages

On the first day of the G League Elite Camp, Cardwell was everywhere with 10 points four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. On day two, he finished with eight points and six rebounds.

Kelly struggled finding his touch, shooting 3-of-11 from beyond the arc in two games. In game one, he scored three points to go with three fouls. In game two, he finished with eight points.

Pettiford stole the show during the first scrimmage of the NBA Draft Combine, scoring 23 points and dishing out eight assists. The next day he was not as hot finishing with 10 points, shooting 4-of-14 from the floor with five turnovers and two assists.

Combine measurements, Johni Broome vertical concerns

Pettiford’s official measurements listed at 6’0 ¼” barefoot, 168.8 pounds with a 6’5 ½” wingspan and 8’0” standing reach.

His 42-inch max vertical impressed scouts as it ranked second best behind potential lottery pick VJ Edgecombe.

Johni Broome’s measurements listed at 6’9 ¼” barefoot, 249.4 pounds with a 7’0 ¼” wingspan and 9’0 ½” standing reach.

Broome’s standing vertical leap of just 24.5 inches raised concerns on his athleticism. The two-time All-American elected not to participate in the scrimmages after nursing an ankle and shoulder injury from the college season.

Where are players listed on mock drafts?

Broome and Pettiford are both still projected to be selected in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Pettiford declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. The deadline for players to withdraw from the draft and maintain college eligibility is May 28th.

Auburn coach Bruce Pearl believes his former guard should consider returning to Auburn if he remains in the second round on scouts’ draft boards.

“If Tahaad has a first-round contract, I think he’s going to go — and he should go,” Pearl said at Jimmy Rane’s annual charity banquet last Thursday.

“If the opportunity to comeback to Auburn—he would be happy to. We’ll get really good information on the NBA and if he decides to comeback, we’ll be a much better team.”

Jerry Humphrey III covers Auburn sports forAL.com. You can follow him on X at @Jerryhump3or email him at [email protected].

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