Alabama News

A report from the National Weather Service was issued on Sunday at 1:50 p.m. for strong thunderstorms until 2:15 p.m. for Baldwin County.

The storms may bring pea-sized hail (0.25 inches) and wind gusts of up to 40 mph.

“At 1:49 p.m., Doppler radar tracked a strong thunderstorm over Spanish Fort. This storm was nearly stationary,” says the weather service. “Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.”

The alert is for Daphne, Spanish Fort and Loxley.

The weather service comments, “If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.”

Staying safe as lightning approaches: Expert advice

Lightning strikes the United States approximately 25 million times each year, with the bulk of these electrical discharges occurring during the summer months. Tragically, lightning claims the lives of about 20 individuals annually, as reported by the weather service. The risk of lightning-related incidents escalates as thunderstorms draw near, reaching its peak when the storm directly looms overhead. However, it gradually recedes as the tempest moves away.

To ensure your safety during a thunderstorm, keep these recommendations in mind:

Lightning safety plan:

• When venturing outdoors, it’s vital to establish a clear plan for seeking shelter in case of lightning.
• Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder. If thunder is audible, it’s an indication that lightning is nearby.
• Seek a safe place to shelter, preferably indoors.

Indoors safety measures:

• Once you’re indoors, avoid using corded phones, electrical devices, plumbing fixtures, and stay away from windows and doors.
• Lightning can follow conductive pathways, and these precautions reduce the risk of electrical surges.

Wait for the all-clear:

• After the last lightning strike or thunderclap, wait at least 30 minutes before resuming outdoor activities.
• Lightning can strike even when a storm has seemingly passed, so exercise caution.

When indoor shelter isn’t available:

If you find yourself outdoors without access to indoor shelter during a thunderstorm, take these steps to maximize your safety:

• Avoid open fields, hilltops, or ridge crests, which expose you to greater lightning risk.
• Steer clear of tall, isolated trees and other prominent objects. In wooded areas, stay close to lower stands of trees.
• If you’re with a group, ensure individuals are spread out to prevent lightning current from transferring between people.
• Camping in an open setting during a thunderstorm is strongly discouraged. If you have no alternative, set up camp in a valley, ravine, or other low-lying areas. It’s crucial to note that a tent provides no protection against lightning.
• Do not approach water bodies, wet objects, or metal items. While water and metal don’t attract lightning, they conduct electricity effectively and can pose significant risks.

In summary, when facing the threat of lightning, preparedness and vigilance are your best allies. By following these guidelines, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of lightning-related incidents and prioritize your safety.

Navigating rainy roads: Safety tips for wet weather

When heavy rain sets in, the risk of flooding and hazardous driving conditions rises. Whether it’s prolonged rainfall or rapid runoff, being prepared is essential. Here are some valuable safety tips from the weather service to ensure you stay safe in heavy rain:

Beware of swollen waterways:

Avoid parking or walking in close proximity to culverts or drainage ditches, as the swiftly moving water during heavy rain can potentially carry you away.

Maintain safe driving distances:

Adhere to the two-second rule for maintaining a safe following distance behind the vehicle in front of you. In heavy rain, allow an additional two seconds of distance to compensate for reduced traction and braking effectiveness.

Slow down and stay cautious:

On wet roads, reducing your speed is crucial. Ease off the gas pedal gradually and avoid abrupt braking to prevent skidding.

Choose your lane wisely:

Stay toward the middle lanes – water tends to pool in the outside lanes.

Visibility matters:

Enhance your visibility in heavy rain by turning on your headlights. Watch out for vehicles in blind spots, as rain-smeared windows can obscure them.

Watch out for slippery roads:

Be extra careful during the first half hour after rain begins. Grime and oil on the road surface mix with water to make the road slippery.

Keep a safe distance from large vehicles:

Don’t follow large trucks or buses too closely. The spray created by their large tires reduces your vision. Take care when passing them as well; if you must pass, do so quickly and safely.

Mind your windshield wipers:

Overloaded wiper blades can hinder visibility. If rain severely impairs your vision, pull over and wait for conditions to improve. Seek refuge at rest areas or sheltered spots.

If the roadside is your only option, pull off as far as possible, preferably past the end of a guard rail, and wait until the storm passes. Keep your headlights on and turn on emergency flashers to alert other drivers of your position.

By following these safety measures, you can significantly reduce risks and ensure your well-being when heavy rain pours down. Stay informed about weather conditions and heed advice from local authorities to make your journey safe and sound.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

Former White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks died of stomach cancer in Portugal Friday after being diagnosed earlier this year, according to ESPN.

“We have lost an iconic member of the White Sox family today,” White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement.

Jenks launched his pro career in Alabama, playing for the Birmingham Barons in 2005, before ascending to pitch for the White Sox in 2006.

Jenks played with the White Sox for six seasons, between 2005 and 2010. He played for the Boston Red Sox in 2011.

In 2005, he played a key role in helping the White Sox win the World Series for the first time in 88 years.

“You play for the love of the game, the joy of it,” ESPN reported Jenks said in his last interview with SoxTV last year. “It’s what I love to do. I [was] playing to be a world champion, and that’s what I wanted to do from the time I picked up a baseball.”

A California native, Jenks was originally drafted by the Anaheim Angels in 2000, according to ESPN.

Jenks ended his career with a 16-20 record. He had a 3.53 ERA and 173 saves.

He is survived by his wife and their two children as well as four children from a previous marriage.

The Thunder Moon or Buck Moon, as it’s called, the first full moon of the astronomical summer, will occur Thursday.

On July 10, the moon will rise in the southeastern sky and will be illuminated throughout the evening until it sets in the southwest.

The full moon is not out of the ordinary but is recognized as a notable point in the natural cycle of the year. July’s full moon is called the Thunder Moon because of its timing with frequent summer thunderstorms.

It’s also known as the Buck Moon, because of its alignment with the growth spurts of male deer whose antlers are in full velvet by July, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. In Alaska, Native American communities dubbed the event Salmon Moon because it coincides with the timing of salmon run.

There will be more opportunities for stargazing in July. Two meteor showers and a view of the Milky Way will be visible this month.

By Jim Vertuno, Julio Cortez and John Seewer, The Associated Press

KERRVILLE, Texas — The death toll from flash floods that rampaged through Central Texas rose to at least 67 on Sunday as rescuers maneuvering through challenging terrain found more bodies and continued their desperate search for many others, including 11 missing girls from a summer camp.

Searchers in Kerr County have found 16 bodies since Saturday afternoon, bringing the total number of dead there to 59, said Sheriff Larry Leitha. The dead included 21 children, he said.

He pledged to keep searching in that Hill Country region until “everybody is found” from Friday’s flash floods.

Four deaths also were reported in Travis County, three in Burnet and 1 in Kendall.

Rescuers dealt with broken trees, overturned cars and muck-filled debris in the difficult task to find survivors. Authorities still have not said how many people were missing beyond the 11 children and a camp counselor from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp.

Families were allowed to look around the camp Sunday morning while nearby crews operating heavy equipment pulled tree trunks and tangled branches out of the water as they searched along a riverbank. Thunder rumbled from a new storm.

A woman and a teenage girl, both wearing rubber waders, briefly went inside one of the cabins, which stood next to a pile of soaked mattresses, a storage trunk and clothes. At one point, the pair doubled over, sobbing before they embraced.

With each passing hour, the outlook of finding more survivors became even more bleak. Volunteers and some families of the missing who drove to the disaster zone searched the riverbanks despite being asked not to do so.

Authorities faced growing questions about whether enough warnings were issued in area long vulnerable to flooding and whether enough preparations were made.

The destructive, fast-moving waters rose 26 feet (8 meters) on the river in only 45 minutes before daybreak Friday, washing away homes and vehicles. The danger was not over as flash flood watches remained in effect and more rain fell in central Texas on Sunday.

Searchers used helicopters, boats and drones to look for victims and to rescue people stranded in trees and from camps isolated by washed-out roads. Officials said more than 850 people were rescued in the first 36 hours.

Prayers in Texas — and from the Vatican

Gov. Greg Abbott vowed that authorities will work around the clock and said new areas were being searched as the water receded. He declared Sunday a day of prayer for the state.

“I urge every Texan to join me in prayer this Sunday — for the lives lost, for those still missing, for the recovery of our communities, and for the safety of those on the front lines,” he said in a statement.

In Rome, Pope Leo XIV offered special prayers for those touched by the disaster. History’s first American pope spoke in English at the end of his Sunday noon blessing, “I would like to express sincere condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters who were in summer camp, in the disaster caused by the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Texas in the United States. We pray for them.”

The hills along the Guadalupe River are dotted with century-old youth camps and campgrounds where generations of families have come to swim and enjoy the outdoors. The area is especially popular around the Independence Day holiday, making it more difficult to know how many are missing.

“We don’t even want to begin to estimate at this time,” Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said on Saturday.

Harrowing escapes from floodwaters

Survivors shared terrifying stories of being swept away and clinging to trees as rampaging floodwaters carried trees and cars past them. Others fled to attics inside their homes, praying the water wouldn’t reach them.

At Camp Mystic, a cabin full of girls held onto a rope strung by rescuers as they walked across a bridge with water whipping around their legs.

Among those confirmed dead were an 8-year-old girl from Mountain Brook, Alabama, who was at Camp Mystic, and the director of another camp up the road.

Locals know the area as “ flash flood alley” but the flooding in the middle of the night caught many campers and residents by surprise even though there were warnings.

Warnings came before the disaster

The National Weather Service on Thursday advised of potential flooding and then sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours of Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.

At the Mo-Ranch Camp in the community of Hunt, officials had been monitoring the weather and opted to move several hundred campers and attendees at a church youth conference to higher ground. At nearby Camps Rio Vista and Sierra Vista, organizers also had mentioned on social media that they were watching the weather the day before ending their second summer session Thursday.

Authorities and elected officials have said they did not expect such an intense downpour, the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes the ravaged area, acknowledged that there would be second-guessing and finger-pointing as people look for someone to blame.

Cortez reported from Hunt, Texas, and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut, Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed.

A man was fatally shot at an RV park in Pell City Friday, and a suspect is in custody.

A suspect, Barry Norris, was booked into the St. Clair County Jail with a murder charge following the deadly altercation at Lakeside Landing RV Park on the Fourth of July holiday, according to WBRC.

According to the report, local law enforcement got several calls about the shooting at about 3:26 a.m. When officers arrived, they found a man who had been shot in the chest.

People at the park had already tried CPR, and the Pell City Fire Department also gave treatment. He was pronounced dead at UAB St. Vincent’s St. Clair.

Police Chief Clay Morris told WBRC News that police identified Norris as the suspect right away and took him into custody. He said the victim and Norris had been in a fight and Norris allegedly shot the man.

The United Methodist Church in North Alabama has moved around many of its clergy who will preach their first sermons in their new churches today.

The Rev. Robin Crews Wilson became senior pastor of Tuscaloosa First United Methodist Church effective July 1 and will preach her first sermon today at the 11 a.m. service.

Wilson has been serving since July 1, 2024, as executive director of stakeholder relationships for the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship.

A native of Prattville, Alabama, Wilson has a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and a master of divinity degree from Duke University.

An ordained elder, Wilson has been pastor of congregations in Mobile, Dothan, Opelika and Phenix City.

She has also served as director of the Healthy Clergy and Congregations Initiative.

She is the author of the 2016 devotional, “God is With Us: An Advent Study Based on the Revised Common Lectionary,” published by Abingdon Press.

She will succeed the Rev. Clinton Hubbard Jr., who became the first Black pastor of Tuscaloosa First United Methodist Church in 2019. Hubbard will be district superintendent of the East District in the North Alabama Conference, effective July 1.

The Rev. Kevin Thomas, pastor of Forest Lake United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa became the new senior pastor of First United Methodist of Birmingham effective July 1. He’ll preach his first sermon today as pastor at First Birmingham.

Thomas has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and earned a master of divinity degree from Memphis Theological Seminary and a doctorate from Asbury Theological Seminary.

He has been in pastoral ministry for 30 years, the last decade at Forest Lake.

The Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, the first woman senior pastor at First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, stepped down from that role in February to take a CEO-level post at a denominational agency.

Arnold, who had been on staff at First United Methodist since 2010 and senior pastor since 2018, accepted a job as general secretary of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women of the United Methodist Church, effective March 1.

Here are some other clergy who are moving to new pulpits today:

The Rev. Andy Curtis is the new senior pastor at Jacksonville First United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Mike Butler is the new senior pastor at Red Ridge United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Earl Freeman is the new senior pastor at Sylacauga First United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Chris Cone is the new senior pastor at Centre First United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Elizabeth Crosby is the new senior pastor of Long Memorial United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Andy Yarnell is the new pastor of Mosaic Church in Gadsden and in charge of junior college ministry.

The Rev. Don Barnett is the new senior pastor at Red Bay United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Megan Morris-Barber is the new senior pastor at Section/Dutton/Upper Sand Mountain parish, with the Rev. Stephen Barber as associate pastor.

The Rev. Arthur Harrison is the new senior pastor of Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Brittany Camp is the new senior pastor at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Dale Capron is the new senior pastor at Tanner/Green Hill.

The Rev. Belinda Freeman is the new senior pastor at Columbiana United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Belinda Rives is the new senior pastor at Forest Lake United Methodist Church.

The Rev. Joe DeWitte is the new senior pastor at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church.

The full list of new appointments can be found here.

Before heading to bed before the Fourth of July holiday, Christopher Flowers checked the weather while staying at a friend’s house along the Guadalupe River. Nothing in the forecast alarmed him.

Hours later, he was rushing to safety: He woke up in darkness to electrical sockets popping and ankle-deep water. Quickly, his family scrambled nine people into the attic. Phones buzzed with alerts, Flowers recalled Saturday, but he did not remember when in the chaos they started.

“What they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now,” Flowers, 44, said.

See also: 8-year-old Alabama girl among the many killed in Texas flooding

The destructive fast-moving waters that began before sunrise Friday in the Texas Hill Country killed at least 43 people in Kerr County, authorities said Saturday, and an unknown number of people remained missing.

Those still unaccounted for included 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered.

But as authorities launch one of the largest search-and-rescue efforts in recent Texas history, they have come under intensifying scrutiny over preparations and why residents and youth summer camps that are dotted along the river were not alerted sooner or told to evacuate.

The National Weather Service sent out a series of flash flood warnings in the early hours Friday before issuing flash flood emergencies — a rare alert notifying of imminent danger.

Local officials have insisted that no one saw the flood potential coming and have defended their actions.

“There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking,” said Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, whose district includes Kerr County. “There’s a lot of people saying ‘why’ and ‘how,’ and I understand that.”

When the warnings began

An initial flood watch — which generally urges residents to be weather-aware — was issued by the local National Weather Service office at 1:18 p.m. Thursday.

It predicted between 5 to 7 inches (12.7 to 17.8 centimeters) of rain. Weather messaging from the office, including automated alerts delivered to mobile phones to people in threatened areas, grew increasingly ominous in the early morning hours of Friday, urging people to move to higher ground and evacuate flood-prone areas, said Jason Runyen, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office.

At 4:03 a.m., the office issued an urgent warning that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life.

Jonathan Porter, the chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, a private weather forecasting company that uses National Weather Service data, said it appeared evacuations and other proactive measures could have been undertaken to reduce the risk of fatalities.

“People, businesses, and governments should take action based on Flash Flood Warnings that are issued, regardless of the rainfall amounts that have occurred or are forecast,” Porter said in a statement.

Officials say they didn’t expect this

Local officials have said they had not expected such an intense downpour that was the equivalent of months’ worth of rain for the area.

“We know we get rains. We know the river rises,” said Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official. “But nobody saw this coming.”

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said he was jogging along the river early in the morning and didn’t notice any problems at 4 a.m. A little over an hour later, at 5:20 a.m., the water level had risen dramatically and “we almost weren’t able to get out of the park,” he said.

Rice also noted that the public can become desensitized to too many weather warnings.

No county flood warning system

Kelly said the county considered a flood warning system along the river that would have functioned like a tornado warning siren about six or seven years ago, before he was elected, but that the idea never got off the ground because of the expense.

“We’ve looked into it before … The public reeled at the cost,” Kelly said.

He said he didn’t know what kind of safety and evacuation plans the camps may have had.

“What I do know is the flood hit the camp first, and it came in the middle of the night. I don’t know where the kids were,” he said. “I don’t know what kind of alarm systems they had. That will come out in time.”

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Saturday it was difficult for forecasters to predict just how much rain would fall. She said the Trump administration would make it a priority to upgrade National Weather Service technology used to deliver warnings.

“We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technology that’s been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible,” Noem said during a press conference with state and federal leaders.

Weather service had extra staffers

The National Weather Service office in New Braunfels, which delivers forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the surrounding areas, had extra staff on duty during the storms, Runyen said.

Where the office would typically have two forecasters on duty during clear weather, they had up to five on staff.

“There were extra people in here that night, and that’s typical in every weather service office — you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over,” Runyen said.

Tropical Storm Chantal moved onshore in South Carolina early Sunday morning and continued to dump heavy rain on parts of the Southeast.

The National Hurricane Center said Chantal, the third named storm of 2025 in the Atlantic, moved onshore around 3 a.m. Sunday near Litchfield, S.C. Forecasters added that the storm had been losing its structure and its exact center was tough to pin down.

However, the storm peaked with 60 mph winds before moving onshore overnight, according to the hurricane center.

Chantal continued to move inland and weaken on Sunday morning. The hurricane center said flash flooding remained a threat for areas in northeastern South Carolina and eastern North Carolina through at least Monday.

As of 7 a.m. CDT Sunday, the center of Tropical Storm Chantal was located about 80 miles west of Wilmington, N.C., and was moving north-northwest at 8 mph, according to the hurricane center.

Chantal had sustained winds of 40 mph, making it a minimal tropical storm.

A tropical storm warning remained in effect from the South Santee River, S.C., to Surf City, N.C., but all other coastal watches had been dropped.

The hurricane center expects what’s left of Chantal to move further inland over South Carolina and then North Carolina through the day on Sunday while weakening.

Chantal is expected to weaken to a trough of low pressure by Monday.

Forecasters said tropical storm conditions will be possible along the coast through the morning.

There will continue to be a threat for flash flooding. Chantal could bring 2 to 4 inches of rain to areas in northeastern South Carolina today and North Carolina through Monday.

There will also continue to be the risk of deadly rip currents along the coast far from the storm. Rip currents will be possible from northeastern Florida northward into the mid-Atlantic region over the next day or two, forecasters said.

If that wasn’t enough, a tornado or two will be possible Sunday across portions of eastern North Carolina and extreme northeastern South Carolina.

There are no other potential tropical trouble spots as of Sunday in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Gulf and Caribbean.

The Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be a busy one, however, with an above-average number of storms expected before the end of the season on Nov. 30.

This is an opinion column

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Today’s guest columnist is Daniel Christiansen.

A few months ago I settled into a seat in the Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s classroom for a “Cottage Food” class.

After receiving praise from neighbors for my homemade salsa, I was getting the certification in case an opportunity to start a home business presented itself.

Our friends and neighbors at Last Call Bakery, run by the now James Beard Semifinalist pastry chef Chanah Willis, had started from a similar class, and while I have no illusions of matching their quality, being able to provide a service to my community out of my own home certainly appealed.

The class itself was remarkable only for being filled with people with the unifying belief that each of us could run a small business out of our home, legally, without needing a second mortgage. But one little comment from the facilitator stuck in my head:

“Check your local zoning regulations about selling out of your home.”

When I pulled up the Birmingham zoning code and map, I found that I wouldn’t have any issues with running a small business out of my home or in my neighborhood.

But I also saw that I was likely in the minority in that regard; there are a large number of Birmingham residents that would be in violation of the zoning code if they tried the same.

Map of Birmingham zoning illustrating how Retail and Residential Uses are separated

Building this map showed me that neighborhood businesses are zoned out of about 67% of the areas with homes, and by extension the businesses that do exist can’t be within easy reach of the residents of those homes.

Even where residents and businesses are allowed to live side by side, about half are in areas requiring planned development.

In effect, residents in up to 84% of the city’s residential spaces are prohibited from having a grocery store, pharmacy, doctor’s office, or other neighborhood or home business serving their area. To my eye it seems that these laws are, if not the root cause, at least a major contributor to Birmingham’s food deserts.

Historically, food deserts didn’t exist. Stores opened up wherever people gathered in sufficient numbers that running one made sense. These amenities grew along with a neighborhood, supporting each other symbiotically. Other businesses, such as daycares, pharmacies, and doctor’s offices, would be attracted as the neighborhood grew.

But around the turn of the 20th century a movement to categorize and separate uses, among other things, created modern zoning.

When Birmingham adopted its first zoning code in 1926, along with more notorious actions, the code designated separate zones for residential and commercial activity.

Neighbors could no longer legally offer goods or services to the community out of their own home and stores were concentrated away from neighborhoods. With businesses located far from the vast majority of residences, traveling for essentials and entertainment became the norm.

As people had to travel further and more often to get what they needed, stores could similarly expect people to travel further. Large chains planned for people to travel across town, creating large asphalt parking lots, local stores died and the food deserts grew. National chains could outbid locals for commercial space and now, nearly a century later, few truly local businesses remain.

And the lack of local businesses has had its own consequences. My wife and I have lived in areas that are exclusively residential. While we’ve known neighbors, or at least their dogs, we’ve never really felt part of a community.

It’s far easier to stay home with a screen than to endure another drive across town to see friends. Now living along 2nd Ave N we have more interaction with our friends, neighbors, and community than we’ve ever had living elsewhere.

Walking our neighborhood to visit Protective Stadium, Sidewalk Cinema, the 2nd Ave restaurants, and Pepper Place, to name but a few, my wife and I see people we know nearly everywhere. While we could claim that it’s something unique to the people who live downtown, or just their numbers, I can’t help but notice that the neighborhood businesses create the reasons we have to be out and give us more opportunity to know our community.

I believe that in other areas of the city a couple of neighborhood businesses, if legalized, could easily do the same. Giving people additional opportunities to get out without a windshield between themselves and the community would build the sort of connections we all crave.

The random interactions that build relationships and camaraderie are catalyzed by a neighborhood coffee shop or grocer. And a neighborhood shop is far easier to start when you can run it out of your own home.

Starting a business isn’t easy, it takes planning and money to make it work. When trying to start a business it is considered smart to “fail fast and small” – better to know that an idea is a stinker before you put a lot of money and effort into it.

Money is a considerable barrier for many would-be Birmingham entrepreneurs; Commercial rent or a food truck are significant investments.

But when you can start out of your own home, you can start smaller and learn faster, and a new venture can emerge while also benefiting the neighborhood.

We can improve our neighborhoods.

We can build a better Birmingham.

We can be the ones to solve our own problems, erase the food deserts, care for our children and families, and build communities to be proud of. We can be the architects of our own success and prosperity.

We can do it ourselves, not waiting for money from the city, the county, the state, a charity, or a giant corporation to do it for us.

Changing Birmingham’s zoning code to allow home and neighborhood businesses, our own or built by friends and neighbors, to serve our communities, can set us along that path. I think we’ll be pleasantly surprised by what we can accomplish.

Daniel Christiansen serves on the Birmingham Planning Commission and as the president of the Central City Neighborhood Association. He works as an engineer and takes an interest in history and urban planning. He can often be found walking his three dogs around 2nd Ave N and the rest of downtown Birmingham.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. [email protected]