Andrew Yeager

Birmingham

Managing Editor at WBHM-FM (Birmingham, AL)

Managing Editor @WBHM, @NPR News for the heart of Alabama. Formerly @WNIN and @WOBN.

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School cellphone ban passed in the final days of the legislative session

1 week ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

Smartphones are practically appendages for many nowadays, but one place you probably won’t see them in use soon is in Alabama schools. Alabama lawmakers gave final passage this week to a bill that would ban them during the school day. It’s where we start our weekly legislative roundup with Todd Stacey, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television. He spoke with WBHM’s Andrew YeagerThis interview was edited for length and clarity. We know plenty of students already have smartphones.
Alabama governor signs shark bite alert system into law named after teen who survived attack

1 week ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A new shark alert system, inspired by a teen who survived an attack last year, that warns beachgoers when a shark has bitten someone in the vicinity will be established in Alabama under legislation signed by Gov. Kay Ivey on Tuesday. The system will issue a public notice to cellphones when there’s been a shark attack nearby.
Tax cut bills under consideration in final days of the legislative session

2 weeks ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

Alabama has already knocked off 1% of its state sales tax from groceries. A bill that would reduce it further is under discussion in the legislature. But there are just a couple of days left in the session to get things done. We get an update on what happened this week in the legislature from Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television. This interview was edited for length and clarity. This bill would take another percent off the state sales tax on groceries, reducing it to 2%.
Alabama Senate advances Birmingham Water Works Board overhaul

3 weeks ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

A fight erupted this week in the Alabama legislature over a bill that would remake the Birmingham Water Works Board. We dive into that controversy and talk about other legislative action with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television. This interview was edited for length and clarity. Now this bill would restructure the Birmingham Waterworks Board into a regional authority. It ultimately passed the Senate. But this had some sharp differences between Republicans and Democrats.
Lawmakers advance religious bills including school Ten Commandments displays

4 weeks ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

It’s no secret that Alabama is among the most religious states. It’s also no stranger to fights over displays of the Ten Commandments. The state may be gearing up for another one as the Alabama House passed a bill Thursday that would require public schools to display the Ten commandments. We hear details on that from Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television. This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Lawmakers move to mandate the display of Ten Commandments and ban pride flags in Alabama schools

4 weeks ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

By Safiyah RiddleMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers approved a slew of bills on Thursday that would expand the use of Christian texts in public schools and limit protections for LGBTQ+ students, in lockstep with a national conservative agenda that has divided statehouses across the country. Three bills led to hours of debate in the Republican-dominated Alabama House of Representatives on Thursday.
Alabama Senate passes record education budget

1 month ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

There’s one thing Alabama lawmakers are required to do each session — that’s pass the budgets. Legislators spent time this week working toward that goal as the Senate approved a record-setting education budget. We hear about that other legislative happenings with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal on Alabama Public Television. This interview was edited for length and clarity. Give us some highlights of this education spending package. You said it’s a record and that’s correct.
Gambling proposal likely dead for the legislative session

1 month ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

If there’s any topic that hovers over the Alabama legislature, never quite going away, it’s gambling. The perennial issue has always fallen short. The discussion is back this year, and we hear about it with Todd Stacy, host of Capital Journal and Alabama Public Television. The following conversation has been edited for clarity. Why is this such a tricky issue and what’s been going on with it this week? It is a tricky issue. That’s really just because there’s so many components involved.
Email shows senator did receive town hall invite, despite Tuberville saying otherwise

1 month ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s office said he never received an invitation to a town hall in Birmingham held for his constituents last month. The organizers beg to differ. Tuberville was one of three Republican leaders invited to a town hall hosted by the left-leaning Birmingham Indivisible on March 22. When all three Republicans failed to attend, volunteers propped up cardboard cutouts of them on the stage.
Guitar/violin duo Davis and Haleigh present genre-bending music in first release

1 month ago | wbhm.org | Andrew Yeager

Davis Little noticed Haleigh Black the first time they were in a room together. “I was actually playing a gig and they invited Haleigh up to play and I was like, ‘Oh my goodness. Who is this violinist? She’s amazing,’” Little said. After the show, Little offered to buy Black a drink but was rebuffed. What he didn’t know was that Black was gearing up for a lengthy overseas trip. “I was thinking, ‘I do not need this right now. I’m about to go to Turkey, Greece, Israel and Palestine for nine months.