James Giles

6 days ago | wbrc.com | James Giles

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Jefferson County Schools are taking a new step toward equity and opportunity in the classroom. As part of a federal desegregation case dating back more than 60 years, the district is now implementing a “Majority to Minority” transfer program — a move aimed at aligning with a recent consent decree issued by a federal judge this past March.

1 week ago | birminghamtimes.com | James Giles

Retired City of Birmingham employees may be getting a long-awaited boost to their monthly pension—potentially their first increase in more than two decades. On Wednesday, the city’s pension board voted to recommend a $400 per month raise for all retired municipal workers. It’s a proposal that still needs final approval from the Birmingham City Council, but for many who’ve spent their careers in public service, it’s a hopeful step forward.

1 week ago | wbrc.com | James Giles

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Nearly three years have passed since Roderick Gray Jr. was shot and killed in North Birmingham, and his family says they still don’t know who pulled the trigger—or why. As the nation observes National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to amplify justice and support for victims, the parents of Roderick Gray say their pain has only deepened with time—and the silence they’ve received from police. The 26-year-old was affectionately known as “Mystic” by those closest to him.

2 weeks ago | wbrc.com | James Giles

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Retired City of Birmingham employees may be getting a long-awaited boost to their monthly pension—potentially their first increase in more than two decades. On Wednesday, the city’s pension board voted to recommend a $400 per month raise for all retired municipal workers. It’s a proposal that still needs final approval from the Birmingham City Council, but for many who’ve spent their careers in public service, it’s a hopeful step forward.

2 weeks ago | wbrc.com | James Giles

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Just months after celebrating smooth, freshly paved streets, neighbors in Birmingham’s Phelan Park community say they’re back to dodging potholes and gravel. Residents are frustrated, and they’re pointing to utility crews as the reason why. Take a drive through the neighborhood and you’ll hear it: the rattle of metal plates and the crunch of loose gravel. For folks in Phelan Park, those sounds now represent disappointment.