WBHM-FM (Birmingham, AL)

1 day ago | wbhm.org | Noelle Annonen

Fourth-year University of Alabama at Birmingham medical student Heather McKelvey laid out sheets of paper across a rubber mat. In broad, sweeping brush strokes, she wrote out the word “calligraphy” in ink. She carefully pulls the tail of the letter Y into an elegant swirl before precisely dotting the letter i. People have a lot of strategies for dealing with anxiety – medication, therapy or exercise, for instance. But a new study overseen by McKelvey explored a different method – calligraphy.

1 day ago | wbhm.org | Noelle Annonen

Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park southwest of Birmingham is still covered with leaves shed from last fall, and new, green underbrush is just beginning to peek up from underneath it. University of Alabama English Professor Barry Cole and his husband walk through the park. “It’s quite a nice local touristy place,” Cole said.

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.

1 week ago | wbhm.org | Noelle Annonen

With just six weeks until the first show, construction at the new Coca Cola Amphitheater north of downtown Birmingham is still underway. Piles of gravel and other construction materials surround the open air amphitheater, hugged by neighborhood streets and the remains of the Carraway Hospital. But the future loading bay is smooth with freshly laid pavement and construction workers are busily finishing up landscaping and adding the finishing touches to the dressing rooms.

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.