Jessica Tolbert, a Junior at Homewood High School (HHS), won first place at the American Legion District High School Oratorical Contest on February 8th. This is her second year winning first place at the district level. She will compete at the division level on March 1st.
Jessica is a dedicated student who is a member of the HHS Track and Field Team and a captain of the HHS Debate Team. She is also a member and captain of American Legion Auxiliary unit 267, YLDP, Council Senator, and Teen Court Attorney.
It was recently announced that Jessica will be inducted into the National Honor Society on February 25.
Jessica is the daughter of Tyrone T. and Miriam Cade Tolbert.
During the Birmingham City Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 25, 2014, Council:
Passed an Ordinance “To further amend the zoning district map of the City of Birmingham” (Case No. ZAC2013-00023) to change zone district boundaries from B-6, Health and Institutional District to R-6, Multiple Dwelling District, filed by David G. Ellis of Arlington Properties, Inc., representing the owner, Baptist Health Systems, Inc., for property located at 801 Montclair Road, and situated in the NE¼ of Section 33, Township 17 South, Range 2 West, and the hearing of all interested parties. For more information, contact the office of Council President Pro Tempore Jay Roberson at 205.254.2418.
Other items approved by the Council at today’s meeting include the following:
Placed on consent a resolution relative to the application of Rafiki’s LLC for a Restaurant Retail Liquor License to be used at Rafiki’s Grill, 367 Valley Avenue, Birmingham, and the hearing of all interested parties. For more information contact the office of Councilor Steven Hoyt at 205.254.2304.
Placed on consent an ordinance “To further amend the General Fund budget” by transferring $60,000.00 from Economic Incentives – Highway 280 Cooperative, $529.89 from Economic Incentives – Honda Project, $8,951.56 from Economic Incentives – Phoenix Arts Project, $8,353.19 from Economic Incentives – City Federal, $5,121.63 from Economic Incentives – Infinity Call Center, $13,737.00 from Econ9omic Incentives – Intermark Group, Inc., $3,306.73 from Economic Incentives – Marino’s, and appropriating $75,000.00 to Economic Incentives – Momentum Telecom and $25,000.00 to Economic Incentives – Black Market Bar and Grill. For more information please contact the office of the Mayor at 205.254.2771.
Placed on consent an ordinance to rescind Ordinance No. 14-22, adopted by the February 4, 2014, and authorizing the Mayor to execute a Real Estate Exchange Agreement with the Birmingham Board of Education under which the Board will convey to the City, property known as the “Service Center” and located at 2320 8th Avenue North, which has a value of $806,250.00, and the City will convey to the Board, certain City-owned properties located at 3900 8th Avenue North, 6910 Georgia Road, 701 13th Street SW, 1241 Tuscaloosa Avenue, 125 63rd Street North and 1240 12th Street SW, which have a combined value of $876,856.00, with the difference in the appraised value of the properties to be deemed a donation by the City to the Board for educational purposes. For more information please contact the office of the City Council president Johnathan Austin at 205.254.2678.
Placed on consent an ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 14-18, adopted by the Council January 28, 2014, to extend the 2014 Amnesty Program for the payment of outstanding minor traffic and parking tickets until April 11, 2014. For more information please contact the office of the Mayor at 205.254.2771.
Placed on consent a resolution authorizing the Mayor to issue, on behalf of the City, a firm commitment to allocate $980,000.00 of the City’s Federal funds to REV Birmingham for the development of fifty-three (53) units of affordable senior housing in downtown Ensley in support of REV Birmingham’s application to the Alabama Housing Finance Authority (AHFA) for Low Income Housing Tax Credits and, if the project receives tax credits from the AHFA in the 2014 funding round, to enter into an agreement and disburse the $980,000.00 from the City’s Federal funds. For more information please contact the office of Community Development at 205.254.2483.
Announcements and Reminders:
1. The Committee of the Whole Meeting will be held on Wednesday February 26, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. in, Conference Rooms D&E.
2. The Public Safety Committee Meeting will be held Monday March 3rd at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
3. The Transportation and Communications Meeting will be held at 12:30 p.m. in Conference Room A.
4. The Public Improvement and Beautification Committee Meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 4:00 p.m.
Are you unable to attend the Birmingham City Council meetings? Watch Council Meetings on demand. From anywhere in the world you can log on to www.birminghamalcitycouncil.org and click on the tab Watch Council Meetings; or from the comfort of your home, tune to Bright House Cable Channel 340. The Birmingham City Council meetings are free and on demand.
The City of Birmingham will make reasonable accommodations to ensure that people with disabilities have equal opportunity to enjoy all city services, programs and activities. If accommodations are required for public meetings, please contact Chiara Morrow, Public Information Officer, with reasonable advance notice by emailing chiara.morrow@birminghamal.gov or by calling 205-254-2055.
By Eleanor Cox
In conjunction with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities), Carver High School students received valuable financial literacy knowledge through the Career Countdown Project on February 19-21, in celebrating Career Technical Education month. This real-world effort developed provoking thought processes when budgeting, making career choices/educational planning, as well unexpected circumstances (life happens).
The follow-up activity generated amazing dialogue. Some students said they have a better understanding of what their parents go through when trying to make ends meet. One student admitted to becoming homeless twice when making his decisions maneuvering through the Career Countdown maze. It was the first time many students had ever created a monthly budget. This was a great experience for all students.
Much thanks to Ms. Cynthia Whittaker and the Alabama Cooperative Extension Center. We also extend appreciation to the many volunteers and Roly Poly who donated lunch for them.
One of the Many Reasons to Support the UNCF Birmingham MASKED Ball on March 8, 2014
It’s no secret that the quest for higher education is an uphill battle. With budget deficits, rising tuition rates and a slowly maturing economy amongst key disadvantages affecting America’s next generation of leaders, it’s more imperative than ever that organizations with the power to help college students succeed have the resources they need to sustain — and even more vital that scholars with low to moderate-level incomes cloak themselves in strength to withstand challenging times.
That’s where this story begins. Meet UNCF Scholarship Recipient, Rasheed Miles.
Rasheed, a 21-year-old Business Administration and Accounting Student of Miles College, is the first generational male in his family to attend college and pass his freshman year. His story, like that of many UNCF students, inspires many of us to continue to support UNCF’s mission.
WHAT KIND OF TRIUMPHS AND CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN LIFE PRIOR TO COLLEGE?
Born August 31, 1992 in Hainesville, AL, I experienced tragedy at a pretty young age. My mother – after unexpected complications from pain medications she was taking for a minor toothache – passed away when I was 5 years old. It was just minutes before my 6th birthday. My aunt raised me and my two-year-old brother after that.
I was young and questioned my mom’s death a lot growing up. But in the end, I resolved that God must have taken her from my life with plans to deliver something even more valuable in my future. I pressed forward with that on my mind.
I graduated from High School on May 22, 2010 with honors (achieving a 3.2 GPA and ranking #13 in my senior class). I was also able to score three academic and community service-based scholarships. I used those to enroll into Troy University the next semester.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR COLLEGE EXPERIENCE. WHERE THERE ANY ISSUES THAT JEAOPARDIZED YOUR EDUCATIONAL DREAMS?
I enjoyed my freshman experience at Troy. I encountered the typical challenges, like saying “no” to peers and balancing friendships and personal life with my educational and professional goals.
I did experience academic challenges. Midway into my experience issues with grades landed me on academic probation. My most substantial financial scholarship was revoked as a result. Low on funds, I picked up a part-time job with [a local soda company]. One night while working, I got caught in the midst of a really dangerous shoot-out. That brush with death kind of changed my life. It gave me a chance to reevaluate where my future was headed in Troy. I realized I wasn’t satisfied with my current situation, and enrolled into Miles College the following semester.
HOW WERE YOU INTRODUCED TO UNCF?
During my first semester at Miles, my advisor – Ms. Mitchell — made the connection that I was the first generational male to attend college that had succeeded past my freshman year. That made me eligible for a $5,000 financial reward, which is just what I needed to get back on my feet in school. So I applied.
HOW HAS THE UNCF SCHOLARSHIP IMPACTED YOU LIFE?
UNCF granted me a second chance at life, and if I can do it, anyone can.
Simply put, I’m the meal ticket for my family. I’m trying to move my family above and beyond where they stand right now. After not succeeding at Troy, the scholarship I received gave me a chance to achieve my dreams. None of my cousins have surpassed high school. Thanks to this organization, I’m on the road to being one of the first of my family to succeed in college, to achieve all of the goals my family set in store for me.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR DEGREE AFTER YOU GRADUATE?
I’d like to go to graduate school and get a Masters in Accountancy or Business Administration or Finance. Eventually I’d like to earn my CPA, then move on to a Doctorate in Business Administration or Accountancy.
Ultimately I want to become an Actuary Accountant.
The UNCF Birmingham Masked Ball will take place on March 8, 2014 at the Birmingham Sheraton Hotel Ballroom.
UNCF leadership has set a 2014 event fundraising goal of $600,000. Proceeds will allow UNCF to extend thousands of dollars in support of Alabama students like Rasheed Miles, helping them to pursue a college education. More than 1,000 supporters were in attendance at the 2013 event.
For sponsorship or individual ticket inquiries, please contact the UNCF Birmingham office at 205-322-8623 or email walvid.king@uncf.org. You can also visit online at give.uncf.org/Birmingham. Ticket purchases are tax-deductible.
Ninth annual National Pancake Day Fundraiser aims to raise $3 million benefitting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
For the ninth consecutive year, IHOP restaurants® nationwide will offer each guest a free short stack of its famous buttermilk pancakes on National Pancake Day in an effort to raise $3 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals programs nationwide.
For every short stack of buttermilk pancakes served on National Pancake Day, IHOP guests are encouraged to make a voluntary contribution to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. IHOP hopes to raise $3 million this year, with a goal to bring the total amount of funds raised to nearly $16 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities. To find a local IHOP or to donate online, visit www.ihoppancakeday.com.
WHEN: TUESDAY, March 4, 2014, 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
WHERE: Participating IHOP restaurants in the Birmingham, AL area.
WHO: National Pancake Day donations in the Birmingham, AL area will benefit Children’s Hospital of Alabama
National Pancake Day Fun Facts:
· IHOP served 4.5 million free pancakes on National Pancake Day 2013 and pancake lovers donated nearly $3 million to children’s charities.
· All of the free pancakes served on National Pancake Day 2013 would create a stack nearly 13 miles high.
· Since the inception of National Pancake Day in 2006, IHOP has raised nearly $13 million and given away more than 22 million pancakes to support charities in the communities where it operates.
Problems with the Republican Party
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.
The Republican Party have campaigned to recruit Blacks, minorities and women into the political system. Many, many years ago Blacks people were all Republicans because it was a the party of Abraham Lincoln who was a responsible for freeing the slaves. The Blacks who voted in the early years, voted with the Republican Party.
It’s one thing to say our door is open, yet you can only come in under their policies. There is no way in the world the average Black person can be recruited unless they change their policies.
In the Republican Party there are the Tea Party group and the Brother group. Their main goal is to erase Obama’s place in history. There are people like Ted Nugent, who called the president a ‘sub-human mongol’ and also made the statement that if Obama had a second term one of them will be dead. Here’s a man who campaigned with the Republican Governor of Texas, who openly admits he’s had sex with underage young ladies and used illegal drugs, who is still being accepted by the party leadership.
This is the same party who will not even consider raising the minimum wage, who cut the food stamps budget, who believes that Obama is not an American; a party who will not permit passing an immigration bill, who is working to keep American citizens from voting. This is the same party who gerrymandered across the United States to make sure their people returned to office. When party leaders like Rush Limbaugh, Tom Cruise, Ron Paul, Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly arouse animal instincts in their constituents sprouting hate on their TV station (FOX News), they can’t hope to be successful recruits on the big stage.
In defense of Nick Saban
Nick Saban is being crucified in the media, especially by Paul Finebaum, for no apparent reason. He is saying that Nick Saban has lost the PR battle and is on the wrong side of history at the wrong time. The
only thing that Nick Saban has said, according to reliable sources, is he just brought up the issue for conversational purposes and it should be voted on immediately, if not sooner. When all is said and done, Nick Saban will be the hero.
The other thing they have done, not intentionally, is to make a Mercedes dealership that Nick Saban will own part of successful before the property is purchased and before the building is bought. Some conversations have gone so far as to cut commercials, what they will sound like, etc. All they are doing is making a rich man richer. Nick Saban will own 20-30 percent of the dealership and never put in a penny.
Poor Nick Saban – these people are just jealous and envious.
Hot topic of the week
A local newspaper criticized the City Councillors for playing politics with a building that is to come before the Council whether they want to lease it for several years. The controversy comes because the owner of the building, The Franklin L. Haney Company, gave contributions to most of the Councillors’ political campaigns.
There is nothing wrong with the articles that John Archibald wrote regarding the company, but there is something wrong with this publication passing out the names and emails of the Councilors. There’s nothing illegal about this but the next step is passing out home phone numbers and next passing out home addresses.
Who should be sued for the 10-year-old’s death?
It would seem that Monumental Construction Company should be dismissed from the civil lawsuit brought by the family of the 10-year-old boy who was killed by a flight information display falling on him. According to the evidence, Monumental produced emails noticing the company who was to finish the project that the display was unsafe. Monumental refused to install it.
No now knows how the courts will rule on this, but it should be very clear the case against Monumental should be thrown out.
I am appalled and shocked to hear allegations in the media that Rev. Robert Paul Hollman “deceived” the two women of JCCEO who stole approximately $500,000 from the poor. These statements are wrong, false, untrue, incorrect, erroneous – downright lies! He was nowhere around them and had no communication with them – not by telephone, text, facebook, email, twitter or facsimile. How could he be the impetus behind this when he had no contact with them? Shouldn’t the independent internal audit at JCCEO lead to the two women at JCCEO without any connection to Rev. Hollman? The tragic and ironic nature of this story is that – as we recognize Black History Month – two Black women are being used to destroy and damage the reputation of one of the most successful Black pastors and leaders in our community.
Rev. Hollman did not steal money from the poor; in fact, like the Prophet Isaiah and Jesus of Nazareth he is anointed to preach the Gospel to the poor, he is sent to heal the brokenhearted, and to preach deliverance to the captives. Therefore, Paul has dedicated his life and ministry to serving the poor. To be sure, Paul is a compassionate pastor, prophetic leader, courageous preacher, and a creative businessman. As his friend and colleague, we don’t need him behind bars serving time unjustly; we need him in the community fighting for justice for the poor and working poor.
It is time for the friends, family, and supporters of Rev. Robert Paul Hollman to stand with him and denounce these false accusations. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was correct:
“It is not malicious acts that will do us in but the appalling silence and
indifference of good people. All that is needed for evil to run rampant
is for good women and men to do nothing.”
Somebody needs to say something!
Project 21 member John Meredith released a statement about the vandalism of the statue depicting his civil rights icon father, James Meredith, that is located on the campus of the University of Mississippi.
In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 16, a construction contractor working on the Ole Miss campus reported that he heard two men yelling out racial slurs. Afterward, the contractor said he later found that the life-like bronze statue of James Meredith – the first Black student at the school – had a rope noose around its neck and a pre-2003 Georgia state flag covering its face. That flag contains a version of the Confederate battle flag.
James Meredith’s integration of Ole Miss in 1962, which began with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling favoring his enrollment at the previously all-white school and ended with presidential intervention to quell deadly rioting, was a major turning point in the civil rights era. The statue of James Meredith was unveiled in 2006 and has never before been vandalized. The Ole Miss Alumni Association is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of any perpetrators. The FBI is working with campus law enforcement as the act is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
James Meredith, now 80 and an advocate of early childhood education of basic societal tenets such as the Golden Rule, Ten Commandments and Lord’s Prayer, told the Los Angeles Times: “That just clearly shows that we’re not training our children like the Bible says. They don’t know right and wrong, good and bad and how to apply it to life.”
His son, John Meredith, a founding member of the National Center’s Project 21 Black leadership network, said about the vandalism and the response:
While this type of abhorrent vandalism is deplorable, I think the University of Mississippi is to be commended for its handling of the incident. The speed and determination it has moved with in pursuing justice for this act, coupled with the generous reward offered toward the apprehension of the perpetrators by the alumni association, shows the institution no longer tolerates hateful behavior on its campus or in its name.
Today, I will begin to share with you a subject needed but much avoided by many Christian leaders. It is a known fact that religion in America is a broad subject. There are almost as many views as there are people; such views define a portion of the division among us.
Among today’s church audience, division is the root of a growing sense of apathy. Pain is the language of the natural body. If we attune ourselves to it, we will become aware of issues from within and without. “The Body of Christ” or should I say, The Church, struggles to obtain wholeness for Herself. Each joint of the Body is designed to supply a need. Every single member should have the same care one for the other; and there should be no need of permission from the other parts to function: should the hand require such from the knee in order to work? I speak in terms of fellowship among those who are called by the name Jesus. We are all one Body, children of God by faith in Him.
Those of us who embrace truth, also embrace the fact there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free; there is neither male or female, Black or white, rich or poor, comely or uncomely parts: we are all one in Him.
Today, this same Body has to deal with the instabilities of leadership: their isms and schisms; their control factors, insecurities, manipulations and their lack of trust in God to keep what He has placed in their hands to mold for the kingdom, the congregation. All of these human frailties are only devices used by the devil to divide and conquer.
The pulpit is one of the most influential positions our culture holds. The truth is that no one person (leader) will ever master all of God. We all have been given graces, gifts, and subject matters to bring to The House! Yet, no one person or setting will ever totally prepare any individual for kingdom living: for, though we have but one father, we all have been endowed by Papa, God the Father, with many teachers. It is a sad thing when we are challenged by leadership to choose them over fellowship among the other members of the Body. All things are given unto us!
The Blood has paid the price for the right to fellowship among ourselves. None of us, though we have letters behind our names, have mastery of any level in God. Every revelation is merely a parcel of a greater, and every experience is only a touch of one finger of God.
People should never be ruled by fear/ the fist: neither should they be forced to believe that any one place is greater. They are where they are because of God’s assignment for that season. We do not own God’s people any more than we own our children after they have reached maturity. If you have taught them and trained according to the grace given you, there should be no worry; but, if they have been in a place for 30 years and are still babes, this becomes an issue within itself!
We will meet here again on another day. All said for His glory.
We’ve all heard the old saying that “absolute power corrupts absolutely.” There’s a lot of wisdom in those words. Our founding fathers understood this concept and the necessity for and value of compromise. So when they created our government, they created it to operate within a system of checks and balances in order to avoid extremism. They also created it to prevent too much power from ending up in the hands of a select few.
This system has served our country well for more than 225 years. The compromises our government has made have not always been easy or fair, but they have allowed our government to survive. This has allowed our country to become the most powerful nation on Earth.
Our government works best when we have moderation and serious debate about the issues. A Supermajority is bad no matter which political party has control or who is serving in leadership. It is never good for one side to have too much power. That is why it is so dangerous that we currently have a Supermajority in the Alabama legislature.
By “Supermajority,” I mean that one side has more than two-thirds of the vote in both the state Senate and state House of Representatives. Because they have a two-thirds majority, the Republicans in the Alabama legislature have the power to do whatever they want. If the Democrats didn’t even show up, Republicans could still legally conduct business and pass laws. They have enough members to meet the requirements for the legislature to be in session. At any time, Republicans can end debate and force through any legislation they want.
Over the past four years, Republicans have invoked cloture (forcing an end to debate on a piece of legislation) more times than Democrats did in the previous 136 years!
But this problem goes much further than simply shutting off debate on legislation. The most serious violation committed by the Republican Supermajority happened when they forced through the Accountability Act.
Legislative leaders knew that the Accountability Act would be controversial and that if they tried to pass it through the normal legislative process it would never become law. So they decided to deceive the public by first passing a relatively non-controversial school flexibility bill. Once both the House and Senate passed this bill, the Republicans then switched the bill with what is now the Accountability Act. They then sent it back to the legislature where it was only debated for one hour before it was forced into law.
Because the Accountability Act was passed in this way, the press had no chance to report on it and the public had no opportunity to contact their legislators about it. Democrats in the legislature had only one hour to ask questions about a bill that no one had ever seen before, and the fiscal office had no chance to estimate how much it would cost.
After it was passed, the public outcry came. But the power had gone to the heads of our state leaders. In a March 1, 2013 article in The Birmingham News, Gov. Bentley was quoted saying, “Take away all of this (about) folks that are upset. I don’t care.”
I have never in my life heard a governor tell the voters that he doesn’t care what they think! It is a symptom of the illness that has infected our state government: one side has unlimited power and doesn’t believe they have to answer to anyone—not even the voters.
That is the other problem with the Republican Supermajority: it goes beyond shutting off debate and forcing through legislation. Too many legislators think they are untouchable. They think their elected offices are a right; they are entitled to instead of a privilege they have to earn. Instead of listening to the people back home, these legislators are taking their marching orders from their party leaders in Montgomery.
We need legislators who will be our voices in Montgomery, not politicians who will be Montgomery’s voice to us! We need leaders who put the people back home first and remember who elected them. We need moderation and serious debate before we vote on legislation in Montgomery. The only way we will get these things is if we put an end to the Supermajority and elect state representatives and senators who will be statesmen instead of politicians with a sense of entitlement.
Rep. Craig is a Democrat from Gadsden. He has served as Minority Leader in the Alabama House of Representatives since 2010.
