BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – AT&T has provided funding in the amount of $12,250 to the Birmingham Urban League to support the Urban Youth Empowerment Program Now

(UYEP Now). This comprehensive education and training initiative is designed to engage juvenile offenders, ages 14-18, and prepare them for entry into the workforce. In addition to improving educational and vocational skills, UYEP Now participants complete short-term internships and service-learning projects that provide opportunities for them to give back to the community.
“The education and training of Alabama’s youth will yield tremendous results for our future, as these young men and women will one day use their skills to move our communities forward. As such, AT&T is very proud to be a part of this Urban League initiative, which will both educate and prepare teens to give back to their communities,” said AT&T Alabama President Fred McCallum. “This support will spur others to go forth, do more, and give back, so it really is an investment in Birmingham’s future.”
Elaine S. Jackson, Urban League President and CEO said, “We appreciate AT&T’s support of this comprehensive training model that specifically targets nonviolent juvenile offenders. This funding will assist in bringing on an Academic Tutor to provide needs-based educational enrichment for applicants the Urban League was unable to enroll due to test scores that fell below the program requirement for reading and math. This grant will directly aid young people on their path to obtaining a GED/Diploma.”

The Urban Youth Empowerment Program Now (UYEP Now) is a training model developed by the National Urban League and funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, Education and Training Administration. For more information about the Urban Youth Empowerment Program, call (205) 326-0162.

Shooting Death Investigation Update   
 
The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives have received a ruling from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office on a shooting death investigation. The incident occurred on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at approximately 1:20 a.m., at 737 Barcelona Court.

The fatal shooting victim/suspect has been identified as:
Devery Bell, B/M, 25, of Birmingham, Alabama.

Homicide investigators presented the case to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney’s office advised investigators that no charges will be filed against the apartment resident due to the fact that the suspects/shooting victims were committing a crime when the shooting occurred. The District Attorney’s office advised that the shooting will be ruled as justifiable. The District Attorney’s office also advised that the surviving gunshot victim will be charged with felony murder because he initiated the circumstances that led to the victim’s death as both suspects/shooting victims attempted to burglarize the resident’s apartment.

The surviving shooting victim/suspect has been identified as:
Michael Jones, B/M, 25, of Birmingham, Alabama. A Felony Murder warrant has been obtained against the suspect.

Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper states, “It’s obvious that this senseless burglary act created an even larger danger to all who were involved. The ultimate consequences of the suspects’ reckless behavior affected them and each of their families. There truly are no winners in this case.”

Homicide Investigation Update

The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives have arrested and charged a suspect in connection with a homicide investigation. The incident occurred on Thursday, June 20, 2013, at approximately 11:55 p.m., at 2964 Gallant Drive.

The victim has been identified as:
Corey Jordan, B/M, 26, of 2964 Gallant Drive, Birmingham, Alabama.

The suspect has been identified as:
Abdo Zawkri, W/M, 21, of Birmingham, Alabama. A Capital Murder warrant with no bond has been obtained against the suspect.

The suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday, October 2, 2013 by the Birmingham Police Department’s Crime Reduction Team. The suspect is currently in the custody of the Jefferson County Jail.

Homicide Investigation

The Birmingham Police Department reports that detectives are conducting a homicide investigation. The incident was discovered on Saturday, October 5, 2013, at approximately 5:20 a.m., at 903 6th Avenue South.

The victim has been identified as:
William Daniels, B/M, 31, of Birmingham, Alabama.

Officers from the South Precinct responded to the incident location to investigate a report of a traffic accident. Upon arrival, officers located two subjects inside a wrecked vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds. Birmingham Fire and Rescue arrived and pronounced the victim deceased. The second victim was transported to U.A.B. Hospital for treatment of his injuries. The surviving victim remains in serious condition.
Officers received initial information that the incident occurred in the City of Midfield. Investigators from the Midfield Police Department responded to initiate an investigation. Further investigation later revealed that the incident occurred at #15 Graymont Avenue North. After receiving this information, Birmingham Police Department homicide investigators collaborated with MPD investigators and acquired jurisdiction of the case.
There are no arrests in this case.
If there is anyone who has information pertaining to the case, they are encouraged to contact the B.P.D. at 254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 254-7777.

Vice Operation   

The Birmingham Police Department reports that vice detectives have executed an operation to address obscene activity. The operation was executed on Thursday, October 3, 2013 at Veterans Memorial Park, located at 100 Old Overton Road.
Citizens’ complaints led detectives to the location to address reported incidents on the property. Upon execution of the operation, investigators arrested several subjects on charges ranging from Indecent Proposal to Physical Harassment.
BPD Lieutenant Ron Sellers states, “The Birmingham Vice Unit has a zero tolerance for these types of acts happening at public or private parks. We will monitor this location and make any and all appropriate arrests until these acts stop.“

   The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) will present a teacher workshop,” Children’s Literature and the Civil Rights Movement” on Saturday, October 12, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in BCRI’s Woods Community Meeting Room. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will provide tools and resources to assist teachers in incorporating children’s literature in the teaching of the civil rights movement. According to Ahmad Ward, Head of Education and Exhibitions for BCRI, “Children need to learn their history, even the ugly parts, in order to learn from past mistakes and keep moving forward.” Registration for the workshop is required. Lunch will be provided and space is limited. Please contact Sam Pugh at spugh@bcri.org or 205-328-9696 x 246 to register for the event.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday approved funding for the 72nd Annual Magic City Classic, agreeing to $590,000 in contractual and discretionary spending. The match-up between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University, scheduled for Saturday, October 26, at Legion Field has a huge economic impact on the City of more than $20 million annually.
The approved funding supports the schools and scholarships, shuttle service, communications, marketing, and other essential resources necessary to entertain the hundreds of thousands of folk in town for the annual attraction.
“The Council supports the Classic and the impact it has on our city and will continue supporting the Classic for many years to come. We just have to make sure that we are good stewards of the tax payer’s dollars,” said Council President Roderick Royal. “We requested a more detailed spending report from the administration this year and they provided us with that.”
The Magic City Classic has been played at Legion Field since 1946 between two of Alabama’s largest historically Black universities: Alabama A&M and Alabama State. Activities surrounding the game include a parade, battle of the bands, a kick-off luncheon, pre- and post-game entertainment and tailgating.
Over 66,000 attend the game each year with an estimated 40,000 tailgating around Legion Field.

From Staff Reports
State Representative Juandalynn Givan continues to search for answers in the sudden closing of the George Washington Carver Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The cemetery where civil rights martyr Virgil Ware is buried and where his father was buried closed a month ago. It is also the final resting place of Erica Arrington, the daughter of Richard Arrington Jr., the first African American Mayor of the City of Birmingham.
On Wednesday before the funeral for James Ware Sr., the manager on site told employees that the cemetery was closing and that the final funeral would be that Saturday. She couldn’t say what comes next. George Washington Carver Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in the state, closed without any prior notice to their customers or patrons who have family members buried there, or who have purchased burial plots or graves for future burial services.
The phone has been disconnected at George Washington Carver Memorial Gardens. The office was closed Thursday morning and one of the gates was locked. Neighbors and frequent visitors say it’s usually open at that time of day. A number of customers are worried about what the future holds for their departed loved ones and for prepaid cemetery plots. Many carloads of concerned customers have shown up looking for answers, but there was no one from the management to greet them. The citizens are outraged by the blatant malfeasance and breach of fiduciary duty of the owner.
Records with the Alabama Department of Insurance show that Carver Cemetery has been operating without the necessary Certificate of Authority or Endowment Trust. Under Alabama law, funeral homes and cemeteries are required to maintain a log of all preneed merchandise and services sales. Endowment care cemeteries are required to maintain a log of all cemetery property sales. A preneed entity that is a combination funeral home/cemetery must maintain both logs. The logs should show all transactions made since April 30, 2002. All funeral homes and endowment care cemeteries had until April 1, 2010, to construct the log(s) with all historical information from April 30, 2002 to the end of the 2009 calendar year. The logs must be available for inspection as of April 1, 2010. There is also no record of an Annual Endowment Trust report being filed with the State. 
 The President and CEO of Carver, Louie Reese III, is represented by attorney Andrew J. Potts with Baker Donaldson, one of the biggest firms in the state and Fred Garfield of Spain Gillon. State Representative Juandalynn Givan has spoken with the Governor’s Office, Attorney General’s Office and the Department of insurance. Each has begun looking into this matter.
 “The people affected by this matter are absolutely distraught and feel they have been ripped off and defrauded. “ This situation has left many citizens emotionally distraught, said Givan “ 
 Givan states that the  keys issues are as follows for many of the affected citizens:

1.  What happens to the thousands of dollars paid by these consumers. Who will honor the burials.
2.  Who will maintain the grounds and graves that have been paid for. If the owner has violated any laws.
3.  If the state failed to regulate and govern over the cemetery.

The City of Birmingham’s Mayor, City Council and School Board Officials will be officially sworn in on Tuesday, October 22, 2013. The Mayor and City Council Inauguration Ceremony will take place on short 20th Street in front of City Hall at 9 a.m. with Council Meeting immediately following in City Council Chambers. School Board officials will be sworn in at 6 p.m. at Carver High School.
A joint reception for all officials will take place at Boutwell Auditorium starting at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30. The public is encouraged to be a part of this historic day in the City of Birmingham.

Special for the Birmingham Times

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Holy Family Cristo Rey Catholic High School’s work-study model depends on companies willing to invest in the lives of young people.
Birmingham-based law firm Christian & Small is doing just that this fall by covering the cost of a full year internship for Holy Family Cristo Rey junior Alexandria Thomas at Childcare Resources, a downtown Birmingham nonprofit.
Myra Davis, financial assistance coordinator who supervises Alexandria at Childcare Resources, said she plays a vital role for the agency that assists families needing information on financial assistance through the Supplemental Child Care Program and other needs. Five days a month, Alexandria restocks forms and prepares folders for clients, including pamphlets on free tax preparation seminars, Childcare Resources Guide to Choosing Child Care, and forms with the number clients can call for assistance. She also does computer data entry on providers and other work to assist Ms. Davis around the office.
“What Alexandria does is so important,” Ms. Davis said. It is time-consuming. She frees me up to do other things. Alexandria always has a smile on her face and is well-groomed and polite. She is an example of the great students being produced at Holy Family.”
Alexandria, who Ms. Davis says during three years at Childcare Resources has progressed from a shy teenager to a confident junior, said she gets a joy out of working there. “I love the fact that I am helping people in need,” she said.
The future pediatrician, who plans to attend college at UAB, Alabama State or the University of Alabama and medical school at UAB, said the lessons she is learning at Childcare Resources have helped her excel better in the classroom and prepared her for life in and after college. “Being at Holy Family has made me a better student,” Alexandria said.
Joan Wright, executive director at Childcare Resources, said Christian & Small is to be commended for investing in student’s lives at Holy Family Cristo Rey by sponsoring Alexandria’s internship this year.
“We want children to get the best life possible, and college is a big part of that,” Ms. Wright said. “Christian & Small by supporting Alexandria is showing that they care about the community.”
Christian & Small Managing Partner Deborah Alley Smith said the firm believes education is at the heart of economic and community development.
“It is rewarding for us to sponsor a student like Alexandria because we see the impact she is having in the workplace and the professional experience she is gaining,” Ms. Smith said. “With the education Alexandria is receiving at Holy Family, and the practical experience she is gaining at Childcare Resources,  Alexandria is on target to accomplish her academic and professional goals.”
Childcare Resources, founded in 1984 as a United Way initiative to help the community, serves clients in Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, and Walker counties. Ms. Wright said Alexandria takes a lot of pride in her work and it shows . “She is very responsible, we don’t have to babysit her,” Ms. Wright said. “Alexandria is getting exposed to a professional work environment at a young age.”
Since 2007, Holy Family Cristo Rey has been a part of the Chicago-based Cristo Rey Network, a group of 25 private college preparatory high schools across the country that have a unique work-study model. Students work one day a week at 80 plus corporate partners across metro Birmingham, offsetting 70 percent of the cost of their tuition.

Businesses interested in hiring a student intern or sponsoring a nonprofit should call Corporate Internship Program Director Kirk Mitchell at 205-253-0139 or email him at kmitchell@hfcristorey.org. For information on Holy Family Cristo Rey, go to www.hfcristorey.org.