Archive for February, 2008

Northrop/EADS Wins Tanker Contract

Friday, February 29th, 2008

That is all.

Up Sh*t Creek

Friday, February 29th, 2008

UPDATE:
Jefferson County’s sewer-bond credit rating was cut to junk tonight, increasing the odds of the largest bankruptcy filing ever by a governmental body.
Standard & Poor’s, which ranks the creditworthiness of borrowers, downgraded the county’s sewer bonds to junk status, citing “uncertainty” that the county can make its debt payments.
The downgrade intensifies pressure on the county’s [...]

Alabama Arise

Thursday, February 28th, 2008

I’m off to Alabama Arise Lobby Day in Montgomery.  If you’re free, join us at 9:30 at the state capitol.  Spend some time learning about the issues Arise is working on and then visit with your legislator.  It’s a great opportunity for some face time with the people who are elected to represent you.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

UPDATE on ticket prices: $25, $23 for seniors, $13 for students.
Well, sort of. If you’re in the Birmingham area and you like musical theatre, mark your calendars for the CenterStage Productions presentation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods, which opens on Friday March 7 at the Virginia Samford Theatre (for details on show times [...]

Gas Prices Hit Record High in Birmingham

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

Unleaded is averaging $3.11/gallon in the metro area, up from $2.23 a year ago and $2.91 last month. Ouch! Does anyone else think it’s past time for a good regional public transit system?
It’s definitely time to break out this image again:

60 Minutes on Siegelman

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

If you missed the 60 Minutes segment on the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman, you can watch it here:

Stop the Presses: City Council Exercises Oversight!

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

Last week, Kyle Whitmire reported that Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford was proposing that the city pay $150,000 to the Stuart Group for an assessment of the Public Works Department’s management and operations. That would be this Stuart Group:

WingNutDaily Settles Libel Suit

Sunday, February 24th, 2008

Dear Husband came home from a trip to the in-laws with a copy of the Savannah (TN) Courier from February 21, detailing WorldNetDaily’s settlement of a $165 million libel suit filed by Savannah businessman Clark Jones. Jones is a prominent Democrat who raised funds for Al Gore during the 2000 presidential campaign. WND, [...]

Our Tax Dollars At Work

Saturday, February 23rd, 2008

Remember how the Jefferson County Commission voted to allow two commissioners to give $15,000 to support a conference put on by the right-wing Eagle Forum? Yeah, me too. Despite some outcry from taxpayers, the Commission went ahead with the donation, and yesterday the Eagle Forum brought Phyllis Schlafly to town.
Schlafly, wearing her [...]

It Might Be a Good Time To Dig a Septic Tank

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

Jefferson County failed to find buyers for sewer debt for the second time last week, meaning interest charges could increase as much as $5 million a month.
A Wall Street auction on $784 million of Jefferson County sewer debt failed last week, pushing interest charges the county must pay each month as much as $5 million [...]