By Emily Williams Patti Callahan Henry of Mountain Brook recently was named winner of the 2020 Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer. It is annually awarded by the Monroeville Literary Festival and Alabama Writers’ Forum, named for Harper Lee, author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” who was raised in Monroeville and returned there to spend her later years. “Some … [Read more...]
Burgers and Bourbon: Mountain Brook Becomes Chef’s Mayberry for a Small-Town, Fine-Dining Experience
By Sam Prickett Jon Holland said he started thinking about a second restaurant about three days after he opened the Fig Tree Café. He opened that Cahaba Heights hole-in-the-wall in May 2014, and while it’s grown in the intervening years – from 24 to 98 seats – the idea of a new venture has always been in the back of Holland’s mind, “simply because I love forward … [Read more...]
The Cutting Edge: Dr. John Eagan Jr. Follows in Father’s Wake to Advance Cardiovascular Treatment
By Emily Williams By 2030, the American Heart Association hopes to increase life expectancy in the United States from 66 to 68 and globally from 64 to 67. The goal was rolled out at the beginning of this year, just in time for February, which is identified as National Heart Month. In a report published by the AHA in January 2019, heart disease was the number one cause … [Read more...]
West Homewood Projects Headline McBrayer’s Plans for the Year
By Sam Prickett What’s on the agenda for Homewood in 2020? According to Mayor Scott McBrayer, the plan is to continue to focus on the western side of the city. “For years, nothing was done in West Homewood,” McBrayer said. “I told them when they elected me mayor that just wouldn’t be the case. We’d get things going over there, we’d help people’s property values, and that’s … [Read more...]
Love for Literacy: Better Basics Gala Celebrates Learning, Welcomes New Mathematics Program
By Emily Williams Test scores from 2018 show that 74% of Birmingham City Schools third grade students are reading below their grade level, according to the Alabama State Department of Education. Better Basics, a Birmingham-based children’s literacy nonprofit, is seeking to change those numbers by promoting a love for literacy, as well as other areas of … [Read more...]