By Annie HowardVestavia Hills Fire Chief James St. John clearly remembers the morning of April 27, 2011.He met with the mayor at about 6 a.m. in a city hall conference room to plan for tornadoes sweeping through the city. They set two priorities: helping the injured and clearing the roadways. “The tornado that hit Vestavia Hills hit very early in the morning, and … [Read more...]
Lemonade for Luisa: Vestavia Hills Family Raising Money to Cure Rare Disease
By Sarah KuperOn April 22, a little girl will have a lemonade stand in her Vestavia Hills yard.But this won’t be your average lemonade stand, just like 4-year-old Luisa Morlandt isn’t your average little girl.Diagnosed a few months shy of her second birthday, Luisa has Rett Syndrome. Her lemonade stand, which will include games for kids and offer arts and goods for … [Read more...]
Shauna’s Legacy: Samford Coach Yelton’s Charity Building Home for Ukrainian Orphans
By Lee Davis Over the past 15 years, Todd Yelton has built Samford’s women’s soccer program into one of the best in the Southeast. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs are perennial powers in the Southern Conference and have played in four NCAA Tournaments. In a country far away, Yelton is helping to build something far more important than championships. He is building hope … [Read more...]
Final Four-Men: Spartans and Rebels Lead All-OTM Boys Team
By Lee Davis The 2016-17 boys basketball season will likely be remembered as “The Year of the Spartans,” as Mountain Brook earned its third state championship since 2013. While the Spartans’ epic championship run was undoubtedly a highlight, it wasn’t the only big story of the season. Another was the rise of the unheralded Vestavia Hills Rebels, who hit their stride just in … [Read more...]
Face the Five: Samford Students Put Focus on Mental Health With Awareness Campaign
By Annie Howard Five Samford University students are facing down the culture of silence surrounding mental health. As part of a spring semester program, the students, who are in Samford’s public relations department, were assigned the Campaign to Change Direction as a client. To promote the campaign’s message of mental health awareness, they created a campaign of their own, … [Read more...]