By Rubin E. GrantTaylin McCarver isn’t shy about discussing substance use addiction, even though it has caused tremendous pain and grief for her and her family.McCarver’s brother, T.J. McCarver, died in 2018 at the age of 27 after an eight-year struggle with substance use disorder. He was killed in a car accident while under the influence of numerous … [Read more...]

Julia Bell Pope has spent countless days fishing on Wyoming’s scenic Snake River, but she’ll never forget one day in particular. Her fly-fishing client for the day was a 6-year-old girl who arrived dressed head-to-toe in pink — and then learned to fly-fish quicker than anyone Pope had ever seen.“It was like looking at a little version of myself,” Pope recalls upon … [Read more...]

By Madoline Markham KoonceHistory texts can take many forms – including ones as small as matchbooks. That’s what Corey Williams, 28, found when she recently discovered her mom’s collection of matchbooks from Birmingham restaurants and bars from the 1970s and 1980s.“They are tangible and you can hold them in your hand, unlike a lot of things that are vintage items that … [Read more...]

By June MathewsAdream came true in 1990 for Ben and Luanne Russell with the dedication of Children’s Harbor. They had long hoped to provide a place of respite at no cost for seriously ill children and their families, and a picturesque spot on the shores of Lake Martin was the perfect setting.Three-and-a-half decades later, hundreds of families have benefited from the … [Read more...]

By Madoline Markham KoonceMurphy Wright had no idea where his dance moves would take him when he and his friends performed a dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at the Edgewood Elementary School talent show back in 2011 – or that an app called TikTok would even exist.Fast forward to 2024, and the 2018 Homewood High School graduate has danced his way to nearly 830,000 … [Read more...]