By June MathewsMargaret Newton was living her best life. Her two married daughters had recently given her a grandchild apiece, one named after her. She felt fine. She was working. She loved her job.“Everything was going great,” she said. “I thought I was at a new stage in my life. I was going to be a working grandmother who babysat on the weekends, and we were all … [Read more...]
Encore: Mary Badham Returns to Her Hometown for Role in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
By Donna CorneliusMost audience members who see the stage version of “To Kill a Mockingbird” will recognize the man playing the role of lawyer Atticus Finch: the Emmy Award-winning Richard Thomas, who’s probably best known as John-Boy on the TV series “The Waltons.”But when the play comes to Birmingham this month, there’s another cast member who likely will be even more … [Read more...]
No-Show Ball Aims to Lower the Rate of Infant Mortality in Alabama
By Rubin E. GrantWith Alabama’s rate of infant deaths among the highest in the nation, the No-Show Ball is hoping to help save the lives of babies.The No-Show Ball is a virtual fundraising event put on by the UAB School of Nursing’s Junior Board of Visitors. Now in its 16th year, all proceeds from this year’s event, on Nov. 5, will benefit the … [Read more...]
‘Dire Need’: Birmingham Families Launch Campaign to Assist Frontline Communities Near Gaza
By Rubin E. GrantFor decades, the Duvdevani family from Birmingham has lived in Moshav Talmei Yosef, a small village of about 300 near Gaza, where residents grow flowers for export.Now, Birmingham is mobilizing to help the moshav and other frontline Israeli communities in the Eshkol region near Gaza as they reel from the surprise attack by Hamas on Oct. 7. The area … [Read more...]
Play On: Homewood Resident Still Making Music With the ASO After 4 Decades
By Rubin E. GrantKevin Kozak was in elementary school, growing up in the northern New Jersey township of Old Tappan, when a musical quartet came to perform and he heard someone play a brass horn for the first time.He loved the sound of it, but little did he know it would become his instrument of choice and he would play the French horn for decades in the Alabama … [Read more...]