By Emily Williams The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine have provided Homewood Middle School sixth grade language arts and social studies teacher Leslie Tanner with a learning opportunity as her work and home life truly have collided for the first time. She has been a member of the Homewood Middle School faculty for the past 16 years, taking only brief breaks while she and her … [Read more...]
Sign of the Times: Unsanctioned Mural Spreads Message of Support and Is Picked Up by Others
By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Shawn Fitzwater was confident his latest mural wouldn’t hang around very long. “If I got in trouble over it,” the owner of Fitz Hand Painted Signs said, “I could easily cover it up.” But a funny thing happened on the painter’s trip to buy whitewash. The feel-good message of his mural – We Are All In This Together – struck home and, for now, … [Read more...]
Mountain Brook’s Maintained Forest Is a Jewel in the Crown
By Sam Prickett National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but for the city of Mountain Brook, trees are a constant priority. For more than two decades, the city has been designated a “Tree City USA” by the Arbor Day Foundation, an award that highlights the city’s commitment to tree care. It’s also received the foundation’s more prestigious “Growth … [Read more...]
Living Hope in Cape Town: Keims Journey to South Africa to Work With At-Risk Children
By Rubin E. Grant Austen and Kelsey Keim spent Easter in Cape Town, South Africa. But they were not on a vacation getaway for their third wedding anniversary, which will be April 22, or trying to escape the global coronavirus pandemic that’s sweeping Alabama and the United States. Austin, a former Mountain Brook High School basketball player and youth pastor at Brookwood … [Read more...]
At Home in Hollywood: Couple Downsizing but Admit Leaving Their Tudor Revival House Will Be Hard
By June Mathews Photos by Crimson Home Photography A desire to downsize recently prompted Mike and Farrar Murray to put their Malaga Avenue home on the market. But even with the sweet prospect of freeing up some time and effort in favor of travel and play, leaving the charming Tudor Revival-style home in Homewood’s Hollywood Historic District, where they’ve lived for 18 … [Read more...]