By Andrew CottenEvery morning at Mountain Brook Junior High, Karen Shaw takes her place at the crosswalk. Rain or shine, she shows up all the same, long before most of her colleagues arrive. Karen could do the job quietly, with nothing more than a watchful eye, but she never does. A stranger to none and a mother to all, she offers a quick hug or a kind hello to … [Read more...]
Vestavia Hills Sports Hall of Fame ceremony honors Senator Jabo Waggoner with stadium dedication
By Loyd McIntoshThe Third Annual Leadoff Dinner and Vestavia Hills Sports Hall of Fame ceremony drew a star-studded crowd, including keynote speaker Paul Finebaum, to the Vestavia Hills Civic Center on January 15. The evening culminated with the dedication of the new Vestavia Hills High School baseball complex in honor of longtime Alabama State Senator and Vestavia Hills … [Read more...]
Partners in Health: Virginia Brady and Virginia Wahlheim pull from personal experience to help guide clients on their health journeys.
By Barry Wise SmithPhoto by Erica Dortch PhotographyVirginia Brady received her first autoimmune disorder diagnosis when she was in just fourth grade. In middle school, she got another autoimmune diagnosis, and “it just seemed to cascade from there,” Brady says. “It was a never-ending string of autoimmune diagnoses.” Brady was born and raised in Mountain Brook, … [Read more...]
King Ree Takes the Throne: Ree Sherer Reigns as the 59th King of the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball.
By Barry Wise Smith Photo by Jordan WaldFor Ree Sherer, the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball has been the backdrop for some very important life moments. His first “official” date with his wife Val was to the Ball in 1980, and both of their daughters were presented as ladies in waiting—Val Sherer Noble in 2008 and Elizabeth Palmer Sherer Bray in 2010. Now in 2026, Ree has … [Read more...]
Serendipity: sombr drummer Mitch Prewitt is in the right place at the right time.
By Brent ThompsonThough Homewood High School graduate Mitch Prewitt has performed on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live and the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) as the touring drummer for the crazy popular act sombr, Prewitt has a ritual that keeps him tethered to his Birmingham roots. “Right before I go on, I text Homewood’s … [Read more...]