By Rubin E. Grant On the eve of the 49th AHSAA Indoor State Championships at the Birmingham CrossPlex, Hoover junior Kyle Smith spent part of the evening praying and, as he put it, “getting my mind focused.” Smith’s time in prayer and meditation was well spent. He won his specialty event, the Class 7A triple jump, Saturday with a leap of 45-07 feet, easily outdistancing his … [Read more...]
AHSAA State Indoor Track Championships: Griffin Comes Up Big Again for Homewood In Class 6A Competition
By Rubin E. Grant The bigger the meet, the better Homewood senior Jasmine Griffin performs. “She’s competitive,” Homewood track and field coach Tom Esslinger said. “She has a killer instinct. When she steps to the line, she’s going to put everything in it, especially in big meets.” Griffin was at her competitive best last weekend in the 49th AHSAA State Indoor Championships … [Read more...]
1 Percent: Homewood Mayor McBrayer Focuses on Making Everything Just a Little Bit Better
By Emily Williams In his annual State of the City address, Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer took to the podium and presented not only the successes of the past year, but the progress he expects those successes to build and how they fit into his bigger picture for the city. “My message to you this afternoon is designed to talk about the past year,” “How did we do? But the message … [Read more...]
Patriots’ Padgett Wants to Walk in Dad’s Footsteps
By Rubin E. Grant Logan Padgett spends as much time with his dad as he can. That’s because Homewood’s 6-foot-6-inch junior forward wants to follow in his dad, Scott Padgett’s, footsteps and become a college basketball player. Scott Padgett played college basketball at Kentucky from 1995 to ‘99, helping the Wildcats win the 1998 NCAA championship. He was a first-round draft … [Read more...]
‘Hitting on All Cylinders’: Mountain Brook Mayor Welch Lays Out His Plans for 2018
By Sam Prickett Stewart Welch doesn’t like talking about the past. The Mountain Brook mayor, now in his second year in office, demurs when asked about his proudest accomplishments so far. “Let me take a little bit of a different angle,” he says after a pause. “My brain is all wired forward, so whatever’s in the past is in the past.”Instead, Welch lays out his plans … [Read more...]