By June MathewsEarlier this year, Rob McDaniel was named a semifinalist for the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef South award. But to his mind, the honor – and what it could become – is not his alone. It rightfully belongs, he said, to the entire team at Helen, a contemporary Southern grill in downtown Birmingham. “At the end of the day, … [Read more...]
The State of Homewood Is Under Development
By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.Give Homewood Mayor Patrick McClusky credit for casting a positive light on what could have been viewed as a negative.Delivering his annual State of the City address to the Homewood Chamber of Commerce at the Valley Hotel, McClusky reported that home sales in the city dropped 21% in 2023, from 390 the year before to 323.“It just means people … [Read more...]
Girl Scouts Starting Construction on Vestavia Hills DreamLab
Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama has broken ground in Vestavia Hills on what will become an 11,300-square-foot multi-use activities center for Scouts and the community. The first of the Scouts’ DreamLabs opened about a year ago, and several have been built across the country since then. Once constructed, the facility in the Vestavia City Center will be the largest … [Read more...]
‘Defining Moment’: Spain Park Swimmer Lands Rowing Scholarship After Devastating Ankle Injury
By Rubin E. GrantSpain Park senior swimmer Ella-Joan Browning is headed to Tennessee on a rowing scholarship, and she has her dogs to partly thank for it.Shortly after Browning and her family moved from Bloomington, Illinois, to the Altadena Woods neighborhood in Hoover in 2021, she fell down a flight of stairs in their home and injured her ankle.For her, she said, … [Read more...]
Lasting Legacy: TurnerBatson Celebrates 100 Years of Pioneering Architectural Design
By Anne RuisiTurnerBatson Architects – the firm that designed Birmingham landmarks such as the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Trinity United Methodist Church and the Hollywood section of Homewood – is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.“It is very rewarding to drive around town to see the lasting legacy of our firm. The relationships and friendships developed … [Read more...]