By Rubin E. GrantCheryl Dodson was struggling. Seven years ago, her friend John B. McLemore, a brilliant but eccentric clock repairman from Woodstock in Bibb County, died by suicide.The story surrounding him taking his life is featured in a podcast called “S-Town” that’s been downloaded more than 100 million times.Dodson, who also lives in Woodstock, had … [Read more...]

By Anne RuisiIn 1871, the squalid jumble of tents, shanties and boxcars that eventually became the Magic City sat at one end of a 67-mile railroad gap in North Central Alabama between Birmingham and Decatur. That’s until a North Alabama railroad man, Col. James W. Sloss, struck a deal with the Louisville and Nashville Railroad to close that gap with rail … [Read more...]

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.Steve Ammons practically grew up at the Jefferson County Courthouse, as the son of former Jefferson County Finance Director Don Ammons frequently accompanied his father to work.“Saturdays and sometimes in the summer, during the day,” the younger Ammons, who later became a county commissioner, said. “He always wanted to expose me to … [Read more...]

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens says he’s long looked up to Mike Bolin, and not just because Bolin’s 6-foot-3 frame is greater than Stephens’ 5 foot 8. “To my knowledge, he has been an upstanding individual all of his life,” Stephens said. “If anyone has led a life of public service and has had exemplary character, it … [Read more...]

A health care and wellness-focused development is being planned for the Riverchase area of Hoover.Riverwalk Village is to be a mixed-use community that includes medical offices, walking trails and green spaces, as well as housing and retail areas.“The city of Hoover is excited to unveil this project. It will be a significant development for the metro area,” Hoover Mayor … [Read more...]