By Keysha DrexelJournal editorDr. Helen Krontiras doesn't take lightly her role in helping women live through what can be the darkest times in their lives.And with the rapid advancements in breast cancer research and treatment, the co-director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Breast Health Center says she thinks a more personalized approach to women's … [Read more...]
A Bewitching Event
By Keysha DrexelLater this month, Janie Ford Mayer will put on the most outlandish witch's costume she can find, deck out her bike with streamers and signs, and ride through the streets of Homewood cackling as loud as she can.And she knows all of that would make her mother proud.Mayer is organizing the second annual Homewood Witches Ride Oct. 30 in an effort to … [Read more...]
Teen Trendsetters: Young Designers Shine in Rising Star Challenge
By Keysha DrexelThe Over the Mountain area was well represented at this year's Birmingham Fashion Week with several local budding designers making it to the final night of a competition in which they had to make garments using unconventional materials.Several of the 40 finalists in the 2014 Rising Design Star Challenge were from Vestavia Hills, Homewood, Hoover, … [Read more...]
Homewood Native Uses Running to Build International Bonds
By Keysha DrexelTracey Abbott says she learned a lot about herself and about setting and reaching goals as a runner.And now almost 21 years after she graduated from Homewood High School, Abbott is coming home to launch a nonprofit aimed at connecting girls from around the world through a shared passion for running.Abbott, who currently lives in New … [Read more...]
Father-Daughter Optometrists Will Show Their Style at Fashion Show
By Keysha DrexelThat old idiom about the apple not falling far from the tree fits Dr. Brooke Kaplan in the most stylish way.Not only is the 32-year-old optometrist in an eye care practice with her father, but she is also following in his fashionable footsteps to help raise money for Mountain Brook schools.Kaplan and her father, Dr. Jack Schaeffer, will … [Read more...]


