By Ingrid Schnader Theresa McKibben is gearing up for her performance with the Dill Pickers at the Central Alabama Theater. But before McKibben was one of the seven musicians who make up the Dill Pickers band, she was a little girl begging her mom to let her take piano lessons. “My mother had a terrible experience with piano,” she said. “Her mother made her take (lessons), … [Read more...]
Seventeen Years Later: Speaker Exhorts Americans to Reclaim the Patriotism of 9/11 During OTM Joint Memorial Service
By Ingrid Schnader Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Homewood came together for a joint 9/11 memorial service at Vestavia Hills City Hall. The service marked 17 years since nearly 3,000 people were killed in terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. “This morning we gather to pay tribute and recognize the sacrifice and service of many great Americans on a … [Read more...]
Top Teacher: Award-Winning Biology Teacher Aims to Make Students Think
By Ingrid Schnader When Vestavia Hills High School biology teacher Mary Busbee got off a plane this past summer, she couldn’t believe the notification that popped up on her phone. She had been in Missouri grading AP biology exams. Before the trip, she had been nominated for the 2018 Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Alabama. She didn’t think she would win though; she had … [Read more...]
‘Bitten by the Beatles’: How J. Willoughby Became the Rocker Behind Black Jacket Symphony
By Ingrid Schnader It isn’t hard for Black Jacket Symphony founder and guitarist J. Willoughby to remember what motivated him to pick up a guitar when he was 5 years old. “I got bitten by the Beatles,” he said. “Just became a weird freak about the Beatles at age 4. I mean, I was an only child, and I think it’s because I didn’t have video games to play or anything. I just went … [Read more...]
Keeping Daughters Safe: OTM Communities Come Together for Program on Suicide Among Girls
By Ingrid Schnader Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills school systems will come together Sept. 25 for a program to educate parents about the issues their teenage daughters are facing today. “Calling All Parents: Keeping our Daughters Safe” will be held at the Junior League of Birmingham, 2212 20th Ave. S., from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Dale Wisely, who is a child and … [Read more...]