By Emily Williams As Vestavia Hills Mayor Butch Zaragoza gave his final State of the City address Oct. 11, he recounted his administration’s triumphs as well as its shortcomings. The majority of his presentation, given at the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce’s luncheon, focused on the economic development initiatives that took place during his tenure, with the most notable … [Read more...]
M-Powering and Educating: Local Ministry Boosting Awareness Through Tasty Fundraiser
By Emily Williams At the beginning of the year, Dalton Smith of Vestavia Hills took on the executive director position at M-Power Ministries, a non-profit organization that he knew very little about before he pursued the position. But soon he was a true convert to the mission of the organization, which provides GED and career readiness courses in addition to distributing … [Read more...]
Crossing Lines: The Old Berry School Changes Hands, Now Belongs to Vestavia
By William C. Singleton III The former Berry School property is officially a part of Vestavia Hills now. In recent weeks, the city of Vestavia has annexed the 38.5-acre property off Columbiana Road, and the city school board has closed on the sale of the property for $11 million from the Hoover school system. The property houses a school building, which has been used as a … [Read more...]
Bedside Manner: Arts Education Extends from the Alys Stephens Center to UAB Hospital
By Emily WilliamsThe arts community has been a home for Kimberly Kirklin, a place of comfort throughout much of her life. In her position as director of UAB’s Institute for Arts in Medicine, she is working to share that sense of comfort with patients at UAB Hospital. For nine years, Kirklin served as the director of education and outreach for UAB’s Alys Stephens … [Read more...]
A Whole New Ball Game: Vestavia Native Opens Cashio’s Meatball Market in Lakeview
By Donna Cornelius Mary Susan Cashio is having a ball. The Vestavia Hills native just opened her own restaurant in Birmingham’s Lakeview District. Its main attraction? Meatballs. Cashio’s Meatball Market, which opened Oct. 3, owes its existence to two very different experiences – family dinners in Birmingham and food expeditions in New York City. The young restaurateur … [Read more...]