English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in Birmingham, AL

Alabama native and hip-hop icon Gucci Mane has two remaining shows left on his 2025 tour, and one is set for Thursday, April 24 at the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham.

Regarded as one of the most influential rappers of the past decade, Mane first came onto the scene after moving from Alabama to Atlanta to establish himself. Since his debut album was released in 2005, Mane has acquired a significant fan base and is currently reaching over 13 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

According to his Spotify bio, Mane has more Top 10 albums on Billboard’s “Top Rap Albums” chart than any other hip-hop artists in history. Some of his most popular album releases include “Mr. Davis,” “Evil Genius,” and “So Icy Gang: The ReUp.”

While his albums do significantly well in the hip-hop community, Mane’s singles also perform exceptionally. Top singles such as “Wake Up in the Sky,” and his most recent release “All Day,” are among Mane’s popular releases on Spotify.

Where can I find last minute tickets to the April 24 show?

Those interested in seeing Mane while he’s in his home state of Alabama can find last minute tickets available for purchase on trusted ticket resell vendor sites such as Vivid Seats, StubHub, Viagogo and Seat Geek. Below you can find the current ticket prices for the upcoming show.

Vivid Seats: Tickets start at $34 per person

StubHub: Tickets start at $30 per person

Viagogo: Tickets start at $32 per person

Seat Geek: Tickets start at $30 per person

Following his upcoming show at the famed Alabama Theatre, Mane has one final show for this year scheduled for May 30 at the Hard Rock Casino in Rockford Illinois. If you want to snag some tickets to this show, you can find tickets still available for purchase on the sites mentioned above.

A new, intimate bar is opening this week in downtown Birmingham! Located at 226 18th St N across from the historic Alabama Theatre, Climaxx is set to open on Friday, April 25.

We spoke with Climaxx owner LaKenya Lowe to learn more about the new project.

Meet Birmingham’s new cocktail bar

When you first step into Climaxx, you may think it feels a little small for a bar—but that’s a feature, not a bug.

“We’ve all been to places where you stand at the bar forever waiting for someone to acknowledge you. My vision for Climaxx is a Cheers-esque, luxury experience where everyone feels welcomed the moment they want into the door. This space is just the right size for that vibe.”

LaKenya Lowe, Owner, Climaxx

A Birmingham native, Climaxx owner LaKenya Lowe saw a need for a new LGBTQ+ friendly lounge after the closures of Our Place Lounge and The Quest last year.

“I’ve always wanted to open a lounge in my hometown, and I wanted to provide a safe, fun space where everyone—not just members of the LGBTQ community—can come and feel welcome.”

LaKenya Lowe, Owner, Climaxx

Located at 226 18th St N, Climaxx is in the heart of Birmingham’s Theater District; across the street from the Alabama and Lyric Theatres and near Majestic Ultra Lounge.

“I was thrilled to find this location for Climaxx; it’s one thing to support and patronize local establishments, but its another to actually open your own space. With Majestic next door and the Alabama Theatre across the street, I feel like we’re all going to work together to uplift this area of the city.”

LaKenya Lowe, Owner, Climaxx

According to LaKenya, Climaxx will employ a team of talented mixologists to bring its cocktail menu to life, including a signature “Climaxx Cocktail.”

Celebrate the grand opening of Climaxx on Friday, April 25

Climaxx will officially open its doors to the public with a grand opening celebration on Friday, April 25.

Follow Climaxx on Instagram to stay up to date on details about the grand opening event.

Follow Bham Now on Instagram and Facebook and sign up for our FREE newsletter to stay up to date on this and many more exciting new additions to The Magic City!

The time has come for decisive reform of the Birmingham Water Works Board, BWWB. For the purpose of accomplishing such reform the undersigned have prepared and are sponsoring in the Legislature of Alabama Senate Bill 330.

This is not a matter of local governance, or an isolated issue confined simply to the City of Birmingham. It is a matter of regional and state-wide concern.

Water is one of the most important resources we have. Water utility companies are at the heart of public health sustainability as they provide communities access to reliable distribution of a substance critical to life itself.

The Birmingham Water Works is THE largest water utility in the state of Alabama, providing life sustaining water to over 775,000 residential and commercial customers in five (5) counties.

While the City of Birmingham is home to only 25 percent of the Water Board’s customer base, it disproportionally controls the Board through its power to appoint two-thirds of the directors. That means that 75 percent of customers, residents and businesses alike, have no meaningful representation or voice in the operation and management of this utility.

This is taxation without representation, the same complaint that led to the Boston tea party, the ride of Paul Revere, the Declaration of Independence, and the leading motive behind the creation of the United States of America.

Perhaps the inadequate representation of the vast majority of the customer base would be overlooked if the BWWB were properly managed using industry best practices. However, the record of the BWWB is a shameful history of corruption, incompetence, and fiscal irresponsibility.

Here are a few facts:

For starters, the BWWB bills and collects for only about half (50 percent) of the water it treats, a level of inefficiency that is unheard of in comparison with other water systems. This “missing” treated water doesn’t just vanish into thin air; it leaks from crumbling, outdated infrastructure and goes unbilled because of outdated and inefficient systems. “Gross mismanagement” are the only words adequate to describe this startling fact.

We have been told that the BWWB is on a 300-year replacement cycle for its pipe infrastructure while industry best practices call for 100 years. At the current rate, some of our children’s great-grandchildren will still be drinking from the BWWB’s current failing and already outdated water mains.

While other water systems modernized with remote meter-reading technology over a decade ago, thus maximizing efficiencies by cutting labor costs, vehicle costs, and billing errors, BWWB still relies on manual meter reading. The improved technology has been available for more than fifteen years, and the delay in adopting it has only made it more expensive. The BWWB’s failure to act in time has made this no-brainer “fix” more costly and the benefits harder to realize.

The rates charged by the BWWB are among the highest in the Southeast which creates an unacceptable barrier to economic growth. Companies looking to invest in Central Alabama are deterred by these unnecessarily high utility costs. Simply put, high water rates make Alabama less competitive.

Appointments made by the City of Birmingham have often led to scandal. Three former board members—Joe W. Reid, Horace Parker, and Sherry Lewis—were each convicted of crimes related to their service on the Board. The BWWB’s poor governance has permanently stained the reputation and betrayed the public trust of the local communities across the region that it serves.

And how has the Board responded to its critics? By spending exorbitantly on lawyers, lobbyists, PR consultants, at times employing multiple law firms, public relations outfits, and lobbyists simultaneously.

Senate Bill 330 will correct the imbalance in the governance of the BWWB. It will bring fairness by accurately reflecting the true makeup of its customers and the communities it serves and finally put an end to a long legacy of inefficiency, waste, and scandal by requiring appointees to actually have qualifications and experience necessary to oversee and lead a utility of BWWB’s size and importance. Reform isn’t just overdue, it is essential to avoid the type of crisis which recently occurred in Jackson, MS, or even worse.

This is not just about Birmingham. It is about protecting Alabama’s economy, the reputation of our State and local governments, and being responsible to customers as well as taxpayers. We urge our colleagues in the Legislature to support SB330, not because it is easy, but because it is right.

A Birmingham-based non-profit is currently working to acquire the city’s historic Powell Avenue Steam Plant to create what one board member calls an inspiration and innovation center for the disabled community.

KultureCity is currently in talks to acquire the property which was once Birmingham’s source for electrical power.

Founded in 2013, KultureCity provides several services to assist those with sensory processing disorders.

The project would be in keeping with the organization’s identity as a nonprofit with the disruptor character of a startup.

Attempts to reach the organization for comment were not immediately successful.

Actress Ming-Na Wen, a KultureCity board member, revealed in an Instagram post Sunday that she met with fellow board members - actress Jae Suh Park, UAB professor and KultureCity co-founder Dr. Michelle Kong, and actor and comedian Ken Jeong - to talk about the project.

In her post, she wrote:

“Now the hard work begins. The VISION? Transforming this massive depilated, abandoned, historical plant into the world’s first center that will provide inspiration, information and innovation for both the disability community and the community at large. It will be home to a museum to showcase & inspire those who’ve achieved in spite of their disabilities, a research facility, a place to offer counsel, info and sensory accessibility. BIG BIG GOALS!”

She also shared artist conceptions of the property.

Wen said she joined the board because of its work with autism, dementia, Parkinson’s, PTSD and other disabilities.

“In my family, we have several members with autism, dementia, and Parkinson’s,” she wrote. “Our son has RP, (retinitis pigmentosa). In fact, 1 in 4 individuals have sensory need or an invisible disability. So most of us are the people this org wants to help.”

The Powell Avenue Steam Plant, which once provided electricity for downtown and powered the city streetcar system, was listed in January for sale with an asking price of $10 million.

Situated at 1830 Powell Ave. S., the plant is listed with Shannon Waltchack, with Len Shannon and Derek Waltchack as brokers.

The 80,105 square foot structure, situated in the heart of downtown, was built in 1895 by the Consolidated Electric Light & Power Co.

In December, Alabama Power announced it was withdrawing from the planned redevelopment of the plant, which came after another plan of the company’s own devising stalled.

In a statement, Alabama Power said that it has “determined that the future of Powell Avenue should be led by a team with more expertise in commercial development.”

The decision came after “much consideration and more than a decade of hard work.”

The plant was acquired by Alabama Power in 1952 and was added in 2015 to the National Register of Historic Places.

Alabama Power and Orchestra Partners, a Birmingham-area real estate development group, announced a plan back in February 2022 to redevelop the steam plant as part of a general project for Parkside.

Alamo Drafthouse would have been the anchor tenant for the redevelopment project, along with retail and dining. It would have been the movie chain’s first location in the Deep South. But Alamo withdrew from the project.

The Alamo Drafthouse redevelopment was the third incarnation of a plan to redevelop the property. Orchestra Partners first unveiled a redevelopment in 2019, and before that, Alabama Power announced its own.

If you drive through Birmingham on Interstate 20/59, there’s no missing the new construction taking place near the Tallapoosa exit.

The frame of a multi-story building is rising on what was once the grounds of the former Stockham Valve property.

When it’s completed, it’ll be the new headquarters for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United.

The official groundbreaking happened in June 2024 and a three-year, $330 million construction project got underway. Now, it’s easier to visualize where the headquarters building will be and how it will serve as a new gateway to the city.

It’s one of the largest investments by a private company in Birmingham history. The new bottling facility will produce Coca-Cola products for Jefferson County and 11 other surrounding counties.

“This new campus will create jobs and secure existing ones, further boosting our economy,” Gov. Kay Ivey said at the groundbreaking.

When the company moves into the new campus in 2027, the facility will retain 750 jobs and add up to 50 more.

The new facility will include a 150,000-square-foot multi-floor office complex and a 300,000- square-foot warehouse featuring the Vertique case picking system that is among the most advanced in the beverage industry. Coca-Cola United has invested in Vertique technology at six of its locations, including Mobile in 2021.

Coke’s new facility, which along with its famous trademark will be highly visible to traffic along Interstate 20/59, will house the Birmingham Coca-Cola sales center as well as Coca-Cola United’s Corporate, Central Region and North Alabama Division headquarters – the latter of which supports the company’s operations in Carbon Hill, Cullman, Florence, Oxford and Tuscaloosa.

Bulldozers began clearing 105 acres in March 2024.

The project was officially announced after approval of city and county incentives.

The company’s Classic Food and Vending arm, customer solutions center and services department will also be based in the new facility. The iconic Coca-Cola brand made its way to the Magic City in 1902 when businessman and community philanthropist Crawford Johnson Sr. opened Birmingham Coca-Cola with a staff consisting of one associate and a borrowed mule named Bird. Johnson and his family went on to open and acquire several bottling franchises throughout the Southeast, and in 1974, the company was incorporated as Coca-Cola UNITED.

The company has operated out of its current facility at 4600 East Lake Blvd. since 1979. Coca-Cola purchased the Stockham Valves and Fittings property in 2013 on 40th Street North, about two miles from its current East Lake Boulevard location.