wbhm.org http://wbhm.org NPR News and Classical Music en-us Copyright 2003, wbhm.org info@wbhm.org info@wbhm.org daily 1 wbhm.org http://www.wbhm.org/pics/smalllogo.gif http://www.wbhm.org Charter Schools: Do They Work? http://wbhm.org/News/2010/charterschools-efficacy.html There are nearly 5,000 charter schools across the country. They educate more than 1.5 million students. And President Obama wants more. But do they work? There are a handful of charter schools in wealthy communities and, perhaps not surprisingly, they tend to have high test scores. But most charter schools are in low-income, often minority neighborhoods. How do they fare? WBHM's Tanya Ott has our report. John Archibald http://wbhm.org/News/2010/archibald.html Our weekly segment features The Birmingham News columnist John Archibald, discussing the city politic (and county and state politic too). Instead of being unplugged as he is in the newspaper, we offer him a bullhorn. Sort of. March 2010 http://wbhm.org/Tapestry/Mar04-10.html From the Black Belt to the Shoals and beyond. We'll have ideas for things to do outside of Birmingham. Magic City Marketplace http://wbhm.org/News/2010/Magic_City_Marketplace.html The Birmingham marketplace is connected by people who have to grapple with numbers and projections and spin. We try and slice through the psychobabble that can be business news with our occasional segment featuring the editor of the Birmingham Business Journal. Legislative Review and Preview http://wbhm.org/News/2010/legislature.html The Alabama legislature begins its 2010 regular session tomorrow. Legislators will be meeting in the midst of a weak economy with lower tax receipts. It's also an election year. Birmingham-Southern Political Scientist Natalie Davis previews the session with WBHM's Andrew Yeager. Open Secret http://wbhm.org/News/2010/opensecret.htm The Alabama Legislature is about to reach the two month mark of its 2010 session. So far, lawmakers have devoted much of their time to the legality of gambling and the future of the state's prepaid college tuition program. This week, another big issue got some attention in the House--reform of Alabama's 1901 Constitution. Southern Environmentalism http://wbhm.org/News/2010/southernenvironmentalism.html When Forbes Magazine ranked states by their "greenness" the usual suspects topped the list - Vermont, Oregon, and Washington, all progressive states known for their environmental movements. Seven out of the ten "least green" states were in the South, the land of coal mines and timber plots. But as WBHM's Tanya Ott reports there's a growing environmental movement down south and some of its members might surprise you.