Birmingham Star news

Greenwood hosting tourism conference

GREENWOOD, Miss. - Greenwood will host the 2014 Mississippi-Alabama Rural Tourism Conference.The conference focuses on assisting smaller communities in bolstering tourism. The 2014 conference is scheduled for Oct. 20-22."Not only will we get to show off Greenwood to tourism professionals from across the two states, the conference will bring in between 125 to 150 attendees and will have a ...
Dead zone predictions much less spread than 2012

NEW ORLEANS -- Scientists in Michigan and Louisiana are predicting a big summer "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. In the Chesapeake Bay, a smaller than average dead zone is expected.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released predictions Tuesday for areas with too little oxygen to support life.It says the Gulf zone prediction is 7,286 to 8,561 square miles - anywhere ...
Braves Gattis lands on DL with strained oblique

Atlanta Braves rookie Evan Gattis landed on the disabled list with a strained oblique. The injury occurred in the 7th inning of Monday's win over the New York Mets. Gattis struck out looking. Brian McCann was on deck to pinch hit for Gattis in the 9th when Freddie Freeman delivered a two-run walk off home run. Gattis is second on the team in home runs (14) and RBIs (37). Atlanta ...
Revenue Department clarifies tax credit rules

The Alabama Department of Public Safety has issued a missing child alert for a 2-month-old baby. Investigators say De'Anthony Dejuan Kelly was taken by Dor'Sayde Gathright early Monday Morning. ...
Birmingham superintendent defends school performance after state...

Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Craig Witherspoon reacts to 10 city schools being placed on the Alabama Accountability Act failing schools list by the Alabama Department of ...

Birmingham Weather
75.6°F Light Rain
Winds: From the WSW at 4.0 MPH Gusting to 6.0 MPH

Wed

82° 68°

Thu

90° 70°

Fri

88° 72°

Last Updated on June 18, 4:38 PM CDT

Weather sourced from Weather Underground

Movie Review

Footloose [Blu-Ray]

Footloose is a decent movie that arrived at the perfect time. It was released in the early winter of 1984, the same year that MTV fully hit its stride as a cultural institution (by then it reached more than 20 million households), Sony was selling millions o ... ...

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Alabamas new tax credits limited to transfers

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) -- Alabama's Department of Revenue says the state's new private school tax credits don't apply to students who are already in private schools, even though they are zoned for a failing public ...
Missing child alert issued for Birmingham baby

The Alabama Department of Public Safety issued a Missing Child Media Alert after a 2-month-old baby was allegedly taken by a 14-year-old girl early Monday ...
Ala authorities on lookout for infant boy and teen

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Alabama authorities are looking for a missing infant and a teen-aged girl who may be linked to his alleged abduction.The Department of Public Safety issued an alert Tuesday for 2-month-old De'Anthony Dejuan Kelly and 14-year-old Dor'Sayde Gathright.Officials say Gathright walked off with the child while he was being cared for by Gathright's mother, who is the ...
Governor Bentley to reinstate merit raises for state employees

STATEWIDE - Many Alabama state employees are going to get their first raises in five years. Governor Robert Bentley says he plans to reinstate merit raises starting January 1st. State employees got their last merit raises and cost of living raises in 2008. There have been none since then because the recession affected state tax collections. Governor Bentley signed a letter saying state ...
Ala. Rep. Chad Fincher running for US House

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - Republican state Rep. Chad Fincher of Semmes has joined the crowded field to replace U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner in Alabama's 1st District congressional race. The two-term legislator kicked off his campaign Monday. The 39-year-old Fincher owns a real estate agency. He says he decided to run in part because of his struggles and frustrations as a small-business owner. Fincher ...

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They said it

Our nuclear programmes are completely transparent. But we are ready to show greater transparency and make clear for the whole world that the steps of the Islamic Republic of Iran are completely within international frameworks. The sanctions are unfair, the Iranian people are suffering, and our (nuclear) activities are legal. These sanctions are illegal and only benefit Israel.

Hassan Rouhani

Iran's president-elect was speaking after his historic election victory.

Hotel Review

Wyndham New Orleans at Canal Place

On arrival at this hotel the thing that struck us most was the location. It was just meters from the ...

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Record Your Vote

Should tax havens be forced to lift their shroud of secrecy?

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Featured Story

Apple unveils new operating system, refreshed MacBook Airs

Apple Inc. has unveiled an operating system for its iPhones and iPads that will radically overhaul how users' touchscreens look, a top company official said.

Besides the new system, iOS 7, also unveiled was a refreshed MacBook Airs. The company announced an iTunes Radio streaming-music service and a sneak peek at a new Mac Pro that would be the most powerful computer Apple has ever made.

Unveiling Apple's first major product event in nine months in California Monday, chief executive Tim Cook called it "the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone".

Developers assembled for the week-long conference got the first look at a major reworking of Apple's mobile operating system, due in September, CNN reported.

iOS is home to more than 900,000 apps that collectively have earned independent developers $10 billion, according to Apple.

The mobile design, overseen for the first time by new iOS boss Jony Ive, includes new typography, redesigned icons and a new colour palette. The pool-table green background on Game Centre is gone.

Siri, Apple's voice-activated "digital assistant", has become more diverse. Users will be able to choose a male voice -- Siri has been solely a "she" so far -- and can ask it to perform basic tasks like playing a voicemail or turning down the brightness on an iPhone or iPad's screen. ...