🌱 Beware Of Bham Home Repair Scams + BPD Safe Trade Locations

Good day, people of Birmingham! Miranda Fraraccio here with your brand-new edition of the Birmingham Daily.

First, today's weather:

Times of sun and clouds. High: 70 Low: 47.

Here are the top three stories today in Birmingham:

1. The Better Business Bureau Serving Central & South Alabama is warning Birmingham residents of home repair fraud following the damage left by Wednesday's storms. If you're unsure whether or not a contractor is trustworthy, slow down, warns spokesperson Garet Smitherman. "What we really warn people about is to be extra cautious of door-to-door sales," said Smitherman. He added that some people will take advantage of tough situations to take advantage of you and your money. (WBRC)
2. The Birmingham Police Department is working to help citizens find safe trade locations at all precincts. The department wants to provide citizens with a safe place to buy, sell, and exchange goods online as people make more online purchases. The department is hoping to adorn these safe locations with proper lighting, cameras, and a police presence, said Public Information Officer Sgt. Rodarius Mauldin. “You can go inside to our lobbies to exchange,” says Sgt. Mauldin. "The officers will not get involved in your transaction; however, we do have an officer presence there." (WBRC)
3. Mayor Randall Woodfin is calling for gender-neutral bathrooms in Birmingham. "I signed an order requiring all single-stall restrooms on city property to have gender-neutral signage," Woodfin wrote on Twitter this week. “I strongly encourage private businesses within our city to follow this example and push back against discriminatory measures at the state level.” According to Woodfin's tweet, this announcement comes on Trans Day of Visibility. (AL.com)

Today in Birmingham:

• Alabama Audubon Field Trip To Shoal Creek Park And Ebenezer Swamp (7:00 AM)
• Grants Mill Road Clean Up Day - Meet At Church of the Highlands Parking Lot (8:00 AM)
• Spring Into Wellness At the University of Alabama at Birmingham (11:00 AM)

From my notebook:

• The Birmingham Police Department is requesting the public's assistance in the Timothy Pinson Homicide Investigation that occurred on Jan. 1. Read more about the case at the link. (Trussvilletribune)
• Hamilton, 9 to 5, and more are coming to the 2022-23 Broadway in Birmingham Series at The BJCC Concert Hall! Learn how to get tickets at the link. (Bham Now)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll be back in your inbox tomorrow morning with another update.

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a born and raised Rhode Islander, now living in New York. She works as a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island, where she earned a degree in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or photographing her neighborhood as a street photographer.