🌱 Birmingham Raises Test Scores + City Targets Dangerous Drivers

Hello, neighbors. I'm back in your inbox this morning with all the most important things happening in town today.

First, today's weather:

Cloudy and humid. High: 86 Low: 70.

Here are the top three stories today in Birmingham:

1. Birmingham City Schools elementary students have shown an increase in standardized testing scores. The district also saw a 37 percent increase in students scoring at the highest level of growth in mathematics and 41 percent in literacy arts. Dr. Melvin Love, principal at Oxmoor Valley, says the pandemic made them stronger. (WBRC)
2. A Birmingham surgeon has been accused of witness tampering after examining the organs of late 7-year-old, Kamiya “Cookie” Dufermeau. Dufermeau died as a result of complications from a surgery she’d undergone at Children’s of Alabama to remove her appendix. Her mother, Sherry Robinson, claims that Colin Martin, the surgeon who removed Kamiya’s appendix, engaged in witness tampering through his involvement in her daughter’s autopsy process by visiting the office of the coroner and inspecting her organs before the autopsy was published. (WIAT - CBS42.com)
3. Birmingham city leaders are pushing for tougher laws against illegal street driving. City Councilor Hunter Williams cited the deaths of three people in the past couple of years due to illegal street driving as the reason for the increase in attention. Williams says, “We need to be able to impound the vehicle. We need to be able to look at what other states have done. Most recently, the state of California has passed very strict anti-street racing laws or exhibition laws. We need to look to see what is best practices that would fit the state of Alabama.” (WBRC)

Today in Birmingham:

• Make A Grandparents Day Card At Five Points West Regional Branch Library (9:00 AM)
• Tinker Tales: Preschool Storytime At Homewood Public Library (9:30 AM)
• American Sign Language For Kids At Homewood Public Library (3:30 PM)
• Arts & Oddities Market At True Story Brewing Co. (6:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Tuscaloosa Police Department will be hosting this year's Halloween Carnival at Snow Hinton Park. The change in location offers more space, more games, and more candy. (Tuscaloosa Police Department via Facebook)
• Have you been to The Birmingham Zoo recently? Bataar, a male Pallas' cat, is the father to 4 other boys. His caretaking team affectionately calls him Batman. (The Birmingham Zoo via Facebook)
• Looking for a new home? There are a handful of new houses available in and around Birmingham. We particularly like how dreamy the 30th Street home is with that gorgeous porch. (Birmingham Patch)

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Events:

• Breast Ultrasound Screening Coming Direct to You! (September 9)
• Add your event

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Thursday! I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with a new 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.