🌱 Birmingham Zoo's African Lion + Thanksgiving Grocery Hours

Hello, people of Birmingham! It's me again, Michael Seale, your host of the Birmingham Daily. Some sad news came out of Birmingham Tuesday, as the Birmingham Zoo announced its 16-year-old African lion died after a long bout with lymphoma. Also in the news, Mayor Randall Woodfin was sworn in for his second term at the city's helm. Read more below!

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 61 Low: 40.

Here are the top stories in Birmingham today:

1. Some sad news was released Tuesday by the Birmingham Zoo, as Kwanza, the zoo's 16-year-old African lion, died after battling health issues including kidney disease and lymphoma. (Birmingham Patch)
   
2. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin was sworn in Tuesday for a second term, and vowed to make this term more successful than his first (WBHM)
3. A Birmingham coke plant owned by the West Virginia governor was found to have no license and multiple health violations. (WIAT - CBS42.com)
4. The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport expects to see pre-pandemic passenger levels this month. (WVTM13)
5. Forgot something while preparing your Thanksgiving dinner, well most grocery stores are closed Thursday, but a few are going to be open in the Birmingham metro. (Birmingham Patch)

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Today in Birmingham:

• Movie Matinee — Respect: starring Jennifer Hudson (10:30 a.m.)
• The Brook & The Bluff 4th Annual Thanksgiving Eve Show with special guest Louis Prince (Details)
• Books & Beads To Go - Birmingham Public Library (2 p.m.)
• One of my favorite Alabama bands is playing live at Saturn tonight: Winston Ramble. Great show. (8 p.m.)

Birmingham Patch Notebook

• Your best guide to celebrating Hanukkah in Birmingham 2021. (Bham Now)
• U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh visited Birmingham yesterday to announce the Department of Labor's final rule that will raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour for federal contractors starting Jan. 30, 2022. (Instagram)
• US National Weather Service Birmingham shows lots of sunshine on Wednesday. Full forecast details (including Thanksgiving day forecast) on weather.gov #alwx. (Facebook)
• Birmingham Public Library employees share what they are thankful for as the holidays approach: Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Birmingham Public Library. (Facebook)
• Enroll your kids at the new Aerospace and Aviation Charter School. (Bham Now)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed. I'll see you around! If you're into these newsletters, consider bringing some of your friends and neighbors into the fold. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Michael Seale

About me: I am a lifelong Alabama resident with more than two decades of media under my belt. I have worked for a daily newspaper, a weekly newspaper, a monthly magazine, a television station and a couple of radio stations. I also tried my hand at marketing for a little while. But I love writing news. This opportunity to bring Patch to Birmingham is a chance for my hometown to benefit from a new - and better - way to read and receive news.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Birmingham Daily? Contact me at michael.seale@patch.com.