🌱 Hazmat Crews Deployed For Commercial Fire + Bham Flooding Concerns

Happy Saturday, neighbors! Here's what's going on around Birmingham today.

First, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 83 Low: 64.

Here are the top three stories in Birmingham today:

1. Hazmat crews were deployed to a large commercial building fire yesterday. According to the fire department, the fire took place at the Performance Mineral Company, and an unknown chemical caused concern for the surrounding area. All employees and residents within a two-block radius were evacuated. (Alabama's News Leader)
2. A town hall on Thursday at the Boutwell Auditorium featured complaints about flooding in Birmingham. The neighborhood president of Hooper City claims that Mayor Randall Woodfin had promised to address the flooding issues, but there has been no movement since. Read more from the town hall at the link. (WBRC)
3. The Birmingham Botanical Gardens will be hosting an Earth Day celebration today. The free event will feature education and activities for the whole family. Head over to the gardens any time between 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m for all the festivities! (280 Living)

Today in Birmingham:

• 12th Annual Mutt Strut: Dog-Friendly 5k And 1 Mile Fun Run at 1632 Oxmoor Rd (8:00 AM)
• Saturday Matinee: "Madea's Homecoming" at Five Points West Library (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Birmingham Zoo has all kinds of camps for your kids to enjoy this summer. Learn more and register here. (Facebook)
• Alabama Audubon wants you to know about the importance of dark skies for birds. The Audubon is hosting an event tonight to kick off International Dark Sky Week, with additional events next week. (Facebook)
• Birmingham Public Library invites you to hear Dr. Robert Mayer speak about his new book on Monday. The book is called "In The Name of Emmett Till: How the Children of the Mississippi Freedom Struggle Showed Us Tomorrow." Learn more here. (Facebook)

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That's it for today. I'll see you around!

— 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.