ICU Bed Update + Hispanic Heritage Month

Good morning, Birmingham! I hop[e all of y'all had a nice weekend and are ready to face a new week! Well, I'm here to try to enhance the day by getting you informed on what's happening in the metro area. Unfortunately, the weekend in Birmingham involved multiple homicides, and Birmingham police are working those cases now. Also in the news, the state's ICU beds are starting to free up (sort of), but health officials say hospitals in Alabama are still short staffed. Read those stories and more below!

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First, today's weather:

Clear throughout the day. High: 84 Low: 60.

Here are the top stories in Birmingham today:

1. In observance of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Bham Now profiled six Hispanic restaurants around Birmingham to try out. (Bham Now)
2. UAB's HCV and organ transplant program now extends to heart and lung patients, like Colin Tucker, a patient profiled by Alabama NewsCenter in this inspiring story. (Alabama NewsCenter)
3. The Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce will host the Marvel City Family Fun Fest on Sunday, October 3. And the weather should be perfect for it. (WIAT - CBS42.com)
4. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating three homicides after deadly weekend. (Trussvilletribune)
5. State health leaders say despite finally seeing some free ICU beds in some state hospitals, Alabama's hospitals are still stretched thin because of major staffing shortages. (WBRC)
6. Catch up on some of the stories that made headlines in the Birmingham metro this past week on Patch. (Birmingham Patch)

Today in Birmingham:

• Don't miss the 2nd Annual Watermark Place Bridal Expo in Bessemer. (1 p.m.)
• Join the Homewood Public Library for the Educator's Book Club, a club for teachers and education professionals. September's book is Clean Getaway by Nic Stone. (4 p.m.)
• Check out Birmingham Bombshells, a a night to remember with amazing food and cocktails with an even better show featuring Queen Brown Suga Spice, Dyna Divine, Capri Dupree and special guest Cierra Symone Campbell. (6:30 p.m.)

Birmingham Patch Notebook

• In case you missed Alabama Audubon's online course Audubon at Home: Cranes with our friends at International Crane Foundation, you can now watch the recording on their Vimeo page. (Facebook)
• An Alabama woodcutter’s art caught NFL star Derrick Henry’s eye on Twitter. (Details)
• Check out the Alabama Department of Public Health's latest school COVID-19 Dashboard. (Twitter)
• For all you Birmingham area history buffs, check out this photo album from the Hoover Police Department. Some really old photos of the area that are sure to spark some nostalgia. (Facebook)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll be back with more in the morning. If you're into these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. 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? Reach out anytime to michael.seale@patch.com.