🌱 Mayor Woodfin Announces Engagement + Birmingham Firefighter Charged

Morning, everybody. Miranda Fraraccio here with your fresh copy of the Birmingham Patch newsletter. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about what's happening in town these days.

Also, FYI: I wanted to let you know that Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Birmingham Patch newsletter and make it their own. We want to pass the torch to someone truly local and in-the-know to write about Birmingham long term. So if you’re interested in earning extra income while making this newsletter a more valuable resource for your neighbors, learn more and apply here.

But first, today's weather:

Partly sunny. High: 63 Low: 45.

📢 I'm looking for business owners and marketers in Birmingham who want to build awareness, connect with customers and increase sales.

I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. If that's you, then I invite you to learn more and secure your spot now.

Here are the top three stories today in Birmingham:

1. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has announced his engagement to Kendra Morris, who he has been dating since 2021. Woodfin proposed to Morris on a recreated first date, which took place at Paper Doll cocktail bar and El Barrio in Birmingham, and the couple celebrated with a “She Said Yes” party afterward. Morris is a real estate broker and has two sons, Aubrey and Mason, whom Woodfin described as "amazing young boys" and is looking forward to blending his family with Morris's. The wedding date has not been set yet. (AL.com)
2. A firefighter from Birmingham, Timothy Gooden, has been charged with firing a gun into a vehicle during a road-rage incident in Homewood. An uninjured man reported that someone shot at his vehicle on Green Springs Highway at Oxmoor Road on Mar. 14 around 9:20 p.m. Homewood Police received the report and arrested Gooden, an employee at Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service, as a suspect in the case. The police investigation indicated that the incident was a result of road rage. (WBRC)
3. On Monday, a man was shot and killed during an argument inside his Birmingham apartment in the 300 block of First Avenue North. The victim was found by police officers who responded to the gunfire detection system at the apartment building. This is one of two deadly shootings that occurred on the same day in Birmingham, bringing the city's total number of homicides to 19 this year. (AL.com)

Today in Birmingham:

• Basketball Open Play, At Levite Jewish Community Center (6:00 AM)
• Stop, Drop & Breathe, At North Birmingham Regional Branch Library (10:30 AM)
• Excel 2010 Basic, At Birmingham Public Library (10:30 AM)

From my notebook:

• Fetch Rewards, a shopping rewards app and consumer data company with a Birmingham office, cut 100 employees, including some locally. (The Business Journals)
• Jackson Browne will be performing songs spanning the length of his career at the Alabama Theatre on Jul. 26! Tickets go on sale Friday at 10:00 a.m. through Ticketmaster. (Alabama Theatre via Facebook)
• Are you looking to make a difference in your community? Here are three reasons to volunteer with Meals on Wheels in Jefferson County. (Bham Now)

You're all caught up for today. See you all tomorrow for another update!

— Miranda Fraraccio

About me: Miranda Fraraccio is a staff writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. She is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island where she earned degrees in Writing & Rhetoric and Communication Studies. In her free time, you can find her traveling, drinking tea, or practicing film photography.