🌱 Steel City Smooth Jazz Festival Returns + Women's Firearms Safety

Hello again, Birmingham! Important update: You all, as readers, have made the Birmingham Daily so successful that it is my honor to announce the next stage of the newsletter. Patch is looking for a local writer and entrepreneur to take the helm of the Birmingham Daily. Although I have loved getting to know this community, we want to pass the torch to someone truly local 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.

First, today's weather:

Sunshine; breezy in the p.m.. High: 65 Low: 45.

Here are the top three stories in Birmingham today:

1. The Steel City Smooth Jazz Festival is back after a five-year hiatus. The 2022 festival, organized by Cedric Allen, will feature 22 artists including Grammy Award winner Kirk Whalum, the Grammy Award-winning Isley Brothers, saxophonist Boney James, R&B sensation Musiq Soulchild, and Jonathan Butler. The festival, which partnered with the city of Birmingham for its return, will take place on Jun. 17-18 in the historic Linn Park. (WIAT - CBS42.com)
2. The Birmingham Police Department will be holding free firearms safety classes for women beginning this month. The classes are designed to provide new handgun owners a safe environment where they can learn how to properly use their weapons. Participants must bring their own handgun and ammunition to the classes, which will take place on Apr. 23, Jun. 25, and Sept. 24 from 9:00 a.m. until noon at the Birmingham Police Department Firing Range, located at 114 Peggy Lee Lane. (WVTM13 Birmingham)
3. A Birmingham man was charged in the deaths of his 3-year-old son and 62-year-old mother over the weekend. According to an announcement from the Birmingham Police Department on Tuesday, 31-year-old Desmond Burt Sr. has been charged with two counts of capital murder in a double homicide. The suspect was taken into custody at the scene on Sunday and will be in the Jefferson County Jail on no bond. (WVTM13 Birmingham)

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Today in Birmingham:

• Make-A-Basket, At Southside Branch Library (9:00 AM)
• Spring Into Fitness, At West End Branch Library (10:30 AM)

From my notebook:

• For the first time in seven years, Garth Brooks is set to perform in Birmingham at the Protective Stadium on Saturday, Jun. 4 at 7:00 p.m. (WVTM13 Birmingham)
• Crews are beginning to paint the bike and flex lanes downtown today, which will result in the closure of 20th Street North for four days in front of parking deck three. (WVTM13 Birmingham)
• If you're searching for a job, check out who's hiring in the Birmingham area. (Patch)

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

— 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.