🌱 Two Hoover Schools Among Top In State + 2024 School Year Budget

Hi all. Miranda Fraraccio here with your Thursday edition of the Hoover Patch newsletter. Keep reading to find out all the local news you need to know right now.

But first, your local weather:

• Thursday: Partly sunny and pleasant. High: 88 Low: 70.
• Friday: Partly sunny and nice. High: 85 Low: 70.

Here are the top three stories today in Hoover:

1. Two Hoover schools were included in the U.S. News and World Report's Best High School rankings. Spain Park High School and Hoover High School were both ranked in the top 15 Best High Schools in Alabama. The report also states that Spain Park ranked 684 and Hoover ranked 1,559 out of the 17,680 surveyed schools. (U.S. News and World Report)
2. The Hoover Board of Education has scheduled two public hearings on Sep. 7 and Sep. 12 regarding the school system’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2024. The meeting is expected to review upcoming revenues and expenses and provide information on enrollment, staffing counts, special education, child nutrition, debt, and capital projects. The proposed budget won't be made available to the public until the first meeting and the school board will ultimately vote on the budget following the second public hearing. (Hoover Sun)
3. According to a new market study from Cushman & Wakefield the number of empty office buildings in the nearby Birmingham metro area reached a record high for the decade. Likely spurred by pandemic-induced remote work and downsizing, roughly 20 percent of offices are vacant as of the first quarter of this year, the study says. In the hope of filling vacancies, Birmingham Business Alliance is pushing to bring in more jobs that require an in-person workforce. (AL.com)

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Today and tomorrow in and around Hoover:

Thursday, August 31

• Grand Opening And Ribbon Cutting, HBH Realty At 3000 Galleria Circle (11:00 AM)

Friday, September 1

• Latin Night And Live Music At Cabo Coastal Grill, Birmingham (6:00 PM)

From our partner:

Do you know an outstanding community leader in Hoover? Nominate them here for a chance to be featured on Patch!

From my notebook:

• After reaching record highs in 2022, nationwide rates of catalytic converter thefts appear to be on the decline for the first half of 2023. In Alabama, catalytic converter thefts have decreased by 28.4 percent from 2022, though rates are still up over 1,276 percent from 2019. (BeenVerified)
• Hoover Police Department (HPD) is reporting a phone scam that is circulating in the area where a caller identifies themselves as a Law Enforcement agent. HPD advises to simply hang up. They stress to never give personal information over the phone. Click the link for more information on how to avoid phone scams. (Hoover (AL) Police Department via Facebook)
• Jefferson State Community College is hosting a college night on Sep. 12 for local adults who are considering returning or starting college. The casual event will be held at Jefferson State’s Shelby-Hoover campus and will provide information about resources, programs, and support services available to new students. (Hoover Sun via Facebook)

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You're all caught up for today. I'll see you around!

— 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.