Birmingham, Ala., Mayor William Bell. (The Birmingham News/ Michelle Williams)The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority is close to meeting several reforms demanded by Mayor William Bell, including the selection of a permanent director and independent reviews of the organization.

The transit board next week will vote for an executive director from among three finalists, said BJCTA Chairman Guin Robinson.

The finalists are Peter Behrman, former assistant director for the Port Authority of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh; William Copling, current interim director of the transit service; and Taulby Roach, a St. Louis-based consultant.

The City Council last month approved a plan from Bell to give the BJCTA three months of additional funding. His plan also called for new management, an independent committee review of the system and a blue ribbon committee appointed by the mayor. Both groups will review the system's operations and make recommendations.

Transit officials had said the city's bus service would end Feb. 28 without the additional $3 million.

In addition, the American Public Transportation Association finalized plans Tuesday to send three mass transit CEOs from around the country to Birmingham for a weeklong analysis of the BJCTA. The group will then write a report with recommendations for improving the system. The site visit is set for mid-May.

"It will be incredibly intense for three to five days," Robinson said. "They know the questions to ask and what to look for, and they are professionals in those particular areas."

Members of the blue ribbon committee also have been named. That group of a dozen includes transit advocates, business leaders and financial experts. Bell has said the groups' reports would help the city as it considers additional financial support for the BJCTA.

Bell went to Washington this week for the National League of Cities conference and to lobby Congress for $5 million to buy eight to 10 buses in addition to pitching for additional federal support for the struggling system.

Marva Douglas, a mass transit advocate from Midfield, is among the dozen members of Bell's blue ribbon committee. Douglas said she hopes the committee will be used to promote the need for reliable mass transit funding among state leaders.

"I am very proud to be on the panel and I would like to do whatever I can to ... (assure) we get better transit," Douglas said. "I want to tell the story of the value of mass transit."

Robinson said the activities of both review committees will complement each other.

"I'm of the opinion that the more eyes and the more ideas we have the better off we're going to be," he said. "Three months will be a very important benchmark for the organization."

Bell also wants the BJCTA to retire its debt by the end of the year, a plan Robinson said already is under way. The BJCTA has total debt of less than $500,000. Debt reduction has been a focus since December 2004, when the system faced bills totaling $5 million that threatened to shut down bus service. The debts were restructured in 2005.

E-mail: jbryant@bhamnews.com

Links to news stories from around Alabama:

A Florence man on probation for a robbery in which he lost a piece of his nose is now in jail in Tuscumbia after a fight with a girlfriend. -- (Florence Times Daily)

An Alabama National Guard military police unit based in Clanton given send off as it heads for duty in Iraq and Kuwait. -- (Clanton Advertiser) 

Three Cullman County fire departments receive $400,000 in federal grants. -- (Cullman Times)

Gadsden pedestrian in critical condition in Birmingham hospital after being struck by vehicle. -- (Gadsden Times)

Heflin mayor relieves police chief, citing budget; police chief says he can't talk. -- (Cleburne News)

Enterprise police arrest woman in Friday morning shooting of second woman. -- (Dothan Eagle)

A Tennessee woman was killed Thursday night when the tires of a tractor-trailer rig hit her head after she apparantly jumped from the slowing truck on Interstate 59 in DeKalb County, the Gadsden Times reports.

DeKalb County officials said the truck driver told them he and woman were arguing when she demanded to get out between Fort Payne and Collinsville. As the driver slowed, the woman, whose name has not been released, leaped and was struck, according to the newspaper.

The Webb Building, on the southwest corner of 20th Street and Second Avenue North, was built in 1871 by Capt. J.B. Webb and was originally home to the Dude Saloon.(The Birmingham News/Linda Stelter)A vacant building on one of downtown's most prominent corners is about to get a makeover.

Known as the Webb Building, the three-story property on the southwest corner of 20th Street and Second Avenue North suffered damage in wind storms this winter.

Owner George Ladd of Ladd Real Estate Management Co. hired architect Pete Pritchard to look at repairing the building.

"We looked at fixing the damage and the owner decided if they were going to spend money repairing it, they should go ahead and fix it up to make it more attractive for leasing," Pritchard said.

Pritchard's plan calls for adding a new fiber cement panel to repair the damage and then painting that along with the stucco that makes up the rest of the building. Cleaning the windows and glass storefront is also in the plans.

To make the building stand out on that prominent piece of real estate, Pritchard proposes adding a shiny metallic "floating horizontal" sign between the ground floor and the second floor that would be backlit and would eventually include bold lettering for a future tenant.

A metal awning on the corner doorway to the building would add attention to that feature.

Pritchard's plans were approved by the Birmingham Design and Review Committee earlier thismonth, green-lighting the redevelopment.

Ladd said he doesn't have an estimate on the costs yet because bids are not in on the project. He said he hopes it will make that corner more attractive to potential tenants.

"We're dressing it up," Ladd said. "We don't have any plans. Hopefully we can get some activity, but I don't have a specific prospect."

Ladd owns other buildings on the block and said it's difficult dealing with all of the empty space and lack of activity.

"We're trying to fix that corner up and keep things looking good as best we can despite the vacancies," he said. "That whole half block is vacant except for the hot dog place."

Pete's Famous Hot Dogs is one of downtown's smallest and most enduring businesses and is wedged in between the Webb Building and another larger building on Second Avenue North.

The Webb Building was built in 1871 by Capt. J.B. Webb and was originally home to the Dude Saloon, according to a history on the building in the book "Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide" by Marjorie White of the Birmingham Historical Society.

The book said the building is believed to have been the first three-story brick building downtown, evidence of which is visible due to the wind damage that stripped the concrete and stucco away from a portion of the building.

The Dude Saloon operated "an elaborate and beautifully furnished" restaurant and men-only bar along with a boarding house upstairs until 1907, the book said. The building was renovated in 1915 and has been home to a number of businesses, including Pope Jewelers and Yogo's Frosty Frozen Yogurt.

Architect Pete Pritchard's plans for the building were approved by the Birmingham Design and Review Committee earlier this month.(Special)

Ladd said the building's design and location lends itself to a number of possibilities.

"It could work for a restaurant, a retail store," he said. "It has a lot of potential uses but it's not designed for a specific use."

It was 43 degrees at 6 a.m. in metro Birmingham as the area begins a Saturday that promises to be pleasant with a high near 73 degrees and sunshine, according to the National Weather Service.

The good weather won't last, according to the forecast. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm will move into the area after midnight.

Sunday has an 80 percent chance rain and thunderstorms before 1 p.m. and then rain continuing the remainder of the day. The high is expected to be only about 56 degrees.

The rain threat remains at 50 percent Sunday night and slowly fades during Monday which willo have a high of about 50 degrees after an overnight low of about 38 degrees.

Follow weather developments in the al.com Weather Center.

The stock and options Regions Financial Corp. executives were awarded last year -- which caused a furor because they were granted within days of the suspension of retirement benefit contributions for the rank-and-file -- might wind up being worth less than originally thought.

The Birmingham-based company said so in regulatory documents filed last week that detailed 2009 executive pay, the latest period for which the company must disclose such information, citing new government executive pay rules.

The stock and stock option awards were granted on Feb. 24, 2009, when top executives were given stock and options to buy stock that totaled 5.3 million shares. A few days later, the company said it was suspending contributions to the employee 401(k) plan and the traditional pension program.

Such awards are a contingent part of executive compensation. Share prices go up and down, and so do the value of restricted stock awards and options, which in most cases can't be turned into cash for a period of years.

But such awards are also a lucrative part of compensation. Outgoing Chief Executive Dowd Ritter's combined stock and option award compensation for 2009 was $6.6 million. Ritter is retiring March 31.

The awards are also big for incoming CEO Grayson Hall, who was president in 2009. His stock and option compensation for 2009 was $2.6 million, according to the Regions filing.

But there is a big fly in the ointment for the executives: the Troubled Assets Relief Program.

In November 2008, Regions accepted $3.5 billion in bailout investment cash from the U.S. Treasury, to bolster the balance sheet after high losses on unpaid real-estate loans. The money came with strings attached.

Last year, the Treasury Department promulgated regulations prohibiting "restricted stock" from qualifying for eventual transformation into cash during any period during which TARP investments have yet to be repaid by the affected company.

"Pursuant to the provisions of TARP, the value may not inure to the benefit of executive as long as Regions remains a TARP participant," reads Regions' Securities and Exchange Commission filing from last week. "It is likely that executives will not receive the entire amount."

It might be costly for the executives. The stock and options granted in February 2009 were awarded just as the company's share price was rebounding from an all-time low amid the bank and credit crisis. On Feb. 9, 2009, Regions shares closed at $2.35. Two weeks later, when the awards were made, shares closed at $3.29. That means at any price below $3.29, the executives would have no incentive to sell the shares or exercise the options to buy shares based on the $3.29 per share awards.

But since Feb. 24, 2009, Regions shares have rallied spectacularly. Shares closed Friday at $7.38, more than double what they were when the awards were made.

Regions spokesman Tim Deighton said Regions' board customarily makes stock and option awards in February.

"The unit value of the options and restricted stock was determined by the market," Deighton said. "They are based on the market closing price on the day they were granted."

E-mail: rhubbard@bhamnews.com

Birmingham Mayor William Bell has named a panel to recommend transit reforms.

The list of panel members.

Here, also, are the resumes of the three finalists for the BJCTA executive director. The board is expected to vote March 24, 2010.

The finalists are Peter Behrman, former assistant director for the Port Authority of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh; William Copling, the current interim director; and Taulby Roach, a St. Louis-based consultant.

TUSKEGEE -- A judge allowed the Governor's Task Force on Illegal Gambling to resume investigations Friday in every Alabama county except Macon, where the state's largest electronic bingo casino operates.

Macon County Circuit Judge Tom Young had restrained the task force on March 5 from operating in every Alabama county except Mobile, where task force commander John Tyson serves as district attorney.

Young revised his order during a court hearing Friday. "It was never intended to restrict anything other than Macon County," he said.

Tyson said that ends a two-week hiatus for the task force.

However, on March 8, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert S. Vance Jr. ordered Attorney General Troy King to take over the task force. Vance gave King until Monday to advise him of what he intends to do in the bingo cases.

Tyson would not say what the task force's next step would be, but at one point during the hearing Friday, he told the judge, "I intend to go to Greene County, your honor."

Greene County is home to Greenetrack, one of a handful of electronic bingo casinos still operating in the state. Tyson argues that the electronic bingo machines there and at other locations are illegal slot machines, but some Greene County officials have vowed to block any raid conducted without a search warrant.

VictoryLand, with more than 6,000 machines, is the state's largest casino and the largest taxpayer in rural Macon County.

It was closed for more than a month to block a raid by Tyson's task force, but it reopened its casino about 15 minutes after the judge issued the restraining order against Tyson on March 5. Since then VictoryLand's restaurants and other attractions have reopened on a gradual basis, with its last attraction, the dog track, resuming racing Friday evening.

Young's hearing Friday was on a lawsuit filed by the Macon County district attorney, sheriff and others, who contend Tyson and the task force lack authority in Macon County because county officials did not seek their help. They argue that Tyson is illegally usurping the power of the sheriff and district attorney to handle law enforcement matters in their county.

The hearing on the lawsuit will wrap up Monday, when the judge will decide whether to continue his order against Tyson and the task force taking any actions in Macon County. Tyson has already asked the Alabama Supreme Court to block any restraints imposed by the judge.

During Friday's hearing, Tyson and Macon County District Attorney Paul Jones had several heated exchanges.

"You are acting as the district attorney in Macon County and you have not been elected in Macon County," Jones told Tyson.

Tyson said he made plans to raid VictoryLand because of the district attorney's inaction.

"You have made it crystal clear you are not going to enforce the illegal gambling statutes in Macon County," Tyson said.

Tyson spent most of the day on the witness stand answering questions from attorneys representing county officials and county residents. At one point, he accused some of the county's attorneys of taking "cheap shots" at him.

During questioning from one attorney, Tyson acknowledged that the governor supplied him with a state plane to fly him and his wife from Mobile to Friday's hearing.

Attorneys also pointed out that Tyson sought and received campaign contributions from VictoryLand owner Milton McGregor during his unsuccessful race for attorney general in 2006.

Spring officially arrives Saturday, but come Monday there might be some reminders of this year's bitterly cold winter in the Birmingham area, according to the National Weather Service.
 
Skies will be clear tonight with a low around 42.

Saturday's forecast calls for sunny skies with a high near 73, but storms are expected to come through late tomorrow night and early Sunday. There is a 40 percent to 50 percent chance of rain Sunday and Monday, and temperatures are expected to drop.

The high temperature Sunday is expected to be near 56, while Monday's high is expected to be near 49.

Follow weather developments in the al.com Weather Center. 

Traffic is moving smoothly again on Interstate 20/59 North in downtown Birmingham after a wreck tied up traffic for several hours.

According to a Birmingham police dispatcher, the wreck happened near the Tallapoosa Street exit. It was not clear when it happened, how many vehicles were involved, or if anyone was injured.

The dispatcher said as of 6:30 p.m. all lanes have re-opened.

A passerby said one vehicle was upside down when he drove past shortly after 4:30 p.m.

A Bessemer resident has filed suit in Jefferson County Circuit Court against the Bessemer City Council's bingo committee, saying it met repeatedly without notifying the public.

The head of the committee denied the claims.

The issue of bingo has been contentious in the city since last summer, when Mayor Ed May vetoed bingo regulations passed by the council. In February, the council sued the mayor and asked a court to find that the city's bingo ordinance is valid.

In a complaint filed March 11, Bessemer resident Thomas Pack alleges that bingo committee members -- Earl Cochran, Louise Alexander, Dorothy Davidson, and Jesse Matthews -- met without properly informing the public in August, September, October, and December of 2009; three times in January, and three times in February.

Notices posted were confusing and claimed to be meetings of the city council, and the group failed to publish agendas and information about the nature of the meetings as required by the Alabama Open Meetings Act, according to the complaint.

Pack also said the committee made decisions about bingo that are reserved for the full council, such as approving applications for bingo operations.

The suit asks for the court to forbid the committee from violating the Open Meetings Act, from conducting the duty of the full council, and for it to vote in the presence of Bessemer residents. Pack asked for monetary penalties against each council member named, for their actions to be voided, and for payment of his legal costs.

Cochran, who heads the bingo committee, said he has heard about the suit but has not seen it. Still, he said, the allegations about proper notice are not true.

"Every time we've met, we've posted it," he said. "If we have met and not posted it, then we ought to be in court."

The bingo committee meetings are well attended, he said.

"Everytime we've had a meeting, it is a packed house," Cochran said.

Birmingham News staff writer Anita Debro contributed to this report. 
 

  Blount County Circuit Court Judge Stephen King has ordered a delay in the collection of Warrior's police jursidiction tax from April 1 until May 1.

  King scheduled an April 2 hearing in the dispute over Warrior's plan to collect the tax, which reaches into Blount County.

  Larry Waites, Blount County's chief prosecutor, said all sides are waiting on legislation that would annex into Hayden most of the Blount County businesses subject to the 1.5 percent sales tax. That bill, sponsored by state Rep. Elwyn Thomas, R-Oneonta, could come to a vote next week in the Alabama Legislature, Waites said.

  "That could take care of all of this," he said. "Approximately 75 to 80 percent of all the Blount businesses and property owners in the alleged police jurisdiction of Warrior would then formally annex into Hayden, therefore not subject to the tax."

  Warrior Mayor Rena Hudson has said she supports the annexations. She said Warrior could keep its police jurisdiction tax but not cross into the town limits of Hayden.

  Waites said his office was prepared to continue the court battle if the annexations did not include all Blount businesses subject to Warrior's tax.

  Warrior City Council members voted in December to collect the sales tax from the city's police jurisdiction, which extends 1.5 miles outside of the city limits and crosses into Blount County. The practice is common in Alabama and has been upheld in several court cases.

  Blount County District Attorney Tommy Rountree filed a complaint, saying that the tax was unfair and unconstitutional. King has postponed two scheduled hearings on the issue.

  Hudson has maintained that the tax is legal and attempted to exclude the Blount County portion of the police jurisdiction. But that exclusion was not allowed under state law, she said.

FBI agents and Okaloosa County, Fla., sheriff's deputies arrested Thursday night a man and woman believed responsible for recent south Alabama bank robberies in Florala, East Brewton and Flomaton, the Andalusia Star-News and Destin Log report.

The duo was located at a Destin using a tip supplied to Florala police, according to the Star-News. They were arrested after a brief car chase which ended on a dead-end street, the Log reported. It identified the pair as Jerry Hover Tinsley, 30, of Rutherfordton, N.C., and Rhianna Marie Jones, 30, of California.

The couple had eluded lawmen for three weeks up until the tip Thursday, escaping in the Florala robbery by apparently walking from the bank to a nearby portable toilet to briefly hideout before eventually successfully fleeing.