HOOVER

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Color not an issue in Hoover City Council race

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Wednesday September 03, 2008, 1:11 PM

Pick your color, but not just any color.

It's got to be Brown or Greene. That's right. Jimmie Brown or John Greene. They're the two candidates for the Place 7 seat on the Hoover City Council left standing after last week's election. The third candidate, Rusty Creel, didn't make the Oct. 7 runoff.

What's encouraging to me is that it seems color hasn't been an issue in this campaign. You see, if Brown is elected, he would be the first black elected official in the city of Hoover. But I have heard virtually no mention of that throughout the campaign -- from any candidate or their supporters. That's a sign of growth and maturity for this area.

Continue reading "Color not an issue in Hoover City Council race" »

Spain Park senior blends football with mixed martial art of sambo

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Wednesday September 03, 2008, 1:03 PM

Spain Park High School senior John Peeks didn't expect to add to his list of summer activities.

Peeks, already working as a volunteer firefighter and a part-time landscaper during his recent break from school, felt he couldn't pass up the opportunity when his landscaping boss, Chris Magyar, invited him to visit his sambo school in Hoover, Birmingham News reporter Wesley Hallman tells us.

Sambo is a Russian combat sport that is one of the increasingly popular mixed martial arts.

Peeks, a muscular 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive end on the Jaguars' football team, became enamored with sambo after his first training session, Hallman reports. Peeks began training with his older brother, former Spain Park football player Brad, three nights a week at the school. There, the 17-year-old Peeks sharpened his skills in the sports of judo and sambo with a small group of professionally trained mixed martial artists between the ages of 20-30. Following a detailed training curriculum, Peeks then stepped into the ring and sparred with his elders.

Read Hallman's complete article from today's edition of The Hoover News.

Hoover High senior Patrick McGregor wants to be No. 1 5K runner in nation

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Wednesday September 03, 2008, 12:28 PM

Hoover High School senior Patrick McGregor has a simple plan for his final varsity cross country season.

Already the fastest runner in the state, McGregor wants to become the top 5K runner in the nation, Birmingham News reporter Wesley Hallman reports in today's edition of The Hoover News.

"My goal is to be the best distance runner in the country," said McGregor, who will begin his senior campaign Saturday at the Clara Bowl meet at Berry College in Georgia.

Read Hallman's complete article.

Hoover man charged with robbing friend

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Wednesday September 03, 2008, 12:19 PM

A 23-year-old Hoover man has been charged with first-degree robbery in connection with an incident Aug. 26 at the Shades Mountain Plaza shopping center in Hoover, Birmingham News reporter Mike Cason tells us.

A 19-year-old man told police that Joshua Whitworth, a friend of his, pointed a gun at him and demanded his wallet between 5 and 6 p.m. on that day, Hoover police Capt. Jim Coker said. Police arrested Whitworth Friday, and he was released from the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham Friday night on a $30,000 bond, Coker told Cason.

Hoover City Council passes smoking restrictions

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Wednesday September 03, 2008, 12:13 PM

The Hoover City Council passed an ordinance Tuesday night to restrict smoking in public places while allowing exemptions that include bars, pubs and restaurants with enclosed smoking areas with separate ventilation, Birmingham News reporter Mike Cason tells us.

The council voted 6-0 in favor of the Comprehensive Second-hand Smoke Control Ordinance. It takes effect Jan. 2.

The vote capped years of talk about a stronger smoking ordinance in Hoover, replacing a law passed in 1993 that applied only to buildings owned or managed by the city, Cason reports. Advocates say the new ordinance is intended to limit exposure to second-hand smoke and to discourage teens from picking up the addictive habit.

Read Cason's complete article from today's paper.

John Greene in runoff with Jimmie Brown for Council Place 7

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Tuesday August 26, 2008, 11:41 PM

John Greene III and Jimmie Brown made the runoff in the race for Hoover City Council
Place 7, according to unofficial results.

Greene received 1,058 votes, 39.9 percent. Brown received 903 votes, 34 percent. Rusty
Creel finished third with 692 votes, 26.1 per­cent, Birmingham News reporter Mike Cason tells us.

The runoff will be Oct. 7. It was the only contested race in Hoover.

Hoover chamber golf tournament rescheduled due to weather

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Monday August 25, 2008, 9:46 AM

Bad weather has prompted the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce to reschedule its golf tournament that was supposed to be held today at the Riverchase Country Club.

Because of the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms today from Tropical Storm Fay, the 13th annual tournament now will held on Sept. 24, with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start, according to an e-mail sent out by chamber Executive Director Bill Powell.

State health care committee wants more information on Hoover hospital plans

by Jon Anderson -- The Birmingham News

Thursday August 21, 2008, 3:10 PM

A state health care committee today declined to back either Baptist Health System's or Brookwood Medical Center's proposed amendments that would have paved the way for getting state approval for a hospital in Hoover, Birmingham News reporter Anna Velasco tells us.

Continue reading "State health care committee wants more information on Hoover hospital plans" »