Former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford will be sentenced this morning in federal court for accepting bribes during his time on the Jefferson County Commission.

This marks the end of the road for the Escalade.

A fitting tribute to what has happened. Just a short distance from the former Mayor’s home in Fairfield is a modified work sign.

The best of Larry Langford in photos.

Photo by lamin8


Photo by Jonathan Purvis

Photo by Birmingham Public Library (AL)

And my personal favorite…Larry captured playing the video games

Jesus Christ was called for jury duty this week in Jefferson County.

Court officials were skeptical at first when on Monday a potential juror submitted a name change form with “Jesus Christ” on it. But the 59-year-old Birmingham woman, who previously went by Dorothy Lola Killingworth, assured the presiding judge that was her name.

“It raised eyebrows, so I asked her if that were truly her name,” Circuit Court Judge Scott Vowell (pictured right) said. “She assured me that it was. She had her name changed in the Probate Court, and she presented her driver’s license.”

Christ was sent to Judge Clyde Jones’s courtroom for a criminal case. She was excused because she was disruptive, court officials said. Instead of answering questions, she was asking them, a court employee in Jones’s office said.

Efforts to reach Christ today were unsuccessful.

Court administrator Sandra Turner said she and others in the jury assembly room were somewhat shocked at first when the woman insisted Christ was her name. And when her name was called, several potential jurors laughed out loud.

Unlike some Jefferson County residents, Christ did not try to get out of jury duty, Turner said.

“She was perfectly happy to serve,” said Turner.

Harry “Traveling Shoes” Turner is one of 14 candidates running for Birmingham’s mayor. He is a minister. A clown. A chaplain for the police department. And he works for the postal service. He has been preaching since he was 12, when he accidentally shot his foot with his mom’s gun.

If elected, Harry has pledged to remove the mayor’s chair in the city council chamber and stand up for the first city council meeting to demonstrate that he is standing up for the people. I’m not sure if Harry knows that some of these council meetings last for many, many hours.

Harry also is extremely concerned about the 20 million budget deficit. He said you can’t drive 20 blocks without needing a wheel alignment. You can’t take the trash out without stray dogs chasing you back in the house. Every 5 blocks, a city bus breaks down.

With 14 candidates running for mayor, it’s hard for Festville to examine all of them. The election is December 8th and a likely runoff will be held January 19th. Vote for Harry.

The now famous attempted beatdown of NBC 13’s John Paepcke by former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford.

Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL

http://cfc.abc3340.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=46828

The Birmingham News is reporting that Birmingham Board of Education District 6 seat candidate, Antwon Womack, lied about his biography. On his campaign facebook page, Antwon claims he is 23 years old, but the News reports that his is only 21.

He also claims that he graduated from West End High School in 2005 and received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Alabama A&M in 2009. The News again disputes this saying he dropped out of Wenonah High School on Feb. 22, 2004, as a freshman.

“I’m currently in Fairfield, but that’s not permanent,” he said Monday evening. “It’s just until I get myself back up and going.”

Womack said he likely will drop out of the race “because when people read this, there’s no way I can win.”

“This is really going to hurt my political career, period,” Womack said. “It’s going to ruin my relationship with key people, like Carole Smitherman,” the City Council president.

I love how he drags the city council president into this.

On his personal facebook page, he is listed as Bishop Antwon Womack. On his campaign website, the Bishop claims he is a graduate of Brevard Community College in North Carolina.

Strangely, one of Bishop Womack’s campaign promises is that he will work to decrease the Birmingham Drop out Rate by offering alternative solutions to at risk students.

Womack says the incumbent Mr. Maye want even hold a community forum or town hall meeting to get interactive with District 6, because he can’t face the truth. Oh, the irony.

This is a series of profiling candidates who are running for Birmingham’s (AL) City Council.*

It is without reservation that Festville endorses Willis “Buddy” Hendrix for Place 6 of the Birmingham City Council. The elections are slated for August 25th.

Born in 1926, Hendrix is an attorney and occassional political candidate. He has run unsuccessfully for mayor twice and the board of education once. In the last mayoral race, he garnered 41 of 52,111 votes cast, finishing last in the field of 10.

Buddy is the only candidate that I’ve seen that has embraced the Green movement. His signs use recycled cardboard which are really just cardboard coke flats stapled to power poles near his home and voting precinct. So he is doubly green.

In regards to the Dome stadium, Hendrix is opposed to it. In a 2007 Birmingham News interview, Buddy said, “No, it’s just a good venue for those seeking to tell untruths, from an unsuspecting audience.”

Hendrix fought a 16-year zoning battle with the city over his use of his West End property, where he once kept goats and chickens. He says government should stay out of residents’ business. He’d like to see fruit trees planted in the city. He had planted fruit trees along his street, but the city cut them all down.

He has suggested putting dams in the creeks that run through Birmingham so people can kayak. Also, he has said Disney officials have told him that Birmingham is an ideal location for a Disney amusement part.

Hendrix is a graduate of the Birmingham School of Law and a WWII veteran.

* Festville reserves the right not to profile any other candidates if none of them are worthy of Festville.

What happens when you go to get your personalized car tag and what you want is taken? And an alternative is taken? You improvise! I would think that option one for this vehicle was “BOSLADY” and option two was “BOSSLDY” but both were unavailable. So a little switch-a-roo and you have “BOSLAYD”. It’s worth noting that the individual driving wasn’t a lady but rather and man. However, you’ve worked hard for that tag…you deserve to be chauffeured around.

For Alabama residents, check tag availability before you wait in line.