🌱 1 Dead In Cooper Green Shooting + Firefighters Battle Weather

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:

Sunny and warmer. High: 58 Low: 31.

Here are the top three stories today in Birmingham:

1. A beloved mother and grandmother was killed Thursday afternoon in a west Birmingham shooting incident. According to CBS 42, the victim was 49-year-old Felicia Ford, who was found shot on the kitchen floor of a home in the Cooper Green Housing Community. A preliminary investigation suggests that a domestic dispute led to the shooting, said Birmingham PD Sgt. Rod Mauldin. The incident occurred almost seven years to the day after Ford's 21-year-old daughter Brittany was shot and killed in a Gate City apartment. (Birmingham Patch)
2. Birmingham firefighters battled both flames and severe weather on Thursday as they responded to a house fire on Powderly Avenue Southwest. The heavy rainfall made visibility a challenge and the hazardous conditions of fighting fires even more dangerous. Neighbors reportedly saw lightning strike the home during the storm, but the fire department is working to determine whether that was the cause of the fire. No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze. (WIAT - CBS42.com)
3. Birmingham Restaurant Week is back for the 2022 winter edition! Presented by Spire, this 10-day event began on Thursday and runs through Feb. 26. It's the perfect opportunity to support the local Birmingham small business community while enjoying specially-priced meals across the city. According to the Restaurant Week website, the 30-plus participating restaurants are offering lunch or dinner prix-fixe menus ranging from $5 to $50 per person, and many will have to-go and/or curbside options in addition to the traditional dine-in option. (WBRC)

Today in Birmingham:

• Story S-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-r-s! Kids' Yoga And Mindfulness Class At Birmingham Public Library (10:30 AM)
• Sonya Yong James: The Eye Of A Needle At Abroms-Engel Institute For The Visual Arts, Gallery 1 (12:00 PM)
• Feature Film: "King Richard" Starring Will Smith At Five Points West Regional Branch Library (2:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• As a reminder, all Birmingham City Schools and offices will be closed on Monday, Feb. 21 in observance of President's Day. (Facebook)
• Looking to get your live music fix this weekend? Check out the Patch Music Calendar to see who's playing in Birmingham between now and Feb. 24. (Birmingham Patch)
• In an Instagram video, the City of Birmingham spotlighted Melissa Smiley, chief accountability officer for the City. "She has a heart for restoration and preservation," wrote the City, and Smiley's "passion drives her work in restoring Birmingham's historic sites." (Instagram)

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Alrighty, you're all good for today. I'll see you soon!

— Kayla Harrison

About me: Kayla Harrison is a Writing Arts professor, as well as a freelance writer for content creation agency Lightning Media Partners. In her free time, you can find her listening to podcasts, writing poetry, and visiting local coffee shops.