Child Suicide Tragedy; Altamont Alumni Reaction: Week In Review

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Although the week started with a celebration of the country's veterans with the natiion's oldest and longest running Veterans Day parade in Birmingham, the week of November 12-17 unfortunately included some sad and tragic news in the headlines.

In addition to the untimely passing of a fourth grade girl in Birmingham, news items during the week included alumni of the Altamont School responding to administrators over their handling of sexual misconduct at the school, and the BJCTA's new finance director was discovered to have a rather sordid financial past.

Some of the stories that made headlines on Patch this past week:

9-Year Old Birmingham Girl Takes Her Own Life

No parent can prepare themselves for what Eugenia Williams discovered Monday evening in her 9-year-old daughter's room. Getting ready to go out to eat with her daughter, Williams went to the fourth-grader's room to find her, and opened the closet door to a horrifying sight.

Man With Gunshot Wounds Shows Up At Pinson City Hall

A man arrived at the Pinson City Hall Wednesday morning suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Reports say the man was shot in his home and drove himself to City Hall.

Alumni React To Sexual Misconduct Reports At Altamont

The news that came out of Birmingham's Altamont School regarding sexual misconduct in the school's past has sent a ripple through the community - and not just the Birmingham community, but the close-knit community made up of Altamont alumni.

Guitars Stolen From Legendary Bessemer Juke Joint

Members of legendary bands such as the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin have been seen at Gip's Place, a Bessemer juke joint that has been open for 60 years. This week, two of the 96-year-old owner's guitars were reported stolen.

BJCTA's New Finance Director Has A Sordid Financial Past

In a year that has seen a bevy of issues surrounding the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority, information has surfaced regarding a sordid financial and criminal past for the newly-hired finance director of the BJCTA.

Photo by Michael Seale/Patch