🌱 Festival Headliners Announced + Are 'Poop Trains' Returning?

Rise and shine, Birmingham! Here's everything you need to know to get this Wednesday started off right.

First, today's weather:

Plenty of sunshine. High: 62 Low: 38.

Here are the top three stories in Birmingham today:

1. Headliners have been announced for this summer's Euphonious 2 music and technology festival. Better Than Ezra, Colbie Caillat, and Collective Soul are all scheduled to perform at the festival, which debuted last year. This year's festival will take place Jun. 17-19 at the Henley Park Lawn at the Birmingham Zoo. (Birmingham Patch)
2. Local television station CBS 42 has reportedly obtained documents from the Alabama Department of Environment Management suggesting "poop trains" may once again make their way to Alabama. In 2018, train cars carried waste from New York to Big Sky Environmental landfill but sat idle on tracks in Walker County and Jefferson County. (Birmingham Patch)
3. There have been 11 homicides in Birmingham so far this year and city officials are coming up with new ways to help combat gun crime. After 132 homicides in 2021, Councilman Clinton Woods is working to show kids at a young age that there are other options than crime. Councilman Woods is visiting middle schools in his district, talking to seventh and eighth graders about positive paths and conflict resolution. (WBRC)

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Today in Birmingham:

• Pop Up Heart Card - Birmingham Public Library (All Day)
• Famous Alabamians Scavenger Hunt - Birmingham Public Library (All Day)
• Black History Trivia Challenge - Birmingham Public Library (All Day)

From my notebook:

• The University of Alabama is reminding parents to make sure their student is signed up for Bama Bound! Bama Bound is a student orientation to help welcome the Class of 2026 to campus and life at The Capstone. (Facebook)
• The Birmingham Zoo would like you to meet their black-footed cat, Rhaegal. Black-footed cats are native to South Africa and are known for being one of the smallest cats in the world. (Facebook)
• Looking for gifts for the holidays? The Market at Pepper Place is a great place to get started and helps support the local community. (Instagram)

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You're officially in the loop for today. I'll catch up with you bright and early tomorrow morning with another update!

— 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.