People In The News 2019: Birmingham Newsmakers

BIRMINGHAM, AL — As 2019 comes to a close, Patch reflects back on the stories that made headlines throughout the year, and the people that made those stories newsworthy.

Some high-profile crime stories made headlines this year, and extended to national news as well. But fortunately, crime was not the only method people made the news this year, as some were featured on Patch for positive reasons.

Here are 10 people who shaped the news cycle in the Birmingham area during the year:

Aniah Blanchard: Blanchard was a 19-year-old student at Southern Union who disappeared Oct. 23. Her body was discovered in Macon County more than a month later. Three suspects were initially arrested in the case, but only one of them remains charged, Ibraham Yazeed, who has a lengthy criminal history in Montgomery.

Rod Bramblett: The beloved voice of the Auburn Tigers died in a car wreck, along with his wife, Paula. The accident occurred May 26 on Shug Jordan Parkway at the intersection of West Samford Avenue shortly after 6 p.m., police said. Bramblett was 52 years old at the time of his death.

Sid Burgess: Burgess, a 70-year-old Homewood resident, was reported missing after the avid hiker left for a hike in Winston County. For four days law enforcement, friends and family searched for Burgess and he was finally found alive in the woods near Smith Lake.

Wytasha "Wyt" Carter: Sgt. Wyt Carter of the Birmingham Police Department was shot and killed in the line of duty in January of 2019 outside the 4 Seasons Bar and Grill on 5th Avenue North. two men were arrested in Carter's death.

Angela Davis: The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute was set to bestow upon Davis in February its highest honor, the prestigious Fred Shuttlesworth Human Rights Award, at the institute's annual gala. However, the award was rescinded after opposition by members of Birmingham's Jewish community regarding Davis' history of anti-Isreal stances.

Walter Gonsoulin: The Jefferson County Board of Education approved the permanent hire of Dr. Walter Gonsoulin as superintendent in Bovember, making him the first African American to head the system in its 120-year history.

Kamille McKinney: Perhaps no homicide case captured the attention of the Birmingham area quite like that of 3-year-old Kamille "Cupcake" McKinney. Kamille was reportedly kidnapped from the Tom Brown Village housing community in Avondale Oct. 12 and after numerous tips, leads and clues fell short, police officers finally discovered Kamille's body Oct. 22. Two suspects are in custody and have been charged with Kamille's kinapping and murder, Patrick Stallworth and his girlfriend, Derick Irisha Brown.

Megan Montgomery: The 31-year-old Hoover resident was shot and killed in a parking lot behind the athletics complex at Mountain Brook High School at some point during the night of Nov. 30. Her husband, Jason McIntosh, has been arrested and charged with capital murder in her death. McIntosh is a former Hoover police officer and had been arrested previously this year on domestic violence charges.

Kelsey Starling: Starling, a Birmingham elementary school teacher, was a passenger on a boat on Smith Lake July 4 when the boat collided with another watercraft. Starling was lost in the lake, and search efforts continued for months to locate her. Three months later, divers found her body near the site of the boat crash. Three people have been charged in connection with her death.

Trendon Watford: Basically every award a high school basketball player in Alabama could win this year was awarded to Mountain Brook's Trendon Watford. The 6-foot-8 power forward set the Alabama state record for career rebounds, was named Mr. Basketball for the state twice, and led the Spartans to the 2019 7A state championship. Watford's much-publicized recruitment by just about every major college in the country ended when he announced he would attend LSU.