Woodfin, Ej Bradford Among Birmingham Newsmakers In 2018

BIRMINGHAM, AL - Ready or not, 2018 is almost over. The year saw, news-wise, a bevy of national stories (some positive, some negative) that had great impact on Alabama. However, some of the people who made headlines locally also had a significant effect on the state.

Patch compiled a list of the people who made headlines in the Birmingham metro area - people who were newsworthy in 2018 for good reasons or bad - and helped shape the news landscape for the year:

Courtlin Arrington - Less than a month after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Huffman High School joined the fraternity of schools that have had a student shot and killed inside its doors. In March, Huffman senior Courtlin Arrington was shot and killed by a fellow classmate, Michael Jerome Barber, just after the bell rang to let students out for the day. The shooting was ruled accidental, but Barber faces manslaughter and illegal gun possession charges. The incident was one of the main issues surrounding March For Our Lives demonstrations in Birmingham.

Emantic "EJ" Bradford - The nation's eyes turned to Hoover, Alabama, Thanksgiving night when a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria resulted in the death of 21-year-old Emantic "EJ" Bradford at the hands of a Hoover police officer. Bradford and his friend Brian Wilson were involved in an altercation at the Galleria Thanksgiving night, and the altercation led to shots being fired. When a Hoover police officer arrived at the scene, he reportedly shot Bradford, who was holding a gun. Initial reports said Bradford was the shooter, but that was determined through the investigation to be false. The incident has caused protests in Hoover nightly throughout the month, and high profile civil rights activists have come to the Birmingham area to help bring awareness top the case. The suspect in the shooting, 20-year-old Erron Brown, was captured in Georgia by U.S. Marshals. The investigation was handed over by the Hoover Police Department to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, then to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and now is in the hands of Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall's office.

Walter Carr - While both Homewood and Pelham are considered to be part of metro Birmingham, the two cities are actually more than 20 miles apart. And that is how far Walter Carr walked to get to work from his home in Homewood to his job in Pelham. That dedication to his job did not go unnoticed by his employer. Carr's vehicle broke down, and since he had just started his job with Bellhops, a moving company in Pelham, he needed to get to work, so he said he left his home around midnight and started his trek up Highway 280. A Pelham police officer picked up Carr in the early hours of the morning and drove him the rest of the way to his job after buying breakfast for him. This story resulted in Carr's employer buying Carr his own vehicle.

Bill Clark - Clark, who made this same list last year, has been nothing short of amazing as the heas coach for UAB's football team. The Blazers became one of the best sports stories in the country this year, as the newly-resurrected program not only set a team record for wins in a season (11) but also captured the Conference USA championship and won the program's first bowl game in its history. All of that garnered Clark multiple Coach of Year honors and a contract extension, and that success was one reason why a new 45,000-seat stadium is being build in downtown Birmingham.

Steve and Mary Holt - When neighbors in a Roebuck community noticed a toddler roaming the street in blood-stained clothes, they called police. The 3-year-old girl led police to a gruesome murder scene as the girl's grandparents, Steve and Mary Holt were found murdered. The investigation led authorities to a couple from Cullman that were eventually found and arrested in south Florida. The couple, Kristen Gullion and Zachery Phillips, was extradited to Alabama where they are being charged with capital murder.

Barbara Murdock - The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority has been the source of criticism for years now, with numerous changes in leadership and public transportation - or lack thereof - being blamed for Birmingham's stagnant growth. This year unfortuntately did not look much better for the BJCTA, as the newly-hired director Barbara Murdock was terminated after she was accused of using BJCTA funds to pay her personal power bill. The corruption and disorganization in the BJCTA prompted Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to threaten to withhold city funding if the organization did not make positive changes.

Bo Nix- The Pinson Valley High School quarterback has anchored back-to-back state championships for the Indians, and was recently named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association All-State team. In addition to local accolades, Nix has been named as a finalist for the national Offensive Player of the Year by USA Today. Nix is one of five finalists in the entire country for the honor. Nix has signed with Auburn University, following in the footsteps of his father, Patrick Nix.

Elaine Russell - Anyone who has become disgruntled with the youth of today may want to reconsider after meeting Mountain Brook High School student Elaine Russell. She found herself in a precarious position in junior high involving a friend who was suffering from mental illness. That was the subject of a TEDx talk Russell gave that placed her among very elite company, being one of only 13 TED-Ed speakers selected (out of more than 60,000 applicants from all over the world) to speak in New York November 17.

Frank Stitt - Just about everyone in Birmikngham knows who chef Dfrank Stitt is. But now, foodies all over the country know who the Birmingham restaurant -owner and master chef is after one of Stitt's restaurants, Highland Bar & Grill, was named the Beard Foundation's Most Outstanding Restaurant. The restaurant also

Randall Woodfin - Another person who made last year's newsmakers list, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has delivered on his promise that things in Birmingham would be different when he took office. Woodfin has spent his first full year in office overseeing some massive changes in the city, including the funding and groundbreaking of the new football stadium downtown, the courting of an Amazon fulfillment center and a commitment to transparency that has not been seen in municipal government.

Photo of Courtlin Arrington via Facebook/Arrington family; Photo of EJ BRadford courtesy of Bradford Family; Photo of Walter Carr via Youtube; Photo of Bill Clark by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images; Photo of Steve and Mary Holt via GoFundMe; Photo of Barbara Murdock via BJCTA; Photo of Bo Nix courtesy of Bo Nix; Photo of Elaine Russell submitted by Anne Russell; Photo of Frank Stitt by Sergi Alexander/Getty Images ; Photo of Randall Woodfin by Michael Seale/Patch