I love the nightlife

Nightlife plans won't hinge on new arena

I don't really get these "downtown renovation" projects, or "entertainment districts", or whatever. It seems to me that just because something works in a famous area like Memphis' Beale Street doesn't mean it will in Birmingham's unfamous downtown area.

Meanwhile, Carol Hatcher and her builders are still hanging around, complaining that they aren't being taken seriously just because they won't say where the money is from.

Come exploit us, Wal-Mart!

With population near 10,000, Calera seeks big-box stores

Jeez, the city of Calera actually commissioned a study to show that the Census Bureau underestimated their population in order to draw "big box" stores to the community. I guess wages weren't low enough or something.

Because big-box retailers extend a community's trading area, Robicheaux said, it's not surprising Calera is aggressively seeking to attract them.

"People would drive from 30 miles outside of Calera to come to a Home Depot or a Wal-Mart," Robicheaux said.

But... but... I thought that the whole point was to show that there were enough people in Calera to support a Wal-Mart already.