2014

2014 is the 143rd year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• January 1: A plane crash in an Alabaster back yard resulted in minor injuries.
• January 1: The Homewood High School marching band made their fourth appearance in the Tournament of Roses Parade.
• January 1: Richard Shahan was arrested as a "fugitive from justice" before boarding a flight from Nashville, Tennessee to Frankfurt, Germany.
• January 1: The Blazer Express bus system went into service.
• January 27: Sibyl Temple in Vestavia Hills was first illuminated blue after a traffic fatality.
• January 28: Unexpected snow and ice stranded thousands of people in their cars in the 2014 winter storm.
• February 1: Operation of Holy Rosary Catholic Church reverted to the Diocese of Birmingham.
• February 6: Good Friends Chinese & Seafood Restaurant owner Chun Hin Chang shot at a customer who complained about a roach in her food.
• February 12: A rare snowfall brought 4-5 inches to parts of Birmingham.
• February 14: A plane crash in northeast Jefferson County resulted in 2 fatalities.
• Hand in Paw relocated to 617 38th Street South from 2616 7th Avenue South.
• April 7: Heavy overnight rains caused flooding in several areas, including Homewood's Lakeshore Garden Apartments.
• May 17: Do Dah Day
• May 22: A three-alarm fire damaged the Liberty Lofts in downtown Birmingham.
• May 28: A fire at Blackwell's Pub damaged the neighboring Ashley Mac's clothing store.
• June 6-7: The inaugural Steel City Jazz Festival was held at Linn Park.
• October 24-27: The Dalai Lama made a four-day visit to Birmingham.
• November 3: Date set for civil trial against architects and contractors faulted for the 2013 Birmingham airport fatality.

Business

• March 1: Mark Crosswhite succeeded Charles McCrary as CEO of Alabama Power.
• March: Country Living magazine relocated its editorial offices from New York City to Pepper Place.
• Alabama Media Group moved from the 2006 Birmingham News building to the Young & Vann Building.
• Zoe's Kitchen went public.
• Brookwood Village was acquired by Cypress Equities of Dallas, Texas.
• May 23: Sterne Agee CEO James Holbrook, Jr and his son, COO Billy Holbrook, were dismissed from the firm.
• Mercedes-Benz US International began producing C-Class sedans in Tuscaloosa.
• Momentum Telecom merged with Integrated Broadband Services (IBBS) of Kennessaw, Georgia.
• Direct Communications moved from Cahaba Heights to 1st Avenue South in Birmingham.
• Steyr Arms moved from Trussville Industrial Park to Bessemer.
• Storkland Furniture returned to 2nd Avenue North from Vestavia Hills.
• Dynamic Civil Solutions‎ moved from the Frank Nelson Building to 2210 2nd Avenue North.
• Energen sold Alagasco to The Laclede Group, Inc. of St Louis, Missouri.

Establishments

• January 20: The Southern opened at Uptown.
• January 21: Continental Bakery opened a second location in One Federal Place.
• February 20: Tanya Jones SalonSpa opened a second location at English Village.
• Cahaba Oaks Cafe opened at McEnally's Mercantile in Clay.
• March 11: Brick & Tin opened a second location in Mountain Brook Village.
• March 12: 24e Fitness opened their Trussville location.
• March 13: Post Office Pies opened in Avondale.
• Taziki's opened five new locations, including one in Auburn.
• Texas de Brazil opened at Uptown.
• March 25: Mia Luna opened in Lakeview.
• Saw's Street Kitchen food truck debuted.
• Melt opened on 41st Street South in Avondale.
• Rafiki's Grill opened on Valley Avenue.
• PT's Sports Grill opened in SoHo Square.
• Big Bad Breakfast opened
• Bottle & Bone opened at Uptown

Disestablishments

• January: Tavern on the Summit closed.
• January: All Seasons Travel merged with Christopherson Andavo of Salt Lake City, Utah.
• January 29: Produce/grocery retailer Freshfully closed.
• February 28: The Haskell Slaughter law firm closed its Park Place offices.
• The Johnston Barton law firm closed its Colonial Center offices.
• Kelley's Neighborhood Sports Grill closed.
• SpoonFed Grill was sold.
• March 13: A. H. Cather Publishing Company closed.
• March 14: Surin & Company at Concord Center closed.
• March 18: Good Friends Chinese & Seafood Restaurant was shut down by the Birmingham City Council
• April: Loretta Goodwin Gallery closed.
• Summit Products filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation.
• June 3: Protective Life Corporation announced its acquisition by the Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co. of Tokyo, Japan for $5.7 billion.
• June 8: Trinity Presbyterian Church (Eastwood) held its final service.
• June 13: David's Arts and Frames closed.

Education

• May 2: Birmingham City Schools emerged from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' probationary status.
• July 1: Pelham City Schools broke away from Shelby County Schools.

Government

• Redistricting affected constituencies in the Alabama State Senate and Alabama House of Representatives.
• February 25: Trussville residents passed a seven mill property tax increase, earmarked for Trussville City Schools.
• March 25: Birmingham adopted the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code.

Sports

• January 2: The 2013 Alabama Crimson Tide football team lost to the Oklahoma Sooners 45-31 in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana
• January 4: The Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Houston Cougars 41-24 in the 2014 BBVA Compass Bowl at Legion Field
• January 6: Jameis Winston led the Florida State Seminoles to a 34-31 victory over the Auburn Tigers in the BCS National Championship game in Pasadena, California.
• January 8: Former Auburn and Birmingham Barons star Frank Thomas was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• February 16: Mark Chepses of West Des Moines, Iowa won the Mercedes Marathon with a time of 2:20:36.
• March 3: The Alabama Outlawz began playing arena football in the X-League with an away game against the Georgia Rampage in Dalton, Georgia.
• March 12: Tony Barbee was fired as the head coach of the men's basketball program at Auburn University.
• March 17: Bruce Pearl was hired as the head coach of the men's basketball program at Auburn University.
• March 28: The Chicago White Sox played an exhibition against the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field.
• April 27: Ryan Hunter-Reay won the Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.
• May 20-25: Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met.
• June 6: Scott Padgett succeeded Bennie Seltzer as head coach of the Samford Bulldogs basketball team.
• June 25: The 2014 Rickwood Classic was played.
• August: ESPN's SEC Network debuted, featuring Paul Finebaum's call-in show.

Individuals

• January 31: Scott Richards conducted his final broadcast on WBRC 6.
• February 2: Michael Rich became Priest in Charge of St Andrew's Episcopal Church.
• Devon Laney succeeded Susan Matlock as director of the Innovation Depot.
• Mark Crosswhite succeeded Charles McCrary as president and CEO of Alabama Power.

Births

• January 1: Griffin, a giraffe, was born at the Birmingham Zoo.
• January 29: Wynter Dobbins, born during the 2014 winter storm.

Awards

• Alabama Women's Hall of Fame:
• Alabama Lawyers Hall of Fame:
• Alabama Men's Hall of Fame:
• Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Major Ogilvie, Ruthie Bolton, Red Cochran, Bill Cody, Eli Gold, Travis Grant, Walter Jones and David Magadan
• Birmingham Barons Hall of Fame:
• Birmingham Business Hall of Fame:
• Birmingham Gallery of Distinguished Citizens:
• Bobby Bowden Collegiate Coach of the Year Award: Gus Malzahn
• Legend of Birmingham Award: Tony Nathan
• Miss Alabama:
• Miss Alabama USA: Jesica Ahlberg
• Miss Birmingham: Chelsea Yarber
• Miss Samford: Shea Summerlin
• Miss UAB:
• Mr Football:

Retirements

• March 21: Quarterback Greg McElroy retired from the National Football League.

Deaths

• January 3: Betty Caldwell, actress, director and English teacher
• January 12: James Pittman, former dean of the UAB School of Medicine
• January 12: Bob Burton, former CEO of Hoar Construction
• January 30: Danielle Downey, former LPGA golfer and Auburn Tigers women's golf coach
• February 2: Wade Black, filmmaker and director of the Birmingham Pledge Foundation
• March 3: Joab Thomas, former president of the University of Alabama
• March 4: Jimmy Watson, owner of the Garage Café
• March 17: Johnny Kile, former chief of the Moody Police Department and Leeds City Council member
• March 28: Jeremiah Denton, former U.S. Senator
• March 29: J-R, Irondale Police Department drug detection dog
• March 30: Eagle Phillips, stage manager
• April 6: Jim Pfaffman, architect
• April 7: John Baird, contractor
• April 17: Betty Jensen, retired Birmingham Police Department sergeant
• April: Aldrich Gunn, former Birmingham City Council member
• April 26: David Langer, former Auburn Tigers defensive back
• May 2: K. D. Hardy, author and motivational speaker
• May 26: Virginia Pounds Brown, librarian, bookseller, and author
• May 27: Ivor Brooks, Birmingham Fire & Rescue chief
• June 8: Ron Council, public relations professional
• June 15: Samuel Pettagrue, pastor of Sardis Missionary Baptist Church
• June 18: War Eagle VI, Auburn Tigers mascot

See also List of Birmingham homicides in 2014 and List of homicides in 2014

Works

• February 18: St Paul & the Broken Bones' first full-length album, "Half the City", was released.
• March 3: The vinyl-clad Pepsi billboard over the Two North Twentieth sign was dedicated.
• March 28: The second Birmingham Lights public art installation, "Positive Disruption" was dedicated in the 14th Street underpass at the downtown Railroad Reservation.
• June 12: "Toxic City:Birmingham's Dirty Secret", a short documentary written and directed by Hunter Nichols, premiered at the Carver Theater.

Buildings

• January 14: Green Drive reopened in Trussville.
• January 16: The Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts opened to the public.
• March 18: Gardendale Fire Station No. 2 was dedicated.
• The 34th Street North overpass in Collegeville was completed.
• The hotel at the Ross Bridge Resort completed a $5 million renovation.
• The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport Terminal Modernization Project was completed.
• Hewitt-Trussville Stadium was completed at Hewitt-Trussville High School.
• The I-22 I-65 interchange opened.
• The Rotary Trail at 1st Avenue South was constructed.
• Trussville Civitan Park reopened after extensive renovations.
• University Flats in Glen Iris opened.

Demolitions

• March: The University of Alabama demolished the HES Design House for a new Kappa Delta sorority house.

See Also

• 2014 Birmingham Barons
• 2014 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival
• 2014 UAB Blazers football

Context

In 2014, the Winter Olympics were held in Sochi, Russia. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 airliner en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared with 239 people on board. Russia formally annexed Crimea over international objections.

Notable deaths in 2014 included former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, musician Pete Seeger, actress and diplomat Shirley Temple, actor Sid Caesar, pastor Fred Phelps, and actor Mickey Rooney (ex-husband of B. J. Baker).

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