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East Birmingham spa busted twice in less than a month

The Bali Spa on Parkway East. Source: WBRC video

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- For the second time in less than a month, workers at an east Birmingham spa are busted on prostitution charges.

The Birmingham Police Vice Squad raided the Bali Spa on Parkway East Wednesday night and now, four women are facing prostitution charges:

-Eun Hug Heo, 38, was charged with soliciting for prostitution.

-Kyoung Hee Yoo, 34 of Brooklyn, New York, was charged with residing in a house of prostitution.

-Xingyue Xu, 36, was charged with residing in a house of prostitution.

-Chong Ok LeBlanc, 59, was charged with operating a house of prostitution.

The spa was also raided April 19. Five people were arrested that day including four female workers and a male customer.

"The best thing that can happen is get it exposed," Don Hadden, Vice President of the Huffman Neighborhood Association, said.

Norwood residents fear isolation if ALDOT closes freeway exits

Many Norwood and north Birmingham residents are concerned about being separated from the rest of the city if ALDOT goes through with their plan to close several exits along I-20/59.

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Today, Norwood and North Birmingham residents can express their views and concerns about a new plan to improve the roadway and traffic flow to downtown.

The Alabama Department of Transportation wants to replace bridges and make traveling in downtown Birmingham smoother. ALDOT is calling for closing many exits from Malfunction Junction on I-20/59 to 31st Street. People who live in Norwood believe it will leave them isolated.

"I really think it's not good. It separates the northside communities more than anything in the last 50 years," Norwood resident Richard Dabney said.

The exit ramps at 17th Street and 22nd Street will be closed to keep traffic flowing and to prevent multi-lane crossovers. Shutting down 28th Street at 11th Ave. and the 31st exit is a concern for the business community.

The restaurant Sol's Hot Dogs has been in Norwood for more than four decades.

Jefferson Co. hopes to be out of bankruptcy by end of 2013

Source: WBRC

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Jefferson County officials said Thursday morning they are "close" to filing a bankruptcy exit plan that would get the county out of Chapter 9 bankruptcy by the end of 2013.

Kenneth Klee, the lead attorney in the case, flew in from California to represent the county in a bankruptcy hearing Thursday.

The county's creditors say that December 2013 goal to be out of the nation's largest-ever municipal bankruptcy is too optimistic, but the county's lead outside lawyer today says he thinks it's very realistic.

Klee said "substantial progress" had been made with many of the parties and announced the county has a deal with bondholders based on a 2001 general obligation.

It's believed that will include knocking at least $1 billion off the more than $4 billion the county owes, and it won't depend on any help in terms of new tax revenue from the state legislature.

Birmingham teacher named Teacher of the Year

Birmingham Superintendent Dr. Craig Witherspoon and Dr. Allison Grizzle (Photo: Birmingham Schools)

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- In Birmingham, the school
district can give one of its own a big pat on the back.

Dr. Alison Grizzle, a math
teacher at Jackson-Olin High School, has been named teacher of the year.

The announcement was made
at a ceremony in Montgomery Wednesday night.

Congratulations to Dr.
Grizzle.

Copyright 2013 WBRC. All rights
reserved.

Ribbon cutting held Red Mountain Park's beanstalk forest attraction

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- A new attraction is open in Birmingham.

On Thursday morning, city leaders cut the ribbon at the Hugh Kaul Beanstalk Forest. It is part of the Red Mountain Park.

The Kaul Forest has 20 ropes courses, wall climbing, and ziplining. It costs $40 per person for two hours and the park can hold up to 20 people.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell says this is the first attraction of its kind in Alabama.

The park is on Frankfurt Drive in Birmingham. It was made possible through the Hugh Kaul Foundation.

Copyright 2013 WBRC. All rights
reserved.

Study suggests good hygiene is one cause of allergies

Study suggests good hygiene is one cause of allergies

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- A new study suggests a link between good hygiene might actually cause some children to develop allergies.

The JAMA Pediatrics study suggests that children's immune systems aren't being trained to recognize and fight off certain irritants in the air. The study says American-born children are 14 percent more likely to develop allergies than those born outside the U.S. It says several factors may be to blame, including being too clean.

"Having clean drinking water, not having to deal with some of the things that third world countries have to deal with is a good thing. Whether or not we're becoming too extreme may be some to increase in allergic incidents in the children of our country and even adults," Dr. Maxcie Sikora of the Alabama Allergy and Asthma Center said.

Comparison of procedure costs at various Ala. hospitals

Comparison of procedure costs at various Ala. hospitals

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC)- Today we got our first-ever comprehensive look at what hospitals around the country charge for different procedures, and the newly-released data shows some big gaps in what different hospitals in our area charge for the same procedure.

Hospitals protect this cost information like KFC protects its recipe, but as part of the healthcare overhaul, the government today released thousands of pages of documents showing what hospitals charge Medicare and Medicaid for different procedures.

Before we show you the data, there are a couple of important things to remember.

These costs are what the hospitals charge the government, not what they charge healthcare insurance companies who often negotiate deep discounts as part of their contracts.

And as you'll see, there is a big difference between what a hospital charges and what the government ends up actually paying.