🌱$7 Million Grant Goes To Birmingham Professor + Towing Grace Period

Hello, friends. It's me, Danielle Fallon-O'Leary, your host of the Birmingham Patch newsletter — here to tell you everything that's fit to print about what's happening in town these days.

But first, today's weather:

Sunny and pleasant. High: 86 Low: 61.

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Here are the top three stories in Birmingham today:

1. J Edwin Blalock, a University of Alabama at Birmingham professor, has been awarded $7 million for his medical research. The Outstanding Investigator grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institue at the NIH will forward his research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (Subscription: The Business Journals)
2. The city attorney for Birmingham and the Birmingham Department of Transportation met Wednesday, Jun. 7, over legislation providing a new grace period and more warnings from tow companies. It allows a 15-minute grace period for vehicles parked in private lots that might be trespassing in an effort to balance the rights of both travelers and property owners. (Subscription: AL.com)
3. Alabama resident, "Leapus Maximus", is attracting lots of attention from her participation in the Whacky Pet Name Contest. The beautiful black and white rabbit is the pet of Alexander Davies of nearby Vestavia Hills. Davies recommends that anyone considering adopting a rabbit of their own consult with the Alabama Rabbit Rescue and the House Rabbit Society before making a decision. (CBS42.com)

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Today in Birmingham:

Friday, June 9

• Always Write, Never Wrong At North Birmingham Regional Branch Library (9:00 AM)
• Lavaughan Jenkins: The Watcher And The Watchman At The University Of Alabama At Birmingham (12:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Do you have a taste for specialty craft beers and wines? Taste test fine samples from over 21 Alabama breweries. Tomorrow night, Jun. 10, the Birmingham Zoo will host Zoo Brews, from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Samples will be available on a "Penny-a-Pour" basis to raise funds for the zoo's Emergency Animal Fund, but standard drinks will be available for purchase at the usual price. Anyone over 21 is invited to attend. (Birmingham Zoo)
• Shrek, the Musical is playing in Birmingham at the Red Mountain Theatre through Jun. 25. Shows starts at 7:30 p.m., and you can bring the whole family to enjoy this unique fantasy. Shrek, the friendly ogre, brings with him a wide variety of fantastic creatures. Check out this event and others at the link. (Style Blueprint)
• How do you feel about bad movies? The Sidewalk Film Center is showing a surprise specimen of their version of bad cinema on Jun. 9. The mystery film is free, starts at 8:30 p.m., and seating is on a first come, first served basis. (Sidewalkfest.com)

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you back in your inbox tomorrow with your next update.

— Danielle Fallon-O'Leary

About me: Danielle Fallon-O’Leary is a content manager with content creation agency Lightning Media Partners and assists Patch.com with community newsletter curation. Danielle also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and works part-time as a pediatric speech therapist.