USA TODAY is covering all the action from kickoff to trophy ceremony, but there's still time to experience the game in-person. Here's everything you need to know about the Birmingham Bowl before the Eagles and Mountaineers take the field.

Chief Pickett said lowering the homicide rate remains a priority, noting officers have seen success addressing violent crime overall.

The deadly shooting of a man in Birmingham on Christmas Eve has been ruled justifiable. Around 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, officers were alerted that a person was possibly shot in the 600 block of 9th Street North in the Smithfield community, according to the Birmingham Police Department.

With less than 24 hours to go before kickoff, fans from Georgia Southern and Appalachian State are already turning downtown Birmingham into a sea of team colors ahead of the Birmingham Bowl. The annual bowl game kicked off its festivities Friday with Fan Fest,

A Birmingham man charged with fatally shooting an unarmed man claims he killed the victim in self-defense. Kevin Holloway, 48, is charged with murder in the Dec. 19 slaying of 44-year-old Bobby Sherman Richardson.

The city sued The Community House, a roughly century-old Birmingham staple, after the nonprofit said it was planning to end its early child care and events rental programs, lay off most of its employees, sell the building and convert itself to the Birmingham Area Community Foundation, effective July 1, Crain’s reported Nov. 3.

Drunk driving deaths jump 50% during the holidays, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

It's the final Monday of the calendar and the college football postseason schedule continues on with the Birmingham Bowl.