BW Recommends is a rundown of stories you might have missed this week. It offers insight into issues important to our area and sometimes tickles your curiosity.

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Sewell Advocates for Voting Rights Act as Supreme Court Decision Could Threaten Alabama’s Democratic Seats (Alabama Daily News)

From inside the courtroom, to the steps of the Supreme Court, to standing outside the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell spent Wednesday making her case for maintaining the Voting Rights Act in its current form as the Supreme Court appears poised to place further limits on using race when drawing congressional maps. The Court’s decision in a Louisiana redistricting case could change how race is applied, if at all, to drawing congressional maps. If the Supreme Court finds Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional, it could potentially jeopardize Alabama’s two Black-majority districts and reshape the makeup of Congress.

Kamala Harris Reflects on Losing to Trump as She Faces Birmingham Protestors, Tuberville’s Attack (AL.com)

In Birmingham for her book-signing tour, former Vice President Kamala Harris said the mood and the people at the Alabama Theatre. “My hope is born out of just the mood here and my knowledge that we love our country, we know it’s our country, and we’re prepared to fight for it,” she said as the crowd cheered and protestors outside jeered.

President Trump Announces Plan to Make IVF More Affordable, Says Katie Britt ‘Got Me Started With This Whole Thing’ (YellowHammer)

President Trump this week credited Alabama’s U.S. Sen. Katie Britt with bringing to his attention the idea of expanding access to in vitro fertilization by letting employers offer IVF as a stand-alone benefit and a pricing deal to sharply cut costs on leading fertility drugs.

Quality, Cost of Medicare Coverage Vary by State, Report Finds (Alabama Reflector)

Alabama ranked 44th in a survey from the Commonwealth Fund, which also said Alabama had some of the highest rates of high-risk drug prescriptions to Medicare recipients. While Medicare ostensibly provides the same coverage to all enrollees, how individuals experience that coverage differs by state, researchers found. “In some states, beneficiaries can see doctors quickly and afford their prescriptions,” Gretchen Johnson, vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, said in a statement. “In others, they face higher costs, delays or red tape.”

Ed Farm, Apple Join Alabama in $16M Push to Bridge Digital Divide in Rural Communities (Alabama Daily News)

Alabama leaders are partnering with Birmingham-based nonprofit Ed Farm and Apple on a state-funded $16 million initiative to expand digital learning and workforce training in some of the state’s most rural communities. The new Alabama Digital Education Network will create technology-focused “learning spaces” across the Black Belt and beyond, housed in community centers, libraries and schools.

Birmingham Opens First All-Inclusive Playground at Bessie Estell Park (BhamNow photo package)

Birmingham last week officially opened its first all-inclusive playground at Bessie Estell Park. The state-of-the-art park includes slides, swings and seesaws, among other equipment.