Glenn Stephens

Tuberville, Fauci Discuss Crediting Trump to Encourage Vaccines

U.S. Sen Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., on Tuesday discussed Alabama's low vaccination rate with Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, and said that publicly giving more credit to former President Donald Trump for the rapid development of the COVID-19 vaccine would encourage more conservative skeptics to take it. In an exchange during a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Alabama's junior senator questioned the federal government's top health officials on a range of pandemic issues and urged them to adopt a message that appeals to Trump supporters who are skeptical of the Biden administration. "I think people need a unifying message from all of us because, in my state of Alabama, we don’t have everyone taking a vaccine, and we're having outbreaks as we speak,” Tuberville told Fauci. "You know, a lot of people voted for Donald Trump -- a lot of people in the South, a lot of people in my state. So Dr. Fauci, can you understand that unless this administration acknowledges the efforts of the last one, a large part of Americans, they're going to continue to feel like nothing's positive. They're not going to take the vaccine. You understand what I'm saying?” Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Bill Would Offer More Protections for Pregnant Workers in Alabama

MONTGOMERY -- A pre-filled bill in the Alabama Legislature seeks to offer more protections for pregnant workers by outlining accommodations that employers would be required to take supporting their health. House Bill 1 from Rep. Neil Rafferty, D-Birmingham, would require employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" related to pregnancy, childbirth or other related medical conditions. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Alabama’s Average Daily New COVID Cases Now Nearly Seven Times Higher Than Two Weeks Ago

The number of new cases of COVID-19 virus infections in Alabama is rising at an alarming rate, with the daily count now almost seven times higher than it was on July 5. The Alabama Department of Public Health, which releases new case counts on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, reported 718 new cases today. That’s in addition to an unscheduled update on Sunday of 1,625 new cases over the weekend. Those numbers have pushed the 7-day moving average up to 815 cases per day. Compared to a reading of 121 as of July 5, the average is now 6.74 times higher over two weeks’ time. It’s the highest reading for the 7-day average since March 5, except for a short period in May that was affected by a large number of backlogged cases added to the system in a “data dump.” Read more.

by Robert Carter

Bill Poole Named State Finance Director

MONTGOMERY -- Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed state Rep. Bill Poole as the state’s next finance director, her office announced Friday. The appointment is effective Aug. 1. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Britt Leads Rivals in Fundraising for GOP U.S. Senate Nomination

Katie Boyd Britt, former chief of staff to Sen. Richard Shelby, collected more than twice as much in campaign contributions as her three rivals combined during the past three months, according to reports filed this week by candidates in Alabama’s 2022 U.S. Senate race. Britt, who resigned earlier this year as president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama, entered the race for the Republican nomination to succeed Shelby on June 1. Since then, she has raised $2.3 million in contributions. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville reported contributions of 820,775 for the three-month period that ended June 30, and Montgomery business executive Lynda Blanchard raised $190,873. Jessica Taylor of Birmingham, who announced her candidacy earlier this month, had no report on file with the Federal Elections Commission. Read more. Contributor Lists in U.S. Senate Race

by Glenn Stephens

Alabama’s COVID New-Case Average Quintuples in 10 Days, as Health Officials Struggle to Get More People Vaccinated

The fears of many Alabama health care professionals may be realized, if the latest numbers on new cases of COVID-19 are any indication. BirminghamWatch's periodic analysis of the number of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths resulting from the virus, spikes have shown up in all major categories over the past two weeks. In some cases, the numbers have multiplied over the period that includes the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The causes of these increases cannot be precisely pinpointed, but three main factors are in play: the rise of the more-dangerous Delta variant of the virus, the higher number of people gathering in large groups without masks this summer, and the low percentage of Alabamians who have been vaccinated. “It’s a combination of ‘all of the above,’” said Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson. Read more.

by Robert Carter

No Place Like Home as Woodlawn High Breaks Ground for New, On-Campus Football Stadium

Home games will truly be home games in the near future for the Woodlawn High School football team, following a ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday for a new, on-campus stadium at the historic Birmingham school. “This right here is instrumental for our student athletes, and our community, to have our own home field right here on our campus,” Principal Terrell Brown said. “We're going to continue the tradition that has been started from many great athletes.” Architects say construction will start this fall, and the stadium is expected to be ready for the for the 2022 football season. It is designed to accommodate more than 2,800 spectators, and it will include an artificial turf athletic field, renovated field house and a stadium lighting and sound system. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

“It’s playing a game with us”: Researcher says COVID Delta variant is spreading in Alabama

The latest version of the COVID-19 virus, known as the Delta variant, is becoming prevalent in samples tested in the past few weeks and shows signs of spreading even further. That’s the finding of Derek Moates, a researcher and manager of the laboratory at the UAB Department of Pathology Fungal Reference Lab. Moates shared his research in an online press conference Tuesday. He warned that Alabama’s low vaccination rate, coupled with how quickly and easily the Delta variant spreads, poses a growing concern in the state. Coates has been monitoring the spread of the variant in samples collected from across Alabama. The Delta variant, which originated in India, has become the dominant strain in much of the world, and is feared because it is much more contagious than the original virus strain. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham Museum of Art Begins Return of Artwork This Summer to Native American Tribes

For the first time, the Birmingham Museum of Art will return objects from its collection to two Native American tribes. The move falls under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act or NAGPRA. The law, passed in 1990, provides a pathway for federally recognized tribes to request certain cultural items. While the process is not always drawn out, the repatriation of objects from the BMA represents years of extensive work. “It was long for me because it took me a long time to understand where my responsibility lay,” said Emily Hanna, the museum’s Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and senior curator. Those works will be sent to the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska later this summer. But not all works sought for repatriation are returned. There’s a lot of research involved to determine rightful ownership. Read more.

by Janae Pierre, WBHM

Second Bill Targeting Critical Race Theory Filed for ’22 Legislative Session

MONTGOMERY -- A second bill targeting how theories on race and bias are taught has been pre-filed in the Alabama House, this one applying to education institutions and the training state employees and contractors receive. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News