Glenn Stephens

Birmingham City Council Approves Incentives for HBCU Classic at Legion Field

Legion Field is adding another HBCU football classic to its schedule. The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to approve an agreement with Morehouse College and Tuskegee University to host their annual match-up for three years, starting this October. The deal calls for the city to provide up to $500,000 per year in incentives and in-kind services to host the event. The Tuskegee-Morehouse Classic previously has taken place in Columbus, Ga. — but Mayor Randall Woodfin, a Morehouse alumnus, told the council that organizers “have not felt the support they need” to stay there. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Bill Would Allow Police to Issue Citations Rather Than Make Arrests

MONTGOMERY -- Alabama lawmakers are close to allowing city police officers to issue citations for some misdemeanor offenses rather than taking offenders into custody. Senate Bill 59 by Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, would require cities to pass ordinances specifying what offenses could get court summonses rather than immediate arrests.  Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, carried the bill in the House. “The intent is to take what would be minor offenses and give the officer a chance to issue a citation rather than making an arrest,” England said. “…They will still require a court appearance, but we’re not going to take you into custody that day.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

In Final Days of 2021 Session, House May Tackle Three Heated Issues

MONTGOMERY – With three voting days remaining in the Alabama Legislature’s 2021 regular session, State House leaders are preparing for a final push on some of the most controversial bills of the session. The House of Representatives has yet to vote on bills allowing medical marijuana, a comprehensive gambling package and a ban on medical treatments, including puberty blockers and surgery, for transgender youth. House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, told reporters that the prospect of floor votes on the gambling and medical marijuana bills was “promising” in the House, but wasn’t as certain for the transgender medical bill. “We’re working with Senate leadership, so I can’t speak as firm on that one as we can the gaming or the medical marijuana, but it is being considered,” McCutcheon said. The Legislature has already passed and Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a bill allowing high school athletes to compete only in sports as their gender assigned at birth. Read more. More from the Legislature: Bill Would Allow Police to Issue Citations Rather Than Make Arrests Read complete coverage of the Legislature

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

COVID-19 Average Continues Slow Decline in Alabama

The daily average number of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama continued a slow but steady decline Friday as the state Department of Health reported 409 cases. There have been 527,922 cases over the course of the pandemic, with the state averaging 349 new cases a day over the past week. That is the lowest average since April 20, when the figure stood at 335 cases a day. The averages were 392 cases a day one week ago and 456 a day on this date in March. There were nine new deaths on Friday's COVID dashboard, raising the total for the pandemic to 10,896. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Legislature Nearing Passage of State Budgets as Session Nears End

MONTGOMERY -- More progress was made on both state budgets on Tuesday, with lawmakers closing in on a final vote on both during the last days of the Alabama Legislature's 2021 regular session. The House of Representatives passed a record $7.6 billion Education Trust Fund budget with some slight increases from the Senate-passed version. The bill now goes back to the Senate, where senators can either vote to concur with the House changes and send it to the governor or vote to form a joint conference committee to work out the differences.  House education budget chairman Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, cited the resiliency of Alabamians during the COVID-19 pandemic for making it possible for the budget to avoid cuts. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

COVID-19 Case Count Drifts Higher in Alabama

Alabama's COVID-19 case count continued to drift slightly higher Tuesday, with the state Department of Public Health reporting 359 cases for the latest 24-hour period. The state averaged 393 new cases a day over the past week. That is up from the average of 335 cases one week ago but substantially lower than the count of 426 cases a day a month ago on March 27. There have been 526,707 cases in the state since the pandemic began in March 2020. There were two new deaths listed in the daily coronvirus update, for an overall total of 10,854. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Avoids Loss of Congressional Seat with Slight Population Gain

Alabama avoided the loss of a congressional seat as its population grew from 4.8 million in 2010 to 5.03 million last year, according to figures released Monday by the U.S. Census Bureau. State officials had feared Alabama would lose one of its seven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one of its nine Electoral College members, based on the 2020 census. The census is taken every 10 years, and the 435 seats in the House are apportioned according to the population of the states. The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama released in analysis in January, predicting Alabama would keep its seven congressional seats and that New York would lose one seat. Read more.

by Virgina MacDonald

ADPH Reports Another Slight Rise in Daily COVID-19 Average

The weekly average number of new cases of COVID-19 in Alabama climbed slightly in Friday's report by the state Department of Public Health, reaching the highest level since the beginning of this month. ADPH reported 429 new cases, bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 525,477. The daily average over the past week rose by one to 392. The average stood at 382 at the end of March and dropped to as low as 311 on April 15 before beginning a slow rise. There were 16 new deaths in Friday's report, raising the total to 10,840. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s COVID Numbers Take a Turn for the Worse

Just two weeks after Gov. Kay Ivey relaxed many mandates and restrictions concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, Alabama’s new cases, deaths and hospitalizations have reversed their previous downward trends. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of COVID data, the 7-day moving average of new cases reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health is up to 391.14 per day. That average has been adjusted by BirminghamWatch to account for a backlog of 1,150 cases reported Tuesday by health agencies — the second such backlog in two weeks. The backlogged cases date from October to last week, as did the previous batch on April 13. The adjusted average compares to 305 cases per day a week prior, an increase of 28.2%. The longer-term 14-day average, also adjusted because of the backlog, is now at 348.07 new cases per day, up from 298.93 seven days beforehand, a rise of 16.4%. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Legislative Briefs: Nursing Home, Hospital Visitation; Drive-Through Alcohol Sales

MONTGOMERY -- The Alabama Legislature met for the 24th day of its 30-day regular session Tuesday. Here are some highlights of what happened at the State House.  Bill Ensuring Hospital, Nursing Home Visitation Rights Goes to Governor Committee OKs Inmate IDs for Absentee Voting, Kills Curbside Voting Broadband Expansion Bill Heads to Full House Drive-Through Alcohol Bill Passes House Free Menstrual Products in Schools Passes First Vote Read more.

by Caroline Beck and Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News