Glenn Stephens

Alabama’s Daily Average COVID-19 Rate Is One-Half That of One Month Ago

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 549 new cases of COVID-19 for the 24-hour period covered by its update on Monday, leaving the daily average at one-half the rate of one month ago. The state has averaged 590 cases a day over the past week. That compares to an average of 601 cases a day one week ago and 1,180 on Feb. 15. Monday's report included 549 new cases, plus 4,007 old cases that had not been previously reported. The state's overall total since the pandemic began a year ago stands at 508,229. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama’s Unemployment Rate Drops, but Still Above Pre-COVID Level

Alabama’s unemployment rate in the first month of 2021 was 4.3%, down from a revised December 2020 level of 4.7% and up from the pre-COVID January 2020 rate of 2.7% “As we begin a new year, it’s encouraging to see our monthly unemployment rate drop, marking a new record low since the pandemic began,” Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “While we are still not where we were before this year of massive change, we are making progress.  More people were employed this month, and fewer were unemployed, which is always good news.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

ADPH Reports 448 New Cases of COVID-19, 77 Deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 448 new cases of COVID-19 and 77 deaths from the disease in Friday's daily update. There have been 502,711 cases and 10,299 deaths in the state since the pandemic began a year ago. The state has averaged 546 cases a day over the past week, the lowest since an average of 539 a year last June 11. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

One Year in, Bama Tracker Creator Considers Future of COVID Data Site

Saturday will mark one year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Alabama, ushering in a year like no other. But David Marconnet’s experience during the pandemic is unique. The Huntsville software developer started a side project called Bama Tracker. It’s a website that displays public information about the pandemic in a clear, digestible way. That site has become a go-to place for professionals and amateurs to find data about the coronavirus in Alabama. Its reach has far surpassed what Marconnet though would happen when he started a year ago. “My expectation was it would probably be a couple months, maybe two or three months, and that we could potentially be through (the pandemic),” Marconnet said. By May, he created social media accounts for Bama Tracker. Reporters soon came calling. Marconnet declined interview requests initially, having never done media interviews. But after deciding to give it a shot, an interview ran on TV in Birmingham and changed everything. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

Another Drop in Hospitalizations, Daily Averages for COVID-19 in Alabama

The daily average number of COVID-19 cases and number of people hospitalized for the coronavirus in Alabama continued to decline in Thursday's report by the state Department of Public Health. The agency's daily update showed 865 new cases, bringing the total to 502,263 over the course of the pandemic. The state has averaged 598 cases a day for the past week. The number of patients being treated in Alabama hospitals for the coronavirus dropped to 448, the lowest since  count of 440 last May 24. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birmingham VA Offers Vaccines to Eligible Veterans of All Ages

The Birmingham Veterans Affairs Health Care System is now vaccinating veterans of all ages at four COVID-19 vaccine clinics around the state. Birmingham VA officials announced the eligibility expansion on Wednesday. Many VA health care sites around the country follow eligibility guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, giving priority to veterans

by Gigi Douban, WBHM

As Alabama Seeks To Build New Prisons, Mississippi Sets Sights On Reform

When Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed leases for two new privately-owned prisons earlier this year, the decision sparked uproar with the public, activists and the legislature. While state leaders say the move aims to improve prison conditions, some worry it will only increase the incarceration rate in a state that ranks 13th nationally.  Louisiana ranks number one in the country for incarceration rates, and Mississippi comes in second. With the U.S. Department of Justice investigating all three states for the prison conditions and their release practices, each state is testing a different approach to address those issues.  In Alabama, 30-year lease agreements with CoreCivic would allow one of the nation’s largest private prison companies to own and maintain the two facilities while the state corrections department staffs them. Together they’ll hold 7,000 inmates. Ivey pushed the deal through without opening it up to public opinion or working with state lawmakers.  This has residents like Alan Parker worried. Read more.

by Becca Schimmel, WBHM

Alabama’s Hospitalization Rate for Coronavirus Drops to Lowest Level Since Last May

The number of people hospitalized in Alabama for COVID-19 has dropped to its lowest level since last May, according to the state Department of Public Health's daily update on Wednesday. The report showed 468 people were being treated in 104 hospitals around the state for the coronavirus on Tuesday, the lowest number of inpatients since a count of 450 on May 25 of last year. UAB Hospital on Tuesday reported 107 patients who had been admitted for the disease, down from a high of 285 on Jan. 3. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Bill to Limit Executive Branch Spending Advances

MONTGOMERY -- The Senate Government Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit Alabama governors and executive agencies from entering into contracts larger than $5 million or for more than a two-year period without the Legislature’s approval. Senate Bill 290 is sponsored by Sen. Greg Albritton, R-Range, one of the loudest voices of opposition to Gov. Kay Ivey’s plan to lease three large men’s prisons. Albritton said the governor’s prison lease plan was a “major contributor” to his filing of this bill, but not the single reason. Albritton chairs the Legislative Contract Review Committee, which reviews service contracts state agencies enter into. Some of them can be multimillion-dollar agreements. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

House Passes General Fund Budget that Increases Funding for State Agencies

MONTGOMERY -- The Alabama House of Representatives passed the General Fund budget Tuesday, sending a bill to the Senate that increases funding across the board for state agencies and programs for the next fiscal year. As passed, the $2.47 billion budget is an increase of $78.9 million over the current fiscal year's General Fund and $15 million more than Gov. Kay Ivey's original budget proposal from February. It includes a 2% pay raise for state employees. Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, who chairs the House General Fund budget committee, said he felt lawmakers arrived at a good budget, which was reflected in the 101-1 vote in the House. Rep. Andrew Sorrell, R-Muscle Shoals, cast the lone no vote. "All in all, I felt like this was a good budget that leaves some money on the table that will help us get ready for any other surprises that are coming down the road," Clouse said. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News