Glenn Stephens

Fultondale High School Too Badly Damaged by Tornado to Use Again

The end came earlier than expected for the Fultondale High School facility. After the school suffered heavy damage from this week’s EF-3 tornado, Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Walter Gonsoulin announced Friday that the building would no longer be used for in-school education. “We have been assessing the damage since Monday night. At this point, it does not appear the building will be able to be occupied again. The damage is that extensive,” Gonsoulin said in a statement sent by email and Facebook to parents and staff. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Alabama Extends COVID Vaccine Eligibility to Everyone 65 and Older

Alabama’s COVID-19 vaccination effort has been expanded as of Feb. 8 to make everyone 65 and older, as well as numerous additional workers in frontline essential services, eligible for the vaccine – even though the state doesn’t have enough vaccine to go around. The announcement came from State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris, who said those eligible also include first responders, corrections officers, those who work in all forms of education from pre-school to college, as well as workers in childcare, food and agriculture, the U.S. Postal Service, manufacturing, grocers and public transit. Members of the clergy are also eligible. Read more.

by Robert Carter

State Adds 226 COVID-19 Deaths, 2,848 Cases

The state added 226 deaths from COVID-19 and 2,848 new cases of the disease in Friday's daily update by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The report marked the third time this week that the number of deaths exceeded 200, and it pushed the death toll for the pandemic to 7,566. The daily numbers posted by ADPH do not reflect deaths during a single day, but rather the number reported or confirmed on that date. It can take days or weeks for reports to reach the the department. There have been 455,582 cases of COVID-19 in Alabama since the pandemic began last March. The average number of cases per day over the past week stood at 2,785, well below the high of 4,280 a day during the week ended Jan. 10. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Could Be Home To Amazon’s First Unionized Warehouse In The U.S.

Amazon could be on the verge of its first unionized warehouse in the U.S. If workers at the Alabama facility vote yes next month, they would turn a new page both for the company and the region. Read more.

by ALINA SELYUKH, WBHM/NPR

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Toll Passes 7,000, But Hospitalizations Are Decreasing

The number of deaths linked to the COVID-19 virus in Alabama has passed 7,000, with an increase of almost a thousand in the past seven days. In Birmingham Watch’s periodic analysis of the data provided by the Alabama Department of Public Health, the state death toll stands at 7,340 as of Thursday morning. That compares to 6,379 deaths reported on Jan. 21, an increase of 961 deaths, or 15%, in a week’s time. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Mental Health Services in Schools Improving, More Help Needed

Mental health support in Alabama schools has improved since the Alabama Legislatures appropriated $4.5 million toward the effort last year, but education leaders say more help is needed. Education and mental health leaders held a joint press conference in the State House Wednesday, announcing a renewed push for more funding from the Legislature.  “I think we have made major impacts, particularly under the situation right now with COVID, but I think there is still a dire need for services, collaboratives, as well as tools for these people to have,” Kay Warfield, the Alabama State Department of Education’s education administrator, said.   Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily New

Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Toll and Case Count Rise in Wednesday Report

Alabama's COVID-19 death toll rose by 276, and the number of new cases of the disease showed a small increase in Wednesday's update by the state Department of Public Health. The state has recorded 7,172 deaths from the coronavirus over the course of the pandemic. The Health Department had reported 234 additional deaths in its daily update on Tuesday. The figures for deaths reflect the number of cases reported during a 24-hour period, but they can reflect deaths dating back a few weeks because of the way the numbers are reported to the agency. Wednesday's report showed 3,177 new cases  of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, representing the third consecutive day of increase since a total of 1,728 on Jan. 24. The state has recorded an average of 2,776 new cases a day over the past week, the most since an average of 2,564 a week ago. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

City Council Approves Bid for Birmingham Real-Time Crime Center

The Birmingham City Council has approved a $940,030 construction bid for the city’s long-planned real-time crime center, though the identity of the bidder remains confidential. The development of a real-time crime center was first announced by Birmingham Police Chief Patrick D. Smith in 2019 as a technological hub that would give police “a very clear picture of what’s going on throughout the city.” He said information could be transmitted directly to on-beat officers “so they know exactly what they’re looking for and who they’re looking for.” The crime center will employ policing technology such as ShotSpotter and PredPol, as well as recently approved Motorola surveillance software that drew controversy last year for its facial recognition capabilities. Mayor Randall Woodfin has maintained that the BPD cannot use those capabilities without approval from the City Council. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Another 234 COVID-19 Deaths in Alabama Reported Tuesday

The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 234 deaths from COVID-19 in its daily update on Tuesday, raising the state's total to 6,896 since the pandemic began. The figure apparently catches up from deaths that did not show up in reports for the weekend, when there were two deaths listed on Monday and three on Sunday. Earlier last week, the daily updates showed as many as 171 deaths. ADPH notes that its daily figures for deaths are not for the current day because it can take two weeks or more for some to be reported and confirmed. There were 2,900 new cases of the coronavirus in Tuesday's report, bringing the total for the pandemic to 445,909. The state has averaged 2,767 new cases a day over the past week. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Adds 171 Deaths, 3,355 New Cases of COVID-19 in Saturday Report

Alabama reported 171 deaths from COVID-19 and 3,355 new cases of the disease in Saturday's 24-hour update by the state Department of Public Health. Those figures brought the state's totals since the pandemic began in March to 6,657 deaths and 439,442 cases. The state averaged 2,680 new cases of the coronavirus per day over the past week. That is down from a daily average of 3,076 cases a week on Jan. 16 and 3,714 on Jan. 1. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch