Glenn Stephens

Birmingham Pastor Calls for a State of Emergency Over Murder Rate

Birmingham ended in 2020 with 122 killings – up by 13%. Of that total, 105 killings were ruled justifiable, mirroring a trend of increase in many American cities. The city began 2021 with three killings in three days – one per day. Rev. Paul Hollman of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham launched a billboard campaign last year to raise awareness after a member of his church was shot to death. This week he called for Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to declare a state of emergency. Hollman spoke with WBHM’s Andrew Yeager. Read more.

by Andrew Yeager, WBHM

Friday’s Alabama COVID-19 Update: 5,057 New Cases, 111 Deaths

There were 5,057 new cases of COVID-19 and 111 deaths from the disease in Friday's daily update by the Alabama Department of Public Health. Those additions brought the state's total figures for the pandemic to 394,287 cases and 5,191 deaths. ADPH said said some of the new cases and deaths in Friday's report reflected late reporting from the recent holiday period. Alabama averaged 4,077 new cases a day over the past week. The Health Department said an average of 35% of the coronavirus tests have come back positive during the past seven days. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Turning Red Line Green: Virtual Conference Brings Attention to Underserved Areas

An organizer of a virtual gathering of bankers, regulators, developers and entrepreneurs acknowledged that redlining has been a deterrent to development in some communities. But Irvin M. Henderson said Thursday's event, sponsored by Birmingham community development corporation Urban Impact, was aimed at erasing that practice and creating a more fertile environment to improve communities that had been redlined. “We know that there are neighborhoods, and Ensley and the downtown historic district are two of them, where there has been redlining,” Henderson said. “What this meeting is about is to work with the regulators and the bankers.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

COVID-19 Deaths in Alabama Top 5,000 Mark

Alabama's COVID-19 death toll climbed above the 5,000 mark on Thursday as the state Department of Public Health added 86 deaths in its daily update. The agency said 5,080 people have died of the disease since the pandemic began in March. The 86 deaths included some that occured over the holiday period last weekend and were reported on a delayed basis. ADPH reported an additional 5,046 new cases of the coronavirus in its 24-hour update, including some that were diagnosed last weekend. There have been 389,230 cases throughout the pandemic. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Hotels, Recovery Rooms and Waiting Rooms Pressed Into Service as UAB’s Patient Load Rises

UAB Hospital is taking extraordinary steps to continue caring for all of its patients as it deals with an onslaught of COVID-19 cases. Recovery rooms, normally used for just a few hours after a patient has had a procedure, now are being used for care overnight and sometimes for two nights. For patients who normally would stay a night for observation after a procedure, UAB is using rooms in hotels near the hospital. An emergency room waiting area has been set aside to hold 10 stretchers with COVID-positive patients needing emergency treatment. “You have to be very creative and look for safe, appropriate space to take care of patients that, under normal times, you wouldn’t make that choice,” Hospital CEO Anthony Patterson said in a press conference Wednesday. “What happens when you completely run out of space? We haven’t hit that point yet, and I think that’s the one thing that we are all fearful of in terms of increasing numbers of patients coming to the hospital. … Hopefully that will not happen.” Read more.

by Robert Carter

COVID-19 Case Count, Deaths and Hospitalizations Continue Steady Rise

The numbers of new cases of COVID-19, deaths from the disease and people hospitalized for treatment of it continued to grow in Wednesday's daily updated by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The agency reported 4,591 new cases in its 24-hour report, bringing the total to 384,184 since the pandemic began in March. The state has averaged 3,909 new cases a day over the past week. The report listed 108 deaths, bringing the total to 4,994 over the course of the pandemic. While the number of new cases generally reflects figures for the past 24 hours, the reporting of deaths is slower and can include figures spread over several days. The state set another record for the number of people hospitalized for treatment of the coronavirus, with the count standing at 3,080 on Tuesday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Jefferson County Offers Call Center for Information About Vaccinations

Jefferson County has set up a call center to provide information to the public about COVID-19 vaccines and to help coordinate vaccinations. Because of limited supplies of the vaccines, the first doses are being given to frontline healthcare workers, emergency medical service providers and residents of long-term care facilities. The Jefferson County Health Department will inform the public when vaccines will be available to other segments of the population. Individuals and organizations in Jefferson County who believe they are in the current phase of vaccinations may call the JCUC Call Center at 205-858-2221 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Language interpreters are available upon request. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

ADPH Adds 5,498 New Cases of COVID-19 in Tuesday Report

The Alabama Department of Public Health added 5,498 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday in its daily update. That figure apparently included an undetermined number of cases from over the holiday weekend that were reported late. Still, it pushed the daily average number of new cases over the past week to 3,970, up from 3,142 a week ago. Alabama has recorded 379,593 cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began in March. There were eight deaths listed in Tuesday's update, raising the overall total for the pandemic to 4,886. The number of people being treated for COVID-19 in Alabama hospitals rose to a record 3,064 on Monday, compared to 2,815 one week earlier. UAB reported 226 coronavirus patients, its highest number so far. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Count Grows by 4,406 in Thursday Update

A total of 4,406 new cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths from the disease were reported Thursday by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The counts for the past 24 hours brought the state's totals to 361,226 cases and 4,827 deaths since the pandemic began in March. The number of people being treated in Alabama hospitals for the coronavirus on Wednesday stood at 2,813, down slightly from the record of 2,815 the previous day. Overall, 33,831 people have been hospitalized in the state during the pandemic. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Birmingham Police Need the Public’s Help in Solving Homicides, Woodfin Says

Mayor Randall Woodfin pleaded with Birmingham residents on Wednesday to help police in homicide investigations, saying police have “hit a wall that’s hard to crack” in many cases: uncooperative witnesses. There have been 120 homicides in Birmingham this year, 15 of which have been ruled justifiable. Sixty-two of the remaining 105 homicides remain unsolved. That low clearance rate, Woodfin said, “is not because our detectives are not doing their job.” “Trust me, they are,” he said during a news conference with Police Chief Patrick Smith. “But we don’t have more solved cases in part because there are some people who know who are behind these killings, but they won’t say anything.” Read more.

by Sam Prickett