District Court Judge, Jefferson County, Place No. 7 Bentley Patrick Republican Age: 53 Residence: Political experience: Appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley to Circuit Court judgeship in March 2015; ran for a full term in November 2016 but lost in general election. Appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to District Court in April 2019 and is seeking
District Court Judge, Jefferson County, Place No. 7 Ruby Yvette Davis Democrat Age: 39 Residence: Birmingham Political experience: None Professional experience: Founding attorney, The Davis Law Group, Birmingham, 2013-present. Civic experience: Board of directors and former chair, Birmingham Jefferson Transit Authority; Executive Leadership Committee, American Heart Association; board member, Ursula Smith Dance Academy. Education: Doctor
The number of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama continued to climb in Thursday's update by the Alabama Department of Public Health, reaching the highest single-day level in almost two weeks. The report showed 1,390 new cases, the most since a count of 1,490 on Oct. 9. There has been an average of 1,129 cases a day over the past week, the highest 7-day average since Sept. 5. Alabama has recorded 177,064 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. That includes 154,942 confirmed cases and 22,122 listed as probable. Read more.
The pandemic has driven many people outdoors, but finding the right gear could be a challenge. Read more.
About the only agreement between Democrats and Republicans these days is that their opposite number is evil. At least that is the impression one gets in the aggregate. But what about one-on-one? Can you face a political adversary and explain what you feel, how you feel and why you feel that way? And engage in a dialogue in which you also listen to the other party’s feelings and opinions? Dave Isay would like for you to take that challenge. Isay's Story Corps has chosen Birmingham as one of four cities where it will match up people across the political divide and record their exchange of viewpoints. A copy will be stored in the Library of Congress. Read more.
The number of COVID-positive inpatients at UAB rose Wednesday to its highest level in more than a month. The hospital was treating 73 COVID patients, according to its daily report. UAB had a peak of 124 inpatients with the disease on Aug. 3, and the number dropped to as low as 44 on Sept. 18. It fluctuated after that and stood at 61 on Oct. 16. It has risen steadily since then to Wednesday’s number. Statewide, the number of hospitalizations was up slightly on Tuesday -- the latest day for which figures were available -- to 863. That's highest since that same figure was reported on Sept. 4. The Alabama Department of Public Health’s COVID Dashboard showed 1,146 new cases of the disease and 23 deaths in Wednesday’s update. Read more.
Rather than adding to the just approved fiscal 2021 budget, Jefferson County Commissioners said Tuesday that money called for from a recent classification survey would come from the county’s contingency fund. Chief Financial Officer Angela Dixon presented a resolution for an increase in funds related to a community development specialist position. The survey called for additional funds totaling $119,280. “We’re in a brand-new budget,” Commissioner Steve Ammons said. “Why would this survey not be done prior to us doing the budget so we don’t have a budget amendment just 45 days into the budget?” Commission President Jimmie Stephens moved to change the funding request, with the money coming from the commission’s contingency fund rather than the balance of the budget. Read more.
Updated — The Birmingham City Council voted Tuesday to implement new software for the Birmingham Police Department’s real-time crime center, despite public concerns that the agreement could pave the way for facial recognition software to be used by city law enforcement. The resolution will allow the city to lease-purchase rights to Motorola Solutions’ CommandCentral Aware and BriefCam softwares at a total cost of $1,315,659 over a five-year period. Fifteen residents — several of whom had also vocally opposed Mayor Randall Woodfin’s FY 2021 budget — spoke against the proposed agreement at Tuesday’s meeting, expressing concerns that BriefCam’s capability for facial recognition could have a negative impact on residents, particularly Black people, who are misidentified by such software far more often than white people. Read more.
The Alabama Department of Public Health reported 1,043 new cases of COVID-19 and 16 deaths in its daily update on Tuesday There have been 174,528 cases of the coronavirus in Alabama throughout the pandemic -- 153,016 confirmed as being from the disease and 21,512 listed as probable. The state has recorded 2,805 deaths from the disease, with 2,633 confirmed and 172 probable. Read more.
An additional 859 cases of COVID-19 and one new death from the disease were reported Monday by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The state has recorded 173,485 cases of the disease and 2,789 deaths since the pandemic began in March. There have been 152,272 confirmed cases and 21,213 listed as probable. The death toll includes 2,621 confirmed and 168 probable. Jefferson County reported 100 new cases, followed by Tuscaloosa County with 97. Read more.
