Glenn Stephens

COVID-19 Toll in Alabama Accelerates in Wednesday Report

The COVID-19 toll in Alabama continued to accelerate Wednesday, growing by 906 confirmed cases and 21 deaths, the state Department of Public Health's 24-hour update showed. There had been 854 new cases on Tuesday. Jefferson County, the state's most populous, continued to lead the way with 177 new cases, bringing its total to 4,387, and two deaths for a total of 142 since the state began counting COVID-19 results on March 13. Statewide, there have been 38,442 confirmed cases, plus 509 listed as probably from the disease but not yet confirmed. The death toll stands at 947, with another 24 probably from the virus. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

State Reports 854 New COVID-19 Cases, 21 Deaths

Alabama recorded 854 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths in the most recent 24-hour period, the state Department of Public Health reported Tuesday morning. There have been 37,536 cases and 926 deaths attributed to the disease since the pandemic began in March, the department's COVID Dashboard showed. Another 493 cases and 24 deaths were listed as probable, meaning they are believed to have been from the disease but have not been confirmed. The state has averaged 980 new cases a day over the past week and 787 cases a day for the past 14 days. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Number of COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Climbs, Death Toll Reaches 905

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases in Alabama continues to climb, reaching 36,682 in the Alabama Department of Public Health's daily report Monday. The death toll from the disease stood at 905 since the pandemic began in March. The Health Department did not have complete results available for its daily report on Sunday, and did not have figures on how many new cases there were during the 24-hour period through Monday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Descendants Want to Remove Gadsden’s Emma Sansom Monument

A descendant of Emma Sansom said members of Sansom's family support removing a Confederate monument in Gadsden that memorializes their ancestor. The statue of Sansom near City Hall has become a target for conflict between Black Lives Matter protesters and counter-protesters. The fray began with national protests over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed May 25 by a white police officer in Minneapolis. Sansom is a heroine of Confederate lore for her role in helping rebel Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest capture Union Col. Abel Streight and his brigade in 1863. Streight appeared to have escaped Forrest’s pursuit across north Alabama by crossing and then burning a bridge spanning Black Creek at Gadsden. Read more.

by Scott Morris

Decline Reported Sunday in New COVID-19 Cases in Alabama Result of Data Glitch

The Alabama Department of Public Health's daily dashboard reported a significant drop Sunday in the number of confirmed new COVID-19 cases in Alabama, but officials said that was because of a computer glitch. Reports from labs that process the majority of coronavirus tests did not process, the Health Department said on its Twitter feed. The testing numbers reported Monday morning should include the cases and deaths that were not counted over the weekend. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

COVID-19 Total Continues to Grow in Alabama, with Deaths Nearing the 900 Mark

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 grew by 888 in the Alabama Department of Public Health's daily report Saturday, and there were 11 new deaths. There have been 34,605 cases of the disease in Alabama since the pandemic began in mid-March. The daily average of new cases now stands at 742 over the past two weeks and at 782 for the last seven days. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Alabama Schools to Open in August, But Parents Have Home Education Option

Updated: Alabama public schools will reopen in August despite the COVID-19 pandemic, but parents will have the option of continuing distance learning for their children, Alabama Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said Thursday. "Campuses will reopen for personal instruction. They will be physically open, with remote learning" available, Mackey said. There also will  be a “blended” learning situation that allows students to transition between traditional and remote instruction as needs arise, he said. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

COVID-19 Cases up by 964 Friday as Spread Continues in Alabama

The spread of COVID-19 in Alabama continued Friday, with authorities reporting 964 new confirmed cases and seven deaths from the disease. The Alabama Department of Public Health's COVID Dashboard, which updates figures at 10 a.m. daily, showed a total of 33,717 confirmed cases and 887 deaths in the state since the pandemic began in mid-March. Another 453 cases and 16 deaths were listed as probably being from the disease but still being investigated. The case count for the latest 24-hour period was down from Thursday's total of 1,129 cases, the highest one-day increase so far. \ Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Record 1,129 New Cases of COVID-19 Reported for Alabama on Thursday

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Alabama soared to a one-day record of 1,129 on Thursday, bringing the state’s overall total for the pandemic to 32,753 cases. The previous high for a single day was 1,014 on June 14, and the daily figures have fluctuated since then, dropping to as low as 390 on June 12. The count on Wednesday at 954. One new death was reported by the Alabama Department of Public Health for the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Thursday. A total of 880 people have died from the disease since the pandemic began in mid-March. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Protests Over Confederate Monuments Spread to Small Towns Across Alabama

Chants of “black lives matter” and “take it down” echo across the courthouse square. Protesters wave signs and shout their disapproval of an anonymous Confederate soldier, immortalized in monument and towering over them. This is not Birmingham or Mobile or some other urban center of Alabama with a core population of black residents. This is Florence, tucked away in the remote northwest corner of the state, with a population that is 75% white. The protests from more populated Southern cities are filtering down to the hinterlands, with people in smaller and sometimes more conservative cities such as Florence, Gadsden, Anniston, Opelika, Jasper, Athens, Selma and Tuskegee showing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Read more.

by Scott Morris