Virginia Martin, Author at BirminghamWatch - Page 164 of 480
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Virginia Martin

Blanchard Begins Run for Governor

WETUMPKA — Former U.S. Ambassador Lindy Blanchard officially launched her campaign for governor Tuesday, switching from running for the U.S. Senate to challenging incumbent Gov. Kay Ivey in the Republican primary. Speaking to a crowd in her childhood home just north of Montgomery, Blanchard called herself the “conservative outsider” candidate. “I will stand up for our rights against not just the liberal left, but the go-along-to-get-along, so-called conservatives who have run things in Montgomery for way too long,” Blanchard said. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

The Unknowns of Omicron: New COVID Variant Brings More Questions Than Answers for Now

There’s a lot more we don’t know about the new omicron variant of COVID-19 than what we do know. Dr. Suzanne Judd, a professor and epidemiologist at the UAB School of Public Health, told reporters in a Tuesday morning online conference that the variant first discovered in South Africa is spreading rapidly in that region, but there are many unanswered questions about how severe the symptoms might be for those infected. “The truth of it is, we just don’t know enough about it. We have things that we think about the omicron variant based on what is coming out of South Africa,” Judd said. “We think it spreads more rapidly than delta. This is based on the fact that South Africa is having a huge surge in cases of COVID, despite the fact that they already battled a delta wave almost at the same time that Alabama (did). “We think it may be less virulent, which means it may be less severe, less likely to put people in the hospital, but still spreading quite rapidly.” Read more.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham Council OK’s Agreement With ICE, Disturbing Advocacy Groups

The Birmingham City Council has approved an agreement between the city’s police department and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement that would deputize several BPD officers as customs officers for ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations jurisdiction. The agreement was approved unanimously despite tense opposition from several advocacy groups worried that it could lead to more deportations in the city and give ICE too much power. The agreement — a continuation of a previous 3-year deal — went before the council Nov. 2 but was delayed due to councilors’ concerns that it would require the police officers involved to participate in the deportation and removal of undocumented Birmingham residents. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Blanchard to Announce Candidacy for Governor Tuesday

MONTGOMERY — Lynda Blanchard, the former U.S. ambassador and current candidate for the U.S. Senate, will officially switch races and announce her candidacy for governor Tuesday, she confirmed to Alabama Daily News. Blanchard is planning an announcement in Wetumpka, the small town north of Montgomery where she was born and raised, according to an event invitation. Read more.

by Todd Stacy, Alabama Daily News

Tim James Running for Alabama Governor

Running for governor in Alabama is a full-contact sport, two-time candidate Tim James says, and he’s ready to play again. James, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2002 and 2010, filed paperwork with the Secretary of State's office to run for a third time in 2022. And it’s not just the sitting governor he wants to take on. “The Republican leadership in Alabama are not Republicans as we know it,” James, son of former Gov. Fob James, said in an interview with Alabama Daily News. “The Republican leadership in large part are what we call RINOS (Republicans In Name Only) or Democrats disguised as Republicans.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

After Mass Shootings, Public Safety and Good Journalism Collide

In the aftermath of the fatal shootings at Oxford (Michigan) High School last week, CNN’s Anderson Cooper continued his practice of recent years of not reporting the name of the shooter. This is becoming an increasingly popular editorial decision among news media. The main reason for this is that, according to research and anecdotal evidence, most mass shooters commit their acts in large part to gain notoriety. Further, there’s evidence that fame for one mass shooter can motivate future ones. But naming the shooter can serve a public benefit, as well. Read more.

by Tom Arenberg

Supply-Chain, Weather Issues Mean Late Harvests for Alabama Farmers

On the last day in November, Talladega County farmer Bob Luker was grateful for sunshine and working machinery.  In a normal year, Luker would be done harvesting his cotton by the end of November. This year, he was just getting started on his 800 acres. Weather delays — a cool spring and wet fall — and supply chain issues, especially on equipment parts, have slowed farmers across the state. It's another way the national supply chain and inflation issues are hitting home in Alabama. Instead of being able to order parts for quick delivery, farmers are having to wait weeks or spend valuable time traveling to get a needed piece. “The thing about it isn’t the drive or the expense, it’s the time lost,” Luker said during a phone interview from the cab of his cotton combine. “We only have so many pretty days. You can’t pick cotton in the rain, you can’t pick cotton when it’s wet, you can’t pick it in the mud. And you only have so many days to get this crop out and each day you sit waiting on parts or hunting parts is a day of harvest you lose.” Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Alabama’s COVID Numbers Stay Mostly Steady as Delta Variant Remains Dominant

As health officials worldwide cast a wary eye on the newly discovered omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, the delta strain continues to account for the vast majority of new cases in Alabama. In BirminghamWatch’s periodic analysis of the spread of COVID throughout the state, the number of daily new cases has risen from reports covering the Thanksgiving holiday period. However, the amount of fluctuation in the numbers caused by health agency staffers taking time off during that period is unclear. The 7-day moving average of new COVID cases stands at 352.86 per day as of Thursday. That’s up from 283 on Tuesday, the lowest level the average has seen since July 7, but it also is down by 21% from the average of 444.43 a week before. The average has been in a steady decline since Sept. 1, when the pandemic all-time record of 5,538 cases per day was set at the height of the delta-variant surge. Read more.

by Robert Carter
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