Virginia Martin

The Decline of Delta: Alabama’s COVID Case Daily Average Falls Below 1,000, Down 86% From Peak

The effects of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus have subsided in Alabama almost as quickly as they peaked. In a BirminghamWatch analysis of the state’s pandemic data, the 7-day moving average of new daily cases has fallen below the 1,000 mark, six weeks after it surpassed 5,500 — the highest reading since the pandemic began in March 2020. The Alabama Department of Public Health reported on Wednesday that the 7-day average stands at 893.14 new cases per day. That reading comes a day after dropping below 1,000 and is now roughly one-seventh of the record set Sept. 1. By comparison, the recent Delta surge took seven weeks to skyrocket from the previous low point of 121 cases per day on July 7 to the peak. And though the current level is still considerably higher than that low point, the downward direction of the curve is very close to the inverse of the upward slope in summer. Read more.

by Robert Carter, BirminghamWatch

Birmingham Library Delays Plans to Close Four Branches After City Officials Protest

The Birmingham Public Library Board of Trustees has delayed a proposed vote to shut down four library branches after receiving criticism from city leaders, including Mayor Randall Woodfin. In a letter to BPL staff sent out Oct. 8, board President Eunice Johnson Rogers said the board would consider shutting down the BPL’s East Ensley, Ensley, North Avondale and Titusville locations during its Oct. 12 meeting. “Now we are challenged with supporting Mayor Woodfin’s vision of decreasing the number of Birmingham Public Library physical locations,” Rogers wrote. “After careful consideration, the BPL Board of Trustees recommends the permanent closure of the East Ensley, Ensley, North Avondale and Titusville Branch Libraries. All branch libraries identified for closure are located less than three miles from another BPL location.” Rogers’ letter said staff from those branches would be reassigned to work at the BPL’s Five Points West, Avondale and North Birmingham branches. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Work Scheduled to Tear Down Cooper Green Parking Deck, Building New Clinic

Demolition of the old Cooper Green Hospital parking lot is expected to begin later this year or early next year to make way for building a new indigent care clinic in that location, officials with Jefferson County and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System announced Tuesday. Designs for the new clinic, planned to be about 150,000 square feet, are being worked on, and those involved hope it will be ready to open in 2½ to 3 years, David Randall, chief strategy officer for the UAB Health System, said during a press conference. The project is expected to cost between $55 million and $65 million, Randall said. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

No More Euphoria; Bham Council Revokes License of Infamous Club

The Birmingham City Council has revoked the business license of Club Euphoria, an Ensley nightclub deemed a “nuisance” by the surrounding neighborhood. The council originally considered shutting the club down in June after repeated instances of gun violence inside and outside the club, including the June 13 killing of 21-year-old Euphoria patron Lykeria Briana Taylor. The council was split on revocation then, settling on a 13-week delay to give owners time to tighten up their safety plan. At Tuesday’s meeting, Monica Hatcher, an attorney representing club owner Morris Bradley, told councilors that the club had “beefed up security” since June, including patrols around the surrounding neighborhoods to prevent club visitors from parking off-site. But numerous residents argued that Bradley hadn’t done enough to address problems of parking and loud noise. “I have multiple documented occasions where the loud noise and the nuisance was such that neighbors were calling me at all hours of the night,” said Costella Adams Terrell, president of the Rising-West Princeton neighborhood association. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

COVID-19 Federal Funds in Alabama Total $46B, Contribute to Big 2021 Tax Revenues

About $46.8 billion. Billion with a B. That’s how much federal COVID-19 relief money has gone to Alabama residents, businesses and government agencies since the pandemic began. About $30.3 billion of that has been given directly to individuals and businesses to assist them, Kirk Fulford, deputy director of the Legislative Services Agency, told state lawmakers recently. About $6.3 billion was in the Paycheck Protection Program, forgivable loans to help businesses weather the economic drought caused by COVID-related shutdowns. And nearly twice that much, $12.6 billion, has gone directly to individuals in stimulus checks. The money had a big impact on the state’s record tax receipts for fiscal 2021, which ended last week, Fulford said. That’s especially true in the Education Trust Fund, where sales and income tax are the main contributors. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Birmingham Hosts the Morehouse Tuskegee Classic for the First Time

The oldest football rivalry among historically black colleges has made its way to Birmingham. Tuskegee University and Morehouse College will have their first game in the Magic City Saturday. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

Stephens Left as Last Man Sitting, Recesses JeffCo Commission After Other Commissioners Had to Bolt

They say it’s lonely at the top. As Thursday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commission neared its end, it was lonely on the dais. Commission President Jimmie Stephens was the only commissioner remaining after others were either absent or had to leave because of other commitments. “I guess I'm the last man standing on this particular deal,” Stephens said after recessing the session. “This is not the pattern, practice or the way we do business. We have commissioners who had other commitments, and this did run over very long. We wanted to give the citizens an opportunity to speak. “At the end of that, we did do what was needed and necessary to take care of the business of the county,” he continued. “We'll have a full quorum next meeting and continue the operations and business.” Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

State Still Reviewing $2B COVID Relief Funds for Schools

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama State Department of Education says it has approved about half of the applications from K-12 schools for their share of the $2 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

Kick COVID While It’s Down, Health Experts Urge

Alabamians have a chance right now to substantially reduce COVID cases in the state, UAB officials said in a press conference Wednesday. The state is seeing a downtick in the number of new COVID cases; in fact, the Alabama Department of Public Health on Wednesday reported the number of new cases had dropped for the 17th consecutive day. Delta is the primary variant of the COVID virus that is circulating in the state and in the U.S., said Russell Griffin, Ph.D and associate professor at the UAB School of Public Health. Continuing vaccinations could prevent another variant from forming. UAB epidemiologist Dr. Rachael Lee added that higher vaccination rates, the advent of booster shots and natural immunity built up by those who have had COVID all are weapons in the war against the virus. Making headway now depends on the community not becoming complacent but continuing to wear masks, get vaccinated and stay home when they are sick, she said. Read more.

by Virginia MacDonald

Melson: Proposed Changes Coming to Medical Marijuana Law

MONTGOMERY— Proposed changes to Alabama’s medical cannabis law will be coming soon. Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, the sponsor of the cannabis bill that became law earlier this year, said he will file legislation to make technical changes to some of the wording around timing and deadlines in the law, including starting the licensing process for growers earlier. Read more.

by Mary Sell and Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News