Virginia Martin

COVID Infections Top Levels Seen in February

The number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to rise at faster rates in Alabama, and hospital beds continue to fill with patients suffering from the virus. The Alabama Department of Public Health said Wednesday that 1,631 new cases were reported by hospitals and health care facilities across the state. It’s the third day in the past week that the number has topped the 1,300 mark and the highest daily number since early February, except for days when many previously unreported cases were sent by providers to the ADPH in what they call data dumps. Read more.

by Robert Carter

Birmingham Police Revise Policies to Disallow No-Knock Warrants

Birmingham police will no longer use no-knock warrants such as the one that led to the death of Breonna Taylor in Louisville last year. Mayor Randall L. Woodfin, Police Chief Patrick Smith and Thomas Beavers, senior pastor of The Star Church, announced that and several other revisions to police policies and procedures during an event Tuesday. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Offering a Carrot Won’t Get People Vaccinated, Maybe It’s Time to Talk About the Stick, Health Official Tells Birmingham Council

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Jefferson County, and offering incentives to persuade people to get vaccinated does not seem to be working, a public health official warned the Birmingham City Council on Tuesday. David Hicks, deputy health officer and COVID-19 incident commander at the Jefferson County Department of Health, said new daily coronavirus cases had increased fivefold in the past month. “In our county, we’re averaging 75 new COVID cases per day,” he said. “If you go back a month ago, we were averaging 13 cases a day … . The trajectory is troubling. Every week we’re seeing a doubling of the cases of COVID-19 being identified.” Thirty-six percent of Jefferson County residents are fully vaccinated, Hicks said, while 45% have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

COVID Cases Reach New Summer Peak; More Than 1,300 Cases Reported Tuesday

New COVID-19 cases jumped by 1,391 Tuesday, driving the state’s 7-day average of daily new cases up to 1,013.71 from Monday’s peak of 815. Over the past two weeks, the state has averaged 786.64 new cases per day, according to updates from the Alabama Department of Public Health. Monday that number was 687.29. On July 5, it was 121. The rising numbers reflect the spread of the Delta variant of the COVID virus, which is stronger and more contagious than the original, and continuing low vaccination rates in the state. The Fourth of July holiday also was two weeks ago, and gatherings or parties to celebrate could be contributing to the spread. Read more.

by Virginia Martin

Developer Partners With Tuskegee Students, Minority-Owned Contractors to Revitalize Old American Red Cross Building

The former American Red Cross building that’s been sitting vacant for over 21 years will finally have new life, adding to dramatic redevelopment in downtown Birmingham. Read more.

by Cody Short, WBHM

Mt Brook Donations to Britt for Senate Signal Views from the GOP’s Business Wing

Residents of Mountain Brook may be relatively few in number, but they sent a message about their views on the Republican Party in campaign finance reports filed last week by candidates running to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. Although Mountain Brook’s population is just more than 20,000, people who live in the affluent Birmingham suburb contributed far more than any other municipality in the state to Katie Boyd Britt. Donations from residents of Mountain Brook signal support for Britt from the traditional, business-oriented wing of the Republican Party. Read more. Also read: Britt Leads Rivals in Fundraising for GOP U.S. Senate Nomination

by Glenn Stephens

Contributor Lists in U.S. Senate Race

The following are contributors of $5,000 or more this year to the campaigns of candidates for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate in Alabama next year, according to reports filed July 15 with the Federal Elections Commission. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Several Sitting House Republicans Draw Primary Challengers

According to June campaign filings, at least three sitting state House members have GOP primary challengers who plan to raise funds against them. In House District 48, Rep. Jim Carns, R-Birmingham, is running for reelection and being challenged by Republican William Wentowsk of Vestavia for the district that covers parts of Jefferson and Shelby counties. Read more.

by Mary Sell, Alabama Daily News

Gov. Ivey Advocates Push for Expanding Summer Learning

Gov. Kay Ivey and education leaders are stressing the importance of expanding summer learning throughout the state as educators seek to help students recover from learning loss sustained during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ivey on Wednesday toured a program that is funded by Summer Adventures in Learning and helps pair community organizations with schools to create high-quality summer learning programs. Jim Wooten, chair of Sail, said Sail aims to reimagine what summer school can look like. He said easily 75% of Alabama students could benefit from summer learning. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News

K-12 Schools Look to ‘Fill the Gap’ With Incoming $2 Billion COVID Relief Funds

MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s K-12 schools have about $2.02 billion coming in from the American Rescue Plan Act that schools will be able to spend over the next three years, making it one of the largest single investments Alabama has ever seen for public education. In three rounds of COVID-19 federal relief funding since last year, K-12 schools are getting more than $3.1 billion. That’s more than four years’ worth of annual federal Title I money targeted at helping low-income learners. “We’ve never had an influx of money like this before and we’re excited about the possibilities,” State Superintendent Eric Mackey told Alabama Daily News. Read more.

by Caroline Beck, Alabama Daily News