MONTGOMERY — Pay raises for teachers are possible in next year’s state education budget, as are more school nurses, a greater focus on literacy and catching students up from learning loss left over from the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s according to spending proposals discussed by state education leaders and lawmakers at budget hearings in the State House Tuesday. Read more.
People 75 years old or older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine now, but arranging to get one can be a frustrating and potentially complicated process. Read more.
Gina Moran, a school bus driver and business owner, was set to hold the grand opening for her restaurant, Tamale Queen, on Wednesday. But instead it became more like an early food giveaway for residents impacted by Monday night’s tornado. “I love my community,” she said. “I’m very heavily involved with Church of the Highlands and they’re involved with us giving out food. And we believe that in times like these, people need help. They need love and they need whatever we can give them.” Clean up continued Tuesday after a strong tornado devastated parts of Fultondale Monday night. The city has been here before. Residents are, once again, coming together to pick up the pieces Read more.
Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 93 for and two against on Jan. 22 to confirm retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III as secretary of defense. Austin, who was educated at Auburn University and has sat on its board, is the first Black to hold the position in its 74-year history. Both Alabama senators voted in favor of confirming Austin. Read more.
Birmingham-based clean-air advocate Gasp and the Southern Environmental Law Center have announced “significant improvements” to a consent decree to address ABC Coke’s illegal emissions of benzene and its effects on communities around northeast Birmingham and Tarrant. SELC intervened on behalf of Gasp in January 2020 to protest requirements set out by the consent decree agreed to by the Jefferson County Board of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the Drummond Company – which owns ABC Coke. SELC made the case that the requirements were inadequate to address ongoing violations and control of pollution from benzene, a known carcinogen. Read more.
WBHM Alabama has administered less than half of its COVID-19 vaccine supply. So why do state health officials say supply is the main obstacle? Read more.
WBHM Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin acknowledged Thursday that he will be running for a second term during the municipal elections in August. Read more.
WBHM The comments from Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin come after a UAB student was shot and killed during a transaction arranged online. Read more.
The effects of the holiday season on the spread of COVID-19 may be slowing down in Alabama. In BirminghamWatch’s weekly analysis of COVID data across the state, the number of new daily cases has fallen significantly since peaking on Jan. 10, and fewer hospital beds have been occupied by those infected with the virus, as well. Death counts from the virus remain high, though many recent reports are from deaths that occurred as far back as November. The numbers come on the heels of Gov. Kay Ivey’s announcement Thursday morning that she would extend until March 5 her order that face masks must be worn in public places. The new order remains unchanged from the previous one, which was to expire on Friday. Read more.
Former Alabama U.S. Sen. Doug Jones and his wife, Louise, were on hand for today’s inauguration ceremony, and Jones called it “a magnificent display of unity, optimism and, most importantly, hope." Read more.
