The Football Capital of the South could soon be the COVID Vaccination Capital after the Birmingham Park Board voted unanimously today to approve measures to allow Legion Field to be used as a 24/7 COVID-19 vaccine distribution center. Read more.
WBHM Young voters of both parties look toward the future as a new administration takes over. Read more.
Jerry Drummonds’ only mistake in his Monday trip to the Jefferson County Department of Health was his fashion choice.
The long-sleeved blue checkered shirt he wore just didn’t match the COVID-19 vaccine he was getting.
“I had to take off my shirt because we couldn’t roll it up high enough to get to the meaty part of my shoulder,” the 83-year-old said. “And I don’t have that much meat.”
The Vestavia Hills resident was among hundreds of persons – mostly seniors – who came to a pair of health department venues to get vaccinated for the virus. The vaccine also was administered at Gardendale High School.
Monday was the first day of Stage 1b for vaccine distribution, which allows anyone 75 and older to get the shot. Stage 1a also still is in progress. It allows frontline workers, first responders and persons living in congregate settings, including homeless shelters and group homes, to be vaccinated.
The Jefferson County Department of Health is administering vaccines at its location on Southside and at other varying locations for people who are 75 and older, as well as those who fell into Stage 1a. Read on for information about how to get a vaccine.
Also Read:
Frustration Grows With Alabama’s Slow Vaccine Rollout
The Birmingham City Council hired its own lobbyist and legal consultant Tuesday, a move granting the council greater independence from the mayor’s office. The council approved two $45,000 contracts during its virtual meeting — one with lobbying firm Miller Development Group and one with law firm Campbell Partners, LLC. The council cited the opacity of Mayor Randall Woodfin’s legislative agenda and the need for a “council-focused” legal consultant outside of the city’s law department, which reports to the mayor. The Mayor’s Office retains its own lobbyist. “This council needs help, and we need our own help, because the city’s help is not ours,” said District 3 Councilor Valerie Abbott. “They don’t report to us, they don’t answer to us, they don’t do what we want.” Read more.
Today, Jefferson County picked up where the federal government left off, covering the cost of employees taking off because they’ve been exposed to or contracted the novel coronavirus. Following its committee meeting today, commissioners reconvened their Jan. 7 commission meeting to retroactively extend what had been provided under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Read more.
This year will be better than last year, Mayor Randall Woodfin assured residents during his annual State of the Community speech Monday afternoon. After a tumultuous 2020, which saw the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest over systemic racism, Woodfin promised greater opportunity in 2021 and reiterated his commitment to neighborhood revitalization. “We have indeed been tested, and I believe as a city we are stronger and closer because of it,” he said. Read more.
Jefferson County Commissioner Lashunda Scales today tossed her hat in the ring for mayor of Birmingham. “I'm not into being in a fight with anyone because that doesn't serve the City of Birmingham well,” Scales said near Kiwanis Trail at the base of Vulcan Park. “But I will tell you this: If you give me the opportunity to serve as your mayor, not just the first woman mayor, but to serve as your mayor, you will have a seat at the table. That is what I can guarantee.” Scales is bidding to return to Birmingham City Hall, where she was a member of the City Council for nine years until she unseated George Bowman on the commission in 2018. Read more.
Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON — Alabama’s representatives voted along party lines last week to impeach President Trump and to call on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke 25th Amendment proceedings to remove Trump from office. Read more.
The continuing spread of COVID-19 throughout the state of Alabama has raised questions about how schools plan to go into this 2021 spring semester, which begins Tuesday. Several schools have altered their plans from their fall semester operations, while some are continuing with the same conditions they had before the holiday. Particularly given the new, more infectious strain of COVID-19 that has made its way into the United States, safety precautions and social distancing measures are a top priority. Read more and see list of school systems.
UPDATED — The FBI says that “armed protests” could erupt at state capitols in all 50 states, and some officials are making significant preparations to face a possible onslaught of Trump supporters grieved by the impending Biden inauguration. In Alabama, well, officials seem less worried. “I don’t foresee anybody trying to really storm the Alabama state capitol, and why they would do it, I don’t know,” said Patrick Harris, secretary of the Alabama Senate. “I mean, we’re the home of everybody that’s supporting all these people,” he said, referring to Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, whose role in stirring up the insurrection remains under scrutiny. “And we voted for Trump, we certified our votes for Trump.” The prevailing idea seems to be that rightwing protestors, neo-Confederates, Proud Boys or others are not expected to kick up trouble in Montgomery over the presidential election. Even a spokesperson for the Southern Poverty Law Center and its Hatewatch unit, which closely monitors the activities of such groups, said, “We don’t have any specific notes to share about Alabama at this time.” At least for Sunday, they appeared to be right. The Montgomery Advertiser reported that there were more police than onlookers at the Capitol building. About two dozen Montgomery police officers and state troopers were on the Capitol grounds Sunday. Several others sat in parked cars at the road barricades, and the police chief paced the block with two officers in an ATV. Read more.
