Voterama in Congress WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate and House overrode President Donald Trump’s veto of the $740.5 billion military budget for fiscal 2021 (HR 6395). The Senate vote, held Friday, was 81 for and 13 against the override. The House voted 322 for and 87 against Monday. This was the first of Trump's nine vetoes to meet with congressional disapproval. Read more.
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones released a statement Friday thanking Alabamians on the eve of his departure from the Senate. Jones, who was elected in 2017, officially leaves office when Tommy Tuberville is sworn in Sunday.
Jefferson County and the state enter the new year with hospitals straining under the explosive growth in the number of COVID-19 patients since Thanksgiving. The daily patient count for hospitals in Jefferson County has risen by 64% since Dec. 1, from 390 to 639 on Thursday, according to figures released by the Jefferson County Department of Health. Two hundred and fourteen people in the county spent New Year’s Eve in intensive care units across the county’s 11 hospitals, 125 of them on ventilators. “Every single acute-care hospital is in the same boat,” said Julie Cobb, a registered nurse and health care coalition coordinator for the county Health Department. “Our numbers of hospitalized patients is increasing daily.” Read more.
While 2020 has been a difficult year for adults, it’s also been a strange and tough time for kids. Hear from young people across Alabama about what they are looking forward to once the coronavirus pandemic ends at WBHM.
Sen. Doug Jones reported Wednesday he is in quarantine after his wife tested positive for COVID-19 and he regretted missing a vote to override President Trump's veto of the defense spending bill. Read more.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has tested positive for COVID-19. He announced the news in a press release Wednesday evening that quotes him as saying his symptoms are “currently mild.” While the mayor is self-quarantining, he is “still handling matters of the city,” according to the press release. Read more.
The Birmingham City Council approved four appointments to the Birmingham Water Works Board on Tuesday, with terms set to stretch through 2024. The council appoints six of the BWWB’s nine members; the other three seats are appointed by the Jefferson County Mayor’s Association, the Shelby County Commission and the Blount County Commission. Read more.
The Birmingham City Council approved an economic incentives package for the long-awaited redevelopment of the former Carraway Hospital property. Northside Redevelopment, the company overseeing the mixed-use development project, will receive an aggregate of $13.2 million in incentives, the council decided Tuesday. Read more.
The Jefferson County Department of Health on Monday received its first allocation of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine.
UAB Hospital set a record Monday morning when it reported 207 COVID inpatients. That is the first time the facility has surpassed the 200 mark, and it’s nearly triple the number reported in mid-November. Read more.
