Government

Woodfin Released From Hospital, Recovering From COVID

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has been released from the hospital two days after being admitted with COVID-related pneumonia. While his condition has improved, Woodfin will work from home and stay self-quarantined. According to a Wednesday afternoon press release, doctors at Princeton Baptist Medical Center found “COVID pneumonia” in the mayor’s left lung. “I’m blessed they caught it early,” Woodfin said in a statement. He received the drug Remdesivir and convalescent plasma therapy to combat the illness. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Rising COVID Cases Send JeffCo Commission Back to Virtual Meetings

Jefferson County commissioners conducted their regular committee meeting Tuesday in the new normal way, returning to a virtual platform. With hospitalizations climbing to unprecedented levels, county leaders invoked Section 3 of the emergency declaration they enacted March 16 to permit virtual meetings. Read more.

by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

Birmingham Council Goes Virtual, Mayor Still Hospitalized

On Tuesday, for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Birmingham City Council opted for an all-virtual council meeting — though, at least initially, that format kept them from accomplishing much. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin remains hospitalized with COVID-related pneumonia. Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Woodfin Hospitalized With COVID

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is in the hospital being treated for COVID-related pneumonia. Woodfin is “resting comfortably” and “remains in good spirits,” the city said in a statement posted late Monday night on Twitter and Facebook. Read more.

by BirminghamWatch

Congress Overrides Trump Veto of Military Spending Bill

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.

by Voterama in Congress

Jones Says Farewell After Three Years in Senate

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.

by BirminghamWatch

Woodfin Tests Positive for COVID, Reports Mild Symptoms

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.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Police Need the Public’s Help in Solving Homicides, Woodfin Says

Mayor Randall Woodfin pleaded with Birmingham residents on Wednesday to help police in homicide investigations, saying police have “hit a wall that’s hard to crack” in many cases: uncooperative witnesses. There have been 120 homicides in Birmingham this year, 15 of which have been ruled justifiable. Sixty-two of the remaining 105 homicides remain unsolved. That low clearance rate, Woodfin said, “is not because our detectives are not doing their job.” “Trust me, they are,” he said during a news conference with Police Chief Patrick Smith. “But we don’t have more solved cases in part because there are some people who know who are behind these killings, but they won’t say anything.” Read more.

by Sam Prickett

Two Birmingham Water Board Leaders Reappointed, Two New Members Named

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.

by Sam Prickett

Birmingham Council OKs Incentives for Project at Old Carraway Hospital

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.

by Sam Prickett