Author

Chip Brownlee

Chip Brownlee is a former political reporter, online content manager and webmaster at the Alabama Political Reporter. He is now a reporter at The Trace, a non-profit newsroom covering guns in America.

News / State

Alabama Dept. of Corrections has tested 17 inmates for COVID-19

The Alabama Department of Corrections has tested 17 inmates in nine of the state’s prisons for the novel coronavirus. All tests so far have been negative. Five more inmates have been tested, but their results are pending. ADOC began publishing test data on its website Thursday. It says it will update the information twice a … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 2, 2020

Sen. Doug Jones calls on Alabama governor to order shelter-in-place

Alabama Sen. Doug Jones during a virtual town hall on Thursday called on Gov. Kay Ivey to implement a statewide shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order. “I have been promoting stay at home orders for some time,” Jones said, adding that he “absolutely” thinks the state should implement such an order. “The reason I would like to … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 2, 2020

More than 80,000 joined the unemployment rolls in Alabama last week

More than 80,000 people filed a jobless claim to receive unemployment compensation last week, the Alabama Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor say. That number is about eight times the number of claims filed the week before when layoffs began hitting the state. Alabama Department of Labor spokesperson Tara Hutchison said Monday … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 2, 2020

As cases surpass 1,100 in Alabama, still no “stay-at-home” order

The number of positive novel coronavirus cases in Alabama rocketed past a thousand Wednesday, but the state still has no shelter-in-place order — and Gov. Kay Ivey’s office says she is not ready to implement one. “The governor remains committed to exploring all options and has not ruled anything out, but she hopes that we … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 1, 2020

More than 200 people hospitalized with confirmed, suspected COVID-19

More than 200 people are hospitalized in Alabama with either a lab-confirmed case of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, or a case the hospital suspects to be the virus but testing has not yet confirmed. At least 120 people with lab-confirmed cases of the virus — about 12 percent of the state’s 1,000 confirmed … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 1, 2020

Freelancers, gig workers can begin filing unemployment claims

Employees like freelancers and the self-employed can now file for an unemployment claim in Alabama, the Alabama Department of Labor said Tuesday, under the CARES Act, the coronavirus response bill passed by Congress and signed by the president last week. The Alabama Department of Labor is encouraging employees who believe they may qualify for programs … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

Two hospital employees in Huntsville test positive for COVID-19

A physician and another employee at Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Alabama, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the hospital said Tuesday. “Crestwood Medical Center learned that 2 of our associates (one physician and one employee) have tested positive for COVID-19,” spokesperson Lori Light said in a statement Tuesday. One is … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

Alabama exploring empty hotels to bolster hospital bed capacity

Gov. Kay Ivey said on a conference with lawmakers and state officials Monday that the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are considering using hotels, especially in Alabama’s large metro areas, to expand hospital bed capacity. The discussions come as public health experts warn that hospitals could face a surge in patients as … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

State health department confirms 13 COVID-19 deaths

The Alabama Department of Public Health, after investigations into causes of death, has confirmed 13 COVID-19 deaths in the state. The department reported the deaths Tuesday morning. Three deaths have been confirmed in Chambers County, two in Lee, two in Shelby, one in Jackson, one in Lauderdale, one in Mobile, one in Madison, one in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020

Department of Public Health says employee has tested positive for COVID-19

The Alabama Department of Public Health says that an employee at the state’s Bureau of Clinical Laboratories in Montgomery has tested positive for the virus. The BCL is the main lab working on testing for the virus in the state, but ADPH says the individual had no interaction with others on the job and was … Continued

Chip Brownlee

March 31, 2020