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

Former Auburn coach Pat Dye tests positive for COVID-19

Former Auburn head football coach Pat Dye, a legend in college football, has tested positive for COVID-19 while hospitalized for an ongoing medical condition, according to his brother’s church. Dye, who served as head football coach at Auburn University from 1981 to 1992, was diagnosed recently with the virus and tested positive while in the … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 20, 2020

Montgomery hospitals are out of ICU beds, mayor says

Some of the River Region’s major hospitals have run out of intensive care beds and others only have one or two beds left, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said Wednesday at a press conference in Alabama’s capital city. “Right now, if you’re from Montgomery, and you need an ICU bed, you’re in trouble,” Reed said. “If … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 20, 2020

Sewell urges Senate to take up $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell urged Republican leadership in the U.S. Senate to immediately take up the House’s $3 trillion coronavirus relief package, the Heroes Act, and pass it without delay. The package, which passed the House Friday with hardly any Republican support, includes nearly $1 trillion in aid to struggling state and local governments and … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 19, 2020

Alabama health officer: Numbers “are not headed in the right direction”

People must remain vigilant and careful as more businesses reopen and people return to more normal activity, Alabama’s top public health officials say, because the threat from COVID-19 has not dissipated. “I would say we’re really concerned,” said State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris in an interview with APR. “The numbers are not headed in … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 17, 2020

Governor, state health officer urge Montgomery residents to stay vigilant as cases rise

Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris urged Alabamians, especially those in Montgomery County, to stay vigilant and exercise caution as the county and surrounding areas have been identified as a potential COVID-19 “hot spot.” Over the last seven days, 232 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Montgomery County, bringing the … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 15, 2020

Alabama doctors report suspected cases of COVID-19 related illness in children

The state health officer said Friday that several doctors in Alabama have called the Department of Public Health about possible cases of the mysterious Kawasaki-like inflammatory illness in children related to COVID-19. So far, the state health department has not officially confirmed any cases of the illness, but Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 15, 2020

House speaker says he supports governor’s CARES Act plan

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon said Friday that he supports Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposed executive amendment, which would appropriate federal CARES Act funds for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the speaker’s support, the governor’s amendment has a better chance of passing Alabama’s House of Representatives — whether the same will be true in the … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 15, 2020

Gov. Kay Ivey sends bill seizing CARES Act funds back to Legislature without a signature

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday refused to sign a controversial piece of legislation that would have taken spending authority over most of the $1.9 billion in CARES Act funds for Alabama away from the governor and given authority to the Legislature instead. “I have reviewed Senate Bill 161 and believe that all federal CARES … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 14, 2020

“We’re not out of the first wave yet:” Alabama’s chief medical officer

Alabama’s chief medical officer said Wednesday the Department of Public Health needs more resources and staff to be able to handle the current wave of COVID-19 and prepare for what could come next. “I don’t know how long we’re going to be here, as far as in this role, but we’ve been told to expect … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 13, 2020

Alabama long-term care facility COVID-19 deaths jump to 183

The COVID-19 death toll among Alabama long-term care facility residents has jumped to 183, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health, up from 107 fatalities from the virus just a week ago. The 183 reported deaths among long-term care facility residents account for nearly 43 percent of the state’s 429 COVID-19 deaths, as of … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 12, 2020