Author

Eddie Burkhalter

Eddie Burkhalter is a reporter at the Alabama Political Reporter. You can email him at [email protected] or reach him via Twitter.

News / Health / State

UAB expert warns court in elections suit of possible COVID-19 spike in fall

A renowned Birmingham infectious disease physician believes Alabama needs to take precautions as elections near, and warned of a likely spike in COVID-19 cases in the fall. Dr. Michael Saag, a professor and associate dean at UAB’s School of Medicine and a leading HIV/Aid researcher and expert on infectious diseases, wrote to the Circuit Court … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 18, 2020

Jones introduces bills to strengthen telemedicine amid COVID-19 crisis

U.S. Senator Doug Jones, D-Alabama, on Thursday announced that he and a bipartisan group of colleagues introduced legislation meant to bolster telemedicine in Alabama and across the country. The legislation directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study telehealth programs and learn how they can be better used in future health emergencies. … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 18, 2020

Jones calls on state leaders to speak up about dangers of COVID-19 as cases surge

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, on Thursday called on state leaders to tell the public the truth about COVID-19, that even though we’re reopening after restrictions meant to slow its spread, the virus is “real” and “deadly” and it’s still spreading. “COVID in Alabama is still raging,” Jones said during a press conference Thursday. Jones … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 18, 2020

Birmingham drops riot charge against comedian

The city of Birmingham on Wednesday dropped a misdemeanor charge of inciting a riot against comedian Jermaine “Funnymaine” Johnson. Johnson was charged in connection with a peaceful protest on May 31 that resulted in destruction of property and an attempt to pull down the Confederate monument. “Thank you to the city of Birmingham — the … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 17, 2020

States must act to secure safe elections amid COVID-19 crisis, report finds

The spread of COVID-19 continues filling up intensive care beds and breaking records nearly daily, and as elections in Alabama near, the need to protect the state’s voting system is even more critical, according to a recent study. The Brennan Center for Justice, a law and public policy institute at the New York University Law … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 17, 2020

Report: Medicaid expansion needed during COVID-19 crisis

More than 340,000 Alabamians are suffering because the state hasn’t expanded Medicaid, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to do so is all the more critical, according to a report released Wednesday. The Montgomery-based nonprofit Alabama Arise’s report, Medicaid Matters: Charting the Course to a Healthier Alabama, details how an expansion of the federal … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 17, 2020

Alabama correctional officer, inmate sentenced on drug, gun charges

A former correctional officer and an inmate at Fountain Correctional Facility were sentenced to prison earlier this month after being convicted of charges related to a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the Alabama prison. Wiggins Washington, 52, of Bay Minette, the correctional officer, was sentenced to seven years on charges of possessing a gun and … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 16, 2020

ICU bed use, COVID-19 hospitalizations reach new highs in Alabama

Since the first case of COVID-19 arrived in Alabama in March, Dr. Donald Williamson, the president of the Alabama Hospital Association, has said he’s confident the state’s hospitals can handle an influx of coronavirus patients. That changed Tuesday morning, when the state recorded the most COVID-19 patients ever being cared for across the state and, … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 16, 2020

Federal judge waives some Alabama voting requirements amid pandemic

A federal judge on Monday lifted a statewide ban on curbside voting and waived certain absentee ballot requirements for voters in at least Jefferson, Mobile, and Lee Counties. U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon, in his opinion Monday, approved, in part, a preliminary injunction filed by the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 15, 2020

Auburn students who attended gatherings, bar worker test positive for COVID-19

Twenty-four Auburn University students and a worker at an Auburn bar have all tested positive for COVID-19, a sign that social gatherings and the state’s loosening of restrictions is resulting in a spike of cases there, according to local health experts. The 24 Auburn students who tested positive for the virus had been to birthday … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

June 15, 2020