COVID-19

Legislature / Special Session

Legislature commits highway robbery with CARES funds

Money appropriated by the U.S. Congress under the CARES Act and signed into law by President Donald Trump to aid the State of Alabama due to the financial crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was highjacked by the Alabama House and Senate this week. Under the act, approximately $1.8 billion of the funds sent to … Continued

Bill Britt

May 8, 2020

Opinion

Analysis | Sheriffs’ revolt part of political stagecraft

Several Alabama sheriffs with the support of some state legislators are refusing to enforce the state health order that restricts certain activities to stem the spread of COVID-19, which has infected more than 9,000 Alabamians and claimed the lives of at least 369 individuals. However, the sheriffs’ refusal to enforce has now become a subplot … Continued

Bill Britt

May 8, 2020

Alabama reports largest single-day increase in new COVID-19 cases

Alabama reported nearly 2,000 new COVID-19 cases over the last seven days — the highest number of new reported cases over a seven-day period since the outbreak began. Thursday also showed the largest single-day increase in new reported cases. The increase comes as the governor is coming under increasing pressure from business groups and Republican … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 7, 2020

Alabama prisons investigating third inmate death in less than two weeks

An older inmate serving a life sentence at St. Clair Correctional Facility died Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement — the third inmate to die in an Alabama prison of an unstated cause in less than two weeks. Arthur Ahmed, 69, died May 6 while serving out his sentence for first-degree … Continued

Chip Brownlee

May 7, 2020

Senate bill would strip some emergency powers from governor, state health officer

Republican state senators are becoming increasingly anxious that Gov. Kay Ivey is being too cautious in her approach to reopening the Alabama economy and getting the people of Alabama back to work. This week State Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, filed a bill “to improve the system of checks and balances” in setting, extending and lifting … Continued

Brandon Moseley

May 7, 2020

Pandemic EBT benefits begin rolling out to eligible Alabama students

The Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) announced on Wednesday that Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) benefits were received by more than 115,000 Alabama households over the weekend in Phase 1 of the multi-phase rollout. P-EBT benefits are being provided to households that have children in grades K-12 who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school … Continued

May 7, 2020

Inmate at Alabama prison for aged and infirmed tests positive for COVID-19

An inmate at the Hamilton Aged & Infirmed facility has tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the 8th Alabama inmate to have tested positive for the virus, and a staff member at Holman Correctional Facility has also tested positive for the virus. The man, who has preexisting medical conditions, was taken to a local hospital after … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

May 6, 2020

State finance director recommended waiting to debate state budgets

Alabama’s finance director said that he recommended to Gov. Kay Ivey and to the Alabama Legislature that they wait to debate the state’s budgets until there was more information about the impact COVID-19 was having on Alabama’s economy and the government’s tax revenues. But lawmakers made the decision to move forward with the budgets. Most … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

May 6, 2020

Opinion

The legislative session has restarted. So have the shenanigans

Let the shenanigans begin! You had to know that when Republicans — not exactly known for their courageous governance in the best of times — kept pressing for a shortened legislative session in the middle of a pandemic that something … shady was afoot. It has taken less than two days for that shadiness to … Continued

Josh Moon

May 6, 2020

Opinion

In coronavirus fight, Alabama has benefited from federal action

Closing down the American economy has a real and enormous effect on the lives of countless Americans. Layoffs and job losses are devastating for individuals, families, and communities. In good times, it generally takes three to six months for someone to find a job after a layoff. Of course, these are not good times. Moreover, … Continued

Bradley Byrne

May 6, 2020