COVID-19

Jones asks Senate to aid furloughed, laid off workers

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, in a letter to Senate leadership Wednesday, pressed for a program to shore up laid off or furloughed workers’ wages and benefits for up to six months as businesses big and small struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Jones and Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Richard Blumenthal … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

April 22, 2020

ASU to hold virtual commencement for spring class of 2020

Alabama State University’s Class of 2020 graduates will be recognized in a virtual commencement ceremony on Friday, May 1, at noon (CST). The ceremony will recognize all undergraduate and graduate candidates, as well as the Golden Class of 1970. President Quinton T. Ross Jr. made the video announcement to the Spring Class of 2020. “One … Continued

April 22, 2020

Governor will order flags lowered for Medal of Honor recipient Bennie Adkins

Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday she will order flags to be lowered in honor of Alabama’s Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, when more information is available about when his funeral can be held. Adkins, from Lee County, died over the weekend from COVID-19. He was 86. … Continued

Chip Brownlee

April 22, 2020

Earth Day: Mother Earth as Art online exhibit at Auburn blends art and science

It can take distance sometimes to appreciate a thing, and on this Earth Day, a blend of science and art has combined to show just how beautiful and precious Earth is from miles above. The Mother Earth as Art exhibition at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art at Auburn University, which can be viewed … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

April 22, 2020

Opinion

Better together

Scared, tired, restless, and bored is the way many Alabamians are feeling these days as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Add to that mix anger and resentment, and you have a boiling cauldron of emotions as the race to stop the spread of the deathly virus has moved from a sprint to a marathon. Everyone wants … Continued

Bill Britt

April 22, 2020

Shelby, Jones vote for $484 billion coronavirus relief bill

U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, and Doug Jones, D-Alabama, both applauded the Senate’s passage Tuesday of the “Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Health Care Enhancement Act.” The $484 billion measure provides additional funding to assist small businesses and meet the urgent healthcare needs of American families and workers during the COVID-19 public health pandemic. The … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 22, 2020

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

U.S. Attorney Jay Town recognized Tuesday that April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to focus on the safety and well-being of our children. Town and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Alabama James G. Hernandez reminded parents to be vigilant of their children’s online … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 22, 2020

Palmer: Alabama should start reopening the economy next week

Congressman Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, said Tuesday that Alabama should start opening some businesses next week. When to reopen the economy and how to do it is becoming an increasing focus of the debate on how best to deal with the coronavirus global pandemic. “I think we can start opening some next week,” Palmer told ABC … Continued

Brandon Moseley

April 22, 2020

Jones supports passage of aid for workers, small businesses and hospitals

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, on Tuesday said he was pleased Congress approved more funding for small businesses, workers and hospitals, but called for support for state and local governments struggling with budget shortfalls during the COVID-19 pandemic. Congress on Tuesday approved a $484 billion package that includes $310 billion to replenish the Paycheck Protection … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

April 21, 2020

Locked in Crisis: Packed by strict sentencing laws, prisons brace for COVID-19

As the U.S. reels from an unprecedented global health emergency, many people have been sounding alarms about the magnified threat posed to people in prison. With the highest incarceration rates in the world, America’s overcrowded facilities are prime environments for a contagion like the novel coronavirus to spread. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws have played a … Continued

Nyamekye Daniel, Micah Danney, Eddie Burkhalter and Martin Pratt

April 21, 2020