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House on board with Ivey amendment, nothing yet from Senate

Gov. Kay Ivey, on Thursday in a letter and message to the Alabama Senate, proposed an Executive Amendment to SB161, the FY 2020 General Fund supplemental appropriations bill that addresses the federal CARES Act funds. Speaker Mac McCutcheon and Budget Chair Steve Clouse are working with the governor to move the process forward. APR asked … Continued

Bill Britt

May 14, 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

Jones calls for more testing, urges GOP senators to take up more coronavirus aid

U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-Alabama, on Thursday said that he hopes Republican leadership in Alabama will “trash” what’s been called a “wish list” of uses for federal coronavirus aid, and instead put that money toward more testing, contact tracing and to plan for another spike in cases that could come. Speaking during a video press … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

May 14, 2020

Polls, talk radio push attacks on Ivey, but is she worried?

Since Gov. Kay Ivey made known the existence of the “wish list” of spending items the Legislature proposed for the approximate $1.8 billion in federal relief money, some lawmakers have been up in arms. But the “wish list” wasn’t a hastily drawn-up inventory of hypothetical projects as some have suggested. The Legislative Services Agency formatted … Continued

Bill Britt

May 14, 2020

Three more prison workers test positive for COVID-19

One worker at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women and two employees at the Ventress Correctional Facility have tested positive for coronavirus, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced Wednesday. The announcement means that eight workers at Ventress prison in Clayton have tested positive for COVID-19, and two at Tutwiler. Ten inmates at Ventress have been … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

May 14, 2020

When public schools reopen, nurses could be the key to combating coronavirus

When Alabama’s public schools open their doors to students in the fall, there will be one group of people on the front lines, entrusted with the monumental task of identifying and isolating potentially sick students and tracing their contact with other students. School nurses. The already overworked and underappreciated (and usually under-compensated) nurses that care … Continued

Josh Moon

May 14, 2020

Alabama Arise urges federal guidance on return to unsafe working conditions

As thousands of Alabamians return to work this week, an Alabama nonprofit has joined hundreds of organizations nationwide in a call for federal guidance to protect workers from having to return to jobs that don’t take proper precautions against the spread of COVID-19. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on communities of color, … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

May 14, 2020

State VA commissioner: Universal testing needed for nursing homes, veterans homes

When it came time to discuss the deaths of 23 veterans at an East Alabama veterans home due to coronavirus, Kent Davis became emotional, and he stressed the need for blanket testing of residents and staff at all the state’s veterans homes. Davis, the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, said during a … Continued

Eddie Burkhalter

May 13, 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

Opinion

Alabama’s government is terrible because that’s what voters choose

You don’t care. That’s why a group of Alabama politicians — duly elected Alabama politicians, mind you — are proposing that we use $200 million worth of funds earmarked to help the state recover from an unprecedented health crisis that has economically crippled its citizens and businesses to build a new state house. Because you … Continued

Josh Moon

May 13, 2020