The NCAA has announced via Twitter that they will cancel the  men’s and women’s Division I basketball tournaments. President Mark Emmert said in a statement Wednesday he made the decision to conduct both the men’s and women’s tournaments, which begin next week, with only essential staff and limited family in attendance. The NCAA follows in the footsteps of other sports…
Governor Kay Ivey formally signaled the open of Census 2020 participation statewide in an afternoon press conference held Thursday at the Capitol. In a historic first, the Census is now live online at my2020Census.gov. Additionally, invitation letters have begun and will continue to arrive in mailboxes across the state through March 20. Alabamians can participate in the 10-question Census online,…
Alabama lawmakers have approved additional money for coronavirus testing and response to increase the number of people being screened for the rapidly spreading illness. The Alabama Senate approved a $5 million supplemental appropriation for the Alabama Department of Public Health to fund coronavirus preparations today. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said the funding should help provide centers where people…
Update: NASCAR has decided to postpone all racing events until May 3. NASCAR has responded to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus by restricting access to upcoming race events. NASCAR has issued this statement: “At this time, NASCAR will hold its race events at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway without fans in attendance. These events will be restricted…
Auburn University has announced that it will transition from on-campus to remote instruction beginning Monday, March 16 and continuing through April 10 in response to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. In a statement, university officials have asked that students not return to campus after spring break. University officials will decide later if students will return to campus for…
The NHL is following the NBA’s lead and suspending its season amid the coronavirus outbreak. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says the league is “pausing” its season. The move comes a day after the NBA suspended play following a player’s positive COVID-19 test. The NHL has not said any player has tested positive for the virus. The NHL is halting play…
Alabama News Network has learned that the Alabama JROTC State Championship Drill scheduled for Saturday in Greenville has been cancelled due to concerns over the coronavirus. “I cannot express how disappointing this is for our cadets and for me personally,” Col. Alan Hester, the senior JROTC instructor at Greenville High School, said via email. “We invested a lot of time…
On Thursday, the Foundation for Moral Law, an Alabama-based nonprofit, filed an amicus brief at the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to reconsider Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that the states must recognize gay marriage. The Petitioner in this case is Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Davis identifies…
A medical marijuana bill is headed to its first floor vote in the Alabama Legislature as advocates hope to make headway after years of setbacks. The bill is on the proposed debate agenda in the Alabama Senate. The bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Tim Melson would allow people with a doctor’s recommendation to use medical marijuana for 15 conditions –…
The SEC and the other big conferences in college sports have now all canceled their basketball tournaments because of the coronavirus, putting the celebrated NCAA March Madness Tournament in doubt. The Power 5 conferences are the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference. Within minutes of each other, they announced that the remainder of their tournaments would…
