The state says Alabama’s unemployment rate for January declined to 4.3%, the lowest level since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic a year ago. The rate is still well above the pre-pandemic level of 2.7% of January 2020. But it was was better than the revised December unemployment rate of 4.7%. It was also below the U.S. unemployment rate of…
Schools had to figure out quickly how to get kids online after the coronavirus pandemic shut them down. They had to work with a patchwork approach born of desperation due to the federal failure to get all Americans connected. They scrounged wireless hot spots, struck deals with cable companies, and even created networks of their own. Funding challenges and logistical…
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The creator of a popular website for tracking COVID-19 in Alabama is pondering what will become of his creation once the health care crisis eases. David Marconnet says he sees two options for his site, which presents publicly available data about the virus in easily accessible, understandable charts and graphs. Marconnet says Bama Tracker could remain…
March 13, 2020 was a day that changed everything as Alabama’s first coronavirus case was confirmed in Montgomery County. Things like social distancing and face masks quickly became a big part of everyday life. “We had a pandemic plan, just no one thought they’d ever have to use it,” shared Montgomery City/County EMA Director Christina Thornton. The Emergency Operation Center…
Alabama is officially entering phase 1-c of vaccinations which includes people who are 55 or older. The Alabama department of public health says Alabama will get more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by March 22nd. Another 5,800 doses of Johnson & Johnson are coming to Alabama in the next two weeks, and the state will be adding 131 new sites to…
From the Alabama Department of Public Health: Governor Ivey and the Alabama Department of Public Health have announced that starting March 22, ADPH will extend eligibility for COVID-19 vaccinations to include people age 55 and older, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the population defined as Allocation Phase 1c in the Alabama Vaccine Allocation Plan. “We have been concerned…
From the West Alabama Newsroom– Selma City Schools is getting ready to bring students back to school for in-person learning in the next couple of weeks. Students head back to class March 29th. It’ll be their first time this school year getting in-person instruction. They’ve been forced to learn virtually this year — because of safety concerns caused by COVID-19….
President Joe Biden signs the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, March 11, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has signed into law the $1.9 trillion relief package that he says will help the U.S. defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to…
In the March 10, 2021, photo, President Joe Biden speaks in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has now signed into law the $1.9 trillion relief package that he says will help the U.S. defeat the coronavirus and nurse the…
From the West Alabama Newsroom– Thousands of people in West Alabama are now more protected against coronavirus — after a mass vaccination clinic this week in Selma. Five thousand people got their second dose of the Moderna vaccine during a three-day drive-thru clinic at Bloch Park. Vaughan Regional Medical Center coordinated the event. Health officials say the vaccine is 95%…
