MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Tourism officials say Alabama’s Gulf Coast beaches are seeing a surge of tourists that for some businesses could turn into their busiest June ever. They’re asking visitors to bring along a little extra patience, as businesses including hotels and restaurants struggle to find enough workers in an economy still emerging from the coronavirus pandemic. Orange Beach…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — About two dozen cities and towns across Alabama are participating as the state tourism agency resumes a program to promote springtime walking tours. The program was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the Alabama Tourism Department says it will be held all four Saturdays in April with precautions against COVID-19 including social distancing….
Official portrait of Vice President Joe Biden in his West Wing Office at the White House, Jan. 10, 2013. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann) This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any…
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Mardi Gras — or Fat Tuesday — has arrived in New Orleans. But officials in the tourism-dependent city aren’t hoping for big crowds during the coronavirus pandemic. All parades are canceled and bars throughout the city have been closed since Friday. Even take-out drinks are forbidden. And officials put restrictions on crowds…
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is taking his first steps to reverse the Trump administration’s health care policies. The White House says Biden on Thursday plans to sign orders on a range of issues including getting more Americans covered and removing curbs on abortion counseling. The most concrete short-term impact will come from reopening HealthCare.gov insurance…
A biological threat that once seemed far removed from Alabama dominated both state news and everyday life like nothing else in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic was the state’s top news story of the year, and its effects will linger into the New Year and beyond. A springtime of school closings and business shutdowns was followed by months of mask-wearing and…
As more than 97,000 of America’s long-term care residents have died in the coronavirus pandemic, advocates for the elderly say a tandem wave of death separate from the virus has quietly claimed tens of thousands more, often because overburdened workers haven’t been able to give them the care they need. Care home watchdogs say they are being flooded with reports…
(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)A new state report shows enrollment in child care centers across Alabama has dropped by more than 23,000 children since the coronavirus pandemic began. Human Resources says an October study showed that 85% of the 2,381 facilities it surveyed have reopened since the initial lockdown that forced businesses to close. But centers that have reopened are operating at…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama and much of the Deep South are seeing a spike in coronavirus cases, concerning public health officials and people like state Rep. Merika Coleman who have lost loved ones. Over the past two weeks, Alabama had the second-highest number of new cases per capita in the nation. South Carolina was fourth. Louisiana and Mississippi were…
On Thursday Express Employment Professionals teamed up with Eastdale Mall to host a drive-thru job fair. Hundreds of job seekers were in and out in just a few minutes. More than 80 companies were looking to hire employees. “Right now there’s just a big need of people, and companies are looking for folks to work,” said Willam Cobb, owner of…
