BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Emergency room nurses at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital briefly refused to clock in as part of a protest over pay and working conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurses told news outlets Sunday that they were fighting for equal compensation and described working through a surge of coronavirus patients while being understaffed. The hospital…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is weighing whether to delay next year’s high-stakes requirement to hold back third-graders who aren’t reading on grade level. Ivey has through Thursday to sign legislation by Democratic Sen. Rodger Smitherman of Birmingham that would push back the promotion requirement from the 2021-22 school year to the 2023-24 school year. If she…
The covid-19 pandemic has led to a substantial decline in heart surgeries. Researchers analyzing a national database found a 53% drop in cardiac surgery compared to 2019 and those who do undergo operations are experiencing worse outcomes. The latest count shows more than 2 point 6 million children in the States have tested positive for the coronavirus. That’s nearly 13-percent…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Legislative committees advanced bills dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, including one to cut the power of the state health officer and another to extend liability protection to businesses. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-4 to approve a bill by Republican Sen. Tom Whatley of Auburn that would require the state’s governor to approve the state health…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – Alabama lawmakers will return to Montgomery for the 2021 regular session, which will be conducted differently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lawmakers convene at noon Tuesday. Republican lawmakers have said a top priority will be legislation to shield companies and others from civil lawsuit liability during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alabama lawmakers will also have to draw…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers return to Montgomery on Tuesday for the 2021 regular session that will be conducted differently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to certain areas of the statehouse is limited and Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey will give a televised State of the State address instead of appearing before lawmakers. Legislators plan to meet for two…
Source: Tokyo 2020 Olympics TOKYO (AP) – The Tokyo Olympics are getting a kickstart. Local organizers have announced a series of 18 test events set to start in March. The Tokyo Olympics are to open on July 23, 2021, after being postponed eight months ago by the COVID-19 pandemic. At least four of the test events will involve athletes from…
Alabama’s unemployment rate rose slightly in July as the state continues to feel the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alabama Department of Labor reported Friday that the state’s preliminary July unemployment rate is 7.9%, up from June’s rate of 7.6%. The number represents 176,637 unemployed people. By comparison, the rate was under 3% last July before the pandemic….
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – The Alabama Department of Labor has created an appointment process for people to get in-person help with employment claims after people were sleeping overnight in a parking lot in the hopes of seeing someone. The department announced that beginning on July 6 it will take 300 appointments per day in Montgomery. The Labor Department had been…
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) – A federal judge says Alabama cannot bar local officials from offering curbside voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also loosened restrictions on absentee ballots in three Alabama counties because of the health risk to voters. U.S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon entered the preliminary injunction Monday evening. Kallon ruled that the potential health risks to older…
