Birmingham Commits Another $1 Million To Temporary Worker Program

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2020/01/Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:4:"file";s:47:"2020/01/Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-336x189.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:189;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-768x432.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:432;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:45:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-300x300.jpg";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-553x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:553;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-470x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:47:"Full-Council-768x512-e1580337441201-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"4";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:11:"NIKON D3300";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:10:"1552990170";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:2:"23";s:3:"iso";s:3:"640";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:17:"0.016666666666667";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"1";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Sam Prickett
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] =>  BirminghamWatch
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:10:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:512;s:4:"file";s:24:"Full-Council-768x512.jpg";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-336x224.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:224;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:17:"medium_large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-768x512.jpg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:512;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"wbhm-icon-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:30:"Full-Council-768x512-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-300x300.jpg";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-467x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:467;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-398x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:398;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Full-Council-768x512-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}
        )

)
1650063834 
1586895673

By Sam Prickett

In an abnormally short, 13-minute meeting on Tuesday, the Birmingham City Council voted to allocate more funds to the city’s fight against COVID-19.

The city’s coronavirus fund was given an additional $1 million, with money being taken from incentives the city had previously allocated to Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, $215,000; Lakeview Antisocial/Brat Brot, $58,000; and Top Golf, $228,000; as well as $499,000 from the Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity’s economic incentives budget.

That money will go toward what Mayor Randall Woodfin called “phase two” of the city’s coronavirus response, which involves a temporary “Birmingham Strong Service Corps” worker program focusing on coronavirus testing, access to testing and food insecurity resulting from the pandemic.

The program, IEO Director Josh Carpenter told the council during Monday’s budget and finance committee meeting, will be similar to AmeriCorps, “making sure people have access to service opportunities that could supplement their basic income.”

So far, he said, nearly 100 unemployed workers have “been redeployed to paid opportunities that support community needs,” such as phone screening 8,476 public housing residents for virus symptoms, preparing and delivering 12,000 lunches for Birmingham City Schools students, and partnering with Christ Health to set up an emergency COVID clinic.

The $1 million allocated Tuesday by the council will add to the more than $300,000 already raised for the program by private donors including Shipt, the Overton Project, Altec and others. The city’s contribution will be reimbursable by the federal government, Woodfin told councilors Monday.

The council also voted to allocate $4,065,333 from the coronavirus fund to first responders; Lester Smith, the city’s director of finance, told the council last month that overtime for first responders during the coronavirus crisis would likely cost between $4 million and $5 million.

 

New Israeli ceasefire offer demands Hamas discuss disarming, but group rejects it

Hamas is rejecting a new Israeli proposal to pause the war in Gaza, a Hamas official told NPR. Earlier, officials mediating talks had expressed optimism that a deal could be reached within weeks.

Higher ed war heats up as Trump threatens Harvard’s tax-exempt status

The president's comments came after the administration froze $2 billion in federal grants for Harvard after the university rejected what it saw as illegal government demands.

When an earthquake struck San Diego, these elephants formed an ‘alert circle’

When a 5.2 earthquake hit near San Diego yesterday, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park caught its elephants on video taking action to protect their young, forming what experts call an "alert circle."

A colossal squid is filmed in its natural habitat for the first time

Colossal squid are known to be elusive and likely avoid the bright and loud research equipment used underwater.

Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta in court against monopoly claims

In Zuckerberg's second day of testifying in the federal antitrust trial, he defended Meta's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The U.S. government wants Meta to bust up the two companies.

Three wildly different artists crack the top 10 for the first time

Surprises nevertheless abound in the top 10, as a vinyl reissue lands cult singer-songwriter Ethel Cain on the Billboard 200 for the first time ever and two artists — Alex Warren and BigXthaPlug — experience their first-ever top 10 singles.

More BirminghamWatch Coverage