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Legislative Wrap-Up: Lighter Marijuana Penalties, Transgender Youth Therapies, Confederate Monuments
The week's highlights: A bill to ban therapies for transgender minors passed in the Alabama Senate. Lawmakers rejected a measure that would have given cities and towns more flexibility to move unwanted Confederate monuments elsewhere.
Ivey Extends Face Mask Order But Not For Long
Gov. Ivey leaves face mask order alone for now, but says it will end April 9.
Remembering Homewood Resident And Civil Rights Activist Eileen Walbert
Eileen Walbert died last month at the age of 100. She was heavily involved in school desegregation and led a group of white people during a voting rights march in Selma the day before Bloody Sunday.
UAB And JeffCo To Expand Vaccine Outreach In Underrepresented Communities
As of Wednesday, UAB had administered roughly 80,000 vaccine doses, but Black residents remain disproportionately underrepresented.
Birmingham Divvies Up $500K In Bold Funding For Nonprofits
Nine Birmingham nonprofits will receive funding from the city’s Building Opportunities for Lasting Development grant initiative this year, despite an overall reduction in funding for the program.
StoryCorps: “Play the ball where it lies”
Natalie Holland learned to play golf from her father, Donald Holland. In their StoryCorps interview, they talk about how lessons learned from golf transcend to other areas of life.
Alabama’s COVID-19 Death Count Nears 10,000 Mark
Within about a year, the state has lost almost 10,000 Alabamians to COVID-19.
UAB Officials Hopeful Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Could Accelerate Rollout
UAB health experts say when it comes to vaccine variety, more is better. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is the latest to win approval from the federal government.
Field Of Candidates For Birmingham Mayor Continues To Grow
Currently, there are six people in the race for mayor of Birmingham. The filing deadline is July 10.
Legislative Wrap-Up: Gambling, Medical Marijuana, No-Excuse Absentee Voting
One of the measures that passed with very little debate in the Alabama Senate this week would authorize the use of medical marijuana. But the measure could face bigger challenges in the House.
Alabama’s COVID Vaccination Rate Increases
Federal programs have helped increase the number of Alabamians getting vaccinated in recent weeks.
Jeffco Commission Gets Clean Bill Of Health After State Review Of Its Accounts
The Jefferson County Commission is conducting its duties in accordance with state law, says a report from the Alabama Examiners of Public Accounts.
“The Edge of the Woods”: UAB Epidemiologist Says Herd Immunity Could Be Reached By Late Spring
An epidemiologist at UAB Medicine thinks that Alabama may be headed toward a long-sought goal in the COVID pandemic and may reach that goal sooner than many had expected.
Some Parents Worry About In-person Standardized Testing During The Pandemic
Education leaders in Alabama say there will be no virtual option despite COVID-19.
Birmingham Mayor, Council Pushing Two Separate Wish Lists In Legislature
The city of Birmingham is sending two sets of lobbyists to Montgomery — one from Mayor Randall Woodfin’s office and one from the City Council.
Actor Danny Glover Rallies Support For Unionizing Bessemer Amazon Facility
The "Lethal Weapon" star briefly spoke with workers leaving the facility. He told reporters that the unionization effort in Bessemer is part of a long history of fighting for labor rights.
StoryCorps: “The first time I felt intelligent…”
Karon Bullock fell in love with the outdoors when she attended science camp in the fifth grade. She was soon hiking, biking, or running daily, but a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 24 changed her relationship with the outdoors. Karon came to StoryCorps with her husband Joel.
Alabama Cautiously Optimistic About Improving COVID Numbers
The end of holiday season gatherings and early vaccinations are thought to be factors in the pandemic's positive trend.
Black Residents Call For More COVID Vaccine Outreach And Access
Concerned about disparities in vaccine allocation, Birmingham community leaders want officials to increase outreach efforts in Black neighborhoods.
To Get The Vaccine Or Not: How These Black Health Care Workers Made The Decision
Skepticism around the COVID-19 vaccine appears to be more prevalent within the Black community and among Black health care workers. We talked to a few of them about what’s guiding their decisions.
U.S. Para Cyclists Train For Season Start Amid Pandemic
U.S. Paralympics Cycling will return this Spring in Huntsville, after a year of being benched by the pandemic. Most athletes are looking forward to the start of the domestic season.
Some Schools Delay As Cold Continues To Grip Alabama
A number of schools in the Birmingham area will have delayed starts Wednesday after ice, snow and cold temperatures struck the area.
Bruno Event Team Takes Over JCDH Vaccine Call Center
The Jefferson County United Command Center will bring in a sporting event group to answer more calls to the COVID vaccine hotline.
Federal COVID-19 Rent and Utilities Assistance Set For Birmingham Residents
The City of Birmingham has received nearly $6.3 million in federal funding to assist residents who are unable to pay rent and utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Winter Weather Brings School Closings
A number of schools are closed or adjusted schedules because of expected ice, freezing rain and sleet.
Surge In Deaths Strains Local Funeral Homes, Morgue
In recent months, deaths due to COVID-19 increased dramatically, further stressing an industry already overwhelmed.
Alabama Senate Committee Passes Gambling Bill Before Break
Sweeping gambling legislation cleared a hurdle in the Alabama Legislature this week.
Jefferson County Commission OK’s More Cleanup Help In Fultondale
"Somebody has to get those big trees out of that creek or it’s going to back up and start flooding and start blocking roads and flooding these houses that are damaged," said Commissioner Joe Knight.
A Remembrance of John Floyd, Former Southern Living Editor-in-Chief
The former editor of Southern Living died this week from cancer.
Vaccine ‘Hunters’ Travel To Mississippi, Other States For A Potential Dose
Officials worry that with cross-border travel for vaccines, second doses could get complicated.
Jefferson County Commission May Hire More Road Clean-Up Help
Jefferson County Commissioners are considering whether to hire temporary workers to clean up litter along county roads.
Candidates Lining Up To Run For Birmingham City Council
Several incumbents plan to seek re-election and some challengers have emerged.
