Birmingham City Council To Hear $13 Million Vaccine Sweepstakes Proposal Tuesday
Birmingham City Council President William Parker will present a $13 million package of incentives, including million-dollar drawings, to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19. The plan, to be presented to the city council Tuesday, calls for $500 gift cards, savings bonds, college scholarships and two drawings for up to $1 million.
“Obviously we know there are a lot of different factors for why some people are hesitant to receive a vaccine,” Parker said in a statement announcing the proposal. “As elected leaders here, we must do everything possible to not only make the vaccine accessible, but also encourage its use. This is a bold strategy that we think will drastically increase the number of residents wanting to receive a vaccine.”
For months, Parker encouraged residents to get vaccinated through numerous Facebook Live Town Halls with health experts on the benefits of a vaccination. However, only 36% of Birmingham citizens have received at least their first dose.
The sweepstakes would be funded through money Birmingham received from the American Rescue Plan Act. However, some people said it won’t matter how much money is on the table.
“It’s a hard ‘no’ for me, because I’m not going to be bribed to take something that should be good for me,” Tremon Muhammed said.
Others said they’d only take the top prize.
“My life is not worth less than that,” Ira Smith said. “Why would I take something that only guarantees me a $500? I make more than that a week.”
If Muhammad and Smith reflect the greater Birmingham community, Parker’s lottery plans won’t make much of a difference. But in Ohio, the Vax-A-Million campaign has had a different reaction. The weekend after announcing their lottery, vaccinations in the state increased by 28%.
Parker says his goal is to have at least 175,000 Birmingham residents vaccinated.
Government shuts down after Congress fails to reach a funding agreement
Much of the federal government is now shut down after Republicans and Democrats in the Senate failed to agree on a funding plan to keep the government open.
Issues/Program Report 3rd Quarter 2025
October 1, 2025 Per the FCC, this is a list of the most frequently cited issues of concern to the people in the WBHM listening area during the last quarter. […]
Change is brewing in the coffee industry. What lies ahead?
Coffee growers are facing climate change, labor shortages and incomes below the poverty line. On International Coffee Day, we take stock of the industry behind the beverage.
President announces TrumpRx website for drugs, and pricing deal with Pfizer
The Trump administration says it is making deals with drug companies to lower prices U.S. consumers pay for medicines. But key details are missing on how the initiative would work.
Trump administration uses taxpayer dollars to blame Democrats for government shutdown
Federal employees across the government reported seeing similar messages. Experts say the messages may violate ethics laws meant to keep partisan politics out of day-to-day governing.
A lawsuit tries to block the Trump administration’s efforts to merge personal data
A class action lawsuit argues that the administration's efforts to combine databases of personal information on Americans violates privacy laws and the Constitution.
