Good morning and Happy Friday!

Here’s your Daily News for July 17.

 

1. Unemployment rate drops to 7.5%

• Alabama’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.5% in June, continuing a slow improvement from a COVID-19-caused 13.8% in April.
• May’s revised rate was 9.6%, the Alabama Department of Labor announced Friday morning.
• “We continue to make gains in our unemployment rate but remain above the record low rates we were experiencing prior to this pandemic,” said Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington. “People are returning to work as the economy further reopens, but we are beginning to see slight rises in the number of initial unemployment claims filed each week.”
• Washington said 50,273 fewer people were counted as unemployed last month, while the number of employed rose by 42,300.
• Read more HERE.

 

2. Alabama mask order takes effect as hospitalizations rise

• Alabama’s health order requiring face masks in public places took effect Thursday as COVID-19 hospitalizations reached another new high in the state.
• The order went into effect the same day that the state’s largest public school system announced students will not return to classrooms this fall because of the rise in cases.
• Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday that the state will require face masks in public places to try to curb a surge of new coronavirus cases. The order took effect at 5 p.m. Thursday and requires people over age 6 to wear masks covering their mouth and nostrils when in public and within six feet of a person from another household. There are exemptions for certain medical conditions, certain professions, exercising and when eating and drinking.
• “Science says the masks coupled with social distancing dramatically reduces transmission,” said Dr. Don Williamson, the state’s former health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association.
• The state on Thursday had 1,376 patients hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19, the highest number since the pandemic began. Eighty-six percent of intensive care beds are full, Williamson said. While hospitals can add beds, health officials have expressed concern about that the upswing in cases could overwhelm hospitals if it continues.
• The state’s caseload has been increasing by an average of about 1,500 a day over the past week, and nearly 17% of virus tests are now coming back positive, nearly double from May.
• Full story from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

3. State senator hospitalized with COVID-19: Don’t get complacent

• State Sen. Randy Price, who has been diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19, said Thursday he is getting better each day.
• “I have been overwhelmed with prayers, love and support since Oline and I fell ill, and it’s something that I will never forget,” Price, R-Opelika, said in a written statement to Alabama Daily News. “Thankfully, my wife, Oline, has recovered fully and I am thrilled to report that, although my condition was once serious, I’m getting better each day under the best care in our state.
• “I want to personally thank the nurses and doctors at East Alabama Medical Center for the first-class care I have received during this time.”
• On Thursday, Price was still in the intensive care unit of EAMC, the hospital confirmed.
• The Opelika-Auburn News on Monday reported that both Randy and Oline Price, the Lee County Revenue Commissioner, had contracted COVID-19, along with several members of their family. Oline Price’s symptoms were more mild. Still, she missed three weeks of work recovering.
• On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed, R-Jasper, sent an email to fellow senators about Sen. Price.
• “I know each of you will join me in lifting Randy, Oline, and their family up in prayer and positive thoughts,” Reed said. “Randy is determined to get back to serving his constituents in Senate District 13 and also his colleagues in the Alabama Senate.”
• Sen. Price, 63, was elected in 2018 in the district that includes portions of Lee County and all of Chambers, Clay and Cleburne counties. He is a business owner and farmer.
• Full story from ADN’s Mary Sell HERE.

 

4. Construction planned in Jasper, Trussville to provide better broadband

• Broadband company C Spire will begin to install its ultra-fast fiber-based Gigabit speed internet and related service in Jasper and Trussville in the coming weeks as part of an initiative to improve the state’s rural broadband access.
• In a virtual press conference on Thursday, C Spire executives and Alabama lawmakers said this is the first step in improving the state’s broadband reach and to ensure all Alabamians have fast internet connections.
• “We’re excited about bringing high-capacity fiber broadband services, which rely on a transformational and truly revolutionary technology infrastructure that will boost home and business values, broaden entertainment opportunities, help expand local economies and improve the quality of life for Alabamians,” said Ben Moncrief, managing director in Alabama for C Spire.
• Moncrief said that construction in Jasper will begin in about two weeks and then in Trussville shortly after. Moncrief explained that the two cities were the first to get this services because lawmakers representing them were the first to reach out to C Spire months ago.
• Jasper Mayor David O’Mary said the town plans to leverage the infrastructure to help continue the city’s efforts to improve the quality of life for residents and the economic environment for businesses.
• “C Spire Fiber will help us continue to transform our community into a 21st digital powerhouse,” he said.
• Read more from ADN’s Caroline Beck HERE.

 

5. Will Whatley: Don’t let yourself get down

• According to a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau, more than a third of all Americans have been experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Let’s face it: things are pretty tough right now. Thousands of Alabamians are facing job insecurity while also trying to navigate a global pandemic. Perhaps you have loved ones sick from COVID-19. Perhaps you’re worried about being in public and possibly contracting the coronavirus. Maybe you’re just tired of being cooped up at home so much. Whatever your situation, it’s imperative to remember that there are healthy ways in which you can manage all these stressors.
• ADN’s Will Whatley talked with psychiatrist Dr. Amanda Williams of Gardenia Cove about what she’d suggest people do to help deal with these tough times.
• Read their conversation with helpful suggestions HERE.

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama’s June unemployment rate drops to 7.5%

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama mask order takes effect as hospitalizations rise

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – State senator hospitalized with COVID-19: Don’t get complacent

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Construction planned in Jasper, Trussville to provide better broadband

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Will Whatley: Don’t let yourself get down

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama Senate race shapes up to be a contentious slugfest

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – White House COVID-19 task force coordinator meets with Ivey, other state leaders

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Congress eyes new virus aid as school, health crisis deepens

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump replaces campaign manager amid sinking poll numbers

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – July 16, 2020

 

AL.COM  – 60,158 coronavirus cases in Alabama, up 1,933 overnight; Jefferson County adds 360 new cases

 

AL.COM  – Gadsden Black Lives Matter leader arrested; group calls it effort to slow movement

 

AL.COM   – Alabama’s sales tax holiday for school set for July 17-19; Here are sales, what you need to know

 

AL.COM  – Alabama restaurant bans Gov. Ivey, other officials over mask orders

 

AL.COM  – Ivey announces grants to bring broadband to 7 communities

 

AL.COM  – Huntsville declines to release records about tear gas at protests

 

AL.COM  – U.S. customs in Mobile seize $120,000 worth of illegal disinfectant wipes

 

AL.COM  – Columnist John Archibald: These are things the bastards won’t let you do.

 

AL.COM  – Club for Growth’s focus on Alabama GOP primary switches to general election.

 

AL.COM  – Coronavirus outbreak at Alabama’s largest food bank: “This is a major hit”

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Memorial for Peace and Justice to begin night tours

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Charges pending against protesters who spray painted ‘Black Lives Matter, expand Medicaid’ at Alabama Capitol

 

Montgomery Advertiser – $1,000 reward announced for information in death of 17-year-old Lesley Luna Pantaleon

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – State to give $1 million to help preserve Clotilda

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Police: Warrants secured after ‘Black Lives Matter’ painted in front of Alabama Capitol

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Retired federal judge speaks on legality of statewide face mask order

 

Tuscaloosa News – Three teens charged after shots fired into two homes

 

Tuscaloosa News – Legal thriller earns prize from UA law school

 

Tuscaloosa News – Shelton State joins workforce development program

 

Decatur Daily – Board member worries about safety of Lawrence students opting for traditional classes

 

Decatur Daily – Retired officer: Have a plan, be prepared for active shooters

 

Decatur Daily – Wednesday school closures, mask requirement part of Morgan system’s reopening plan

 

Times Daily – Virus cases rise in U.S. states amid new world restrictions

 

Times Daily – Keller changes caregiver policy after COVID-19 cases rise

 

Times Daily – Sheffield officers’ quick response saves councilwoman

 

Anniston Star – Police investigating apparent murder-suicide in Saks

 

Anniston Star – Pleasant Valley Elementary awarded for literacy program

 

Anniston Star – Police investigating apparent murder-suicide in Saks

 

YellowHammer News – Dale Jackson: Wearing a mask is smart and constitutional — not doing so is dumb and self-defeating

 

YellowHammer News – Bronze Valley and gener8tor bringing accelerator to Alabama

 

YellowHammer News – Prim Escalona to serve as interim U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Alabama

 

Gadsden Times – Many questions remain as schools plan for return

 

Gadsden Times – Woman charged with taking $1 million-plus from elderly person

 

Gadsden Times – Voters turn out for Cherokee County Republican runoff

 

Dothan Eagle – Wiregrass food bank receives donation of 10,800 eggs

 

Dothan Eagle – Health officials: SE Health, Flowers near COVID saturation level, time to consider alternative patient sites

 

Dothan Eagle – UPDATE: Water World closing for rest of season due to COVID

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Auburn University to test all students on campus for COVID-19 this fall

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Opelika businesses prep for tax-free weekend

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Auburn man sentenced to 90 years for 2017 Opelika double-murder

 

WSFA Montgomery – Police: Warrants secured after ‘Black Lives Matter’ painted in front of Alabama Capitol

 

WSFA Montgomery – Valley man dies in vehicle crash on Lee Rd. 158 near Smiths Station

 

WSFA Montgomery – Columbus father speaks out about COVID-19 after losing daughter to the virus

 

WAFF Huntsville – One killed in overnight wreck on Old Monrovia Road

 

WAFF Huntsville – Candlelight vigil held in Ardmore one year after woman’s murder

 

WAFF Huntsville – CRAFT federal team works to help stop coronavirus spread in Madison County

 

WKRG Mobile – Law enforcement focusing on encouraging mask compliance over policing it

 

WKRG Mobile – Crews search for missing person on Tombigbee River in Jackson

 

WKRG Mobile – Mt. Vernon Mayor Terry Williams pleads guilty to federal fraud charge

 

WTVY Dothan – Stores preparing for Alabama’s 15th annual tax-free weekend

 

WTVY Dothan – Rep. Kelly Armstrong discusses Trump administration’s changes to environmental law

 

WTVY Dothan – 2,000 machines going to nursing homes to rapidly test for COVID-19

 

WASHINGTON POST – Live updates: U.S. blows past coronavirus record with more than 70,000 new cases in one day

 

WASHINGTON POST – Trump faces rising disapproval and widespread distrust on coronavirus, Post-ABC poll finds

 

WASHINGTON POST – Disappearance of covid-19 data from CDC website spurs outcry

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Coronavirus Live Updates: U.S. Shatters Single-Day Caseload

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Mask Rules Expand Across U.S. as Clashes Over the Mandates Intensify

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Chief Vaccine Scientist Will Not Be Forced to Disclose Pharmaceutical Stocks

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Wirecard Woe Spreads as Banks Struggle to Exit Loans

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Trump Administration Turns Up Pressure on China on Several Fronts

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Senate GOP Aims to Funnel Covid Liability Cases to Federal Courts

 

 

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