Presented by the

Yes For The Best Education Committee

1. Tomorrow is Election Day

• Twenty four hours from now we’ll be voting in Alabama.
• Good luck to campaign workers who are slogging through the last bit of GOTV preparations. A good hype song or two is generally needed. I recommend the hopeful show tune GIF’d above for the morning, before invariably turning to a heavy dose of rap by evening.
• As much as some of us are looking forward to the election being over, the reality is many races are almost certainly headed to a runoff, so we’ll have four more weeks of winter.
• Not for nothing, but it’s going to rain tomorrow, probably pretty heavily in some parts of the state. That generally means a downtick among casual, less devoted voters.
• It’s a full ballot, with competitive races and ballot initiatives.
• Read a full rundown about all Alabama will be voting on tomorrow HERE.

2. Dem candidates gather in Selma

• The 55th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” is this week, and commemorations were held over the weekend in Selma.
• It is said to be U.S. Rep. John Lewis’ last Bridge Crossing Jubilee, which is sad. The civil rights leader and Georgia congressman has cancer.
• Politics is never far from the annual event, and that’s especially true in an election year with Super Tuesday mere days away.
• ADN’s Caroline Beck was in Selma reporting on the day’s events, and ended up following two candidates who are making notable pitches to black voters in Alabama and other southern states: Former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg.
• The two received different receptions as they spoke and campaigned around Selma. Caroline writes that Biden had a bit of a home field advantage due to the fact that the state’s top two Democrats – U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell and U.S. Sen. Doug Jones – have endorsed him.
• But Bloomberg has the support of the Alabama Democratic Conference, the African American wing of the state party that can be decisive in turning out votes on Election Day.
• Read Caroline’s full dispatch from Selma HERE.

A message from the

Yes For The Best Education Committee

• Raise your hand if you like being dead last in math? How about 49th in reading?

• Just what I thought. We’re NOT ok with that. So let’s change it.

• We’re one of the last states in the U.S. to elect its school boards.

• On Tuesday March 3rd, Vote YES on Amendment One to change that.

• Our 2-year college system did the same thing a few years ago, and it’s changing for the better.

• Vote YES on Amendment One, March 3rd.

3. Buttigieg is out

• Pete Buttigieg, who rose from relative obscurity as an Indiana mayor to a barrier-breaking, top-tier candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, ended his campaign on Sunday.
• The decision by the first openly gay candidate to seriously contend for the presidency — and among the youngest ever — came just a day after a leading rival, Joe Biden, scored a resounding victory in South Carolina. That sparked new pressure on the party’s moderate wing to coalesce behind the former vice president.
• He didn’t endorse any of his former rivals, though he and Biden traded voicemails on Sunday. Buttigieg has spent the past several weeks warning that nominating Bernie Sanders to take on President Donald Trump would be risky.
• Buttigieg on Sunday called on supporters to ensure that a Democrat wins the White House in November and that the party’s success carries over to down-ballot races for House and Senate. During previous debates, Buttigieg said Sanders could threaten Democratic seats in Congress.
• Read more about the final month of the Buttigieg campaign and how it impacts the Democratic race HERE.

4. Vaccine database sought

• The Alabama Department of Public Health is trying again this session with legislation to require health care providers to check a statewide patient database before administering vaccines and update the registry with new vaccinations.
• Public Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said required use of the database would keep children from being vaccinated again unnecessarily when they move across the state and their records don’t follow them, or when an elderly patient gets a vaccine from a provider, like a drug store, other than his primary care doctor.
• The similar bill cleared the Senate and a House committee last year, but died without a vote in the House.
• Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, is carrying Senate Bill 56 this year and Rep. April Weaver, R-Brierfield, is sponsoring House Bill 103. Both have come out of committee and are awaiting floor votes.
• Last year, proponents said it would be helpful during a measles outbreak to be able identify vulnerable students.
• Read more from ADN’s Mary Sell HERE.

5. Matthew Stokes on Amendment One

• Our friend Matthew Stokes is back this week with a piece about the education amendment on the ballot Tuesday.
• You may remember that Matthew used to write a regular column for the Daily News before going on board with the Alabama Policy Institute as a resident fellow.
• It’s great to publish his work once again, and his points today about the realities of education and the state school board are as salient as ever.
• Unlike local school boards that must respond to local problems, the state school board is stuck between pleasing their individual constituents and advancing progress statewide, which are all too often competing interests, Stokes writes.
• He also eloquently makes a point I’ve been trying to summarize for the better part of a year: that giving the unequivocal responsibility for education to offices we do actually know and care about – the governor and the Legislature – provides them incentive to make improvements and empowers voters by knowing exactly whom to fire when progress isn’t made.
• Here’s an excerpt:

• Read Matthew Stokes’ full column HERE.

A message from the

Alabama State Port Authority

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Heavy rains raise specter of more flash flooding in South

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Presidential, Senate races on Alabama’s Super Tuesday ballot

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Inside the final month of Buttigieg’s historic campaign

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bloomberg and Biden pitch to black voters ahead of Alabama’s primary

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Matthew Stokes: Amendment One Puts Kids First, Politicians Last

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama voters to decide on abolishing elected school board

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Jeff Sessions in fight to win back his old Senate seat

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – State Health Officer: Alabama in ‘prevention stance’ on coronavirus

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – In the Weeds: Sessions campaigns as the consistent conservative he’s always been

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – In the Weeds: Tuberville disrupts Senate race as ‘outsider’

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – In the Weeds: A career of fighting has led Byrne to Senate showdown

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – February 27, 2020

AL.COM  – Presidential candidates join jam-packed march to commemorate Bloody Sunday

AL.COM  – Alabama prison plan includes rehab, sentencing, building

AL.COM  – New Alabama mammoth mine project long in the making

AL.COM  – Nine judicial candidates on Tuesday GOP primary ballots

AL.COM  – One in 10 Alabamians is without health insurance. But rates vary by county.

Montgomery Advertiser – ‘Not OK … in this sacred space’: Why protesters turned their backs on Bloomberg in Selma

Montgomery Advertiser – Coronavirus, explained: Everything to know about COVID-19, the deadly virus alarming the world

Montgomery Advertiser – After rising from relative obscurity, Pete Buttigieg ends his White House bid as crowd chants ‘2024’

YellowHammer News – Bloomberg gets icy reception during speech in Selma

YellowHammer News – Worlds of Work showcases career opportunities in Alabama’s Wiregrass

YellowHammer News – Gov. Kay Ivey and Association of the U.S. Army honor outstanding Tuscaloosa women

BIRMINGHAM WATCH  – Where Republican Presidential Candidates Stand on Major Issues

BIRMINGHAM WATCH  – Where Democratic Presidential Candidates Stand on Major Issues

BIRMINGHAM WATCH  – State Health Officer: State Focused on Coronavirus Prevention, Alabamians Should Be Aware, Not Afraid

Tuscaloosa News – Police investigate after slurs painted in Alabama park

Tuscaloosa News – Police: Alabama girl lied about assault from fake officer

Tuscaloosa News – Biden welcomed in Selma as Dems court black voters

Decatur Daily – Gambling sentences light so city using business revocation in the fight

Decatur Daily – Annual Decatur Kiwanis Club Pancake Day spans generations

Decatur Daily – Coronavirus preparations begin locally and statewide

Times Daily – 115th armory restoration is complete

Times Daily – Former Southwest School slated for new ownership

Times Daily – Muscle Shoals purchases portable pump

Anniston Star – Anniston-based soldiers fought against Vietnam War from the inside

Anniston Star – Park focus of black history in Hobson City

Anniston Star – Oxford, Talladega locations on ghost tour

Troy Messenger – Primary elections to be held Tuesday

Troy Messenger – Feb. 29 has extra meaning for Leap Day babies

Troy Messenger – TRMC seminar to bridge addiction, mental health gap

Gadsden Times – Vehicle crashes into Boaz business following chase

Gadsden Times – Man faces child sex, immigration charges

Gadsden Times – School officials discuss Amendment One

Dothan Eagle – Answer Man: How are Alabama state parole board members chosen?

Dothan Eagle – Let your voice be heard during Tuesday’s primary election

Dothan Eagle – Handful of local races on Wiregrass county ballots

Opelika-Auburn News – ‘It hasn’t gotten lighter’; Thornton family turning to faith, love one year after daughter’s death in Lee County tornado

Opelika-Auburn News – ‘Just talking to God’: First responders, nurses recall tragic day

Opelika-Auburn News – Heather Norred: The day she heard the screaming

Daily Mountain Eagle – ‘Brag tags’ encouraging Curry Elementary students

Daily Mountain Eagle – Candlelight vigil held for missing CH woman

Daily Mountain Eagle – Primaries will be Tuesday from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Trussville Tribune – Cruise-in to pay tribute to longtime church member Leland Dockery

Trussville Tribune – Hewitt-Trussville High School students bring home wins from Science Olympiad at University of Alabama

Trussville Tribune – Second Saturday Trussville Bicentennial Celebration to be held at Senior Activity Center

WSFA Montgomery – Security a priority for Bridge Crossing Jubilee

WSFA Montgomery – Community seeks help in search of missing Walker County woman

WSFA Montgomery – Execution date set for man convicted in the killing of three Birmingham cops

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Thousands cross Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma Bridge Crossing Reenactment

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Whole Foods in Hoover is closing

WRBC Fox 6 Birmingham – 1 dead after crash involving ambulance in Montgomery

WAFF Huntsville – Two people injured in glider plane crash

WAFF Huntsville – Cornerstone Word of life Church host church security workshop

WAFF Huntsville – State trooper’s car hit in DeKalb County, one person airlifted

WKRG Mobile – Mobile County to provide updates on COVID-19 coronavirus

WKRG Mobile – Democrat Pete Buttigieg ends his campaign for president

WKRG Mobile – Patriot Guard Rider killed escorting the body of Pearl Harbor survivor identified

WTVY Dothan – Tom Steyer drops out of Democratic presidential race

WTVY Dothan – Wiregrass receives mobile shower and laundry trailer

WTVY Dothan – Surgeon general urges people to stop buying face masks amid coronavirus fears

WASHINGTON POST  – Coronavirus may have spread undetected for weeks in Washington state, which reported first two deaths in U.S.

WASHINGTON POST  – Coronavirus rumors and chaos in Alabama point to big problems as U.S. seeks to contain virus

WASHINGTON POST  – Biden seeks to consolidate Democrats with momentum of his S.C. victory

NEW YORK TIMES  – Here’s What’s at Stake on Super Tuesday

NEW YORK TIMES  – How Coronavirus Is Already Being Viewed Through a Partisan Lens

NEW YORK TIMES  – Contributor Donna Shalala: Drop the Politics and Fight Coronavirus

Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)