Good morning!

Here’s your Daily News for Monday, March 22.

 

1. More eligible for vaccines today

• Good news! Starting today, about 2 million more Alabamians are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.
• Eligibility now includes people 55 and over, people 16 and older with high-risk medical conditions, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and more critical workers.
• The qualifying medical conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, smoking, obesity, sickle cell disease and heart conditions.
• Frontline workers now eligible include those employed transportation, waste and wastewater, food services and public safety. Media are also now eligible, so you better believe I’ve already been online this morning to schedule my vax.
• Also, the Alabama National Guard begins rural vaccine clinics tomorrow in multiple rural counties throughout the state.
• Read more about it all from Mary Sell HERE.

 

 

2. Gambling bill: What happened and what’s next

• When a wide-ranging gambling bill failed to pass the State Senate earlier this month, it was a stunning defeat for the most high-profile legislation of the 2021 session so far.
• But supporters of the plan say there is still hope to pass it or something like it in the two months that remain in the session, and the impending involvement of the governor as a vocal proponent could change the game completely.
• Sometimes we do these deep dives that might take awhile to put together (and, frankly, to read), but they’re worth it.
• We tried to get a lot of voices on the inside of the gambling issue: those who sponsored and supported the bill, those who voted against it, those who have perspective on how a House vote might go. Perhaps most notably, I spoke to Gov. Kay Ivey who appears eager to engage more in this debate during the second half of the legislative session.
• Read more on what happened and what’s next with the gambling bill HERE.

 

 

3. Innovation bill filed

• Last week, legislation was introduced that is intended to boost entrepreneurship in the state.
• Sponsored by Rep. Bill Poole, R-Tuscaloosa, House Bill 540 would establish the Alabama Innovation Corporation. The Alabama Innovation Commission proposed the corporation as part of its interim recommendations on strategies that will help the state spur innovation and support talent attraction and retention.
• “This is a crucial step forward for the state of Alabama,” said Poole, who also chairs the Alabama Innovation Commission.
• Read more from Will Whatley HERE.

 

 

4. Austin visits Afghanistan

• U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, on his first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, said Sunday that the Biden administration wants to see “a responsible end” to America’s longest war, but the level of violence must decrease for “fruitful” diplomacy to have a chance.
• With questions swirling about how long U.S. troops will remain in the country, Austin said that “in terms of an end date or setting a specific date for withdrawal, that’s the domain of my boss.” He said his stop in Kabul, the capital, where he met with military commanders and senior Afghan government officials, including President Ashraf Ghani, was intended to let him “listen and learn” and “inform my participation” in reviewing the future of the American force.
• President Joe Biden said last week in an ABC News interview that it will be “tough” for the U.S. to meet a May 1 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. But Biden said that if the deadline, which is laid out in an agreement between the Trump administration and the Taliban, is extended, it wouldn’t be by a “lot longer.”
• Read more HERE.

 

5. 10 twisters confirmed in Alabama, Mississippi; More weather on the way

• At least 10 tornadoes struck Alabama and Mississippi last week during a severe weather outbreak that could have been worse if temperatures hadn’t remained relatively low, forecasters said.
• Teams from the National Weather Service in Mississippi found evidence of five less intense tornadoes in Simpson, Lincoln, Lamar, Copiah and Wayne counties, where an EF2 twister with winds of as much as 135 mph ripped apart chicken houses and damaged homes.
• Five more twisters were confirmed in Alabama in Moundville, south of Tuscaloosa; Fairview in Cullman County; Cottondale and Kellerman in Tuscaloosa County; and Chilton County. There, an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph damaged and destroyed homes near Pools Crossroads.
• Storm surveys were continuing, and the weather service said additional tornadoes could be added to the tally.
• While forecasters had predicted the possibility of larger tornadoes that stayed on the ground for miles, the weather service said the storms were less intense because heavy rains kept temperatures from rising and providing more energy to the atmosphere.
• Meanwhile, storms gathering out west could mean another round of severe weather later this week.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Gambling bill: what happened and what’s next

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Vaccine eligibility expands today; National Guard clinics start Tuesday

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – NWS confirms at least 10 twisters in Alabama, Mississippi

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – In Kabul, Pentagon chief speaks of ‘responsible end’ to war

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Poole, Reed file legislation to set up Alabama Innovation Corporation

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama National Guard to begin vaccinations at rural sites

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Officials: Black Belt leads state in vaccination percentages

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama reviewing Medicaid expansion incentives

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Biden on his heels amid a migrant surge at Mexico border

 

AL.COM – Alabama historic tax credit program fuels growth, sparks debate

 

AL.COM – Are we not Alabamians too?’: More than 100 attend vigil against Asian American hate

 

AL.COM – Election intimidation at Alabama polls: Report cites loitering police, ‘Blue Lives Matter’ sign

 

AL.COM – Advocates protest Alabama bills to limit trans youths’ rights as other states consider similar laws

 

AL.COM – Contributor Cameron Smith: Like it or not, disconnecting gender from sex has real consequences

 

AL.COM – Columnist Kyle Whitmire: Mo Brooks, Stephen Miller and the stunted legacy of Roy Moore

 

AL.COM – Contributor David Sher: The Birmingham story we never expected to tell

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery council candidate Davore Jones stabbed to death

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Fire damages downtown Montgomery church that helps the homeless

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery City Councilman Richard Bollinger dies

 

Decatur Daily – Workers difficult to find for all range of positions

 

Decatur Daily – State Senate approves record $7.6 billion education budget with teacher raises, incentives

 

Times Daily – Colbert Commission approves new vehicle policy

 

Times Daily – Stanley drafting fee schedule for products, services sold in Inspiration Landing resort

 

Times Daily – Colbert County park study provides roadmap for commissioners

 

Anniston Star – High school mountain bikers converge for ‘Melee At McClellan’ race

 

Anniston Star – Heflin runners, paraders celebrate unity in the cold

 

Anniston Star – COVID’S TOLL: How to memorialize 303 lives lost in a year?

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Hundreds gather at Linn Park for vigil, after violence against Asian-Americans

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – ADPH: Current hospitalizations lowest since April 2020 as COVID-19 vaccination distribution continues to expand

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Crews working to clean up Tuscaloosa County after multiple tornados

 

Tuscaloosa News – LOOKING BACK | This week in West Alabama History: March 22, 2021

 

Tuscaloosa News – Tuscaloosa woman killed in two-vehicle crash involving teen driver

 

Tuscaloosa News – Two 15th Street restaurants plan to relocate in Tuscaloosa

 

YellowHammer News – State Sen. Marsh: Enabling legislation included in next attempt at comprehensive gaming; Says bill ‘does everything’ to prevent a monopoly

 

YellowHammer News – New X-ray instrument sets Auburn University apart, furthers renewal energy research

 

YellowHammer News – Ivey CoS Jo Bonner: ‘Governor is not a proponent of gaming’ — Supports giving voters ‘very best comprehensive gaming bill’ in the form of a constitutional amendment

 

Gadsden Times – Boaz’s Powell gets in on ground floor in Snead State’s new welding career track

 

Gadsden Times – City seeks dismissal of rendering plant suit; virtual hearing set for Friday

 

Gadsden Times – Two proposed Etowah County bills passed in the state Senate last week

 

Dothan Eagle – 5 things to know for March 22: Covid, immigration, spa killings, Afghanistan, China

 

Dothan Eagle – On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions

 

Dothan Eagle – The Latest: India drugmaker to produce Sputnik V doses

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Late-stage US study finds AstraZeneca vaccine effective for all ages

 

Opelika-Auburn News – AstraZeneca: US data shows vaccine effective for all ages

 

WSFA Montgomery – UAB Doctors reflect on last year, fighting COVID-19

 

WSFA Montgomery – Man charged with murder in Montgomery stabbing

 

WSFA Montgomery – Greenville police officer in good condition after crash

 

WAFF Huntsville – DeKalb County School superintendent, parent respond to new CDC guidelines in schools

 

WAFF Huntsville – Singing River Trail to connect Scottsboro to the Shoals; director says bill could hinder the project

 

WAFF Huntsville – ‘He’s acting like a zombie’: Couple arrested high on K2 with child in car, police say

 

WKRG Mobile – US data shows AstraZeneca vaccine effective for all ages; 79% effective

 

WKRG Mobile – Miami partying ‘couldn’t go on any longer’, police chief says

 

WKRG Mobile – On federal death row, inmates talk about Biden, executions

 

WTVY Dothan – UPDATE: Three arrested in Seahaven Beach Hotel shooting

 

WTVY Dothan – Filing stimulus payments on your taxes

 

WTVY Dothan – NWS surveys the Wiregrass after Thursday’s storms

 

WASHINGTON POST – AstraZeneca’s U.S. trial shows coronavirus vaccine is 79 percent effective

 

WASHINGTON POST – As vaccinations increase, you may want to dine indoors again. Here’s what to consider.

 

WASHINGTON POST – State of emergency in Miami Beach extended to April 11 as spring breakers overwhelm the city

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Evidence in Capitol Attack Most Likely Supports Sedition Charges, Prosecutor Says

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Menthol Cigarettes Kill Many Black People. A Ban May Finally Be Near.

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Postal Service Struggles to Speed Up Delivery, Compounding Its Troubles

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 Vaccine Is Safe, 79% Effective in Late-Stage U.S. Trials

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Turkish Lira Plunges After Erdogan Fires Central Bank Chief

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – U.S. Stock Futures Point to Gains for Tech

 

 

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