1. Senate, House races head to runoffs

• The three most closely-watched races in Alabama – the Republican primaries for U.S. Senate and Congress in AL-1 and AL-2 – are all headed for runoff elections on March 31.
• For Senate, Tommy Tuberville was the top vote earner with 237,821 votes or 33.41%. He’ll face next-best finisher Jeff Sessions, who earned 224,985 votes or 31.61%. Bradley Byrne fell short of making the runoff with 177,217 votes, or 24.9%
• [By the way, President Donald Trump is already tweeting about the race]
• Read more about the Senate race from Kim Chandler HERE.
• In AL-1 it will be former State Sen. Bill Hightower facing Mobile County Commissioner Jerry Carl in a runoff. Carl had 38.71% of the vote compared to Hightower’s 37.47%. State Rep. Chris Pringle came in at 19.23%.
• Read more about AL-1 from Caroline Beck HERE.
• AL-2 is where it really gets interesting. Dothan businessman Jeff Coleman was far out ahead with 38.3% of the vote, but the race for second place is razor-thin. Former State Rep. Barry Moore has 20,830 votes, or 20.59%, while Prattville businesswoman Jessica Taylor has 20,037 votes, or 19.8%. That’s a difference of 793 votes.
• No one is conceding or claiming victory as of yet. This is usually when the lawyers get involved.
• Read more on AL-2 from Caroline Beck HERE.
• Also, no surprise here but AL-5 Congressman Mo Brooks soundly defeated challenger Chris Lewis 75-25 to win his sixth term in the U.S. House.

 

2. Court races mostly clear cut

• The races for judgeships on Alabama’s appellate courts mostly ended in clear-cut victories, but there will be one runoff.
• Sitting Supreme Court Justice Greg Shaw fended off a challenge from State Sen. Cam Ward Tuesday in the Republican primary for his Place 1 seat on the high court.
• Shaw received 341,442 votes earning 58.43%, while Ward received 242,913 votes, good enough for 41.57%, according to the latest unofficial tally from the Alabama Secretary of State’s office.
• Read more from ADN’s Abby Driggers HERE.
• For Place 1 on the Court of Civil Appeals, State Rep. Matt Fridy, R-Montevallo, defeated Pelham attorney Phillip Bahakel by a 66-34% margin.
• For Place 1 on the Court of Criminal Appeals, incumbent Judge Mary Windom defeated Cullman attorney Melvin Hasting by a 70-30% margin.
• For Place 2 on the Court of Criminal Appeals, incumbent Judge Beth Kellum will face former Lauderdale County Commissioner Will Smith in a runoff on March 31.
• Kellum won 230,050 votes, which totals 43.3% of the vote – less than the majority needed to win the race outright. Smith had the second highest vote total with 197,274, good enough for 37.13%. Former Jefferson County judge Jill Ganus came in third with 103,945 votes, or 19.57%.
• Read more on the Civil and Criminal Appeals Court races from ADN’s Devin Pavlou HERE.

 

 

3. Voters roundly reject education amendment

• Amendment One was defeated soundly, with more than 1.1 millions vote cast, about 75% were “no” votes.
• The amendment would have done away with the current elected Alabama State Board of Education that oversees K-12 education, replacing it with a governor-appointed commission.
• The amendment’s defeat is a loss for Gov. Kay Ivey, who was its chief advocate. Press secretary Gina Maiola said Tuesday night that Ivey was disappointed, but that her “resolve to improve our public education system remains intact.”
• The 2019 legislation that allowed Tuesday’s vote also directed a new commission to adopt a new course of study to replace Common Core in the state, controversial standards first adopted by the board in 2010. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, also called for new assessment and accountability systems.
• “I am disappointed, we had the opportunity to fundamentally reform education in this state unlike we had seen at any point in the past 50 years and move to a system that has proven to work in the states which are top ranked in education across the country,” Marsh said Tuesday night.
• Read more from ADN’s Mary Sell HERE.

 

 

4. Biden bounces back in Super Tuesday surge

• A resurgent Joe Biden scored victories from Texas to Massachusetts on Super Tuesday, revitalizing a presidential bid that was teetering on the edge of disaster just days earlier. But his rival Bernie Sanders seized the biggest prize with a win in California that ensured he — and his embrace of democratic socialism — would drive the Democrats’ nomination fight for the foreseeable future.
• And suddenly, the Democratic Party’s presidential field, which featured more than a half-dozen candidates a week ago, transformed into a two-man contest.
• Read more about the state of play in the Democratic Primary HERE.

 

5. Statewide 5G bill moving in Legislature

• A bill that would set a state-wide standard for deploying 5G cellular infrastructure, including how much money cities can charge providers for access to existing utility structures, is moving again this year in the Legislature.
• Senate Bill 172 would mandate a request process for cities to follow when approached by wireless providers like AT&T and Verizon and sets a cap on the fees municipalities can charge companies for the use of city owned rights-of-ways.
• It passed out of the Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development committee last week with no opposition.
• However, municipal leaders say the bill takes away too much local control, and they are aiming to slow down or stop the bill altogether.
• Read more from ADN’s Caroline Beck HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A message from the

Safe Surgery Coalition

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Sessions, Tuberville head to runoff in Alabama Senate race

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Coleman headed to runoff in AL-2, will await challenger from close race

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Carl, Hightower headed for GOP runoff in AL-1

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Statewide 5G infrastructure bill passes first vote but cities still concerned

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Shaw wins re-election to Supreme Court

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Fridy, Windom win appellate court races; Kellum and Smith head to runoff

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabamians: Keep elected state board of education

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Biden claims 9 Super Tuesday victories, including Texas

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Prison reform package backed by Ivey promises better rehabilitation and oversight

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – March 3, 2020

 

AL.COM  – Alabama Senate race headed for GOP runoff on March 31

 

AL.COM  – Alabama votes tallied in Public Service Commission, appellate court races

 

AL.COM  – Runoffs set for GOP, Democrats in U.S. House District 1

 

AL.COM  – Tuberville on getting into runoff with Sessions: ‘We’re going to overtime’

 

AL.COM  – Alabama company racing to develop new test for coronavirus COVID-19

 

AL.COM  – Mo Brooks easily wins House District 5 GOP primary

 

AL.COM  – Alabama voters reject plan to fire state school board

 

AL.COM  – Alabama cop fired for Facebook post about roadside bomb for ‘dumbocrats’

 

AL.COM  – Joe Biden wins Alabama Democratic primary

 

AL.COM  – Alabama Media Group’s Kyle Whitmire wins national writing award

 

AL.COM  – Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill blocking Montgomery occupational tax

 

AL.COM  – Remembering a deadly Alabama tornado one year later

 

AL.COM  – Contributor Martin Luther King III: Alabama set to execute ‘very likely innocent man’

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Runoff: Coleman has lead in US House District 2; opponent remains unclear

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Tommy Tuberville, Jeff Sessions headed to runoff in GOP race for Alabama Senate

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Joe Biden wins Alabama Democratic primary 2020 in presidential race

 

YellowHammer News – Carl holds narrow lead over Hightower heading into AL-01 runoff

 

YellowHammer News – Tuberville leads Sessions heading into runoff

 

YellowHammer News – Amendment One rejected by Alabama voters by wide margin

 

Dothan Eagle – Coleman awaits opponent for GOP 2nd District nominee

 

Dothan Eagle – Local race results on Wiregrass ballots

 

Dothan Eagle – Voters say no to appointed state school board

 

Tuscaloosa News – Biden, Trump win; results of other Alabama races

 

Tuscaloosa News – Lake, Presley win school board positions

 

Tuscaloosa News – Statewide 5G bill passes first vote

 

BIRMINGHAM WATCH : Sessions, Tuberville Headed to a Runoff for the Republican Nomination to Senate

 

Decatur Daily – Morgan schools win court battle on online sales tax

 

Decatur Daily – Statewide 5G bill passes first vote, but cities concerned

 

 

Decatur Daily – Baggett, Kusta in district judge runoff

 

Times Daily – Police arrest suspect in shooting

 

Times Daily – Area health officer says state, Colbert County, preparing for Covid-19

 

Times Daily – Hill, Williams head to runoff in superintendent race

 

Anniston Star – Sessions, Tuberville headed to runoff for Senate nomination

 

Anniston Star – Alabama suffers another disappointing loss to last-place Vanderbilt in home finale

 

Anniston Star – Statewide 5G infrastructure bill passes first vote but cities still concerned

 

Gadsden Times – Tuberville, Sessions headed for GOP Senate runoff

 

Gadsden Times – LIVE: Etowah County primary election results

 

Gadsden Times – Chase ends in officer-involved shooting

 

Troy Messenger – Troy residents prepare for new coronavirus

 

Troy Messenger – PRIMARY TRACKER: Pike County votes on statewide, national races

 

Troy Messenger – Republican runoff triggered for Alabama’s 2nd District

 

Andalusia Star News – 9,555 turnout for primaries

 

Andalusia Star News – County sides with Sessions, Coleman

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Tuberville, Biden win big in Lee County

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Beauregard pulls together to remember tornado victims

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Spencer among Auburn alumni honored

 

Daily Mountain Eagle – Rising from the ashes: Jasper First Nazarene dedicates new sanctuary

 

Daily Mountain Eagle – Group drives 2,000 miles to deliver 36 dogs

 

Daily Mountain Eagle – Program to allow students to learn about healthcare field

 

Trussville Tribune – Sessions, Tuberville head to runoff in Alabama Senate race

 

Trussville Tribune – Shane Shelnutt announces run for Trussville City Council

 

Trussville Tribune – Leeds Council announces move to new city hall building in April

 

Athens News Courier – NEW RULES FOR LCS: Proposed guidelines aim to clarify campus advertising

 

Athens News Courier – Biden, Trump win in Alabama, Limestone

 

Athens News Courier – Wreck blocks portion of U.S. 72, just west of McCulley Mill Road

 

Sand Mountain Reporter – Geraldine officer fired for Facebook comments

 

Sand Mountain Reporter – High-speed chase in DeKalb County ends in shooting

 

WSFA Montgomery – Alabama votes ‘no’ to state-appointed school board

 

WSFA Montgomery – Alabama couple who survived deadly 2011 tornado, also survive Tuesday’s deadly tornado in Nashville

 

WSFA Montgomery – Prattville man dies in crash in which vehicle caught fire

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Birmingham police investigating 14th homicide of 2020

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – UA Chief Medical Officer says flu a bigger threat than Coronavirus nationally

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Alabama couple who survived deadly 2011 tornado, also survive Tuesday’s deadly tornado in Nashville

 

WAFF Huntsville – Judge rules in favor of Morgan County school districts in online sales tax dispute

 

WAFF Huntsville – Permanent memorial planned in honor of Lee County tornado victims

 

WAFF Huntsville – Bradley Byrne loses Republican Primary battle for US Senate seat

 

WKRG Mobile – Biden wins Minnesota, surges in South; Sanders wins Colorado

 

WKRG Mobile – Cirque Italia to perform Thursday through Sunday in Fort Walton Beach

 

WKRG Mobile – Sen. Doug Jones calls on Alabamians to ‘reject those that seek to divide us’ during Alabama Senate Primary

 

WTVY Dothan – Coleman campaign watching returns in Downtown Dothan

 

WTVY Dothan – GOP Senate Candidate Ruth Page Nelson calls for voters to put party aside

 

WTVY Dothan – Biden wins 8 Super Tuesday states; Sanders takes California

 

WASHINGTON POST  – Joe Biden romps in Super Tuesday presidential contests

 

WASHINGTON POST  – Trump coronavirus effort undermined by mixed messages and falsehoods

 

WASHINGTON POST  – Pence says every American can get a coronavirus test

 

WASHINGTON POST  – Supreme Court considers options in reviewing consumer bureau’s structure

 

WASHINGTON POST  – Worries about medical bills and lost pay may hamper coronavirus efforts in the United States

 

WASHINGTON POST  – Trump wants to lift the ban on transporting liquefied natural gas on trains. Opponents say it’s a risk.

 

NEW YORK TIMES  – Fed Makes Emergency Rate Cut, but Markets Continue Tumbling

 

NEW YORK TIMES  – The Wall Some Texans Want to Build Against Abortion

 

NEW YORK TIMES  – Columnist Thomas Friedman: Forget Super Tuesday. It’s the Day After That Matters

 

NEW YORK TIMES  – Waive Fees for Coronavirus Tests and Treatment, Health Experts Urge

 

 

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