Presented by

AlabamaWorks!

 

 

 

1. Delegation reacts to Pelosi bill; Vote likely Friday

• Republican members of Alabama’s Congressional delegation are none too pleased with a new coronavirus relief bill pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with some calling the $3 trillion plan “liberal la la land” and a “socialist wish list” that won’t pass the Senate.
• Pelosi has said she wants a vote Friday on the package that includes more than $900 billion to states and local governments, a second round of $1,200 checks to individuals and up to $6,000 per household, a $200 billion hazard pay fund for essential workers, health insurance subsidies for laid off workers, $175 billion for rent and mortgage assistance, $25 billion to boost the U.S. Postal Service and an extension of $600-a-week supplemental unemployment benefits.
• Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said he was disappointed Republicans had no input in the bill.
• “This really gets in the way of and delays our ability to pass something real to get people relief,” Rogers said.
• Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, called the proposal “a monstrosity” that was “dreamed up behind closed doors with zero bi-partisan input.”
• Meanwhile, the state’s lone House Democrat, Rep. Terri Sewell of Selma, remains supportive. She said she pushed for the inclusion of funds for more COVID-19 testing and treatment, plus relief funds for local cities and counties.
• “Alabama’s legislators have not yet prioritized providing assistance to local towns, cities and counties who also have services that have been disrupted,” Sewell said.
• There was bi-partisan criticism for how the state of Alabama is handling the infusion of nearly $1.8 billion from the CARES Act. State lawmakers and Gov. Kay Ivey have been in a public disagreement over who should be in charge of dispersing the funds, which came to a head last week when Alabama Daily News reported a preliminary “wish list” from top legislative leaders that included some non-outbreak related projects.
• Rogers noted that there is talk in Congress of providing more funding for expanding rural broadband, as Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh has said he wants to do, but that it will likely take a “new bill” to do it.
• Read the full story HERE.

 

2. First COVID-19 cases at mental health facility, intakes stopped

• Five patients at the state’s Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center have tested positive for COVID-19 since May 1.
• The positive cases came from two of four units in the hospital. Interactions among the elderly patients, many of whom have dementia, in those units have been limited, Dr. Mark Woods, medical director for the Alabama Department of Mental Health, told Alabama Daily News on Wednesday.
• “You have to realize, social distancing in this population is very, very difficult,” Woods said. “You know, you don’t want to restrain or force this population that already has a major issue with confusion. Any restrictions are very difficult. Getting them to wear a mask is virtually impossible. So we just really depend on our staff to work with us and they’ve been absolutely great.”
• The five patients have been receiving care at a local medical hospital and one has already tested negative for the virus. Two negative tests will be required before patients can return to the ADMH hospital.
• The most recent confirmation was on May 8. No cases have been reported in ADMH’s other two hospitals, also in Tuscaloosa, but wide testing hasn’t been done, Woods said Wednesday.
• The ADMH on March 16 stopped allowing new patients and restricted outside visits.
• Full story from ADN’s Mary Sell HERE.

 

 

 

A message from

AlabamaWorks!

 

 

 

 

 

3. Community college campuses plan on opening this fall

• Alabama Community College System leadership on Wednesday said campuses are planning to reopen in the fall, subject to guidance from Gov. Kay Ivey regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The announcement came during an ACCS Board meeting with members participating via video conference.
• The system has also been discussing with the Ivey administration ideas for how students who are close to finishing their degrees and are able to enter the workforce soon can do so under new health and safety precautions.
• Vice Chancellor for System Development Susan Price explained that staff has submitted suggestions to Ivey on how students who still need to complete lab or clinical work or work force training programs can finish their courses in the coming months.
• “Many of those students, this is the last course that they need to complete a program to enter the workforce,” Price said.
• Community colleges are currently not allowed to provide in-person instruction until May 22. All colleges have had to move to online or virtual instruction for course work. While some course work can be completed online, some hands-on trades like welding, carpentry and electrical require more in-person training.
• ACCS Chancellor Jimmy Baker also updated the board on how he planned to spend the system’s portion of the $1.25 billion bond issue approved by the Legislature last week.
• Full story from ADN’s Caroline Beck HERE.

 

 

 

4. State won’t release prison proposals

• Today is the last day for companies to submit detailed proposals to the Alabama Department of Corrections to build three new state prisons as part of a long-running request for proposals.
• But those proposals will not be released publicly, reports AL.com’s Mike Cason.
• Gov. Kay Ivey’s press secretary, Gina Maiola, says those proposals are part of negotiations and only the final actions from the state are required to be made public under the Open Records Law.
• Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said Ivey is not being transparent enough with the prison building project.
• “She’s not involving the Legislature in the process,” Marsh told Cason. “They’re talking about doing as much as a billion-dollar contract that the taxpayers are going to have to pay for.”
• Read the full story HERE.

 

 

5. Marsh’s office: No funds for new State House

• The Republican leader of the Alabama Senate said Wednesday that the state’s coronavirus relief funds will not be used to build a new State House, putting to rest an idea that had created an immediate backlash.
• Spending $200 million for a new State House was on a preliminary list, first reported by Alabama Daily News, along with telemedicine and expenses related to the pandemic, that legislative leaders sent the governor of potential uses for the state’s $1.8 billion in CARES Act funding. A spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said the State House idea is now off the table.
• “We now have guidance that makes it clear that the funds could not be used to build a new State House. It should also be made clear that this list represented the first draft of potential uses for these funds as a starting point for discussion,” Marsh spokesman Will Califf said in a statement.
• Marsh last week defended the idea of at least discussing State House construction. Marsh said Saturday that his priority is improving rural broadband access to better enable distance learning and telemedicine during the pandemic. But he said the State House construction idea could be discussed if funds are left over.
• “Are there reasons to build a new State House? Yes, there are. Should it be at the top of the list? I cannot say that. But I will tell you it should be part of the discussion,” he said. Marsh added that there is a mold problem and design issues at the State House that hinder public access, particularly during the virus restrictions.
• Republican Gov. Kay Ivey and the GOP-controlled legislature have had a rare disagreement over the state’s $1.8 billion in coronavirus relief funds.
• Full story from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

Bonus: Poking fun

• Legislative leaders have taken a lot of heat over the “wish list” story, some of which has been unfair.
• Perhaps we shouldn’t pile on, but when legendary political cartoonist Scott Stantis puts pencil to canvas, it usually ends up being pretty funny and poignant.
• Many will remember Scott for his years at The Birmingham News, where he made us laugh – and made us think – about political issues. His work caricaturing former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford and illustrating the legislative fights between Republican Gov. Bob Riley and the Democratic Legislature were brilliant.
• Today, he lampoons Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, who might be taking more than his share of the blame for the inclusion of $200 million for a new State House on that proverbial “wish list.”
• As Scott writes,”…granted, the current State House looks a lot like a badly kept 30-year-old Comfort Inn but, come on! With Alabama, like the rest of the states, down on its knees grasping for any relief from Covid-19 is now really the time to ask for something so unrelated?”
• All in good fun.
• See the cartoon and commentary HERE.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama delegation reacts to new Pelosi relief bill

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS  – Five COVID-19 cases at state mental hospital for the elderly; ADMH intakes stopped in March

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Community Colleges plan on opening campuses in fall; System working to improve distance learning

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Marsh’s office: CARES Act money won’t be used for State House

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Scott Stantis: Bad Timing

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS  – Highlights of Democrats’ $3 trillion-plus virus relief bill

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Census response map shows lags as field operations restart

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Survey shows coronavirus impact on Alabama businesses

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS  – 23 deaths at Alabama VA home attributed to COVID-19

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – High school graduations to test virus rules in Alabama

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Weaver resigns House seat to take unnamed Trump admin post

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – May 13, 2020

 

AL.COM  – Jeff Sessions goes on defensive about recusal. Pundits say he should pivot

 

AL.COM  – The problem with meat: Why you’ll be paying more for beef and pork

 

AL.COM  – Contributor Chandra Scott: Lack of broadband access is a hidden barrier to our pandemic recovery

 

AL.COM  – Woman facing prison for killing alleged rapist wants new judge

 

AL.COM  – Auburn president Jay Gogue claims ‘we’re going to have football this fall’

 

AL.COM  – Alabama Department of Corrections won’t release new prison proposals

 

AL.COM  – 99 of Alabama’s 304 new coronavirus cases come from 3 counties

 

AL.COM  – Jefferson County Schools to deliver meals to students in new program

 

AL.COM  – $1.5 billion paid to Alabama small businesses through loan program

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery firefighter tests positive for coronavirus, 11 others self-isolating

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Montgomery police open death investigation on West Boulevard

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Most in-person court hearings can begin next week, Alabama Supreme Court rules

 

YellowHammer News – Convalescent plasma therapy is treating coronavirus patients in UAB research

 

YellowHammer News – AL-02 candidate Barry Moore releases video comparing his perjury trial to Michael Flynn’s legal battles

 

YellowHammer News – Jones calls on Trump, Pence, Republican senators to wear masks in public

 

Dothan Eagle – Man killed in tractor accident

 

Dothan Eagle – KBC owner returns to ‘Top Chef’ as guest judge Thursday night

 

Dothan Eagle – National virtual challenge win shines light on ACOM’s simulator program

 

Tuscaloosa News – Library accepting dropped off items

 

Tuscaloosa News – Marsh’s office: COVID-19 money won’t be used for Statehouse

 

Tuscaloosa News – Council endorses mayor’s Restart Tuscaloosa plan

 

Decatur Daily – New search possible for Decatur Youth Services director after latest offers rejected

 

Decatur Daily – 3 Morgan County school systems set graduation plans

 

Decatur Daily – Local residents make progress returning census forms, but task unfinished

 

Times Daily – Florence High will hold graduation June 12

 

Times Daily – Bill for elected Muscle Shoals school board on Ivey’s desk

 

Times Daily – Public input sought for Pine Street corridor study

 

Gadsden Times – Etowah High grads will take the field in June

 

Gadsden Times – Judicial building to open; caution still advised

 

Gadsden Times – Law enforcement, Etowah coroner on the scene of fatal crash

 

Anniston Star – Writing ability nets two seniors hundreds each in scholarships

 

Anniston Star – Community colleges plan to open campuses in fall; system working to improve distance learning

 

Anniston Star – Census response map shows Alabama lags as field operations resume

 

Troy Messenger – NEW TAKE ON GRADUATION: Schools develop alternate plans for commencement ceremonies

 

Troy Messenger – Federal funding will aid with telehealth services

 

Troy Messenger – Courthouse will reopen to public on Monday

 

Andalusia Star News – Andalusia man arrested for trafficking, promoting prison contraband

 

Andalusia Star News – All schools to hold graduation on regularly scheduled dates

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Auburn HS graduation set for July 23

 

Opelika-Auburn News – COVID-19 latest: Opelika to open city buildings; hospitalizations back on the rise

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Auburn University student group says ‘leave it to us;’ shops for seniors

 

Daily Mountain Eagle – Cordova nursing home employees arrested

 

Daily Mountain Eagle – House thanks officers who helped after tornado

 

Daily Mountain Eagle – Bevill State looking for ways to honor graduates

 

Trussville Tribune – HIGHLIGHTS: Local hair salons are back in business

 

Trussville Tribune – ADPH distributes experimental drug remdesivir to Alabama hospitals to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients

 

Trussville Tribune – Coronavirus cases, deaths in Alabama grow as number of tests reported per day remain stagnant

 

Athens News Courier – Charges upgraded in Mill Valley Drive shooting

 

Athens News Courier – 2 FIRES, HOURS APART: Homes deemed total loss; no injuries reported

 

Athens News Courier – DOWNTOWN TURNAROUND: Temporary parklets will raise revenue for restaurants

 

Sand Mountain Reporter – ALEA finalizing plans to resume normal driver license division operations

 

Sand Mountain Reporter – Local students awarded Democratic Club scholarships

 

Sand Mountain Reporter – Guntersville bicentennial event receives award

 

WSFA Montgomery – Montgomery’s COVID-19 cases, inpatients continue to rise

 

WSFA Montgomery – Alabama hospitals receive drug to fight COVID-19, ADPH won’t release specifics

 

WSFA Montgomery – Care Ambulance ending service in Chilton, Dallas and Lowndes Counties

 

Fox 6 Birmingham – School districts take different approaches to graduation ceremonies

 

Fox 6 Birmingham – ADPH: 450 Alabamians have died from COVID-19 as more than 10K test positive

 

Fox 6 Birmingham – Virus spikes could emerge weeks after US economic reopenings

 

WAFF Huntsville – Hospitals battling dwindling revenue due to coronavirus

 

WAFF Huntsville – Madison City Schools names new superintendent

 

WAFF Huntsville – Huntsville woman celebrates 101st birthday with parade

 

WKRG Mobile – Alabama state superintendent asks districts to consider later start date

 

WKRG Mobile – Alabama hospitals receive remdesivir treatments to fight COVID-19

 

WKRG Mobile – ADPH: Three Mobile hospitals get experimental drug to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients

 

WTVY Dothan – Houston County buildings will reopen but chairman hopes people don’t come

 

WTVY Dothan – Arrest made in 343 acre Mussett Bayou wildfire in Walton County

 

WTVY Dothan – You can now test for COVID-19 at home, but is it safe or worth it?

 

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