Presented by the

Alabama Association of REALTORS®

Good morning!

Here’s your Daily News for Friday, November 27.

 

 

1. Hospitals brace for post-Thanksgiving surge

• Alabama hospitals are bracing for a post-holiday surge in COVID-19 cases since infections were already rising before Thanksgiving gatherings, hospital officials said.
• “It’s going to be really bad,” said Dr. Don Williamson, the former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association. “Barring a miracle, we are going to have a substantially worsening situation by the middle of December.”
• Alabama has recently hit records for the number of daily reported cases, and the number of people hospitalized, which was 1,400 this week, inching toward the summer peak of about 1,700. Health officials have expressed concern that a new wave of cases will follow Thanksgiving gatherings and put additional pressure on the state’s medical system.
• The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has risen over the past two weeks from 1,519 new cases per day on Nov. 10 to 2,288 new cases per day on Nov. 24. The seven-day rolling average of daily reported deaths in Alabama has risen over the past two weeks from 19 deaths per day on Nov. 10 to 24 deaths per day on Nov. 24.
• Full story from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

2. 5,000 Alabama students haven’t shown up for class

• Preliminary reports indicate that more than 5,000 Alabama public school students haven’t shown up for any sort of classes, virtual or in-person, state Education Superintendent Eric Mackey said.
• The students are likely to have a hard time catching up and the enrollment drop could mean the loss of hundreds of teachers, he said.
• “It’s a very difficult year instructionally and that doesn’t even touch the surface on the issues we will have with these 5,000 students who are not in school and we don’t know where they are,” he said.
• Mackey said some of the missing students may have enrolled in private schools.
• Because the state funding formula is based on enrollment, losing the students could hit next year’s budget hard. Mackey told The Montgomery Advertiser he’s hoping the Legislature will make a temporary change to avoid that, perhaps basing allocations on average enrollment for the past couple of years.
• Read more HERE.

 

 

 

 

A message from the

Alabama Association of REALTORS®

• Did you know homes for sale by owner typically sell for less?

• In fact, agent-assisted listings sell for an average of over $24,000 more than non-agent assisted listings. Don’t leave money on the table!

• A REALTOR® knows your local market best and has the training and skills to negotiate on your behalf. That’s why 89% of home sellers work with an agent to sell their home.

• Find a REALTOR® today to get the most out of selling your home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Congress braces for Biden’s national coronavirus strategy

• Congress is bracing for President-elect Joe Biden to move beyond the Trump administration’s state-by-state approach to the COVID-19 crisis and build out a national strategy to fight the pandemic and distribute the eventual vaccine.
• The incoming administration’s approach reflects Democrats’ belief that a more comprehensive plan, some of it outlined in the House’s $2 trillion coronavirus aid bill, is needed to get the pandemic under control. Republicans have resisted big spending but agree additional funding is needed. With the nation on edge but a vaccine in sight, the complicated logistics of vaccinating hundreds of millions of Americans raise the stakes on the major undertaking.
• As Congress weighs a new round of COVID-19 relief, federal officials say doses of the vaccine could begin shipping within a day of Food and Drug Administration approval.
• Biden said Tuesday on NBC’s “Nightly News with Lester Holt” that his team has started meeting with COVID-19 officials at the White House on how to “get from a vaccine being distributed to a person being able to get vaccinated.”
• Full story HERE.

 

 

4. All eyes on the QBs in the Iron Bowl

• Alabama quarterback Mac Jones was a skinny three-star recruit who had to wait in a daunting line for a starting shot. Bo Nix arrived at Auburn as a prized recruit and has started every game since.
• They have taken different career paths but both enter Saturday’s Iron Bowl playing well.
• “You know, people always give you a rating or whatever in high school, but once you step on campus that doesn’t really matter,” Jones said.
• That goes both ways.
• Nix arrived on campus with more acclaim as a five-star recruit and the son of a former Auburn quarterback, Patrick Nix. He also didn’t get the time to ease into Southeastern Conference football and has had to learn on the job, with all the growing pains that entails.
• Nix did help direct Auburn to a 48-45 Iron Bowl win in his first start in the bitter rivalry. Of course, that was at home, not at Bryant-Denny Stadium even if it’s before a crowd shrunken by pandemic rules.
• “I think it gives me a lot of confidence, knowing that I’m going into a tough place,” said Nix, who won a high school state title at the stadium.
• Read the full story HERE.

 

 

5. Will Sellers: The Enduring Legacy of Margaret Thatcher

• Supreme Court Justice Will Sellers contributes a new piece for Alabama Daily News today.
• In case you haven’t noticed, he is something of a history buff.
• This week happens to mark 30 years since British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stepped down, relinquishing power after 11 years in the top job.
• If you’re like me and just devoured Season 4 of “The Crown,” this is really timely.
• Thatcher’s history-making time in office, much of which coincided with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, saw a resurgence of conservatism that was often met with fierce resistance.
• And the Iron Lady’s legacy is often misunderstood, Sellers writes.
• Here’s an excerpt:

• Read the full column along with corresponding videos HERE.

 

 

 

A message from

the Business Council of Alabama

• The Business Council of Alabama has launched Keep Alabama Open, working to unite hardworking Alabamians in the earnest pursuit of protecting jobs and safeguarding self governance.

• Businesses, while following state health orders to keep customers and themselves safe, should be able to continue to earn a living and support their families.

• To join the initiative, visit keepalabamaopen.com and sign on.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Hospitals brace for post-Thanksgiving COVID surge

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – 5,000 Alabama students haven’t shown up for class

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Congress braces for Biden’s national coronavirus strategy

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Bama’s Jones, Auburn’s Nix playing well entering Iron Bowl

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Will Sellers: The Enduring Legacy of Margaret Thatcher

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Will Whatley: Even during tough times, give thanks

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Saban tests positive for virus, will miss Iron Bowl

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Tuberville names Stephen Boyd chief of staff

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump pardons former national security adviser Michael Flynn

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Judge reduces Hubbard’s prison sentence

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – November 26, 2020

 

AL.COM – Thousands moved to Alabama from California and the Rust Belt in 2019

 

AL.COM – Tommy Tuberville names assistant attorney general as chief of staff

 

AL.COM – North Alabama company adding jobs as part of $3.5 million expansion

 

AL.COM – Contributor Solomon Crenshaw: Thanksgiving 2020: Despite COVID and economic crisis, Alabamians remain grateful

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Mayor Steven Reed: Montgomery’s resounding resolve ‘inspires me daily’

 

Montgomery Advertiser – State officials hope for extension of broadband student voucher program

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Want an insider’s look at Montgomery history? Join Richard Bailey on his upcoming tours

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Health officials offer advice for shopping safely during the holiday weekend

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Glencoe church gives out community Thanksgiving meal by curbside

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Doctors say so far, seasonal flu cases are lower than normal

 

Tuscaloosa News – Tuscaloosa’s small businesses show resilience in face of pandemic

 

Tuscaloosa News – Stillman College battles back from financial brink

 

Tuscaloosa News – City leader proposes tax free zone to benefit McFarland Mall, surrounding sites

 

Decatur Daily – COVID-19: Youth basketball season likely canceled in Decatur

 

Decatur Daily – Decatur church shows thanks, provides breakfast to first-responders

 

Decatur Daily – Walking tours, hiking popular alternatives to shopping

 

Times Daily – Quilt Guild’s annual exhibit opens Monday at Kennedy-Douglas Center for Arts

 

Times Daily – Police link suspect to string of robberies in Shoals

 

Times Daily – Government offices in the Shoals will be closed Thursday, Friday

 

YellowHammer News – State Sen. Elliott: ‘I am not interested in discussing’ the I-10 Mobile Bay proposal until we have a new governor, ALDOT director

 

YellowHammer News – NFIB Alabama: Small Business Saturday especially important this year

 

YellowHammer News – Alabama Power joins industry partners to raise awareness on scams

 

Gadsden Times – The Alley offers new take on time-honored fun and games

 

Gadsden Times – Community helps Sleep in Heavenly Peace ensure kids have beds

 

Gadsden Times – Months of work invested in 2020’s Christmas at the Falls

 

Dothan Eagle – City of Dothan updates website to include road project info for businesses, motorists

 

Dothan Eagle – Dothan’s neighborhood revitalization projects help improve residents’ quality of life

 

Dothan Eagle – COVID-19 survivors giving extra thanks

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Judge cuts Mike Hubbard’s prison sentence by almost half

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Which restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving?

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Watch Now: Church welcomes hundreds for community Thanksgiving

 

WSFA Montgomery – Salvation Army delivers Thanksgiving meals to those in need

 

WSFA Montgomery – ’It’s such a blessing’: Family of 7 gets Christmas assistance through Montgomery program

 

WSFA Montgomery – Mayor Reed hands out Thanksgiving meals

 

WAFF Huntsville – Local groups working to combat food insecurity from COVID-19

 

WAFF Huntsville – Scottsboro restaurant serves free Thanksgiving meals to families

 

WAFF Huntsville – United Way of Marshall County make changes to holiday food program due to COVID

 

WKRG Mobile – 11th annual Turkey Trot for Hope goes on despite COVID-19, raises thousands to support children with cancer

 

WKRG Mobile – Mobile Fire-Rescue responds to house fire on Thanksgiving Day, no injuries reported

 

WKRG Mobile – Michael Jordan donates $2M from ‘The Last Dance’ proceeds to Feeding America

 

WTVY Dothan – Black Friday preparations at Pier Park look different this year due to COVID-19

 

WTVY Dothan – City of Tuscaloosa prepares for major events happening this week in light of COVID-19.

 

WTVY Dothan – Alabama adds 2,453 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday

 

WASHINGTON POST – Trump’s baseless election fraud claims in Georgia turn Senate runoffs into a ‘high-wire act’ for Republicans

 

WASHINGTON POST – Biden tries to spread calm, as some Democrats worry about his willingness to fight

 

WASHINGTON POST – Trump commits to stepping down if electoral college votes for Biden

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Midnight Ruling Exposes Rifts at a Supreme Court Transformed by Trump

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Military’s Role in Vaccine Will Be Strictly Behind the Scenes, Despite Trump’s Claims

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Here’s What the Thanksgiving Parade Looked Like in Pandemic New York

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Supreme Court Blocks Covid-19 Restrictions on Religious Services in New York

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – New Face Masks Relieve Pressure on N95 Supplies

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – The Dollar Is Weak. Investors Bet It Will Slide Even More.

 

 

 

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