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Daily News Digest – September 14, 2020

Presented by

Alabama’s Trucking Industry

 

Good morning!
Wasn’t it cool to be able to watch football this weekend? Not so sure about the pumped in crowd noise, but it also would have been super weird without it. Just think, in two weeks, we’ll be Monday morning quarterbacking the SEC.
Here’s your Daily News for Monday, September 14.

 

 

1. State hospitalizations down

  • The number of reported hospitalizations related to COVID-19 dipped to 775 on Saturday, the lowest number since late June, the Alabama Department of Public Health reported.
  • The figure came from 97 hospitals reporting. On Sunday, 94 hospitals reported 790 hospitalizations as state officials are likely watching for post-Labor Day spikes in cases and severe illnesses.
  • Hospitalizations peaked in early August at 1,613.
  • The ADPH reported 1,109 new cases of the virus on Sunday – 972 confirmed and 137 probable cases.
  • Also, a new report from the New England Journal of Medicine shows that universal mask-wearing could be giving populations of people COVID-19 immunity due to severely limiting the “infectious dose” at the time of transmission.
  • Read more HERE.

 

 

2. ‘Landmark district’ fight in south Alabama has statewide implications

  • Local constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot would create “landmark districts” around three unincorporated communities in south Alabama, preventing the Legislature from annexing them into larger nearby cities.
  • Supporters of the proposed districts say it’s a move to protect their small communities and push back against municipalities that have expanded their police and zoning jurisdiction beyond city limits in an effort to later annex the areas.
  • Opponents, including the rapidly growing city of Fairhope, say the landmark districts aren’t recognized legal entities and need better definition. The size of one proposed district near Fairhope is also being questioned.
  • But both sides agree: What’s happening in Baldwin and Escambia counties could set a precedent for other parts of the state.
  • Read more from ADN’s Mary Sell HERE.

 

 

 

 

A message from

Alabama’s Trucking Industry

 

  • Nearly every aspect of daily life is made possible because a truck driver delivered the goods and resources people need to feed, clothe, and care for their families.
  • This week marks National Truck Driver Appreciation Week. It’s an important time for America to pay respect and thank professional truck drivers for their hard work and commitment in undertaking one of our economy’s most demanding and important jobs. These 3.5 million professional men and women not only deliver our goods safely, securely, and on time, they also keep our highways safe.
  • For more information on the many contributions of Alabama’s professional truck drivers, click here to read an op-ed from Alabama Trucking Association President Mark Colson.

 

 

 

 

3. Sally rumbles toward Gulf Coast

  • Storm-weary Gulf Coast residents prepared for a new weather onslaught today as Tropical Storm Sally slowly churned toward them, with forecasters predicting landfall as a hurricane.
  • Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sally is expected to become a hurricane today and reach shore by early Tuesday, bringing dangerous weather conditions, including risk of flooding, to a region stretching from the western Florida Panhandle to southeast Louisiana.
  • Mississippi officials warned that the storm was expected to coincide with high tide, leading to significant storm surge.
  • “It is likely that this storm system will be impacting Alabama’s Gulf Coast,” said Gov. Kay Ivey, who urged residents to prepare and stay informed of the storm’s path in the coming days. “While it is currently not being predicted as a direct hit to our coastal areas, we know well that we should not take the threat lightly.”
  • Read more and see the latest tracks HERE.

 

 

4. Parties adjust GOTV efforts

  • Both major parties have rejiggered their get-out-the-vote playbooks during the pandemic.
  • Democrats’ adjustment has been most dramatic as they’ve largely suspended the door knocking that is a staple of election years. Instead, they’ve taken their field program digital, texting and calling potential voters and talking them through the newly complex logistics of voting, either in person or via mail ballot.
  • The Democratic National Committee’s IWillVote.com allows people to register to vote and request a mail ballot in their state and even helps digitize their signature on their paperwork.
  • Republicans are also urging their voters to cast ballots by mail, touting the method to new registrants and promoting it in mailings, some of which include applications for absentee ballots. But their task has been complicated by President Donald Trump’s claim that mail voting will lead to massive fraud, which has led far fewer GOP voters to request mail ballots than Democratic ones.
  • Republicans have a potential advantage over Democrats, though — they’ve restarted face-to-face get-out-the-vote programs.
  • The party has its own online portal, Vote.GOP, to register voters and help them find ways to vote, and party officials said it received 1.1 million visitors during last month’s party convention.
  • Read more HERE.

 

 

5. Pell City’s Andy Jackson honored as Alabama’s Teacher of the Year

  • Alabama leaders last week honored Andy Jackson from Eden Elementary School in Pell City as Alabama’s 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year.
  • Jackson was recognized by Gov. Kay Ivey and State Superintendent Eric Mackey at the State Board of Education meeting Thursday and later got the real perk of the honor – a new car to drive throughout the year.
  • Each year, the Alabama Farmers Federation presents the Teacher of the Year with a new vehicle. This year, Federation president Jimmy Parnell presented Jackson with a brand new Chevrolet Traverse.
  • “Dr. Jackson represents the essence of what a great educator is all about,” Mackey said. “Through both his professional accomplishments, as well as his personal life, Dr. Jackson walks the walk and demonstrates the true determination necessary to be a teacher and a leader. He not only has the mind of an educator – he has the heart. We look forward to him serving as a representative for the teachers of Alabama and being a strong, resolute example of what hard work, commitment and caring can yield.”
  • Full story HERE.

 

 

AP Top 25

  • After all Division I teams were eligible to be voted on for the preseason Top 25, the panel of 61 voters was permitted to consider only the 60% of Football Bowl Subdivision teams scheduled to play in the fall now that the season has started.
  • That meant preseason No. 2 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Oregon, along with six other Big Ten and Pac-12 teams, dropped out of the rankings. The Big Ten, Pac-12, Mid-American Conference and Mountain West have delayed their seasons due to concerns about playing amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the Big Ten is taking some steps toward a possible mid-October start.
  • With those teams gone, Alabama moved up to No. 2. Oklahoma is No. 3, followed by No. 4 Georgia and No. 5 Florida. Defending champion LSU, with one first-place vote, is No. 6. Notre Dame is No. 7 and Auburn is No. 8.
  • See the full rankings HERE.
  • Speaking of Auburn, Coach Gus Malzahn said the Tigers had five starters out of practice last week because of COVID-19-related issues.
  • Malzahn said Saturday the Tigers had two new positive tests this week and 10 total players are sidelined from practice because of the virus or close contact. He didn’t identify the players and declined to say if a particular position group had been hit hardest.
  • Auburn opens the season Sept. 26 against Kentucky and is set to begin specific game preparation on Sunday.
  • “All those guys will be back for the opener,” Malzahn said. But he noted that they will face challenges in getting ready when they are out until game week.
  • That story HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

A message from

AlabamaWorks!

 

  • This Thursday, AlabamaWorks! is hosting its Virtual Workforce Conference.
  • It will feature experts from industry and education to identify challenges and focus on solutions to develop a more dynamic workforce.
  • Hear new and innovative approaches to workforce practices, education initiatives to grow the workforce pipeline, and strategies to increase collaboration.
  • See the lineup and register HERE.

 

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 2-month low

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – ‘Landmark district’ fight in south Alabama has statewide implications

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Gulf Coast residents brace for Sally, possible new hurricane

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Parties adjust GOTV strategies

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Pell City’s Andy Jackson honored as Alabama’s Teacher of the Year

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – AP Top 25: September 14, 2020

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Malzahn: 10 Auburn players sidelined by COVID-19 issues

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama last in Census response as much of Deep South lags

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Birx praises Alabama virus response, tells men to wear masks

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Daily News Digest – September 11, 2020

 

AL.COM – Storm surge warning issued for Alabama as track shifts a bit east

 

AL.COM – Contributor Beth Shelburne: Before spending billions on mega prisons, let’s fix Alabama’s vending machine justice

 

AL.COM – USA campus, Mobile, Gulf Shores schools closing ahead of tropical storm Sally

 

AL.COM – Birmingham tops list of 25 cities for energy costs relative to pay

 

AL.COM – Alabama cities embrace police citizen advisory committees. But do they have any teeth?

 

AL.COM – What overnight summer camps taught schools about COVID-19 prevention

 

AL.COM – ‘Don’t let me die’: Inside the Alabama prison system’s COVID-19 quarantine ward

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Tropical Storm Sally: How Alabama and its Gulf coast will be impacted

 

Montgomery Advertiser – See Tropical Storm Sally’s forecast path, spaghetti models as it approaches the Gulf

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Alabama chef flying to future bride in Italy after eight months of separation due to virus

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – ‘Do what you can to protect your family’: Governor Ivey on TS Sally threat and COVID-19

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Young man, 18, saves mother, three children trapped inside burning car

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Cullman PD searching for man after fatal stabbing

 

Tuscaloosa News – University of Alabama issues hundreds of COVID-19 sanctions against students

 

Tuscaloosa News – Tuscaloosa Public Library among area agencies facing City Hall budget cuts in fiscal 2021

 

Tuscaloosa News – Rotary Club donates $35,000 to school literacy effort

 

Decatur Daily – Point Mallard stay limits, price hikes upset some campers

 

Decatur Daily – Local bands continuing to perform, but may not compete this year

 

Decatur Daily – Decatur Youth Services to resume recreational activities, tutoring

 

Times Daily – COVID-19: Cases trend up in Colbert, down slightly in Lauderdale

 

Times Daily – 7 inmates up for parole this week

 

Times Daily – Tuscumbia seeking grant to remove dilapidated properties

 

Anniston Star – Memorial for Jacksonville man killed on 9/11 continues through pandemic

 

Anniston Star – Weaver festival marks city’s 75th anniversary

 

YellowHammer News – 5 ways UAB researchers are studying COVID-19 in Alabama

 

YellowHammer News – Alabama’s Frank M. Johnson Jr. Institute honors late judge, rule of law

 

YellowHammer News – Meet Natalie Mills, chosen by Auburn University as 2020 Outstanding Young Engineer

 

Gadsden Times – Missing Albertville woman found dead in vehicle in Boaz

 

Gadsden Times – Etowah County Sheriff’s Office recognizes 20-year-plus employees

 

Gadsden Times – Marshall Sheriff’s Office, Coroner’s Office investigate death

 

Dothan Eagle – 2020 Watch: How much more damage can Woodward do?

 

Dothan Eagle – Forecasters say Tropical Storm Teddy has formed; one of four active named storms in Atlantic basin

 

Dothan Eagle – Gulf Coast residents brace for possible new hurricane

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Body found on Lee Road 188 near Loachapoka

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Commission to review 2020-21 budget

 

Opelika-Auburn News – TS Teddy becomes 4th active named storm in Atlantic basin

 

WSFA Montgomery – Lake Martin boat parade honors first responders, late Ala. state trooper

 

WSFA Montgomery – UPDATE: Pilot killed, missing plane found in Etowah County

 

WSFA Montgomery – Special tribute for Chilton County father who lost his battle with COVID-19

 

WAFF Huntsville – Morgan County Sheriff’s Office hosts food fundraiser for Investigator Caleb Brooks

 

WAFF Huntsville – DeKalb county bust results in drug charges for multiple Mentone residents

 

WAFF Huntsville – Car crashes into Huntsville home late Saturday night

 

WKRG Mobile – TRACKING SALLY: Closings and changes for local schools and other organizations

 

WKRG Mobile – Early morning shooting reported at West Mobile apartment complex

 

WKRG Mobile – Mobile County EMA provide shelter information ahead of Sally

 

WTVY Dothan – Police: Former principal claims of dropped drug charges is a “lie”

 

WTVY Dothan – Arrest made in Troy sexual assault investigation

 

WTVY Dothan – Governor Ivey Issues Statement As Tropical Storm Sally Approaches Gulf

 

WASHINGTON POST – Latino groups warn that Biden’s sluggish outreach to their voters could hurt in November

 

WASHINGTON POST – How former Trump adviser Steve Bannon joined forces with a Chinese billionaire who has divided the president’s allies

 

WASHINGTON POST – Trump and Biden condemn shooting of Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies

 

NEW YORK TIMES – In Visiting a Charred California, Trump Confronts a Scientific Reality He Denies

 

NEW YORK TIMES – As Wildfires Burn Out of Control, the West Coast Faces the Unimaginable

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Trump and Biden Joust in Florida, Looking for Votes in the Margins

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Oracle Wins Bid for TikTok in U.S., Beating Microsoft

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – U.S. Stock Futures Point to Gains on Wall Street

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Amazon to Hire 100,000 in U.S. and Canada

 

 

 

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

 

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