Good morning and Happy Friday!

Here’s your Daily News for September 3.

 

1. State turns to college football to boost vaccinations

• Alabama is trying to harness the state’s love of college football to boost COVID-19 vaccinations, with a new initiative that will offer shots at college gamedays and give away $75 gift cards for university bookstores to the newly vaccinated.
• The Alabama Department of Public Health on Thursday announced the KICK COVID campaign that will include vaccination and testing sites at select games, player appearances in promotions, and the gift card giveaway to promote the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
• “We all know about our love of football here in the state of Alabama,” said Gene Hallman, president and co-owner of the Bruno Event Team, a sports event management company partnering on the program.
• State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said he is hopeful it can boost vaccination uptake in a state where college football games are a major event in people’s weekends. Alabama has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, ranking at the bottom among states for the percentage of people fully vaccinated and in the bottom ten for the percentage of people who are partially vaccinated.
• Read more from Kim Chandler HERE.

 

 

2. Constitution recompilation committee discusses racial language edits

• No final decisions were made about what racist language should be taken out of the Alabama constitution on Thursday but discussion is ongoing about why certain sections should be removed that may not appear obviously racist.
• Sections of the constitution that mention segregation of schools or a state poll tax have more explicit language that led to the discrimination of Black Alabamians, but other sections regarding incarcerated labor or public-school systems may be harder to navigate, leaders said.
• The committee designated to make the edits decided to hold off on taking any votes until the public comment period ends on Sept. 7.
• The committee was created after Alabama voters approved a recompilation amendment during the 2020 general election allowing the Legislature to revise the state constitution that was ratified in 1901.
• Multiple members of the committee including Rep. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, who sponsored the legislation to create the panel, said removing the language is still important.
• “That constitution sets up who we are as a state and sends a message out about who we are,” Coleman said. “And so it is important for us to let folks know that we are a 21st century Alabama, that we’re not the same Alabama of 1901 that didn’t want black and white folks to get married, that didn’t think that black and white children should go to school together.”
• Read more from Caroline Beck HERE.

 

 

3. Tyson, Perdue to pay $35M to settle with chicken farmers

• Two of the industry’s biggest poultry companies have agreed to pay nearly $35 million to settle a lawsuit that accused them and several other firms of conspiring to dominate the industry and fix the prices paid to farmers who raise the chickens.
• Tyson Foods and Perdue Farms agreed to the settlements last week without admitting any wrongdoing while the lawsuit remains pending against several other industry giants, including Pilgrim’s Pride, Koch Foods and Sanderson Farms.
• The lawsuit that Alabama farmers filed in Oklahoma federal court alleges that the contract grower system the meat companies created pushed them deep into debt to build and maintain chicken barns that met company standards.
• They also said the companies colluded to fix farmer compensation at low levels to boost corporate profits, making it difficult for the farmers to survive financially. Generally, chicken producers enter long-term contracts with meat companies that farmers say lock them into deals that fix their compensation at unprofitably low levels.
• Read more HERE.

 

4. US hiring slows after 2 strong months

• A stretch of robust hiring over the past few months slowed in August at a time when the delta variant’s spread has discouraged some Americans from flying, shopping and eating out.
• US hiring slowed to 235,000 jobs in August, well below the 750,000 forecast by economics and a substantial slow down from the roughly 940,000 jobs that were added in both June and July.
• Economists note that employers are still struggling to fill jobs to meet strengthened consumer demand and have posted a record-high number of openings.
• Read more HERE.

 

5. Football is back

• College football has finally returned.
• For so many in this football-crazed state, that means a breath of fresh air even amid some still uncertain times.
• The University of Alabama kicks off its season at 2:30 Saturday in a featured matchup with Miami in Atlanta that has many fans reveling in the memories of the 1992 Sugar Bowl.
• For the top-ranked Crimson Tide, it will be the debut of highly touted freshman quarterback Bryce Young. But don’t sleep on Miami. The Hurricanes return 10 offensive starters.
• Read more about the Alabama game HERE.

• On the Plains of Auburn, it is the beginning of the Bryan Harsin era.
• Harsin should be able to ease into his Southeastern Conference tenure Saturday night against 36.5-point underdog Akron, followed by an even bigger mismatch versus Alabama State next week.
• The former Boise State coach is more concerned about how his team handles the typical first-game mistakes and issues than his own debut.
• “The excitement really is the week of prep leading into the game, and then once we get to Saturday, it’s just letting these guys kind of loose and go play,” Harsin said. “That’s the fun part.”
• Read more about the Auburn game HERE.

 

 

Headlines

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama turns to college football to boost vaccinations

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Constitution recompilation committee discusses racial language edits

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Tyson, Perdue to pay $35M to settle with chicken farmers

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – US hiring slows to just 235,000 jobs after 2 strong months

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Defending champ Alabama faces No. 14 Miami in Atlanta

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Harsin set to make Auburn debut against heavy underdog Akron

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Redistricting public hearings start with requests not to split communities, gerrymander

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Fewer Alabama high school grads going straight to college; higher ed advertising options

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama universities try out vaccine incentives to boost shots

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – High court divides 5-4 to leave Texas abortion law in place

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – From burgers to ballgames, SEC fans aiming for normalcy

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Analysis: What we learned from the latest Daily News poll

 

AL.COM – ‘Significant concerns’: Alabama school COVID cases double, child vaccination lags

 

AL.COM – More Alabamians on ventilators than ever before, but rise in COVID hospitalizations slowing

 

AL.COM – How an Alabama clinic became the front line for COVID after a rural hospital closed

 

AL.COM – Columnist Kyle Whitmire: Bodycams reveal a good cop, a bad cop and a mayor who picked the wrong side

 

AL.COM – Columnist John Archibald: Alabama health officer can’t combat crazy

 

AL.COM – Columnist Cameron Smith: When should America use its military to right the world’s wrongs?

 

AL.COM – Carnival delays cruising out of Mobile until January

 

Montgomery Advertiser – I am the 908th: A look at the people of Alabama’s Air Force Reserve Unit

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Pike Road’s Cripple Creek Farm on the market for $1.3 million

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Commission discusses removal of racist language from Alabama Constitution

 

Decatur Daily – Decatur capital murder suspect caught, jailed

 

Decatur Daily – Beach trips, football games to increase traffic for holiday weekend

 

Decatur Daily – Limestone judge delays murder trial over COVID concerns

 

Times Daily – Colbert County inmates will be offered vaccinations

 

Times Daily – Traffic to be heavy for holiday weekend

 

Anniston Star – COVID treatment center opens in former Anniston school

 

Anniston Star – Alexandria lineman dies while responding to storm damage

 

Anniston Star – Illness will force Pearl Williams to miss 9/11 events

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – 2 injured, 1 critical in mobile home fire in Center Point

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Sheriff’s Office: Two people shot in Jefferson County

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Hoover PD: 21-year-old Louisiana man, teenager accused of stealing car

 

Tuscaloosa News – Commission discusses removal of racist language from Alabama Constitution

 

Tuscaloosa News – 13 Alabama colleges to offer COVID-19 vaccines, vouchers at football games this season

 

Tuscaloosa News – Nick and Terry Saban’s charity officially dedicates 18th Habitat for Humanity home

 

YellowHammer News – Brooks doubles down on electoral fraud claims — ‘in my judgment, there’s massive voter fraud and election theft’

 

YellowHammer News – Ainsworth slams Facebook’s removal of Lt. Governor’s post criticizing Biden — ‘I won’t apologize for speaking the truth’

 

YellowHammer News – State Sen. Arthur Orr lands Alabama Forestry Association endorsement in reelection bid

 

Gadsden Times – EXTENSION CORNER: Soil test is first step in determining the products lawns, fields need

 

Gadsden Times – Attalla City Schools: Mask up inside buildings, starting Tuesday

 

Gadsden Times – Gadsden hospitals: 94 COVID-19 patients; eight vaccinated, five partially vaccinated

 

Dothan Eagle – EXPLAINER: Congress asks tech companies for Jan. 6 records

 

Dothan Eagle – At least 8 deaths as Hurricane Ida’s remnants hit Northeast

 

Dothan Eagle – Bulgaria to hold presidential elections on Nov. 14

 

Opelika-Auburn News – At least 8 deaths as Hurricane Ida’s remnants hit Northeast

 

Opelika-Auburn News – ‘Lean In’ circles help women in construction navigate bias

 

Opelika-Auburn News – EXPLAINER: Congress asks tech companies for Jan. 6 records

 

WSFA Montgomery – Man’s body recovered in Tallapoosa River

 

WSFA Montgomery – Sephora to open Montgomery location next week

 

WSFA Montgomery – Ala. order helps Ida evacuees get emergency prescription refills

 

WAFF Huntsville – Community shares support for new Limestone County Sheriff

 

WAFF Huntsville – Jackson County murder, arson suspect appears in court

 

WAFF Huntsville – Huntsville Hospital gives transportation aid to cancer patients

 

WKRG Mobile – 11-month-old baby dead after falling into septic tank in Calhoun County

 

WKRG Mobile – Alabama health leaders hope college football will help ‘Kick Covid’

 

WKRG Mobile – Firefighters battle early morning fire at Checkers fast food restaurant

 

WTVY Dothan – ADPH launches “Kick COVID” vaccine initiative

 

WTVY Dothan – Health officials say COVID vaccine rates need improvement

 

WTVY Dothan – Pepper Mock sworn in as Geneva Chief of Police

 

WASHINGTON POST – Abortion opponents watch for violations of Texas ban as providers weigh legal options

 

WASHINGTON POST – Texas abortion law abruptly reshapes the political landscape

 

WASHINGTON POST – Misinformation on Facebook got six times more clicks than factual news during the 2020 election, study says

 

NEW YORK TIMES – The Storm Warnings Were Dire. Why Couldn’t the City Be Protected?

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Overlapping Disasters Expose Harsh Climate Reality: The U.S. Is Not Ready

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Texas Abortion Case Highlights Concern Over Supreme Court’s ‘Shadow Docket’

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Delta Variant’s Impact Is Big Question for August Jobs Report

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – James Simons, Robert Mercer, Others at Renaissance to Pay Up to $7 Billion to Settle Tax Probe

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to Step Down

 

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