Alabama joins Georgia, 20 other states in getting rid of conceal carry permits
Alabama residents will no longer be required to hold a permit to conceal and carry a handgun in the state after Gov. Kay Ivey (R) on Thursday signed a bill effectuating the change into law.The bill, which was passed along party lines with major Republican support and Democrat opposition, takes effect in January of next year, according to a press release from the governor's office.Ivey said she was defending Second Amendment rights in her state."...
news.yahoo.comBiden attacks Trump at Virginia rally, tying McAuliffe’s opponent to ex-president
After mostly avoiding direct attacks on Trump, Biden says Friday he “whipped Donald Trump in Virginia” and so will McAuliffe, highlighting a key strategy for Democratic candidates: linking opponents to Trump.
washingtonpost.comThe Latest: Vaccines won’t be required in Alabama schools
With COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations up sharply over the last month in Alabama but still far below when the pandemic was at its worst early this year, school officials have said vaccines won’t be required in the fall and local systems can decide on their own whether to require masks or other precautions. INDIANAPOLIS — A federal judge is allowing Indiana University to continue with its COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all students and employees.
news.yahoo.comAP: Trooper charged in child rape hid checkered FBI past
An Alabama state trooper arrested last week on charges he raped an 11-year-old girl had been kicked out of the FBI amid a string of sexual misconduct allegations but was hired anyway with the apparent help of a forged bureau letter that scrubbed his record clean.
Trans teenagers fear Alabama push to outlaw gender treatment
But his medical care could soon become illegal in Alabama as Republican lawmakers seek to criminalize gender transition treatments for people under 19. Opponents, including parents and trans youth, say such measures interfere with medical decisions and target trans individuals for the sake of politics. He said he was unaware such treatments were already happening in Alabama when he first introduced the bill last year. Ad“The whole point is to protect kids,” said Shelnutt, who acknowledged after the Senate vote that he never spoke with a trans youth while preparing the bill. You are asking me to arrest the folks I know saved my kid’s life,” Fuller told a legislative committee.
GOP governors ignore Biden's latest plea on mask mandates
But Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchison announced Tuesday he is dropping the state’s mask mandate immediately, a day earlier than previously announced. Gretchen Whitmer to ask whether the White House has considered surging additional vaccines to states with rapidly increasing infection rates. Kay Ivey intends for her state’s mask mandate to end on April 9 as planned, though she urged people to wear masks as a matter of personal responsibility. Eric Holcomb, to reconsider dropping the state’s mask mandate.
Alabama, Georgia pick up the pieces after deadly tornadoes
Officials found “heavy, heavy damage” in parts of the city’s historic district, Newnan Fire Chief Stephen Brown told a news conference. One of the victims in the hard-hit town of Ohatchee, a small community of about 1,170 people in eastern Alabama, was Dwight Jennings' neighbor. AdBad weather wasn't limited to Georgia and Alabama. ___Chandler reported from Shelby County, Alabama. Associated Press journalists Kevin McGill in New Orleans; Desiree Mathurin in Atlanta; Jeff Martin in Marietta, Georgia; Butch Dill in Ohatchee, Alabama; and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans, contributed to this report.
Weather service: 8 tornadoes hit Alabama, killing at least 5
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)A string of deadly tornadoes roared through Alabama on Thursday, toppling trees, demolishing homes and knocking out power to thousands, part of a broad swath of violent weather sweeping across the Deep South. In the city of Pelham, James Dunaway said he initially ignored the tornado warning when it came over his phone. “Thinking of everyone in Alabama and all of those impacted by the severe weather across the South tonight. Kay Ivey issued an emergency declaration for 46 counties as the severe weather approached, and officials opened shelters in and around Birmingham. Associated Press writer Kim Chandler in Montgomery and photographer Butch Dill in Alabama contributed to this report.
Medicaid incentive so far not enough to sway holdout states
Henry McMaster remains firmly opposed to the Medicaid expansion. The bump in federal funding would last two years for the states that join the Medicaid expansion. Laura Kelley this year called for legalizing medical use of marijuana and using the tax revenue to pay for expanding Medicaid. "It’s a nonstarter, and we will continue to oppose the liberal wish list item of Medicaid expansion,” he said. Kay Ivey left open the possibility of expanding Medicaid at some point in the future, but there are no plans to do so.
Storms send TV anchors scrambling off set in N Carolina
Debris litters weather-damaged properties at the intersection of County Road 24 and 37 in Clanton, Ala., the morning following a large outbreak of severe storms across the southeast, Thursday, March 18, 2021. But no serious damage or injuries were immediately reported in North Carolina from the storms near High Point and Charlotte, which both had tornado warnings. Forecasters worried the storms would intensify as they move into South Carolina and North Carolina on Thursday afternoon, but they mostly stayed below severe limits. House Speaker Jay Lucas kept his promise from the day before to meet less than an hour Thursday so members could beat the severe storms home. ___Associated Press writers Tom Foreman Jr. in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Severe weather: Storms batter the South with more on the way
More than 70,000 homes and businesses were without power from Texas to Alabama, and radar showed additional storms moving across the region as initial cleanup work began. AdLarge vaccination clinics where hundreds of people an hour can get shots without leaving their vehicles were canceled in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. In the Mississippi capital of Jackson, state employees were warned to head to stairwells if they hear weather sirens. At least two waves of storms were likely, forecasters said, and the worst might not hit until a cold front passes overnight. Elsewhere, the severe weather threat led the South Carolina Senate president to caution senators to state home Thursday while urging staff to work remotely for their safety.
The Latest: SKorea to give shots to elders in long-term care
AdHe also sanctioned a bill that makes the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines easier. However, the actual numbers of COVID-19 cases, like elsewhere in the world, are thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing. Murphy, who’s running for re-election this, said the state’s COVID-19 trends are headed in the right direction, though they’ve been up a bit this week. ___SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s governor says all adults in the state will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines on April 1. Ad___PHOENIX — Arizona on Wednesday reported 830 confirmed coronavirus cases and 78 deaths, following two days of no new deaths.
As more states lift mandates, most major retailers still require face masks
Kay on Thursday extended the state's mask requirement until April 9, at which point she'll let it lapse and leave the decision up to individuals. Patrons who prefer not to wear masks can shop through Target's no-contact options, such as shopping online, the retailer added. Aldi said it would stick with its nationwide policy requiring its workers and customers to wear masks in its more than 2,000 grocery stores in 36 states. A spokesperson for Home Depot said the retailer "requires associates and customers to wear masks while in our stores or any Home Depot facility nationwide. "H-E-B will still require all our partners and vendors to wear masks while at work, and we urge all customers to please wear a mask when in our stores."
cbsnews.comAs more states lift mandates, most major retailers still require face masks
Kay on Thursday extended the state's mask requirement until April 9, at which point she'll let it lapse and leave the decision up to individuals. Patrons who prefer not to wear masks can shop through Target's no-contact options, such as shopping online, the retailer added. Aldi said it would stick with its nationwide policy requiring its workers and customers to wear masks in its more than 2,000 grocery stores in 36 states. A spokesperson for Home Depot said the retailer "requires associates and customers to wear masks while in our stores or any Home Depot facility nationwide. "H-E-B will still require all our partners and vendors to wear masks while at work, and we urge all customers to please wear a mask when in our stores."
cbsnews.comThe Latest: Ontario wants vaccine shot in adults by June 20
Eric Holcomb received his COVID-19 vaccine shot Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the opening of the state’s first mass vaccination clinic. Holcomb wore a face mask in the front passenger seat of an SUV while getting the shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the drive-through clinic. Ad___TORONTO — Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19, approving the Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose. Canada has pre-purchased 10 million Johnson & Johnson doses, with options to buy another 28 million. The U.S. approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last month.
Alabama governor extending face mask mandate until April
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Thursday extended her statewide mask order until April 9, but said the order would not be implemented afterward. Ivey said the order will give residents more time to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and allow businesses to implement their own face mask policies. "Even when we lift the mask order, I will continue to wear my mask while I'm around others and strongly urge my fellow citizens to use common sense and do the same thing," she said. The governor's announcement comes after Texas and Mississippi lifted mask requirements and eased COVID-19 restrictions. "I think it's a big mistake," the president told reporters.
cbsnews.comAlabama Gov. Ivey lifts statewide Covid mask mandate beginning April 9
Alabama plans to on April 9 lift a statewide order requiring people to wear masks in public, even as Gov. Kay Ivey extends the state's health emergency proclamation for Covid-19 by 60 days. "Let me be abundantly clear, after April 9, I will not keep the mask order in effect," Ivey said Thursday. Ivey extended the mask order and other health measures that were set to expire March 8 to give businesses enough time to institute their own policies, she announced at a news conference. The Republican governor's decision to lift the state's mask mandate comes just days after both Texas and Mississippi announced similar moves on Tuesday.
cnbc.comAlabama governor leases CoreCivic prisons in $3 billion plan
The governor signed two 30-year lease agreements with separate entities of CoreCivic, one of the nation’s largest private prison companies. While President Joe Biden has ordered the federal system to eliminate the use of private prisons, these facilities will only be built and owned by private companies. AdIvey called the new prisons “the cornerstone” of improving the state’s troubled system, replacing aging prisons that are costly to maintain. “Alabama is about to spend 3 billion dollars over 30 years on building new prisons that won’t fix the problems within our prison system,” tweeted Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa. “It is astounding that Governor Ivey is prioritizing fiscally irresponsible and devastating contracts for prisons that do not address our most urgent needs as Alabamians,” the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, Alabama Students Against Prisons, the Ordinary Peoples Society and others wrote in a letter to lawmakers.
Uproar: Alabama governor to lease prisons, despite criticism
Kay Ivey visits for homecoming festivities during the first half of an NCAA college football game between Alabama and Arkansas, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Alabama Gov. Ivey spokeswoman Gina Maiola said the governor will sign agreements to lease two new men’s correctional facilities to be constructed by CoreCivic, one of the nations largest private prison companies. The governor's office has said the prisons would be run by the state but the buildings would be leased from the companies. The prison building proposal has met with sharp criticism from a coalition of advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, Alabama Students Against Prisons and the Ordinary Peoples Society. Instead of a bond issue to borrow money to build the prisons, which would require legislative approval, the governor can sign the leases without legislative approval.
Deadly tornado leaves path of destruction in Alabama
Fultondale, Alabama — A tornado that teared through the city overnight ripped roofs off homes, pulverized walls and scattered debris so high it showed up on radar. The tornado hit an area that was heavily damaged by a tornado a decade ago. That tornado ripped through Alabama from Tuscaloosa to northern Jefferson County on April 27, 2011, killing 65 people and injuring 1,500. The people of Fultondale took a hard hit last night — I’m grieved over the loss of life, injuries, homes & damaged businesses. #alwx #alpolitics — Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) January 26, 2021The same storm that spawned the tornado that tore through Alabama rolled through the Midwest.
cbsnews.comTornado leaves path of destruction in Alabama, killing 1
At least 30 people were injured as the tornado carved a 10-mile (16-kilometer) path through Birmingham's northern suburbs, an area severely damaged by a much larger tornado a decade ago. Sobbing, Patti Herring was shaken and as she picked through the debris looking for a missing cat and her late mother's cherished belongings. Fultondale Fire Chief Justin McKenzie said 18 of the 30 people injured had to go to hospital. “The people of Fultondale took a hard hit last night — I’m grieved over the loss of life, injuries, homes & damaged businesses," Alabama Gov. “Sadly, here in Fultondale we are very experienced with this kind of thing,” fire chief McKenzie said.
Aaron's death prompts call to change name: Braves to Hammers
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)ATLANTA – As his adopted hometown mourned Hank Aaron's death, some fans called on the Atlanta Braves to change their name to the Hammers in his honor. The NFL's Atlanta Falcons, Major League Soccer's Atlanta United and Georgia Tech's football team all announced they would retire Aaron's trademark No. The Hammer spent nearly all of his 23-year career with the Braves, whose nickname has drawn some criticism as being offensive to Native Americans. The Braves have steadfastly resisted calls to change their name, saying they view it as a tribute to Native Americans rather than a slur. There has been no indication that Aaron's death would change the team's stance on its Braves nickname.
US Space Command site to be located in Huntsville, Alabama
The U.S. Air Force is expected to announce Huntsville, Ala. as the location for the U.S. Space Command headquarters, according to Gov. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The U.S. Air Force announced Wednesday that the new U.S. Space Command headquarters will be in Huntsville, Alabama, after the state was selected over five others competing for the project, including Colorado, where Space Command is provisionally located. The role of Space Command is to conduct operations such as enabling satellite-based navigation and troop communication and providing warning of missile launches. That is different from the Space Force, which is a distinct military service like the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. “I couldn’t be more pleased to learn that Alabama will be the new home to the United States Space Command,” Alabama Republican Gov.
Governor Greg Abbott gets COVID-19 vaccine
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday joined the ranks of governors receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on live television in hopes of assuring the public that the inoculations are safe. Abbott, a Republican, said after getting the vaccine at a hospital in the state capital that federal health officials have urged governors to set an example. This week the number of daily hospitalizations exceeded 10,000 for the first time since a deadly summer outbreak in July that saw daily hospitalizations near 11,000. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say there have been nearly 26,000 COVID-19 related deaths in Texas, the second highest in the country.
chron.comAlabama governor extends mask order into January amid COVID surge
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday extended a mask order until January 22 as the state experiences a record-setting surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Ivey and State Health Officer Scott Harris announced the extension during a news conference at the Alabama Capitol. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey seen August 27, 2020. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Alabama has risen over the past two weeks from 2,288 new cases a day on November. Since the pandemic began, the state health department has reported more than 280,000 confirmed and probable virus cases and nearly 4,000 confirmed and probable virus deaths in Alabama.
cbsnews.comVirus taking hold in rural, old plantation region of Alabama
In this May 27, 2020, photo, health care worker Tonya Wilkes adjusts her mask while working at a Lowndes County coronavirus testing site in Hayneville, Ala. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)HAYNEVILLE, Ala. Sparsely populated Lowndes County, deep in Alabama's old plantation country, has the sad distinction of having both the states highest rate of COVID-19 cases and its worst unemployment rate. Lowndes and nearby poor, mostly black counties in rural Alabama are facing an increase in confirmed infections. I worry about Lowndes County, said Thomas. Dr. Scott Harris, the state health officer, said the state saw its highest number of new cases since the pandemic began in recent days.
Alabama coronavirus outlook worsening amid state reopening
Yet state statistics also show hospitalizations are up since early April, which has some health officials worried. Some people are trying to stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart, as required under state orders, but others aren't. Leaders in Republican-controlled, deeply conservative Alabama, like many states, are stuck between trying to revive a lagging economy and prevent the spread of disease. As of Friday, more than 13,400 people had tested positive for the coronavirus in Alabama, and 533 had died. Alabamas jobless rate jumped to 12.9% in April during the economic shutdown linked to the coronavirus pandemic, the worst in nearly 38 years, the state said.
Pomp and masks: Graduations draw thousands despite pandemic
School officials in Hoover announced the ceremonies in the city's open-air baseball stadium, after Gov. As a precaution, the graduates are being given face masks and told not to hug friends, exchange high fives or linger afterward. The Spain Park graduates, in their black robes and masks, spread out in chairs across the baseball infield. Another 690 will graduate Thursday from Hoover High, so some 3,450 people could be inside Hoover Metropolitan Stadium then. But parents pleased their children could have a traditional graduation flooded the school's social media feeds with thanks to school officials.
Group buys Alabama abortion clinic to keep it from closing
MONTGOMERY, Ala. Conservative lawmakers in Alabama last year tried to enact the nation's most stringent abortion ban, but the attempt to outlaw the procedure may have had one ironic twist. An Alabama-based abortion rights group used a flood of donations that poured in from across the country after the ban to purchase the states busiest abortion clinic to ensure it stays open. Yellowhammer Fund a group founded to help low-income women access abortion announced the purchase of West Alabama Womens Center on Friday, the one-year anniversary of the passage of the Alabama ban. Reyes said the flood of donations helped the group purchase the clinic from the owner who was looking to retire. International attention on the Alabama ban prompted an outpouring of donations as celebrities shared information on their social media accounts about the group and the fight in Alabama.
Alabama implements statewide stay-at-home order amid coronavirus pandemic
Alabama became the most recent state to enact a stay-at-home order amid the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. Residents will still be allowed to leave their homes for food and medicine, as well as for other essential reasons. They will also be able to attend religious services that are limited to fewer than 10 people and have worshipers stand at least six feet apart, according to the order. Alabama currently has 1,454 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has the most COVID-19 cases of any country in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, with more than 270,473 confirmed cases of the virus and at least 7,077 deaths.
cnbc.comU.S. Supreme court halts scheduled execution of Alabama man convicted of killing three police officers
Woods and his friend Kerry Spencer were convicted for the 2004 murders of Birmingham police officers Carlos Owen, Harley Chisholm and Charles Bennett. On the morning of July 17, 2004, Woods and his friend Kerry Spencer got into a hostile, profanity-laced argument with Owen and police officer Michael Collins and threatened them, court documents showed. Later that day, the officers along with Chisholm and Bennett went to Woods apartment to serve him a warrant and arrest him for dealing drugs. Owen, Chisholm and Bennett were killed and Collins was wounded, according to court documents. In December 2005, Woods and Spencer were convicted of capital murder and attempted murder and sentenced to death.
feeds.reuters.comAn Alabama inmate was executed for killing 3 police officers. He didn't pull the trigger.
Nathaniel Woods received a lethal injection at the state prison in Atmore, Alabama, state Attorney General Steve Marshall confirmed in a statement. Woods' execution comes after the nation's highest court refused to block the execution plan, according to local affiliate CBS42. Officers were attempting to arrest Woods on an outstanding warrant, according to a summary of the case in an Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion. In a handwritten letter delivered to a lawyer for Woods this week, Spencer wrote Woods is "100% innocent." "Nathaniel Woods doesn't even deserve to be incarcerated, let alone executed."
cbsnews.comTrump administration backs off sending coronavirus patients to Alabama -governor
(Reuters) - The Trump administration has backed off plans to quarantine patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship stricken with coronavirus at a federal facility in Alabama, the states governor and a U.S. senator said on Sunday. He told me that his administration will not be sending any victims of the Coronavirus from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to Anniston, Alabama. It was unclear where those patients would be quarantined if the plan to house them in Alabama had been scrapped. More than 630 passengers of the Diamond Princess have been confirmed as infected with coronavirus and at least three have died. The British cruise ship, which sails primarily in Southeast Asia, is quarantined near Tokyo.
feeds.reuters.comAlabama police officer killed in drug-related shooting
"I am grieved to hear of the Huntsville Police Officer killed in the line of duty and extend my deepest sympathies and prayers to his family for their unimaginable loss. It has been an exceptionally tough year for our law enforcement community, and this will be felt across our state," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.
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