7. Threat from Topical Storm Sally
- As Tropical Storm Sally approaches land, Governor Kay Ivey is encouraging Alabamians to take caution. Ivey advised to “not take the threat lightly” as the storm is expected to bring in heavy rains, flooding and strong winds.
- Tropical Storm Sally is expected to be a category 2 hurricane when it reaches South Alabama on Monday, and the Mobile Department of Health has reminded citizens to have an evacuation plan in place. Ivey also said that Alabamians should place storm safety over coronavirus concerns.
6. The NFL is back to protesting
- The National Football League started their season and, predictably, much of the attention was on what happened during the pre-game ceremonies that continue to be a point of controversy for players and fans alike.
- Some teams stood, some kneeled, some stayed in the locker room and, inexplicably, the Baltimore Ravens kneeled during the National Anthem and then stood for the playing of what is called the “Black National Anthem,” which basically proves the point that the kneeling is an intentional act of disrespect and not about unity.
5. Police officers ambushed in Los Angeles
- Over the weekend, two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies were shot. Authorities are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, but President Donald Trump is speaking out on the issue while also taking a jab at former Vice President Joe Biden, who finally condemned the shooter.
- Trump spoke at a “Latinos for Trump event,” where he described the events in Los Angeles as “two police people – a woman, a man – shot at stone cold short-range.” He added that Biden isn’t “strong for law and order and everybody knows that.” Trump also said that when the suspect is found, “we’ve got to get much faster with our courts and we’ve got to get much tougher with our sentencing.”
4. Another week, another group of schools returns
- Huntsville City Schools will be returning to in-person learning today on a staggered schedule, but the Huntsville Education Association has taken a survey of how well-prepared educators feel the Huntsville City Schools are to return.
- According to the survey, 89% of respondents said that employees and facilities haven’t been prepared enough, somewhat through procedures and equipment, but the majority of employees who responded also said that they wish their concerns had been heard and addressed by leaders in the system.
3. Mike Hubbard has started serving his sentence
- Over the weekend, former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard began his four-year prison sentence after reporting to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. His sentence is based on the six ethics violations he was convicted of.
- Lance Bell, Hubbard’s attorney, has said that Hubbard maintains his “innocence and looks forward to exploring other options to clear his name.” There have also been indications that they could try to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.
2. 65% drop in cases at UA
- After seeing a couple of weeks of high coronavirus case numbers on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa, the school is now reporting a 65% decrease in cases over the last week with only 294 new cases.
- The quarantine space on campus is also only at 15%, which is down from 40% the week before. There are only 11 new cases at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and 27 new cases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
1. Men need to wear masks
- Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, visited Alabama and spoke about how great the state and its flagship university’s response to the coronavirus has been, but she also made mention about more men needing to wear masks.
- Birx said that as she’d traveled around the state, she “saw a lot of women wearing masks, but not all of the men of Alabama wearing masks.” She added a message to “the men of Alabama,” saying, “[Y]ou get this disease just as much as anyone else.”
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