7. Jill Biden is coming to Birmingham
- On Friday, first lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden will be visiting Birmingham to promote the projects the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan funded. This will be part of the “Help is Here” tour FLOTUS is going on across the country.
- The office of the first lady did release a statement on the tour, saying it’s meant “to amplify how the American Rescue plan addresses childhood poverty.”
6. Another toll road proposal
- Roughly two years ago, Gov. Kay Ivey proposed the Interstate 10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project that would have cost over $1 billion but went nowhere after a massive outcry in the Mobile region and across the state. Now, another proposal is on the table, and it only costs $725 million dollars.
- The new plan would include a “truck-only” bridge that will charge $10-$15 on commercial trucks 46 feet or longer and utilize a $125 million federal grant before it expires. Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson released a statement saying these federal funds could be lost. He outlined, “We must demonstrate to the federal government that there is local support for moving forward. Failure to do so would cause the federal government to possibly redirect these funds.” U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile), who supports the plan, added, “It’s more important now than ever for local, state, and federal leaders to continue working together to make this effort a reality.”
5. Alabama has the highest graduation rate in the country
- The graduation rate for all students in Alabama was at 91.7% for the 2019 school year, according to a report released by the National Center for Education Statistics. This is the highest graduation rate in the country. This all sounds great, but the percentage of students enrolling in a two- or four-year college in 2019 is actually declining to the lowest reported since 2014.
- The graduation rate across the country is only at 85.8%. This success has been celebrated, but Gov. Kay Ivey acknowledged, “We also must ensure we close whatever gap appears from the COVID-19 slide.”
4. Kids are still in cages — it’s just a different administration
- In Donna, Texas, a migrant facility is clearly overcrowded, as new pictures released by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) show. President Joe Biden and his administration have limited media access to these facilities, and they’ve repeatedly denied that there’s an immediate crisis at the southern border.
- While most people in the pictures are wearing masks, they are crammed together with plastic curtains between groups and aluminum blankets distributed. The White House claims that limited media access is due to the coronavirus, and even after the pictures were released, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that this is a “circumstance” rather than a crisis.
3. Another step to getting back to normal in Alabama schools
- Gov. Kay Ivey has decided to decrease the social distancing rule in K-12 schools from six feet to three feet, which was anticipated as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changed their recommendation last week.
- Ivey said that the situation of the coronavirus pandemic in Alabama “continues moving in the right direction, and we feel very optimistic that COVID-19 will soon be in our rearview mirrors.”
2. Keep wearing your mask if you want to
- The mask mandate across Alabama will be ending permanently on April 9, but Gov. Kay Ivey has reminded people that just because the mandate is ending doesn’t mean people shouldn’t still wear a mask in public.
- In a press release, Ivey encouraged the use of masks after the mandate and also released signage that businesses can use if they want to continue requiring masks or at least encouraging masks. Ivey said she hopes the signage is “helpful to businesses around the state as they set their own protocols to operate safely.”
1. Mo Brooks is running for U.S. Senate
- U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has officially announced that he’s running for U.S. Senate in 2022. Brooks announced this at a campaign event with a former advisor for President Donald Trump Stephen Miller on Monday night. Miller used his time introducing Brooks to explain what is happening in Washington, D.C. and why he believes Brooks is what is needed in the U.S. Senate. Miller cited Brooks’ integrity and work on illegal immigration issues.
- Just before Brooks announced, he filed with the Federal Election Commission for a Senate campaign. MoBrooks.com has also been established as his website. The filing specifically says “Mo Brooks for Senate” with Martha Brooks, his wife, as the committee’s chairman.
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