7. Baldwin County Schools react to petitions calling for punishment
- At Daphne High School, a group of cheerleaders took a picture together with a T-shirt that said “I Love Redneck Boys” on July 4, and a fellow student started a petition that gained 10,000 signatures calling for the school to take disciplinary action.
- Baldwin County Schools has released a statement saying that the issue “has been handled at the local school level” and due to federal law, they won’t discuss specifics on any disciplinary actions “if any” are taken. Their “system has implemented sensitivity programs and Superintendent [Eddie] Tyler has stressed that we have a zero-tolerance for racism and bullying in our system,” even though there is neither in this case.
6. Alabama’s third-largest school district to open Wednesday
- Baldwin County Public Schools will become the largest school district in Alabama to open schools when they open up on Wednesday, but enrollment in their virtual private school is now up to about 7,000 students, up 1,920% over the last year and make up close to 20% of the district’s enrollment.
- Other large districts in the state, Huntsville, Madison County, Mobile and Jefferson County, have delayed in-class schooling. Baldwin will now become the focus of the Alabama media as we will receive a blow-by-blow of every infection in the area and school system as long as they resist the urge to shut down.
5. No investigation for Cuomo because CNN won’t cover it
- There have recently been calls for an investigation into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s (D) decision to send coronavirus positive nursing home patients back to nursing homes, but Cuomo has said that “you’d have to be blind to realize it’s not political.”
- Cuomo also said during his press conference that looking at the sources calling for an investigation proves how political is if you “look at their political affiliations.” He added, “[L]ook at what publications raise it and what media outward networks raise it.”
4. Presidential debate coming to Alabama?
- In a letter to the Commission on Presidential Debates, Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth (R-AL), State Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) and State House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) are requesting that an additional presidential debate be scheduled and set in Alabama.
- Arguing in favor of adding another presidential debate before many states cast absentee ballots or vote by mail, their letter states that “debates give Americans a firsthand look at each candidate’s own policies and intellect in an unscripted setting.”
3. Election results could be delayed
- Federal Elections Commission (FEC) Commissioner Ellen Weintraub has said that there’s a “substantial chance” that the general election results won’t be fully available the night of the election, since it’s expected that there will be an influx of mail-in and absentee ballots.
- She has said that we might just “need to take a deep breath and be patient this year,” adding that this could impact not only the presidential election but others as well. She stated, “If it takes a bit longer to count all the votes accurately, that’s what we need to do in order to ensure that everyone’s vote counts.”
2. Confusion over unemployment benefits
- State Senator Greg Albritton (R-Atmore) and State Representative Steve Clouse (R-Ozark) have expressed concerns over President Trump’s executive order on unemployment compensation with Clouse saying, that “at first glance it doesn’t look like we could do it.” He added that the state might not be able to afford the additional benefits “until the end of the year,” but also noted that the state could use some CARES Act funding to pay the matching funds.
- CNN is reporting that states would be allowed to use their current unemployment insurance payments as part of the required “match,” with the end result being a federal kicker of $300 — or half of what the original bill allocated when the coronavirus pandemic started.
1. Everyone who matters wants to play college football
- Head football coach at the University of Alabama Nick Saban has voiced his support for playing college football this fall, saying his motives in wanting to play is more for the players. According to Saban, players are “a lot safer with us than they are running around at home,” but he fully expects to be criticized for his opinion, even with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on board, too.
- Saban clearly supports the “#WeWantToPlay” movement that was partially started by Alabama running back Najee Harris, as does President Donald Trump (and Tommy Tuberville) who tweeted out his support by saying, “The student-athletes have been working too hard for their season to be cancelled. #WeWantToPlay.” Trump was instantly attacked by some in the sports media.
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