7. California going all-in on restrictions after Newsom survives recall
- After Los Angeles County implemented a new slate of COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the week, the two largest school districts in the San Francisco Bay Area of California have decided that they’ll hold a vote on whether to mandate coronavirus vaccines for students who are eligible, 12 years and older.
- Among the two districts, there are about 78,000 students who will be impacted by this decision. Vice President of the Oakland School Board Sam Davis said that a vaccine mandate would be to limit the potential coronavirus outbreaks. The vote will take place next Tuesday, and the vote for Oakland will be next Wednesday.
6. Number of migrants at Texas border doubles overnight
- It was reported that more than 8,000 migrants had gathered under the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas, with 4,000 in the same area 24 hours earlier. Border Patrol has said that the situation is “out of control.” This is a continued trend since President Joe Biden took office and has only gotten worse with time.
- A majority of the migrants are from Haiti, according to law enforcement, and it’s only expected that more people will continue to show up at the border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol “requested help from Texas to close ports of entry & secure the border, Biden flip-flopped to a different strategy that abandons border security.” He added that the Texas Department of Public Safety and Texas National Guard “will maintain their presence at & around ports of entry to deter illegal crossings.”
5. Prosecutors oppose Hubbard being released
- A motion has been filed by prosecutors in Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office to oppose former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard (R-Auburn) being released from prison early, which he requested last week. Prosecutors said Hubbard “offers no persuasive reason why he should serve less than half the sentence this Court ordered just ten months ago.”
- Hubbard included an apology to the public in his request, but prosecutors say this apology only came since he has no more appeal options. Prosecutors also said, “[H]e is wrong to think the best way to repair that harm is for the Court to release the very man who caused it after he has served less than half his sentence.”
4. Alabama congressional candidate affirms that Milley undercut Trump’s authority
- Former Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs and current congressional candidate Casey Wardynski has given a personal account of how he experienced U.S. Army General and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley undercutting President Donald Trump’s authority.
- Wardynski said that when he regularly worked around Milley, he “routinely saw behaviors that did not reflect a high regard for civilian control of the military.” He said he saw Milley and those under him “usurp authorities that belonged to civilian leaders and in their actions and behaviors it was pretty clear to me that they were contemptuous of civilian control, all the way up to and including the President of the United States.”
3. Afghan refugees placed in Mobile
- Governor Kay Ivey has announced that there will likely be 10 Afghan refugees brought to Mobile and placed with a “community partner.” She described the situation as “fluid.”
- Ivey said in a statement, “[O]ur nation owes a debt of gratitude to those allies who actively helped our soldiers and diplomats stay safe during our two decades in the country. Our state will always do our part, but we must remain vigilant to make sure we are helping those who helped us.” Governors across the country have been notified about how many refugees their state may receive in the first group of 37,000.
2. Decatur city councilman tests positive for coronavirus after attending city council meeting
- Decatur City councilman Hunter Pepper has confirmed that he took two rapid tests for the coronavirus and one PCR test and all came back positive. He confirmed that he’s been symptomatic since Monday and only felt worse as the week progressed.
- Pepper, 19, is studying to be an emergency medical technician. He attended the Decatur City Council meeting on Monday, while symptomatic, and other city councilmen were made aware when Pepper received his positive tests. Pepper isn’t vaccinated, but the other city councilmen and Mayor Tab Bowling are. His anti-mask position is being highlighted by many online.
1. Monoclonal treatments cut to Alabama for fair distribution
- A few days after Alabama State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris praised monoclonal treatments for helping keep people out of the state’s hospitals, the Biden administration started limiting the supply Alabama can receive. White House vaccination coordinator Dr. Bechara Choucair has responded to why the coronavirus monoclonal antibody treatment supply was cut down to 70% of what was requested in Alabama, saying the decision was for the “equitable and fair distribution” of the treatment, or “equity.”
- Choucair added that this decision is “based on the number of cases that we’re seeing and also utilization that we’re seeing across the country.” The decision to cut supply of the treatment has been criticized by doctors in Alabama due to the need for the treatment and its effectiveness.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.