Alabama top stories in brief

• Jan. 21 marks the start of an increase in Forever Stamps sold by the U.S. Post Office. The price is increasing from 66 cents to 68 cents. Other changes to prices for mail include an increase from 63 cents to 64 cents per metered ounce for letters, 51 cents to 53 cents for domestic postcards, $1.50 to $1.55 for international postcards and $1.50 to $1.55 per ounce for international letters. Price increases were cited to be due to inflation, and a needed increase in revenue for the U.S. Post Office. 

• In an effort to continue unionization across the southern auto industry, United Auto Workers is pushing for unionization at Hyundai’s Montgomery auto plant. UAW members met with workers from the Hyundai plant to talk about working conditions and pay. This follows the announcement of 1,500 workers at the Vance Mercedes-Benz plant joining the UAW. 

• The Alabama Department of Public Health announced on Jan. 18 that respiratory virus cases have already hit a high in January. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris announced that he’s most concerned about RSV numbers rather than the Flu. RSV is often associated with cold and flu-like symptoms but can be fatal for older adults, infants and immunocompromised individuals. There is a recent RSV vaccine that the CDC recommends and a monoclonal treatment available for RSV. Dr. Harris believed we may have reached a peak in total respiratory cases but has also stated that it is hard to say. 

• After a recent preliminary decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce to reduce tariffs on fish products imported from Vietnam, eight U.S. senators, including Alabama’s Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt, signed a letter expressing concern over the decision and requesting that it be reversed. Previously, Vietnam has been kept under high tariffs due to it being considered a non-market economy with the industry controlled by the Vietnamese government. Now, the Department of Commerce is planning to reduce those tariffs for companies that have demonstrated a level of independence from the government. The tariffs on fish filet products would be reduced from $2.39 per kilogram to $0.14 per kilogram. In their letter, the senators argued that the reduction of the tariff would undermine the American catfish industry in the United States by flooding the market with lower-cost foreign goods. 

• The proposed public health care sciences high school in Demopolis received a pledge of $26.4 million from Bloomberg Philanthropies last week. The school would be similar to the Alabama School of Math and Science, which is a public school, but provides advanced studies in math and science for students. The proposed school was first announced in Gov. Kay Ivey’s state of the state address in 2023, and has an estimated start-up cost of $62 million. The school was not included in the budget during the 2023 legislative session, but a feasibility study was commissioned by legislators to assess whether the school is feasible. The pledge by Bloomberg Philanthropies is contingent upon the school being approved. 

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Articles worth reading

• A recent article published in Floodlight and The Guardian details the ways that Alabama Power has worked to influence the narrative around itself to consumers, and the correlation that exists between a lack of coverage by many local newspapers and financial ties to Alabama Power. 

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