Alabama top stories in brief

• A federal judge halted a program created by Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen, which had made over 3,000 voters in Alabama inactive, due to foreign identification numbers. The program received a lot of attention after a lawsuit was filed by several legal residents of Alabama, including some who were naturalized citizens and at least one who had moved to Alabama from another state, who had been negatively impacted by the program. The injunction does not stop Allen from removing ineligible voters ahead of the upcoming election, but it must be on an individual basis and not part of the halted program. The injunction also does not stop the program from occurring in the future; one of the main reasons cited by U.S. District Judge Anna Manasco in her decision was the fact that the program occurred within 90 days before a federal election, which is banned by federal law. 

• Alabama’s proposed plan to use 1.4 billion in federal funds for broadband expansion was approved by the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Oct. 17. The plan, known as the Digital Opportunity Plan, is being administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and will begin accepting applications from broadband providers to work on projects starting in 2025. Alabama was first awarded the funding in 2023, leading Gov. Kay Ivey to launch the Be Linked Alabama initiative, which focused on expanding access to high-speed internet across the state. 

• Gov. Kay Ivey will ask the Alabama Board of Veteran Affairs to immediately remove ABVA Commissioner Kent Davis from his current position this week. In early September, Ivey asked Davis to resign due to mismanagement of American Rescue Plan Act grant funds. This announcement from Ivey came after the Alabama Board of Veterans Affairs voted on Oct. 10 to ask Davis to reconsider his planned resignation at the end of the year. This vote came after Ivey had left the meeting. Ivey said that Davis violated their agreement by not publicly and privately explaining that all issues regarding the ARPA grant funding had been resolved in a way that was mutually beneficial to all parties. Following the board’s vote, Ivey sent Davis an email that same day requesting that he immediately reaffirm in writing his intention to resign at the end of the year. The following week, Scott Gedling, ABVA’s vice chair, sent a letter to the members of the board claiming that Davis had manipulated board members “to keep his job and serve his own interest.” In his letter, Gedling said Davis should step down from his position and encouraged his fellow board members to call for Davis’s resignation. On Oct. 18, Ivey made public a letter she sent to Davis explaining that she would be calling a special session to vote for his removal. The letter contained a detailed list of reasons, including his mismanagement of ARPA funds and the violation of the agreement between Ivey and Davis. Additionally, the letter contained documented correspondence to support Ivey’s arguments. 

• Alabama reported 123 recorded cases of the whooping cough as of Oct. 15. This is a 300% increase in the number of cases — 41 — recorded at the same time in 2023. This is in line with a general increase in cases seen nationwide. According to U.S. health officials, this marks the highest number of cases for this point in the year since 2014. Health officials also say that whooping cough typically peaks every three to five years, though the number of cases this year do have some officials concerned. Both nationwide and locally in Alabama, there has been a recorded dip in the number of vaccinations for disease amongst children. Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s state health officer, has noted that those numbers may be incorrect, since they are not always reported due to a lack of requirements. 

• On Oct. 18, a recall due to potential listeria contamination was announced for hundreds of frozen waffles produced by TreeHouse Foods, Inc. The products in question fell under numerous brands. The full list of products can be found on the FDA’s website. According to the CDC, people who eat foods infected with Listeria can experience intestinal illness or invasive Listeria. “Symptoms of intestinal illness usually start within 24 hours after eating food contaminated with Listeria and usually last 1–3 days,” while “Symptoms of invasive illness usually start within 2 weeks after eating food contaminated with Listeria.”

Our articles you might have missed

• “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” In last month’s edition of The Breathing Room, Hannah Irvin echoes Mary Oliver’s famous poem, “The Summer Day,” as she invites readers to consider what to do with their own wild and precious lives.

• Beneath our feet, an entire world exists for those willing to explore it. In his latest edition of The Longleaf Hiker, Xander Swain travels to Lost Creek Cave and relates his time spent there, explains why he loves caving and discusses the importance of protecting the cave ecosystem.

Updated on Oct. 23 to add Dr. Scott Harris full name and title and to correct a typo from 2025 to 2023.

Like our work? Then support it!

Want to get early access to columns, unique newsletters and help keep The Sunrise News active? Then support us on Ko-Fi!

Support our work!