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Auburn University
Good afternoon and welcome to November! I hope you got to enjoy that one extra hour of sleep.

Caroline is off today so you're stuck with me today.

Here's your Weekend Digest for Sunday, November 1.
1. Marsh won't run again
  • As first reported by our news partners at The Anniston Star, Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh says he will not seek reelection in 2022.
  • Marsh is in his sixth term in the Alabama Senate and has been elected president pro tempore, the chamber's most powerful position, three times. 
  • Marsh has been a stabilizing figure in a tumultuous state political era that saw other government leaders removed or resign from office.
  • Marsh said he is ready to move on after more than two decades in Montgomery. 
  • "I know I'll miss the people I've worked with. I'll miss the process, but I've had a good career there and I'm just ready to spend more time with family,” he said.
  • Read the complete story from Kim Chandler HERE.
2. New dashboard tracks school virus cases
  • Alabama public schools reported 723 cases of COVID-19 among students, teachers and employees in the last week, according to a new state dashboard that debuted Friday. 
  • It shows the number of cases reported by school systems to the state, but not numbers by individual schools. Some school systems are providing that information on their own sites. The dashboard does not include private schools. 
  • The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama State Department of Education collaborated on the tool intended to provide parents with weekly information about the state of the virus outbreak in school systems. The numbers are self-reported by school systems. Not all school systems reported cases. 
  • State Health Officer Scott Harris said the tool can help parents track the state of the pandemic in their child's school system.
  • Full story HERE.
A message from
Auburn University
At Auburn, we take our responsibility to heal, protect, discover and sustain seriously, and we recognize our actions have long-standing positive effects.

From serving under-represented populations through groundbreaking research and community outreach, to leading cyber security enforcement on a national level, to improving the physical environment our next generation will inherit, at Auburn, we are what we do.
3. Emergency absentee process available for newly diagnosed COVID-19 voters
  • Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued guidance on Friday that said voters who test positive for COVID-19 from now until Election Day can apply for an emergency absentee ballot.
  • The last day to apply for absentee voting in Alabama was Thursday, meaning anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 now would not be able to vote through the state’s normal absentee process.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that any person testing positive for COVID-19 should not go into public spaces and should quarantine at home for at least 10 days.
  • Those who need to apply for an emergency absentee ballot must fill out a form from the Secretary of State and get it to their county's absentee election manager by the close of business on Monday.
  • The process is pretty complicated.
  • Read the full story from ADN's Caroline Beck HERE.
4. Birmingham Veterans Day Parade cancelled
  • An Alabama tradition that bills itself as the nation’s longest-running Veteran’s Day parade is being canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. 
  • The National Veteran’s Day Parade in Birmingham won’t happen this year because of the threat of spreading COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. A statement from organizers said it will be replaced by an online-only event for the first time.
  • The parade through downtown Birmingham has been held annually since 1947. The “virtual parade” is set for Nov. 11 and will include recorded and live content featuring various groups shown online at nationalveteransday.org.
  • “Due to safety concerns, we knew the parade could not happen in its traditional format,” Mark Ryan, the president of the parade, said in the statement. “Despite this barrier, we wanted to continue to remember and honor our nation’s veterans while teaching others about their sacrifice, and this virtual event gives us the ability to do just that.”
  • Health officials say cases of COVID-19 are increasing in Alabama, and hospitalizations also are on the rise.
5. 'Little Kay Ivey' meets the gov
  • Surely you've seen this by now, but we'll include for posterity.
  • The little girl who gained Alabama internet fame by dressing as Gov. Kay Ivey for Halloween got to meet the real governor on Friday.
  • Cate McGriff, a 9-year-old from Rainbow City, wore her “spot on” costume to the Capitol and visited with Ivey, who was also dressed in the classic red pantsuit, Auburn mask and flat shoes. Ivey gifted McGriff an official lapel pin and even a stuffed dog that looks like her own “Missy.”
  • According to the governor’s office, Ivey told McGriff the story of how as a student, she once visited the office of then-Gov. Lurleen Wallace, the state’s first woman governor, and took a picture behind her desk. That story was featured in a campaign ad during Ivey’s 2018 race.
  • Following in her footsteps, McGriff did the same on Friday.
  • Read more and see the amazing pictures HERE.
Headlines
ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - New dashboard tracks school virus cases

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Marsh won’t seek reelection

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Ed Castile: Changing Lanes on the Alabama Workforce Superhighway

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - ‘Little Kay Ivey’ meets the governor

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Emergency absentee process available for newly diagnosed COVID-19 voters

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS â€“ US economy grew at 33% rate in Q3

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS â€“ Closing arguments: Jones, Tuberville attack each other in final TV ads

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS - Daily News Digest – October 30, 2020
 
AL.COM - Alabama adds almost 1,800 COVID-19 cases
 
AL.COM - Huntsville seeing ‘substantial’ increase in coronavirus hospitalizations
 
AL.COM - Republicans, independents for Doug Jones: The crucial voting blocs for senator’s re-election chances
 
AL.COM - Buc-ee’s, convenience store with cult following, to spend $35 million on new Alabama location
 
AL.COM - Columnist Frances Coleman: Dealing with the angst before Tuesday’s election

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS - UA’s CrossingPoints receives $4M in grants to enhance education efforts
 
YELLOWHAMMER NEWS - State Sen. Elliott: Ivey prison proposal funding scheme prevents new facilities from being built at existing locations
 
Montgomery Advertiser - Alabama voter's guide to the candidates on the ballot on Tuesday

Montgomery Advertiser - 'Vote yes': Former, current mayors join forces to advocate for more Montgomery school funds

Montgomery Advertiser - Barry Moore campaign worker: I sent tweet on voting restrictions for new state residents

Decatur Daily - ‘Little Kay Ivey’ meets the governor

Decatur Daily - Alabama Senate President Pro Tem Marsh won't seek reelection

Decatur Daily - COVID-19-caused dip in kindergarten enrollment concerns educators

Times Daily  - Colbert, Lauderdale counties see record absentee ballot numbers.

Times Daily - Kindergarten enrollment drop worries educators

Times Daily - Cabinet manufacturer to bring 131 jobs to Shoals

Anniston Star - Getting back to nature: Marsh says he won't run again

Anniston Star - In Anniston campaign stop, Jones hammers Tuberville

WASHINGTON POST - More than 91 million ballots cast as of Saturday, as hopes and tensions magnify ahead of Election Day
 
WASHINGTON POST - The map is wide, Democrats tense and Republicans hopeful in the last days of campaign 2020
 
WASHINGTON POST - Post-ABC polls: Biden has slight lead in Pennsylvania; Florida a toss-up.
 
WASHINGTON POST - With Election Day looming, an anxious nation hears rumblings of violence
 
NEW YORK TIMES â€“ Columnist Bret Stephens: Goodbye Principled Conservatism
 
NEW YORK TIMES - Student Voting Surges Despite Efforts to Suppress It
 
NEW YORK TIMES - Americans Are Afraid. Not for Themselves, but for the Country
Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)