7 Things: Omicron #1 variant in U.S., 2021 a pretty bad year for most, all vaccine rates down in Alabama and more …

7. Calling people ‘Uncle Tom’ is a bad idea

After calling another judge “Uncle Tom,” Jefferson County Judge Nakita Blocton has been removed from her position. She also committed other ethics violations. Blocton also called an employee a “heifer” and another judge a “fat b—-,” according to the complaint filed by the Judicial Inquiry Commission.
Per the complaint, Blocton had a “pattern of abuse of staff, attorneys, and litigants.” Blocton tried to stall the investigation by requiring access to employees’ cell phones and made them “work unreasonable hours, including excessive, unproductive, and unnecessary late nights and weekends.”

6. Very few troops involved in extremist activity

A report from the Pentagon has disproven the narrative that there are large extremist groups within the U.S. military since it was found that there are only about 100 members that have participated in “prohibited extremist activities” in recent months.
The Department of Defense recently released “Countering extremist Activities,” since many of those involved with the U.S. Capitol riot were military members or veterans. This report was ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

5. Brooks calls out January 6 committee

U.S. Representative Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) has spoken out against how the January 6 committee has represented issues, including the idea that he had a part in planning the rally that led to the U.S. Capitol riot. This came after testimony from Ali Alexander, the organizer of the rally, was leaked.
In a statement released by Brooks’ office, Brooks said, “If the Witch Hunt Committee is going to leak witness testimony and evidence, then why shouldn’t ALL witness testimony and evidence be public so the American people can judge for themselves the veracity of testimony and evidence?” The evidence released was a text message, which Brooks and his office said, “The insinuation that this single text to Congressman Brooks from an unknown number by someone claiming to be ‘Ali Alexander’ somehow suggests Congressman Brooks in any way helped plan the Capitol attack is absurd, outrageous and defamatory.”

4. Poverty impacts test scores more than money

Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab worked with The Alabama Education Lab and al.com to find if funding has any impact on how well students do in school based on test scores. For figures that weren’t impacted by the pandemic, the school year of 2018-2019 was used. Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey says he is not shocked that the study couldn’t find a “positive relationship between spending and achievement statewide.” According to al.com, the more total money spent the worse the outcomes.
According to the report, if the school had less than 20% of students living in poverty and more funding at the schools, there were higher test scores. It was found that in some districts that are wealthier, and more tax money went for each student, such as Mountain Brook High School and Mountain Brook Junior High where $13,933 and $12,244 per student had been spent, students performed well in school. At the same time, at Marion County Guin Elementary School, the majority of students had similar scores to those in Mountain Brookwood Forest, despite 60% of students being in poverty, and only $10,376 was spent.

3. There are consequences to institutions losing the trust of the people

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) reported that between 2019-2021, there was a decline in routine vaccinations for measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, hepatitis, flu, chickenpox, polio and whooping cough. According to the report, vaccinations decreased by about 26%.
There was a 50% decline in Hepatitis A vaccinations and a 38% decrease in influenza type b. Also, 7% of kindergartners didn’t have updated vaccines. Assistant state health officer Dr. Karen Landers said the numbers “are very disturbing and put children at risk for contracting many diseases that have largely been eradicated.”

2. 2021 wasn’t a great year, according to most

A new poll released by Fox Business shows that a majority of people think that 2021 wasn’t a good year for the country overall. However, the number of people who view the year unfavorably decreased from 2020. In 2020, 78% of people thought the year went poorly for the country, while in 2021, 70% of voters felt the same. Progress?
In 2019, only 38% of registered voters thought the year went poorly. In 2021, only 19% of people thought the year went well. There were also 55% of people who said the year was bad personally, but in 2020 there were 67% of people who felt the same.

1. Omicron is now #1 variant

The Omicron variant is now the main variant in the United States. The strain now makes up 73% of cases in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a six-fold increase from the week before. It was expected to take weeks for Omicron to become the dominant strain. The U.S. has also recorded its first death from the Omicron variant.
In some good news, the strain appears to be far weaker than the previous variants but spreading faster. Additionally, there is some evidence that the Moderna vaccine provides some protection from the virus by creating a 37-times increase in antibodies that will help fight the illness.