7. Alabama wins the SEC Basketball Championship

• The University of Alabama’s basketball team on Sunday won the SEC Basketball Championship against Louisiana State University (LSU).
• Alabama now moves on to the NCAA Tournament, which will officially begin on Thursday this week.

6. Biden doesn’t want Cuomo to resign

• President Joe Biden addressed the sexual misconduct allegations against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), saying, “I think the investigation is underway and we should see what it brings us.”
• While Biden barely addressed that scandal, he’s also been quiet on the issue of nursing home deaths in New York, which Cuomo is also under investigation for. Despite mounting issues, it’s still not surprising that Biden hasn’t taken a strong position on either topic.

5. South Korea sent masks to Alabama veterans

• A shipment of 10,000 masks was delivered to the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs from the South Korean government. These masks will be used at the four veterans’ homes across the state.
• In a letter, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun thanked the American Korean War veterans that fought and lost their lives in the war and thanked their families. The masks are KF94, which is a “Korean filter” mask with 94% filtering efficacy.

4. Special sessions for gambling is possible

• The massive failure by the Alabama State Senate to get a comprehensive gambling bill through their chamber has pretty much killed any chance a bill like that has in this session, and probably any gambling bill. That doesn’t mean it might not be tried in a special session, though.
• State House Majority Leader Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) said it is all very possible. He advised, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see at least one or two specials. I certainly feel like one of them is coming, and who knows — the Governor could put something in the call for us to look at this gaming. I mean, it makes sense sometimes when you do that on big issues simply because there’s not so much noise around.”

3. Stimulus checks hit bank accounts

• Many took to social media to talk about their stimulus checks being deposited into their bank accounts while others complained that their stimulus funds were “pending,” but it is pretty clear that people want this money now and they may have to wait until midweek to get it.
• The money is part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that also includes $86 billion for failing private pensions, bailouts for cities and states, money for schools that do not need more money to open up, Obamacare subsidies and bans on tax cuts, but all people seem to be concerned about is their $1,400 payment.

2. Birmingham may keep a mask mandate

• Governor Kay Ivey has previously announced that the statewide mask mandate will end permanently on April 9, and now Birmingham City Council President William Parker has said that they will vote on extending a city mask mandate on April 6.
• With the end of the statewide mask mandate, local governments, businesses and schools will be able to continue a mandate if they choose to. Parker said he’s “very confident” that a mask mandate will continue in Birmingham after April 9.

1. Vaccine eligibility expanding

• The Alabama Department of Public Health announced that on March 22, coronavirus vaccine eligibility will open up to group 1C, which will include those who are 55 years and older, many with underlying health conditions and many other essential workers.
• State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said “This is probably going to double the number of eligible people.” He did emphasize that there still aren’t enough vaccines in the state for everyone who will be eligible.