Happy Getaway Day. Don’t forget to take the quiz, and have a great weekend. (Weather spoiler alert for next week: Dust off a jacket.)

Thanks for reading,

Ike

Helene’s effect on hospitals

A shortage of IV fluids is causing Huntsville Hospital to delay some non-emergency surgeries, reports AL.com’s William Thornton.

And it could be a while, hospital officials say, so they are delaying but not canceling surgeries that aren’t urgent and that use a lot of fluids. Think orthopedic, urology and gynecological procedures.

Blame this one on Hurricane Helene. Baxter International is a major nationwide supplier of IV fluids, and its factory in Marion, N.C., was damaged by flooding in Helene’s wake. And that means Huntsville Hospital isn’t — or won’t be — the only hospital in the state or nation to feel this crunch.

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized imports of IV products to help meet demand.

Conspiracy Central

We know things get really dumb during a presidential election year, but now people have gone and gotten under meteorologist James Spann’s skin.

I say “people,” but we know that nefarious sources are also responsible for some of the far-out things people say.

So whether it’s bots, Russian misinformation spreaders, domestic trolls or just people who are more than happy to spread an obviously fake but irresistibly shareable headline … let’s all vow to think before we believe, and think even harder before we share.

AL.com’s William Thornton reports that Spann said he even reported some of the threats he’s received on social media after he merely shared a FEMA web page that addressed rumors and scams.

Early in the week he had asked people to keep misinformation out of his Facebook page, including theories about the moon’s being nuked by the government, that hurricanes are being steered by the government, or that the weather is being controlled by the government to influence the presidential election.

Mostly, it just stirred the hornets nest of people who have an incredible amount of faith in our government’s ability to perform at a high level and keep it a secret.

At least the ones who are people at all.

Education dollars

The federal pandemic money valve is closing, and it’s leaving Alabama education officials looking for ways to pay for public-school employees, reports AL.com’s Rebecca Griesbach.

With the state unlikely to replace all the temporary federal money, State Superintendent Eric Mackey said that over the next three years positions will be going away and that local superintendents are planning to not necessarily replace staff members who leave.

The State Department of Education is asking for $6.43 billion in fiscal year 2026, an 8% increase over the current budget, to keep current education programs funded. Much of the growth in the budget is targeting bus services and personnel.

Alabama news quiz

Did you keep up with your Alabama news this week? Find out here.

Quoting

“Some women called me, and actually Katie Britt called me – the senator from Alabama who’s really a young, good politician, smart … She called me up she said, ‘Sir, women have come to me and almost attacked me, and they’re my best friends. … that the judge shut down IVF.’”

Donald Trump, explaining that U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama helped inform his position in favor of protecting in vitro fertilization.

By the Numbers

5

That’s how many former Walker County corrections officers have now agreed to plead guilty in connection with the death of inmate Tony Mitchell.

More Alabama News

Born on This Date

In 1906, actress Katherine Emery of Birmingham.

In 1967, former Auburn and NFL offensive lineman Rob Selby of Birmingham.

On the podcast

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