Drive-through Community Vaccination Center in Bessemer offers free COVID-19 vaccine for people age 16 and older

No appointments, no ID, and no insurance are required to receive a free COVID-19 vaccination at a drive-through community vaccination center in Bessemer. Anyone age 16 and older are eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. The center is located at WaterMark Place, 4500 Katies Way, Bessemer 35022.

If you would like to make an appointment for the vaccine, individuals can also visit myturn.timetap.com or call (205) 858-2221.

Currently, the operating hours are as follows. All hours are Central Daylight Time:

• Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays – 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
• Tuesdays and Thursdays – 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Sundays – Noon-4 p.m.
• (Subject to change – closed on Mother’s Day, May 9, and Memorial Day, May 31)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided the state with an additional COVID-19 vaccine for the community vaccination site. This vaccine is given in addition to the weekly allotment that Alabama receives.

Irish Professor Makes Unfounded Claims About Long-Term Effects of mRNA Vaccines

The mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 represent a new vaccine platform, but their development rests on years’ worth of research, including clinical trials. And while the vaccines were developed quickly in response to the pandemic, they have been proven to be safe and effective not only in standard clinical trials but in real-world conditions.

The vaccines in question use modified messenger RNA to provide instructions for cells to make spike proteins that then trigger an immune response against the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19. The cells quickly break down the mRNA.

But as the vaccines are deployed around the country, some have weaponized their novelty to spread misinformation and unfounded claims about their safety.

In one case, a video clip circulating online shows Dolores Cahill — a professor in Ireland who until recently was the chair of the right-wing Irish Freedom Party — baselessly claiming that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines will cause widespread deaths in the coming years.

Fort Bragg IDs Paratrooper Who Died During Static-Line Jump

A Fort Bragg soldier who died during airborne training Monday has been identified as 21-year-old Spc. Abigail Jenks.

Jenks suffered a fatal injury when conducting a static-line jump from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, Fort Bragg officials said Wednesday. The specifics of the incident are still under investigation.

She served as a forward observer in 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

"Spc. Abigail Jenks was a creative, hardworking, and confident paratrooper. Her love for art, animals and her friends reverberated wherever she worked," Capt. Brian Norman, Jenks' battery commander, said in a statement. "Her compassion for fellow paratroopers will be truly missed."

Oklahoma Passes Bill to Pay for Funerals of Guard Troops Who Die While on State Orders

The Oklahoma Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill to reimburse the families of fallen Oklahoma National Guard members who die on state active-duty orders for their funeral expenses.

Navy Pulls Way Ahead of the Other Military Services in Race to 100% Vaccination

More than one-third of the U.S. military's 2.1 million active-duty, National Guard and Reserve members have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, Defense Department officials announced Wednesday.

New data released Wednesday by the Defense Department shows that 22% of the military force is now fully vaccinated. And by service the Navy has greatly exceeded the vaccination rates of the other branches, with more than half its members, including Reserves, receiving at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 35% of the fleet being fully vaccinated.

The Army has the lowest overall vaccination rate, with 27% of its total active, Guard and Reserve force having received one shot and 15% being fully vaccinated.

Thirty-six percent of Marines, including the Reserves, have received at least one dose, with 25% fully vaccinated. Across Air Force components and Space Force, 34% of troops have received at least one dose, and 24% are fully vaccinated.

It's not fully clear why the Navy has been so successful in vaccinating its force. But the Navy's surgeon general, Rear Adm. Bruce Gillingham, told the Senate Appropriations Committee this week that messaging has been clear from the top of the service down about the importance of getting the shot.

Alabama Softball Edges Out Southern Miss, 6-3, Wednesday Night

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama softball held off a late rally from Southern Miss to secure the 6-3 win Wednesday night at Rhoads Stadium.

Alabama (34-7) fell behind in the first inning after Southern Miss (20-21) scored on a wild pitch but the Crimson Tide answered right back in the bottom half of the inning to tie it at 1-1 and then went on to score five unanswered, including a four-run fifth. Leading 6-1 in the top of the seventh, the Golden Eagles loaded the bases with one out. A run scored on a fielder's choice and another came home on a fielding error to make it 6-3 with two outs before some miscommunication on the base paths led to a game-ending pickoff between second and third.

Miller’s walk-off single lifts Auburn past Jacksonville State

AUBURN, Ala. – Tyler Miller hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning to lift Auburn past Jacksonville State, 8-7, Wednesday night at Plainsman Park.

With runners on the corners and one out, Miller swung on the first pitch he saw from Jacksonville State reliever Austin Downey and sent it off the base of the wall in left field to score Judd Ward and end the ballgame.

The walk-off win was Auburn's second of the season and its first since the third game against Presbyterian Opening Weekend.

"We deserve one of those," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We've had some of these where we played a great baseball game and lost. We've had more than our share of that type of ballgame. I told them if we were going to stay together I was going to continue to be honest. It's great to win a baseball game that way and figure out a way to win."

Navarro Placed On All-GSC Second Team

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Auburn University at Montgomery senior Sofia Navarro has been placed on the all-Gulf South Conference second team for her outstanding 2021 season. It was announced by the conference Wednesday.

Navarro, a four-year Spain native, tallied an 8-6 record in singles play this season, playing exclusively out of the first position for the Orange & Black. In conference play, she totaled a 5-4 record in singles action.

Like her teammates, Navarro dominated in doubles action as well in 2021. She was tied for third on the team in doubles victories this season, going 9-5. Like in singles play, she was trusted to anchor the first slot for AUM.

The Warhawks will make their debut in the Gulf South Conference postseason on Thursday when they enter the tournament as the fourth seed. AUM will open play against Valdosta State at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. The match is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.