Schools in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, and in Madison and Montgomery Counties, say they'll go with virtual classes for the first part of the new school year. A program to aid Alabama families with students who are limited to distance learning this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic will provide $100 million dollars for increased internet service. The state says vouchers will help pay for the cost of equipment and high-speed internet service through the end of the year, They'll be available for students who receive free or reduced-price meals or meet other income criteria.

Health officials in Alabama say a surge in coronavirus cases has overwhelmed Alabama's ability to provide test results within the expected 2- to 3-day turnaround. The Alabama Department of Public Health says the current timeframe for results for most COVID-19 testing performed in Alabama by commercial laboratories and the state laboratory is now averaging about a week. The department asked health providers to limit testing to the "most vulnerable" and asked employers not to require employees to test negative for the virus before returning to work.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is extending a state order requiring face coverings in public for another month. 

And she says masks will be required for students in grade 2 and above in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 as schools reopen.

Ivey announced she was extending an earlier mask order during a news conference at the Capitol in Montgomery on Wednesday. The order had been set to expire on Friday.

HARTFORD, Ala. (AP) — A small Alabama town has closed several of its government offices after a spike in coronavirus cases, some of which were linked to a forum featuring candidates running for mayor and city council. 

Social media posts from the Hartford Police Department show the city hall, public library and several businesses in the town of about 2,600 were closed by Tuesday.

ATLANTA (AP) — John Lewis will lie in repose at the Georgia capitol in his hometown of Atlanta in one of the last memorial services for the late Democratic congressman before he's buried. 

Members of the public will be able to pay their respects to Lewis on Wednesday at the state capitol rotunda following a ceremony to honor him. A private burial service in Atlanta is scheduled for Thursday.

COKER, Ala. (AP) — Authorities in Alabama say a man has been charged with capital murder in the death of his girlfriend’s 19-month-old child.

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office says it obtained a warrant for 31-year-old John Thompson on the charge Tuesday.

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Several people, including a former longtime state senator, have been arrested for attempting to paint “Good Trouble” and “Expand Medicaid” on the street in front of the Alabama Capitol.  

Montgomery police handcuffed former Sen. Hank Sanders and several others Tuesday as they began to write the words in yellow spray paint. It was not immediately clear what they were being charged with.