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Death of longtime mayor from COVID-19 stuns Alabama town

Associated Press

 

CLANTON, Ala. (AP) — The death of a longtime mayor has brought about a reckoning in the Alabama town where he spent his entire life.

Residents around Clanton, Alabama, thought of COVID-19 as a distant threat until Mayor Billy Joe Driver died of the illness at age 84 in July.

Residents say they're now more intentional about wearing masks. And older people look askance at others who don't follow health guidelines to guard against the new coronavirus.

Driver served as mayor of the town of 8,000 people for 36 years before his death in July. A memorial was held for him recently at a senior center where he ate lunch weekly.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
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