Alabama Power Withdraws from BCA
Alabama Power is withdrawing from the Business Council of Alabama “effective immediately” amid concerns over leadership. A spokesman for Alabama Power told WBHM there are questions surrounding the organization’s effectiveness. Alabama Power CEO Mark Crosswhite said in a letter BCA has alienated federal and state officials, failed to communicate with its members, and allowed the BCA’s financial health to decline.
Crosswhite went on to say in the letter first published by Alabama Political Reporter that the BCA has become a divisive force in the state. A spokesman for Alabama Power declined to comment further.
BCA Chairman Perry Hand responded to Crosswhite in a letter Monday calling Crosswhite’s letter “extremely disappointing.” Hand acknowledged Alabama Power voiced several concerns in the past about the organization’s leadership. His letter noted Crosswhite’s “list of demands”–including Hand’s removal as president and CEO — to be fulfilled under deadlines Hand characterized as unreasonable. “I have worked to find areas of compromise, but you have made it clear that compromising is not an option,” Hand wrote.
Hand said he the group plans to have a new CEO by January.
The Business Council of Alabama was founded in 1985. It bills itself as the voice for Alabama’s business community and is Alabama’s affiliate to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. The group lobbies state lawmakers and members of Congress on issues ranging from infrastructure investments to education reform.
Hand said Alabama Power hasn’t been a member of the BCA since April due to nonpayment of dues.
Ex-NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez stabbed in altercation leading to charges against him
Ex-NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was stabbed during an altercation with a truck driver in Indianapolis, which resulted in criminal charges against the Fox Sports analyst, according to court records.
Snowstorm traps hundreds of hikers on Mount Everest during China’s national holiday
Rescue workers were helping hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet, Chinese state media said late Sunday.
Federal workers sue Education Department over partisan shutdown emails
Employees say their out-of-office messages were changed without their consent to include language blaming Democrats for the shutdown.
Trump federalizes the National Guard in Chicago, while troops arrive in Oregon
The White House said Trump "authorized" the deployment of 300 Illinois National Guard members, after vowing to send troops into Chicago. Meanwhile, Guard members arrived in Oregon from California.
SNL roasts Trump in season premiere, as Bad Bunny addresses Super Bowl criticism
Bad Bunny returned to SNL as a host for the second time, and the musician addressed criticism over his upcoming Super Bowl performance.
States are cutting Medicaid provider payments long before Trump cuts hit
North Carolina and Idaho have cut their Medicaid programs to bridge budget gaps, raising fears that providers will stop taking patients and that hospitals will close even before the brunt of a new federal tax-and-budget law takes effect.