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.
BLS revision shows hiring was overstated by 911,000 jobs in past year
The U.S. likely added 900,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months ending in March than had been reported, according to a preliminary Labor Department report.
Israel says it carried out a strike on Hamas’ main political office in Qatar
The Israeli military says it has carried out an airstrike on Hamas political headquarters in Qatar. Television footage from Doha showed a huge cloud of gray smoke rising over the area of Doha where the bombing took place.
New books out today: A Dan Brown thriller, John Prine bio, and World Wide Web memoir
New books this week include Secret of Secrets — the sixth installment of The Da Vinci Code saga, plus a tech memoir from Tim Berners-Lee and a career-spanning anthology from Terry McMillan.
‘We just want to get to the truth’: Jabari Peoples’ family still seeking answers
Eighteen-year-old Jabari Peoples was shot and killed by a Homewood police officer earlier this year. His family is still reeling from the loss and maintain their disagreement with police’s account of the incident.
Here’s what happens when private equity buys homes in your neighborhood
What makes rents go down and neighborhood diversity go up? Corporate landlords. But they also make it harder to own for yourself.
Trump’s Medicaid cuts will hurt children’s hospitals
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.