What's going on in Alabama
Today is World Smile Day. It helps that it's Friday. Don't forget the quiz below. Thanks for reading and have a great weekend, Ike |
|
|
A Montgomery judge has denied a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit over Alabama Power's solar fees, reports AL.com's Margaret Kates. Plaintiffs in the case, which include the Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP) filed suit against the Alabama Public Service Commission in U.S. District Court. The Public Service Commission's job is to regulate utilities, and the lawsuit argues that it was against the law for the PSC to allow Alabama Power to charge fees to people who use solar panels. Alabama Power joined the suit as an intervenor defendant, and along with the PSC had claimed the court didn't have jurisdiction in the case and asked for it to be dismissed. The court disagreed, and the case will move forward. Alabama Power has said it charges a fee to customers who use non-emergency power-generating sources, such as solar panels, because it still has to generate backup power to those customers. The plaintiffs call the fees discriminatory and unfair and claim that they discourage the use of solar energy. |
|
|
Back to work on the docks |
|
|
Dock workers in Mobile -- and International Longshoremen's Association members along the East and Gulf Coasts -- are back at work after a bargaining agreement was reached to delay a strike until Jan. 15, reports AL.com's Howard Koplowitz. Work can resume so quickly because union members don't need to vote a temporary hold on the work stoppage. According to The Associated Press, the sides came together on wage increases but still have concerns about the automation of labor. Said Alabama Port Authority Director & CEO John Driscoll: “Getting the container terminals back to work is critical for all Americans, and the contract extension is significant progress toward a permanent resolution that we are very happy to see.” |
|
|
The other day we mentioned that U.S. Sen. Katie Britt was in the spin room on behalf of JD Vance after Tuesday night's Vice Presidential debate. It turns out that so was Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Triumph is a sock puppet, the creation of Robert Smigel, who's a comedian and a former writer for Saturday Night Live back when it was funnier. You might've seen Triumph the Insult Comic dog on the old Late Night with Conan O'Brian show, meeting sci-fi-convention attendees and making mean jokes about them -- to their delight. He was bipartisan in the spin room. One example of his swinging a metaphorical double-bladed ax was his comment that Tim Walz is what JD Vance will look like after a four-year term working with Donald Trump. Sen. Britt did not escape his verbal darts, either, reports AL.com's Mark Heim. While Britt was doing an interview, Triumph lurked nearby and said into his camera, “The great Sen. Katie Britt, whose post-State-of-the-Union speech is now considered a Halloween Holiday Classic.” |
If you miss that feeling of sitting down with in-depth, local reporting, consider subscribing to the Huntsville Times, Birmingham News, or Mobile Press-Register. By subscribing, you’ll get a new daily digital edition in an email link, or you can use an app to download the new edition every day on your smartphone or tablet. You also get exclusive access to stories written for our subscribers. “Down in Alabama” listeners get your first month free by going to al.com/digitalsubscription/exclusive and enter the promo code DIA24. |
|
|
Another listener comes on the show to take the weekly quiz. You can find “Down in Alabama” wherever you get your podcasts, including these places: |
We appreciate you for taking the time to read today. Hope you're able to check back soon. Meantime, reply to this email with any suggestions you might have. If you're so inclined, we'd love it if you'd forward to friends who might be interested in reading. (And if you're someone who's been forwarded this newsletter, we encourage you to subscribe and get this in your inbox every day.) |
|
|
|
