Alabama House Speaker presides over empty chamber
Many chairs in the chamber held something. A brochure. A chemistry paper. A stack of books. A sweater. Cleaning crews moved those items to sanitize more than 100 desks within the Alabama House of Representatives. It’s not at all clear when state representatives might return to their seats. “We’ve got 105 legislative districts in the state,” Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon, R-Monrovia, said on Thursday. “For us to come into a chamber and work, we’ve got people touching every area of the state coming into one room in one place and conducting business. I’m very mindful of that.” – Montgomery Advertiser
Remainder of school year in Alabama will be finished at home
The remainder of the 2019-2020 school year for most Alabama K-12 students will be completed at home, Governor Ivey and State Superintendent Mackey announced at a Thursday news conference. “This decision has not been made lightly.” Ivey said. – NewsChannel9
State’s shortages on some medical fronts prove worrisome
As Dr. Don Williamson saw the coronavirus approach Alabama, he said he worried about three areas of potential shortages in the state. First was the number of hospital beds, ventilators and other equipment that would be needed. Second was personal protection equipment for medical professionals to shield them, and then others, from the virus. Third was the medical staff itself. – AL Daily News
BendPak opening distribution center near Port of Mobile
BendPak is opening a new 100,000-square-foot distribution center near Mobile to better serve customers in the eastern United States. The administrative and shipping complex, which is expected to be fully operational within 60 days, is located in Theodore. BendPak makes a range of automotive products, including auto lifts for professional and home use. – Tire Review
ServisFirst ranked one of top U.S. large community banks
ServisFirst Bancshares Inc., the holding company for ServisFirst Bank, today announced it has been ranked as one of the best-performing US community banks of 2019 with assets between $3 billion and $10 billion. The bank was one of the fifty banks and thrifts selected among 155 companies across the country that was eligible for ranking. – Yahoo Finance
How to host a Zoom online meeting like a pro
As coronavirus keeps people indoors, we’re all flocking to video chat services to stay in touch with colleagues, friends and family. Zoom’s video chat software has been surging in popularity. It’s not new — the company was founded in 2011 — but it’s new to a lot of people. Zoom is free as long as you keep calls to under 40 minutes and fewer than 100 participants. – CNBC
Honda extends production suspension through April 7
Honda has announced its ongoing North American production suspension, which includes its Lincoln factory, has been extended another five days. Honda’s original production suspension was from March 23 through March 30, with a planned return date of March 31. With an extension of five production days, operations will resume on April 7. – AL.com
Winn-Dixie adding Plexiglas partitions for customer service areas
The parent company of Winn-Dixie stores says it is adding new safety measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Southeastern Grocers, Inc. says it will start installing protective Plexiglas partitions in all stores. The partitions will be installed between customers and associates at store registers, customer service desks and pharmacies. – ALNewsNet
