MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday urged the board that oversees Alabama Public Television to delay any decision on severing ties with PBS until it has studied Alabamians’ opinions on the matter and developed a plan for what comes next.
The Republican governor sent a letter to the Alabama Educational Television Commission ahead of a planned meeting Tuesday in which commissioners were expected to discuss disaffiliation.
Some commission members had pushed the idea of dropping PBS due to federal budget cuts, President Donald Trump’s dislike of public broadcasting and accusations of bias raised against NPR and PBS news programs by Trump and other conservatives. A decision to separate from PBS would mean Alabama Public Television would no longer air PBS programs, including “Sesame Street,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Antiques Roadshow” and “PBS NewsHour.”
“While I’m sympathetic to the concerns that may be prompting this proposal, such a sweeping, immediate action, especially if taken unilaterally by the executive branch, should be undertaken only after a thorough planning process and only with a thorough understanding of public opinion,” Ivey wrote.
Ivey asked the commission to conduct an extended survey of Alabama voters “to ensure their voices are heard.” She said the commission should also develop a separation plan that “should be available for public review for a considerable length of time before any vote is taken.”
The idea of dropping PBS arose at the October commission meeting. Alabama Public Television Executive Director Wayne Reid said some commissioners asked him to research the possibility and ramifications of ending the contract with PBS.
The possibility prompted a backlash from Alabama public television viewers and donors. Petitions and posts were shared across social media, urging people to “Save PBS for Alabama Children” and “Don’t let Alabama send Elmo packing.”
Commissioners were divided at an Oct. 28 meeting, according to the Alabama Reflector and al.com.
“I just, I don’t want to fund it, PBS has made themselves the enemy of what I stand with, and so I do not like them, and I don’t follow the philosophy of feeding the beast,” commission member Les Barnett said during the meeting, according to the Alabama Reflector.
Alabama Public Television pays about $2.2 million yearly for PBS programming.
The governor said it is imperative that APT programming “align with Alabama values,” but said the decision should be made in “collaboration" among stakeholders.
The governor's letter did not offer a direct position on PBS.
Pete Conroy, a commission member who is in favor of keeping PBS, said he was pleased that Ivey urged the commission to seek more input.
“First and foremost, it's apparent that people in Alabama like PBS the way it is. But in any business decision, it should be researched before it's made,” Conroy said.
FILE - Arthur the Aardvark waves on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 16, 2011, during a news conference to discuss the future of public broadcasting. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File)
NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire ripped through a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing 25 people, including tourists, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.
The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.
Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.
The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, witnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were on the dance floor. Several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff, it said.
Fatima Shaikh said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.
The nightclub, located along the Arpora River backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the firefighters to park their tankers about 400 meters (1,300 feet) away, delaying the efforts, the news agency said.
Sawant said the club had violated fire safety regulations. The state government ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and responsibility, he said, adding that authorities would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite the violations.
Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club, which didn't have construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the fire "deeply saddening# and said he spoke with Sawant. Modi said the government “is providing all possible assistance” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.
Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.
“This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance,” Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, wrote in a social media post. He called for a transparent probe to "fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don’t occur again.”
The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.
The nightclub, which caught fire on early Sunday, is seen across an expanse of water in Arpora, in Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)
The charred interior of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, is seen in Arpora, in Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)
The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)
