Rocket City News

Huntsville men's recovery program earns national certification His Way Recovery recently earned accreditation from the National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR), which affirms the organization's commitment to high standards in residential recovery programs. Reference: www.waaytv.com

Rocket City Scottish Festival and Highland Games hosts annual festival “It’s been a great Scottish day - overcast, a little light rain. If you’ve been to Scotland, you’ll love it how it was here today. It was a true Scottish day,” Wigley said. Festival Founder and Chair Michelle Ross said 71 athletes participated in Saturday’s Highland games. They are already preparing for the 2026 festival and Highland games. Reference: www.waff.com

Appeals Process for Madison County Property Tax APPEALS PROCESS Code of Alabama 1975, 40-3-20, 40-3-24, and 40-3-25. If you believe your property value is too high, you may file a written protest with the Madison County Board of Equalization (BOE), Madison County Service Center, 2nd Floor,1918 Memorial Parkway, NW Huntsville, AL 35801. New values are set each year. Upon completion of setting the values notice is given by legal advertisement in the newspaper for two consecutive weeks. Tax payers have 30 days from the date of the second advertisement to file an appeal. New values are usually set in March or April. Upon your appeal, you will be... Reference: www.madisoncountyal.gov

Huntsville housing market cooled down in February. Are federal layoffs to blame? The Huntsville market saw a significant drop in average sales price last month. Homes sold for an average of $318,000 in February, down from $330,000 in 2024. Reference: www.al.com

NASA-Developed Tools at Marshall Support Operations to Space Station Two new automation tools developed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are geared toward improving operations for flight controllers working with the International Space Station from the Huntsville Operations Support Center. The tools, called AutoDump and Permanently Missing Intervals Checker, will free the flight control team to focus on situational awareness, anomaly response, and real-time coordination. Reference: cerebral-overload.com

Tuberville: 'I'm very positive about Space Command moving to Huntsville' According to Tuberville, once Troy Meink is confirmed as President Donald Trump's Secretary of the Air Force, he'd be able to have the necessary discussions to move Space Command to its rightful home, which was deemed Redstone Arsenal in January 2021. He said he was "very positive" about Space Command moving to Huntsville. ... Reference: 1819news.com

‘Four years too late’ – Ainsworth applauds Alabama victory in U.S. Space Command HQ decision Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth is celebrating the news that the U.S. Space Command Headquarters is officially coming to Huntsville. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Saks), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, announced this week that, “space command will officially be assigned to build its headquarters in Huntsville,” in April once the Secretary of the Air Force is confirmed by the U.S. Senate Reference: yellowhammernews.com

Katie Britt doubles down on U.S. Space Command HQ in Alabama: ‘There remains no doubt’ “There remains no doubt Redstone Arsenal should be home to the permanent Space Command Headquarters,” Sen. Britt (R-Montgomery) said in a statement. “Huntsville finished first in the Air Force’s Evaluation Phase and Selection Phase and had the most advantages in the decision matrix, a point I raised to Secretary Hegseth in our meeting prior to his Senate confirmation and something I know the Secretary of the Air Force will take into consideration once confirmed.” Reference: yellowhammernews.com

Mike Rogers announces ‘Space Command will officially be assigned to build its headquarters in Huntsville’ After years of politicized delay by the Biden Administration, Alabama Congressman and Chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers announced that the headquarters of U.S. Space Command will officially be built in Huntsville. Speaking on Auburn University’s McCrary Institute’s “Cyber Focus” podcast, Rogers confirmed that the long-awaited decision will be finalized this month. during President Donald Trump’s first administration, the U.S. Air Force announced that Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal in Alabama was the preferred location for U.S. Space Command’s permanent headquarters. That decision followed a comprehensive evaluation process in which Redstone Arsenal ranked first, surpassing all other contenders , including Colorado’s Peterson Space Force Base, which ranked fifth. Reference: yellowhammernews.com

Strong says relocating FBI headquarters to Huntsville ‘not a good move’ During a telephone town hall this week, Congressman Dale Strong said that he doesn’t support moving FBI Headquarters to Huntsville Reference: whnt.com

Over 65 years old? You could be paying extra if you’re not taking advantage of state tax exemption Over 65 years old? You could be paying extra if you’re not taking advantage of state tax exemption ... MADISON COUNTY, Ala. (WHNT) – The “Over 65 Years Old Exemption” applies to anyone in the state ...If a property owner if 65 years old, or older, the owner will qualify for additional exemptions. Proof of age and income must be submitted to the Tax Assessor’s Office. Handwritten tax returns are not accepted. A verification of non-filing letter from the IRS or a copy of the taxpayer’s transcript will need to be submitted if taxpayer is not required to file federal income taxes. ... get it online at: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript Reference: whnt.com

Donald Trump in 2024 broke Alabama voting records for third consecutive election More Alabamians voted for Donald Trump for president on Nov. 5 than for any presidential candidate in the state’s history. That’s according to a review of election results posted on the Alabama secretary of state’s website. It was the third straight general election for Trump to break the record in Alabama. Reference: www.al.com

One arrested after armed robbery in Huntsville Officers found and arrested 24-year-old Kieontai Andrew Chitwood in the area. Chitwood is charged with first-degree robbery and is being held at the Madison County Jail. Reference: whnt.com

Alabama's energy bills are the 3rd highest in the country Here we can see a visual representation of the monthly utility costs across the U.S. Reference: www.rubyhome.com

Huntsville City Council postpones utility rate raises for two weeks The proposed rate increase was 5.3 percent to your electric bill. ... In August, the Tennessee Valley Authority approved a 5.25 percent increase, both of these increases are separate and will be combined. Reference: www.waff.com

Why Tuscaloosa Developer Stan Pate Bought Sections Of The Southern Border Wall ... when asked how he came to own thousands of pounds of fabricated steel intended for the Southern border wall, he said he made his purchase for pennies on the dollar from the government surplus auction website GovPlanet . The website specializes in auctions for everything from surplus military vehicles, meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) and, at least for Pate's interest, the steel used for the wall along the border with Mexico. "We're always buying what we think is valuable," he told me. "The government has an auction website and all of a sudden sections of the wall started popping up for sale. At first, I thought this can't be true. But then I said let's buy some of it and see." Reference: patch.com

One injured following assault near Drake Ave. He said a man believed to be homeless approached them and got into an argument with them. The suspect left and came back with a machete, as the witness said, and hit his friend in the arm with it. HPD is investigating how the victim was assaulted. The suspect’s identity is unclear at this time. Reference: www.waff.com

Madison DA office: Court records tell the whole story in city councilman’s theft case Devyn Keith told voters recently that 2023 theft charges against him were not accurate. The Madison DA’s office pushed back on that claim. ... Keith pleaded guilty in August 2023 to two of the four theft charges he faced for allegedly stealing 31 different items from Walmart stores on four different occasions, according to court records. Keith is currently in a runoff, and facing an uphill battle to hold his council seat, against school board member Michell Watkins. ... documents tell the story,” Gann said. “It’s that simple.” Reference: www.alreporter.com

Sweet Home Alabama grant will pay entrepreneurs to live rent-free for a year A new program to draw more talent to Huntsville will pay for out-of-state entrepreneurs to live in the city rent-free for a year. The Sweet Home Alabama Grant will fund the relocation of two entrepreneurs. Reference: www.al.com