Rocket City News

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

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

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

Syphilis cases are up 80 percent since 2018 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state of Alabama is also seeing a spike. Anthony Merriweather, the STD Division Director at the Alabama Department of Health, said that since 2021 numbers have shown that people in Alabama have been engaging in more high-risk sexual activity without knowledge of their partner having an STD or STI. ...Classical signs and symptoms of syphilis include chancres, or small round contagious sores, that appear on the lips, around and inside the mouth, genital areas, and/or rectum. Other symptoms include body rashes and alopecia. ... Reference: www.waff.com MORE READING: These U.S. Cities Have the Highest STD Rates Huntsville, AL: Metro Population is 366,519 with 54 Syphilis cases. | Montgomery, AL: Metro Population is 225,763 with 36 Syphilis cases. | Birmingham, AL: Metro Population is 659,300 with 97 Syphilis cases. | Mobile, AL: Metro Population is 413,757 with 48 Syp...

Alabama police say no evidence of child on interstate Police say no reports of child wandering along I-495 as questions abound over woman who went missing for 48 hours last week... Police officers arrived on the scene five minutes later to find Russell’s wig, cellphone, and purse along the road, with an Apple watch located inside the bag. The snacks, however, were not there. ... Reference: www.theguardian.com

21 cannabis businesses granted licenses by Alabama commission At its meeting on June 12, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission awarded 21 businesses the license to begin operations in the state. The businesses range from growing and cultivation of marijuana plants to processing, testing, transportation, and dispensing of the resulting products. Reference: Rocket City

GOP senators grow weary of Tuberville abortion stalemate on defense nominees Tuberville told The Hill on Wednesday that he would be willing to relent if given a vote on the Senate floor on a proposal to strictly bar the Defense Department from spending any taxpayer money to help service members obtain abortions. “That’s what we’re waiting on,” he said. “Either put it in the [National Defense Authorization Act] or do a standalone [bill]. ” “As long as there’s no money spent by the taxpayers [for abortions],” he added. Reference: thehill.com

Gov. Kay Ivey denounces ‘woke’ preschool training book, ousts state official Barbara Cooper, head of the Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education, was forced to resign after state officials found the department was distributing teacher training materials that included so-called “woke concepts.” According to a statement released Friday by Gov. Kay Ivey’s office, state officials were alerted last week about a pre-K educator resource book that they said contained “content that is simply not in line with what the Ivey Administration or the people of Alabama stand for or believe.” Reference: www.al.com

Eliminating state grocery tax would make life better for Alabama families Alabama’s sales tax on groceries is a cruel tax on survival , particularly in times of economic insecurity. It increases hunger rates and drives struggling Alabamians deeper into poverty. Two bills in the 2022 regular session – SB 43 by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, and HB 173 by Rep. Mike Holmes, R-Wetumpka – would end the state grocery tax while protecting school funding. The graph below shows how millions of Alabamians would benefit. Reference: Alabama Arise

$1,100 tip is ‘Friendsgiving’ surprise for Cullman, Alabama Waffle House waitress A group of Cullman-area friends “upped the ante” on a young tradition they call Friendsgiving by giving a Waffle House waitress a $1,100 tip. recipient turned out to be a waitress named Julia Ellison... Waffle House on Ala. 157 at I-65... “When I tell you that I have the best friends ever , this is just one of a million things they do that prove it,” Ragsdale said in her post. “Thank you to my girlfriends. I love & cherish each of you.” Reference: www.al.com