Alabama News

Alabama Preps for Severe Weather Preparedness

Alabama’s second annual Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday will be the weekend of Feb. 22-24. The state Revenue Department says the state will waive its 4 percent sales tax on items used to prepare homes and businesses for hurricanes …

Giant Nails Will be Used to Prevent Alabama Landslides

Alabama transportation officials hope they have the answer to preventing landslides on Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne: Giant nails. The state Department of Transportation has hired Soil Nail Launcher Inc. of Grand Junction, Colo., to shoot long, nail-like tubes into …

NWS: 2012 Below Average Year for Twisters in Alabama

Forecasters say 2012 is a below-average year for tornadoes in Alabama, at least so far. While Alabama has 40 tornadoes in an average year, the National Weather Service says only 32 tornadoes occurred in the state through Thanksgiving. If no …

Alabama Waiting on Millions in FEMA Twister Payments

Alabama is still waiting on more than $70 million in payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency linked to the deadly tornado outbreak of April 27, 2011. Art Faulkner, director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, says the state already …

NOAA Disaster Response Center Opens in Alabama

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has opened a disaster response center in Mobile, Ala. Grand opening was Monday for the 15,200-square foot facility. The facility will serve as the central coordination point for state, federal and local officials during …

Few Violators Nabbed After Alabama’s Texting Ban Takes Effect

Law officers in some eastern Alabama jurisdictions have yet to issue any citations under the state’s new law banning texting and driving. The law went into effect on Aug. 1. The Anniston Star reports that the Anniston, Jacksonville and Oxford …

Greyhound Bus Catches Fire in Alabama

A fire on a Greyhound bus forced the evacuation of 13 passengers in Birmingham, Ala., but did not cause any injuries. Greyhound spokeswoman Maureen Richmond said a company driver noticed fire and smoke Saturday morning while driving on Interstate 65. …

Courts Clear Way for Suits Over 2010 Alabama Blast Deaths

Federal courts have cleared the way for state lawsuits over the deaths of two men killed in an explosion at Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal. A judge last week rejected requests by some defendants to make federal court the venue for lawsuits …

Pickups Most Frequently Stolen Alabama Vehicles

Alabama isn’t like the rest of the nation when it comes to stolen vehicles. A new report from the National Insurance Crime Bureau says the most stolen vehicle in the United States in 2011 was a 1996 Honda Accord. In …

Alabama City Considers $4 Hike to Seatbelt Fines

Tuscaloosa, Ala., court clerks are having trouble making change for $26 fines assessed for seatbelt violations, so the City Council is considering raising the amount to an even $30. The Tuscaloosa News reports the problems began in June after state …