Collins & Carns: Occupational Tax
Jefferson County officials are still waiting to hear whether they’ll be allowed to spend occupational tax money while the legal battle against the tax winds its way through the courts. Earlier, a judge ruled the tax illegal. The county has appealed, saying if it loses the $75 million a year, the county will be financially devastated. WBHM’s Tanya Ott asked County Commission President Bettye Fine Collins how the occupational tax became such a big chunk of the general fund budget.
Collins has asked county department chiefs to prepare for 33-percent budget cuts, on top of 10 percent cuts they already took. Some critics, including County Commissioner Jim Carns, question whether across-the-board cuts make sense.
Bettye Fine Collins talks about how this situation is one of the most compelling arguments for reforming Alabama’s constitution.
2 dead and 18 injured in Southern California plane crash
Two people died and 18 were injured Thursday when a small plane crashed through the roof of a furniture manufacturing building in Southern California, police said.
Photos: Bourbon Street reopens in New Orleans after truck attack
Bourbon Street re-opened in New Orleans Thursday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Wednesday morning's attack by a Texas man driving a Ford pickup truck plowed into a crowd of New Year's revelers.
Still on the hunt, the FBI shares new details about pipe bombs placed ahead of Jan. 6
Officials are still trying to identify the person who placed bombs outside of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee offices in 2021. Now they have fresh details.
The oldest living Olympic medal winner, Ágnes Keleti, has died at age 103
Keleti, who was also a Holocaust survivor, was hospitalized in critical condition with pneumonia on Dec. 25. She died Thursday morning in Budapest, the Hungarian state news agency reported.
Ukrainian soldiers and shopkeepers hold on as Russia’s siege of Pokrovsk tightens
Ukrainian forces are fighting to hold on to the key city of Pokrovsk, in one of the fiercest battles in eastern Ukraine, but commanders admit the Russians have more troops and firepower.
FBI now says the suspect in the deadly New Orleans truck attack acted alone
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the driver of the pickup truck who plowed into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day, killing at least 14 people, acted alone, the FBI said Thursday.
