The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Unexpected expenses, a sudden drop in sales, a data breach: These are just a few examples of business risks. And knowing how to manage these potential interruptions is essential for any risk management plan. To keep a small business afloat, a predetermined blueprint must be in place to identify risks, protect the business from unnecessary losses, and prepare for the unknown. To get a grip on what could hurt a small business's growth, NEXT shares six essential steps to create a risk management...
Purchasing a home is one of the most important investments there is. More than a place to live, homeownership is an asset with the potential to tremendously rise in value. But with home prices reaching record heights, affordability plays a huge role for buyers. The typical home value in the United States was $358,461 in December, 2.6% higher than the year before. High mortgage rates are also making monthly payments more expensive; as of January 16, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits at 7.04%....
St. Clair County man appointed to assist President Trump on international economic relations January 17, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald J. Trump (R) announced the appointment of St. Clair County native Emory to serve in the administration as the Special Assistant to the President for International Economics. Cox has spent the last four years as a policy advisor to U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama). Cox told the Alabama Gazette, "I am honored to serve, and I will work har...
January 24, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Katie Britt's (R-Ala.) S.5, the Laken Riley Act, today passed the U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 263-156. The passage of this legislation is the most significant immigration enforcement and border security related bill to pass Congress in nearly three decades. The bill now heads to President Donald J. Trump's desk to be signed into law. "With the House passage of the Laken Riley Act today, this landmark b...
January 22, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) reintroduced the bipartisan, bicameral Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act, to permanently add the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), the governmental body that oversees the vetting process of foreign investment and acquisition of American companies. Currently, CFIUS does not directly consider the needs...
January 16, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Representative Gary Palmer (AL-06) introduced a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to block the Biden Administration's recent attempt to ban natural gas water heaters. Rep. Palmer released the following statement: "In his final days in power, Biden is continuing his regulatory attack on American homes. This radical ban on gas water heaters proves that the administration's focus is on furthering an agenda instead of what is best for the A...
January 15, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Robert Aderholt is honored to again lead the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. He will also serve on the Defense and Agriculture Subcommittees. "I'm honored to continue to serve on the House Appropriations Committee and to continue to chair the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee," said Congressman Aderholt. "As chairman of the...
January 14, 2025 - Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Shomari C. Figures announced that Amtrak has been awarded a $21 million Restoration and Enhancement (R&E) grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to restore intercity passenger rail service along the Gulf Coast, specifically between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. This initiative underscores = our commitment to improving transportation infrastructure and enhancing connectivity for all communities. In collaboration...
January 22, 2025 - Washington D.C. – U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) spoke on the House Floor to honor the retirement of Dr. Charles Steele, Jr. after 17 years as President and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Rep. Sewell: Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary career and achievements of Dr. Charles Steele, Jr., as he celebrates his retirement after 17 years as the President and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. A true trailblazer, D...
To avoid any confusion, this definition of "best" is based on Edmunds Expert Ratings of three-year-old vehicles. They were tested when they were new, but much of the same impressions should still apply. This crop is a few years old now, which means you're likely to see a lot of lease returns. Many examples will qualify for automakers' certified pre-owned programs, and the factory warranty will still cover some. This report also looked at Edmunds' industry-leading consumer ratings to ensure only...
Edmunds drives, tests, and evaluates more than 300 vehicles every year. Editors rack up tens of thousands of miles on racetracks, mountain roads, and highways alike, all in the quest to help you find that perfect ride. Some are great; some are disappointing, but only a few rise to the standard that earns them Edmunds' highest honor: The Edmunds Top Rated Award. Our winners for 2025 are here, and each has risen to the top through a mix of quality, functionality, livability, and value. 1. Top...
January 17, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C.- Congressman Dale Strong (R-AL), Member of the House Committees on Appropriations and Homeland Security, and Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, reintroduced the CyberCorps Enhancement Act. This bipartisan legislation will extend the existing CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (SFS) Program's participation period from three to five years, supporting students pursuing advanced STEM...
With drug overdose rates skyrocketing—deaths jumped from 8.2 per 100,000 people in 2002 to 32.6 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—more attention than ever is focused on how to treat the public health crisis of addiction. Roughly 17% of the U.S. population (48.5 million people aged 12 and up) had a substance use disorder in 2023, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health—but most did not r...
January 22, 2024 – WASHINTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) called on the federal government to place an immigration court within the state of Alabama so that the people of Alabama will, "have their own set of deportation lawyers and judges." President Donald J. Trump (R) has made securing the southern border a priority of his second administration. Trump, who campaigned heavily on immigration issues, has promised the greatest deportation of illegal immigrants in the his...
January 23, 2025 – the U.S. Senate voted to confirm John Ratcliffe to serve as President Trump's Director of the powerful Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Ratcliffe is the second member of the Trump cabinet to be confirmed. A bipartisan majority voted to confirm Ratcliffe in a 74 to 25 vote. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R) released a statement following the vote. "With increasing threats around the globe and after a terrorist attack in New Orleans this month, it is absolutely essential the S...
In June 2023, the town council in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, voted unanimously to install the gunshot detection service ShotSpotter. The town would get the system up and running in a few square miles of the city using $297,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funding, reports The Trace. "Crime is an issue, but it's not unique to Phillipsburg," Councilmember Keith Kennedy said after the vote. "It's in every town and city around us." ShotSpotter, which alerts police to shootings through acoustic sensors...
With drug overdose rates skyrocketing—deaths jumped from 8.2 per 100,000 people in 2002 to 32.6 in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—more attention than ever is focused on how to treat the public health crisis of addiction. Roughly 17% of the U.S. population (48.5 million people aged 12 and up) had a substance use disorder in 2023, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Survey on Drug Use and Health—but most did not r...
January 24, 2025 - MONTGOMERY – Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Marty Redden announced today that Alabama's labor force participation rate for December increased by one-tenth of a percentage point to 57.7%. Over the year, this percentage has increased by three-tenths of a percentage point. The percentage of prime-age workers remained steady over the month at 78.9%. Over the year, this number increased by four-tenths of a percentage point from 78.5%. Prime-age workers are those aged 25-54 y...
January 22, 2025 – MONTGOMERY, AL - Alabama Supreme Court Associate Justice Will Sellers was recently sworn into his second term on the Alabama Supreme Court. Governor Kay Ivey appointed Sellers in 2017. He was elected in 2018 and was re-elected in 2024. His current term will conclude in 2031. At the simple ceremony, Justice Sellers said, "I'm thankful to Gov. Ivey who initially appointed me to this position and I'm grateful to the people of Alabama who re-elected me for another 6 years. S...
January 23, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) spoke on the Senate floor in support of Pete Hegseth, President Trump's nominee to be Secretary of Defense Tuberville said that Hegseth will bring much-needed change to the Department of Defense. Sen. Tuberville addressed legislation he reintroduced on Wednesday, the Foreign Adversary Risk Management (FARM) Act. Tuberville said that the FARM Act will help secure America's agricultural industry and food supply cha...
January 24, 2025 - Washington, D.C. – Republicans in the U.S. Senate worked late into the night to get around Democrats procedural delay tactics in order to confirm Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense. Three Republican Senators broke ranks with President Donald J. Trump (R) to vote with Democrats in opposition to Hegseth. These were Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky). The tie forced newly sworn in Vice President John David "J.D." Vance to ste...
January 25, 2025 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate confirmed South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) to be Homeland Security Secretary. Noem was confirmed with bipartisan support 59 to 34. Both U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) supported Noem's confirmation. Britt is the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She released a statement after the Senate confirmed Noem: "After four y...
January 24, 2025 - Washington, DC – Democratic leadership has announced that Congressman Shomari Figures (D-AL02) will serve as the Vice Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. This makes Figures the number two Democrat on the committee that will be at the center of addressing key infrastructure issues in Alabama, including securing funding for the critically important I-10 Bay Bridge project in Mobile. "I am incredibly grateful to Tran...
January 27, 2025 - MONTGOMERY, AL - The Alabama House Republican Caucus announced on Monday its 2025 "Alabama Values" legislative agenda and statement of principles, a list of conservative issues and initiatives that the body's supermajority will prioritize for passage when the Legislature convenes in Montgomery for its regular session on February 4. "The 'Alabama Values' name represents the conservative beliefs and values that most Alabamians embrace, but, at the same time, it also represents...
Buying a new SUV can be stressful for a lot of reasons. One of the biggest is not necessarily knowing if your purchase will be reliable for you during your ownership. While this is always something to consider when buying a vehicle, you can rest easier knowing that, for the most part, vehicles are generally very reliable these days, with most issues stemming from things like infotainment. Still, for the sake of research, Edmunds provides more information. First, it's important to note that...
