The lawmakers who will draw Alabama’s new congressional district map will hold their first meeting and public hearing next Tuesday. AL.com reports the reapportionment committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. at the State House in Montgomery. A three-judge federal district court issued an order earlier this week giving the Legislature until July 21 to create a new congressional map. All scheduled public hearings and Reapportionment Committee meetings will be posted on the legislative website, legislature.state.al.us.
Construction crews broke ground this week on an inpatient mental health crisis care center for children and adolescents. The 24-bed, 12,000 sq. ft. facility will be the first of its kind in Madison County. The pediatric wing will be adjacent to WellStone Emergency Services, which opened last fall on WellStone’s main campus in Huntsville. The Huntsville Business Journal reports the addition will provide stabilization, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care for children and adolescents experiencing severe depression, extreme anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and other mental health related crises. The pediatric wing is scheduled for completion in late 2024. It will serve children and adolescents in Madison County and surrounding communities.
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is planning an expansion of its Huntsville campus. The project will create at least 100 new jobs. AL.com reports the expansion will be in the form of a 108,000 square foot building that will house the global headquarters of Discovery Life Sciences as well as the HudsonAlpha Center for Plant Genomics & Sustainable Agriculture’s Greenhouse and Learning Laboratories. The Huntsville city council approved the city entering into a project development agreement with HudsonAlpha that will provide up to $2 million of financial assistance to help offset construction costs. Construction has been underway since late 2020 but rising construction and labor costs along with supply chain issues and inflation have caused the project to be more expensive than originally planned.
Alabama renters pay the second highest average renters insurance bills in the country. Residents of Mississippi pay the most. The average renter in Alabama can expect to pay roughly $362 per year, or around $30 per month, according to data from Quote Wizard, an insurance comparison and shopping site. AL.com reports the national average for renters insurance is about $219 per year. According to personal finance website Bankrate, the state’s weather patterns play a big part in why its insurance premiums are higher than the national average. Alabama residents face multiple tornado seasons throughout the year and the threat of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
As we head toward the fourth of July holiday, Huntsville Fire & Rescue would like to remind residents that certain fireworks are now permitted for use in the City of Huntsville, per an ordinance recently amended by the City Council. Nonexplosive, nonaerial sparking devices, both ground-based and handheld, are legal to use, sell or purchase in the city limits of Huntsville. These fireworks include cylindrical and cone fountains, illuminating torches, wheels and ground spinners. The safest way to enjoy fireworks is by attending a professional fireworks show. This Saturday at 9 PM, Ditto Landing’s independence day celebration will feature a fireworks show and Monday’s Concert in the Park at Big Spring will offer fireworks as well.