The Alabama Retail Association is encouraging consumers to shop local during the back-to-school sales tax holiday. The holiday begins Friday at 12:01 a.m. and ends Sunday at midnight. Alabama Retail Association Communications Manager Melissa Warnke says the "Shop Alabama Initiative" is underway. Eligible items include clothing priced at $100 or less, school supplies at $50 or less, books at $30 or less and computers and computer equipment selling at $750 or less.
Melanie began her career as a work study student, working in the areas of news reporting, anchoring and news-gathering. After graduating from Alabama State University, she worked as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. As a News Director at WVAS-FM, Melanie leads her team to produce award- winning newscasts and talk shows. Her professional achievements includes News Reporter of the Year for a number of years and awards for talk show producer, by the Alabama Broadcasters Association and the Associated Press. She is an active member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Her goals are to expand the reach of WVAS FM into more homes locally, regionally and nationally.