The Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is this weekend and many parts of Central Alabama are participating. Much like the back to school version in August certain items are exempt from the state sales tax. Elmore County Emergency Management Director Eric Jones says the items are related to weather emergencies. Elmore County is also eliminating its own sales tax for those items over the weekend as are all the counties and major cities in the tri-county area. For a full list of tax exempt merchandise and participating counties and municipalities, go to the Alabama Department of Revenue's website and follow the links.
HRC Petitions
The Human Rights Campaign of Alabama delivered nearly 30,000 signatures to the Judicial Inquiry Commission in Montgomery Wednesday. The group is urging the commission to launch a full ethics investigation into Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore's efforts to block probate judges from following a federal ruling. HRC State Director Ashley Jackson says the petitions are in support of the ethics complaint sent to the commission earlier this month by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Chemical Fire
A chemical fire at a company in the Gunter Industrial Park caused a brief scare Wednesday morning. Montgomery-Fire Rescue Officials said firefighters responded to the Thermalex building around 8 a.m. Firefighters said a zinc compound erupted into flames and they used a dry powder to put out the small fire. About a dozen employees were evacuated and no one was injured. Minor damage was reported at the Thermalex facility on West South Park Drive.