The Alabama CHOOSE Act passed, and applications begin today for Alabama families to get up to $7,000 toward private school tuition.
The CHOOSE Act was passed by the legislature in May, thus creating a school choice program to give support to families who want to send K-12 kids to private schools. Families can apply for state-funded education savings accounts to use on tuition and other expenses like books and school supplies.
The first ESAs will be limited to specific groups of students for 2025-26. All students in the state will be eligible for ESAs at the start of the 2027-28 school year.
Enrolled students will get up $7,000 placed in a digital wallet account by July 1, 2025 if approved. Homeschooled students will get $2,000 starting July 1 with a cap of $4,000 per family.
Only Alabama residents are eligible. Students must be between 5 and 19 years old and have not graduated high school. Students with disabilities between the ages of 5 and 21 are also eligible.
Families must fall within 300% of the 2024 Federal Poverty Guideline to qualify. .
Priority will be given in this order:
Students with special needs get the first 500 ESAs; then siblings of eligible students; then students in military families zoned to priority schools; then students in families whose income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level ($93,600 for a family of four).
Families eligible for tax credit scholarships through the Alabama Accountability Act can’t apply to both programs—they must choose one or the other.
Eligible families will be notified by their school by Jan. 10, 2025, and students have until March 1, 2025 to return transfer forms.
The morning started cool with lows down in the mid 30s. By afternoon temperatures will be in upper 50s and it’s nothing but blue skies straight ahead for the next few days.
We should have right at freezing nights and sunny but slightly cool days through the middle of next week.
Long range forecast predict a hard freeze, maybe temperatures as low as 20 degrees next Wednesday. So middle to late parts of next week may have down in the 20s at night, and struggling to get into the 40s with mostly sunny days then.
The next rain chances may come Sunday late into early Monday morning.
Here is the first light of new year, dawn of 2025.
DOTHAN: 9:13 PM Dothan 911 dispatched Dothan Police, Dothan Fire Engine 2 ( Lakewood ), Pilcher Ambulance to an edged weapon assault. The call was upgraded to a burglary. The call was upgraded to a firearm assault.
The call location is 2028 Woodland Drive.
Units are on the scene and by 9:16 PM had cleared call from emergency radio traffic and cleared the scene for Dothan Fire and Pilcher Ambulance to enter the scene.
COLUMBIA – WEBB – HOUSTON COUNTY: Columbia Police notified Houston County 911 a black Charger was west bound on Highway 52 from Columbia at a high rate of speed. The Columbia Officer was unable to catch him but was in pursuit.
Kinsey Police intercepted the vehicle on Highway 52 as it came into Webb. The clocked speeds were about 138 miles per hour.
Houston County Sheriff Deputies were responding to the chase. Gordon Police Chief Keith Gray met the vehicle and clocked at speeds of 140 miles per hour.
At 5:59 PM the units in the chase reported the vehicle had wrecked at North Beverlye Road and Columbia Highway. A power pole was down and power lines were down. Law Enforcement units called for Dothan Fire and Pilcher Ambulance ASAP. Law Enforcement Officers had some subjects that were in the Dodge Charger at gunpoint and one person fled on foot.
Dothan Police, Dothan Fire, Pilcher Ambulance responded. Dothan Utiltiies was dispatched. The Dodge Charger caught on fire and reports fully involved. All persons were reported out of the vehicle.
Power is out in the area of North Beverlye Road area. On Kelly Road fire alarms went off at commercial structure because of the power outage.
Dothan Fire Deputy Fire Chief Pete Webb responded.
At the same time this was going on, 6:18 PM wreck with injuries North Oates and Adams Street, 6:24 PM Medical Call John D. Odom Road, 6:56 PM Medical Call on N. St. Andrews Street, Fire Alarm on Kelly Drive, 7:06 PM Medical Emergency Old Barn Lane, shots fired call at another location.
Columbia Highway from Eastland to Ross Clark Circle is closed.
Dothan Police was not involved in the chase. Houston County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jeff Carlisle responded to the scene.
UPDATED @ 8:53 PM
The person that ran, well he did not run. The other suspects and driver attempted to claim the driver ran. But the driver did not run and finally admitted that he was the driver.
None of the injuries were life threatening injuries.
The Governor and the state’s court system have closed all state and court offices beginning at noon today. Therefore, the county will officially close the courthouse since all offices inside the building will be closed.
The county’s administrative building and all other county offices will operate with normal hours.
