Southerners warned to prepare for messy snow and ice as rare storm moves into region
Published January 28, 2014 FoxNews.com
ATLANTA – Residents across the Deep South are stocking up on fuel and groceries as a rare winter storm is moving into the region, threatening to bring snow, ice and subzero temperatures to places more accustomed to air conditioners and sunscreen than parkas and shovels.
Even with the exact timing and severity of the blast of freezing precipitation uncertain, officials from parts of Texas to southeastern Virginia warned motorists to stay off the roads and remain inside.
Popular warm-weather tourist destinations including Charleston, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; Pensacola, Fla.; Virginia Beach; and New Orleans were expecting ice and snow over the next two days-- rare occurrences in places that seldom even see prolonged sub-freezing temperatures.
In the Hampton Roads area of Virginia -- which forecasters said could see a foot of snow -- store shelves started emptying of staples such as bread by Monday night. Schools and businesses planned to close early, with the storm expected to further clog an already-busy afternoon commute.
In Alabama, snow began falling before dawn in the extreme northwest portion of the state. Forecasters are predicting up to three inches of snow in the central and southern areas of the state, according to MyFoxAtlanta.com.
In coastal Charleston, it was a balmy 62 degrees Monday. But the approaching weather led the College of Charleston to cancel classes Tuesday as a "precautionary measure." There was a forecast of rain, and sleet in the late afternoon, with the first snow expected Wednesday morning.
Much of Georgia was placed under a winter storm warning for Tuesday and Wednesday, including the cities of Atlanta and Macon. While some areas could see as much as 3 inches of snow the bigger concern with plummeting temperatures was ice.
"The snowfall amounts are going to matter very little in this situation because of the ice potential," said Jason Deese, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Ga. "Some parts of the state may end up seeing the greatest impact just because they get more ice than snow."
Delta Air Lines officials say more than 1,800 flights have been canceled ahead of a winter storm expected to pelt areas of the Southeast with sleet and snow. Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton says 1,850 flights have been canceled system-wide Tuesday beginning at 11 a.m. Of that number, Talton says 840 flights from Atlanta have been affected.
The airline is offering travelers the opportunity to make one-time changes to their tickets without a fee if they're traveling through Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Carolinas and Texas. Delta officials expected service to be affected between Jan. 28 and 29, and replacement tickets must be reissued by Feb. 1.
Forecasters were predicting snow and ice from Texas to Virginia by mid-week as precipitation moving in from the south met with cold air already chilling the region. Meanwhile, in the Midwest, plummeting temperatures and increasing winds took root for another day even as the storm moved south. Several states in the central U.S. saw schools and other facilities close for a second consecutive day as dangerous wind chills were predicted. In Minnesota, forecasters said wind chills could reach 35 to 50 degrees below zero.
In the Carolinas, many school districts were running on half-day schedules Tuesday so students could head home before the worst of the storm system hit. In North Carolina's Outer Banks, barrier islands that are popular with tourists during the warm seasons, residents were bracing for as much as 8 inches of snow.
Several inches also were expected in South Carolina, where the state department of transportation planned to send crews out Tuesday to treat roads with sand and brine to ease any troubles caused by ice.
Elsewhere, some schools and government offices already closed in Mississippi ahead of the rare snow event.
"This is a very dangerous situation because snow and ice are very rare for extreme southern Mississippi," Robert Latham, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said in a news release. "We need everyone to have an emergency plan together for this."
In Louisiana, state Public Service Commission Chairman Eric Skrmetta told residents to be prepared by stocking up with food, fueling cars and making sure to have cash on hand, calling the icy forecast for the next couple of days "decidedly grim." State police said freezing rain was falling in the central part of the state early Tuesday, but most highways remained open. The heaviest snowfall was likely to be 1 to 3 inches just north of the Baton Rouge metro area
Donna Vidrine, a cashier at Simcoe Food World in Lafayette, said her store was already busy Monday.
"They're buying things like canned goods -- nonperishable items -- and bottles of water and diapers for their baby," she said.
Obama to sign executive order raising minimum wage for federal contractors
Published January 28, 2014 FoxNews.com
President Obama, in the first of potentially many executive actions tied to his State of the Union address, will unilaterally increase the minimum wage for workers under new federal contracts to $10.10 an hour, from $7.25, in an effort to build momentum for a minimum wage hike for all Americans.
The executive order, which had been pushed by progressive Democratic lawmakers, applies to all contractors performing services for the federal government and would affect more than 2 million employees, according to an administration official.
The president will use Tuesday night's address to press Congress to pass a Democratic plan to increase the federal wage to $10.10 over three years, then indexing it to inflation, while also raising the minimum wage for tipped workers, the official said.
The president, who does not have the power to unilaterally raise the minimum wage for private sector workers, also used last year's State of the Union speech to call for a federal minimum wage hike.
“Let’s declare that in the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty and raise the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour,” the president said to applause in his 2013 address.
The new executive order affects only future contracts, not existing ones, and would only apply to contract renewals if other terms of the agreement changed. As a result, the order would benefit far fewer workers than the number foreseen by advocates of federal contract employees.
In December, Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., co-chairmen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, wrote the president urging him to take the "bold step" of signing an executive order to increase wages for federal contractors, GovExec.com reported.
At the time, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney issued a lukewarm response when asked about the lawmakers' request, according to the report.
“This has always been done legislatively. And it has been done with support from Republicans and not just Democrats in the past,” Carney said.
Obama, in an effort to avoid the appearance of being a lame duck president, is expected to use Tuesday's State of the Union address to make clear his intentions to use his executive powers to achieve his goals when Congress fails to pass legislation.
Minimum wage is a perennial issue that has taken on a higher profile amid the slowly recovering economy and growing public debate about income inequality. A Quinnipiac University poll this month found 71 percent of Americans in favor of raising the minimum wage — including more than half of Republicans polled.
Five states passed minimum wage measures last year, and advocates hope that number will grow as states from New Hampshire to Washington consider proposals. Many would push families above the federal poverty line, which is $15,730 for a family of two. In Iowa, a bill would hike the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10.
Democrats across the political spectrum have lobbied for a higher minimum wage this year, after Obama got the ball rolling on the issue by calling for an increase in his February budget speech. Since then, union-organized demonstrations in front of profitable mega-chains such as Wal-Mart and McDonald's have kept it in the public eye.
Fox News' Ed Henry and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Townhomes planned for the Avalon mixed-used development at Westside Parkway and Old Milton Parkway will be under review by the Alpharetta Design Review Board (DRB) this Friday, Jan. 17.
The DRB will review new facades, new signage and new construction, including that of Sterling Jewelers at 6250 North Point Parkway. Both the construction of the Oak Steakhouse restaurant at Avalon and townhomes to be built at the mixed-used development also are on the agenda.
In downtown Alpharetta new signage for Remixx Luxe Lifestyle Emporium at 64 North Main St. and wall signage for Tin Roof Kitchen at 52B North Main St. will be under review.
The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Friday in Council Chambers at Alpharetta City Hall, 2 South Main Street.
The IRS announced that tax filing season officially opens Jan. 31, and ends as usual on April 15.
Alpharetta.patch.com
By Keri Brenner
The Internal Revenue Service announced plans to open the 2014 filing season on Jan. 31 and encouraged taxpayers to use e-file or Free File as the fastest way to receive refunds.
The new opening date for individuals to file their 2013 tax returns will allow the IRS adequate time to program and test its tax processing systems. The annual process for updating IRS systems saw significant delays in October following the 16-day federal government closure.
“Our teams have been working hard throughout the fall to prepare for the upcoming tax season,” IRS Acting Commissioner Danny Werfel said. “The late January opening gives us enough time to get things right with our programming, testing and systems validation. It’s a complex process, and our bottom-line goal is to provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation’s taxpayers.”
The government closure meant the IRS had to change the original opening date from Jan. 21 to Jan. 31, 2014. The 2014 date is one day later than the 2013 filing season opening, which started on Jan. 30, 2013 following January tax law changes made by Congress on Jan. 1 under the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA). The extensive set of ATRA tax changes affected many 2012 tax returns, which led to the late January opening.
The IRS noted that several options are available to help taxpayers prepare for the 2014 tax season and get their refunds as easily as possible. New year-end tax planning information has been added to IRS.gov this week.
In addition, many software companies are expected to begin accepting tax returns in January and hold those returns until the IRS systems open on Jan. 31. More details will be available in January.
The IRS cautioned that it will not process any tax returns before Jan. 31, so there is no advantage to filing on paper before the opening date. Taxpayers will receive their tax refunds much faster by using e-file or Free File with the direct deposit option.
The April 15 tax deadline is set by statute and will remain in place. However, the IRS reminds taxpayers that anyone can request an automatic six-month extension to file their tax return. The request is easily done with Form 4868, which can be filed electronically or on paper.
IRS systems, applications and databases must be updated annually to reflect tax law updates, business process changes and programming updates in time for the start of the filing season.
The October closure came during the peak period for preparing IRS systems for the 2014 filing season. Programming, testing and deployment of more than 50 IRS systems is needed to handle processing of nearly 150 million tax returns. Updating these core systems is a complex, year-round process with the majority of the work beginning in the fall of each year.
About 90 percent of IRS operations were closed during the shutdown, with some major work streams closed entirely during this period, putting the IRS nearly three weeks behind its tight timetable for being ready to start the 2014 filing season. There are additional training, programming and testing demands on IRS systems this year in order to provide additional refund fraud and identity theft detection and prevention.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul believes the government can fight terrorism without violating the constitutional rights of American citizens.
In an interview with Fox News' Eric Bolling, Paul said, “The question here is whether or not, constitutionally, you can have a single warrant apply to millions of people. So we thought, what better way to illustrate the point than having hundreds of thousands of Americans sign up for a class-action suit.”
"Recent news reports revealed that Barack Obama's NSA is looking through billions of our emails and phone records every day," he wrote. "I'm OUTRAGED -- and I'm going to do everything I can to END this madness."
Paul has also asked Internet service providers and phone companies to join the class-action lawsuit.
Forsyth County Environmental Health conducts inspections of local establishments to give patrons a snapshot of the operations of the businesses. Its goal is to provide consumers information to help protect themselves from the risk factors linked to illness and injury.
Items on inspection lists have point values ranging from 1 to 9 points and are deducted from a best possible score of 100. Higher points are deducted for items with higher risks to cause illness. Repeat violations also cost establishments more points.
Cumming and Forsyth County restaurants, eateries, food stores and boarding facilities recently inspected include the following. Click the links for full inspection reports.
The city of Alpharetta is warning motorists of hazardous driving conditions during the morning commute, with areas of black ice likely.
Alpharetta issued a winter road conditions advisory for Monday, Jan. 6. Patchy black ice may continue to develop in low lying areas and on bridges throughout the day until roadways are dry.
Staff at Fulton County Schools will report at 10 a.m. this morning instead of the usual time. Students aren't scheduled to return to school until Tuesday morning. No decision has been made on Tuesday yet, according to Samantha Evans, a press officer for the system.
For up-to-date information, stay tuned to local news stations, Fulton County Schools' social media channels (Twitter and Facebook) and the district's website, www.fultonschools.org.
The National Weather Service forecasts indicate a line of rain entering the Alpharetta area around midnight. Around 3 a.m. on Monday, temperatures will drop below freezing and the rain will shift to a rain/snow mix and ultimately to snow flurries. Precipitation is anticipated to end around 6 a.m. However, temperatures will remain below freezing.
While this is a minor snow event, icy and/or slippery conditions are likely on area roadways; especially on bridges and low-lying areas. The city is urging all motorists to exercise caution when driving and to travel at below normal speeds due to this potential. Avoid heavy braking and remember that applying brakes on ice will cause loss of vehicle control.
Driving Safely On Icy Roads (This is a short list of advice offered byThe Weather Channel online.)
Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
Keep your lights and windshield clean.
Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
Alpharetta Teen, Adult Volunteers Collecting Christmas Trees Today
Alpharetta.patch.com
Plenty of volunteers will help the Alpharetta Natural Resources Commission with its Bring One for the Chipper Christmas Tree collection and recycling site opening at the Home Depot on Windward Parkway on Saturday, Jan. 4.
Alpharetta residents can bring their trees to The Home Depot located at 5300 Windward Parkway from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday.
The Alpharetta-Johns Creek Kiwanis Club has sponsored Alpharetta's Bring One for the Chipper event at Home Depot for 10 of the event's 12 years, coming back on Saturday, Jan. 4.
They'll have volunteers at all three shifts of the event. But they won't be alone.
"The Alpharetta Young Men’s Service League is an awesome group of teenage boys and moms that joined as partners about four years ago and will also be there for all three shifts," Porter said.
"This is a fun event for us and we will be giving away native dogwood seedlings in exchange for Christmas trees," she said.
Participants can get more than a free seedling.
"The Windward Chick-Fil-A also gives us coupons for free food for participants and lunch for our wonderful volunteers," Porter said.
And Ferry Morse also donated vegetable and flower seed for giveaways.
Davey Tree chips trees from the site several times, as Porter said they typically get between 2,000 and 3,000 trees in the few weeks after Christmas.
A full load of fresh mulch can be requested by anyone and Davey Tree will deliver it free of charge as long as supplies last. To request mulch, download and fill out the Mulch Request Form.
Local sponsors are the Windward Parkway Home Depot, the Alpharetta-Johns Creek Kiwanis Club, Windward Parkway Chick-Fil-A Store, The Alpharetta Rotary Club and the Alpharetta Young Men’s Service League.
'Polar vortex' set to bring dangerous, record-breaking cold to much of US
January 4, 2012. Foxnews.com
As much of the country digs out from a powerful winter storm that buried parts of the Northeast, tundra-like temperatures are poised to deliver a rare and potentially dangerous blow to the Midwest, with forecasters predicting a near-record or historic cold outbreak.
The "polar vortex," as one meteorologist calls it, isexpected to send cold air piled up at the North Pole down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast and driving temperatures below freezing for most of the nation.
Forecasters expect a weekend warm-up in some areas before temperatures plunge again, sending wind chill temperatures in areas in North Dakota and Minnesota to minus 50 degrees by Saturday night.
Those states are notorious for their cold winters, but states in the Mid-Atlantic and New England can also expect wind chill temperatures as low as minus 20 degrees.
Cities and states are already taking precautions. Minnesota called off school for Monday statewide, the first such closing in 17 years, because of projected highs in the minus teens and lows as cold as 30 below. Milwaukee and Madison, Wis., students also won't be in class Monday. North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple urged superintendents to keep children's safety in making the decision after the state forecast called for "life threatening wind chills" through Tuesday morning.
Ken Simosko, a meteorologist from Bismarck, said it would take all of five minutes to get frostbite in minus 50 degree condition.
"We usually don't call something 'life threatening,'" he told FoxNews.com. "But yes, we want people to know that this is very much a life-threatening event."
Simosko urged people in the region to stay indoors when the temperature sinks. He said it is a rare event to see ground temperatures around the minus 25 degree mark combined wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour.
Besides the cold air, meteorologists are also eyeing another snowstorm that might form over the Midwest this weekend and potentially dump 6 to 12 inches of snow. The storm is expected to turn to rain as it makes its way east.
At least 16 deaths were blamed on the storm as it swept across the nation's eastern half on Friday, including three people who officials said died at least partly because of the extreme cold.
Meanwhile, some cities saw record lows on Friday. In Wisconsin, a record low temperature was set in Green Bay, where the mercury dipped to minus 18. The National Weather Service said that topped the 17-below-zero mark last recorded in 1979.
Sunday's playoff game in Green Bay could be among one of the coldest NFL games ever played. Temperatures at Lambeau Field are expected to be a frigid minus 2 degrees when the Packers and San Francisco 49ers kick off, and by the fourth quarter it'll be a bone-chilling minus 7, with wind chills approaching minus 30, according to the National Weather Service. Officials are warning fans to take extra safety measures to stay warm including dressing in layers and sipping warm drinks.
Warming centers opened around the region, homeless shelters saw larger crowds and cities took special measures to look after those most vulnerable to the cold. Outreach teams were searching New York City streets for homeless people at risk of freezing to death.
And though this cold spell will last just a few days as warmer air comes behind, it likely will freeze over the Great Lakes and other bodies of water, meaning frigid temperatures will likely last the rest of winter, said Ryan Maue, a meteorologist for Weather Bell.
"It raises the chances for future cold," he said, adding it could include next month's Super Bowl in New York.
Fox News' Edmund DeMarche and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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