News from MadisonJournalTODAY

After months of talks, county commissioners officially gave the thumbs up to the 2010 budget Dec. 17. The county budget will be down 5.4 percent next year. It’s the second straight year commissioners have whittled down the budget, with operating costs at $15 million in 2008, $14.48 million in 2009 and down to $13.69 million in 2010 — a nine ... [Full Story »] 

Hull leaders have their 2010 spending plan in place, approving a $63,246 budget Dec. 21 in the city council’s final meeting of 2009. The city’s largest line item is for fire department insurance ($11,300). The city also authorized mayor Paul Elkins to sign an agreement to begin the city’s two-year audit process. The audit is due June 30 ... [Full Story »] 

Dear Editor: The Board of Commissioners passed the budget for 2010 and they are very self-congratulatory about what an austere budget it is. I am left with several questions. I know the BOC will say I should have spoken up during the public input portions of the budget hearings, but I have learned a lesson about that. I have tried many times to ... [Full Story »] 

Due to abnormally high levels of rain over the past few months, leaky roofs have become the Madison County School System’s most immediate facility repair issue. “We went a couple of years without hardly any rain,” superintendent Mitch McGhee told the Madison County Board of Education (BOE) recently. “Now, every week, we’re getting ... [Full Story »] 

A Danielsville woman was arrested recently after she allegedly bit and punched her juvenile daughter during an altercation. Tara Elizabeth Sosebee, 32, 257 Bonds Lake Road, was charged with one count of cruelty to children in the first degree. According to the incident report, Sosebee and her daughter were traveling on Black’s Creek Church ... [Full Story »]