The Mobile City Council are still considering a 1 percent sales tax increase, though it was voted down last time with a 3-3 vote, with one member abstaining.

The original proposal indicated a 1 percent increase through September 30, 2012, which is the end of the 2012 fiscal year; after this it would go down to one half of the 1 percent for 2013.  The new proposal, however, has the 1 percent increase gone entirely after September 30th of 2011, when Mobile City Council members would take another vote for a possible renewal of the tax increase.  This compromise may be just the thing to pass the proposal with the necessary 5 votes from the seven council members.

For more on the possible tax increase in Mobile AL, visit AL.com.

And for all your Mobile and West Mobile AL real estate endeavors, whether buying or selling in the beautiful Gulf Coast area, contact local Realtor Barbara Reeves today.

Just yesterday, EADS North America made their announcement to bid on the Air Force Tanker contract with confidence.  EADS Chairman, Ralph Crosby, indicated that the KC45 tanker is undergoing flight testing trials and is expected to be available faster than Boeing.  Plans to modify EADS’ own A-330 freighter as well as the KC45 will be carried out at Mobile’s Brookley Field; this could mean as many as 1500 high paying jobs at Mobile AL’s assembly plant as well as other aircraft related plants on the Gulf Coast.  EADS will be submitting their bid on July 8th and will then await the Air Force and Department of Defense’s decision.

For more on the latest news in Mobile AL, visit WKRG.com.

And for information on buying and selling real estate in Mobile or West Mobile AL, contact your friendly local agent Barbara Reeves today.

Entertainment at the theatre is coming up in the Mobile AL area.  The Mobile Opera for the 2010 year will favor area theatre patrons with great productions including “Candide,” “The Light in the Piazza,” and Tosca.”  The Mobile Opera company will be celebrating their 65th anniversary this year of bringing their top-notch talent and brilliant performances to the Gulf Coast.
Mark your calendars for this week’s performance of “Der fliegende Hollander” (“The Flying Dutchman”) showing at the Mobile Civic Center Theater in downtown Mobile AL on March 25 and 27 at 7:30 in the evening.

For more information on the Mobile Opera productions, visit mobileopera.org.

For information on buying or selling property in Mobile or West Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

This past Thursday, the Department of Defense announced that they may be willing to extend the May 10th deadline for bids on the U.S. Air Force tanker contract.  With this extension the Department of Defense hope to have EADS join the competition for this potential $40 billion contract.   Northrop Grumman Corp, as teamed with EADS the parent company of Airbus, announced earlier this month that they were quitting the contest because they believed the Air Force’s selection criteria favored Boeing.  An  EADS spokesman indicated to the Pentagon that they had possible interest in bidding with the extension, as May 10th was too soon for them to pull together a bid.

While there may still be hope for Mobile AL’s proposed aircraft assembly plant, they are likely to meet with opposition from Boeing whose political backers stated they would fight any attempt to extend the deadline.

For more on Mobile AL news, visit AL.com.

For information on buying and selling property in Mobile or West Mobile AL, contact Barbara Reeves today.

A recent vote in Alabama by the House Constitution and Elections Committee was in favor of a bill that would divide Alabama’s electors proportionately.  In a 7-5 vote, a House committee approved the bill to scrap the current ‘winner-take-all- system’ that divides Alabama’s nine electors in presidential elections.  Though Democrats on the panel were in support of the bill as it would allow people voting for the losing candidate to feel like they are still part of the process, Republicans debate that this would only work if all states employed this system as well.  The bill will now be facing a decision at the House, and the bill will be further discussed pending approval or rejection.

For more on the latest news in Alabama, including Mobile and West Mobile, visit Al.com.

For more on buying or selling property in Mobile or West Mobile AL, contact local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

Mobile River Road plan presented

The new Mobile River road plan will be open for public comment today from the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  MPO is comprised of local elected officials and engineers and approves all federal road funding in the Mobile AL area.  The road plan in question is referred to as the Long Range Transportation Plan which will stretch over a 25 year period and includes various projects estimated to cost $750 million.  Some of the named projects include a new Mobile River crossing, the widening of Snow Road from Jeff Hamilton Road to U.S. 98 in order to make a new bypass west of Schillinger Road, and widening Alabama Highway 193 from Hamilton Boulevard to a little north of Fowl River.  Mobile AL community members will be able to attend the hearing from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the GM&O Building in downtown Mobile to learn more about the road plan and voice their opinions.

For more on other projects that the MPO are planning visit their website at mobilempo.org.

And for all your Mobile AL real estate endeavors contact your local realtor Barbara Reeves today.

Mobile AL’s Berg Spiral Pipe Corp.’s parent company Europipe GmbH has won a some $920 million contract (650 million euro) to supply pipe for a large project in Europe.  The project would involve supplying pipe for the construction of a second line of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline stretching from Russia to Germany.  The ordered 1 million metric tons of pipe will be needed for the beginning of constructed expected this spring starting under the Baltic Sea.

Europipe has a partnership between German steelmakers Salzgitter AG and Dillinger Hutte, and in 2008 Europipe opened a $96 million Berg mill north of downtown Mobile in Plateau.

For more information on this story visit the Press Register online.

For more information on real estate in Mobile or West Mobile AL contact Barbara Reeves today.

At the north Mobile County ThyssenKrup steel complex, the start of production is growing very near.  for this $4.65 billion steel complex in Calvert, the first slabs for the mill have been on their way from Germany and excepted to arrive by February 15th.  American steel mills on the whole have run at about 65 percent capacity during the second week of January, which is better than the utilization rate at the depths of the market last year, but the Mobile steel mill plans on avoiding producing more than the current market needs.  The German steelmaker did a major reorganization partially to control expenses so that past losses from cost overruns will be less likely.  The Mobile AL steel mill employs approximately 5,000 construction workers and continues to be an exciting addition to the area’s economy.

For more information on ThyssenKrupp in Mobile AL visit the Press Register online.

And for all your Mobile AL real estate endeavors keep local realtor Barbara Reeves in mind.

According to a recent Baldwin County News article, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami will be issuing watches and warnings for storms earlier than ever before.  With advancements in track forecasts, a greater lead time for costal storms is made possible starting this year; the estimated new lead time for watches and warnings will be issued 12 additional hours earlier than in previous years, making it possible for residents to prepare for what may be coming.

For more on the NHC’s new technology in watching tropical storms, visit Baldwin County Now.

For more information on buying or selling property in Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Daphne, or Spanish Fort AL, contact your local, knowledgeable realtor Barbara Reeves.

Get ready for the 2010 Mardi Gras Season in Mobile AL

The Mardi Gras season is coming for Mobile AL this new year.  The 2010 Carnival season will kick off with Krewe De La Dauphine’s parade in Dauphin Island AL on January 16 with the theme being “Games Children Play.”

This celebration in the Gulf Coast was first observed in Mobile AL in 1703 and has been a fabulous tradition ever since, marked by great regional treats and parades.  More activities are scheduled all across Mobile and Baldwin counties with new parade themes and celebrations.  Keep checking back at AL.com for more information on Mardi Gras activities this year.

For more information on property in Alabama’s Gulf coast, including Mobile, West Mobile, Fairhope, Daphne, and Spanish Fort, contact your friendly local agent Barbara Reeves today.