MONTGOMERY, AL "Preventing and ending homelessness in Alabama will be impossible without collaboration by government agencies, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, and faith-based and community partners," stated Alabama Governor Bob Riley, who this week welcomed United States Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano for the convening of the Alabama Governor's Statewide Interagency Council on Homelessness.

In the aftermath of the recent storms that tore through central Alabama, home repair work is often necessary. Unfortunately, unscrupulous remodelers can take advantage of homeowners in need. There are several important factors to consider in hiring someone to perform repair or remodeling work on your home.Following are some tips for finding qualified, reputable remodelers:

SEATTLE, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Seattle-based Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN), a leading fashion specialty retailer, announced it has signed a letter of intent with General Growth Properties and Jim Wilson & Associates, LLC to open a new Nordstrom store at Riverchase Galleria in Birmingham.

MONTGOMERY – Some Alabama children who take the bus to school will be buckled-up during the trip for the first time next year thanks to a grant awarded by a special panel Governor Bob Riley appointed.

TUSCALOOSA - Existing home sales in Alabama softened for the second consecutive month as consumers continued to cautiously digest the impact of the evolving credit market, according to Grayson M. Glaze, J.D., executive director of the Alabama Center for Real Estate at The University of Alabama.

A Dothan housing market that was once on fire is in a cooling off period, but some local realtors believe the market was primed for a slowdown after a phenomenal 2006.The median price of a Dothan home dropped to $122,000 in August, the lowest median price since February of 2006.

With the influx of students returning to Troy this week, housing in the city has nearly reached its capacity. “Right now we are almost 100 percent rented,” said Earl Ellis of Landmark Realty. “We've had kind of a low availability for quite some time, but it really has become acute in the last 30 days.”

The market in Demopolis is still very hot. Properties under $150,000 are generally selling pretty fast, but it does depend on location and the condition of the house. Values have increased and where the national trend has kind of been a slump, the Demopolis market is still very hot.

DAUPHIN ISLAND -- More than 200 property owners here have filed appeals with Mobile County this week, claiming that tax officials overestimated their homes' values and overcharged them on property taxes, according to officials with the county and with the town's property owners group.

The Fort Payne City Council voted Tuesday to rezone about 4 acres of land that could become the site of new apartments or town...

Sales of single-family homes in the Birmingham area fell 4.7 percent in April, the fourth consecutive monthly decline from the previous year. Birmingham Association of...