Local News
Weekend Weather Forecast: Scattered Showers and a Cold Front Incoming

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (TC Tribune) – Scattered showers return to the region to kick off the weekend. Behind this weather system, another shot of cold air awaits.
Tonight Through Saturday Night
Enjoy the calm weather for Friday evening because big changes to the forecast are ahead. We are mainly dry tonight. A stray shower is possible late Friday, but most of us are dry as clouds increase. Lows dip into the mid-and-upper-40s.
Rain chances spike to kick off the weekend. Some good news, we are not tracking a washout and we are not anticipating severe weather. However, showers are looking likely at times and some could be heavy. Highs top out in the mid-and-upper-60s under a mostly cloudy sky.
Scattered showers linger for Saturday night. Lows dip into the mid-50s under a cloudy sky. Some areas of patchy fog are looking possible.
Tracking Our Next Cool Down
Spotty showers are possible Sunday morning, especially in our southeastern counties. However, the forecast is turning drier and cooler for the second half of the weekend. Temperatures hover in the upper-50s under a partly sunny sky. Lows tumble into the upper-20s.
Monday is looking dry but cold. Highs only top out in the lower-40s under a partly sunny sky. Overnight lows dip into the upper-20s and lower-30s.
Local News
Georgia Suspends All Poultry Sales and Exhibitions Amid Bird Flu Outbreak

ELBERT COUNTY, Ga. (TC Tribune) — All poultry sales, exhibitions, shows, swaps, and meets have been suspended after the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a commercial poultry operation had a case of bird flu .
This marks the first confirmed Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry operation and the fifth confirmed detection in the state of Georgia.
“For the first time since the ongoing, nationwide outbreak began in 2022, HPAI has been confirmed in a commercial poultry operation in the state of Georgia,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “This is a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make their living in our state’s poultry industry. We are working around the clock to mitigate any further spread of the disease and ensure that normal poultry activities in Georgia can resume as quickly as possible.”
On Jan. 15, a producer noticed clinical signs of Avian Influenza in their flock, the Georgia Department of Agriculture said.
Officials add that the samples were collected on Thursday morning and taken to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network for testing where it was later confirmed.
According to Georgia Department of Agriculture officials, “all commercial poultry operations within a 6.2 mile radius have been placed under quarantine and will undergo surveillance testing for a period of at least two weeks.”
Georgia Department of Agriculture officials say notifications will be issued when commercial poultry operations may resume in the state.
Officials with the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Management and State Agricultural Response Teams (SART) responded to conduct depopulation, cleaning and disinfecting, and disposal operations.
Local News
Kristi Noem Backs Trump: Promises Full Partnership as DHS Chief

(TC Tribune) — Kristi Noem , President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security , has every intention of working in tandem with the new administration in the mission to secure the U.S. southern border and to deport millions of illegal immigrants.
The South Dakota governor participated in confirmation hearings Friday in which she said, if confirmed, she was in favor of Trump’s plan to reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy.
Noem, who became the first woman to be elected governor in South Dakota, has placed a focus on the southern border while in office. She sent National Guard troops to Texas and assisted state officials there with monitoring the border.
If confirmed, Noem would replace outgoing Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who was vilified by Republicans angry at the number of migrants crossing the southern border that they impeached him in early 2024.
Noem said Friday that she would “100% partner” with Trump to make sure that policies designed to eliminate the flow of immigrants into the United States illegally will remain in place.
“The president has promised that he will secure the border, that we will uphold our nation’s laws, and that he … will be putting America first again,” Noem said during Friday’s hearing.
Noem, who previously served in the U.S. House before becoming governor in 2019, pledged a complete turn from Mayorkas’ policies, saying she was determined to carry out Trump’s plans to choke off illegal immigration and deport millions of migrants.
Noem committed to ending CBP One, a phone app the Biden administration has used to process asylum-seekers’ entry into the country. She also pledged to scale back the use of humanitarian parole, curtail the use of temporary immigration relief for migrants from countries experiencing unrest and reinstate a Trump-era policy of requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court.
Local News
Understanding the Rule of 55: How to Access Your 401(k) Penalty-Free

(TC Tribune) = Taking money out of a tax-deferred retirement plan like a 401(k) before the age of 59 ½ typically comes with a penalty, but an IRS provision known as the rule of 55 can help you avoid that.
Here’s what to know.
What is the rule of 55?
The IRS rule allows workers who lose or leave their jobs to begin taking 401(k) distributions penalty-free, as long as they are 55 or older.
Normally, any withdrawals before 59 ½ are subject to a 10% tax penalty but if you qualify under the rule of 55, you don’t have to pay it.
However, you’ll still need to pay income tax on any withdrawals.
The rule applies to anyone who turns 55 or older during the year that they lose or leave their job. It doesn’t matter if your departure was voluntary or involuntary.
Which retirement plans qualify?
The rule of 55 applies to employer-sponsored, tax-deferred retirement plans like 401(k)s and 403(b)s.
It doesn’t apply to individual retirement accounts (IRAs), which typically have an early withdrawal penalty before age 59 ½.
Another point: The penalty-free early 401(k) withdrawals can only be taken from the plan you were contributing to when you left your job. In other words, if you have money in other retirement plans it needs to stay there until you turn 59½, otherwise you’ll face a penalty.
The money also has to stay in your most recent employer’s plan. If you roll it into an IRA, you don’t avoid the penalty.
For certain public safety employees, like police officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers, the rule may apply even earlier, at age 50.
Should you use the rule of 55?
The rule of 55 can help older workers who may have been laid off later in their careers, but it’s not without downsides.
Pulling money out of your retirement account means it will no longer benefit from the potential future growth that comes with compound interest. Taking distributions could also push you into a higher marginal tax bracket.
“If you retire early, or if you were laid off and need the distributions to cover living expenses, it could make sense,” financial services company Charles Schwab wrote in a report . “But if you get another job and cover your costs that way, it might not make sense to begin drawing down your 401(k).”
If you do get another job after 55, you can keep withdrawing from your old 401(k) plan penalty-free, as long as it’s the same one you were contributing to at the time you left.
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