Reassessments in Henry County are going up roughly 40%. The amount of real estate taxes property owners pay will be determined by the Board of Supervisors’ tax rate. Currently, that rate is 55.5 cents per $100. To keep taxes even, the rate would need to drop to 37 cents. Upcoming budget sessions will determine the rate. Meanwhile, two public sessions have been scheduled by the county to be held at the Henry County Administration Building on Wednesday from 9-11 a.m. and Jan. 20 from 6-7:30 p.m.
(NEW YORK) — More than 120 million people are on alert for a brutal storm that’s going to bring dangerous ice and snow to the South, bitter cold to the Midwest, and a massive snowfall to the Northeast.
South
The storm moves into the South on Friday afternoon. By the evening, Dallas will see a wintry mix and Oklahoma and Kansas will get some snow.
On Saturday morning, the temperature is forecast to fall to 27 degrees in Dallas; 8 degrees in Oklahoma City; 14 degrees in Little Rock, Arkansas; and 19 degrees in Nashville, Tennessee.
As temperatures drop on Saturday, extremely dangerous snow and ice will move in from Dallas to Little Rock to Memphis, Tennessee.
Residents should be prepared for dangerous travel conditions and widespread power outages, which could leave people without electricity or heat.
The lack of heat will be very dangerous in several major cities — including Dallas, Little Rock and Memphis — where the bitter cold is expected to continue well after the storm passes.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he was activating state emergency response resources, saying the freezing rain, sleet and snow “could create hazardous travel conditions into the weekend and cause impacts to infrastructure.”
By Saturday afternoon, the snow and ice could stretch as far east as Georgia and the Carolinas.
The governors of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina have declared states of emergency.
Midwest
This unforgiving arctic blast will strike the Midwest late Thursday into Friday, bringing extremely dangerous temperatures.
On Friday morning, the wind chill — what temperature it feels like — is forecast to plunge to minus 39 degrees in Minneapolis, minus 32 in Chicago and minus 39 in Madison and Green Bay, Wisconsin. In these conditions, frostbite can develop in just 10 minutes.
Northeast
The brutal cold will strike the Northeast on Friday night, with below-freezing temperatures expected for New York City and Philadelphia.
Then on Sunday, the storm will hit the Northeast, bringing likely plowable snow from Washington, D.C., to New York City to Boston.
The snow totals are not yet clear, but by the Monday morning commute, 6 to 12 inches is possible in some areas.
Airline travel alerts
Many airlines are issuing travel alerts and waiving rebooking fees ahead of the storm.
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have waived rebooking fees, allowing passengers to rebook their flights at no additional cost.
United has issued travel waivers for cities expected to be affected, allowing those who bought tickets on or before Tuesday to rebook without a fee if their travel is affected.
Southwest said it’s monitoring the weather and will issue any advisories or make any changes as needed.
The new food pyramid released by the Department of Health & Human Services, Jan. 7, 2026. (HHS)
(WASHINGTON) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced new federal dietary guidelines on Wednesday, encouraging Americans to limit highly processed food and reduce refined carbohydrates.
The guidelines also encourage Americans to eat whole foods like fruits and vegetables, incorporate healthy fats, prioritize protein-rich meals including red meat, and consume full-fat dairy with no added sugars.
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are updated every five years, comes as Kennedy has made nutrition policy a cornerstone of his Make America Healthy Again agenda.
The administration also released an image of an updated food pyramid to match the guidelines.
“These new guidelines will revolutionize our nation’s food culture and make America healthier again,” Kennedy said during a press conference at the White House alongside Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and other health officials.
For the first time, the Dietary Guidelines explicitly warned Americans against certain highly processed foods and suggests avoiding “packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet” and “sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda, fruit drinks, and energy drinks.”
Kennedy has previously called for restrictions on ultra-processed foods as part of an initiative to address the high rates of chronic disease in the U.S.
The health secretary also said the updated guidelines will place an emphasis on incorporating saturated fats into diets.
“We are ending the war on saturated fats,” Kennedy said. “My message is clear. Eat real food, nothing matters more for health care outcomes, economic productivity, military readiness and physical stability.”
The guidelines states that when adding fats to meals, “prioritize oils with essential fatty acids, such as olive oil. Other options can include butter or beef tallow,” the latter which has been touted by Kennedy in the past.
Health experts have previously stated that there are benefits of good fats, such as those found in some nuts and vegetables, while warning that too much saturated fats are a health risk.
The American Heart Association warns that saturated fats can increase the risk of high cholesterol, which can increase the risk of heart disease.
Additionally, the guidelines state that “no amount of added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners” is part of a healthy diet and calls on parents to completely avoid added sugar and artificial sweeteners for children aged four and under.
The guidelines also say Americans should “limit alcoholic beverages.” Previously, guidelines recommended adults aged 21 and older should stick to two drinks or fewer per day for men and one drink or less per day for women.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said during the press conference that there was “never good data” to support the previously recommended level of alcohol consumption.
In addition, guidelines call for “high-quality, nutrient-dense” proteins with every meal such as red meat, poultry, seafood and eggs. For those who prefer plant-based options, this includes beans, peas, lentils, legumes, nuts, seeds and soy.
A factsheet claimed that previous federal dietary guidelines have “demonized” protein in favor of carbohydrates.
“Protein was never demonized in U.S. dietary guidelines. As it is, Americans are consuming protein in amounts well above the amount that is necessary to sustain health and development,” Marie-Pierre St-Onge, a professor at Columbia University Nutrition, told ABC News.
The guidelines, issued by HHS and the Department of Agriculture, provide Americans with dietary advice to promote health and prevent disease.
Although the federal government has provided such advice to Americans for at least a century, the guidelines in their current form have existed since 1980.
Previous releases include the introduction of the food pyramid in 1992 and its replacement, MyPlate, in 2011.
The guidelines are also the foundation for all federal food programs, such as school lunches; the Women, Infants and Children program; and Head Start, as well as meals for active-duty service members and veterans who rely on Veterans Affairs hospitals.
The guidelines were lauded by medical groups such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Heart Association (AHA).
“The American Medical Association applauds the Administration’s new Dietary Guidelines for spotlighting the highly processed foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, and excess sodium that fuel heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic illnesses,” Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, AMA’s president, said in a statement. “The Guidelines affirm that food is medicine and offer clear direction patients and physicians can use to improve health.”
The AHA said in a statement that it welcomes the new dietary guidelines and its emphasis on fruits and vegetables while limiting highly processed foods and added sugars.
However, regarding protein, the AHA said it encourages prioritizing plant-based proteins, seafood and lean meats and to limit high-fat animal products including red meat, butter, lard and tallow, which are linked to increased cardiovascular risk.”
ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr and Liz Neporent contributed to this report.
