Sales tax vote saves hospital

The town of Wedowee is celebrating after voters is Randolph County approved a sales tax to save the hospital.

After months of campaigning, supporters of the one-sent sales tax have claimed victory after 27 of 28 precincts reported results. Of those votes, 87 percent voted for the tax. Provisional ballots still have to be counted.

Over the past 15 years, several rural hospitals in Alabama have faced hardships and eight of them have closed. State Health Officer Don Williamson says discussions on how to fix the problem have not yielded any easy solutions.

For now, Wedowee Hospital will stay open. The money from the new tax will also be used to support a bond issue for the new Tanner Medical facility.