Shoalanda

From a reader:

Elvis Who Isn't Elvis?

I am a former law enforcement officer. My training, with regards to responding to calls, was extremely specific on the 'hows' of vehicular response to calls. When responding to a call, some departments, or E911s, but not all, will dictate the officer's response mode. Other agencies often opt to allow for 'officer discretion' when responding to calls. However, 'officer discretion' ONLY comes with experience.

Having said that, calls can be broken down into the following types:

1. 'Code 1', which means NO lights or siren, but speed may be increased to NO MORE THAN 10 MPH over posted speed limits;

2. 'Code 2', which means lights ONLY, but NO siren. An officer's response speed WILL exceed posted limits, sometimes by MORE THAN 10 MPH, depending on the urgency (EX: response to a silent alarm at a bank); and

3. 'Code 3', which means lights AND siren. An officer's response speed WILL exceed posted limits, sometimes by a great deal, depending, again, on the urgency (EXS: an active shooter at a school or business, automobile accident with injuries, medical emergency, etc.).

'Officer discretion' aside (it's a truly wonderful 'tool' when properly used), one cannot help but wonder what an unmarked Sheffield police cruiser was responding to on the afternoon of January 9, 2015, at 1615HRS, that required a 'Code 2'-type response up Hatch Blvd. towards downtown Sheffield. Officers assigned unmarked vehicles should remember that EVEN WITH strobes, such vehicles are MUCH LESS visible than marked units with a light bar, especially when responding to emergencies.

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Meanwhile at Muscle Shoals schools, a second reader offers a take on nepotism:

NEPOTISM LAW passed April 2013 - - with a grandfather clause for employees in CURRENT POSITIONS

Lindsey Hired January 2014

STUDENTS FIRST ACT - prohibits a school employee from receiving a "Thing of value" ($25 was defined later as a thing of value).

Non resident teachers/Lindsey/Connor that bring their children to MSCS - $500 tuition for first child/$250 for each additional is WAIVED by an old Board policy.

This policy was not changed after the Students First Act was passed. THING OF VALUE?

There are easy lawsuits - the Superintendent is clearly in violation - that is why brother in law was not given a principal job. A lot of rookies, making a lot of mistakes at the expense of the children.

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And in Lauderdale County, a reader informs us:

Angie Roberson (indicted for theft from town of Rogersville) is currently cooling her heels in the LCDC. Her trial date is set for February 27th. She has no bond. I understand she is less than happy with her accommodations.

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We wonder just how much time Mark Linder, UNA athletic director, spends explaining university policies--more than he does in making them?

Gender Pay Gap in UNA Sports

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And finally, in the "For What It's Worth Department." We don't envy Mark Parker his new position:

Shoalanda

From a reader:

Remember - the banner for MSCS is "FAMILY".

Is that something like "Norm's Bar" on Cheers, where everyone knows you by name?

FaMily until we screw you out of your money, use your kid on the football field, or you have an opinion.

D-I-V-O-R-C-E comes easy for the "FaMily".

MSHS kicks kids that are 18 and failing out of school in December and tell them not to come back that they have "earned their credits" (without having to take exams) so they will not drop out and it be a black mark against graduation rates. Or, in some cases, offers to let student withdraw to avoid being kicked out. If these kids are on the streets, they aren't the MSCS problem. They just become the worry of police and public safety.

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From Florence-Lauderdale Watchdogs:

Our roving reporters tell us that the Tourism department meeting went as expected. By "as expected" we mean that Alex Nelson was an unabashed jerk that seems to have "woman issues."

When one female audience member politely asked if the board to speak up, Alex retorted, "There are plenty of empty chairs up front!"

When it was all said and done, the board approved their budget as expected. What we do not understand is why they appointed Alex as board vice president after all the distraction he has heralded these past few months.

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Looks like a nice old neon sigh in this video:

Shoalanda

* I want my dogs to be able to run loose--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to keep chickens in my yard-that's why I live in the county.
* I want to let my grass grow--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to park in my front yard--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to shoot my gun in the back yard--that's why I live in the county.
* I want to live next door to a (noisy business/pig farm/dump)--that's why I live in the county.

Oh, wait, you've never heard the last reason. No, probably not, but we are utterly amazed that anyone who prefers to live in the county for the first five reasons has the temerity to complain about their next door neighbor's noise.

No, Alabama does not have home rule for counties. If you want to live in the county for the first five reasons, don't complain about the sixth one. You don't look very intelligent.

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The WVNA sign by O'Neal Bridge continues to rust and foster copious climbing plant growth. The sign now belongs to Urban Radio Broadcasting of Mobile. Do they care? Probably not. The property it sits on apparently belongs to the City of Florence; however, the city seems to also overlook this eyesore--it's in Dick Jordan's district.

It's been on our Shoals Eyesore list for some time. It seems it will remain so for the foreseeable future.

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The Sherwin-Williams Police has issued a new warrant for Lucky's Package Store on Jackson Highway in Sheffield. Now it's a compound felony--the bright yellow street paint is currently abetted by purple lights around the windows. What? The drunks can't find it otherwise?

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While looking for info on the Sheffield City Jail, we found:

Shoalanda

From a reader:

I read with great interest your guest editorial published Wednesday, January 7 regarding the MSCS policy as it relates to non-resident students. I will preface my remarks by stating that I am a parent of 2 children that are non-resident students in the Muscle Shoals school district.

To quote your guest blogger: "The Muscle Shoals City Board of Education passed a new non-residency policy on May 20, 2013 giving the Superintendent the "right to revoke the enrollment status of an out-of-district student at any time for any misconduct that would warrant suspension under the Code of Student Conduct"

Principles have been instructed to hold non-resident students to a much higher standard than other students. Any conduct that "is less than exemplary" is reason for probation that eventually leads to expulsion. If a parent attempts to appeal a decision made by Dennis Conner, they have no other recourse but to go to Dr. Lindsey, his brother in law."

If a non-resident student is involved in misconduct significant enough to warrant a suspension, they SHOULD be subject to having their enrollment status revoked. These students SHOULD be held to a higher standard by principals. They SHOULD be expected to exhibit exemplary behavior. These students are out-of-district, and as such, are owed NOTHING by the MSCS or the MS BOE. If they are students in the MSCS system as non-residents, they are there by choice, and should be appreciative of the opportunity they have been offered. Muscle Shoals isn't required to accept any non-residents, and it is perfectly reasonable for them to expect non-resident students to "bring something to the table".

It is silly to suggest that the city should have built a new high school, rather than spending money on athletics. The high school is 14 years old. If the system has too many students, then Dr. Lindsey is correct in suggesting that out-of-district enrollment be looked at/reduced. The answer would certainly not be to build a new school solely to accommodate the non-resident population, regardless of what was spent on the athletic dept. (And that is not to defend the millions poured in to the football program-that was outrageous as well).

It would seem as though, given all the issues discussed here regarding the problems and shortcomings in the MSCS system, there wouldn't be such a problem with people trying to get their children INTO or keep them in the system...

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From Florence-Lauderdale Watchdog:

" Why would Libby Jordan, who is the curator of the Rosenbaum Home, need to go check out Indian Museums unless she has her eye on another position, say as Director of Tourism? "

Libby is a smart, capable person and would do a good job no matter where Dick puts her so any of our criticism are not directed at her personally.

However, it is widely known that Libby is being groomed by Dick Jordan to replace Barbara Broach upon her retirement.

There is another incredibly-capable person who already works within the city who has a master's degree in the arts who is far more qualified than Libby but, sadly, doesn't stand a chance as long as Dick is pulling the strings.

We acknowledge that there is a rumor of Libby being groomed for the Tourism department but can find nothing but speculation to support that claim. We think the city leadership knows the town will rail against any attempts to replace the current tourism director.

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Did you ever notice if there's an article in the TD about Libby Jordan, it's written by Robert Palmer?

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Shoalanda

We've recently published two guest blogs on the non-resident student policy at Muscle Shoals schools. Aside from the advisability of taking in such students, once they are in, they are in. They are the same as resident students and should be treated equally.

Scenario: Two boys, one a resident student, one a non-resident, feel a little bored and decide to make a bomb in chemistry. After the explosion in which ol' Sasquatch loses his beard, the boys admit their guilt. If only the non-resident student is expelled, you can bet your ebony hair dye that there will be a lawsuit.

However, that doesn't mean that the oh so entertaining educators at Muscle Shoals schools can't keep a sharper eye on non-resident students. That would be hard to prove, and we hear stealth is something of a specialty for them.

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It's been pointed out that since Chad Holden has assumed the principal's position at Muscle Shoals High School, no monthly newsletters have been posted. Is anything happening there, or is it all a secret?

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Debbie Wilson has flown the coop, and we can't blame her. The only remaining question is whether Libby will get this plum job or hold out for Barbara Broach's job as the Florence-LauderdaleWatchdog has suggested she will do.

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Apparently, it's drawn some controversy:

Shoalanda

We had planned a blog on the injustice done to Debbie Wilson; however, she seems to have turned the table on Dick Jordan and the Testy Tourism Three, so we will offer sincere congratulations on her new post with the State of Alabama! Florence/Lauderdale loses. We're unclear if Debbie will have to relocate to fulfill the job requirements for this position. We hope not, but obviously Florence has not been that hospitable to her recently.

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From Florence-Lauderdale Watchdog:

We are furiously checking on the validity of this rumor from some random person on another page:

Libby Stockard Watts Jordan

"In a related story, city councilman Dick Jordan announced today he will now be in charge of the local Tourism Office, wife Libby will be the assistant director, with son Bill and Grandsons all paid special assistants to the director. Male Tourism Board Members are said to be prepared to expand the current budget to accommodate the additional expense. Electricity expense will be reduced to help balance the numbers."

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And from another source:

We've heard that if Steve Eason doesn't work out in his new position, Scooter Muse has a job for him cleaning toilets at various public housing locations.

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While on the subject of nepotism/cronyism, we recently heard this joke:

Q - How many blacks work in Muscle Shoals City Hall?

A - Three. One African-American, Marcel, and Marcel's son.

Shoalanda

There's never a news article or a blog about a rapist or child abuser that some woman doesn't write in to defend him. Are there ever any innocent men accused of these crimes? Certainly, but they are feeeeeew and faaaaaar between.

Now the Colbert County court system tells us that Charles Kyle Adcock, formerly of Muscle Shoals, committed First Degree Rape--a total of 12 times. Yes, we wonder why his young victim didn't inform her parents/guardians, but the district attorney's office seems confident these charges are correct and will stick.

Speaking of sticking... It seems dear Mr. Adcock is engaged. Guess what? His fiancee' Whitney Paige Zorn is championing his innocence. So maybe he is innocent and certainly she is faithful. How faithful?

Adcock, 31, was arrested in his home county of Carrollton in Texas on August 20th. He listed his parents and Miss Zorn as emergency contacts. Was he engaging in wishful thinking? Apparently not. On August 30th, Miss Zorn placed their wedding gift registry online. In case you want to sent a gift:

Zorn-Adcock Gift Registry

So what if Adcock is convicted. He's looking at a long sentence. Will Miss Zorn wait? Sadly if her current behavior is any indication, she may give it a few years.

Tomorrow: Sociopaths & Rape?

Shoalanda

We recently commented that two Shoals area career criminals were sociopaths. We're going to add John James Common of Russellville to that list. Here's an update on Russellville's boy wonder:

J.J. Common

We had been aware that J.J. was once arrested for having sex with an underage female. We even knew this young girl was mentally challenged. Yet according to a report at the time of the incident, the sex was forced. J.J. was never prosecuted in connection with this incident.

Both Jerry Don Crowden and Andrew Daniel Scott, whom we previously named as sociopaths, are career criminals and have both been involved in rape scenarios, although Scott was never charged in connection with any crime in the incident that resulted in the conception of a child.

Moral: You don't do anyone any favors by not reporting the crime of sexual assault. These sociopaths continue down their own private road to ruin and take those who love them with them. Don't be an enabler.

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From a reader: Didn't you do an article on TCS's student admission policy awhile back? IIRC, TCS WILL NOT remove 'problem students' that are 'out of district', even at the risk of potential harm to other students. IIRC, Deshler Middle School's principal had a rather heated discussion with parents of students in his school that were fed up with the 'out of district' troublemakers.

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Cold? Let's warm up:

Shoalanda

From a reader:

Fay Parker (is) most senior commissioner, but Dewey (Mitchell) decided they would now vote after 20 years doing it by Seniority. Chairman, a Democrat, voted for a Republican, Roger Garner, still in his first term. Looks like Fay is not voting how Dewey wants him too.

The Lauderdale County Commission has followed the appointment method for years. This precedent predates the service of Judge Mitchell and all of the current County Commissioners. When Judge Mitchell took office in 1995, Commissioner Bobby McCormick by seniority, and appointment, was the "vice chair". After Mr McCormick was defeated, the Commission authorized the Chairman to appoint the "vice chair". At that time, D.C. Thornton was the commissioner with the most seniority and was appointed "vice chair" which continued the precedent.

As you will read, the statute in question does not require a new appointment or election every two years following an election cycle. Neither does our rule of procedure. Therefore, the previous appointment of Mr Thornton remains in full force and effect until he retires from the Commission, is defeated at election or a change is made by proper official action of the full county commission.

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Is the above guest blog presenting anything really new about Dewey's ethics? No. Read on...

Dewey the Dip

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Who needs fire lanes? From a reader:

Why don't the Florence and Muscle Shoals police departments enforce ordinances prohibiting 'parking in fire lanes'? This is a HUGE problem in Florence's Kmart Plaza and at the various Walmarts in the area.

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This video has 22 views. Voters were really interested in the election, weren't they?

Shoalanda

001 Mitchell Boulevard

Pictured is the rusting WVNA sign located adjacent to the northern entrance to O'Neal Bridge. The exact address is 001 Mitchell Boulevard. The property on which the sign sits is currently for sale by Weichert Realty for an unknown (at least to us) sum. The appraised value listed by Delta Systems is $5,300.00 for the relatively small triangle of land.

However, URBan Broadcasting doesn't own the property which at one time touted the time and temp along with a revolving blurb for WVNA FM/AM radio stations. It seems the property and sign's official owner is Mary Jane Darby, the widow of Elton H. Darby who at one time owned WVNA. The Darby family/estate is notorious for its tangles with Sheffield and other public entities over what amounts to little more than abandoned property.

Shall we assume this sign will be refurbished or torn down anytime soon? Not unless the property is sold. The sign is in Dick Jordan's district, as is the Knight-Humphries Donut. The location is described by realtors as great, but it's actually small and hard to access. It does offer a great location for signage. Let's hope a new owner is soon found.

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Sheffield five years ago. It's moving forward, at least parts of it:

Shoalanda

Obviously considering the number of sex offenders in our nation today, the registry serves a limited purpose and may do harm. Do you want your name removed?

If so there is a plan available to you that will cost you absolutely nothing. Sound too good to be true? Wait. I promise it's easy. Just what do you have to do?

Die...

If you're confused by our topic today, hold on. When I was filling in some months ago I received a comment from Derek Warren Logue, once-local child rapist now living in Ohio. He earned the title of child rapist when at the age of 24 he had sex with an 11 year old girl. He now campaigns for an end to both the sex offender registry and any age restrictions on consensual sex.

Derek always makes reference to the number of hits he get on his sites compared to Shoalanda's local blog. Why should anyone expect any less? A report from January 2012 states at that time there were almost 750,000 registered sex offenders in the United States. How many of them don't want off the registry? Maybe I should ask how many have family that does want them off. These sex offenders and their families spend hours on end hoping to hide from their crimes, hoping for a loophole.

So I decided to see how many hits one of our blogs would get with just the right title. I'll post an update in a few months. In the mean time you can read about Logue in Ohio where he's classified as a "sexual predator."

Derek Logue in Ohio

And on older SS blogs.

Shoalanda on Derek Logue

Bailey

Does this area have much censorship? Perhaps we should define censorship. Have you seen the "Buddy Jesus" or "Buddy Christ" memes? Here's one:

Is it in bad taste? Certainly, if you're a Christian. (We at least didn't post the one referring to Catholicism.) While no one knows how Christ looked, we're pretty sure he didn't have long hair or wear gold medallions; still, we're not about to shoot anyone over it. So how many memes do you see referring to the Muslim faith?

Is the lack of Muslim memes censorship? If a publication is afraid of being fire-bombed, we would say it might better qualify as self-preservation, but it's still censorship.

How about other areas of news? How about censorship of government cronyism, student favoritism, or even this blog? Think no one would want to censor our blog? Think again. While we're sure many may see their sacred cow mentioned here (hey,we're even inadvertently getting in Hinduism!) and mentally wish we'd just disappear from Shoals cyberspace, most don't openly advocate that.

Over the years, we've seen only two do so; one the father of local career criminal and one more recently who was a very misguided supporter of Muscle Shoals High School. Both thought someone should "shut us down." Who or on what legal grounds, we're not sure. We've also heard of a few instances in which some have wished to censor the (defunct?) ShoalsInsider, Pen-N-Sword, and Quad-Cities Daily.

Just remember, if they can censor us, they can sensor you...

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Eaten somewhere recently and just loved it? Just hated it? Tell us about it. Send your reviews to shoalanda.speaks@gmail.com and we'll publish them here:

Quad-Cities Cuisine

This week we have a review of PoBoy's in its new transplanted Tuscumbia location.

Shoalanda

Teacher sex, anyone? It's not just at Vina High School, but we'll focus on one of those three cases today. If you remember, Sonny Dewayne Tibbs, Vina coach convicted of having sex with a female student under the age of 19, was to serve 60 days in jail as part of his sentence. Not much time, is it? Now it seems he's like Amanda Watkins--getting some preferential treatment?

Sonny Tibbs Turns Self In

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Yes, Amanda Duboise Watkins got 10 years, but she's doing them close to home:

Amanda Watkins

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We have previously mentioned some lawsuits that are to be made public this month or at least very shortly. Until they are public record, we have no intention of making them public. That doesn't mean that others will refrain from public comments and re-postings of private images. We know that some are making the rounds of Shoals cyberspace even as we type this.

Not that anyone will take our advice, but here goes. If you're a teacher, don't defecate where you eat. If you are just that immoral, at least visit your favorite Wally World for some of those latex thingamajimmies they have on the wall adjacent to the pharmacy. If you don't, you're no better than our favorite career criminal.

Shoalanda

Sometimes residency isn't easily peg holed. There's a local joke that asks, "Just where does Petersville end and Underwood begin?" Sorry we can't answer that question for you, but we can definitely say that Petersville starts where Florence ends at Mama Jean's restaurant. So how about other cities?

We once knew a person who lived within the Leighton police jurisdiction, had a Sheffield Zip Code, and received utilities from Muscle Shoals. The Florence and North Florence post offices have two different Zips and much mail addressed to 35630 is labeled "North Florence, Alabama."

If you think it's hard to know where you actually live, how about where you go to school? There's been a lot of talk recently about resident and non-resident students in the Muscle Shoals system. In case anyone needs to be told, we support fees for non-residents--if you don't pay property tax of some sort in Muscle Shoals, why should your children attend its schools gratis?

The problem with the Muscle Shoals system seems to be that not all are treated equally and that school admins don't agree on what policy actually is, particularly in relation to grandfathering in students after their policy change a few years ago. A reader writes us:

Dennis Connor told me they had not had any students that were "grandfathered in", Brian Lindsey told me they did have students that were nonresident students that were "grandfathered in" so I guess it holds true if you don't have money in your pocket or if your father or mother or someone is not a big-time political person or can line the pockets of the ones who run the show, then you get thrown under the bus like my daughter. I guess my question is was my daughter's rights violated because they chose 2 years later to notify me of the board policy change? In my opinion it was unfair they should've given me time to find a place in the jurisdiction.

So who's correct? Brian Lindsey or Dennis Connor? The student referenced above has suffered because of nebulous policy; we'll undoubtedly have more on this later.

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Several changes have already taken place in both the Lauderdale and Colbert County sheriff's offices. Most are reported to be liking these changes, but there has been some unrest--mainly in Colbert County. There are several situations in that county which are currently unresolved. We'll be reporting on these situations after they're finalized.

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Somehow when we think of (certain) Colbert County and Muscle Shoals school officials, this song comes to mind:

Shoalanda

Editor's note: While we frequently instigate topics, we have never instigated one about anything even remotely related to the Muscle Shoals school system. Any topics we have discussed here have been forwarded to us by concerned parents. We happily accept rebuttals for any of our blogs.

Yesterday we blogged about a young girl who was no longer allowed to attend school in the Muscle Shoals school system. Whether the system made the right or wrong choice in this matter is somewhat irrelevant to today's topic. In the past few weeks we've received many communications involving admission and treatment of non-resident students. The fact that such a problem is so common within the system was certainly news to us. That many parents want their offspring educated at a Muscle Shoals school?

Apparently enough that there has even been a special job created to handle the boon/problem. No, we're not joking. Dr. Dennis Conner's official title within the system is "Non-resident, Attendance and Instructional Support Coordinator." By the way, his wife is a teacher at Highland Park Elementary in Muscle Shoals.

So if we read his job title correctly, his job is to coordinate attendance and instructional support for non-resident students. By any chance, did the U.S. Army originally create this job description? How much time does this take? Are there really that many non-resident students? According to those who write us, the system is dumping non-resident students right and left. Aren't they afraid they will no longer have a job for Dr. Conner?

We'll reiterate that only one of our five bloggers lives in Colbert County and that's not in Muscle Shoals, but if we were a Muscle Shoals parent, we would be asking if such a position was justified. After all, these tax-payer dollars could be going toward the football program.

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A friend has commented it would be interesting to know how many Muscle Shoals football players are non-residents. Anyone know the data on that or where one could obtain such data?

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Just how good is the Muscle Shoals school system? We're told they say they're the best in the Shoals. Really? And they can't even use spell check?

Click to Enlarge

Oh, wait, maybe it's one of those new gangsta words?

Shoalanda

We've certainly had some interesting comments on yesterday's blog and we believe this is the proper venue to answer them rather than on Facebook:

1. Please remember, any comments with vulgarities will be deleted. We've tried several ways to counter this tendency in certain posters and have failed miserably. No more warnings. Your comment will be deleted. Feel free to scream. If you can't comment without using "dirty words," what is your comment worth?

2. We've had a private comment about Dr. Conner's job title. After looking at it again, we agree with our reader that the title is nebulous. We at first thought it simply lacked an Oxford comma, but that would still not make the title any less nebulous.

3. For those who mentioned it's not unusual that a wife and husband work in the same system, we agree--we've stated so before. Dr. Dennis Conner is more than husband to an elementary school teacher; he's also the brother-in-law to Supt. Brian Lindsey.

4. One reader said we should ask the Muscle Shoals board to answer our questions, but in almost the same breath stated they were above such questions. Nevertheless, we're preparing some questions. The board may answer or not--it's up to them.

5. For those who say we shouldn't have reported on the case of the autistic student being forced from the only school she had ever known, we ask what if it had been your child? What if you had tried everything; wouldn't you seek an advocate anywhere you could find one, especially one that reaches thousands each day?

6. Does the mother of the autistic child have any legal recourse against the Muscle Shoals school system? We're not attorneys here. It may well be that she has none. We are fairly sure that any attorney would argue the board waited two years into the new policy to force the child out. What if a court says the board was still within its rights to do so? So be it, but remember, just because you can do something, it doesn't mean you should.

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Now, turning to Lauderdale County, we're always amazed at how some perceive "the county." A recent comment in the TimesDaily remarked that Dewey Mitchell needed to be unseated. We agree totally--he should never have been elected in the first place, but the voters spoke, very ill informed voters.

This Lauderdale citizen continued that he/she wanted someone from "the county" in the position and was glad that Danny Pettus is running. We are too, but he isn't from the county anymore than Dewey Mitchell is. According to records, Mr. Pettus lives in Killen. Killen is a town just like Rogersville, Florence, etc. What the commenter obviously meant was that he/she wanted someone who didn't live in Florence.

What we want is someone who will do the job honestly and fairly, no matter where they live in Lauderdale County. This is what every concerned citizen should want.

Shoalanda

In August 2012, Mr. Elbert Farley Davis Jr. was found unconscious in his Tuscumbia home; he died a short while later of his injuries. We don't think Mr. Davis' attacker originally intended to murder the 88 year-old WWII veteran. Mr. Davis' home was the target for some thug who wanted quick cash and some drugs in the mix to boot.

There's currently a five thousand dollar reward offered for information in this murder. Yes, the thug will be charged with Capital Murder since Mr. Davis died in connection with a robbery. That's a lot of money. Someone knows something.

Mr. Davis was truly an innocent victim. He wasn't a drug dealer, drug user, abuser, adulterer, or gambling kingpin. He simply got in the way of a burglary and paid the ultimate price. If you know something, say something.

Tuscumbia Police urge anyone with information about Elbert Davis’s murder to contact the Shoals Area Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 256-386-8685.

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Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000.00 reward in Saturday's double homicide:

Reward in Double Murder

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Some readers don't like the Quad-Cities Daily's article on the Muscle Shoals murders press conference. Perhaps they don't like the photo of the chief? No matter, this publicity will help solve the crimes.

Some don't like the Pen-N-Sword background article. No matter, the more information out there the better to help solve the crime.

Some don't like the Tennessee Valley Talks forum topic. We agree there has been some speculation that is improper, but it will bring more attention to the crimes.

If you want these murders solved and prosecuted, you should be happy they're not being covered up. Believe us, we know some that have been.

Shoalanda

Much Cuter Than a Thug or a Republican!

First, our apologies to the Pit Bulls in our reading audience; we really love you, but we'll get to that later. At one time we thought Republicans in charge in Alabama would turn things around for the state. How wrong we were. Progress has been made--mainly due to Gov. Bentley. Others? Not many Repubs. have helped that much.

So what else have we been wrong about? Pit Bulls. Yes, it seems there is some new research that there may be, at least in some of the dogs, a gene that can cause the animal to snap without very much provocation. Yet there's good news; researchers are attempting to find ways to remove/replace this gene. We hope it's very successful and very soon!

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Now regular readers may be wondering why this topic is of news today. We've had almost 100 new likes over the weekend...and very few of them seem to be fans. Insert any jokes here that you wish. Lest you think these new followers are Muscle Shoals school system groupies, think again. These are friends of the Muscle Shoals murder victims.

We have linked both QCD and PNS articles on these murders. We've found them of great interest. Apparently many have not. Many have made comments that would make the proverbial sailor blush. Who are these people?

We've thought about this phenomenon before, but not to any great degree. We know these individuals have had the same educational opportunities as the rest of us. Yet they refuse to learn; they refuse to fit in; they blame everyone but themselves for their problems.

We've had friends murdered....and you know what? None of them was innocent. All of them were participating in things that were either illegal or immoral or both. We loved them. We wanted to see their killers punished. Yet we never defended their actions or blamed the police or those who reported on their crimes.

So why are there so many in the area who have the mindset that nothing is their fault? Why don't they want to learn and improve? We've come to the conclusion that there is a bad gene in their biological makeup. They see crime and violence and threats as acceptable behavior; even though society has offered support, they have refused it. They seek the lowest common denominator. Yet they can't understand why they aren't a success in life.

After the Pit Bull genetic problem is mended, perhaps we start on homo sapiens?

Shoalanda

We recently reported that there is a 5K reward for information in the murder of Mr. Elbert Farley Davis Jr, 88, who was killed during a home robbery in Tuscumbia in 2012. The current amount is "around" 15K. We're not sure what "around" actually means, but it's a tremendous sum to many of us.

We heard indirectly from Chief Tony Logan that he appreciated our keeping this in the public eye. We have some ideas on this and are asking Chief Logan to contact us via our e-mail or our FB personal page "Shoalanda Hutton Speaks."

We're also asking that any of our readers who live in Tuscumbia share this post. Someone knows something. We can't imagine how Mr. Davis' family feels at this point. Let's help get this scum off the street.

*****

Oh, news flash, we've just been told we can't ban anyone from our FB page. Well...we had no idea. A law suit? Really? For excluding you from our FB page? You can still read us here and we encourage you to do so. You might learn something. Oh, okay, we have no hopes of that. Disregard. And, hey, it could be worse; we could be quoting "Contendah"on this extremely sordid situation.

Shoalanda

A reader has contacted us about a post on our personal page that she either intentionally or unintentionally misunderstood. Why the remark about the handcuffs tattoo?

We had been attempting to contact Tony Logan. For those who don't know, Tony is a long-time police officer and the current chief in Tuscumbia. The first "Tony Logan" we found was apparently a tattoo artist, but since the tattoo icon was a pair of hands in cuffs, we had to do a double take on it. That's called serendipitous humor, or more colloquially "what are the odds?" Our remark was not an indictment of tattoos.

*****

We will comment on a negative side of tattoos. Having the word "Crip" written out numerically on your abdomen, with Adolph Hitler above it, might just make people think you were not mainstream society material.

*****

On another note: Over the years we've been blamed for posts on OB's Corner, Left in Alabama, Pen-N-Sword, and the Quad-Cities Daily...and probably a few on the ShoalsInsider, but we're not totally sure about the last one.

Again we ask that you send your criticisms of any links to the proper site. Again, we remind you that ANY posts with profanity or vulgarity will be deleted and you will be banned. No one has the automatic right to post vulgar comments, threats, etc., on a site belonging to anyone else no matter what any uneducated person may think.

Similarly, while we feel certain articles about murder victims may have gone too far, hindsight being 20-20, libel is making false statements--not true ones. Also, while we hope all news outlets have spoken truthfully, a dead person cannot be legally libeled in Alabama or any other state.

*****

Murder is a horrible crime. Earlier today we discussed this with a former police officer. He affirms the position that some murders are justified and the world is better off. We take the position that this is not the case, but we can understand why some murders are not prosecuted. We also, as we've stated many times, understand why a family who's hurting wants to strike out.

If your family member needs help, it's wonderful to pray about it. We do suggest you also try to get that family member help.

Shoalanda

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