Shoalanda

Lauderdale County Judge Gil Self has refused to order a second recount of ballots cast in the Florence city council race between Hermon Graham and David Bradley. Mr. Bradley is now officially the next representative for District Three.

Good luck, David! We believe you will be an asset to the council and serve, not only your own district, but all the citizens of Florence.

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For some time we've been privileged to receive articles from a resident of the Rogersville area. As often happened when we published stories about Muscle Shoals, some readers have assumed these articles were written by Shoalanda. While we're flattered that anyone would consider us that knowledgeable about so many different areas in the Shoals, in the interest of clarity, we're introducing our correspondent today as a regular blogger. Welcome to Rogersville Rose; here's her first effort under that nom de plume:

Keep Liquor Out of Our Schools

Why would the proprietor of a liquor store be so insistent on being involved in the lives of our children and our schools? Could it be (A) He feels guilty that his business contributes to the destruction of the family unit. (B) He is marketing his business to children. (C) All of the above.

Most of us can remember a time when wearing a shirt to class that advertised alcohol would get you thrown out of school. But in today's world it is the parents standing up and saying we do not want our children to be walking advertisements, wearing official school apparel for a liquor store. The banners hanging in the school's gymnasium were disgraceful enough.

We are unable to pray over the intercom before high school football games, but they can promote a liquor store over the intercom? All because the players were fed McDonald's hamburgers and Little Debbie's before the game...

Maybe the candidates for Lauderdale County Board of Education and Superintendent would like to address this topic?

*****

Rose has asked an extremely pertinent question. Muscle Shoals schools sell mattresses; will Lauderdale County schools now sell Bailey's?

From a faithful reader:

Great blog! I very much enjoy reading it every week, and daily when time permits. Occasionally, you provoke a thought or two and thought I might share or at least minimally regurgitate a bit. I moved out of the Shoals area years go to the economically greener fields of the Huntsville metro area a couple of decades ago, but have still ties and visit often. Maybe a bit less after my parents have passed on, but still upon occasion.

1) "We have read the articles about the bad service/food from the Muscle Shoals Logan’s We wonder if they will be next." Horrible. Truly pathetic service and food. In general, I like Logan's just fine and have dined at numerous Logan's throughout the South. But the worst one - hands down - was the Muscle Shoals location. I have tried to eat there several times on visits back, and have yet to have good service or a properly cooked meal. Not once. And never again.

2) "How many of you want to move to New York City? That’s what we thought. One of our readers told us yesterday that we couldn’t make it there as she had done. No, according to AB, those left here are, as we understand her meaning, inferior." That's an interesting viewpoint. I got out myself 19 years ago n 1997. A few years ago, my mom passed away and my dad and I were walking around in his front yard (in Ford City) under some 80 foot pine trees that I planted when I was in fourth grade in 1976. He told me, "With your mom gone, I am going to redo my will and leave this place to you instead of your brother. I really want to see it stay in the family.""Dad, I understand, and you can do what you like... but you have to understand - I'm not moving back." It almost broke his heart but there's nothing left for me in the Shoals - I have no relatives there and there is no job in my technical field, and I decided long ago that my legacy is in my bloodlines and not my dirt. Many people bemoan the migration away of young professionals and talent from the Shoals - but it really is pretty easy to understand. If not for the music industry - which is not exactly a high paying field for anyone right now - what is there to attract new talent and workers to come to the Shoals? Investment and growth there compared to other parts of the state is pathetic. The Shoals has a wealth of natural resources and talents, beautiful scenery and locations, a pair of clean, vibrant downtown areas in Tuscumbia and Florence, and a comprehensive community college and four year college. The tools are available but seem to go unused.

3. "While writing the above, we had the thought, is it best to hire within the Department or outside the Department." I have enjoyed both the administrative and elected official candidate updates you have provided as well as your opinion and insight regarding them. I used to go to church with both Tony Logan and Ron Tyler; while I was not particularly close with either, I always felt that they were pretty good guys. I also knew Kerry (Bubba!) Underwood fairly well growing up outside of Leighton (his mom taught me one year in grade school). Ron Tyler in particular, is fairly active on Facebook and often discusses details - and even dissenting opinions - about the Florence Police Department and why they make some decisions that are made. In this era, it is refreshing to see some transparency.

4. "You can’t say that our blog isn’t ready to jump into the pressing issues of the day, and with that we’ll attempt to answer the important question of just who owns the panty tree under the Old Railroad Bridge. The Midnight Rider has assigned the tree to Sheffield, but at least one reader has questioned that, asserting the tree is closer to Florence than Sheffield." Ok, I laughed. I didn't even know that was there until I took some photos of some visiting friends on the railroad bridge one day after we had walked all the way out to the end. I assume there are some unwritten rules involved here that are inviolate - such as you can't bring a second pair just to throw on the tree? And so forth. Maybe Shoalanda can muse at length one day about the unwritten rules of the Shoals area some day. You know, stuff like 'if you have stomach gas or need to fart on a date, make sure you drive down 2nd street in Muscle Shoals so you can blame the water treatment plant for the smell" and so forth. That would be a fun article to read. :- )

Anyway, just some random musings on a slow Friday. Keep up the good work!

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We're aware that there has been some very misguided speculation recently about owners of this blog and various other Shoals cyberspace sites.We hope this clears it all up for most people, but for those it doesn't...yes, Bigfoot is our principal writer.

* Our blog is not connected to any other site in any appreciable way. It's an opinion BLOG and not a news site.

* There are three major news sites (meaning they publish with regularity) in the Shoals and two or three minor ones (they do not publish with regularity or simply regurgitate news links). We are not connected to these sites with mutual owners or editors, etc.

* We do have an advertising compact with the Shoals Insider and Pen-N-Sword. If you want to advertise with us, you may choose one site, two sites, or all three sites.

* We post links from both these news sites which are excellent publications. We post more from PNS simply because they publish more. The owner of SI is an extremely busy person and does not have the opportunity to publish multiple articles every day of the week.

* The three major news sites we have mentioned all publish a great deal about crime. In other words, they publish more information than the TimesDaily. If you have a friend or relative mentioned in these sites, please remember it is not the site's fault that your loved one committed a crime. That seems to be a hard pill for many to swallow.

From Ronda Hood:

It is my desire to represent the citizens of Colbert County District 2 as County Commissioner. I feel that I can bring a new perspective and experience to the Commission and pledge to work with state, county, and city officials to help Colbert County reach our full potential to be the place of choice for people to live and raise their families.

To reach Colbert County’s full potential I will work with other officials to:

Maintain and support current business and industry
Work recruit new businesses and industrial developments
Support education and training opportunities
Maintain proper infrastructure
Provide for a safe environment
Promote local tourism and social opportunities

I am originally from Hatton in Lawrence County where my parents, Henry and Dorothy Smith, still live. My parents instilled a love for God, family, and country in our family. They taught us the value of hard work and giving back through community involvement. My father was a UAW member for 36 years working at Ford Motor Company and General Motors. My mom raised 5 children in a clean, godly home and worked in a sewing factory before being employed as a school bus driver for 28 years. I have one son who works in law enforcement and two beautiful grandchildren.

I am a graduate of Hatton High School, Town Creek, AL, Calhoun Community College, Decatur, AL, and UAB’s School of Public and Allied Health, Regional Technical Institute for Health Occupations, and the 2014 Shoals Chamber of Commerce “Leadership Shoals” class. Most recently completed a Healthcare Emergency Preparedness Professional Certificate Program through the University of South Alabama.

As a licensed, registered respiratory therapist, I am employed as the Director of Cardiopulmonary Services at Helen Keller Hospital, with additional responsibilities as the Hospital Safety Officer, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. My Safety Officer duties have me working with various committees and local agencies to provide a safe environment for the hospital patients, visitors, staff, and physicians. The emergency preparedness side of this job has allowed me to work with local and state fire, law, health, and emergency response groups to coordinate an effective response plan should there be a natural disaster or other mass casualty type medical emergency situation. I have worked at Helen Keller Hospital for over 25 years and was honored to have been named “Manager of the Year” in 1996 and again in 2014.

Although I have never run for an elected public office, I have served on many boards and in professional association positions. I currently am working with the Alabama Department of Public Health, Region1 Healthcare Coalition to create mutual aid and regional response plans for all types of mass casualty and disaster related medical emergencies.

I have served on the Colbert County 911 Board of Directors since 2009 and I am very proud that Colbert County 911 has made many upgrades to the equipment and service provided by the department to better serve Colbert County citizens and first responders.

I graduated from the 2014 Shoals Chamber of Commerce “Leadership Shoals” class and made many new friends and contacts while learning more about the Shoals area.

Elected positions held in the Alabama Society for Respiratory Care (ASRC) have included president, treasurer, state legislative committee co-chairperson, and district representative. I served 6 years as the Alabama Political Action Contact Team representative to Washington D.C. in support of healthcare initiatives. I am currently serving my 4th elected term as the Alabama Delegate to the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) House of Delegates where I represent the interest of Alabama respiratory therapists to our national association. I was awarded ASRC Life Membership in 2004.

After having served as the co-chairman for the ASRC Legislative Committee when we were able to see passage of the respiratory therapy licensure bill, I was appointed by the Governor to the first Alabama State Board for Respiratory Therapy (ASBRT) in 2003 where I served as Chairperson during the writing and implementation of the rules implementing the new law to license respiratory therapists in Alabama. In 2015, I was reappointed to a new 4 year position on the ASBRT.

Community agencies that I have volunteered with include Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, United Way, Helen Keller Hospital Foundation, Sidney’s Safe, and the American Lung Association.

I have spent the last 25 years working at Helen Keller Hospital and caring for the people of Colbert and surrounding counties. It is my desire to work for and represent District 2 as Colbert County Commissioner.

I would appreciate your support!

*****

We're impressed with Ronda and wholeheartedly endorse her for Colbert County Commissioner District 2!

*****

Kudos to Sheffield Police!

Today the Shoals Insider broke a story about an attempted prisoner escape at Helen Keller Hospital earlier this month. One reader commented on FB that the prisoner should have been shot. We have no doubt that such situations place the general public at risk, and many escapees are automatically shot in order to keep the risks from escalating.

Yet Sheffield officers managed to subdue the prisoner by Tasing him. We frequently hear complaints about...and by...Sheffield Police, so we're extremely happy to be able to commend them for their actions in this incident that could have gone so horribly wrong.

Pictured above is District One in Florence. Note the size; while the region is certainly gerrymandered, it extends from Fairgrounds Road south to nearly the Tennessee River. It obviously covers a myriad of homes, businesses, and recreational areas. It's home to individuals from all walks of life.

Until almost four years ago, District One was served by Mr. Sam Pendleton whom we greatly admired. Even if we differed in opinion, we always knew Mr. Pendleton had the best interest of his district at heart. He was no "yes man."

After Mr. Pendleton retired, Dave Smith was elected. Even his campaign was based on dirty tricks as we've noted in this blog before. Once elected, Smith was very adept at throwing candy at parades and not much else. Instead of searching for answers to local problems, Smith created more, as with the tempest in a water bowl over the location of the new animal shelter.

It's time for a new direction, a fresh beginning. It's time for Kaytrina P. Simmons to step up to serve District One. If West Florence and parts of North Florence expect to see positive change, they have to elect Ms. Simmons on October 4th!

*****

I'm Prince and I approve Shoalanda's message!

*****

After Prince's last blog, two readers asked about his ethnicity. Prince had stated he was a beagle, while the readers thought he was a dachshund. We asked our Canine-American blogging friend, and he informed us he was of mixed heritage, what some would call a mutt, but he identified as a beagle. That's good enough for us.

Florence mayor Mickey Haddock is completing his first term in office. He will happily tell you much he has done. Let's look at some things he has...and hasn't done...that he won't mention:

* Failed, for whatever reason, to build new animal shelter. For those not aware, this weekend there is a BENEFIT for our current shelter in order to make needed improvements. By now the old shelter should have been sold or even donated, and the new owners providing maintenance for the building.

* Failed, for whatever reason, to build new senior center. What has been accomplished is to rent property the city had previously sold where the current senior center lies and an unsuccessful attempt to buy back the land.

* Failed, for whatever reason, to secure funding for College Street bridge to connect West Florence with the western end of the county. (In fairness, this will require state approval, but lack of such is still another example of our current mayor and council's abilities to get things done.)

* Presented idea to combine Florence-Lauderdale Government Building and Lauderdale County Courthouse properties into one plaza, even authorizing initial blueprints, then seemingly abandoned the idea without comment.

* Delayed Wood Avenue paving project more than once, each time removing needed improvements to the water pipe system underneath.

* Authorized a parking committee to handle peak hour shortages in downtown. After thousands of dollars, we now know there's a shortage of spaces (no comment) and that painting the parking deck purple and gold will alleviate it partially. (Not making that one up; check for yourself.)

* Authorized a study for a second entertainment district downtown without ever acting on the already approved Sweetwater Arts & Entertainment District. As of today, Florence still has no entertainment district.

* Hired a councilman's brother-in-law as project coordinator who had been terminated by the previous mayor and council in his role as city clerk. If anyone knows what a project coordinator does, please let us know.

* Engaged in sporadic rhetoric about inside tennis courts and other attractions for Veterans Park. Four years later, there's still no attraction as promised in the park, and citizens report current facilities are in dire need of maintenance.

* Failed to listen to water department manager Mike Doyle who advised of high liability risk in continuing to provide sewer service to parts of St. Florian. For those not geographically inclined, St. Florian is an incorporated town north of Florence which has no connection other than a shared boundary. Haddock did demand St. Florian property owners sign an agreement to pay for any damages resulting from this arrangement. Let's hope we never have to see just how that may or may not work.

* Failed to even enter into discussions concerning lack of space at county detention center where Florence prisoners are housed.

There are certainly more minor problems not addressed by our current mayor, but you get the idea. After the election, we plan to look at a few oddities concerning this race. In the mean time, we endorse Steve Holt for mayor of Florence. Mr. Holt was for years head of the Florence Chamber of Commerce, is highly competent, and aware of the local job situation.

A vote for Steve Holt is a vote for actually doing something.

Liquor/Lottery, Chicago & the Puppy Dog

By: The Midnight Rider

Liquor & Lottery

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Sholanda Speaks recently ran an article about a Liquor Store advertising and/or endorsing a school. It got the Rider thinking. I understand this is the Bible Belt, but it is also 2016. Alabama doesn’t realize the money that it is losing with Alcohol Sales and the Lottery. If you City or County is not Wet (allows alcohol sales), then the citizens that want a drink are going to go to a city or town that is, for a drink.

People are going to partake of alcohol if they wish. The cities or towns that can’t see this are watching money floating into other cities or towns. If you don’t drink and you go into a restaurant that serves alcohol, don’t order any booze. It’s that simple. I like to eat, so that is why I am at a restaurant, not for the liquor.

It is the same with the Lottery. As most of you know, the Lottery Bill for Alabama got shot down again. Well that means that there will be a stream of cars going to Tennessee to get Lottery Tickets. How much money have Alabama Citizens spent in Tennessee for Lottery Tickets? Don’t know, but I do know that have better roads than Alabama.

I will conclude this section with endorsements. Schools are always going to local businesses looking for donations. I was talking to my friend Bobby Inman over at Hammer Down Gun & Pawn recently about this. He told me that “Sheffield Schools, Sheffield Ladies Softball, Sheffield Police Department, etc are always coming around wanting donations. He has always given something to them. However, he gave a customer and her daughter a Hammer Down Shirt. The daughter wore it to school and got in trouble about it. So where is the fairness in that? Hmm, I’m going to have to ponder on this one a little longer.

Chicago: Shooting and Homicide Capitol in 2016

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As most of you have seen on TV or read in the newspapers, In Chicago, people are shooting/killing each other left and right. The stats of today 9-13-16 are as follows:

Year to Date

Shot & Killed:473

Shot & Wounded:2,582

Total Shot:3,055

Total Homicides:527

Ok, the Rider is going to tell you how to fix this problem. “Get the Hell out of Chicago. Run!”.

The End

The Puppy Dog

This morning it was on Social Media as well as the News Media that someone threw a bag containing a puppy in it onto the side of the road. A motorist stopped when they saw the bag moving. A small puppy was found inside. Florence Police was called and the puppy was taking to the Animal Shelter for emergency help.

The suspect was driving a White Nissan Altima with Red Under Carriage Lights. If you know who this person may be, please contact the Florence Police Department.

Now, with that being said, a person that will do this to a small animal like that needs what we use to call a “Bunkhouse Attitude Adjustment.”

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For the person who did this, there is a special place in Hell for you.

I am and always will be, the midnight rider

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*****

A few words on the Rider's comments:

M.R. mentioned Sheffield specifically concerning their dress code. We've had complaints about Sheffield's code, as well as Muscle Shoals' before. Our answer has always been to abide by the code; you or your children won't be in school forever.

Why can students at Lauderdle County High School, at least football players, wear shirts advertising a liquor store, but students at Sheffield High are not allowed to wear a shirt advertising a gun store? We have no firsthand knowledge of the circumstances, but the football players may wearing the shirts at pep rallies, etc., and not to class. We would be interested in more specifics of this advertising.

The puppy? We're now told there is more to the story than was first reported. Whoever did this to the little girl needs to be punished, but apparently there isn't enough evidence to do so.

*****

Regular readers know we give everyone a voice here as long as they can avoid vulgar language, libelous statements, etc. A few individuals have criticized Rogersville Rose and Rose's opinions. They have also attributed Rose's opinions to Shoalanda herself. This doesn't speak badly of SS, but of those who can't read or who intentionally try to mislead others with false information.

As for what has happened at Lauderdale County High School, we don't know. We welcome comments and any personal observations from those who are familiar with the situation. As we said, different schools have different policies, but we do wonder how many of our readers think advertising for a gun store is somehow less acceptable than advertising for a liquor store?

In the “You Can’t Hide from the Taxman” department, beginning in 2017, your Amazon purchases will cost you more, as in 8% more if you live in Alabama. The new source of revenue is expected to generate at least 15 million for the general fund and 5 million for education in its first year.

This is a universal tax, meaning if you purchase a 1954 copy of your favorite novel in less than pristine condition, you’ll still be paying tax as if you purchased a new book at Books-a-Million. We don’t know if this tax will be charged on shipping or not (Amazon currently collects its pound of cyber-flesh from vendors on shipping as well as merchandise), but we do predict a very slight uptick in sales for e-Bay.

If you purchase e-books, you may wish to consider checking Smashwords or similar sites for the title in order to avoid the tax. Just remember, you didn’t hear that here.

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A clarification: We happily publish your submissions that abide by our guidelines. We can publish anonymously from “a reader” or if you’re a regular, we can give you a pen name. If you want your name used as the author of the submission, we’re also happy to publish your identity.

We will not publish names of non-public persons. This means if you write an article about the Zip City Metropolitan Opera and mention Mayor Cleophus Smuckpucker isn’t keeping the concert venue in good condition, we’ll leave the article unedited. If you mention that ticket clerk Alabaster Smuckpucker is stealing from the till, we will remove the name when we publish your article.

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It’s easy to take things and even people for granted. We sincerely thank those who regularly contribute to our blogs, but receive no financial remuneration. Yet offerings from J. Redmon, the Midnight Rider, Cherry Pitts, and H.D. always receive huge ratings. Thank you one and all.

*****

Perhaps the worst oversight one can make is not properly thanking special friends for their constant, and many times totally undeserved, encouragement and friendship. Thank you, Si, for always being there.

From Mr. Steve Modas in answer to a blog post by Rogersville Rose:

My name is Steve Modas; most people just call me Big Steve. I appreciate the chance Shoalanda Speaks has given me to respond to an article posted on here written by Rogersville Rose concerning my business (Big Steve's) donating money and items to schools. This practice of helping schools seems to irritate Rose. If selling alcohol eliminates us from helping schools then it would also eliminate Walmart, Food Land, Publix, Dollar General. Walgreens, CVS pharmacy, and most restaurants and gas stations. We wouldn't have many businesses left to help the schools.

Times are hard for schools; government funding is constantly being cut even as government puts more mandates on them. Businesses and individuals including myself try to help by donating to worthy projects and programs. Rogersville Rose didn't like it that my name was put on a shirt. I've attached pictures of both sides of the shirt. No students were given these shirts and no where do they mention alcohol.

I sponsored a big basketball tournament held around Christmas each year back when I was in business with my son at Lil' Steve's. Lil' Steve's has some liquor stores but mainly they are gas stations we had a banner hanging that said nothing more than 'Lil' Steve's an American family owned business' no mention of alcohol. We try to feed the home and visiting teams during playoff games it seems that them thanking me for doing that during the game also upset Rogersville Rose. Rogersville Rose has probably never helped the schools; most people that like to condemn those that do usually don't.

I was condemned all over Facebook for wanting to set up a lunch fund at Brooks for anyone that didn't have lunch money for any reason. Those that condemned me for it at least did it on their Facebook using their name. Although I know who Rogersville Rose is and I know it's just a personal attack on me, most people don't know it.

To Rose and anyone else that has a problem with schools being helped at least let everyone know who you are and don't hide your vindictiveness behind a beautiful flower. In closing Rose also says that I might be trying to attract future customers. That's just ridiculous; anyone that knows me knows I don't sell to minors and never will. I don't think anything I have done to help schools will cause a student to start drinking. I just want to help when I can and God willing I will continue helping.

Thanks again for allowing me the opportunity to comment on what's been written about me on here.

*****

We're happy to publish the above from Mr. Modas. We will note that the name "Rogersville Rose" was given our reader by us and not one that she/he chose. We are also happy tp publish the attached photos. We had visualized only the name of a liquor store on the front and a bottle of booze on the back. Now we all have the real picture:

*****

We've had several readers contact us bout the Saturday night incident at Sidepockets Lounge. One faithful reader has informed us Nick Hoffman was extremely high on drugs and attempted to stab a third man, but was prevented from doing so by a woman who hit him over the head with a chair. Good for her!

Warren Nicholas Hoffman

The Anderson family of Florence contributes to many politicians and political causes. We haven’t checked to see if any Andersons have contributed to Steve Holt or Susan Goode, but it’s highly probable they have. We do know the Anderson family has given $7,500.00 to current Florence mayor Mickey Haddock during this year’s mayoral contest.

One of the Anderson family’s principal companies is TNT Fireworks located in the Florence Industrial Park. Is there big money in fireworks? We assume there is. Yet fireworks are legally sold in Florence only in July and December. There aren’t too many retail businesses that operate only 1/6 of the year.

Therefore we ask why rules are needed to govern such businesses? Obviously, there is a need for certain rules in order to maintain safety. Rules of taxation also are important to the running of city government. Anything else?

The City of Florence apparently thinks so. For a business to sell fireworks out of a permanent location, it must have had a wholesale business presence in Florence for the past five consecutive years…although the law actually reads “concurrent” for some unknown reason:

Ethics Complaint

In short, the recently passed Florence law means that for the next five years, only permanent stores owned by TNT may legally sell fireworks in the city. Is there a point to this law other than to give TNT a monopoly? If there were five such businesses in the Shoals, we would still have to ask what the point of such a law is?

If a business is licensed, pays taxes, and abides by all safety regulations, what is the problem? The new law was dreamed up and sponsored by Mayor Mickey Haddock. He has yet to answer as to his motivation.

Politicians are much like children. Tell a five year-old not to take more than two pieces of candy from the bowl, and he will take three. If no one calls his hand, the next day he will take four; the day after he will take five. Our mayor and city council are much like that child. They’ve performed many slights of hand the past few years. Now is the time to say “Enough!”

Ethics complaints take months to be processed through the system. By the time the Alabama Ethics Commission rules on the validity of the complaint against Haddock, etal. the election will be long over. Vote for a change on October 4th. Vote for Steve Holt and Kaytrina P. Simmons!

National Anthem, The Panty Tree Again & Contacting the Rider

By: The Midnight Rider

National Anthem

Civil War

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World War I

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World War II

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Korean War

Vietnam War

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Desert Shield

Desert Storm

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War on Terrorism

You may be wondering what the Rider is getting at with the above pictures. I want to remind people of the sacrifices that have been made to keep us free. As probably all of you know, recently there has been a NFL Player that refused to stand during the National Anthem. Is that his Right, yes? But it is DISRESPECTFUL!

He is free in this great country of ours to play football because of the people that have sacrificed. If he doesn’t like the National Anthem, hold a Press Conference, talk on the TV, or, here is an idea, write an editorial to Shoalanda Speaks.

Young children look up to “Sports Stars” wanting to be like them. Not standing for the National Anthem can cause a bad influence to a young mind. I think that all of his Sponsors should pull their money, see if he notices that. Where I come from, if he had not stood up during the National Anthem, my Team Players would have stood him up and then we would have had a “discussion” about it after the game.

This Country needs to stand together, not apart. The National Anthem should remind everyone of sacrifices.

Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner: O, long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

The Panty Tree

It looks like the Rider has gotten something stirred up with my articles on the Panty Tree. This morning (9-14-16) on KIX-96, they had a lengthy discussion about the Panty Tree. They were asking people to call in if you had donated a pair of panties to the Panty Tree but they would not mention your name. RRIIGGHHTT!!

Contacting the Rider

Let’s try something new. If you have a question for the Midnight Rider or have a topic that I need to investigate, you can contact me via Shoalanda Speaks at shoalanda.speaks@gmail.com. They will forward it to me.

Until then……

I am and always will be, the midnight rider

*****

When Florence attorney Edward "Chip" Dillard was first arrested, we heard he had some help securing an Athens attorney to take his case. Now we hear he's being repped by Robert Tuten of Huntsville. We doubt that Mr. Tuten is defending Dillard out of the goodness of his heart.

If what a member of the extended Bray family told us several years ago is true, Tuten charged a fee of 400K to represent Christie Bray Scott at her murder trial. Good help obviously ain't cheap...

Chip Dillard Bond Update

For those not aware of Robert DeShawn Childers’ story:

Shawn Childers Missing

* Childers’ father purchased a house and land at a Lauderdale County tax auction around 20 years ago.

* The elder Childers failed to pay taxes, stating he thought he was exempt due to his age and a disability. In short, he dropped the ball.

* Approximately 10 years ago, Robert DeShawn Childers, a physically and emotionally disabled veteran, moved into the home and has resided there since that time.

* Due to unpaid taxes, the property was again sold and was purchased by Leroy Darby.

* Approximately two years ago, Leroy Darby upped his legal attempt to evict the Childerses from the property. A short time later, the senior Childers passed away.

* Approximately four to five months ago, Leroy Darby had Childers’ power permanently turned off; Shawn spent the summer without air conditioning.

* Approximately two to three months ago, Leroy Darby managed to have Shawn evicted in part. A court order stopped the proceedings, but Shawn’s possessions were discarded in a ditch.

* Earlier this week, Shawn Childers went missing.

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DeShawn Childers

What has happened to Robert DeShawn Childers? There are six possibilities:

* Shawn left his home for a walk and had a medical emergency, not being physically able to make it back.

* Shawn left for some secluded spot to think over his problems, not telling anyone where he was going.

* Shawn went for a walk and was picked up by someone with whom he decided to make a new life without telling anyone.

* Shawn went for a walk and was picked up by some lowlife who robbed him of what little money he had and discarded him in some manner.

* Shawn had grown so weary of life’s hardships that he no longer wished to continue.

* Shawn was taken out of the picture by someone who would benefit from his removal.

*****

Public records tell us that Robert DeShawn Childers has had problems in his past, problems all related to substance abuse that are not uncommon in many veterans. Before readers bombard us with these issues, please remember that Shawn was not a drug trafficker, rapist, or baby snatcher. He was someone who had not, for whatever reason, gotten the help he needed.

What of Leroy Darby? Certainly he legally owned the property in which Shawn was residing, or at least had a good claim to it. Was Shawn in any way Leroy Darby’s legal responsibility? No.

Yet morally and ethically, Leroy Darby at least failed as a human being. At this point we don’t know the full story of Shawn’s disappearance. Let’s hope he will shortly be found safe and Leroy Darby has no new events for which to answer.

From a reader:

"Don't Throw the Baby Out With the Bathwater" I've heard that a lot in my lifetime. It's great advice. So is "Act in haste, repent at leisure." Often they go hand in hand. What sounds great at first has unintended consequences. It's better to think things over before reacting strongly.

This weekend I heard and read a lot of heated rhetoric promoting a boycott of the NFL due to the actions of Colin Kaepernick. Seems like a lot of people want the entire NFL held responsible and economically punished for the actions of Mr. Kaepernick and his supporters.

I'd encourage those people to check out the Philadelphia/Pittsburgh game this weekend (CBS). During the Anthem, watch the Steeler's #78. He's 6' 9" and north of 325lbs.He's kind of hard to miss. He'll have his hand over his heart and he will sing every word. See,# 78 is Alejandro Villanueva. Born on a military base in Meridian, Ms.to Spanish parents, his father was there with NATO so AV was born a US citizen. He grew to love his country. He graduated from West Point and served 3 tours of duty in Afghanistan. He was awarded a Bronze Star for Valor for rescuing wounded members of his squad. After fulfilling his military obligation, he looked to return to football. He'd played receiver, tight end, offensive tackle at West Point. The Eagles gave him a chance to play d line but cut him. Pittsburgh picked him up as an offensive tackle project. AV just wanted to play. Since 2014 he's moved from practice squad to back up to starting left tackle. He makes around $500k, extremely low for a starting tackle. It's less than 5% of what Kaepernick makes. Is it fair? Is life? AV will tell you that he lives in the greatest country on God's earth. And that he plays where the best of the best perform.

There are approximately 2000 young men playing in the NFL. Most are decent people. Don't believe me? Ask most any charity in any NFL city if the players contribute time and money. Check their web sites to see what causes they support. It might surprise you. What surprises me is the level of animosity directed at the entire NFL. I don't remember seeing or hearing calls to boycott college football when the Baylor scandal broke. So why the hatred for NFL? It makes no sense to me. Maybe someone can explain it to me. But anyone trying to throw AV out with the bathwater is probably going to end up with a hernia.

John A. Nutbrown

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We have had two writers weigh in on Colin Kaepernick, so we'll offer our opinion. Kaepernick knows as much about the plight of black Americans as we at Shoalanda do. Can you say "tempest in a Gatorade bottle?"

We're reminded of a blog from 2014; scroll down to #5 in the Gang Signs category:

Gang Signs

*****

As we publish this, Robert DeShawn Childers has been missing for four and one-half days. Unless he's with someone. he has no food. We ask that our readers continue to look out for any sign of Shawn.

We had one reader who questioned our opinion of Leroy Darby. In case there is doubt...

Dynasties: good or bad? Obviously they can be either. Some time ago an article in the TimesDaily commented on the Heflin political dynasty in Alabama, as well as the Jordan political dynasty in Florence. Our opinion? Two generations in the same field don’t make a dynasty, so Dick Jordan’s family doesn’t count.

Are all dynasties good? Unfortunately, no. A reader asked us about the Crowden family in Florence, a family with three generations of males known for their expertise in the field of burglary. No, not all dynasties are to be lauded. (We will probably do an extended article on these three at a later date for Shoals Crime.)

So what are you teaching your children?

*****

A reader reminded us that not only is Shawn Childers still missing, so is Chance Southern, a young man from Florence. No, we don’t think these two cases are related, but we hope both men are found safe very shortly.

Shawn Childers

Chance Southern

Both have been missing for almost a week. If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call the authorities.

*****

We’re going to assume 99.99% of our reading audience is happy tonight…at least in the football department!

Yes, we at Shoalanda are arranging for mega department stores Neiman Marcus and Harrod’s to come to Florence. How are we doing this? Simply because Florence deserves these stores; they should be ours. And if you vote for Shoalanda for Grand Poobah, we will make sure they locate here.

Did anyone reading the above think any of that made sense? No? Well, how about this: The new Publix should have been built in Tuscumbia rather than Muscle Shoals. Anyone out there think that’s something a Tuscumbia town councilperson could achieve?

For those who may not know, the Shoals’ latest Publix is located at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Sixth Street. Well…it is close to Tuscumbia; however, does any thinking person believe Publix would have located in Tuscumbia if the Muscle Shoals property had not been available? Or do you think the grocery giant would have kept searching for available parcels in Muscle Shoals?

So what should you in Tuscumbia think of someone running for office who says: That should have been us. That’s exactly what District 3 candidate William Foster said. Did he elaborate on how he would have accomplished that if he had been in office? Sadly, no.

Foster faces longtime businessman David Couch in the October 4th runoff. It was a very close primary on August 23rd and should be similarly close in the runoff. Only one vote separated Foster and Couch, so your vote counts in the runoff.

David Couch has a degree in economics from UNA, has worked for AT&T for years, and has real plans for his district…not pie in the sky promises. He’s said it’s not all glamour as some citizens want, but actual work to prepare an infrastructure for new business.

Vote for logic; vote for a viable candidate; vote for David Couch on October 4th.

*****

Tomorrow morning, it will be one week since Robert DeShawn Childers was last seen; what are the odds he will be found? Most people think missing persons cases end at some point one way or the other, but do they?

Robert Weems

Robert Gene Weems went missing from Florence 19 years ago. At this point, it’s a good guess he hitched a ride with someone and began a new life…or his life sadly ended due to making the wrong choice.

Let’s hope Shawn Childers will shortly be found alive and well.

From Mayor Mickey Haddock:

Many times you only get ONE CHANCE to get it right. While some have chosen to publicly chastise the timeline, and am sure will continue to do so, many more have quietly understood how critical it was not to rush the process so that we and ultimately the animals would gain the most long-term benefit from our budget. So while this will still have a few design tweaks, here is a draft rendering of our Florence-Lauderdale Animal Shelter.

What some “quietly understand:”

* It’s taken three and one-half years to purchase the land…and construction has not yet begun.

* The first land choice was property owned by a man living in China who had stopped communicating with UNA; why did anyone think he would communicate with the City of Florence?

* The second land choice was opposed by District 1 Councilman Dave Smith—the only stand Smith has taken during his entire term.

* The third land choice, and the one ultimately purchased, was owned by the family of the Florence city attorney. Of course by now the citizens were so weary of it all they would have purchased a converted hotdog stand owned by Dick and Libby Jordan.

* The tweaking of shelter plans should be independent of the land purchase. If the land does demand changes in architectural basics of the shelter, any changes should be minor…at least if the architect was doing his job to start with.

* In the three and one-half years (and it’s actually somewhat longer) of Mayor Haddock’s first term, the city council has met roughly 91 times. 91 times, and we’re no farther along?

*****

Speaking of architectural plans… Obviously no one who blogs here is an architect, nor do we play one on stage, screen, or television. We do have a question concerning the plans for the new shelter:

It’s been announced that one money-saving change in the plans was to decrease the size of the shelter’s lobby area. Fine; that sounds logical if money is indeed tight. Yet Mayor Haddock has stated he wants to get it right for the long term (this from a man who stated the new hospital should last 30 years).

You’ll notice the shelter is extremely close to the street. That certainly has its pluses, but if one later wanted to enlarge the lobby to its original proportions, there would be no room. Just something to think about, since Mayor Haddock likes those given to a quiet understanding of events.

*****

Now, Mayor Haddock, any press releases about the promised new senior center?

Judge Dennis Odell of Madison County heard motions for the Donald Tipper rape/sodomy case at the Lauderdale County Courthouse this morning. Tipper’s attorney, Billy Underwood, argued that allegations of Tipper’s previous contact with one client was not admissible as evidence. He also argued the victim had made allegations of a certain nature to her ex-husband, ex-boyfriend, and emergency room personnel at ECM Hospital which were vast contradictions from statements she made to Attorney General Investigator Chris McRae and Florence Detective Shannon Harris.

There was one other matter in the hearing that concerned a statement made on the victim’s Facebook, which stated “I love feeding on the weak-minded. There are too many inconsiderate a**holes out there trying to take advantage of those of us who know what the F is going on.”

After over an hour and a half of argument from Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Billingslea and Underwood, the Honorable Dennis Odell ruled that the State of Alabama could not say anything about Donald Tipper’s previous contact with a client, that Tipper (through his attorney) would be able to bring up an explicit statement made by the victim which contradicted what she told government investigators, and her Facebook hobbies in which she “loved feeding on the weak-minded” would be admissible to the jury to show her mental state.

Within five minutes of the court ruling, the parties spoke and the State of Alabama offered a misdemeanor sexual misconduct charge to Tipper. He received a 12-month suspended sentence and he walked out of the courthouse.

His attorney, Billy Underwood, stated “It was an extremely hard decision to make to plead to a misdemeanor.” Underwood felt that he was well-enough prepared to win the case with the testimony of over 20 individuals in the community and medical reports from ECM Hospital which pointed out glaring discrepancies in the victim’s statement made to governmental authorities. “It was with great regret that Tipper and I realized a plea deal would be the most conservative and safe action in this case. Up until the judge ruled, the State of Alabama had never offered any form of plea deal and the case was to be tried before the jury assembled Tuesday morning” said Underwood.

Underwood stated the punishment for rape and sodomy was ten years to life. “There is no way I, as an attorney, could guarantee Tipper one hundred percent that we could win. The most conservative and best route to take would be the plea deal and take the lumps where they landed. Tipper’s age would make a conviction of either one of the charges a death sentence.” Leigh Anne Landis, a new attorney in Tuscumbia, helped Underwood with the trial.

*****

Tipper: A Former Attorney?

The official sentencing order requires Mr. Tipper to register as a sex offender; therefore, he will not be able at this time to seek reinstatement of his law license.

Will Donald Tipper be required to register as a sex offender or not? Yesterday we stated he would be based on this document:

Now attorney Billy Underwood informs us that Tipper accepted what’s called a hybrid deal and will not have to register. We assume the error on the court order was the result of habit and will be changed. We’ll happily publish any more updates to this story.

*****

Earlier today, a reader left a comment consisting of only a link to a TD article on Tipper’s day in court. We inadvertently deleted it, but added the link ourselves. The TD article stated that Tipper admitted having sex with his accuser, albeit consensual sex. We’ve had several readers ask why we haven’t published the names of the seven women who were prepared to testify they had traded sex to Tipper for legal assistance.

We didn’t publish the names since we’re unsure of the legal status of the women. One woman is definitely in the system at this time and her name has been published—see yesterday’s blog. If and when the other six have a new scrape with the law, their names will indeed be fair game.

*****

Many years ago we met Ms. A. Jordan at a social function. While memories cloud over the years, AJ seemed charming, caring, and intelligent. When we heard a few years ago that she had married embattled City of Florence employee Steve Eason, we were genuinely shocked.

Now we’re offering A.J. our humble and sincere apologies. Why we were informed by misguided readers that she had married Eason, we don’t know. We do believe the individuals had been misled by someone else for whatever reason. We’ve recently learned that Eason’s current wife is an insurance saleswoman who is in no way related to Councilman Dick Jordan.

In other words, Jordan may have lobbied for Eason to be given a city job because of friendship, but not nepotism. While we don’t know if AJ even still lives in the Shoals, if she’s reading this, we hope she’s laughing. After all, SS was once married to Chip Dillard…

While initial reports indicated Robert DeShawn Childers was last seen on Monday morning, September 19th, it’s currently being reported that his last definite sighting was on Saturday afternoon, September 17th. There was a possible sighting on September 22nd; a disheveled person resembling Mr. Childers was seen in the northern part of the county pushing a bicycle.

Shawn reportedly takes anti-psychotic drugs and will have now been without medication for over 12 days. He reportedly had little or no money when he last left home. Friends are worried that he may be disoriented or even in danger due to a property dispute in which he was involved.

Both tracking dogs and a mounted patrol have been involved in the search for Shawn, but have turned up no new information. If you have any information, no matter how small, please call the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office at 256-760-5757 or 911.

*****

2 Years at the Hammer Down

By: Bobby V. Inman

$C:\Users\Bobby\Pictures\Hammer Down G\020 (2).jpg$

It doesn’t seem like it, but it has been 2 years since Hammer Down Gun & Pawn has opened in the Foodland Shopping Center located in Sheffield, Alabama. We started with a dream and it has come to fruit above and beyond our expectations. We have expanded twice in the 2 years to meet our customer’s needs.

It started with me. Now we have Martha Sue as well as our part time workers: Drew Sebelski, Anthony Davis and Steve Hauck. We even have two part-part time workers: Tim and Tara Raper. Of course, the Poopiedog is still around as the Mascot. We are here to help you with your purchase of your first or next firearm.

So to show our appreciation on our 2 Year Sale we will be providing free hot dogs to our customers from 11:30 AM-1:30PM on Saturday October 1, 2016. Come by and see us and get you a dog for lunch.

We want to thank you for helping us grow and be here for 2 years. Hopefully we will be having hot dogs for everyone on our 3 year anniversary.

Thanks,

Bobby V. Inman

$C:\Users\Bobby\Documents\Hammer Down\Oct 1 2016 sales ad.jpg$

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It's almost October, and UNA should be settling down to something akin to normalcy. Anyone have any idea how many students are now enrolled in the College of Integrative Health Quackery?

Did you hear the one about the tourism board member, two mayors, and an elephant walking into a bar? No? Well, you should just in case it’s true. We do know at least part of it is true.

Florence tourism board member David Abramson says outsiders shouldn’t campaign in Florence. So, David, does that mean that since none of our bloggers lives in Tuscumbia, we shouldn’t have endorsed Mr. Couch for city council? Tell us, David, isn’t that a First Amendment kind of thing? You might want to reconsider your thoughts on that issue.

In other words, David Abramson admits telling Waterloo mayor Mel Grimes that he shouldn’t endorse Steve Holt for mayor of Florence; what he denies is telling Grimes that Waterloo will lose money from the tourism board if he continues to do so.

Now Grimes has filed an ethics complaint against Haddock and council member Dick Jordan for playing dirty pool by instructing Abramson to call Grimes. Did they? Or did Abramson take it upon himself to do it, as he has claimed/admitted. Either way, Abramson has overstepped a lot of boundaries.

This is the second ethics complaint filed against Mayor Mickey Haddock and Councilman Dick Jordan in the past month. Neither complaint will be acted upon before the October 4th election.

*****

So District 1 council member Dave Smith wants to be a “facilitator?” He’s certainly proved how good he is at facilitating a new location for the animal shelter. No, Dave, the term “rabble rouser” comes to mind when one thinks of you.

And, Dave… You might also want to look up the definition of “boulevard.” If you really want to turn College Street into a boulevard, about 75% of those owning property on the street will lose land…maybe even their houses and businesses. Not exactly a win-win idea, is it?

Those in District One have a choice. Vote Kaytrina P. Simmons on October 4th.

Kaytrina P. Simmons

*****

Don’t forget the search tomorrow morning for Shawn Childers. If you can’t make it, you can pray for a good outcome.

*****

At some point earlier in the week, we hit three million page views since our inaugural blog in 2008. Thanks to all our readers!

Pizza/Minimum Wage, The Puppy, & Clowns

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Photo/2011/11/23/pizza__1322067494_5957.jpg

Recently, there have been news articles about McDonald’s Employees wanting $15.00 per hour for wages. While the Rider thinks the current Minimum Wage is too low, that may be a little much. Got me to thinking, are the employees entitled for the wage raise? Let me relate an incident that the Rider faced last night.

The Rider called a local Pizza Restaurant. I advised them that I wanted to pick my pizza up since I was out and about. There was music blasting in the background so the conversation went like this:

Me: I would like to place an order

Pizza Guy: What would you like?

Me: A Medium pizza with “XY” on it.

PG: I’m sorry, what was that?

Me: A Medium pizza with “XY” on it.

PG: I didn’t catch that.

Me: A Medium pizza with “XY” on it.

PG: I am having a hard time hearing you.

Me: A Medium pizza with “XY” on it. “While I’m thinking ‘if you will turn down the music you could hear me.”

So, I wait the 20 minutes and then go to pick up my pizza. The young lady at the desk asked my name and then brought me my pizza. I opened it up and guess what? Yep, not even close. I told the girl that it was wrong. She looked at the computer and then called someone else over. She told me that they did not know who took my order. I said thank you and walked out.

Does that deserve $15 per hour?

The Puppy

From WAAY 31 News :

20-year-old Mickey Frost turned himself in Friday to Florence police after learning a warrant was issued for his arrest. Frost bonded out of the Lauderdale County Detention Center a short time after his arrest. Frost was arrested for filing a false police report after the said he saw someone throw a puppy from a vehicle.

Little Milagro had surgery Wednesday to remove her eye. She is recovering well.

Turns out Frost was the puppy's owner and claimed he panicked after another dog attacked the puppy. Frost will not face animal cruelty charges according to Florence City officials because the veterinarian examining the puppy could not rule out Frost's story of the puppy being attacked.

The puppy has been named Milagro and is recovering from her injuries at the Florence Animal Hospital. The puppy had a fractured skull and had to have an eye removed last week.

I am glad that the puppy is doing better. No animal should have to go through what it has. Luckily, someone has stepped forward and paid for the puppy’s bills. Hopefully, someone will come forward and adopt the puppy and give it a loving and caring life. The puppy deserves it.

Now, to the person who did this, I understand that the Police can only Charge him with the False Reporting to Police. Here is the Statue for the Charge:

Alabama Code - Section 13A-10-9: False reporting to law enforcement authorities.

(a) A person commits the crime of false reporting to law enforcement authorities if he knowingly makes a false report or causes the transmission of a false report to law enforcement authorities of a crime or relating to a crime.

(b) False reporting to law enforcement authorities is a Class A misdemeanor.

We can only hope that the Judge will give him the maximum sentence for the Charge. Sometimes I wonder if “Frontier Justice” shouldn’t be allowed.

Clowns

http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014915/rs_560x374-141015142034-1024.Clown.4.ms.101514_copy.jpg

Recently, there have been a lot of reports of clowns jumping out at people. Clowns? Let me make this short and understandable for these clowns. This is the South, specifically Alabama. What is something that most people have in the South as well Alabama? Guns. You’re going to jump out at the wrong person one time and the last sound you hear with be the sound of the Slide locking back on an empty Magazine. You will be diagnosed with Acute Lead Poison.

The End

I am and always will be, the midnight rider

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We were intending to comment on "three of the members" of the Florence Tourism Board supporting Mickey Haddock in the upcoming election; however, we found this website. Tell us what's wrong with it...beside the huge photo of Rob Carnegie on the home page and this lovely sentence: The Singing River influence their way of life just as it compelled William Christopher Handy to reproduce the sounds of our unique Southern Soul.

History of Florence

*****

Congrats, David Bradley/They're Doing What in Rogersville?

Musings from a Reader/Who Owns What?

Ronda Hood for Colbert Commission/Sheffield Police

Florence District One Is Pivotal

Florence Mayor?

Guns & Liquor: How School Policies Differ

Amazon Tax/Submissions

A Word from Steve Modas/Lucky to be Alive?

What Motivated Mickey Haddock to Sponsor the Fireworks Law?

Our National Anthem/Tuten to Defend Dillard?

Why is Robert DeShawn Childers Missing?

It May Be the Age of Social Media, But the Old Adages Still Apply

Dynasties?/Football!

We're Bringing Neiman Marcus & Harrod's to Florence

Quietly Understanding Mayor Mickey Haddock

The Truth of the Donald Tipper Plea Deal

Sex Offender or Not?/Humble Apologies

New Childers Info/Hammer Down Anniversary

Grimes Says Mickey Haddock is Dirty!

News from the Midnight Rider/Who Writes These Blurbs?