Two Weeks and Counting...

In two weeks and one day we'll go to the polls to finish what we started last June. One of the most important elections for the Shoals area is the District 1 Alabama House seat. Twice we have asked Florence attorney Greg Burdine for a vision statement, but have so far not heard from the Democratic candidate.

Besides an outdated constitution, Alabama has also suffered for many years from electing unqualified individuals to state offices. Many seem to have an inherent dislike for attorneys, but these oft time pariahs do have the ability to discern needed and passable legislation from the chaff. Too often new laws spring from Rep. Bubba Tidefort's cousin's next door neighbor's misguided animosity toward the Knit & Pearl Brigade of Bilgewater, Alabama, because K&P President Dorcas Poovie once stole his parking place.

Nevertheless, attorneys are not the only ones qualified to serve in our legislature. Many who have not just worked in the business world, but who have founded successful companies, are also qualified. Such a man is Quinton Hanson.

Since the beginning of the campaign, Mr. Hanson has grown in his understanding of what his constituency needs and has, perhaps more importantly, shown an eagerness to address the issues that confront this area and its citizens.

We believe a vote for Quinton Hanson is a vote for progress for this area. God knows we need it.

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Several readers have inquired concerning the status of Holland Elkins. Hollard is currently being held without bail at the Lauderdale Detention Center. If he should be released from Lauderdale for any reason, he will have to return to Colbert County where he still faces charges stemming from a home invasion two years ago.

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Sex offenders on Hard Times: You've seen the paper on the counter at the mini-mart; you may have even picked it up, you've possibly even purchased an issue or two. Now Hard Times is publishing not only the newest mug shots, but spotlighting one or two local sex offenders in each issue. A reader asks if this is legal?

None of us here is an attorney, but we imagine it would be open to debate. The official Alabama sex offender site is run by the Department of Corrections. Here's a snip from their website:


Is the publication of this information harassment? That would be the debatable question. Our guess is the answer is no. Just how the DOC feels about such info being used for monetary gain might be a different story. How do we personally feel? Refer to one of our previous blogs.

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