Russellville Killers/Math Challenged at Arc?

If you missed it, Jason Dewayne Green was sentenced earlier today to 19 years for the shooting death of Shay Ledlow.

Green Cops a Plea

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Hershel Graham, the killer of Red Bay husband and father David Andrasik, has finally made it out of the Kilby Infirmary where he had been held for weeks. He is now in general receiving at Kilby and should be transferred to his permanent location soon.

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Arc and mental health programs? We support these tax-funded programs 100%, or at least usually do. We realize some funds from city, county, and state revenue are ear-marked and just can't be handed out in any direction. After all, the world also seems to need more plazas with fountains and bell towers (insert Charlie Whitman joke here.)

What would Arc do if funding is cut? We hope it doesn't have to find out, but we also have quite a bone to pick with Murray Townsend, state and local Arc board member. He recently stated:

The mental health funding rates have increased by 4 percent in the past 15 years, while in the same time period the rate of inflation has been 41 percent.

Really? 41%? Just how did you come up with that figure, Mr. Townsend? We're going to say that after checking, the highest rate mentioned by any watchdog site was 36%. That was somewhat higher than we had anticipated. So, Townsend just fudged by 5%? Or is Arc not getting enough bang for its buck. Plus, the 36% is an average that includes everything from a gallon of milk to a Cadillac to a McMansion. 

In other words, some items purchased by Arc might have even gone down in price over the last 15 years; in fact these staples would not be subject to the same inflation found in the automotive or construction world. Not only that, the rate of inflation also includes precious metals; we sincerely hope that Arc is not indulging in those purchases.

Here's a very thorough article that compares inflation between 1999 and 2009:

10 Years of Inflation

We have always supported Arc in the past (and still do--just not some of its leadership at this point), but somehow we're sure those Minnesota orphans are looking better by the moment to many. Much more attractive confabulation...

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It can be said that Percy Sledge put Muscle Shoals on the map...or not. No matter, no history of Shoals music is complete without several paragraphs related to Sledge and his greatest hit, "When a Man Loves a Woman." 

Don't miss our friend Dino's tribute to Sledge: Percy Sledge

Was his signature song one of the greatest love songs in history? Another friend is doing a guest blog on that, but in the mean time, here's one sent personally from Shoalanda:

Shoalanda