Will Dr. Carlos Nelson Finally Be Sheffield School Super?

 

For the past nine years Dr. Carlos Nelson has been Deputy Superintendent of Sheffield City Schools. During that time, he has been bypassed twice for the super's position. 

First, the Sheffield Board of Education saw fit to hire Keith Lankford. During Dr. Lankford's time at the helm, he mainly promoted Inspiration Landing and looked for a better position. He lasted three years.

Then came Keith Davis who was, judging from our e-mails, almost universally disliked for his waffling and pandering personality. He's also lasted three years.

Dr. Nelson is certainly more than qualified and, more importantly, not about to go running off for a number of years. This is his home. If Sheffield doesn't promote Dr. Nelson this time, what new incompetence will the next three years see?

Tomorrow Last Day for Much of Colbert Shelter Staff?

 

 

A reliable source has told us that March 31st is the last day for Anthony Wilbanks and several volunteers at the Colbert Animal Shelter. If the shelter was understaffed before, what will it be like after Thursday?

Does the Colbert County Commission care? We're pretty sure it doesn't, considering all its actions in the past.

One of the greatest fears is that the new director will bring back the gas chamber. Would Speegle actually do this? To use the business term du jour, it wouldn't be good optics for the county. 

In the past, we've supported the Colbert Shelter as well as the Florence Animal Shelter. Now we suggest you confine your donations to the latter where they will do the most good.

We Hear Muscle Shoals Middle School is Really Smokin'

 

What can you say about vape pens? Unfortunately, nothing good especially when in the hands of middle school students...and filled with THC.

Several parents have reported their children have been approached about purchasing these pens. One young Muscle Shoals entrepreneur has even posted about them on Facebook, citing the main ingredient as Delta 9.

Parents: You have been informed...

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From James Corden: “The whole incident threw me off in a huge way. Also, completely ruined my chances in the Oscar pool. I had Dame Judi Dench smacking Woody Harrelson.”

Sentence of Child Porn King Pete Wesson Reduced

 

William Howard Wesson - everyone knew him as "Pete" and everyone who knew him liked him. No one suspected that the former owner of a Florence sign business had amassed a huge collection of child porn until his arrest.

From a 2018 news account:

Pete Wesson, a local businessman who retired late last year, has been arrested in Florence on charges of possession of 55 images of child pornography. For many years, William Howard Wesson, better known as Pete, owned Signs by DE-Sign, also known as Wesson Signs, located on East Tennessee Street. He gained local fame for initiating a “Vote Them All Out” campaign aimed at the Florence City Council.

The 65 year old Wesson is a long time Tuscumbia/Florence resident who attended UNA and had a long business career beginning with a job as assistant manager at the Tuscumbian Theatre while he was in college. Wesson was also a familiar fixture at what was then the Baptist Student Union and a member of the UNA rifle team in the early to mid-seventies, graduating with a business degree in 1984. Wesson was also a recent commander of the Florence American Legion Post.

The 1970 Deshler grad’s LinkedIn profile also lists: Class President, 1970 University Man of the Year, University Band, Collegiate Singers, Inter-Presidents Council, Celebrity Escort, University of North Alabama Rifle Team. (Target Shooting)

A friend offered the following statement: “I’ve known Pete since college. He really was a self-made man and I didn’t know anyone who didn’t like him. His parents were divorced and his dad was never in the picture. Pete has a lovely wife and their son was serving in the military for quite a while. I’ve always considered Pete one of the most patriotic guys I know.”

Wesson was originally convicted on 56 counts and ordered to serve four years on each count consecutively. In all, Lauderdale County Judge Ben Graves ordered the businessman to serve over 200 years in prison.

Now, Florence attorney Ralph Holt has appealed the sentence successfully. As of 2022, Wesson is serving only 28 years on a total of 11 counts. Pete is now housed at the Hamilton Aged & Infirm Unit and will be released in 2046 at which time he will be 95 years old. If any still feel sorry for Wesson, he will be eligible for parole at the age of 88 in 2039.

Charles Corey Speegle New Head of Colbert Animal Control

 

Charles Corey Speegle, currently a Colbert County Deputy, has been selected as the new head of Colbert Animal Control. He will officially take office in April.

Colbert County is infamous for under paying and under staffing its animal control. We sincerely hope Deputy Speegle is willing to jump in and actually get his hands dirty...and not only on doughnut sugar glaze.

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Kudos to Anthony Wilbanks for all he has done for the Colbert program over the years. There's no easy animal welfare work, and we sincerely believe Mr. Wilbanks has done an extraordinary job during his tenure!

"I Hate Politics!"

Colbert Commissioner Comments on Job Applicants

 

Current director of Colbert Animal Control Judie Nichols will be retiring on April 1st. Four individuals applied for the position, and District Two Commissioner Tori Bailey chose to comment on them:

"Three of the four come highly recommended."

Who are the four? Anthony Wilbanks, Wesley Priest, Hillary Cole, and Corey Speegle. 

Since the field of applicants was so small, we have to wonder why Ms. Bailey chose to make it clear that one was not highly recommended. We have no idea to which candidate the commissiner referred, but wouldn't it have been more prudent not to mention this aspect of the search at all?

The $1.25 Tree?/Tim James

 

Over the years, we've mentioned the Dollar Tree in several blogs. Now some readers have asked us about the new pricing system. 

One of our regular bloggers who lives nearby a DT store tells us that nothing is over $1.25; however, that price now covers most merchandise. Candy that was once .75 is now a dollar and some foods, mainly noodles, remain at just $1.00.

We still highly recommend this retail outlet for most smaller purchases. Why pay two or three times that at Walmart?

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Tim James is running second to Kay Ivey in the Republican primary for governor. He's so conservative that he makes a Mennonite look like a Middle Eastern radical. Now he's taking on Tim Melson and the recently legalized medical marijuana.

It hasn't been that long since James criticized yoga in Alabama physical education classes. Doesn't the Talivan have a place for him in their organization?

Sheffield Prepares for Inspiration Landing Rush; Say What?

 

The City of Sheffield is worried about the coming influx of food trucks to special events at Inspiration Landing. Special events? Would that be some actual work at the site?

In case you were also worried, Mayor Stanley says he wants to get on top of it. There is a proposed new ordinance to regulate this huge influx. If you would like to have input, you're invited to a public meeting on April 18th.

One concern is food truck competition to all those ritzy restaurants that will also be coming to IL. Anyone see any work on those? 

In fact, we have to ask just how long has it been since any work was done in connection with IL? If Sheffield isn't careful, the Lauderdale Ag Center will open first and steal all the headlines.

Hmmm, didn't 2021 deserve a progress report?

Salvation Army Wealth? Interesting Figures

 

The U.S. branch of the SA is divided into four territories: Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central. We in the Shoals are obviously in the Southern territory, with the main territorial office being in Atlanta: the national headquarters being in Alexandria, Virginia.

How wealthy is the Salvation Army in the U.S.? We'll present a few documented figures here. These are the latest numbers available online:

In 2015, the SA was second only to the United Way in monetary donations.

In 2020, the SA in the U.S. took in 2.4 billion dollars cash.

In 2019, one report listed the SA's assets had fallen to 1.94 billion. This number changes from quarter to quarter.

One stated goal of the SA is to accrue at least a 4% gain each year on its investments. That's monetary investments in case any one was foolishly thinking of souls saved.

In 2022, the CEO's salary (not counting perks) is $190.000.00.

And globally?

in 2020, total investments were 15 billion dollars.

At this point we have to ask how many Florence taxpayers want the city to give any money to an organization that often doesn't even provide toilet paper to its East Florence women's shelter?

Look What Tuscumbia Got for 7.5K

 

Tuscumbia recently commissioned Design Alabama to provide a new city logo. Look at this! The city paid only $7,500.00 for the art and additional ideas to promote the Colbert county seat. 

Is it edgy? Perhaps not - we actually understand and like it. Congratulations Mayor Underwood. Want to come to Florence and give Handy Dandy Andy some tips?

Something was wrong with Florence's actions on rebranding. Was it Andy? Or was it Melinda Morgan? Who owed whom a favor?

We may never know...

Now This Is Edgy...

Hate Women? Hate Gays? Florence Says Here's Some More Money!!!

 

Two years ago, the City of Florence attempted to donate 100K to the Salvationist Church to build a bigger, better shelter for the homeless. It met with resistance from many sectors. Now they're at it again, attempting to add more funding to this ill-advised project.

Would the city please address questions of rape and sex discrimination at the Florence church? How about their semi-public stance on gays? Roy Moore would fit right in.

Attn: Baptist Church, Methodist Church, Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church - Be sure to ask for your fair share as well. Every day, the Salvationist Church is exposed more and more. Ask yourself if you support even 25% of what this religious group does. Don't be fooled; research it yourself.

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Some years ago, a Lions Club in northwest Alabama discovered its entire treasury of around $5,000.00 had just disappeared. Many had some very derogatory words about the club's treasurer. One older gentleman was heard to have commented not on the embezzler, but questioned why this club had that much money on hand when there were those who needed the funds for vision expenses.

Consider this: In August 2021, according to Charity Intelligence, the S.A. in Canada had 1.1 BILLION Canadian dollars in investments. (We're researching how much is held by the church in the U.S.)

Do you realize how much one billion dollars is? Why isn't most of this money being put to use to help those the church claims to love and care for?

Our Legislature Makes Us Proud...Again

 

Worried that peanuts don't get proper respect in our state since Mr. Peanut is presumably still dead? You can relax - 12 Republicans have it covered.

HB350 is halfway adopted. It certainly looks like we're about to announce the peanut will be Alabama's official state legume. Why has this taken so long?

Why is this not surprising? Only a few of our state's indigent qualify for Medicaid, but we can all agree on peanuts?

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Do you keep up with financial news? Have you ever noticed that companies coming out of bankruptcy change names in order to distance themselves from bad publicity? 

Anyone know why a city board suddenly becomes a commission? Here's another interesting question: Who ordered the North Florence Pocket Park murals to be painted over? Did we miss a muffled mumble in a city council meeting?

The Shoals Area Comedy Crew

 

The Shoals Area Comedy Crew? When we first saw the phrase, we assumed it had to do with the Florence City Council.

No, it's an interesting group that we had not heard of previously. Apparently the performers are also civic minded as well as funny. There will be a diaper giveaway to anyone who needs help.

Notice, it's PG-13. That's a much better rating than one of the city boards. So take a look and be sure to tell those who might be in need of extra diapers.

Public Urination in Downtown Florence

 

 

Remember the proposed Room at the Table in North Florence? One of the major reasons the city refused licensing was the risk of not only panhandling, but public urination as well. Are those who do it too mentally gone to care, too drunk to care, or simply exhibitionists?

Here's a report from our J. Redmon:

My wife had occasion on Tuesday afternoon of this week to be passing the American Legion Post on Court St. when she got a shock. One of the homeless individuals congregating near the front of the American Legion Post was urinating on the side of the building! Is THIS the 'image' Florence wants everyone to remember about its city? Not only was this behavior uncivilized and illegal, it also poses very real safety/health concerns. As 'Barney' was fond of saying: 'This problem needs to be nipped in the bud. Nip it! Nip it good!'

On second thought, perhaps there's a fourth possibility. Perhaps these people are like many of our readers who don't believe in following rules, regulations, and laws. No matter the reason, this is not a draw for Florence business.

Any word on the city adopting Chief Tyler's plan?

Pie Factory Says Figures Don't Lie; Economists Say Liars Do Figure

 

The old saying is that “figures will not lie,” but a new saying is “liars will figure.” It is our duty, as practical statisticians, to prevent the liar from figuring; in other words, to prevent him from perverting the truth, in the interest of some theory he wishes to establish. Carroll D. Wright

A representative of the Pie Factory in Florence, one in a chain of two, has written a letter to the editor of the TimesDaily asking citizens to support the proposed new downtown hotel. He quoted figures from a study on the effects of the project. As with Inspiration Landing, these are best case scenarios. Look how well that has turned out.

Can we all say slippery slope? What happened when we lent 400K to a local developer ten years ago.? Can you say lost it all?

How about James Bobo Jr.'s need for a financial contribution to build on the old Sears/Martin property? Just to be fair shouldn't we help him also. After all, he is a Florence native and well-liked.

Above all consider: If you suddenly had 70 million in funds in your bank, would you co-sign for Eugene Sak's project? No? Then whey should the City of Florence risk everyone's money by doing so?

Eugene Sak Wants Citizens of Florence to "Enhance" His Credit

 

Eugene Sak is a local property developer. Most recently, he's been representing a hotel management company called PCH. In December of last year, Sak appeared before the Florence City Council to ask for help with the project. One of his major requests was for "enhanced credit." 

If you look that term up, you get a lot of answers that don't seem to pertain to the subject at hand. A better term here is co-signer. That's right, Sak wants the city of Florence to co-sign for a 70 million dollar bond issue.

We're again going to commend Mayor Andy Betterton for his stance on this issue (he is a degreed accountant, after all). While this involves no money up front, the city would be liable for the whole amount should the project go under. What do you think Andy said? And he even said it nicely.

Now Sak is playing to the hoi polloi in his attempt to force the city to sign on the dotted line. This is his new web page:

Florence Opportunity Forum

We particularly loved it when he offered a map to confused citizens showing exactly who their council person is. If you don't know any more about your district than that, are you sure you're qualified to understand the financial dynamic here?

There's even a poll...trust Sak and company with 70 million, vote yes. Have common sense, vote no.

How Much Respect for Lauderdale's Dead?

 

If you read AL.com, you've noticed that once or twice a month that publication will feature photos of Birmingham area dead who can't be identified or for whom no relatives can be found. Did you ever consider what happens when the homeless die in the Shoals? Within the past year, we can recall at least three "street people" who died in accidents. While their deaths made the news, there was no obituary or death notice.

If the bodies aren't claimed, what happens then. Years ago there was a "pauper" section at the city cemetery on East Tennessee Street. We have no idea if that is even used at this time. No matter how few frills are involved, properly disposed of remains cost counties money. Most entities today cremate unclaimed bodies and store them in hopes relatives will eventually be contacted. With that in mind, here's an interesting tale that we present in the, ahem, fiction department.

There's a new coroner in town. He is given the vehicle used by the former coroner and immediately discovers boxes of cremains inside. What should he do?

When he asks a county support worker, he's told simply to take them to the dumpster in the back of the courthouse. Before this can be done, the head of another department hears of the situation and stops the new coroner from carrying out the ignominious disposals.

Just to add more drama to our little story, what if we make the support worker one who previously announced no concern for freezing animals who face almost certain death?

We live in a cruel world. Perhaps added to an IQ test on employment applications, we should add one for empathy and compassion?

Citizens Gobsmacked & Florence on De-FENCE-ive

 

Feeling empowered by the F! logo uprising, citizens have now come after the new fence at the Kennedy-Douglass home across from Wilson Park. Consider yourself lucky if you haven't seen this travesty that the people of Florence paid almost $3,000.00 for.

The ramshackle board fencing will be the subject of Tuesday's Historical Preservation Commission meeting. Please join in battle against the city at 5:30 p.m. at the Indian Mound Museum at 1028 South Court Street. Make your voice heard.

Not only do most of Florence want the new fencing replaced, they want a refund from the Athens Fence Company which erected the eyesore. We concur. If you think the chant "No justice, no pasta" was loud, just wait until you hear the new cheer "De-Fence."

Go Back to Athens, Fence. You're on LSD.

If You're Going to be Woke, at Least Make Sense

 

We hope you recall from last year when someone with access to the Florence Walking Tour changed the script. The most egregious change was a tirade about capital punishment.

Apparently this misguided and over zealous wannabe activist has been at it again:

"The climate increased." Just how does the climate increase? Even if this ill-educated historian has a valid point, how does this sound even halfway logical? While we believe in some amount of climate change, his little extra pontificating has no place being included in a small town walking tour on the taxpayers' dime. 

If this man can change a simple walking tour, just think what he could do with a city department...or a gullible employee.

Libby, Don't Fence Us In...

 

Just look at this!!! Would you pay three thousand dollars for this at your home? What have we missed? Is the pre-dented look in now? How about the unfinished side facing the street?

The work at the Kennedy Douglass Home was authorized by Libby Jordan and completed by an Athens company - they apparently couldn't find one in Birmingham.

Not only is this a royal eyesore, it goes against the building regulations for this historic district: 

"Walls and fences shall be finished with decorative materials that are compatible in texture, color and materials to surrounding buildings. Materials such as painted wood pickets, wrought iron, brick, stucco or stone may be appropriate, whereas, chain link, bamboo, wood stockade, plywood, and concrete block, are not appropriate."

We're hearing that Putin is sending a swarm of Lower Slobovian termites to take care of this.

Are You Aware of This Hidden PSC Tax?

 

Before anyone criticizes the country of Ukraine for being corrupt, we suggest they consider the State of Alabama. Yes, there's corruption in all government. Let's thoroughly research the candidates in the May 24th primary. Here's an interesting press release that should make you realize just how important the Public Service Commission is and how it may currently be stealing your money. If you want to rid the state of this particular tax scam, we suggest you vote for the honest and qualified candidate.

During the Ronald Reagan dinner in Double Springs this past Saturday night, I told those in attendance about the hidden tax scam my opponent supports at the Public Service Commission. That hidden tax scam is the mechanism by which the PSC causes the utilities it regulates to charge their customers more for their utility bills and then, after receiving the excess money from the utilities, the PSC sends it, not back to the customers of the utilities, but to the general fund where it is mixed in with legitimate tax revenues. There it is spent on projects from which the customers of the utilities may never benefit and in parts of Alabama they may never visit. I also told the people at the dinner that the only RINO we need in Montgomery is the one at the zoo.

Following the dinner, my opponent, who had been present during my talk, asked me, “What tax are you talking about? We don't tax nobody.” He wasn't upset about having been called a RINO, most likely because he recognizes that he is one. He was upset that I was the one who had to educate him about the hidden tax scam he has repeatedly supported with his votes. My opponent has been a member of the Public Service Commission for over nine years and it wasn't until Saturday night that he gained an understanding about how his votes impact the citizens of Alabama. His ignorance is shocking and should not be tolerated by the voters of our state.

His repeated votes in support of the hidden tax scam have taken tens of millions of dollars from the customers of those utilities. That is money that the hard-working citizens of our state could use to feed and clothe their children, put gasoline in their gas tanks, and set aside some money for their retirement. But they can't use their money for those purposes because my opponent took it from them. They thought that they were paying their utility bill when they were actually paying a hidden tax my opponent imposed on them.

Alabama can do better than this. Alabama must do better than this. As a conservative Republican, I will never vote to impose a hidden tax on Alabama's citizens. I will never cast a vote without understanding the impact that vote will have on the people of our great state. But I can't do it without you. I need your vote to put an end to this hidden tax scam. Vote Brent Woodall for Public Service Commission Place 1 on May 24th!

5,000 Posts as of Today!

 

Today we publish our 5000th post. We hope over the past 13 plus years that you have enjoyed our blog. Here's to the next 5000 blogs. Our content depends greatly on what you the reader asks for. Never hesitate to contact us!

Shoalanda & Staff