A Halloween Scenario That May Unfortunately Be True

 

Has anyone, anyone at all, ever unexpectedly asked you for a ride home from a hospital? It's happened to us three times - twice from friends and once from a stranger...a very odd stranger.

After visiting a friend at ECM in the weeks just before its closure, we sat in the lobby to check messages. A very disheveled woman approached us asking for a ride. The request was rambling and not very specific, but she offered money. Along the way, she mentioned her relative was in the ER due to a murder attempt. We quickly made our excuses and headed for the parking deck, checking behind us as we went.

How did we know she wasn't recruiting for a deranged husband with a back garden full of dead bodies in East Florence? How did she know we wouldn't have driven her to the basement of a medic lover who was looking for organs?

Checking earlier today, we found at least a third person missing from the hospital area - one from ECM and two from NAMC. We know the man missing after leaving ECM several years ago had accepted a ride from a stranger. The two women missing from the NAMC area? We have no details other than a "last seen."

The male and one of the females are not listed on the ALEA site. We don't know the criteria to make the list, but obviously more goes on in the underbelly of a city than is made totally public. 

The missing shouldn't be throwaway people, nor should the city allow any more victims. Why not establish a system to provide transportation home to people leaving the hospital and ER? 

It shouldn't be too much to ask.

*****

Don't Be a Priest, Nun, etc. This Halloween

 

There's a story at least 30 years old of a Florence professional man who entered a store (some say TG&Y at Seven-Points) wearing some kind of werewolf or similar mask. Instead of telling the gentleman it was against the law, the manager called police to have him arrested. It was embarrassing to say the least.

Mask-wearing may no longer be against the law in Alabama, but apparently posing as certain kinds of clergy is:

Whoever, being in a public place, fraudulently pretends by garb or outward array to be a minister of any religion, or nun, priest, rabbi or other member of the clergy, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $500.00 or confinement in the county jail for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

We had never heard of this 1965 law, but it does remain on the books. We can thank AL.com for bringing this to light. So will local police be out in full force in the Shoals tomorrow night seeking out these sneaky miniscule impostors? It wouldn't surprise us.

Why don't we just stick a couple of pillows under a knitted vest and go as the Florence mayor? Pretty scary, huh?

*****

Spring Park Looks Like Halloween Year-Round

 

Have there been strange doin's at Spring Park in Tuscumbia this October? We can say there have at least been some actions related to the park, but were they positive?

1. The City of Tuscumbia is selling the park's roller coaster. Bummer!

2. Christmas lights are going up. Hey why not - It's how retail does it.

3. The waterfall? Still not working.

4. The light show? Still not working.

5. The pond/mini-lake? Still filthy. Don't believe us? Here's some new pics:

Perhaps it's a plan to take the citizen's minds off the potholes...

*****

Phillip Pettus Accused of Hampering "GOP Rights"

 

Phillip Pettus from Green Hill has made some people mad, not that that's unusual. He's prefiled a bill for the 2025 legislative session making it illegal to oust someone from the state ballot due to the origins of his/her political contributions. In short, HB6 is attempting to make AEA contributions secure.

Some have taken offense to the bill and are demanding that the ever controversial Pettus be reprimanded even though 87 current members of the state legislature received AEA funding in the last election. From the resolution:

“Representative Phillip Pettus, through the legislative process, is blatantly hindering the right of the GOP to oversee who may run under the umbrella of the party banner, and ensuring that true conservatives are vetted for candidacy. Be it resolved that the members of the Morgan County Republican Executive Committee call upon the Alabama Grand Old Party State Executive Committee to reprimand Representative Pettus in harsh terms for using his office and the legislative process to hamper party rights.”

So far, Pettus has refused to comment on the Morgan County resolution. We hope no one is holding their breath.

*****

Tim Melson is Helping Alabama Citizens? Not Quite

 

Florence's own state senator Tim Melson has just won an interesting award. He's been named the Sound Money Legislator of the Year. That sounds promising - as if he'd done something great for the state's citizens. Not quite.

The award was presented to Dr. Melson by the Money Metals Exchange which was pleased that he had some years ago introduced legislation to end sales tax on gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bars. This year, Melson introduced legislation to end capital gains tax on the precious metals.

So all of you out there, feel free to purchase a multitude of bullion bars this Christmas. Just think how much you'll be saving.

Now, if only we could find a legislator who cared enough about the public to end the sales tax on that other luxurious item - food.

*****

Tuscumbia Statue Part II - The Sculptor

 

The unveiling of the Tuscumbia Singing River statue was to have been in September 2017. Perhaps there was not much concern at first. After all, Florence's jazz man work had been scheduled for an unveiling by December 2018, and it was similarly nowhere on the horizon. What did the sculptor say?

The artist chosen in 2016 for the American Indian flute player was Lucas K. Stokes of Rogersville, Alabama. To be more specific, Stokes lived at the time on Highway 101 in the Elgin community on a Rogersville postal route. His work "Iron Mother" currently graces the Tennessee River at Elgin.

Stokes, owner of White Flame studio, is known for "Ornamental Iron, Furniture, Lighting, Oven Hoods, Chimney Caps, Handrails, Steel Fencing, Gates" and more. It had been his intention to place sculptures similar to the "Iron Mother" all along the Tennessee River, but he had averred that the Singing River work came first. 

The now 42 year-old Stokes initially showed progress in the fabrication of the 18-foot aluminum musician. Then work slowed.

According to current Tuscumbia mayor William Foster, the City paid Stokes $30,000.00 in total, receiving nothing as of this month. The entire 30K had been raised via private donations, and now Tuscumbia is replacing the lost fund and moving forward with a new sculptor.

And Stokes? He didn't answer our request for a comment. Some have indicated he has moved back to Sarasota or Toledo where he lived previously. If true, we have to ask why the City of Tuscumbia has not taken legal action?

*****

Tuscumbia Statue Part I - Theft or Misunderstanding?

 

Around 2009, the four towns comprising the Quad-Cities decided, in their finite wisdom, to erect statues depicting the area's music heritage. Things went fairly well at first. The Sheffield artwork, NOT ELVIS PRESLEY, and the Muscle Shoals entry, NOT DAVID HOOD, were designed and completed by Florence sculptor Audwin McGee. Both are reasonably compelling works of art and an asset to the towns.

Then things began to go wrong. Due to increased production costs, Mr. McGee needed more money for his Florence sculpture, presumably to be called NOT LOUIS ARMSTRONG. The city balked and quickly signed a contract with a second artist. Things didn't go well there either, so Craig Wedderspoon of Tuscaloosa wound up with the final commission. It was 2024 before the final product was erected near O'Neal Bridge. No comment on the amount of aluminum wasted on that one. Three down and one to go.

It's now been at least 15 years, and Tuscumbia's artwork is still missing in action. This week, Mayor William Foster gave an update on the status of the Indian pipe player. There was good news and bad news.

To be continued (If sculptor L. S. would like to comment for the blog tomorrow, we will be happy to publish his side of the brouhaha)...

*****

IS ANYONE LISTENING? (In Florence)

 

For years, the Florence planning commission has seemed to be some mysterious body which made decisions on rezoning of property in the city. If you ask 100 citizens on Court Street who is on the committee and what it does: it is almost a sure bet, you will get “I don’t know” for an answer from 99. Lately, and especially with the last two meetings, it appears that there is much more interest in what this commission does and who are the members.

What has gone on at the last two meetings, you may ask? The meeting held on Oct. 9th was for the rezoning of property located on Wright Drive in the Alexander Heights/Sherwood Forest subdivision area of North Florence for a Publix grocery store located in a new shopping center. While those in other areas of Florence may applaud the addition of a new Publix in the city limits, those who live in this area who appeared before the commission stated their disapproval of the project. Many made impassioned pleas. Destroying property values of “forever” family homes seemed to be at the top of the reasons given by those in opposition to building a grocery store “across the street”. But a close second was traffic concern and right behind this in third place was the lack of infrastructure. Many of the surrounding homeowners talked of low water pressure and sewer systems backing up in their yards now and questioned what the additional load from this new development would create to an already strained system. Not to mention water drainage issues. And the traffic nightmare that this would cause on a narrow two-lane road like Wright Drive connecting two major thoroughfares like Chisolm and Cloverdale Roads with the increase in traffic to a Publix grocery store was mentioned by each dissenting citizen. After all, this was cutting through two subdivisions with single family homes and small children riding bicycles on the streets!

One of the proposals on the agenda for the meeting held on Oct. 22nd was the rezoning on Old Chisolm Road for an apartment complex. While this project did not bring out the throngs of concerned surrounding homeowners that the Publix grocery proposal did, the few that questioned this development also voiced concerns for traffic on an old poorly lit road with no curb and guttering and the effect the increase in surrounding population would have on existing infrastructure. Once again, this would increase traffic in a residential subdivision only this time going past one of the Forest Hills elementary school playgrounds. The same arguments were made as with the Publix project regarding the lack of water pressure in the area, questionable sewer lines and problems with water run off from rainy weather. 

DOES ANYONE SEE A PATTERN HERE? Jim Stanphill, the chairman of this committee, is quick to point out that this group is only a regulatory body. He refers all concerns voiced by surrounding homeowners and interested citizens to the street and engineering departments for traffic and infrastructure. If they have no authority concerning infrastructure and traffic concerns for rezoning, some may ask: Why does this committee seem to approve most proposals that come before it? Why not table a proposal until information from the different departments can be obtained. While infrastructure and traffic concerns are not actually in the purview of a developer, it should be the paramount concern of the city to ensure the well-being of the citizens effected by a new project.

The bottom line for both meetings was the committee did spend quite a bit of time listening to the concerns of the surrounding homeowners. But, when it came time to vote for the “recommendation” which would be forwarded to the city council for approval, the vote was in the affirmative. And as a city hall junkie, this reporter can tell you that I do not recall many instances of the city council not approving the “recommendation” of the planning commission. Just who is recommending that Florence improves our roads, our drainage system and our sewers? The citizens who come before these commission meetings with concerns for new developments certainly are. Where is the mayor and city council on these problems?

HELLO? Is anyone listening?

*****

Want Your Money Back from Roma Italian Bistro?

 

InOtterNews

Since Roma Italian Bistro abruptly closed on Tuesday, October 15th, there has been a great deal of discussion about the problems at the Hatch Boulevard eatery. Until today, the Shoalanda Speaks blog has never commented on the seemingly popular restaurant; however, our sister publication Quad-Cities Cuisine has twice remarked on Roma.

QCC first mentioned that the building was on the City of Sheffield nuisance property list on July 9th. The current list was originally created in August 2023. If the owner of Roma felt this was deleterious to his business, he should have had the problem(s) fixed in the intervening three months. In fact, we're surprised the restaurant agreed to open until any and all problems were corrected with the City. 

Second, the owner has stated he will not be reopening in a new location:

Mike Daugherty

Disappointing. Food was always great, service was always awesome, Not sure what the rumor mill issues were but as usual, this is why we can’t have nice things here I guess. I heard you’re re-opening in Tuscaloosa and if so, maybe we’ll see you there.

• 3d
• Like
• Reply

Author

Roma Italian Bistro Sheffield

Mike Daugherty no we are not opening in Tuscaloosa

• 3d
• Like
• Reply

Mike Daugherty replied

 ·

3 Replies

Top fan

Rick Patel

Mike Daugherty yes they are definitely opening in Tuscaloosa as Milanos Italian Bistro/ Grill. They closed overnight and packed their stuff!

On September 19th, the owner filed to incorporate Milano's Italian Grill with the State of Alabama. On September 25th, he created a Facebook page for it. 

The new restaurant's contact address is 1301 McFarland Boulevard NE in Tuscaloosa. Those who have commented publicly and also to us privately can contact the owner there over prepaid gift cards and reservations for Roma. Sadly, you may additionally have to contact the Colbert County District Attorney's office for assistance. Good luck!

*****

Two takeaways from this minor Colbert scandal:

1. While we didn't know that our bloggers were in a contest with any restaurant owners, we want to recognize two of them. We sincerely believe that a police officer who has literally saved lives and a school teacher who has molded hundreds of young lives (not to mention the other writers in all they do) have indeed more worthwhile accomplishments than running a restaurant.

2. As for Olive Garden, apparently some have never heard the jokes from Will and Grace or comments from Anderson Cooper. It's called humor - lighten up!

*****