COVID at Brooks High School

 

COVID is everywhere. One reason is obviously a lack of precautions, and many Brooks parents feel nowhere is this demonstrated better than at the Killen high school. 

When the virus was discovered in the football team and the band, team practice was ostensibly cancelled for a week. Yet, groups of 20 did gather for a mini-practice during this seven day period. Does anyone think simply narrowing practices to this still large number will stop transmission?

Recently there was a youth jamboree. One young man who participated immediately thereafter was diagnosed with the virus, but some parents say they weren't informed by the school. 

Other parents are worried about early team practice that forces players to leave the campus to shower at home and return to school for regular classes. What is the school's liability in this if an accident happens while the player is away from the campus?

Our suggestion is to contact the school board since apparently the powers that be at Brooks are aware of these problems. We'll be looking at some academic/athletic issues in a few days. If anyone has a concern, please send it to us.

A Field House Too Small?

 

Approximately 18 months ago, a reader wrote this about the new field house at Brooks High School in Killen:

Two Million...?

Now that the new edifice is in service, what are parents saying? The reviews aren't exactly raves.

According to some, the field house doesn't have enough showers for all the football players. There's a (gasp!) wait time. Is this highly unusual? We don't know.

We do know that those parents who are, or at least were, members of the booster club are sitting back in disgust over various issues. Nothing like football to bring out the vitriol? 

Do you have an issue with the Brooks football program? All replies are anonymous.

Brooks High Introduces New Motto?

 

According to one Lauderdale County School System employee, Brooks High School has a new motto in better keeping with its image. The employee was quoted as saying, "Thank heavens it wasn't Lauderdale County High's mantra that needed updating this time."

*****

Here's a couple of interesting stats:

Population of Killen, Alabama - 1,108

Residents of Killen currently under investigation for teacher/student sex - 2

Interesting that both teachers coached in some way. There have been studies concerning athletes' propensity to enjoy living dangerously. Apparently someone needs to do a great deal more research into the subject.

Two Million for New Brooks Field House?

From a concerned reader on the new Brooks High School field house and Dr. Jerry Hill:

L.C.B.O.E. spends nearly $2 million on new field at Brooks High School

The hut style classrooms on campus will soon look worse for repair when the colossal size new field house at Brooks High School is completed.

A former teacher and administrator is quoted as saying:

"The field house a Brooks was destroyed by a tornado and that is the insurance money that has to be spent to replace it. It’s called insurance fraud if you use it for anything else and as a former assistant principal at Brooks and Rogers I know those facilities are used year round and by other athletes as well as football players."

I find it hard to believe that a block building with a tin roof was insured for $2 million.

The BOE said that insurance will pay for the work. An exact dollar amount is unknown.

We do not blame Principal Hill for this lapse of fiscally conservative judgment. Though some area residents are afraid that if Hill is elected a spending spree will occur to the likes of which we have never seen in this county.

The Lion Garniture Makes All The Difference

Bullies at Brooks High School

If you have a great many Facebook contacts, you may have seen a video posted that was taken at Brooks High School. It depicts one young woman accosting and hitting a second girl who calls out, "No, Shelby, no!"

According to those posting the video, this behavior has gone on for some time and neither admins nor teachers will intervene. Whether that is completely true or not, we don't know. Any punishment meted out to Shelby is not the business of outsiders; however, many in the Shoals would like to know that this situation is being handled.

Yes, we have Shelby's last name, but we are not going to use it here at this time. If we hear that this unhinged young woman continues her physical assaults on other students, we will publish her full name.

*****

We realize that some students have mental illnesses. It's fantastic if medication can make them functioning members of society again. It's certainly the goal to have these young people fit in at school. Yet if this isn't happening and they're a danger to others, parents should either home school them or send them to an appropriate institution. 

Ignoring a problem never makes it go away. It's odd how many don't comprehend that...

No Girl Under 16/Brooks Grads Vandalism

A news story concerning one of Chip Dillard’s alleged victims has been making the rounds, but it is true? (We partially based yesterday’s blog on the article.) The account of one of Dillard’s victims being under the age of 16 apparently originated in an AL.com article which stated:

The sex abuse charge involves Dillard subjecting one of the victims – who was younger than 16 years old – to sexual contact. Because of her age, she was legally unable to consent.

However, this is not what the actual indictment states. While we have not yet seen a copy of the entire indictment, an attorney with local connections has provided us with a photograph of the section in question:

It would seem that the woman involved, one L.S., was not under 16, but under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. While interesting, this charge might be one of the hardest to prove in court. If the victim was so impaired as to be physically unable to resist the sexual contact, how does she have an accurate recollection of the event? Of course, there may have been a witness to the sex abuse; authorities do say the whole case against Dillard and Timothy Wylie Staggs is a slam dunk.

*****

Thought for the day: While it's true that many police investigations are comparable to fishing expeditions, one should remember that those "gone fishin'" can usually catch something when directed to the likeliest spot on the bank.

*****

Every year at this time, we read of high school seniors who vandalize various school facilities as some right of passage. Often the destruction is costly; always it is in bad taste and doesn’t speak very highly of their intelligence.

A reader has sent us photographs of recent vandalism at... 

We are removing the pictures in question so that no one loses their job. Our schools are in a sad state: nepotism, student-teacher sex, fights, sex clubs, blackmail. Any of our readers think this should be the status quo?

...Our reader was concerned that the students involved are not being held accountable. We have no idea if they are or aren’t. We can definitely say they are poor representatives of their school, community, parents, and church (if they have one).

LunchRoomGate Part II

Let’s return to the latest Brooks High School scandal, aka LunchRoomGate. We’ve been told that all Lauderdale County schools employ the same payment policy for school lunches. We have no doubt that’s true, but…

For some reason, Brooks began to implement that policy with dramatic results this past Monday. Why? Obviously, it was at the direction of an administrator for Brooks. Who was it? Why was it?

*****

There would seem to be three kinds of students who were not allowed to eat on Monday:

1. The student who left lunch money in his/her vehicle. Why are these students not allowed to return to the parking lot? Do school admins fear drug deals? Sexual liaisons? Huffing? Just why are students not allowed to return to their cars during the school day?

2. The student whose parent forgot to give their child lunch money. Okay, some have called these children/parents irresponsible, but it obviously happens. Perhaps a child has only one parent and that parent is in the hospital. Why make the child go hungry (after being embarrassed in the admin’s office, of course)?

3. The student whose parent(s) has no money to give the child. These parents need to be sure to sign up for federal and state programs which pay for these lunches. Yes, we’re sure there will be some abuse, but had you rather a child went hungry? How about a garden club or Sunday school class adopting a certain student? $60.00 a month should cover one student; how financially painful for an organized group would that be?

*****

Over the years we’ve known many parents of one or two children who suddenly faced the prospect of taking in several nieces and nephews. These are circumstances where every penny is needed; there’s no shame in soliciting help when it’s available:

Lunch Assistance Programs

*****

Finally, if your child witnessed what happened at Brooks on Monday, please send us an e-mail or FB message. While it shouldn’t have happened to even one child, there are conflicting reports as to the number of children who suffered due to what could be called an inane policy…or at least the poor implementation of this policy.

It's August 2015 at Brooks High School

There's a lot of rumors floating around today about just what's been going on with Brooks High School lunches. Our first thought was to look at the school website, but unless it's August 2015, nothing posted there was very helpful. Or perhaps the monthly menu hasn't changed since August of last year?

The salient question: Are students being denied lunch when their account has a balance owing? According to the county superintendent, the monetary cutoff is $10.00. If a student gets that far behind in payments, then he/she will be offered a substitute lunch. Sure, gruel always sounds good, don't you think?

School officials expressed shock that students sent to the administrative offices for being behind in lunch payments failed to return to whatever was still waiting in the lunchroom for them. Really? We personally would have hidden in the restroom until lunch was over if we'd been treated that way. Whatever happened to a discreet note sent home at the end of the day?

Why is Brooks High the only Lauderdale County school with this problem? We're sure all schools have their own set of problems, but since we've been writing this blog, Brooks has had at least FOUR scandals...and it's not the largest high school in the system.

Is there an answer to this problem? A Lauderdale County businessman has offered to set up a fund to aid students who may be cash strapped. It's a great idea. We'll publish details as soon as they become available.

*****

State and county elections are now over...at least until this fall. Summer months will see city/municipal elections, so don't toss your barf bags just yet.

School Daze for Fun & Profit

First, we keep reading comments in various places that say "they're tearing down Coffee High School." No, "they're" not. A school is a group of individuals that come together to learn. It belongs in the same grouping as a hospital or church. It's not the building, it's the people.

The Florence Board of Education did away with Coffee High School years ago. Is the old building worth saving just for sentiment? The original building which morphed into Appleby Junior High was destroyed by fire many years ago. No, not much is left of Coffee but memories. Neither Coffee nor Bradshaw grads have an extant alma mater.

If it were up to us? We'd keep it...probably. It's a money pit at this point and not suited to the needs of today's classrooms. Could the building be used for something else as is Burrell-Slater? Come up with some ideas, and we'll publish them.

*****

Let's now travel east to Brooks. A parent has filed charges against a teacher, accusing her of physically assaulting a young girl. DHR is investigating, but we don't know the status of any police inquiries. The investigation may take quite a while. We do understand the parents' concern, there is a lot of he said/she said at this point. If any new relevant information is reported, we will publish it.

It's good for all parents to remember that teachers are human and make mistakes, lose their temper, etc. If you suspect abuse, follow your instincts, and above all, let the proper authorities handle it. (That means if you deck a teacher, you will go to jail.)

*****

Ah, now to the sunny south side of the river and a trip to Muscle Shoals Middle School. Late this afternoon, parents met with officials in an attempt to sort out the sudden termination of coach Jonathan Knight. The few reports we've had so far indicate that Coach Josh Fowler was taking 100% of the blame. More tomorrow in all probability.

In the mean time, from a concerned Muscle Shoals Parent (edited to remove identify of teacher):

The excuse for firing Coach Knight was that ONE parent complained to Boss Basden who immediately called his people in a private meeting on who was allowed to work for him. Wonder who the ONE parent is? Could it be another coach that is threatened by Coach Knight's success - or maybe even Basden who has 3 sons in the MSCS?

On a long running issue that goes un-addressed by MSCS & the High School: Countless parents and students have complained for YEARS about a high school xxxxx teacher that struggles with instruction techniques. The teacher has been sent for remedial training with no avail while most students have to hire a tutor. With so many honor students FAILING that course - perhaps the problem isn't the students and their preparation by other teachers for the class - it might be the person employed in the role of "teacher".

Yet ONE parent complained about a winning coach and it was an instant firing. The 3 men have revealed yet again what the future holds for Muscle Shoals. Athletics rules.

*****

We'll finish up at Sheffield High. We've said before that the best way to handle dress code problems in most instances is simply to "agree" with them. There are exceptions, but a simple tee-shirt is not worth fighting over, at least to us. You/Your child will not have to deal with this for a lengthy period of time, and some things are extremely hard to prove. Go on, say "Yes, sir, and thank you," graduate, then write a blog about them. How does that sound?

Shoalanda

Band Assailant to Go Free?

First, we wish to correct an error in our previous blogs concerning the brutal assault that occurred at Brooks High School in Killen. We had reported both assailant and victim were juniors in high school; however, the victim was in junior high--big difference. So now we have a young man who is 16, quite probably 17, who attacked a second young man who was probably no more than 14.

The attack, no matter what provoked it, was brutal and could have been fatal. It was not some teenage boy who decided to sucker punch someone--not that we advocate that, but we can understand how that sometimes happens. No, we have an attack that took several minutes in which the assailant could have...should have....realized what he was doing and stopped.

Unless the victim should suffer further (and we certainly hope that he does not), the charge will remain felony assault...that is until his attorney asks that his defendant be tried as a juvenile. Most area judges don't give that designation lightly, and we certainly hope this case will not be an exception.

However, if the Brooks High band assailant is classified as a juvenile, he may do no time at all. Is this a fitting punishment? Is being expelled from school enough? This young man may very well be happy about that.

Let's remember the victim in all this...



Shoalanda

It Was Described as "Horrific Assault"

The Thursday assault on a Brooks High 10th grader has been described as "horrific." According to one source, the victim required more than one surgery and was in ICU for two days. He is scheduled to be released today. The current charge against the alleged attacker is Second Degree Felony Assault; however, when presented to the grand jury, it could be elevated to First Degree.

Sadly, according to our sources, the attack could also be classified as Sexual Torture, although it was allegedly instigated for its brutality and not as a sex crime. It's extremely sad that our high schools are no longer safe. Only two weeks ago a young woman in another state was murdered on campus because she refused to attend the prom with a long-time friend.

We have to ask if this alleged attacker had not displayed some violent tendencies before? We have to ask how his parents have raised him? Yes, as our friend TBR says, it's not always the parents' fault, but more often than not, they have contributed by raising a child in an environment where he's always "right" no matter what. If a child can't handle disappointment in high school, how can he be expected to function in college or later the real world?

*****

So, you have a sex offender in your neighborhood, along with about 37 of his closest relatives including children, living in a home built for a family of four? We can't promise our advice will rid your neighborhood of this pariah, but then again it might.

1. Call the owner of the rental home or write an anonymous note. Let him/her know how many are living in this house and make sure it's clear that one is a sex offender. This obviously won't work with some of the "slum lords" in the area, but you can try.

2. If there's illegal activity, call police. That includes parking on the wrong side of the street. Most towns frown upon this and will ticket those who do so. There are also noise ordinances. Make sure they're enforced. Similarly, you can call the building department if there is structural damage to the home or if the lawn becomes overgrown.

3. While not all sex offenders are prohibited from living with children, many are. Take photos and call the county probation office. If the the reporting officer is in another department, the probation office can tell you whom to contact. If you see children visiting this home, take photos if possible. Again, forward these to the appropriate officer to whom the offender reports. If there are no photos, it's his word against yours.

4. If your neighborhood didn't get the notice of the sex offender moving in, you can download one from the state site. Print enough copies to make sure everyone within several blocks receives one.

*****

Rent from a slum lord, or have one who owns property in your otherwise nice neighborhood? Tell us about it.



Shoalanda

New Meaning to Dangerous Instrument?

A Brooks High School 10th grader has been accused of Felony Assault against a fellow student. It happened, in all places, the band room. These band members are getting as dangerous as pit bulls, aren't they?

The victim remains hospitalized--and it happened four days ago. In Alabama Felony Assault is considered:

• By intending to and causing serious physical injury to another person with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument.
• By causing an injury to a person, and possessing the intent to either disfigure another person seriously and permanently; or destroy, amputate, or permanently disable a member or organ of the person’s body.
• By recklessly engaging in conduct that creates a grave risk of death to another, and the conduct also causes serious physical injury to a person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.
• By causing serious physical injury to another while engaging in a felony clearly dangerous to human life (or during flight immediately after engaging in the felony), or while committing any of the following felonies: arson or attempted arson in the first degree; burglary in the first or second degree; escape in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree; rape in the first degree; robbery in any degree; or sodomy in the first degree.
• By causing serious bodily injury to another person with a motor vehicle, while driving under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance, or a combination of the two.

Those are some pretty serious charges. Just why were these two students alone for any length of time? Still, teachers can't watch these little darlings 24/7. We're guessing the little perp may have taken lessons from some former teachers?



Shoalanda

Loose Threads & Looser Minds

The past two days we've commented on both sides of the Jeremy Lane Green versus Brooks High School legal wranglings. We've been forwarded this comment:

I know who Sholanda (sic) Speaks is. She likes to keep things going to keep people arguing.. Every time you visit her website she receives money. Look how she went from one extreme to another with all of this.

We're not going to name the person who posted this on Facebook. We've never met the poster, but would like to encourage her/him to show us where we have contradicted ourselves. We've simply presented the facts/fallacies on both sides and invite rebuttal as usual. If anyone can show us where we have inadvertently published any false info, please do so.

As for making money each time someone views our page? We are a member of the Google Ad Network. That means we make from two to ten cents for every thousand who visit our site during a 24 hour period. We have never claimed we were in this for money; we certainly aren't and if all we cared about was money, we would be running a sex site, or perhaps a 900 number.

When individuals post false claims on any site, atheist or Christian or Jew or Muslim, they do not speak well of the groups they represent.

****

Things that will never happen again in our lifetime:

We'll never see a Coffee v. Sheffield game on Turkey Day
We'll never see a Coffee game. Period.
We'll never see a Bradshaw game.
We'll never hear the stirring strands of Dixie at any ballgame.
We'll never see a noose on Hangman's Corner in Florence at Halloween.
We'll never drive by Culpepper's to pick up a dozen flake rolls.
We'll never drive on Court Street at dusk and look in awe at the Coke sign.
We'll never pick up a copy of a locally owned daily newspaper.
We'll never read the adventures of Slats Grobnik or Wing and a Prayer Airline.

Things change. The important thing is that we make them change for the better.



Shoalanda

Green v. Brooks: Nothing but the Facts - Part II (Not Even a Moment of Silence?)

Yesterday we discussed atheist Jeremy Lane Green who protested public prayer at Brooks High School football games. We read on a local forum that today we would "tear apart" the Brooks Lions Will Pray movement. That is not our intention, but we do have a few words of constructive criticism for those involved.

1. Apparently no one either knew or checked the law before beginning the group. Superintendent William Valentine has already assented to the FFRF's request, a fact that should have been little in doubt, if at all.

2. Now the Brooks group has contacted state senator Tammy Irons in hopes of modifying the law in some manner. We doubt even Ms. Irons has the ability to sway the Supreme Court in its current incarnation. Time spent in meaningless activity is ill spent.

3. There is also talk of a huge fund-raising project in order to retain a lawyer to plead the group's case. Sorry, folks, he or she will have no more influence than Ms. Irons.

4. Many in the group don't know the names of the school board members and apparently are unaware the Lauderdale County school system has its own web site.

5. Many in the group don't seem to understand the Freedom From Religion Foundation is not connected to the ACLU.

6. The group is supposedly composed of Christians, but many of the comments by group members and others who oppose Mr. Green have been anything but Christian. Let's look at some of them...

Where does he live? If it is Lauderdale county, run him out of town!!!!! (referring to Green)

he is scum. (referring to Valentine)

the hell with them...

6. As long as the group continues along these lines, it will only serve to give Green a second 15 minutes of fame. Think about it.

*****

It should be noted that William Valentine made his decision to delete public prayers (and supposedly moments of silence) from county ball games in conjunction with the system's attorney James Irby. The decision concerning public prayer was mandated by law; however, they did not confer with school board members. Those who say they will not vote for any current members are not practicing the fairness they claim they have been denied.

Also, it seems that only county sports are involved in this decision. Youth games sponsored by various leagues are exempt from this decision. That will not stop Green or others from protesting the leagues' use of county property. This is something the Brooks group should be considering if they wish to be one step ahead of the next legal challenge. Good luck in your future endeavors to help the school in any legal way possible.



Shoalanda

Green v. Brooks: Nothing but the Facts - Part I

Jeremy Lane Green at SOS Meeting

Our recent blog on Jeremy Lane Green caused an onslaught of e-mail, mainly critical, from both "sides" of the Football Prayer Issue, as we will term it. Today we'll focus on Mr. Green, but rest assured we will discuss Brooks Lions Will Pray tomorrow.

I. When Mr. Green has a problem with his neighbor's stereo, or dog, or whatever, does he call the sheriff's department to request a SWAT team, or does he first cordially inform his neighbor of the problem in hopes it can be resolved peacefully? We hope he does the latter, but in the case of prayer before Brooks High football games he failed to act in a logical and reasonable manner.

A friend on Facebook suggested that if Mr. Green had first contacted Lauderdale County school superintendent William Valentine about the issue, and Valentine has changed school policy, both men would have been accused of good ol' boy conduct...yet that is exactly what happened in Arab. In that town to our east, a parent contacted school authorities, sans lawyer or out of state organization, and the school system agreed to replace public prayer with a moment of silence. Victory won without any shots being fired.

II. Why did Green single out Brooks High? Since apparently all Lauderdale County schools still engage in pre-game prayer, we do have to ask why this particular school in Killen was singled out. Needless to say, if a new policy is implemented, it will cover all Lauderdale County schools.

III. Why did Green, who has no children, decide to bring up this issue at this time? We know that Green is active in several atheist organizations in the Shoals and probably interacts with others of similar beliefs on a daily basis. Was he chosen to be a sacrificial lamb, so to speak?

Don't scoff at the above question; those who own businesses or work at conservative companies would be unlikely candidates to initiate a ban on such prayer. Perhaps he volunteered without asking, since he himself knows he won't lose income from such activities.

IV. That brings us to Green's job. Our comments on Mr. Green's degrees and employment seem to have been grossly misunderstood. Obviously Green has a keen intellect and the ability to stick with a project in order to obtain an MBA. We simply mean that such degrees are abundant in the Shoals where UNA hands them out in copious quantity. Therefore, job openings for MBAs in this geographic area are not plentiful.

But has Green been honest about his employment? No. Google does not hire outside Search Engine Evaluators. They do contract for them with smaller companies, and that is with whom Mr. Green is employed. The fact that he feels the need to overstate his employment does not speak well of him. Why should that matter? If Green is to represent the atheists of the Shoals, should he not present himself as someone who embraces morality without the influence of God to do so?

V. Has Green received death threats? Apparently he has claimed he has since his story was published in the TimesDaily two days ago. Make no mistake--no Christian would make death threats against anyone, but many thugs, yobs, or whatever you prefer to call them, would do so and claim they were made in Christ's name. If Mr. Green has received death threats, he should report them to the Lauderdale County District Attorney's office.

Does discussing Jeremy Lane Green's motives and actions in a political blog exacerbate such threats, if they exist? We can hardly see that the answer would be yes. Mr. Green entered into a public debate and offered a quote on the issue to the TimesDaily. He is now considered a public figure. We wish neither Mr. Green nor anyone else harm, but we do have the right, and even duty, to question his political motives.

*****

Tomorrow we'll discuss the group The Brooks Lions Will Pray and the legal problems they'll face in attempting to continue public prayer at Brooks and other Lauderdale County schools.




Shoalanda

Special Report: "The Brooks Lions Will Pray"

It seems the actions of Jeremy Lane Green have caused quite a firestorm in the eastern end of Lauderdale county. If you oppose Mr. Green's views on public Christian prayer at tax-payer funded events, you may wish to join this new Facebook group:

The Brooks Lions Will Pray

We would very much like to hear from Mr. Green concerning any attempts he may have made to change the prayer policy before bringing in an out of state organization. As always, all comments are appreciated.

Jeremy Lane Green--Right or Wrong?

Looking at Jeremy Lane Green's Facebook page, we're reminded of Sheffield's Richard Hull--someone who wears his personal beliefs on his sleeve. While we do believe in separation of church and state, we also believe Mr. Green could have caught more flies with honey than the threat of a lawsuit.

The TimesDaily article concerning the protest of prayer at Brooks School in Killen may leave out some salient details, but we have to wonder why Green didn't first contact the school or Lauderdale Superintendent William Valentine to discuss the substitution of a moment of silence for the traditional prayer.

Instead Green has filed a complaint with the Freedom from Religion Foundation, which has in turn twice contacted the school board. The board has turned the letters over to its attorney. No matter who wrote the letters, the legal proceedings are now identified with Green.

Who is Jeremy Lane Green? From his profile photo we see he proudly displays the red atheist "A" popularized by Richard Dawkins' Out Campaign. There's certainly nothing wrong with such a display, but most of us don't include an inset of John the Baptist, John Wesley, Martin Luther, or the Pope in our profile pics. We may infer that Green is an "in your face" kinda guy.

Green's Facebook profile is interesting for another reason; he may have less to lose than most area atheists who are a productive part of the Shoals business world. Green lists his education as including an MBA. The degree is quite an accomplishment, but sadly in this geographic area it may be comparable to the Vice Presidency--in other words not worth a bucket of warm spit.

Green also lists his employer as Google, where he states he works as a "Search Engine Evaluator." Not being familiar with that job title, a quick Google search soon informed us they do not personally hire these evaluators but sub-let the work to at least two other companies who, unfortunately, don't exactly pay these work at home evaluators an exorbitant salary.

We would suggest Mr. Green revise his employment data if he wishes the respect of the Shoals community. We also suggest, after reading other entries concerning Mr. Green, that he could better use his time by fighting discrimination against those who have had legal problems in the past. He would then be helping atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, and perhaps even Pastafarians.



Shoalanda

Tim Yeager Faces Sex Charges

A former Brooks teacher/coach is facing charges of sexual misconduct in Iuka, Mississippi. Tim Yeager is currently employed at Iuka Middle School where he first met his 14 year-old accuser. The northeast Mississippi school is home to over 300 students in grades 5 to 8.

Tishomingo County Circuit Court Judge Jim Pounds ruled last Monday that there was probable cause to arrest Yeager, now free on $5,000.00 bond. His case will go before a grand jury next month; if indicted, he faces a jury trial and the possibility of five years in prison.

Sources say Yeager was relieved of all teaching and coaching duties several weeks ago after the alleged victim's parent brought charges. He's receiving his salary during this leave of absence--a common practice in the teaching world. Until being placed on a forced leave, the 55 year-old Yeager was coach to both the girl's basketball and softball teams.

Yeager is a 1972 graduate of Brooks High School in Killen; he graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1976 and immediately returned to his high school alma mater to serve as an assistant coach for the next three years. Yeager coached at Loretto in 1981, before journeying to Clements in 1982 where he remained for three years.

The year 1986 saw Yeager mysteriously absent from the coaching scene, but he returned to Lauderdale County in 1987 to serve as an assistant coach at Lauderdale County High School in Rogersville for two years. In 1989 Yeager returned to Brooks for a second time, coaching until 1997. Our sources were unfamiliar with the circumstances of Yeager's termination at that Lauderdale County school, once home to Allen Wilson.

We've been told that this is a developing story and more charges may be filed at a later date. Let's hope the Lauderdale County Board of Education didn't indulge in a case of pass the trash...


Note: Be sure to check out Trader Evaluate's review of Sparky's Drive-In in Tuscumbia.

Shoalanda

Heart's Cry Thrift Store

Do you hate Wal-Mart? Or perhaps you just hate the Wal-Mart/Target/K-Mart parking? Are you interested in going green? How about saving some big bucks?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you should try Heart's Cry Thrift Store on US 72 in Killen. Located directly across from Brooks High School, Heart's Cry is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The large store carries everything from household items to designer clothing to books. Much of their merchandise is new, with tags still attached. Other items are gently used and can be had at a bargain price. Besides used items, Heart's Cry offers some unique handmade items that make perfect gifts for the holidays. The store averages over 400 sales a day, so if you see something you like, you'd be wise to snap it up!

It should be noted that while the store is owned and managed by Faith Chapel, its revenues go to support medical and similar needs of deserving Shoals families. In other words, if a shopper is a Methodist, he needn't worry about the store funding Presbyterian doctrine, etc.

While there, enhance your shopping experience with a free cup of coffee. Tell them Shoalanda sent you.


What's up with this: Early this morning, the grandson of a Florence funeral director was injured in a home invasion. No matter our feelings about this youth's actions, Stanley Elkins has been a friend in times of need for many in the Shoals. Remember Holland Elkins in your prayers tonight.