Where Has Jason Olive Been?/Blended Families?

In case you’ve missed the fireworks, the State of Alabama has a new head of its education department…and he’s not from Alabama. There’s been much criticism about Dr. Sentance’s qualifications for the job from both conservative and so-called liberal political pundits. One unjust criticism we’re seeing is that Sentance had applied for five such jobs in other states before being hired here. We have to ask these writers: How many jobs did you apply for before you were hired at your present one?

Will Sentance stay? That remains to be seen. If a Canadian can take our summer heat, surely a New Englander can also.

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Over the years we’ve mentioned the “It’s best not to talk about it” school of thought. You know how that works; we can’t unrape the four year-old child, so let’s not mention it. Nor should we mention questionable spending on the part of our local governments. Now it seems we shouldn’t mention two recent thefts from volunteer fire departments since these departments do so much good. Maybe it’s just us, but wouldn’t these departments be able to do so much more good if they had the stolen money back?

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Lest you think all volunteer fire departments are alike, we have a statement from Carlton Utley of the Spring Valley volunteer fire department on how their funds are handled:

The chief and assistant chief has a $500 spending limit for emergencies only and the expenditures must be justified to the board (repairs mainly). Our secretary makes the deposits and writes the checks, all checks that are written must be approved by the board and signed by 2 board members. When the bank statement comes in at the end of the month it is laid out where all members and residents of the community are free to view. We have this system in place in order to maintain transparency and be good stewards of the money the community has trusted us with.

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A local news source has stated Jason Dylan Olive of four-minute chase fame was arrested over the weekend for his crimes. We had previously heard from several readers who wanted to know why he was a free man posting on social media. We have no idea. Did Olive walk out of the hospital where he was taken after the chase ended and then remain AWOL for more than a week?

Sources at the Lauderdale Detention Center say that Olive was arrested on August 12th; however, he almost immediately bailed out. No money for child support, but plenty for bail? First things first.

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We had one recent critic who espoused the theory that “blended” families don’t always have problems. In the case of the family in question, she may want to check out a recent comment by the father of the two older children involved.

Could You Do This?

It's two o'clock in the morning. You just fell asleep. The phone rings, and the caller tells you there has been a fatal accident. You dress hurriedly and make your way to the scene driving along fog-filled remote county roads. You arrive to find what no one wants to see. We're not going to describe what the dead driver looks like. It's too horrible for us to contemplate.

This is not some one-time thing. It's a regular occurrence--that is if you're a coroner. Could you do this job? Could you be on call 24/7 for little pay? No? Neither could we. Yet some do, and without them there would be confusion for families and even loop holes in murder cases that allow the guilty to walk.

It's been some time since we've had a local hero, so today we want to recognize Colbert County Coroner Carlton Utley. Mr. Utley is not only extremely competent, he's genuinely caring. We endorsed him for this position in the last election, and we will continue to support him. We can't imagine anyone who could do a better job at such a thankless but much needed task than Carlton. We salute you and we humbly thank you!

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Do you read Pearls Before Swine? If you do, you know that Rat has given up Facebook. He now has an extra 18 hours a day. Most of us don't spend that much time online each day, but we suspect most who read our blog do spend some time each day surfing the net. Consequently, you know a little about a lot that goes on in the Shoals and surrounding towns. What if you didn't?

If you didn't, would you know your son/brother/husband/best friend was on the Shoals Most Wanted List? That distinct possibility has caused one faithful reader to contact us about a local young man. This man has made some mistakes, but nothing that can't be rectified at least partially.The sad thing is these mistakes could have been taken care of earlier without a felony conviction if he had just attempted to do the right thing. The longer he waits, the worse it will be for him. His family friend doesn't feel he can contact the family directly and has asked us to do so via our blog.

If you know this young man, please try to contact his family. We look forward to hearing that this man has done the right thing and has gotten back on track to a successful life.



Shoalanda

Micah Coffey 1979-2012

Micah was born not far from Whoville, it is a little town located in Lawrence County where everyone wonders who you are! We have been pondering this who is Micah ourselves. We know a few things about him like: his old friends call him harpo, we aren't sure if its because he harps on things or plays the harmonica known in the blues circles as the "harp". He sometimes plays the keyboard with his feet, we just think this is a result of his childhood, growing up the way he did and all. He has been a real asset to the band though, we couldn't find anyone else to do all the stuff he does.-- From The Flashbacks website

Sadly, Micah Coffey, musician and Lawrence County coroner, passed away this morning at his home. Our friend Carlton Utley had this to say: It will be a loss to the Lawrence County community because Micah was one of the most good hearted people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. I think of him as a friend and as long as we worked together on the ambulance, it`s more like family.

Our sympathies to Micah's family.

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Pen N Sword is reporting that missing Sheffield woman Laura Willingham has been found:

Link

Shoalanda

Republican Renaissance in Lauderdale County

Not only does Lauderdale County now have an elected Republican judge, this northwest Alabama bastion of the Democratic party now has its first elected Republican county school board member:

Daniel Patterson, the first Republican elected to the Lauderdale County Board of Education, will be sworn in this Tuesday, November 16th at 8:30 a.m. in Judge Carole Medley's courtroom on the 4th floor of the Lauderdale County Courthouse. The event is open to the public.

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Speaking of Democrats, Lauderdale District 1 Commissioner D. C. Thornton barely won reelection to the county commission. Whether this was due to the mistaken premise that actual campaigning wasn't needed to return him to office or if his near-defeat was the result of unrest among the electorate, we won't attempt to speculate here. Still, it does not bode well for Rhea Tays Fulmer in 2012. Her recent antics have brought her more criticism than praise.

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Now some Reader Q & A:

Q: Doesn't Shoals Hospital also do cardiac caths? Why is this different that Keller doing it?
A: Our source tells us that Shoals does not do catheterization procedures; they do angiograms which are supposedly less invasive. The source further stated that things do go wrong with these procedures at times and the patient is immediately transferred to ECM. Whether this would be a good point for Keller to argue, we don't know, but it is an interesting comparison.

Q: How many applied for Lauderdale EMA director when George Grabryan was appointed?
A. Thirty individuals applied for this position. Among others, Mr. Grabryan beat out Colbert County Coroner Carlton Utley and Anderson Police Chief Mark Bowers.

Q: Who hired George Grabryan?
A: The Lauderdale County Commission hired Mr. Grabryan as EMA Director. The 911 Board hired him as its director; the commission appoints the 911 Board.

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1906 view of Montgomery Avenue in Sheffield: Link




Shoalanda

Lexington Mayor Bobby McGuire Doesn't Know?

Lexington has water troubles...again. Now, the small Lauderdale County town is searching for a new well, but Mayor Bobby McGuire doesn't know why. It seems the Alabama Department of Environmental Management has informed the town's water department that it must find a new source of water by the end of December. From Saturday's TimesDaily:

McGuire said he's unsure exactly why they must find another water supply, but he is following ADEM's guidance.

Well, McGuire could form a committee and hold some town meetings and perhaps consult one of the local psychics in order to find out why the town needs a new water source. Or...he could just ask ADEM, but perhaps that would take more intellect and common sense than the current mayor can muster.

We understand that a very politically savvy, forward-thinking candidate will be in the running for mayor in two more years. Perhaps then Lexington will no longer be the laughing stock it was made to appear in this situation.

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Carlton Utley is the current Colbert County Coroner. Mr. Utley has performed his duties well--duties that are always unpleasant at best and which require him to leave the comfort of his home or office at all hours. We'll further add that Alabama coroners are grossly underpaid.

We're happy to endorse Carlton Utley in the Democratic Primary.

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The Colbert County School Board Place 6 race is hotly contested. Dr. Freda Daily, a denizen of that infamous town of Cherokee, has spent quite a few bucks on her campaign to win this election. Is she the most qualified?

Even though she possesses a doctorate, Daily is lacking in vision for the Colbert County system. Her opponent's ideas outshine the good doctor's in every area. Therefore, we endorse Nancy Bishop Parker. Good luck, Ms. Parker.


What's up with this: It seems another Sheffield sexual predator is in the news--living in an unauthorized area and attempting to "befriend" three young boys. Thanks to the TimesDaily for bringing this growing problem to the attention of its readers.

Shoalanda