Do You Have a Photo ID? How About a Defense Attorney?

Will Alabamians soon be needing a photo ID to vote? Probably. Is this bad? Marcel Black thinks so. Lynn Greer doesn't. So, which is it?

Probably a little of both; however, we don't know any "aged or infirm" citizens who have neither a valid Alabama Driver License or Alabama Non-Driver ID. Not to mention, the Non-Driver IDs will apparently now be free to anyone of voting age. How much will this cost the state budget?

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Perhaps Lauderdale County will have to worry less about any budget shortfalls if Harold Peck has his way. He proposes to save the county at least 400K each year by establishing a paid group of indigent defense lawyers. Well, this sounds good, but...

It seems these attorneys won't be allowed to do any other kind of work...no real estate transactions, pre-nups, or wills...just criminal defense cases in Lauderdale County. How many experienced attorneys will jump at a chance like this? We would guess few.

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We have been contacted by Tabitha Ergle Hall who was misidentified by sources with the Russellville Police Department in an earlier blog. Tabitha would like us to note the correct spelling of her name, as well as the fact she is not the current wife of Jeremy Shane Hall, but the ex-wife of his brother Josh and mother to Josh's three children. Since there are two newsmakers named Jeremy Shane Hall, we will also note that Sgt. Hall is the son of Jerry and Carol Hall.

We have been asked if our police sources are usually disgruntled employees. That may be true in some cases, but we also regularly hear from some Russellville officers and their wives who have nothing but kudos for the force. It usually runs about 50-50, while in comparison, our Florence sources stand behind their department 100%. We have said it before, but it certainly bears repeating: Florence is extremely lucky to have not only an honest, but also an efficient chief in Rick Singleton.



Shoalanda

"And the Graveyards of the Rusted Automobiles"

"Honestly, I don't notice it," she said of the salvage yard. "It just doesn't bother me because it's a legitimate business." She added that what people in the city see as junk, the England brothers see as profit. - Rhea Tays Fulmer, Lauderdale District I Commissioner

While Lauderdale County Commissioner Rhea Tays Fulmer may be blinded by dollar signs, others in the Shoals have been at odds with the England brothers for the past 15 years. Brothers Nolan and Nelson (Red) England own adjoining salvage yards at the eastern entrance to Florence. The twin junk yards lie on the north side of Florence Boulevard in an unincorporated area. In other words, nothing the city fathers have to say about the businesses matters, and the Lauderdale County Commission continues to turn a blind eye, stating the regulation of such enterprises is not within its current legal domain.

When Nelson England first opened his salvage yard in 1965, the area was still considered rural, and junked autos were hardly the most unsightly adornments along U.S. Highway 72. By 1994, the Alabama Department of Transportation initiated a suit against England, claiming he had encroached on its right-of-way and was violating the Highway Beautification Act. In March of that year, England planted trees and erected fencing in an attempt to shield his business from the passing public, but the DOT declared these were also on state ROW and mowed them down while moving utility lines. In August 1994, Circuit Court Judge Larry Mack Smith gave Nelson England 60 days in which to remedy the problems.

England retained Florence attorney John Morrow to represent the salvage business, and Morrow managed to obtain delays in enforcing Smith's order. By 1996, Morrow himself became the subject of an investigation into the embezzlement of clients' funds, and the DOT lawsuit fell by the rusted and littered wayside.

At the urging of Florence City Councilman Tommy Pirkle, the Alabama DOT resurrected the suit in 2003, and Circuit Court Judge Mike Suttle imposed a second 60 day order to shield the business from public view. This time, England was represented by Harold Peck, the former partner of disbarred attorney John Morrow, who attempted to find a compromise that would amicably settle the suit.

Friends of England questioned why Paul N. Johnson was not subjected to a similar suit for his large stretch of similarly junk-ridden property. Did the City of Florence and the State DOT have it in for Nelson England personally? According to officials with the DOT, Johnson's property was classified as a construction site and did not fall within the range of their regulations. Without home rule, Lauderdale County lacked any legal footing to force Johnson to clean up his perpetual earth moving operations riddled with rusting equipment very similar to that found on England's property.

It was during this period that England learned he was entitled to sue the State DOT for the trees and fencing destroyed in the 1994 utilities move, delaying any permanent settlement yet again. Now, five more years have passed. The State of Alabama has not reimbursed Nelson England for the property it destroyed, and England has not complied with the court order to install new screening. Unfortunately, not everyone is as blind as Rhea Tays Fulmer to the gardens of broken glass and rusted metal that mark England Salvage--just as Steve Goodman had it pictured.

What's up with this: New Coffee Health Group CEO Jody Pigg is looking for ways to improve cash flow at its three facilities. Perhaps a look at nepotism policies would be in order?