Why So Little Coverage of Amanda Taylor's Disappearance?

Amanda Taylor & Two Daughters

Amanda Leeth Taylor has not been seen since October 17th. For the past 48 days Amanda's father Billy Leeth has been desperately seeking information about his daughter, the mother of three young children. At the time of her disappearance, Amanda was working as a waitress at Jody's Restaurant.

During the last six weeks, Mr. Leeth has been disappointed in the lack of news coverage concerning the case. Now, Muscle Shoals police have contacted Leeth about human remains recently found on Gnat Pond Road in Leighton, but it may be days before an identification of the body can be made. In the interim, Leeth is still seeking any information the public can provide. If anyone has information for Mr. Leeth, they may call him directly or contact the Muscle Shoals Police Department.

Besides her father and three children, Amanda has a stepmother, two sisters, one brother, and one step-brother who are also affected by this disappearance. Any information, no matter how small, will be welcome.

Billy Leeth - 256-412-8925

Muscle Shoals Police - 256-383-6746

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We're sure most of our readers remember the Neil Whitesell mansion nearing completion in Naples, Florida. From Saturday's Naples News:

Some of Collier County's biggest homes have been built in the past four years. The biggest – at 32,000 square feet – is at 779 Gulf Shore Blvd. N., just south of the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. It's owned by Neil Whitesell, a successful corporate CEO. The city issued a permit in 2007 valued at $10 million, but local Realtors put the value at closer to $40 million once complete.

Related post: The Neil Whitesell House

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We've had several inquiries concerning Good Samaritan Hospice owner Randy Gist. The former Muscle Shoals police officer turned private businessman is scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court this month. Such sentencing is usually announced via a press release the afternoon of the court appearance. We'll have an update on this as soon as the information is made public.

Related post: Randy Gist Guilty



Shoalanda

Doogie Whitesell?/Kim Gonzalez Redux

Curbed National is an online real estate magazine that yesterday featured Neal Whitesell and his mega-mansion in its section entitled Genius Pads. The article, "The Doogie Howser of Industry Builds Massive Florida Manse," described the 32K square foot home as being situated on 1.5 acres of land and having six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. No word on the number of broom closets.

We're not sure if Whitesell still qualifies as a Doogie Howser. The rarely photographed fastener maven is pictured here at a speaking engagement in 1991. Whitesell's quote below the photo is especially intriguing since his companies are known for their rapid turnover of employees.

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The manager of the Dollar General in Littleville has confirmed that Kim Gonzalez Williams had recently been banned from the store due to suspected shoplifting. Other reports indicate Williams was at the Family Pharmacy when she was arrested for misdemeanor shoplifting. Obviously she has a drug problem and should be treated for such--not tried again for past crimes that she may or may not have committed. Let's hope the Colbert County judicial system will ensure she gets the help she needs.



Shoalanda

The Neil Whitesell House: Just How Big Are Those Palm Trees?

The course of major construction apparently never runs smoothly. First, former Shoals industrialist Neil L. Whitesell and his wife Tracy Crump Whitesell had to petition the Naples, Florida, city council in order to construct a 6.5' wall designed to separate the front of their 32K square foot mansion from the beach. We can understand the Whitesells wouldn't want just anyone looking into their dream home, but an August 2nd accident allowed the outside world a small peak.

It seems the Whitesells wanted to plant some fully grown palm trees by their pool. Hey, who wouldn't? While moving the trees, one gigantic crane toppled under the weight of the palm, falling into the house. Bad news for the Whitesells, but it allowed the public a close up view of the mega-edifice via photos. Is that a fireplace on the covered veranda? Those Florida nights can get pretty cool.

Below is a photo of the almost finished mansion. When completed, the home located just south of the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club will be the largest domicile in Collier County. If you're wondering how the Whitesell home compares to most U.S. dwellings, the Census Bureau reported the average size of an American home in 2009 was 2,392 square feet.

Photographs courtesy of Naples News

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We blogged yesterday concerning our lack of a food critic. Now we have two. Our new restaurant blog should get underway shortly. We hope you'll enjoy it:

Quad-Cities Cuisine

Shoalanda

Just Whose Pockets are Deep at Whitesell?

Empsie Goodloe is a former Whitesell Mfg. employee; after losing a hand while working at the Tuscumbia plant, Goodloe has filed a three million dollar lawsuit...but not against Whitesell Mfg. or its owner Neil Whitesell. Goodloe's attorney William Hovater has stated such a suit is not unusual. We'll take Mr. Hovater's word for that, but we have to wonder just how deep are the pockets of the seven named defendants. Those listed in the suit are:

David A. Francois - General Manager/Finance & Administration; Muscle Shoals resident

David E. Roggenbuck - Florence resident

John L. Tate

William L. Wellman

Jeffrey A. Schrier - Muscle Shoals resident

Cameron Brooks - IT Executive Manager; Muscle Shoals resident

John Sughroue - Director

It should be noted that it's not uncommon to see some initial defendants dropped from a lawsuit before it reaches trial. Good luck to Mr. Goodloe.

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God Voting? If God voted in Rogersville, keeping that beautiful little town dry, did He also vote in Priceville, a city that went wet by one vote? Despite some not too well chosen words by a Baptist minister, God did not vote in Rogersville. God gives each of us free will. We hope that everyone who voted in any election this past Tuesday prayed for God's guidance.

Realistically, we can assume the local Rogersville scientologists did not pray to our Creator...and all this time so many were worried about the Pastafarian vote. We'll leave you today with this thought:

There is something wrong with youth who are not liberal; likewise, there is something wrong with those of a certain age who are not conservative.


Shoalanda

Special Report: Where Does Whitesell Money Go?

For some time, we have received questions about an OSHA investigation into Whitesell Industries located in Muscle Shoals. Until now, we had no information that could be substantiated. That changed yesterday when OSHA announced it was fining the multimillionaire industrialist Neil Loftin Whitesell's company three million dollars for tens of safety and health violations.

U. S.Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Soils addressed the matter in a prepared statement: “Whitesell willfully tampered with the safety mechanisms of its hydraulic forging presses at its Tuscumbia plant to speed up production, resulting in the amputation of a worker’s hand,” Solis said. “Companies like Whitesell that value short-term gain over their workers’ safety will be held responsible for their reckless actions.”

Many may remember that before Dr. David Bronner and the RSA stepped in, Whitesell was close to purchasing the Renaissance Tower for pennies on the dollar. His intentions? He thought it would make a great "giant screw."

Puns are so tempting here, but taking the higher road we'll end our report with a photograph. Below is the Naples, Florida, home (32K square foot mega-mansion) currently being built by the industrialist while at least one of his employees lost a hand due to cost-cutting measures at Whitesell's local plants.

Sources say that Whitesell and his wife Tracy Crump, daughter of Gene Crump, now permanently reside in Naples, Florida. Let's all look closely at the photo of the Whitesell's mansion--was it worth an employee's hand?