Connected to the QCD & PNS? No

According to the boat crash rumor mill, our blog is in cahoots with the Quad-Cities Daily and Pen-N-Sword to publish misinformation concerning the June 8th Shoal Creek boat crash that claimed two lives. We're basically going to address that fallacy in this blog, but in case any readers are out of the loop, our blog has  been so dishonest as to state the cabin cruiser moved to the shore when it actually moved to the marina. Pardon us if we're not nautical enough for some, but isn't that the same thing? Isn't the marina on the shore? That should tell you the mentality of some of these newly acquired critics.

So has the QCD and PNS likewise been publishing false news about the crash? It's pretty easy to look at their sites and see what's been published. Here are two lists.

From the QCD:

Two Dead...

Names Released...

Contrary to Rumor Mill...

Identity of Cabin Cruiser Owner/Operator...

You will notice that the most recent QCD article names Mark McBryer as both owner and operator of the cabin cruiser. We have linked some of these articles on our FB page, but have nothing to do with the content. If you have problems with content, please contact the QCD.

From PNS:

Two Die...

Operator of Cabin Cruiser...

Owner of Boat Arrested...

PNS has amended the last article to clarify that Wooten was the operator. If you have problems with the content of the above three articles, please contact PNS.

As to banning, yes, we will ban you for filthy language. It's our longstanding policy. Do we enjoy doing it? Not usually, but if you've just accused us of taking illicit money from homicidal killers to cover up their guilt, yes, we do enjoy it a little.

Don't use profane or vulgar words, don't make libelous statements, don't threaten anyone, and you won't be banned. Pretty simple!

Pay Arrestees for Their Pics?

Mug Shot

We certainly received some interesting comments on our blog yesterday. Some were in favor of having to pay those arrested if the arresting agency made money on their mugshots. Our guess is these law enforcement agencies will reply that no money is made when one considers the down time in preparing these shots for the purchasers. That's pretty much the rationale for charging for accident reports and similar documents.

Want to purchase court documents? Visit your local courthouse and see how much the circuit clerk charges for these per page. They may be public, but that doesn't mean free.

*****

What about sites copying photos or even articles? Is it a crime? It depends. The owners/editors of both Pen N Sword and the Quad-Cities Daily are not commenting on this topic for legal reasons, but we did talk with someone who publishes a news magazine outside the Shoals. Here's an owner's take on this type of pilfering:

Photos are entirely different from articles. Photographs can certainly be easily copied but even if the original publisher didn't take these shots, it may still be a type of theft. Many online publishers purchase expensive software to make these shots as presentable as possible. They also invest time in cropping, adjusting exposure, and otherwise enhancing these shots. So, yes, when someone copies, it's stealing.

Copy (the words in an article) is certainly off limits. Even if the site using the copy gives written credit, the original site loses viewers. Why take the time to visit a site if you can read the same article on the site you're already reading? When these sites lose viewers, they lose advertising revenue. Not only are they losing revenue, they're making it for whoever stole their material. 

There you have it...



Shoalanda

"Busted 'N the Shoals" is Busted!

Busted 'N the Shoals is a local online "news site." Busted is also a one-trick pony. The only content that Busted produces is local mug shots. Is that so bad? No, that's not what's so bad.

It's no secret that one of the owners of Pen N Sword is a retired local detective, and at times he's privy to information not yet made public. Several months ago, Pen N Sword had an exclusive on a most wanted fugitive in the northwest Alabama area. Shortly thereafter, Busted not only ran the enhanced photo from PNS, but also published the PNS article word for word. When we mentioned it to the detective, he merely laughed. Unfortunately, overlooking such hijinks seems only to have made the site worse.

Due to some new software at the Florence-Lauderdale Detention Center, mugshots for most of November and all of December have not been available until today. Our friends at the Quad-Cities Daily pay for the privilege of bringing their readers this information. Several mugshots from November were finally published today--all bearing the hallmark of QCD close to the bottom edge.

Guess what? Busted posted each of these photos, hallmark and all. We're pretty sure the owners at the QCD don't mind one or two being used in stories related to various crimes, but when another online site takes all of them without paying? We're pretty sure that's called theft...

Like the Quad-Cities Daily

Like Pen N Sword



Shoalanda

Congrats Quad-Cities Daily!

Our friends at the Quad-Cities Daily have now attained two million page views! That's no small potatoes, considering the size of this area. Obviously, their mug shots provide a wide audience, but the QCD is also the go-to page for anything Sheffield. They also publish more local photographs than any other site.

Steve, Sheri, and Mary, you should all be proud!

*****

Be sure to like the QCD on Facebook to have their latest reports arrive on your page:

The Quad-Cities Daily

*****

Our fiends at Pen-N-Sword haven't been resting on their laurels either. Besides their growing section of the Shoals Most Wanted, they've added a section featuring individuals missing from North Alabama. You can access these two sections via our blog at top and left sidebar. They also publish the monthly UNA crime logs and news from four area colleges.

*****

Be sure to like PNS on Facebook to receive their updates as they're published.

Pen-N-Sword 

***** 

While we're at it, if you haven't already, be sure to like our blog to receive the latest links:

Shoalanda Speaks

Shoalanda

Two Quick Quizes...

You're having dinner with an old friend at his luxurious chateau. At some point, he pulls a gun on you and fires. The gun jams, what do you do?

A. Run for the border.

B. Knock the gun from his hand and throw it in the shrubbery as you hastily leave.

C. Pen a blog about proper dining etiquette.

D. Stab your host multiple times, slit his throat, take the gun and shoot him in the back of the head, then steal a car to escape law enforcement.

E. Option "D" plus stab his girlfriend for good measure.

Let's just say if you picked "E" as Shannon Brewer did, you may have good reason to fear a Capital Murder indictment.

*****

Zombies are attacking the White House, Capitol Building, and Pentagon. What's your best bet to receive immediate news updates?

A. Fox News reporters who blame the Democrats.

B. ABC where news execs are desperately trying to channel the ghost of Peter Jennings.

C. Your great-aunt Ethel who dated a congressman while working in D.C. during WWII.

D. Tweets from visiting tourists caught in the crossfire since they thought the whole thing was part of a normal congressional debate.

In today's world, the savvy person chooses "D." Fox, ABC, and all other news outlets have their own desk jockey monitoring the wonderful world of Twitter. Your second best bet would be a local blog where the writers will add astute insight on the back story without fear of losing their jobs. Not the 1918 New York Times, is it?

We regularly read comments from a vocal few who claim such local publications as the Quad-Cities Daily and Pen N Sword aren't "real" news outlets. This week, the QCD scooped the TimesDaily on both arrests in the Dorian Hamilton murder case, while PNS is the only publication to mention the alleged attempted rape on the UNA campus. No, it's not 1918 anymore. Hats off to both Internet news sources.

*****

Want to get regular updates from the QCD & PNS? Like them on Facebook:

Quad-Cities Daily

Pen N Sword

Shoalanda

Bail Fails/More Most Wanted

We've previously discussed the wide disparity in charges involving murder in Alabama: Capital Punishment Charges Not Administered Fairly. Now we're adding the bail/no bail conundrum to our list of "things that make no sense."

Yesterday we blogged on murder suspect Angel Campos, charged with Capital Murder, receiving a bond amount of 500K. Campos is a man with a lengthy record of domestic violence. He's accused of beating and stabbing his estranged wife to death--quite a vicious and personal crime.

Today we've read that a Limestone County judge has refused Joel Moyers bail. Moyers has no record, shot a man he had never met and held no animosity toward, and claims he was simply attempting to stop a suspicious vehicle.

If you, gentle readers, heard of these two cases, which one would you select to have bail? Campos or Moyers? It's not really difficult, except apparently in Alabama.

*****

We've recently added a link at the top of our blog to the Most Wanted section of Pen-N-Sword. The Quad-Cities Daily also has a new Most Wanted section. Be sure to check out both of these; you might earn some reward money...and who wouldn't want that?

Shoals Most Wanted

*****

So how much did the plans for the Railroad Bridge fetch? Four bidders participated, and the winning bid was $107.50. Now that's some dedication to history...or bridges.

Shoalanda

Coaches, Fathers, and Other Figures

Aubie & A Truly Great Coach

We doubt too many are honoring Gene Chizik today, but lest any feel too sorry for this one-time icon at Auburn University, the Birmingham News is reporting some very interesting details concerning his days as head coach, especially after the university's national championship. Here's a few interesting revelations:

* Almost all mandatory workouts became optional.
* Many players stopped attending classes and/or doing classwork.
* Private security became the norm--players had to be forced to follow Chizik's dictates.

In  other words, when the annals of this decade's Southeastern football are written, Gene Chizik will be considered Auburn's answer to Mike Price.

*****

Years ago Gary Crosby, son of Bing Crosby, penned the story of his life growing up with a famous singer/actor for a father. It wasn't pretty. It seems when informed of the sudden death of his famous father, he simply finished the golf game he was playing at the time.

Often we see those honored in local or even national media and we know their private lives were nothing like their public persona. If you want to know what a man...or woman...is like, ask their children.

*****

Other figures? Let's arbitrarily use an institution as a "figure." The print media today is in serious trouble. We don't blame even our local paper, if you can call it that, for scrounging for every reader it can get.

Yet, while local news once predominated the TimesDaily's online headlines, that's no longer so. Click on many stories thinking you'll find something of local interest and you'll instead be confronted with national stories that have little to do with us in the Shoals.

Obviously we should want to know what's going on nationally and internationally, but the TD is not the first place most of us look for that kind of news. That's why we're glad to have the Quad-Cities Daily and Pen-N-Sword to fall back on...no, wait, to make our first choice for what's happening in the Shoals.



Shoalanda

Memorial Grove Park/Sheffield

Quick, before it's gone, drive west on Florence Boulevard and look to the right as you intersect with Tennessee Street. You'll see Memorial Grove Park, but mainly you'll be enthralled by the red maple trees that have turned a glorious auburn color. A line of the young trees surround the entire park, and we can only imagine how beautiful this will be when the trees are older.

*****

What do others think of the Shoals? We weren't sure whether to be happy, sad, or just amused about this quote concerning Sheffield:

The purpose of building an attraction in a town is to get people to visit who otherwise wouldn't. In that respect, the 18-foot-tall rock 'n' roller in Sheffield is a success. Driving down the bumpy streets of this hardscrabble city, you think your directions must be a mistake; the statue seems so out-of-character. But there it is, shiny and hard not to notice. - Roadside America

*****

Concerning the above quote, thanks to the Quad-Cities Daily for all they do to help bring success to Sheffield. You can always find an interesting read: Link



Shoalanda

Justice Delayed in Franklin County?

The Franklin County trial of former Vina teacher Kimberly Bynum has been delayed for the fifth time; her new day in court is scheduled December 10th. The relative newness of the sex charge against Bynum may be behind the delays, but those affected by Bynum's case certainly wish for the proceedings to take place as quickly as possible. Similarly, the Felony Murder trial of Hershel Dale Graham, also in Franklin County, has been postponed for the fourth time. We're not sure who holds the record for the longest string of postponements--Tommy Arthur or Tre' Wells or someone else, but we hope Graham's attorneys don't come close to breaking the record.

*****

We're glad that Grace Episcopal Church has had something of a reprieve; however, much of the garniture has been stripped and sold. The Quad-Cities Daily has an album of pictures taken just before the windows, mouldings, and pews were removed.

Grace Episcopal Church

*****

Apparently Navistar has had another blow to its well-being, albeit a small one. Pen N Sword has the latest Navistar updates, plus all Navistar articles archived for easy perusal.

Navistar Supplier Bankrupts

*****

Shoalanda

Another Term for Bill Shoemaker

A word from Tuscumbia Mayor Bill Shoemaker:

Run off is less than a month away!! October 9 is the big day! Around town, signs are being taken up and disappearing.... Which is not a good thing. Also, people have been saying "Oh Bill has nothing to worry 'bout"... If you hear people saying that, please tell them to go vote anyways.... The more votes the better! Thanks!

Mayor Shoemaker has the experience Tuscumbia needs. While we hope Fire Chief David Cole will continue to participate in city politics, we wholeheartedly endorse Mayor Shoemaker for another term.

***** 

For those who can't get enough mug shots, The Quad-Cities Daily has added Marshall County to their gallery. There's also not a better source for Sheffield News than QCD.

The Quad-Cities Daily Online

The Quad-Cities Daily on Facebook (Please Like)

*****

Pen N Sword has an informative article on accused child molester Freddie Hovater of Franklin County. PNS covers Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence, and Limestone Counties, plus more. 

Pen N Sword Online

Pen N Sword on Facebook (Please Like)

*****

Shoalanda

Field Goal Tops Carjacking?

If you're registered with the TimesDaily e-mail alert system, you're notified of breaking news stories as they're published in the TD. We received such an alert last night; it seems Gadsden kicked a field goal and beat Florence in this season's opening football game. While we're disappointed Florence didn't win its opener, we're a little bemused as to why this would be breaking news.

We're especially perplexed since the TD hasn't yet reported on the carjacking that happened in Russellville Wednesday night. For real breaking news, we may just have to depend on Pen N Sword and The Quad-Cities Daily.

Carjacking in Russellville 

*****

The smaller the hometown newspaper, the more humorous the news. We'll attempt to recreate an article from the Lawrenceburg news some 20 years ago:

Last week we reported that the John Smiths arrived home at two-clock Sunday morning to find they'd been robbed. The Smiths would like our readers to know that they actually arrived home at ten o'clock Saturday night. When Mr. Smith woke up at two o'clock the next morning to go to the bathroom, he decided to check on the dog in the back yard and discovered the burglary.

Well, we're certainly glad the Smiths weren't out until all hours...

*****

A reader from Cherokee wrote:

I for one don't  think it should be frowned upon by having a vote verification and/or recount of votes when Ms. Malone was only beaten by 2 votes.  It should be mandatory and/or automatic when it is that close.  If the voters and/or politicians were honest then they have nothing to worry about.

 

Shoalanda

Yes, It's Real News

The most important news to you might be the birth of a child, but you know it won't make the front page of the TimesDaily. If the stock market should crash to unprecedented lows, it would certainly be the headline of the New York Times, but it might not be of great significance to you. That's pretty much the reason we have newspapers devoted to the stock market, movies, or music. Just because it's not what you want to read, that doesn't mean your next door neighbor won't pay some big bucks to subscribe--either in print or online.

The Quad-Cities Daily is one of two online newspapers/magazines now operating in the Shoals on a daily basis. Yesterday the QCD broke a dramatic story about alleged impropriety by a Sheffield youth/music minister. We felt the news was so important that we immediately linked it here. No, we didn't expect the TimesDaily to report on the story for several reasons. There have been no criminal charges filed against the Methodist minister and there may be none for several days, or even weeks. Was it important to break the story before actual charges were filed?

We would answer a definite yes to that question. Obviously, rumors were already rampant in Sheffield, and the QCD presented the known facts in a fair and unbiased way. Yet one poster on the Tennessee Valley Talks forum commented he would still consider it all rumor until it appeared in the TD. Sadly, some things never appear in our local rag, or if they do, you've already learned the details elsewhere. That's the nature of today's ever changing media. In 20 years, you can expect to wake to both your morning coffee and your hand-picked news stories presented to you by your home's computer system.

Until then we hope you'll take a look at The Quad-Cities Daily and Pen-N-Sword (formerly The Connection) in order to obtain a balanced look at the Shoals. The story the TD chooses not to cover may just be the one that could change your life.

Related post: Local News: A Lost Cause

Shoalanda

Second Suit Filed Against Russellville

Salah Salah, owner of TNS Mini-Mart on Hwy 43 in Russellville, has officially filed suit against the city. This is the second lawsuit brought against the Franklin County seat this year. Five former female inmates of the town's jail also have a pending suit against the city, Russellville Police Department, Chief Chris Hargett, and Sgt. Jeremy Hall, alleging sexual abuse while incarcerated.

Should Salah be granted a city license to sell beer and wine? Here are opinions from readers and others across the state:

* The Russellville City Council obviously respects Islam more than Salah Salah, he should thank them for helping him be faithful to his religion.

* I love the way people throw around the race card when it fits their agenda. It's also comforting to know that only Caucasians can be racists, as made evident by the fact that minorities consistently get a pass on uttering hateful racial epithets directed toward Caucasians. I'd like to see the liberal explanation for this phenomenon.

* ...I'm a minority too...a tax paying, hard working WASP...wonder how many of the "entitled" I actually support...

* Its ok with me if Muslims drink beer. Mormons too for that matter. But they can get it at the Wavaho like the rest of us. They don't need special privileges like the Mexicans.

* There are 17 dry counties (at one time) in Alabama. The state is the ONLY supplier of spirits at the wholesale level. The whole system is hypocritical.

* I thought Muslims didn't drink. Are they allowed to sell what the Koran forbids?

* Again the perfidies of the Muslim "so-called" religion: It is supposed to be against their "religion" to be around alcoholic beverages. This man needs to get a reality check. His business is next to a church and he wants to sell beer? That is an obviously directed insult to Christians and needs to be slapped down. Treat this guy how we would be treated if we "disrespected" his religion in his country.

* Russellville did not have this problem when they were dry. The bootleggers handled it all, some even delivered.

* Vietnamese is not a race; the "race" would be Mongoloid and the people are considered Asian. Hispanic is not a race at all but is an ethnic group made up of people from varying races or a blend of more than one. A Muslim is a person who follows Islam religion and has nothing to do with "race". Muslims are made up of people from every race on Earth and various blends of the different races.

* I wish folks would use a dictionary and discover the actual definition of "racism". It doesn't include culture, religion, or geography.

Related posts: Jeremy Hall

*****

Is there any humor in Russellville's current legal difficulties? From our friends at The Connection: Salah Salah

*****

Breaking News from ECM? We earlier announced that RegionalCare would host a press conference this afternoon. We understand our friends from The Quad-Cities Daily will be there and will have a report either later today or early tomorrow. Don't miss it.

*****

Reminder about comments: We are unable to edit comments. Any article comments containing profanity, vulgarity, or libelous statements will not be published. If you've sent us a comment that has not made it to our blog, we suggest you rewrite it and send it again. Thanks.



Shoalanda