How's the Law Muddling Along in Rogersville?

Remember the great 72 Roadhouse raid? You may not since nothing has been published about it since the initial days of the investigation. Was an underage female employee attacked? That was the original call to Rogersville dispatch. After that, things became extremely muddy.

There were three arrests, and the eatery was closed permanently. We understand that many of the employees haven't been able to find jobs since the roadhouse closed. Well, accusations of rape will do that sometimes.

One employee was arrested for failing to register as a sex offender, while a second was arrested on misdemeanor warrants. A third employee, the manager, was taken into custody on attempted rape charges and in connection with out of state warrants. What happened to those charges?

It seems there has yet to be an indictment in Lauderdale County...and there may not be one. Why? No one from the Rogersville police showed up to present evidence to the grand jury. The manager is either one lucky man or a very innocent one.

Our take? The police department is too busy examining vape pens to appear at court proceedings. Don't police officers face contempt of court in cases like these? Do Rogersvillians fall asleep at night feeling safe?

We welcome rebuttals...and stories of incompetence.

No, That Was Five Dozen!

Rogersville Follies Return

We've recently had two readers who've been concerned about events in the town of Rogersville. First a letter from a regular commenter:


Several weeks ago I was back in Rogersville's court with my granddaughter. I'm starting to appreciate how the Amish do things. You never see them in traffic court.

Anyways, court was on a Wednesday, if memory serves me, which I found unusual. So, being the naturally curious sort, I did some checking around. Most small towns hold court once a month, usually on the first or second Tuesday of the month. Some have court twice a month.

Rogersville's court used to be on a Tuesday. Notice: I said 'used to'. So why change it? Apparently, it was changed to accommodate one officer. You read correctly. From what I learned, one Rogersville police officer was supposedly having difficulty making it to court. The officer? Non other than the son of Rogersville's very own Chief of Police. So, instead of making a shift change, or admonishing the officer re: his civic and legal responsibilities, the entire court is moved. Now, ain't that something?

As always,

Elk River Native

We have the greatest respect for those who work in the EMS field. We also realize it's easy to inadvertently give out information that HIPAA frowns upon. According to a local source, approximately a year ago, the Rogersville EMS began posting calls on its Facebook page.

These posts state the name of the location to which the responders reported, as well as the general problem. Is that a HIPAA violation? One response we looked at had 23 homes and another street had 16. Could this be narrowed down to identify the patient?

When in doubt it's always better to err on the side of caution.

Problems with Rogersville?/Problems with Florence?

First a little parable: Al and Bob were best friends in college. The two went on to work for the same company where both advanced in their respective departments. Al was responsible for yearly performance reviews and always gave Bob a 99% for his work as operations manager. He would have given him a 100%, but that wasn't allowed. Then one day new owners took over the company and posted Al to a new office. When Bob received his next annual performance review he discovered he'd made only 75%. Why? While Bob was excellent at what he did, he'd never kept up with changing company policies. Al had simply given him the 99% out of misguided loyalty. 

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No person is perfect. Towns are even less so since they're made up of some very imperfect individuals. Those who are now saying Rogersville is a perfect town not deserving of ANY criticism are highly misguided. When you have a mayor who tells half-truths (or worse) and a chief of police who outright lies about drugs, you have problems.

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Since some are saying we wouldn't criticize Florence as we have Rogersville, we're happy to give our home town equal time. How perfect is Florence? We love our home town and can't be entirely objective, but we can point out some problems.

1. Some department heads have absolutely no rapport with employees and use draconian tactics to rule.

2. Nepotism may not be in every nook of the city, but you don't have to look far to find it.

3. Leah Fox and the animal shelter are at the top of several hit lists. The situation with animal abuse is about to get very messy. Fox should do us all a favor and resign now.

Now how's that for giving equal time?

What's Wrong in Rogersville?

We frequently receive input from readers on the various Shoals cities. We may not be able to tell you exactly what's wrong in some of these cities, but we can tell you which ones bring the most complaints here. Franklin County? That would be Russellville and its totalitarian police department. Colbert County? Let's hope you guessed Sheffield with its problems at city hall. Lauderdale County? Rogersville, always Rogersville.

From a reader (edited):

Thank you so much for staying on top of Rogersville and the Vape Pen Debacle. I grew up there and can attest that Poor old "Coach" Herston really doesn't know anything about running a municipality. He barely knew anything about Jr. High history when he taught us. 

As for Chief Holden having any sway over Poor ole "Coach" Herston, it's doubtful that he has the time. You see, Chief Holden's son Matt is an officer for the police department and according to the residents the city's biggest liability. He drives city vehicles like he's trying to get cast for a remake of Smokey and the Bandit and folks that live in town say they're just waiting for him to be the cause of a fatal accident. He is dangerous and highly irresponsible AND Chief Holden has been told this. It must be nice to play-act the Dukes of Hazzard as a grown-up and have your daddy cover for you all the time. 

It is also felt by pretty much all the citizenry, although there isn't any hard proof, that the catastrophe with the Vape pen was all Matt Holden's fault. Everyone knows the ONLY way that everyone could have gotten sick from that Pen would be if SOMEONE was actually "vaping" with it. Someone whose son would absolutely confiscate said Pen and take it back to the station and toke up with his buddies....and the same ones that would FLIP OUT when they realized they were high from vaping and had to do SOMETHING before Dad came on-shift. Thus, an idea was born out of stupidity....er....desperation. 

Rogersville is a dark little town, truth be told. It's mostly stupid in its administration...but when a woman's murder there about three years ago is waiting on an arrest simply because of a hold-up in state forensics....but you can get a lab report back on a vape Pen some dumb*** was using in 2-3 days, someone isn't being straight about a LOT of things.

There you have it. Rebuttals welcome.

The Midnight Rider on Elections

It’s Time to Make a Difference

By: The Midnight Rider

Usually The Rider writes about things that are wrong, might not be right or something humorous. This time, The Rider is going to write about something serious. This Tuesday, August 23rd, make your voice heard. YOU NEED TO VOTE! While we have written that we were disappointed with the number of people who decided to run, the people that did run deserve your support.

Our forefathers gave their lives to make this Country and You free. You have the Right to vote because of the men and women throughout the years that have made the ultimate sacrifice for You. This is the United States of America. A Free Country. We are Americans by Birth and Southern by the Grace of God.

While we do not live in the City limits and cannot vote in Municipal Elections, we have been following the elections. We are going to make a few recommendations. These recommendations are based on the candidates that have impressed us during the last couple of weeks. We would like to for you to consider the following candidates for your vote:

Tuscumbia Mayor:  Kerry Underwood

Tuscumbia District One:  Katie Logan

Sheffield District 4:  Penny Freeman

Lexington Mayor:  Sandra Killen Burroughs

Again, there are a lot of elections going on; these are the ones that stood out to us. It’s time for the People to be heard. Go vote.

Until next time….

I am and always will be, the Midnight Rider.

*****

From a Rogersville reader:

Does the term robber baron mean anything to anyone anymore?

*****

Be sure to check out Cherry's review of a North Florence staple:

Wok 'n Roll

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Due to the advent of elections, we may make more than one post tomorrow. Please keep checking back.

Splish-Splash: Rogersville Takes a Bath

Quick: Which serves more citizens, a civic center or a splash pad? It’s not rocket surgery as Dr. Walt Duncan would say. So which is the town of Rogersville getting?

Even though many thinking citizens of the town have objected to the expense (part of which is funded through a grant), Rogersville is getting a splash pad that will be open approximately three months of the year--undoubtedly much more important than a civic center open 12 months of the year serving the entire populace.

Where do Rogersvillians currently hold meetings? We’re guessing rented church fellowship halls and the library conference room. The next time anyone holds a meeting, we suggest someone with an iota of common sense give out flyers concerning your government’s lack of foresight…and accountability to the voters.

*****

Bids for the splash pad were requested beginning July 1st. The design group for the project is one of those concerns with multiple offices across the Shoals. Kelley Group lists offices in Florence and Tuscumbia. We’re guessing a Tuscumbia mailing address makes them more palatable to those in Colbert County who seek to use their services.

This type of architectural planning is exempt from bid laws, so just how the town of Rogersville found the Kelley Group is anyone’s guess. It might be worth looking into.

*****

We just love new names for old things/concepts. After all, isn’t fiber so much nicer sounding than the word “roughage” many of us grew up hearing in school? How about undocumented alien? Let’s not call anything illegal.

We see the Kelley Group is using such a term: placemaking. Don’t know what it means? Apparently it describes organic architecture. In other words, design a home/office building/splash pad to fit with the area. Why not just say organic? We have an idea that the Kelley Group feels it can charge more or hold its corporate nose a little higher when it utilizes the term “placemaking.”

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A little father to the west, the race for Florence District Six city council member is heating up. Jim Fisher’s campaign slogan? “Think Nerdy.” Unfortunately, Jim, expecting most office holders in the Shoals to think at all is a little overly optimistic.

Unrest in Rogersville: Just How Big Is That Camper?

Just How Big Is That Camper?

A Guest Commentary By

Bubba Leroy Smuckpucker II

If you ain't never been to Rogersville, you've missed out on a lot. I hate to admit it, but it's a sight purdier than Dog Ear and that takes some doin'. I visit the bait shop up there about once a month and they always got sumpin goin' on to bring in the visitors. Trouble is, now they've done gone and stirred up some real trouble with their secret meets in campers and what have you. I think they musta heerd about Cherokee meetin' in the storm shelter or sumpin.

It seems Rogersville has some new council members and they've started out by makin' plenty people mad. First they go and take money away from the tourism folks, about six thousand dollars I heerd. Then they go and fire Miz Lisa Crumbley the town clerk. One of the council members, ol' Jim Landers, even yelled at poor Lisa for no reason. Kinda makes my blood boil for a man to treat a woman that way.

Ol' Jim's the one behind takin' the money away from the Rogersville Area Chamber of Commerce. It seems Miz Gail Littrell is on the council and voted to give the funds to RACC, but ol' Jim accused her of being a votin' member of the RACC board. Well, there warn't no truth to that. Everbody knows Miz Gail is just what they call a liaison and don't vote, but you couldn't tell ol' Jim that when he got on his high horse, no'sir.

Ol' Jim says he wants to save Rogersville money, but heck he's the one wantin' some fancy new police uniforms. Lemme tell ya, I think Jim Landers needs watchin'. Big time.

Well, I've said my piece, at least for the time bein'. Now I want to remind you all to visit me for all your septic tank and automotive needs. I've got me a new building cuz the mechanic work is just boomin'. Here's a snap shot Miz Mary Carton took of my new place, real cool in the summer, but a little nippy since fall's here. Hope to see you all soon.

 *****

We'll note that the recent meetings in Jim Landers' camper never included a quorum, so were technically legal. How many can Landers fit in his clown car, er, camper? Perhaps we should look at it as an algebra problem and try to determine how many meetings it took for all five council members to discuss Landers' earth-shattering agenda but never arrive at a quorum. It gives new meaning to the trailer rocking...



Shoalanda

Rogersville: Wet or Dry?/New Cherokee Site

So...does Rogersville remain dry or go wet? Just when you thought it was all over, not one, but two votes may make the difference. The two votes in question were apparently cast by those not living inside the Rogersville town limits. Hmmm, now how does this work? Can anyone identify the two ballots in some manner? It's not supposed to work that way. Will those who voted illegally answer truthfully how they voted? Perhaps they will, but how would that hold up in court? Will there be a new election? That seems the most logical premise.

This scenario doesn't mention the supposedly lost vote referenced by the ShoalsInsider. We've heard no more about that since election night. We can see the new campaign now...perhaps one side will even bring in John Travolta and Tom Cruise.

*****

If you live in Cherokee and care about that city, you need to be aware of a new Facebook site. Public Meetings of Cherokee, Alabama has just launched; it will offer times, dates, and locations for all Cherokee public meetings, as well as video of the proceedings. Be sure to visit this site and become a fan:

Public Meetings of Cherokee, Alabama

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While on Facebook, don't forget to visit and fan The Connection site. This new Internet magazine has made great progress in the six weeks it's been up; be sure to check it out.

The Connection

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A beautiful image of the original Coffee High/Appleby Junior High building: Link

Shoalanda

Liquor for Narcs?

With two local wet/dry elections looming, an item in today's TimesDaily is especially humorous--although we doubt it was intended to be so. From the News Briefs section:

City Council members Monday unanimously approved a restaurant liquor license for Emerald River Hotel. The council called a special meeting to approve the license to accommodate the hotel, which is hosting the Alabama Narcotics Officers Association fall conference Wednesday through Friday.

We have to ask...if narcotics officers require liquor for their conferences, what do BATF officers require for theirs?

*****

Russellville and Rogersville: Wet or Dry? A number of years ago, an official with the town of Littleville was quoted as saying the town would not be able to exist without revenue from alcohol sales. Have you driven through that scenic village recently?

In the twenty-five plus years since Colbert County went wet, not much has changed. As for government sponsored construction, Littleville does boast a fairly new city hall/police department. In the private sector, let's not forget the open-late tattoo parlor or the pawn shop.

*****

Ready for more ghosts? Check out this book on Amazon: Link




Shoalanda

222 Votes to Make Rogersville Wet?

According to the calculations of one of our readers, Rogersville could go wet with as few as 222 voters checking yes on the special ballot. Pushing for the referendum is Joe Warren, identified in a recent TimesDaily article only as the owner of "a convenience store...in Rogersville." Warren is in fact the owner of Warren's BP, a business that may be hurting do to the recent half-hearted attempts at boycotting the BP Oil Company.

In future days, we'll be publishing some pro and con columns on the eternal liquor debate. In the mean time, we'll leave you with a local wag's view on the positive side of the issue:

For those who say alcohol never benefits society, let me mention three points.

1. It always came in handy in those WWII movies when the ship's cook had to take out some poor sailor's appendix.

2. It really does make the opposite sex look better by closing time.

3. Well...I thought there was a third one, but I never could count after a few drinks anyway.

*****

The City of Florence may be in trouble trying to enforce a ban on cell phones, while allowing the use of CB radios. We can see the proliferation of those extra long, bobbing antennae now...

*****

Our Cherokee Update from C. R.:

Cherokee Water Board Turmoil

Anyone who has attended a Cherokee Water Board meeting will tell you that most of the meetings are quick and efficient. There is an occasional citizen complaining of a high water bill and the normal ranting of Mignon Willis' twin sister Betty McKinney; outside of that things are normally peaceful.

Over the last few meetings things have started to become very tense. What has changed the mood and the efficiency of the meetings? I believe everything changed when Mignon Willis joined the water board. The first meeting that Mignon Willis attended went fairly good. Mignon Willis made a few motions and a couple of them passed. After that meeting things have changed. It appears that Mignon Willis has an agenda that is based on grandstanding. At Monday night’s meeting the other water board members had enough of the grandstanding. The water board agreed to request an Attorney General’s Opinion in reference to Mignon Willis refusal to take a drug test.

During the meeting, Mignon Willis stated she had a problem with water board members getting paid when they do not attend a board meeting. One board member informed Mignon Willis that the only time anyone misses a meeting is when they are at work. Someone stated “Mignon Willis, you did not have a problem taking money for being an accountant for the family business in Mississippi”. The Cherokee Water Board Attorney told Mignon Willis “you should resign”. One water board member told Mignon Willis to “shut up”. The water board members were trying to discuss an agenda item that Mignon Willis had put on the agenda. An argument broke out and the meeting was quickly adjourned.

Cherokee City Council Meeting

The Cherokee City Council will hold a city council meeting on Tuesday August 3^rd starting at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The work session will be held at 5:00 p.m. and the regular meeting at 6:00 p.m. Most of the discussions occur during the work session. A person close to the situation promises this meeting could go down in Cherokee history. This meeting could end up replacing the story about the shoot out on Main Street.

*****

Shoalanda



Ssssh. It's coming to the Shoals soon...

The Unclaimed Parkway

Most individuals will usually lay claim to anything that bears their name, but not Danny D. Putman of the Rogersville/Elgin area. Putman, the developer of Rolling Brook Subdivision, had the bright idea some years ago of devising a short cut from Alabama 101 to US 72. Cutting an "L" shaped drive through commercial property that he owned, he sought to attract small businesses to what he hoped would become a shopping mecca in the small community of Elgin Crossroads.

Unfortunately, only two businesses located on this roadway, now named Putman Parkway, one of them owned by Putman himself. Putman assured those who expressed interest in the land that the Lauderdale County Commission had promised to take over the road at the appropriate time. Unfortunately, the appropriate time will not come for the commission until Putman upgrades his parkway.

As the years have passed without any maintenance, those who travel the pothole-riddled road have attempted their own jury-rigged repairs by dumping concrete construction blocks into the ever-growing chasms. If this isn't bizarre enough, Putman now insists he no longer owns the road. Since he has sold the property on both sides of the parkway, it belongs to the many new owners, according to Putman who still maintains an office nearby.

Without home rule, the Commission is unable to force Danny D. Putman to maintain the parkway that bears his name. I wonder if things are going better at Rolling Brook Subdivision?


What's up with this: Are there really no lady Lions in Killen? Surely someone can sing a verse of "I am woman, hear me roar."