Need Shelter in Russellville?

 

If you're in Franklin County and need shelter, the old canteen next to the A. W. Todd Center downtown will be open starting Monday night. Each night after Monday will be evaluated as to need.

We feel there is a definite need most nights. No one can say it's ideal if the temperature is above freezing at 33 degrees. We hope Russellville continues to provide shelter to those who may need it in the bitter cold or extreme heat this coming summer.

You Mean Someone's Unhappy in Russellville?

 

There's a difference between profligate actions by city councils and just plain idiotic actions. We recently mentioned that over the years, the Russellville Police Department has received the most complaints from our readers. When it comes to simply idiotic and personally motivated political actions, Russellville is also the hands down winner. If you're wondering about purely profligate spending, Florence has always been in first place, but at least that city has always gotten some value for its dollar. Has Russellville? Here's what one reader has to say:

Recently one of the School Board members was replaced by the City Council. Th former member of the board is a respected member of the community and very successful business owner. He has served the Board for many years. However, as of this week, he was replaced by Radford Hester - a 76(?) year old retired educator (Franklin County School Superintendant) from the 70s) that only recently moved to Russellville and rented an apartment. Rumor has it that his appointment was a quid-pro-quo for another appointment. It may not be illegal but it sure doesn't sit well on the stomach.

ALSO -- it would appear that the general manager of the Electric Department was given an $85,000 Yukon (fully loaded)* as his Department vehicle. Again - not illegal, but with everything going on in today's world - it just doesn't sit well.

ALSO -- the Council approved ANOTHER 80/20 grant for MORE sidewalk work downtown -- In my opinion, this only serves to benefit the Mayor who has been purchasing up buildings downtown...

BUT -- the worst thing going on is the Council Member and SPAN Program director Jamie Harris -- He drives around town all day and (from my understanding) solicits money and food from local business and restaurants for lunch for the SPAN students because they do not like school food. He is also regularly at City Council events during SPAN hours. Also, the SPAN program now meets in the basement of the First United Methodist Church -- RENT free!!! Where is the money the program was budgeted for rent??? For utilities?? For Internet access??

There is so much strange things going on it has to be worth a second look.

* 83,720.00 + tax/title (we checked)

We look forward to hearing from Russellville readers who may have other insights into these actions/problems...

Does MS Industries Have Horns or Not?

When MS Industries first arrived on the scene in Lawrence County, several very learned environmentalists predicted disaster. MSI persevered and now has a distinct presence in Lawrence and Franklin Counties, with corporate offices in the latter. With the average life of many such businesses being 30 years, we see that MSI promises at least 50.

But is MSI a good neighbor? The silica producing entity has just purchased a new Russellville restaurant, an eatery that was highly hyped and only two months old. Now the Bricks will shut down, at least for several months and perhaps forever.

The Bricks to Close 4/22

Is it the intent of MSI to buy up more buildings/businesses in downtown Russellville? Is this an improvement or simply a way for the mining concern to thumb its nose at a town that initially didn't want it?

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Speaking of Russellville, we see that things are not looking up for our favorite Franklin County bad boy:

J.J. Common Indicted

Will J.J. get life without? We're not a betting group here, but if we were, we would definitely put our money on Joey Rushing asking for it. BTW, still flouting the law, J.J. can be found on Facebook offering words of wisdom to his fans all the way from Fountain. 

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Our local sheriffs often get a bum rap for not maintaining order in the various purviews under their jurisdiction. A reliable source has told us the Lauderdale Detention Center had some cells last weekend housing 30 men in facilities designed for eight. You have to admit it's hard to cross every "t" and dot every "i" under those conditions...

"An Increasing Hispanic Population"

"(Russellville) school district has an increasing Hispanic population, currently about 40 percent."

The above quote came from a recent TimesDaily article. Is it disturbing? Assuming the author of the article knows what Hispanic means, yes. It means that new immigrants are arriving faster than they're being assimilated. 

We may also infer that work visas aren't being given these immigrants to toil at local chicken processing plants. In order to receive one of those highly coveted visas, the immigrant must have specialized skills.

It also means the task for local educators will become harder each year. More money will be spent on remedial education, and less on college prep courses. 

Franklin County has always been poor. Removed from any major traffic artery, Russellville has only a modicum of industry. 

Try this experiment: Google the term Franklin+County+Alabama+New+Industry, then specify an entry within the past 12 months. Unless you really want to try it for yourself, the only new industry was 11 months ago and it was a company dedicated to fracking, or extracting oil from sand deposits. Most counties would cast voodoo spells to keep this kind of "industry" away. And remember, this new industry wasn't located in Russellville, just Franklin County.

Should we be concerned about this? No one who blogs here lives in Franklin County; therefore, any concern we have is from a humanitarian slant. Those who have chosen to remain in Franklin County and stick it out will see their children leave for college and never come back except to visit. Physicians and attorneys may practice in Franklin County, but they'll reside in Colbert or Lauderdale.

Is there an easy answer? Unfortunately...no.

Attention Franklin County - You're a Sick Joke!

Yes, you, Franklin County. Your priorities are skewed. You need an animal shelter and you've made absolutely no progress in getting one.

In case any of our readers missed it, this weekend a woman from Franklin County dumped a litter of puppies after hours at the Colbert shelter. She did do the right thing when contacted and returned to take them to a rescue. No, Colbert can't take animals from other counties. Neither can Lauderdale. This is just common sense.

Don't worry, Franklin County, we're now going to address the City of Russellville. It was Russellville's previous mayor who claimed that city didn't have an animal control problem. No, and it doesn't have an illegal immigrant problem either, does it?

Nothing about this situation will change unless one of two things happens. One - The state will come in and make Franklin County do the right thing; or Two - Citizens will place pressure on their elected officials to remedy the situation.

Certainly the second choice would be quicker, so we're asking residents to act. Yes, John Smith on Waterloo Road, that's you. Yes, Jane Jones on Cotaco Street, that's you also. Yes, you...the attorney who hangs out at the courthouse...Larson E. Pettifogger, isn't it? That means you as well. 

Don't just write a letter to elected officials; write one to the Franklin County Times and the Franklin Free Press. Make sure no one can say there's no animal problem in your city or county. 

We honestly don't know how you sleep at night...

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Now a special word to a few of you in Russellville. Yes, we understand Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. That applies to most of Franklin County's rural residents and some in the county seat, but we know it doesn't apply to a great many in the city of Russellville.  

Please don't tell us you trust your elected officials. If your money market account never made any money, or even worse, would you continue to say you trusted your broker or banker? You have the intelligence and the resources to get things done. 

If you like to see dying, abused, and starving animals, just continue as you have done. If you have an ounce of real pity in you, do the right thing and contact your elected officials and tell them to get off their arse and build a shelter.

Where is Russellville in All This?

The TimesDaily continues to publish much needed articles about urban blight and renewal--bully for them. So far there have been stories about Florence, Sheffield, Tuscumbia...even Muscle Shoals, but how about Russellville?

Russellville must thank God for Leighton and Town Creek, about the only two local towns we can think of that have more urban decay, and that doesn't refer to the line of makeup, folks. This is hardly surprising from the county seat of Franklin, a town that has yet to establish any animal ordinances with teeth in them, pardon the analogy.

For a law to work, there must be enforcement, and enforcement costs money...or does it? Empower police officers to write citations for overgrown lawns, run down tool sheds, etc. Yes, we know police officers are overworked, but while busting a certain element for production of meth, why not write up the landlords for contributing to the delinquency of crabgrass?

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Here's a Halloween quiz for ya: Who can identify this lovely piece of neglect located within the city limits of Florence?

Photo by Ben Tate; Decay by a Greedy Owner

 
Shoalanda

No, It's Not About Race; It's About Money

Russellville Hispanics are again crying "Racial Discrimination" and asking why they should wait until they have 20K to become legal citizens. Let's see...how does that work? We would all like new Bentleys so why should we wait until we're able to pay for them? Go to any store or service oriented business and tell the proprietor you want something but can't pay for it. Just what do you think he/she would say?

Our tax dollars in Alabama are extremely limited. The motto of every honest, competent citizen should be "Alabamians First."

Related post: "Hispanic" Is Not a Race

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In case anyone should feel this state has money to toss at non-citizens, it's been announced that the Alabama budget will be suffering a deficit of 450 million for next year.

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Seeking names of WWII Veterans who lived in the TVA Village #2, both before and after war. Info desired for Village #2 history project. Phone collect 703-278-8615 or email rwsparkman@cox.net.



Shoalanda

Sheffield's Got Him and He's Drunk

We've heard for some time that if you have enough money, your name won't appear in the Shoals Insider should you be arrested. Apparently that's not true of the Quad-Cities Daily which didn't hesitate to publish Michael Jason Isbell's mug shot.

Isbell is known for his band the 400 Unit. Here's a shot of the Killen resident looking just a little more spiffy...

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If you're wondering about the title of today's blog, it's a take-off on a sign that's gaining quite a bit of attention in Russellville. Here's Bailey's Bailiwick:

We've Got It & It's Cold!

Drive north on Hwy 43 in Russellville and you can't miss the sign on the old Golden Corral steakhouse. We guess subtlety isn't the owner's strong point, but with all the restrictions the town is placing on alcohol sales, maybe they just wanted the local gourmets to know they can buy Blue Ribbon to go with their tacos.

Not to be outdone, the church down the block has put up their own sign: We've Got It & It's Free. I've got a pretty good idea it isn't beer or steak, but here's hoping someone will build a decent American restaurant in town. If you don't like Mexican or Chinese you're plumb out of luck.

Driving through Russellville is sort of like being in that Sylvester Stallone movie where all the restaurants were named Taco Bell. No wonder Wendy's is always crowded.

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The TimesDaily is reporting activity in the Lauderdale County Sheriff's office is getting back to normal after recent remodeling. They have a "normal?" Stay tuned...

Shoalanda

Comments welcome. No profanity, vulgarity, or libelous statements...

Hospital Wars

After Hospice Wars, could Hospital Wars lurk far behind? Sadly, the cans of roach spray and lawsuits by the TimesDaily do nothing to instill confidence in our local health care system. It's not 1910, and physicians no longer accept pigs or chickens in lieu of cash payments. Blue Cross/Blue Shield dictate payments for medical care--care that costs thousands of dollars.

If it's already this bad, can you imagine what it will be like when ECM actually requests a CON for its new hospital? It might even rival...Cherokee.

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A few years ago, Littleville predicted the demise of their small town if Russellville should go wet; now they're more optimistic. Liquor sales provide approximately one-third of all Littleville tax revenue, but just what have alcohol sales brought this southern Colbert County town? Since going wet circa 1980, the town has a new city hall, but not exactly a plethora of other new municipal facilities.

As for private enterprise, the town has seen a new car wash, Dollar General Store, satellite television service, and a family clinic complete with reader board that advertises "Skinny Pills." From liquor mecca to diet mecca? It just might work.

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Remember the old Florence Courthouse? Unfortunately, this particular post card is no longer available, but you may easily download the image for wallpaper: 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?

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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.

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




Shoalanda

Sunshine Week

Today is the first day of Sunshine Week, an annual event designed to focus on not just transparency in government, but accountability as well. The emphasis of this year's campaign is local records, particularly those posted online. So how does the Shoals stack up?

If you live in Franklin County, not technically a part of the Shoals, you have absolutely no online access to public records. Neither Franklin nor its county seat of Russellville has an official site where records are available for public consumption. This survey (see link below) did not consider privately funded websites or sites erected by such public entities as fire and police departments.

Looking north to Colbert County, we find a website for the county, but not for the county seat of Tuscumbia. The city of Muscle Shoals does provide a site at which some of its records may be obtained; it is the only municipality within Colbert to do so.

Moving on to Lauderdale County, the availability of online records increases, but is still found to be wanting. For instance, the website connects to one offering court dockets, but once there we find only the most recently completed docket, with no information concerning future trials. Inside Lauderdale, only the county seat of Florence provides a website where any such records may be easily obtained.

Obviously, this area has far to go. I think it's safe to say it won't improve until we call our elected officials accountable and demand an increase in easy access to these public records.


To see how other Alabama counties stack up, check out this year's Sunshine Project from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa: http://chrisrob.com/sunshine

Inspector Clouseau, er, Chris Hargett

Once again, the citizens of Russellville are safe from 13 year-old boys, thanks to Police Chief Chris Hargett. It seems Hargett has arrested a young middle school student and turned him over to the US Secret Service for manufacture and possession of a counterfeit ten dollar bill. Hargett has suggested this boy may be part of a larger ring that has in recent weeks passed two other bills of larger denominations.

While this youth's actions are hardly commendable, the appropriate action in this case may have been speaking with the child's guardian/s, followed by in-school suspension. The child obviously deserved a stern and memorable reprimand, but arrest?

You may remember that Chris Hargett, Russellville police chief since 2004, failed to be reappointed on the city council's first vote late last year. Councilman Lanny Hubbard voted against Hargett based on his cowboy form of law enforcement. Hargett was reappointed on the second vote, over Hubbard's objections.

It seems the city of Russellville may also be facing a lawsuit over its handling of a drug bust late last year. Hargett has contended that innocent bystanders are collateral damage in his war on drugs. Perhaps the best way not to become part of Hargett's collateral damage is to avoid Russellville altogether and spend your shopping dollars in Colbert and Lauderdale Counties.


What's up with this: Last week saw more state workers on and around O'Neal Bridge--too bad none of them was painters.

The Lady or the Russellville Tiger?

Every six years, Halloween falls on Friday night. Therefore this should not come as a surprise to any of the powers that be. In a kinder, gentler time a Wednesday Halloween presented problems for small rural communities, as a Sunday holiday still does. Now it seems in a Southern culture of "two-a-day" the Friday night lights take precedence over the Celtic New Year's Eve.

Russellville had obviously hoped to have a perfect season, and as it stands now, has only one loss and a stab at a State Title. In other words, local residents just love to watch a successful team. This Friday, the Russellville Golden Tigers will play Colbert County, only a short drive for Franklin County residents. The Mayor and other elected officials naturally want everyone from the area to drive to Leighton to support their team, but what of traditional trick-or-treating? Easy: Halloween is now Thursday night! I'm sure Russellville City teachers just loved that pronouncement. Of course, those not interested in football may now trick-or-treat in Russellville on Thursday and then travel to Muscle Shoals on Friday for an encore and a toothache.

Perhaps now the Russellville officials will change Christmas to July. The sales are better.


What's up with this: If the Lauderdale County Teachers' Credit Union is unable to recoup the six million lost on loans to bankrupt Tim Shelton, just who loses?