Dewey the Dip Dumbs it Down

Lauderdale County Commision Chariman Dewey Mitchell, who wants to dip into the proceeds from the sale of the old Florence-Lauderdale Animal Shelter to the tune of 50% while not paying 50% of the upkeep, now says it's premature to think about the eventual fate of the old ECM Hospital building.Does he know something we don't know?

He specifically mentioned the Keller Hospital lawsuit seeking to bar any new construction by RegionalCare. Does he think there will be no new hospital?

Perhaps he thinks it's premature to consider uses for the ECM building when it will not be available for three to four years. We have it on pretty good authority that it's always good to plan that far ahead even in private life, much less public.

Or perhaps Dewey is waiting for someone to tell him what to think?



Shoalanda

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?

*****

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

Andy Lopez: A Lesson for Some in Red Bay

Last week, police in the San Francisco area were called about a man standing in a vacant lot holding an assault rifle. From the time police arrived until they fired the shots that killed Andy Lopez, only ten seconds had elapsed. The problem many have with the police response is that the gun was an "airsoft" type weapon with the orange tip removed or painted over...and Lopez was only 13.

There's an investigation ongoing, but the salient fact is that it's never a good idea to take a modified airsoft weapon out in public, much less fail to drop it when police tell you to. How prevalent is this kind of thing?

Here's a photo of Elijah Graham, presumably still under indictment for drug crimes:

Elijah also played a large part in the murder of David Andrasik; however, he was never indicted for that crime. A source in Red Bay tells us that Elijah is on the radar of local police...along with his father Hershel who is out of jail/prison awaiting results of an appeal for his manslaughter conviction.

Elijah, 17 or 18 when this photo was taken, has claimed the weapon is an airsoft with the tip illegally modified. He obviously likes to live dangerously.



Shoalanda

Definition of "Forked Tongue?" Rebecca Narmore and the Colbert E-911 Board

Many individuals contradict themselves quite regularly...but not in the same newspaper article. If you've just tuned in, the City of Muscle Shoals wants Shoals Ambulance Service to be its primary 911 responder (or the most qualified service), while Colbert County has said...well, what haven't they said? You certainly can't tell the players or their respective opinions of the day without a program.

The latest edict from the Colbert E-911 Board states that only one ambulance provider may respond to 911 calls in the county with the blessings of the 911 Board. On October 26th, the TimesDaily published:

1. Narmore said there is no reason for another service to answer 911 calls in Colbert County.

2. Cherokee Rescue, however, continues to answer 911 calls on the west end of the county. “Keller can’t be everywhere,” Narmore said.

Assuming the TD has correctly quoted the board's attorney Rebecca Narmore, any citizen of Colbert County and especially Muscle Shoals, needs to question why the board doesn't have better legal representation and opinions. Perhaps Narmore has become mentally deficient due to all that time she worked for the Town of Cherokee?

*****

Now, let's look at another revelation from that same TD article:

Helen Keller Hospital receives funding through the county beer tax. Narmore said that money was used to help the hospital establish the ambulance service, but the way the law is written, the funding is to be directed to the hospital. It does not specifically state the funding should be used for ambulance service.

Assuming this statement is correct, just remember that each time anyone purchases a beer in Colbert County, he or she may be funding a toilet paper upgrade for the HKH staff restrooms. Anyone residing in Colbert County and voting, should contact the commission and demand a clarification to that law.

Shoalanda

A Tale of Two Rapes

Both alleged crimes are rape, yet they could hardly be more dissimilar. The attack in Colbert Square was planned, yet random. The victim reported the crime to police in a matter of minutes after she was free. There were witnesses (two women in two other apartments who were first approached).

Now we need someone to come forward who knows the miscreant. Whether from Sheffield or the Shoals or not, he had been in the area long enough to be familiar with Colbert Square and the York Terrace area in general. Call the Sheffield Police if you know anything. This crime may have been some kind of initiation, but it could also have been the beginning of a series of attacks on women. We don't know and we don't want to find out the hard way.

The second rape? It's just been reported:

August UNA Rape

The alleged victim took seven weeks to report the crime. She knew her attacker and he apparently committed no other crime during the rape (nothing was stolen). Why did she wait?

The young woman may have been traumatized or had to be encouraged by her friends to say something officially. After seven weeks, it's also possible that the woman has visited medical personnel and discovered her attacker left her with physical problems. It's also possible the woman has learned her rapist has attempted the same with other co-eds and doesn't want him free to hurt others.

No matter the young woman's reason for waiting, we can't deny it will be much harder to prosecute this crime...or even to indict. It's a horrible thing, but if you're raped, report it immediately. Ask for (demand) assistance from Rape Response or similar group, and if you're able, hire a private attorney to represent you.

Good luck to anyone going through such an ordeal. Let us know if we can help. We will at least try.



Shoalanda

What's Really Going on in Alabama Courts?

WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON IN THE AVERAGE ALABAMA COURTHOUSE?

The Alabama Family Rights Association (ALFRA) is working to preserve, promote, and protect family relationships. In our efforts to reform Alabama Family Law and Practices, we are aware of the daily operations of the Family and Domestic Relations Courts throughout the sixty-seven counties.

After observing the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission (AJIC) trial involving charges against Judge Dorothea Batiste, my question is: Why is this particular judge being singled out? This goes on every day in almost all Alabama courtrooms.  For example, a Chilton County Judge ordered a mother of two held on an unlawful contempt charge for nearly six months, yet nothing has been done. Also, after almost a decade of complaints and seventy-four charges against Montgomery County Judge Patricia Warner, the ACOJ allowed her to walk away in 2011 with all of her orders and cases which involved children in abusive situations to remain in place. There have been several cases in the Limestone area where a judge has held individuals in contempt without giving the accused a means to purge themselves.  A Shelby County judge and a recently retired judge from Jefferson County have both charged litigants with contempt while disregarding their due process rights as guaranteed by both the United States and Alabama constitutions.  And all of these complaints have fallen on deaf ears.

Judge Batiste’s attorney, Julian McPhillips, said in his opening statement that Judge Childers has held numerous individuals in contempt for similar reasons that were used as complaints against Judge Batiste and actually kept people in jail for longer periods of time. Again, the question I present is: Why is it this particular judge is being singled out? All judges that violate due process must be held accountable and by the same standards. What are the standards? ALFRA is aware that the sixty-seven counties have different and localized standards regarding standard visitation for custody arrangements, but do we now have individualized and localized standards regarding judges within individual counties? It is important to note that pursuant to the Alabama Rules of Civil Procedures XI. General provisions Rule 83 “all local rules are abolished effective April 14, 1992, and no local rules shall thereafter be permitted”. There are judges using contempt charges as weapons throughout the sixty-seven counties in Alabama.

Is there an accountability mechanism in place to protect and safeguard all citizens that applies to all judges? In my opinion, creating a standard that selectively holds certain members of the judiciary accountable only serves to further question the integrity of Alabama's justice system and appears to demonstrate judges are more interested in protecting each other than protecting the citizens, especially the children of Alabama.

Victims that have been deprived of their due process are encouraged to file a complaint with the Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission (AJIC). 



Shoalanda

Pay in $1.00, Get $1.66 Back?

The TimesDaily has scolded Mo Brooks and other U.S. representatives from northwest Alabama for not voting to end the recent government shutdown. While we do agree with the TotallyDecatur on this point, we have to question their rationale concerning the $1.66 every Alabama citizen gets back for every $1.00 they pay in taxes.

This figure is an average. You know what an average is--you take the number of citizens statewide to determine that average. You might get back only .66 while your next door neighbor would get back $2.66. Just what do we get back in the Shoals?

Several U.S. highways run through the Shoals, but we don't have an interstate highway as Huntsville does. How about military? The Shoals has state groups subsidized by the federal government while Huntsville has the arsenal--not quite a match there, is it?

No, citizens in larger cities may get much more than that $1.66 the TD tells us is ours. We may get much less...and do.



Shoalanda