Muscle Shoals BOE Doesn't Want Its Own Field

 

Muscle Shoals Superintendent Chad (OG) Holden

A pithy commentary from one of our favorite readers:

The Muscle Shoals BOE two years ago spent, being the Board of Education, $1 million to fix all the area around the track at the football field at the high school. They also spent $2 million this past year to retrograde and redo the fake grass at the stadium and inside at the practice field. This is money the Board of Education spent, so you wonder:  a baseball and softball field probably at its best  costs $1 million. Why can't they have their own baseball and softball field so that they're not kicking private citizens off of those fields for their high school use?

So Muscle Shoals spent three million dollars on its stadium facilities, but won't spend one cent on a baseball field? What is wrong with this picture?

*****

Speaking of high school football, what does this mean?

We doubt Hines' initial story is true, but ideally Mars Hill should address these posts.

Where is the Leadership of the Muscle Shoals Board of Education?

 

From a reader:

In light of the current situation surrounding MS baseball coach Blake Beck, one has to wonder: are the people in charge of the Muscle Shoals City School system taking this seriously? According to The Times Daily, the superintendent, Dr. Chad Holden, has said the situation is being "addressed". What exactly does that mean, Dr. Holden? The leader of the MSHS baseball program has at least twice now, very publicly, acted out in an aggressive manner toward a city employee. The most recent incident escalated to the point of alleged physical contact with the Park and Rec director and his wife. Where is the leadership of the Board of Education? Is the administration at the MSCS system asleep at the wheel?

 
Dr. Holden and the BOE would be wise to look back a few short years ago to 2015. A MSHS football coach was charged with, and plead guilty to, domestic violence assault. Then superintendent, Dr. Brian Lindsey, took swift action and suspended said coach from both teaching and coaching duties immediately. Lindsey was quoted in the Times Daily as saying, "We don't condone or approve of domestic violence, and we want to be proactive and we took steps immediately". While the individual was a tenured teacher, and thus protected from an outright dismissal, according to Dr. Lindsey, he was "no longer part of the coaching staff". This is what leadership looks like, Dr. Holden. Is the best you have to offer concerned parents of Muscle Shoals students that the situation is being "addressed"?

The football coach mentioned above was described as "an exemplary employee, with an impeccable record". And yet, the leadership at MSCS had the wisdom to remove him from coaching young student athletes when it was necessary. Will the current administration show the same wisdom as it relates to the baseball coach? Parents and citizens of Muscle Shoals, you need to make sure that your Board of Education members know your feelings on this. Contact your City Council representatives. Contact the Mayor's office. DEMAND accountability from your "public servants". Ensure that moving forward, MSHS baseball has a leader that exhibits "Class. Character. Excellence."

Special: It's a Stinking Mess

From a reader:

Colbert County Roadside debris has been the focus of recent news articles. 

Now we hear reports Sheffield Utilities has raised rates on the poor citizens that are forced to use their services.

While this doesn't affect most people in other cities in Colbert County, it is indicative of what is going on behind the scenes that affect ALL Citizens of Colbert County.

After a lot of research and reading ADEM reports ad nauseum, I am going to address the STINKING TRUTH in Colbert County for those of us who thought we were safe from the Sheffield Utilities gouging of their customers.

THE STINKING TRUTH ABOUT THE STINKING LANDFILL.

Sheffield, Tuscumbia and Muscle Shoals are the sole members of the Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA). YES, the 3 Cities determine the garbage, disposal, cost and contracts with those who process the stinky stuff. Under the law, Colbert County Commission has no ownership and operation of the landfill - it falls squarely on the shoulders of the 3 Mayors - OR AT LEAST DID - until Bubba Underwood (previous Tuscumbia Mayor) would not give up his position on that committee when he resigned as Tuscumbia Mayor. 

According to ADEM records (accessed on the worldwide web) states that in 2015,  A Solid Waste Disposal Permit was issued to a P&F Enterprises, Inc, which obviously meant the new Mayor Willie Foster could not serve on the SWDA Board since his father is an incorporator of P&F Enterprises, Inc.that was formed in 2011 (https://www.bizapedia.com/al/p-f-industrial-enterprises-inc.html), 

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT EVERY CITIZEN IN COLBERT COUNTY?

SWDA Board Members and the Sheffield Utilities Dept, M.S. Utilities Dept, and Tuscumbia Utilities Department met numerous times and decided they would not accept "Leachate" for treatment in their plants - even though ADEM cleared the cities to perform those services for the citizens, even though all, or nearly, all cities in Alabama process their own Leachate.

How does that affect me, you and every citizen in Colbert County? The Landfill is burdened with accepting, treating and transporting leachate for 53,000 citizens along with the household garbage.

After constant complaints from "someone", ADEM has paid numerous visits to the landfill (ADEM website reports) ultimately resulting in the closure of the Landfill since it could not keep up with the demands and regulations.

At this time - Your household garbage is transported to Mississippi / Roadside debris is transported to Morgan County / Leachate goes to Tennessee.

THINK ABOUT THAT - trucks are traveling long distances to transport daily  when the Cities/Utilities could keep the services in their boundaries!!!

Think about Sheffield Utilities recent increases - and believe it or not - the other Cities will be announcing their own increases, over and over and over.

THE BOARD SWDA BOARD MEMBERS - MIKE LOCKHART, STEVE STANLEY, BUBBA UNDERWOOD need to stop playing their STINKING GAMES and do what should have been done a long time ago.

One has to wonder why the Utilities Managers and the SWDA Board Members are running the cost up on disposal of these items if there is not a personal and financial benefit to them. After all, passing along a "cost of services" to us poor citizens is the age old song and dance, just like what is currently happening in Sheffield. THEY ARE CAUSING THE MASSIVE INCREASE IN COSTS - DON'T BE FOOLED BY THEIR FAST TALK (or no talk at all)  - They control the process and can stop this fast growing financial loss - unless it personally benefits them.

TIME FOR A FORENSIC AUDIT ON EVERYONE ASSOCIATED WITH  P&F ENTERPRISES, INC,  /  SWDA BOARD MEMBERS STEVE STANLEY, MIKE LOCKHART, BUBBA UNDERWOOD /    TUSCUMBIA MAYOR WILLIAM FOSTER (son of a P&F Enterprises Director and founder /  CITY  UTILITY MANAGERS  / TOWN OF CHEROKEE and the LANDFILL OPERATOR CWI.

WHEN WILL THIS END!!!!!

Ernie Yarbrough Failed Biology, Didn't He?

 

Rep. Ernie Yarbrough has introduced a bill in the Alabama Legislature to declare that life begins at not conception, but fertilization. For those among us who may also be slightly fuzzy in the biology department, it takes up to five days for the fertilized egg to implant in the uterine wall and...voila...conception.

If this bill is passed, which we see no way in Hades that it would be, it would also criminalize the morning after pill, a form of birth control used by, among others, rape victims. Of course, we know ol' Ernie doesn't care a whit about rape victims.

Ernie strikes us as someone who has entirely too much time on his hands. How about looking into expanding Medicaid or chopping still more sales tax off groceries? You know, Ernie, something that would benefit thousands and thousands of tax-paying citizens out there who're just barely making it paycheck to paycheck. Or how about making it easier for the state to place confiscated children up for adoption. You know, a law that would have saved the lives of the Hartline children.

Alas, we have no reason to believe that Ernie will actually do anything while serving in the legislature to help the common man. We do have reason to believe that he bears watching...

Blake Beck: A Real Loser

 

We've been asked if Blake Beck had classroom duties. If he does, we don't see any listed on the school's website. We did note that the school says it's progressive. So is liver cancer.

We've also been asked about his coaching record. While it's only his first year, we have noted that he's quite a loser. In other words, Beck is much more a liability than asset.

Obviously, Beck doesn't have tenure at this stage. Will we see him next season? What do you think?

*****

Ah, on to Sheffield. Want to be at city council meetings? Here's time and location:

1st and 3rd Monday at 5:00 p.m. 

City Hall - 600 N. Montgomery Ave.

John Elkington "Avoiding Service of Process"

 

A post from the Facebook page of "Law Office of Bennett Lee Pugh" states that "John Elkington is avoiding service of process. Inspiration Landing is in the tank." Yet Sheffield is still supporting the project.

Citizens, why are you not at council meetings demanding answers?

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The Sheffield Dog Attack

 

For some time, we have both seen and been sent reports concerning the Sheffield Police. One disgruntled citizen even started a blog. At this time, the complaints outnumber those we receive about the Russellville force...and that's saying something.

Now an incident with a K9 attacking a Sheffield citizen has come to light as a result of a lawsuit against the City and at least three officers, one deceased. The publicity has been such that a reporter for Alabama Political Reporter has become involved.

If you have information or concerns about the Sheffield situation, you may wish to contact Patrick Darrington:

pdarrington@alreporter.com

As we write this, our reach on Facebook alone is 13.8K readers who receive our blog in their daily news feed; however, you can be sure the Alabama Political Reporter has many thousand more readers.

Good luck!