On October 8th, former Tuscumbia police officer James (Jay) Steward began serving his 20 year sentence for manslaughter in the death of Terry Wayne Hinton. The sentencing was three days short of the second anniversary of the heinous crime.
As of last week, Steward is residing in the Limestone Correctional facility. Not eligible for Correctional Incentive Time, the one-time officer will officially end his sentence on October 3, 2024. He will be eligible for parole in July 2031.
While Limestone is the usual destination of former LEOs, Steward won't have an easy life inside the ADOC facility. Let's hope he remembers his victim and Mr. Hinton's family every day that he spends behind bars.
If completely full 5 days a week this "new" deck will yield a return to the taxpayers of Florence on the $12.65 MILLION DOLLAR investment of $283,920.00 per year. At 70% occupancy which is the standard rate for parking decks it will yield $198,744.00 per year. It will take 63 years for the citizens of Florence to recoup our tax money. Not a very wise investment given the current deck is declared unusable at 40 years old.
Is he correct? We agree with 90% of what he stated. The old parking deck is closer to 45 years old, and, yes, downtown parking will add to sales tax revenue. How much? Very little since most who use it will work downtown and not be shoppers.
We agree with 90% of this. The deck is around 45 years old. The extra parking will increase retail traffic, but how much? Most of the deck parking will be employees of downtown businesses.
But here's the biggie. Think concrete is stronger now than 50 years ago? It seems not since coal ash is not as readily available. Decreased coal ash means earlier and more cracks.
Before an official statement was delivered by the Sheffield mayor's office, several had contacted us to say that police chief Ricky Terry had resigned. This was not true.
Terry, who is a defendant in four federal civil rights suits, is officially taking "personal days." One city official referred to these as "mental health days."
Some of the Sheffield readers who contacted us felt this was Terry's way to avoid questioning by the FBI concerning the hanging death of Dennoriss Richardson. We doubt that simply taking leave or even resigning would exempt Chief Terry from these questions.
We're not taking sides in any of these civil rights cases, but it is easy to blame a department head for what inferior subordinates do. Let's hope the City of Sheffield provides Terry with a good attorney. If Terry should choose to resign, we hope the City will take its time to find a replacement.
Note: We recently commented on some Florence residents missing over the last six years. The comparisons made were not to suggest the same person(s) is responsible, but to make community members aware that there are some who unfortunately will take advantage of someone who is ill and has no transportation. Everyone should be vigilant.
Tina Young, 46, is missing from Florence. Tina is a 46 year-old African-American woman who was last seen on Veterans Drive near NAMC on September 3rd. There is currently not much information available on the case, but a friend of Tina is hoping more exposure will shed some light on her whereabouts.
Since November is traditionally a month of thanksgiving, as we offer thanks in the days to come, let's also pray for those who are missing from their families this season. Let's also offer prayers for the authorities who look for the lost and missing.
Cheating, Regardless of 'Reason," is Still Cheating...
...as children discovered at the Ritz Theater in Sheffield Tuesday night.
What was, by all accounts, a hilariously funny cabaret-esque tribute to Tim Burton, was marred at the end when costumed patrons (mostly children) were asked to participate in a contest to determine 'winners' for best costume. The lone 'judge' asked for the audience's help three different times in selecting 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners. Even for someone admittedly hard of hearing, it was clear that the 'judge' was anything but impartial and fair. After the third go-around failed, once again, to produce the results desired, the solitary judge 'went rogue.'
Has anyone, anyone at all, ever unexpectedly asked you for a ride home from a hospital? It's happened to us three times - twice from friends and once from a stranger...a very odd stranger.
After visiting a friend at ECM in the weeks just before its closure, we sat in the lobby to check messages. A very disheveled woman approached us asking for a ride. The request was rambling and not very specific, but she offered money. Along the way, she mentioned her relative was in the ER due to a murder attempt. We quickly made our excuses and headed for the parking deck, checking behind us as we went.
How did we know she wasn't recruiting for a deranged husband with a back garden full of dead bodies in East Florence? How did she know we wouldn't have driven her to the basement of a medic lover who was looking for organs?
Checking earlier today, we found at least a third person missing from the hospital area - one from ECM and two from NAMC. We know the man missing after leaving ECM several years ago had accepted a ride from a stranger. The two women missing from the NAMC area? We have no details other than a "last seen."
The male and one of the females are not listed on the ALEA site. We don't know the criteria to make the list, but obviously more goes on in the underbelly of a city than is made totally public.
The missing shouldn't be throwaway people, nor should the city allow any more victims. Why not establish a system to provide transportation home to people leaving the hospital and ER?
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