Could You Do This?

It's two o'clock in the morning. You just fell asleep. The phone rings, and the caller tells you there has been a fatal accident. You dress hurriedly and make your way to the scene driving along fog-filled remote county roads. You arrive to find what no one wants to see. We're not going to describe what the dead driver looks like. It's too horrible for us to contemplate.

This is not some one-time thing. It's a regular occurrence--that is if you're a coroner. Could you do this job? Could you be on call 24/7 for little pay? No? Neither could we. Yet some do, and without them there would be confusion for families and even loop holes in murder cases that allow the guilty to walk.

It's been some time since we've had a local hero, so today we want to recognize Colbert County Coroner Carlton Utley. Mr. Utley is not only extremely competent, he's genuinely caring. We endorsed him for this position in the last election, and we will continue to support him. We can't imagine anyone who could do a better job at such a thankless but much needed task than Carlton. We salute you and we humbly thank you!

*****

Do you read Pearls Before Swine? If you do, you know that Rat has given up Facebook. He now has an extra 18 hours a day. Most of us don't spend that much time online each day, but we suspect most who read our blog do spend some time each day surfing the net. Consequently, you know a little about a lot that goes on in the Shoals and surrounding towns. What if you didn't?

If you didn't, would you know your son/brother/husband/best friend was on the Shoals Most Wanted List? That distinct possibility has caused one faithful reader to contact us about a local young man. This man has made some mistakes, but nothing that can't be rectified at least partially.The sad thing is these mistakes could have been taken care of earlier without a felony conviction if he had just attempted to do the right thing. The longer he waits, the worse it will be for him. His family friend doesn't feel he can contact the family directly and has asked us to do so via our blog.

If you know this young man, please try to contact his family. We look forward to hearing that this man has done the right thing and has gotten back on track to a successful life.



Shoalanda