Tomorrow, Pamela Casey is scheduled to become Alabama's youngest female district attorney. Pam will be sworn in as the Republican District Attorney for the 41st District; speaking at the ceremony will be K K Edgill-Hargett of Muscle Shoals. Look for Pam to become an influence in state politics in the near future. We're predicting a run for Lt. Governor in 4 to 8 years down the road.
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Sex offender activist Derek Warren Logue has announced he's returning to Ohio to live. Why? It seems the cost of living in Sheffield is just too high. Sheffield? Sheffield, Alabama?
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Are you a fan of Paranormal State, the A&E series that chronicles regional spirits? It seems the show just finished filming this past Wednesday at controversial ante bellum mansion Sweetwater. When word leaked out locally, several individuals attempted to observe the filming, much to the dismay of those currently in control of Sweetwater. Angela Zills, "historical archivist" for the old Weeden Home, quickly posted on the site's Facebook page, "Closed Set!" Who knew ghosts needed so much privacy?
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O.B.'s Corner has just posted Sweetwater...Fail...Part II.
Shoalanda
At least two of us here at Shoalanda and several of our readers met Pamela L. Casey last July while she was working as special state prosecutor in the Keith McGuire rape trial in Lauderdale County. Pamela has just taken the first step toward becoming Blount County's newest District Attorney with 38% of the votes in the Republican Primary.
Pam will face the runner up in the July 13th runoff. If any Blount County voters should be reading this blog, take note of Miss Casey--she's going places in Alabama politics.
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Our friend Don Spurlin came in second in the District 9 State Senate race. If you live in the Albertville area, be sure to check out Don's vision for his district before the runoff; we think you'll like him.
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Republicans outnumbered Democrats in last week's primary by 33% to continue a trend in the making since 2002. Yet, many in Northwest Alabama still claim the Democratic mantle. Yea, some are even proud of it.
It's rare that we agree with the blog Left in Alabama, and today was certainly not one of those times. These staunch Dems called for the abolition of not just Jefferson Davis' Birthday as a state holiday, but the Federal celebration of Columbus Day as well.
I'm pretty sure Paul Bryant didn't invent football, but he did popularize it at a time interest in the sport was flagging. Similarly, Christopher Columbus may not have discovered the Americas, but he did create worldwide interest in the Western Hemisphere.
If we don't remember history, we are doomed to repeat it. It may not always be pretty, but it's ours--let's celebrate it.
Shoalanda
While we usually focus on Shoals and Northwest Alabama politics, we're going to stray slightly to the southeast today, more specifically to Blount County. It's not every day that we meet someone like Pamela L. Casey and we want our readers to get to know her as well.
Pam's home town is Snead, Alabama, a small town in Blount County that is roughly the size of Killen. After graduation from high school, Pam attended Rhodes College in Memphis and earned her juris doctorate from the Seattle School of Law in Washington state. Currently, Pam is a member of the bar in both Washington and Alabama.
After serving an internship in Washington, Pam returned to Alabama where she began work as an Assistant Attorney General. Some in the Shoals area will remember Pam as part of the team that prosecuted Daniel Wade Moore for the murder of Karen Tipton in Decatur. Now Pam is again in our corner of the state, this time leading the prosecution team in the Keith McGuire rape case.
Pam has told us that the law is her passion, and that fervor shows in her dedication to her work. A member of the Republican Party, she is about to launch her campaign for District Attorney of Blount County. Remember her name; Blount County needs someone like Pam Casey, but we have a feeling Montgomery will be calling as well.
Feeling Empowered? Check out the Zelda Lily website. It offers a new view on the power of women in today's society. Don't think you'll agree with most of it? No problem--it welcomes debate in the comment section.
Nineteen years after a Lauderdale County woman says she was raped and sodomized by Brian Keith McGuire, formerly of Lexington, Jan Simpson* will finally have her day in court. McGuire, who was 30 at the time of the incident, claims the sex with the then 19 year-old woman was consensual.
Jury selection will begin Monday at 8:30 in Lauderdale County, with Franklin County Judge Terry Dempsey presiding. Dempsey has just completed the unenviable task of officiating at the Christie Bray Scott murder trial where he managed to keep a check on attorneys Robert Tuten, Joey Rushing, and Doug Evans. Residents of Lauderdale County should be extremely grateful to Judge Dempsey for stepping in when Lauderdale Circuit Court judges recused themselves due to their association with McGuire's father, Lexington Mayor Bobby McGuire.
Associated Press reporter Jean Cole has been following the case from Limestone County, where Keith McGuire has been accused of fondling at least four female students while a teacher/coach at Clements School. Cole reported last week that neither defense attorney Jeff Austin nor prosecutor Pamela Casey would comment on the case at that time. Should McGuire be found not guilty, he still faces the prospect of losing his Alabama teaching certification due to the Limestone incidents.
While Simpson did not file charges against McGuire until 2006, three years is too long to wait for justice. We hope this trial will soon be over for the sake of both accuser and accused.
* Name changed to protect victim's anonymity
David Bronner on the National Alabama start-up delay: "I have too much damn money in it to see it fail." Well, it's nice to know he considers the RSA's money his own...we think.
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