.jpeg)
.jpeg)
Judging from comments and questions received concerning the ongoing legal battle of Salah N. Salah to obtain a beer/wine license from the City of Russellville, there are many misconceptions about the local alcohol laws and how they are being used or misused in this instance. We're listing the facts of the case below. It will be up to a court to determine if the laws are being applied in accordance with these facts.
1. Alabama law states that any business licensed to sell alcohol must be at least 300 feet from a church building or 1000 feet from a school.building.
2. Russellville's liquor license law states that such a business must be at least 500 feet from a church or 1000 feet from a school building.
3. TNS Mini-Mart is 397 feet from the main church building at Southside Baptist.
4. TNS Mini-Mart is 187 feet from a playground that is part of the Southside Baptist Church plant.
5. Southside Baptist Church erected their building at 12215 Highway 43 South in 1964. It remains the original congregation.
6. Salah purchased Ray's Southside Food Mart at 12301 Highway 43 South approximately one year ago. The building certainly had not been constructed when Southside Baptist established its church. In other words, Salah knew the church was there when he purchased the small store.
7. Representatives of Southside Baptist exercised their legal right to object to alcohol sales at TNS Mini-Mart, and the Russellville City Council honored that objection.
8. It's unknown to us if Southside Baptist Church operates a daycare that would qualify as a school. If so, it would logically seem the courts would uphold the City of Russellville's decision not to license TNS Mini-Mart for the sale of beer and wine.
We'll add that of all the governments in the Shoals area, we receive the most complaints concerning Russellville Mayor Troy Oliver; however, in this case, we feel the town acted legally. What a court of law will say may be entirely different.
*****
We recently received a comment from Tasha concerning what she called errors in our report on Laurel Ann Stocker Pruett (pictured). We asked Tasha to elaborate; however, her second comment contained what could be construed as a libelous statement concerning Pruett's victim. Therefore we choose not to publish the comment, but will address the errors that Tasha has enumerated.We had reported that Laurel met Ronald E. Weems after she moved to the Shoals. Tasha informs us that Laurel had previously met Ron and moved here to be with him.
Tasha further stated that Laurel had lived in the Shoals for some time before she became employed at the Chevron. We did not mention a specific date for Laurel's employment, taking the information from one of Laurel's social networking sites; however, we are happy to add this if Tasha feels it's important to the account.
Tasha has also assured us that Laurel was not jealous of Ron and his other girlfriends. This is a subjective opinion, and one we sincerely doubt. If it should be true, it would indicate Laurel's feelings for Ron were something less that love. This would then beg the question of why Laurel would have helped Ron dispose of his victim's body. Believe us, Tasha, it's far better that Laurel be seen as a woman under the influence of uncontrollable passion than one cold-blooded enough to abet the crimes of murder and dismemberment.
Finally, Tasha mentioned the name of Ron and Laurel's child. We have chosen not to name the child in question, but it should be noted that if Ron and Laurel are convicted, they will become the property of the state. They will have no rights the state chooses not to give them. At that point, their little girl will be legally adopted by, we hope, a loving couple who will change both her names. We hope she will never have to suffer for the sins of her current parents.
Shoalanda
