Memorial Day 2012

He was with a small group of American soldiers pinned down at Iwo Jima. They had no water, and the commanding officer sent one of their ranks to secure something for the men to drink. He didn't come back. The officer sent a second man; he too did not return.

The commanding officer then sent a third man to find water. This soldier had no hopes of making it back, but he went. He did come back and bring the much needed water. He survived the war, married, and came to Florence to work and raise his five children. His name was Fred Stevens. Sadly, Fred Stevens, his wife, and two of their children were later killed by a drunk driver.

Today we remember not just those killed while in service, but also those who have served our county, lived productive lives, and are no longer with us. Will it ever end? No. Sadly, it won't.

The Great War: Saluting Frank Buckles

The Cold War: He Died to Protect an H-Bomb

The Vietnam War: He Died Twice for his Country

The Iraqi War: He Never Saw His Daughter

Shoalanda

A New Mayor in Russellville's Future?

David Grissom's campaign for mayor of Russellville is now in full swing. He is running against current mayor Troy Oliver, the recent subject of a state ethics probe. Here's Mr. Grissom's official bio:

David Reed Grissom was born August 20, 1972, to Judy Keeton Grissom and the late Robert Reed (Bob) Grissom. He is a lifelong Russellville resident. He attended the Russellville City Schools and graduated from Russellville High School in 1990. He attended Northwest Shoals Community College, Phil Campbell, from 1990-1991, and then transferred to the University of North Alabama, Florence, where he received a B.S. degree in Marketing and graduated magna cum laude in 1994.

He is married to Melissa Fuller Grissom who is an art teacher at Russellville High School. They have one daughter, Kate Reed Grissom, who is 6 years old and in the first grade at Russellville West Elementary.

David is President of Alabama Gun & Pawn, Inc. in Russellville (since 1997); Alabama Title & Pawn of Haleyville, Inc. (since 1998); Alabama Title Pawn, Inc. in Moulton (since 1999); Alabama Title Pawn of Red Bay, Inc. (since 1999); Alabama Super Pawn, Inc. in Sheffield (since 2000); Cash Spot in Russellville (since March 2007). He was Vice-President of Diamond House, Inc., in Russellville from 1990-2000 and was Manager of Grissom Car Wash in Russellville from 1988-1990.

He is a member of the Russellville City Council, District #5 (since 2008); is a member of the Community Spirit Bank Board of Directors (since July 2007), Community Spirit Bank Advisory Board (since February 2000), and the Audit Committee of Community Spirit Bank; member of Board of Directors, Title Pawn Council of Alabama, Birmingham; member of Board of Directors of Council for Fair Lending, Birmingham; lifetime member of Russellville Lodge # 371, member of Scottish Rite 32nd Degree Valley of Birmingham, member of Cahaba Shrine, Huntsville, and member of the Franklin County Shrine Club, Russellville. David and his family are members of Rockwood Baptist Church.

If anything is needed in Russellville, it's accountability. As the election draws nearer, we'll be showcasing other candidates.

*****

Apparently the new law in Sheffield hasn't scared the pants on everyone. In this pic submitted by a reader, a man near downtown Sheffield displays more than moobs. We have to ask why he is even wearing a belt?

The photo was reportedly taken at an apartment complex that has seen better days. This complex has also been the home to various sex offenders throughout recent years, as well as drug dealers. Is there a way to reverse this trend? If the landlord can't or won't do anything to upgrade the property, perhaps it's time for the City of Sheffield to step in. 



Shoalanda

A Surprising Poll & A Local Villain

When we initiated our "Pants on the Ground" poll, we hadn't even an inkling how the vote would turn out. It seems the vast majority of the 142 who took time to vote were in favor of the local legislation. The results were as follows:

Yes, we need the laws: 102 votes for 72% of ballots cast
No, we don't need the laws: 28 votes for 20% of ballots cast
Who cares: 12 votes for 8% of ballots cast

If you know of anyone who's been cautioned under this law, e-mail us the story. Have pictures? Even better. Lookin' like the fool with their pants on the ground...

*****

A local villain? Surely there are no villains in the Shoals. Unfortunately, this area is no different from other parts of the country.

Less than a week ago we became aware of a Colbert County resident making threats concerning a local murder investigation. While we had heard gossip of such for the many months the story had been unfolding, this was the first hard evidence we had seen.

Now a local resident is wanted for harassment in connection with these threats. The person has yet to be apprehended as we write this. Monday we'll have a complete account of these extremely unsettling events.



Shoalanda

Misguided at Best: Two Prime Examples

Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you. Proverbs 5:16-17 *

John Doe is quietly shopping in a big box store. From the next aisle, hidden from his view, he hears a man speaking on a cell phone. He's not intentionally eavesdropping, but he's close enough that it's impossible not to hear. The other shopper has had business problems, and no solutions have so far worked. The only option he feels left to him is the murder of the owner of Acme Widgets, his chief competitor. John Doe peers around the corner and sees a man wearing a polo shirt inscribed with his name and the name of his business. Is this some joke Joe Bleau is playing on unsuspecting shoppers? What does John do?

Meanwhile in an alternate reality, John Doe is leaving the big box store when he runs into his friend and neighbor Joe Bleau. Joe tells John he's having business problems and is planning to murder his chief competitor. What does this John do?

We're betting the two Johns acted completely differently. The John in the first scenario probably called the police, while the second John probably attempted to persuade his friend to reconsider. If his friend went ahead with his nefarious plan, we're betting John testified that Joe had been under so much pressure he no longer knew right from wrong. Which John acted in the best interest of society?

The moral of the tale is that friends and family either cannot or choose not to see the faults of those closest to them. This is natural. This is also why friends and family of the accused are not allowed to sit on his/her jury.

We have the deepest sympathy for those whose children have chosen a wrong path and have disappointed them. That does not mean we will defend those children. Neither does it mean we will overlook the crimes of these children as long as their family continues to spout vicious and hateful words against the innocent they irrationally feel have wronged them.

As long as these people maintain their Facebook pages claiming ownership to a child that is not theirs, we will continue to post arrests, trials, and sentences. This is not dredging up old news. They manage to keep the news quite current all by themselves.

* This scripture reference, although from the Old Testament, holds a valuable truth for us today. If a man fathers children with someone to whom he isn't married, he can't expect to have any role in their upbringing.

*****

While Bailey was filling in for us, she commented that Laquania Welch Weems no longer had a Facebook page. A friend of Laquania has sent us a link to a private page belonging to Weems, mother of confessed murderer Ron Wikkid Weems. Here's the photo she is currently using (Oh, and someone please buy the poor woman a blouse).

Neighbors say that Laquania has had medical problems, but is still maintaining custody of Ron's child with Laurel Pruett. It was revealing to read on Laquania's social media site that she and Ron moved from Leighton to Muscle Shoals in order to shelter Ron's three children from violence. Somehow we feel they failed.

*****

Hate those "CAPTCHA" words on comment forms? You're not alone. Since we have comment moderation enabled, we're discontinuing use of the "human verification process." We hope this will make it easier for readers to comment.



Shoalanda

Who Will Be Florence's New Police Chief?

Current Florence Police Chief Rick Singleton is retiring next month. Yes, it's that soon. Rick is currently running for mayor of the largest town in the Quad-Cities, and we wish him luck. He will be leaving some large proverbial shoes to fill.

Tomorrow the City of Florence will be holding initial interviews for his successor. No applicants have been officially announced by the city, but we may expect each of the two deputy chiefs to apply.

The deputy chief with the longer tenure is Neal Rhodes, pictured at right. Rhodes has long served with the force and in 2006 graduated from UNA with an MS in Criminal Justice. He is married to Cindy Rhodes; the couple has two sons, Will and Wes. Neal rose in ranks from uniformed officer to detective to captain, before being selected as deputy chief.

The second deputy chief is Tim Shaddix, pictured at left. Tim rose to the rank of deputy chief when he succeeded current Tuscumbia Police Chief Tony Logan in April 2008. He and his wife Elizabeth own S&K Properties and reside with their children in Killen. Tim has been with the force since 1982.

Will there be other applicants? We would certainly think so, and while it hasn't been officially announced as being so, we will also assume this is the second round in the selection of Florence's new chief.

There is often a school of thought that a complete outsider functions best in offices of authority; in other words, a new broom with no previous connotations of staff sweeps both clean and best. We have never held with that tenet; we believe our new chief will best be selected from the ranks of the current police force.

We wish both deputy chiefs the best on Friday and in their future careers. Rick Singleton will be leaving a department in not just good stead, but great stead with the citizens of Florence. Let's keep it that way.

*****

Kudos to all those who keep up public websites. It's a time consuming task and one that usually offers few thank yous. With that being said, we couldn't help but notice the quality of the two pics above varied greatly. Looking at the stats on the two, the photo of Neal Rhodes is of a much higher definition than that of Tim Shaddix. We realize they were taken at different times and probably with a different camera and by different individuals. 

If this can be corrected, we would hope it will be. Second, we didn't want any of readers to think we had intentionally sabotaged anyone's photo.

*****

Thanks to Bailey Quarters for filling in here for a few days. We will be having some follow ups on her blogs in the next few day. Let's hope Bailey will continue to find more time to write for us on a regular basis.

Remember, guest blogs are always welcome!



Shoalanda

Kidnapped?: One Reader's Story

It’s normal for children who come from a stable and loving home to think they have the best parents in the world. I know that I was no exception. When I was three years old, my mother had serious surgery. Removing an infected gall bladder is usually not major surgery today, but that wasn’t the case when I was a child.

I listened. I always listened, not often commenting. I heard my mother discussing with my father what would happen if she died. I heard my father reply that she shouldn’t think that way. She would be fine...and after many days of fighting the pain and infection, my mother was fine and came home to us.

A beautiful sunny Friday afternoon marked her first foray out of the house. She and her best friend had gone shopping and left me in Daddy’s care. Looking out the window for her to return, I saw instead a green Alfa Romeo pull into the drive. A sailor was driving, and a stout blond man in civilian clothes sat next to him. He was my cousin and also the man half responsible for my entry into the world.

Daddy announced that Mason had arrived from Millington early. He took my hand and led me out onto the porch. Mason jumped out of the roadster and grabbed me. I began to scream. I looked at Daddy, but he only looked back at me in surprise. Why wasn’t he trying to stop Mason?

“Put me down. Put me down.” I screamed and began to kick. I was being kidnapped, and Daddy was just standing there. I kicked harder.

Mason held me so tight I was in pain. “This is my daughter.”

“No I’m not. Put me down.” I couldn’t say another word. I was literally heaving at this point. It must have then dawned on Daddy that I thought I was being kidnapped, and he took me out of Mason’s arms. The poor sailor looked as if he wanted to leave right away...and he did. Daddy continued to hold me, but I couldn’t stop crying. As we walked toward the house, Mason muttered something about “just wanting to show me off” to the young gob who had saved him train fare to Sheffield.

I never heard my father speak of that incident. I know if he did remember it, it was not the flash bulb type memory that I carry with me until this day.

A child deserves two loving parents. A child deserves security. A child doesn’t deserve some sperm donor trying to snatch him for his personal gratification. 

Thanks to one of our regular readers for sharing a very personal and traumatic story. I hope everyone who has ever wanted to take a child away from its parents will read this and take it to heart. I keep reading on Facebook pages about the family members who are so "hurt" over a child they've barely seen, but none of them mentioning what's best for the child. Selfish hardly covers it.

Bailey

Bailey's Advice: Throw Them Out

If you read the news from around the country, you know a 74 year-old grandmother outside Detroit has been charged with killing her 17 year-old grandson. This lady was "raising" the boy after his parents divorced and moved out of state. His friends say he was no trouble maker, but he was in an alternative school and police had been called in when he attacked his grandparents before. Why was the grandmother arrested? She shot her grandson eight times. There was a similar case in one of our neighboring counties recently, but it was the boy who killed the grandmother.

The interesting thing to me is that almost all commenters on the shooting stated the boy should have been with his parents in the first place. I agree, but many parents fall down on the job and grandparents are the only hope for them. Unless of course one shoots the other dead.

I wrote about Laquania Weems yesterday. When Ron Wikkid's youngest child (that we know about) is 17, Laquania will be 73. A reader wrote that the little girl may turn out well after all, and she may. She would have a much better chance of turning out well if Laquania would give her to the state to be adopted. After Ron and Laurel Pruett are convicted, they will have no say so in what happens to the child.

If Laquania does keep the girl and she turns out like her father? Well, for starters, catering to her every need and allowing her to live off others isn't going to solve the problem. If Laquania Weems had thrown Ron Wikkid Weems out when she first realized he was a druggie and an abuser, he just might have shaped up and Amanda Taylor might be alive today.

Should a parent defend their child? I say that depends. I just published a comment from someone who questioned why this blog did an article on Andrew Scott's latest arrest. I would think it was for those who kept pushing for Andrew to take his "biological child" away from its parents. This is something that Andrew's parents still support. Wake up, Mr. Scott. The best thing you can possibly do for this young man is to let him sink or swim on his own. 

You bailed him out the day he was arrested, didn't you? Three or four days in jail might have opened Andrew's eyes. Now he can continue to feel used and abused by society. If you don't get him some help, this won't be his last arrest.

Bailey