Alabama Gazette - The people's voice of reason

Free has become a popular term here as of late. It is a new trend and an old favorite. Not free as in freedom. Not free-minded, or free-spirited, or being a Freebird. I mean free – as in no cost. I...

In response to the fast-paced lives Americans tend to lead, countless books and articles have been written offering ways to simplify life and minimize stress. Typical lifestyle change suggestions...

They tell me the road was paved right before I moved here. Prior to then it was dirt. It is still not nice enough to call a farm-to-market road, but once upon a time there were cotton field along...

I did not realize during the last election that we were electing legislators to try and overturn Roe vs. Wade. Just like most Alabamians and all Christians, I would say I am pro-life. Some people say...

I had been handling things pretty well, until we went to the Piggly Wiggly last week. And I’m hardly alone. There are mothers everywhere feeling like I feel. It’s the road all parents walk. We...

Few of us knew before the new gas tax that the Alabama Legislature was capable of moving any bill through both houses and having it signed by the Governor in one week. Governor Ivey announced it on th...

Based entirely upon my casual observation, women seem to be more susceptible than men, and children ag it on, but for some reason many people who have never so much as grew a turnip patch suddenly get...

There seems to be a recurring subject in the headlines from various news outlets over the last few weeks concerning the American dream. Evidently it is out of reach, not available to everyone, and...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report last month announcing that for the third consecutive year the life expectancy of Americans is dropping. Another statistic that emerged...

I cracked-up in the middle of a root canal a few days ago. I didn’t just giggle. No. I went all out. I laughed until the dental assistant, the dentist, and an assistant in training who was just...

As I write this, there are people in the southeast corner of the state who are still cleaning up downed trees and are without power. There are farmers in the wiregrass region who have suffered extensi...

The Wilcox County line sign is missing on Highway 41 in Hybart. I stopped once to take a picture of it. I guess that’s why I noticed its absence. I’m sure others have noticed too. It has been gone...

We build houses like we will be here forever, but it is all very temporary. “Fleeting,” I think is what the Bible says, “The twinkling of an eye.” We are given, on average – if we are lucky...

Travis came into my life in 1990, when he was two and I was 18. His mother was not involved at that stage in his life and my life had not prepared me for being a stepmother. But I changed my schedule...

One reason Wilcox County stays broke is because people steal. That is not in any way meant to take away from the gross mismanagement we’ve come to call normal, but theft happens too often and...

It has been almost 40 years since I spent my last summer with Fannie. She would not believe the lives we live now. Even in the 70’s she lived somewhere far back in time. It was partly, I suppose, be...

To all the boys who don’t feel smart on paper. I call them the lost boys, these young people who seem in one way or another to be left behind or forgotten by what we tend to consider as traditional...

Facebook is fabulous at providing us with fun ways to waste time. The latest is a link that lets you submit a picture of yourself and it shows you what you would look like on the cover of a fashion...

It took me a long time in life to learn evil is a real thing that actually exists. Some people are evil. Some people have evil tendencies or evil ways about themselves. It is difficult to accept evil...

There are two types of people in Alabama this week – those who have the flu, and the handful of running scared fearful ones who don’t. Bless their hearts. I was one of them until a few short days...

I hope everyone had a safe and pleasant holiday season. I certainly did. I’m not even sure exactly what day of the week it is at this point. It feels like there were three Sundays in last week....

Very early in the morning on November 6, child in Etowah County notified Hokes Bluff police that a murder/suicide had taken place at her home. On November 1, in the middle of an ordinary day, a...

Just to be clear, I am writing about the banana spiders found in the southeastern region of the United States. They live as far north as North Carolina and as far west as Texas. I am not referring to...

One of the most confusing days of the year in Wilcox County can be Father’s Day. Mother’s Day is not as complicated. This year the Mayor of Camden, Phil Creswell, is giving area residents another...

How to live in a county that is dying Prior to reading the interview with respected historian Wayne Flynt on Al.com, I knew that the Black Belt has its challenges. I knew, because I started writing...