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Articles from the February 1, 2020 edition


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  • Legislative Session Began This Week | Legislator Abolishes His Own County

    Steve Flowers|Feb 1, 2020

    The 2020 Legislative Session began this week. It will be an interesting three and a-half months. There are a myriad of important issues that legislators have to address this year, as always. However, standing in the way of substantive state issues each year is the necessity to address local bills. Our 1901 Constitution is archaic in many aspects. One of which is that those men who drafted the act were reluctant to give home rule to local counties for various reasons. Therefore, county...

  • 1st District Seat Open. Great Three-Man Race to Replace Bryne. Senate Race in Full Gear.

    Steve Flowers|Feb 1, 2020

    The first district Congressional race is probably the best race in the state in this year’s March 3rd Primary. The winner of the March 31st GOP Primary runoff will go to Congress. The famous first district is a Republican congressional seat and has been since Jack Edwards won the seat in the Southern Goldwater landslide in 1964. The bulk of the district population is in the two county gulf coast counties of Baldwin and Mobile. It being the only gulf coast district in the state, they do have s...

  • I just accepted the position of Agent under a Durable Power of Attorney for my mother; what will my duties be?

    Ron Holtsford|Feb 1, 2020

    Your duties will be what the Durable Power of Attorney says they are. It depends on what powers your mother (called the principal) has given you and when they become effective. There was a change in the Alabama statutes concerning Alabama Powers of Attorney beginning January 1, 2012. If your attorney used a format substantially like the sample document in the statute (as required in the statute) then there should be multiple powers that your mother may have given you and thus a multitude of...

  • Wars and Rumors of Wars

    Robert Tate|Feb 1, 2020

    In War: Resolution In Defeat: Defiance In Victory: Magnanimity In Peace: Good Will The time is quickly approaching in the war on terror where the stakes will increase exponentially. There are dozens of rogue nations and terrorist entities attempting to acquire nuclear weapons as a way of gaining political legitimacy or as a method of pushing their radical agendas throughout the world. When I read the powerful words of the 20th Century’s greatest statesman, Winston Churchill, I truly feel my inad...

  • Trump Leadership - One Is A Majority

    John W. Giles|Feb 1, 2020

    As a young 20 year old budding entrepreneur, I vigorously studied leadership. I was attracted to the vogue readings of the day on leadership, managing and goal setting. I learned that if you put 100 people in the room, 15 would emerge as leaders and only 3 will set goals and measure their success. My greatest lessons were real life examples of watching the management style of others. After years of observation, I deduced that true leadership is recognizing the ability to execute alone and one...

  • Bold and Decisive Leadership

    Perry O Hooper Jr|Feb 1, 2020

    By ordering the airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, President Trump has demonstrated to Iran's leaders and to the world, that he will take "swift, decisive" actions to protect Americans. This is in stark contrast to Obama’s numerous lines in the sand where he was all talk and no action. Soleimani was the architect of Iranian’s strategy to extend the regime's influence across the Middle East. He directed global terrorist attacks, targeted U.S. troops in Iraq, aided Bashar Ass...

  • Amendment One: 2020 Vision

    John Sophocleus|Feb 1, 2020

    Just as the Republocrats $1.2 billion Amendment One [2003] proposal of significant increases for individual income tax payers, the sales tax, property tax, cigarette tax, corporate income tax, etc. FAILED 2 to 1 (defeating the Hubbard/Riley full court press) on a GENERAL election ballot, we now have the next iteration of an Amendment One boondoggle before us on the March 3rd primary. Pray we have better “2020” vision on why this is placed on primary ballots looking in the rear view mirror of...

  • Building Better Roads

    John Martin|Feb 1, 2020

    Every year, we continue to hear the same old song from our public officials—“Our infrastructure is falling apart…. We need more revenue…. We must have a tax increase.” The rational answer, of course, is “No way” in nearly every case. Most of the time they ask for money to fund projects and programs that are patently unconstitutional—“public” education, “public” housing, Medicaid, victimless crime enforcement, abusive regulations, etc. But among these is one item we actually need—our roads...

  • Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

    Sheriff Derrick Cunningham|Feb 1, 2020

    New President of the Alabama Sheriff’s Association Named Montgomery County Sheriff Derrick Cunningham was named the President of the Alabama Sheriff’s Association (ASA) for 2020 at a January awards dinner at the Renaissance Hotel in Montgomery. Sheriff Cunningham served as Vice President in 2019 and plans to lead the ASA in a progressive manner along with his fellow sheriffs throughout the State of Alabama. Sheriff Cunningham discussed the value of the ASA for Alabama sheriffs that seek leg...

  • The Silence of the pigskins

    Stan Hurst|Feb 1, 2020

    Do you miss it yet? College Football, and not just any College Football; I’m talking SEC Football. I sure enjoyed this past season, savoring all the games; well almost. Our SEC teams achieved many accomplishments during the 2019 season; with LSU doing their part, ultimately producing a National Championship. Not bad for coach Orgeron; the coach with whom many doubters resided. Those LSU Tigers beat the tar out of every-body in the SEC, as well as everyone else on their schedule. They finished t...

  • Could an Asteroid Destroy Our Economy?

    Daniel Sutter|Feb 1, 2020

    An asteroid could wipe out all life on Earth, so yes. But what if we mined and brought an asteroid’s valuable metals to Earth? NASA’s plan to send a probe to an asteroid generated some out-of-this-world economic claims. The asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter may be the remnants of a proto-planet that broke up long ago. NASA plans to visit 16 Psyche, a heavy metal asteroid, which astronomers believe is mostly nickel and iron, but may contain precious metals like gold and platinum. The reporte...

  • Scuba Diving…

    Dr. Lester Spencer|Feb 1, 2020

    Several years ago, I went scuba diving with my sons. Although it was not the first time we’d dived together, and it certainly would not be the last, this particular trip was special, because it was the trip in which Joshua, my younger son, earned his certification as a scuba diver. His older brother, Harden, and I were already certified, and we accompanied Josh on one of his first open-water dives, which are part of the certification process. On this particular open-water dive, we were in the Ba...

  • Honoring Our Heros

    Martha Poole Simmons|Feb 1, 2020

    Adrian Jack Lively ~ 79 Adrian Jack Lively served 20 years in the U. S. Air Force as a radar technician and as an air-traffic controller. During 11.5 years of that service, he served four overseas tours including three remote, two in combat zones and one accompanying tour which allowed his family to go with him. Lively’s conclusions about his service to his country via the U. S. Air Force are, “It was this to me. I grew up in a military family. My dad was discharged from the U. S. Army aft...

  • Southern Cuisine - February

    David Spooner|Feb 1, 2020

    We ate our way through Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. It was like we were bears preparing for hibernation. The problem being we are about halfway through winter and we have yet to hibernate. I suggest we slow down with preparing large family meals for the rest of winter. It should be an easy task since there are no major “feast” days until March. Except if you have a large family to start with, and for Valentine's Day and a stray family birthday, try to refrain from hon...

  • Potpourri for February

    Judge Peggy Givhan|Feb 1, 2020

    Cupid is busy in February shooting his arrows of love because February has been called the month of love and Valentines. Many receive funny cards, romantic cards, chocolates and bouquets of flowers. So what if we are to eat less sweets, go ahead and enjoy a couple pieces of candy. Many of our beds are already blooming with winter annuals such as pansies anddianthus. I use dusty miller and lamb's ears to serve as gray and pale green contrasts to the brighter colors. However most gardeners leave...

  • "God's Living Valentine"

    Trisston Wright Burrows|Feb 1, 2020

    Valentine’s Day! There’s truly not another day quite like it. Millions, perhaps billions, of dollars are spent each year to celebrate this day. Then, after the hundreds of pounds of chocolate have been gobbled up and the millions of cards have been exchanged, there comes the inevitable follow up….February 15. That’s the day when we go back to our daily grind and all that focus on love typically gets thrown out with the wrappers and cards. This probably happens because we put so much emphasi...

  • Tears and Laughter - Everybody has a Krystal story!

    Amanda Walker|Feb 1, 2020

    Krystal is the South’s oldest fast food restaurant chain. They have been making little square hamburgers since 1932. Having been around for so long, everybody seems to have a Krystal story. If for no other reason, you can go through a drive-thru and have a big bag of them riding shotgun with you for just over $5. Krystal has always been a friend to night people. Back during the late 80s and early 90s people liked to line dance. People still like to line dance I suppose, but back then it was e...

  • Who Do I contact - social security or medicare?

    Kylle McKinney|Feb 1, 2020

    Social Security offers retirement, disability, and survivors benefits. Medicare provides health insurance. Because these services are often related, you may not know which agency to contact for help. The table on the pdf can help you quickly figure out where to go. Please share this table with family and friends....