The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Col john William Schmidt: age 76 Col John William Schmidt served 26 years in the U.S. Marine Corps. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) included: (1) Infantry Officer for 24 years and seven months, (2) Ground Officer, Colonel, three years one month and (3) Public Affairs Office, 11 years two months. Col Schmidt participated in Operations Against Viet Cong Forces in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN) and in Operation Desert Shield/Storm. This valiant Marine received the following medals,...
Col Denny Rea: age 70 On September 11, 2001, Col Denny Rea was stationed at Luke Air Force Base, AZ, as the commander in charge of 10,000 US Air Force personnel while the Wing commander was away, as the disastrous events of that day unfolded on the east coast. He saw his teams react as they had been trained which was to load aircraft with weapons, fly 24-hour air patrols over the southwestern United States, work with the City of Glendale for local security, rapidly set-up an off-base dispensary...
Aviation Machinist Mate James L. Tatum: Age 100 Aviation Machinist Mate (AMM) James L. Tatum served three years,11 months and two days in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was airplane mechanic and aerial gunner. His Naval unit received the Presidential Unit Citation. His entire Naval service was in the Pacific Ocean where he was aboard aircraft carriers in the battles at Tarawa, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Saipan, Guam and Leyte. AMM Tatum was born December 29, 1923...
Captain James Edward Klingler: Age 78 Captain James Edward Klingler served three years in the U.S. Army including one hazardous tour in Vietnam. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Field Artillery. He received the following medals, decorations, badges and ribbons: Purple Heart, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Overseas Bar (one), and Vietnam Campaign Medal with 60 DVC, Bronze Start Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with VDC. Captain Klingler was born February...
Sergeant First Class James Edward Pierson: Age 67 Sergeant First Class (SFC) James Edward Pierson served 29 years in the military including 15.5 years in active duty in the U.S. Army and 14 years in the National Guard. His Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was Unit Level Communications Systems Circuit Controller with Radio Repair and Water Treatment Specialist. He received the following decorations, medals, badges and citations: Army Good Conduct Medal, (5th award), NCO/ Professional Develop...
Colonel Dr Patricia Thomas: Age 50 Col Dr Patricia Thomas is currently serving honorably and consistently for the past 27 years. Her military service includes 15 years on Active Duty (1996-2011) in the U.S. Air Force, and 12 years in the U.S. Air Force Reserve (2011-present). Her Air Force Service Code (AFSC) is Acquisition Contracting. She is a recipient of the fifth highest ranking U.S. military honor, Defense Superior Service Medal. The Defense Superior Service Medal (DSSM) is a military...
Sergeant First Class Eddie Frank Harris: Age 66 Sergeant First Class (SFC) Eddie Frank Harris served 20 years in the U.S. Military including four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and 16 years in the U.S. Army. While serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, his Military field includes ground forces who are trained to locate and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or repel their assault by fire and close combat. These roles all require high levels of fitness, mental toughness, and tactical abilities....
Tech Sergeant Donald Allen Heil: Age 76 Tech Sergeant (TSgt) Donald Allen Heil served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. His Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) was Telephone Technician Specialist. During his entire military service, he worked as a liaison with the cities where the military bases were located wherever that he served setting up the communications systems. He received the following medals, decorations, citations and ribbons: Air Force Good Conduct Medal with Bronze and Silver Stars, Air...
The 2024 National Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony was held at 10:00 a.m. at the VVA Memorial Garden in the Greenwood Cemetery in Montgomery, AL, on March 29, 2024. Members of Chapter 607 Vietnam Veterans of America conducted the ceremony led by its President, Jessie Donaldson. John Eidsmoe served as Master of Ceremonies. After the Pledge of Allegiance to America’s flag, the National Anthem was sung by all who were present followed by a solo of “Mansions of the Lord” sung by Bill Thomas. Presi...
On Wednesday, a federal court unsealed two indictments against and arrested, Benjamin Douglas Calvert – age 26 of Irondale – in connection with a bomb detonated outside of the Alabama Attorney General's building in Montgomery on February 24. A second explosive device was later recovered undetonated in Montgomery. The case was unsealed Wednesday by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Calvert will appear in federal court in Montgomery Wednesday. "Thanks to the work of the F...
On Thursday, April 7, the Alabama House of Representatives passed a motion of nonconcurrence on the Senate's gaming substitute sending the legislation to a conference committee. "From the very beginning, we had three key goals with the House's comprehensive legislation," said Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) in a statement. "Those included eliminating illegal gaming operations in the state of Alabama, developing a framework for the taxation and regulation of facilities...
Montgomery hosted the Capitol's first Navy Week from April 1 to 7. The celebration emphasized the importance of the U.S. Navy to Montgomery, the state of Alabama, and the nation. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed issued a proclamation to salute the Navy and kick off Navy Week. "This week as we enjoy the festivities, let us also renew our commitment to supporting our servicemembers, veterans and their families, fostering a community that recognizes and appreciates their unyielding commitment to our...
On Wednesday, April 5 the Senate Agriculture and Forestry Committee considered legislation to significantly increase the number of medical cannabis licenses that the state will award to businesses. The 2021 legislation that legalized medical marijuana in the state of Alabama, strictly restricted the number of licenses that could be awarded. The most sought-after license is the integrator license, it allows a business to grow, process, transport, and dispense medical cannabis. The legislation...
On Tuesday the Alabama Legislature held a joint session in House chambers to honor America's military and salute active-duty military members, the reserves, veterans, and their families. "It was a privilege to honor Alabama's men and women in uniform during a joint session of the Alabama Legislature," said Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville) on the social media platform X. "Those who answered the call to serve our country represent the very best of us. Without them, there is...
More counties in the United States experienced population growth in the last year, according to the latest Census data, even as pandemic-related moving trends begin to normalize. Counties in the South continued to experience growth, particularly in Florida, where 96% of its 67 counties gained new residents. Polk County, Florida, a suburb of Orlando, added the most, with 26,000 people moving there in 2023. Meanwhile, counties in the Midwest and Northeast continued to lose population, but at...
Purchasing a home is one of the most important investments there is. More than a place to live, homeownership is an asset with the potential to tremendously rise in value. But with home prices reaching record heights, affordability plays a huge role for buyers. The typical home value in the United States was $349,216 in February, 4.2% higher than the year before. High mortgage rates are also making monthly payments more expensive; as of March 28, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate sits at 6.79%....
On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) questioned embattled U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on the Biden Administration's Fiscal Year 2025 budget request for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Despite the ongoing border crisis, the Administration's FY25 DHS budget request represents a cut of 2% to DHS' base budget as compared to FY24 levels. Britt said that the small request fails to make the strategic investments to secure the border and keep...
On Tuesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey (R) celebrated her seventh year in office as Governor of Alabama. Ivey celebrated the occasion by announcing that more than $7.9 million in state funding is being awarded to cities and counties for various, statewide road and bridge projects. Road and bridgework has been a priority of Ivey's administration. To this end, Gov. Ivey, championed the Rebuild Alabama Act, which created the Annual Grant Program responsible for this allocation by raising fuel taxes...
The Alabama Republican party runoff and the Alabama Democratic party runoff are both coming up on April 16. There are a number of races on the ballot across Alabama; but none bigger than in Alabama's Second Congressional District. This year, the state of Alabama has a rare open congressional election with no incumbent. The new Congressional District 2 was created by the federal court to make the district much more likely that the choice of minority voters is ultimately elected to Congress....
On Thursday, the Alabama Gazette spoke with Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Randy Kelley on Thursday about the possibility that President Joseph R. Biden (D) will not be on Alabama's November 5 general election ballot. Kelley says that he and the Alabama Democratic Party will do everything possible to make sure that the President is given ballot access in Alabama. "I wanted to make sure that the White House knew about this," Kelley told the Gazette. "They released a statement saying that they...
On Thursday, April 3 the Alabama House of Representatives passed a motion of nonconcurrence on the Senate's gaming substitute and will send the gambling bill to a six-member conference committee. "From the very beginning, we had three key goals with the House's comprehensive legislation," said Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter (R-Rainsville). "Those included eliminating illegal gaming operations in the state of Alabama, developing a framework for the taxation and regulation of facilities...
The Democratic Party's national convention begins on August 19; but the Alabama Legislature set August 15 as the deadline for parties to announce their candidate slate ahead of the election. Since Biden won't be actually chosen yet, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen (R) says that there is a possibility that the Democrats won't have a candidate for President or Vice President on the November 5 general election. To address this potential electoral crisis, Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony...
On Wednesday the Senate Finance and Taxation education committee voted to give a favorable report to a bill to require K-12 public schools to include research-based prevention education about the dangers of fentanyl and drug poisoning. The Price Hornsby Act was named after Lee County native 17-year-old Price Hornsby – one of the 110,000 Americans killed by a drug overdose. U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) said recently in a Senate hearing that fentanyl is now the number one cause of death f...
On Wednesday, Congressman Mike Rogers (R-AL03) warned: "I fear Putin will use a victory in Ukraine as a springboard to invade Eastern Europe." Rogers' comments were made during a hearing by the House Armed Services Committee on U.S. military posture and national security challenges in Europe. Rep. Rogers is the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "Today we continue our posture hearings with EUCOM," said Chairman Rogers. The United States is moving into an era of unprecedented...
All of the Republican sheriffs currently holding office in Alabama's Second Congressional District jointly announced on Wednesday that they have endorsed real estate attorney Caroleene Dobson in the April 16 GOP runoff election for Congress. The sheriffs cited Dobson's commitment to border security and combatting illegal immigration. "Caroleene Dobson understands that securing our border is the only way to stop the fentanyl pipeline, end sex trafficking, and keep our communities safe from illega...