Jefferson County Sheriff’s Of- fice Lt. Mike Yarbrough some- times prays to forget, to block the videos, to omit the images. As a lieutenant in the sheriff’s office’s Special Investigations Unit, Yarbrough sees the evi- dence that puts away sex offend- ers. He talked about his job, and how parents can prevent their children from online preda- tors, at a parent focus group at Chalkville Elementary School on Tuesday. He said problems with cyber bullying begin at ear- ly ages. Children can be mean, he said. “It’s not a high school prob- lem,” Yarbrough said. “It is not a middle school problem.” Yarbrough said it’s easier to bully people online, where they can be “anyone,” as opposed to in person. Children also have more access to online mediums -- cell phones, gaming systems, iPads, computers -- than in years past. “Playgrounds now come to the kids,” he said. Yarbrough encouraged parents to be vigilant of their children’s mobile apps, including Face- book, Instagram, Snapchat, Yik Yak, Whisper and more. He said parents should go through each “friend” their child has on social media and delete the ones the kids don’t really know. He said the same should be done for vid- eo games played online. He said society today teaches kids that the more friends they have, the better. He said kids see it as a “status symbol.” “What does that teach our kids?” Yarbrough said. “People don’t spend enough time with kids these days. It’s sad.” Yarbrough said that since most parents are paying for their kids’ iPhones, there is a password nec- essary for apps to be installed on the phones. Parents should con- trol what apps are downloaded to their child’s phone, he said. “Their isn’t an app on their phone that you shouldn’t have the password to,” he said. “Pe- riod.” One parent at the meeting agreed with Yarbrough, saying that parents have to teach their children to make good character choices when it comes to using apps. “If you turn kids loose with the keys to the car and they’re not ready, they’re going to crash,” the parent said. Chalkville Elementary School Interventionist Amy Brasher also spoke at the focus group. “We do need to stay proac- tive and know what’s going on around us,” she said. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy Christian said parents can go to www.jeffcosheriff.net and click “NetSmartz Workshop” on the homepage. This link has infor- mation for parents, educators, law enforcement, teenagers and kids for safely navigating apps, social networks, cell phones, the Internet, gaming systems and more. “Technology and the Inter- net is an incredible tool, but as we have learned it can also be a dangerous place for our young people, and we all need to be mindful of that and ensure they An “upscale commercial develop- ment” is planned for the corners of Deerfoot Parkway and Husky Parkway in Trussville, according to the land’s owner. Moore Oil Company president and CEO Ron Moore said nothing is final- ized about the future use of the land, which is being cleared. “We are talking to several national tenants,” Moore said. Moore said there have been no “deep, serious talks” on the direction of the de- velopment. “There’s a lot of work yet to do there,” he said. Milam and Company has a permit for clearing the land and for site prep, said Trussville City Clerk Lynn Porter. Por- ter said a “guess” of the acreage being cleared is about eight acres. Moore said he hopes the site work, including excavation and drainage, is complete early this spring. He said by the time all the land is cleared, it will The city of Trussville has released vot- er registration information for the Feb. 25 special election for residents to decide for or against a seven-millage property tax increase to fund two new elementary schools. Any person 18 years of age who has lived in Trussville for 90 days may reg- ister to vote. Any voter who has moved from outside the state or who has moved from another Alabama county must re- register, including Trussville voters who have moved between Jefferson and St. Clair counties within the city. Any voter who has moved to a differ- ent address in the city in the same county should change their address. The last day for a voter registration to be received by the Board of Registrars prior to the Feb. 25 election is Feb. 14. Polls will be open Feb. 25 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Trussville City Hall and First Baptist Church of Trussville. Voter registration and change of ad- dress forms are available at Trussville City Hall, Trussville Public Library, county courthouses and state public as- sistant offices. Forms may also be down- loaded at www.SOS.state.al.us. Forms can only be printed and filled out to be mailed in. Absentee ballot applications are avail- able and may be cast in person or by mail beginning Jan. 21. If voting by mail, this is a two-step process requiring sending and returning a ballot application and sending and returning the actual ballot, thus time for four trips through the mail should be allowed. The last day to apply Don’t let the phrase fool you. “Strapped for cash” doesn’t refer to budget cuts or high bills. Rudd Middle School Prin- cipal Susan Whitehurst on Tuesday was strapped for cash. Literally. Students at the Pinson school purchased 12-inch strips of orange duct tape for $1 each in an attempt to “shut up” Whitehurst, who hollered at them through a bullhorn in the school’s main hallway before classes began Tuesday morning. Students could purchase as many strips of duct tape as they chose, and tape Whitehurst to a maroon pole between the school’s cafete- ria and library. Students laughed as Whitehurst’s right leg and right arm were taped to the pole first, then vied to tape her left arm so that she no longer could use the bull- horn. Just before the bell rang signaling the start of class, one student purchased the final 10 strips of duct tape, and several students placed pieces over Whitehu- rst’s mouth. The funds will be used for office operating expenses, including purchasing items students needs, like extra clothing, school supplies and lunch money, White- hurst said. The funds raised will also go toward office supplies, refreshments for professional development activities, walkthroughs and more. It was not clear at press time how much money was raised. “We don’t receive funds for things like extra clean- ing, office supplies, etc., so we rely upon fundraisers conducted by the office to take care of these expenses,” Whitehurst said in an email. Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected]and follow him on Twitter @ GaryALloyd. by Gary Lloyd Editor by Gary Lloyd Editor by Gary Lloyd Editor January 16 - 22, 2014 www.trussvilletribune.com www.trussvilletribune.com The Trussville Tribune The Trussville Tribune Your news source for Trussville, Clay and Pinson Lieutenant teaches Chalkville Elementary parents about online safety StrappEd for CaSh Rudd Middle students raise funds by quieting principal see SAFETY page 5 see DEERFOOT page 3 see VOTE page 3 photo by Gary Lloyd A Rudd Middle School student places a strip of duct tape over Principal Susan Whitehurst’s mouth Tuesday morning. trussville releases property tax voter registration info by Gary Lloyd Editor ‘Upscale commercial development’ planned for deerfoot parkway file photo by Ron Burkett The Brasfield & Gorrie sign at the site is for the Husky Parkway bridge construction ongoing at nearby Hewitt-Trussville High School. Clay baseball coach resigns, page 13 pinson wants highway name change feedback, page 4 8 63150 00000 5 24 hr plumbing and hV aC Service No overtime rate 205-229-2090 A + Tire & Auto Repair 1043 Gadsden Highway (205)833.1771 Erik Carmack, Owner Engine Diagnostics Truck Accessories Oil Changes Alignments AC Service Brakes Tires T h e P r o m a n d P a g e a n t P l a c e 2472 Old Springville Road Birmingham, Alabama 35215 (205)854-0409 promandpageantplace.com Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Sunday 1pm-5pm Under the new management of Rick and Cathy Wheeler, formerly of Ken’s BBQ Inside the tribune: News – pages 2 - 5 Lifestyle – pages 6 - 8 Opinion – page 9 Sports – pages 12 - 14
Transcript
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Of-fice Lt. Mike Yarbrough some-times prays to forget, to block the videos, to omit the images.
As a lieutenant in the sheriff’s office’s Special Investigations Unit, Yarbrough sees the evi-dence that puts away sex offend-ers.
He talked about his job, and how parents can prevent their children from online preda-tors, at a parent focus group at Chalkville Elementary School on Tuesday. He said problems with cyber bullying begin at ear-
ly ages. Children can be mean, he said.
“It’s not a high school prob-lem,” Yarbrough said. “It is not a middle school problem.”
Yarbrough said it’s easier to bully people online, where they can be “anyone,” as opposed to in person. Children also have more access to online mediums -- cell phones, gaming systems, iPads, computers -- than in years past.
“Playgrounds now come to the kids,” he said.
Yarbrough encouraged parents to be vigilant of their children’s mobile apps, including Face-book, Instagram, Snapchat, Yik Yak, Whisper and more. He said
parents should go through each “friend” their child has on social media and delete the ones the kids don’t really know. He said the same should be done for vid-eo games played online.
He said society today teaches kids that the more friends they have, the better. He said kids see it as a “status symbol.”
“What does that teach our kids?” Yarbrough said. “People don’t spend enough time with kids these days. It’s sad.”
Yarbrough said that since most parents are paying for their kids’ iPhones, there is a password nec-essary for apps to be installed on the phones. Parents should con-trol what apps are downloaded to
their child’s phone, he said.“Their isn’t an app on their
phone that you shouldn’t have the password to,” he said. “Pe-riod.”
One parent at the meeting agreed with Yarbrough, saying that parents have to teach their children to make good character choices when it comes to using apps. “If you turn kids loose with the keys to the car and they’re not ready, they’re going to crash,” the parent said.
Chalkville Elementary School Interventionist Amy Brasher also spoke at the focus group.
“We do need to stay proac-tive and know what’s going on around us,” she said.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy Christian said parents can go to www.jeffcosheriff.net and click “NetSmartz Workshop” on the homepage. This link has infor-mation for parents, educators, law enforcement, teenagers and kids for safely navigating apps, social networks, cell phones, the Internet, gaming systems and more.
“Technology and the Inter-net is an incredible tool, but as we have learned it can also be a dangerous place for our young people, and we all need to be mindful of that and ensure they
An “upscale commercial develop-ment” is planned for the corners of Deerfoot Parkway and Husky Parkway in Trussville, according to the land’s owner.
Moore Oil Company president and CEO Ron Moore said nothing is final-
ized about the future use of the land, which is being cleared.
“We are talking to several national tenants,” Moore said.
Moore said there have been no “deep, serious talks” on the direction of the de-velopment.
“There’s a lot of work yet to do there,” he said.
Milam and Company has a permit for clearing the land and for site prep, said Trussville City Clerk Lynn Porter. Por-ter said a “guess” of the acreage being cleared is about eight acres.
Moore said he hopes the site work, including excavation and drainage, is complete early this spring. He said by the time all the land is cleared, it will
The city of Trussville has released vot-er registration information for the Feb. 25 special election for residents to decide for or against a seven-millage property tax increase to fund two new elementary schools.
Any person 18 years of age who has lived in Trussville for 90 days may reg-ister to vote. Any voter who has moved from outside the state or who has moved from another Alabama county must re-register, including Trussville voters who have moved between Jefferson and St. Clair counties within the city.
Any voter who has moved to a differ-ent address in the city in the same county should change their address. The last day for a voter registration to be received by the Board of Registrars prior to the Feb. 25 election is Feb. 14.
Polls will be open Feb. 25 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Trussville City Hall and First Baptist Church of Trussville.
Voter registration and change of ad-dress forms are available at Trussville City Hall, Trussville Public Library, county courthouses and state public as-sistant offices. Forms may also be down-loaded at www.SOS.state.al.us. Forms can only be printed and filled out to be mailed in.
Absentee ballot applications are avail-able and may be cast in person or by mail beginning Jan. 21. If voting by mail, this is a two-step process requiring sending and returning a ballot application and sending and returning the actual ballot, thus time for four trips through the mail should be allowed. The last day to apply
Don’t let the phrase fool you.
“Strapped for cash” doesn’t refer to budget cuts or high bills.
Rudd Middle School Prin-cipal Susan Whitehurst on Tuesday was strapped for cash.
Literally.Students at the Pinson
school purchased 12-inch strips of orange duct tape for $1 each in an attempt to “shut up” Whitehurst, who hollered at them through a bullhorn in the school’s main hallway before classes began Tuesday morning.
Students could purchase as many strips of duct tape as they chose, and tape Whitehurst to a maroon pole between the school’s cafete-ria and library.
Students laughed as Whitehurst’s right leg and right arm were taped to the pole first, then vied to tape her left arm so that she no longer could use the bull-horn. Just before the bell rang signaling the start of class, one student purchased the final 10 strips of duct tape, and several students placed pieces over Whitehu-rst’s mouth.
The funds will be used for office operating expenses, including purchasing items students needs, like extra
clothing, school supplies and lunch money, White-hurst said. The funds raised will also go toward office supplies, refreshments for professional development activities, walkthroughs and more.
It was not clear at press time how much money was raised.
“We don’t receive funds for things like extra clean-ing, office supplies, etc., so we rely upon fundraisers conducted by the office to take care of these expenses,” Whitehurst said in an email.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
January 16 - 22, 2014 www.trussvilletribune.com
www.trussvilletribune.com
The Trussville TribuneThe Trussville TribuneYour news source for Trussville, Clay and Pinson
Lieutenant teaches Chalkville Elementary parents about online safety
StrappEd for CaShRudd Middle students raise funds by quieting principal
see SAFETY page 5
see DEERFOOT page 3 see VOTE page 3
photo by Gary Lloyd
A Rudd Middle School student places a strip of duct tape over Principal Susan Whitehurst’s mouth Tuesday morning.
trussville releases property tax voter registration infoby Gary Lloyd
Editor
‘Upscale commercial development’ planned for deerfoot parkway
file photo by Ron Burkett
The Brasfield & Gorrie sign at the site is for the Husky Parkway bridge construction ongoing at nearby Hewitt-Trussville High School.
Clay baseball coach resigns,
page 13
pinson wants highway name change feedback,
page 4
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Camp Gertrude Coleman in Trussville re-opened Wednesday for use on a “limited use” basis for Girl Scouts troop camping.
Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Coordinator Robyn Tucker said one troop is scheduled to attend the camp in March and another in May.
The Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama Board of Directors on Nov. 20 unanimously approved a resolution to allow the closed and rested camps to be re-opened on a limited use basis.
The Girl Scouts camps will remain open pending the outcome of the re-evaluation and strategic planning process. The camps included are Camp Coleman in Trussville, Camp Anderel in Florence, Camp Tombigbee in west Alabama and Camp Trico in Guntersville.
“Limited use” means that no staff, instructors or services will be provided and that troops will be responsible for bringing their own equipment and
supplies.The Board of Directors
in May 2013 approved an amendment to its three-
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9, 2012, Girl Scouts of North-Central Alabama Board of Directors meeting, a 13-4 board vote
approved of divesting the Camp Coleman property as part of Phase 2 of the group’s property plan.
Camp Coleman in June 2012 was favorably reviewed and listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage by the Alabama Historical Commission. A historical marker was unveiled near the bridge at the camp’s entrance in early 2013. The marker was dedicated in remembrance of all the “courageous women who established this site and those who sustained it over the years so that girls could enjoy the benefits of camping envisioned by (Girl Scouts founder) Juliette Low,” according to the marker.
Camp Coleman, in continuous use for nearly 89 years, consists of 34 wooden structures and outbuildings constructed between 1925 and 1994.
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Camp Coleman re-opens on limited use basis
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January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune Page 3
Attorney General Luther Strange last week announced major criminal justice reforms that he will advocate for in the upcoming session of the Alabama Legislature.
Standing with prosecutors, law enforcement officers and state legislators at news conferences held around the state, Strange is asking legislators to strengthen the death penalty appeals process and to provide better investigative tools to fight crime.
“During my time as attorney general, I have observed the dedication of law enforcement and prosecutors, and their determination to protect the citizens of Alabama,” Strange said. “I have listened to their concerns for changes that are needed to give them better tools and to make the criminal justice process stronger and more effective.
“Death penalty appeals
in Alabama seem endless, with excessive delays that serve only to prolong pain and postpone justice for the victims of these heinous crimes. We are proposing fair and sensible changes to make the system work better for everyone. We also send a clear message that we will not tolerate the slaughter of our children at schools, with changes in the law that specify it is a capital crime to murder them and others who are particularly vulnerable.”
The Fair Justice Act offered by Strange and the Alabama District Attorneys Association would amend two parts of Alabama’s death penalty law. The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Lynn Greer and Sen. Bill Holtzclaw.
The first bill addresses the appeals process. Following a capital conviction, there is a period of “direct appeals” in which the defendant may seek to overturn the conviction and death sentence. Afterward, the defendant may file a “Rule 32” petition for post-conviction relief to
challenge the conviction and death sentence. Currently, defendants may wait until one year after the conclusion of direct appeals to their convictions and sentences before even beginning Rule 32 appeals of their sentences. The Fair Justice Act requires capital defendants to file Rule 32 petitions within 180 days of filing their first direct appeal. Capital defendants would receive better representation by having their claims considered earlier in the process, and indigent defendants would be appointed counsel for the Rule 32 petition within 30 days of being sentenced. The Fair Justice Act calls for a final decision by the circuit court on the Rule 32 petition within 180 days after the direct appeal is completed. This act will make the appellate process more efficient while maintaining the same opportunities for court review and enhancing representation currently provided to death row defendants, Strange said.
The second bill provides
protections for school students and certain others who are “particularly vulnerable” by expanding classifications for killings that may be prosecuted as capital offenses. These offenses would include the murder of any person on a school campus, any person in a day care or child care facility, anyone who is covered by a “protection from abuse” order when the murder was committed for intimidation or retaliation for the order, and any family member of law enforcement or a public official when the murder was intended for intimidation or retaliation
against the officer or official. The Fair Justice Act would make it an aggravating circumstance -- a factor to be considered in determining whether to impose the death penalty -- to murder a law enforcement officer when the officer is acting in the line of duty.
Two additional bills are in Strange’s legislative package: The Child Protection and Safe Streets Act of 2014, which would enable law enforcement to monitor phone communications among criminals to gather evidence that may include admissions
of guilt and information about future crimes that might be prevented, and the Alabama Witness Safe Harbor Act, which would repair a deficiency in current state law regarding immunity from prosecution for witnesses.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Randy Christian said the package will make it easier to solve crimes, convict criminals, strengthen the laws that protect young people and streamline the process in death penalty cases.
“Of particular interest here in Birmingham and Jefferson County is the law already practiced in 49 states that will compel someone with information to take immunity in exchange for testimony,” Christian said. “This should take the ‘snitch’ fear out of the equation that so often is a barrier to bringing a criminal to justice. Attorney General Strange is addressing issues that need it and he certainly has our full support and appreciation. Hopefully our state lawmakers will recognize the value of this package and see it through. We will be a safer Alabama if that happens.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
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attorney general pushes major criminal justice reforms; JeffCo sheriff’s office agrees
photo courtesy of the Office of the Attorney General
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange
VotE continued from page 1for a regular absentee ballot is Feb. 20. The last day to receive the completed bal-lot is Feb. 24.
Absentee balloting is not early voting. The voter must sign an affidavit that he or she will be unable to attend the polls due to one of the six approved reasons: they will be out of the county on election day, they have a physical illness or infirmity that prevents attendance at the polls, they work a shift of 10 or more hours that conflicts with the polling hours, they are a student at an educational institution outside of the county, they
are a member or a spouse or dependent of a member of the Armed Forces, or they have been appointed as an election officer at a polling place that is not their regu-lar polling place.
For more information
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Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
likely cover close to 14 acres.
Moore said he is coop-erating with NorthPark Baptist Church and Deer-foot Baptist Church, both of which bookend the land that’s being cleared. He said both have been “ex-tremely pleasant to deal
with and be neighbors with.”
Moore said Trussville officials have all been helpful so far in the pro-cess.
“It’s such a pleasure to deal with Trussville,” he said. “(Mayor) Gene Melton has been outstand-
ing to deal with and his interest in the integrity of the development and the growth of Trussville is just noteworthy.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
dEErfoot continued from page 1
Page 4 January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune
Baptist Health Center Pinson 4360 Main Street, Pinson, AL 35126 ~ www.pinsonfmpeds.com
Family Practice (205)680.4836 Pediatrics (205)681.8002 Lefferage K. Robbins, MD Tamara Mason, MD Walter W. Wilson, MD Ann-Katrin Wilson, MD
The Pinson City Coun-cil would like feedback at tonight’s meeting regard-ing the possible change to the name of all portions of a highway that passes through the city.
The city council meets today at 6:30 p.m. at Pin-son City Hall on Main Street.
At the Jan. 2 meeting, the Pinson City Council held a first reading of a plan to change the name of all por-
tions of Highway 75. Highway 75 currently
changes names in the mid-dle of Pinson from Center Point Road to Highway 75. It changes from Center Point Parkway to Center Point Road between St. John Drive and Brumbe-loe Drive, meaning that the same stretch of road, within city limits, has three names.
Mayor Hoyt Sanders on Jan. 2 suggested chang-ing the name of the road to Highway 75 to simplify matters. He has already been in discussion with the
Alabama Department of Transportation and Center Point Mayor Tom Hender-son.
Sanders said the mat-ter will “certainly” be dis-cussed tonight, but a vote could be delayed until a later meeting.
“Naturally, we want to receive any input from residents and those im-pacted,” Sanders said in an email.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Green Drive now has the green light.
The road, closed since May 2013, re-opened Tuesday, according to city of Trussville officials.
Trussville City Council-man Perry Cook, who is the liaison to the Streets and Sanitation Depart-ment, said he was “su-per excited.” Several city council members clapped at Tuesday’s meeting when Cook made the announce-ment.
The Trussville City Council in September 2013 voted to award the bid for the culvert replacement and repairs to Green Drive to Bob Smith Construction for $379,000.
The road has been closed since May 2013, when one of the culverts collapsed due to stormwater washing away soil beneath the road next to the culverts.
The city council ap-proved Schoel Engineering doing the engineering for the Green Drive repair at a cost of $30,600 last year.
Green Drive is a popu-
lar link from Chalkville Mountain Road to Truss-ville-Clay Road, on which Hewitt-Trussville Middle School and the Trussville Civic Center are located.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Rep. Paul DeMarco last week pre-filed a bill to al-low cities in Jefferson County the authority to issue motor vehicle regis-trations, including license plates.
The bill would offer an-other alternative for Jeffer-son County residents and should help to reduce Jef-ferson County’s long lines.
“We have all seen the long lines for car tags at the courthouse,” DeMarco said. “Municipalities can be part of the solution by issuing motor vehicle reg-istrations at city hall. It’s a common sense solution.”
The proposed law allows any city in Jefferson Coun-ty to take part in motor ve-hicle registration, includ-ing the issuance of license plates. The city would not be allowed to issue a li-cense plate for vehicles not previously registered in the state or in the name of the current vehicle owner. In addition, the city could only issue license plates to citizens of that city. The
city would collect all fees and taxes in the same way as the county.
Last month, in response to a survey Trussville May-or Gene Melton mailed to city residents, the re-sponse to the possibility of renewing vehicle tags at Trussville City Hall was overwhelmingly positive. Of 1,048 responses to the question, 985 said they’d favor the renewal process at Trussville City Hall. Just
63 said they would not fa-vor it.
House Bill 112 has been assigned to the Jefferson County Legislation Com-mittee for the regular ses-sion of the Alabama Legis-lature, which began Tues-day.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
pinson wants public feedback on possible highway name change
Green drive re-opens
deMarco pre-files bill to allow JeffCo cities to issue license plates
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
file photo by Ron Burkett
Green Drive in Trussville has re-opened.
photo courtesy of Paul DeMarco Twitter account
Paul DeMarco
TRUSSVILLE
Baptist Health Center Pinson 4360 Main Street ~ Pinson, AL 35126
Family Practice (205)680.4836 Lefferage K. Robbins, MD Walter W. Wilson, MD
www.pinsonfmpeds.com
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The Trussville Tribune “Reader’s Choice Finalist - Best Realtor”
Family Owned & Operated in Trussville OF CAMP COLEMAN ROAD
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We carry fresh flowers, blooming and green plants,fruit and snack baskets,balloons, silk flowers,original art, and fun gifts of all kinds. General Information We deliver for all occasions. Birthday Get well, Sympathy, Birth, Anniversary We specialize in weddings and events.
fresh flowers, blooming and green plants,fruit and snack baskets,balloons, silk flowers original art gifts of all kinds
January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune Page 5
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dunkin’ donuts to add Baskin-robbins
Dunkin’ Donuts will soon open several Baskin-Robbins combination stores in the Birmingham area, including the Trussville location, according to the Birmingham Business Journal.
Ramon Arias, who already operates mul-tiple Dunkin’ Donuts franchises in the area, will convert locations in Trussville, Center Point and Warrior into the combination stores, he told Ty West of the BBJ. Arias’ first new combination store will open in May in Pell City, he told the BBJ. He is also planning additional new stores in Garden-dale, Jasper, Winfield and Cullman in 2014.
In other business news, Darden Restau-rants Inc. plans to sell or spin off its Red Lobster chain, also according to the Bir-mingham Business Journal. The news comes on the heels of Darden’s report last week that quarterly profit fell 41 percent. Red Lobster reported a 4.5 percent fall in same-restaurant sales, Reuters reported. There is one Red Lobster restaurant on U.S. Highway 11 in Trussville.
In other business news, the Franchise Business Review named Taziki’s Mediter-ranean Grill, which has a Trussville loca-tion, as one of its 2014 Top Franchises.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Chalkville Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Crystal Segres has been named the school’s teacher of the nine weeks.
Segres has been at the school for three years.
“I think Crystal Segres is a great candidate because she shows her dedication to the children on a daily basis,” said fellow fifth-grade teacher Kimberly Walker. “She also focuses on the ‘small things’ that I believe make such a big difference in our children.”
The school’s teacher of the first nine weeks was second-grade teacher Lili Kane.
Chalkville Elementary names teacher of nine weeks
photo courtesy of Chalkville Elementary School
Crystal Segres
For The Tribune
Kevin Bussey of Corpo-rate Chaplains of America spoke at the Trussville Ro-tary Daybreak Club meet-ing last week.
Corporate Chaplains of America is a non-denom-inational, faith-based or-ganization that believes in “caring in the workplace.”
Bussey said faith is nev-er discussed with the client unless asked about by the client. There is no preach-ing, and they never force
information about faith, he said.
“We just want to make them aware,” Bussey said.
There are 8,000 locations of Corporate Chaplains of America in 41 states serv-ing companies ranging in size from three to 10,000 employees.
Trussville Rotary Day-break Club meets Wednes-day mornings at the Hilton Garden Inn in Trussville.
For more information, visit www.trussvillerotary-club.org.
Corporate chaplain speaks to trussville rotary
SafEtY continued from page 1are aware of the pitfalls that are out there in cyber world and how to avoid them,” Christian said. “A little education, proven safety practices and setting of boundaries will go a long, long way in keeping our young people safe. I cannot express how impor-tant this is.”
Yarbrough said that par-ents should talk to their
kids, just general talk about how their day was, what they did in school. This should start at an early age, so if and when something is wrong, par-ents will know.
“If something bad hap-pens to your child, they want to tell you,” he said. “You just have to ask.”
Yarbrough said parents should be “very careful”
with who they trust with their kids, both online and in person.
“If you’re not talking to your kids, some other adult is,” he said. “I promise you that. And it isn’t good.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Page 6 January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune
The 2014 Scale Back Alabama contest begins Saturday.
Weigh-in week is Saturday through next Saturday.
“We’re serving as a public weigh-in site this year,” said Ann Couch, clinical educator for Trinity Medical Center’s Bariatric Center of Excellence. “We know the importance of a healthy
diet and exercise and are excited to be a part of this free, statewide effort to get Alabamians healthier.”
Teams can stop by the Trinity Wellness Center located at 720 Montclair Road for their initial weigh in. Available dates and times are: Jan. 18 from 10 a.m. to noon; Jan. 20 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Jan. 22 from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; Jan. 23 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and Jan. 24 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Parking is free.
Scale Back Alabama,
now in its eighth year, is designed for adults who form teams of four and compete for cash prize drawings over a 10-week period. For every team on which each individual loses at least 10 pounds (one pound a week), the team names are entered in a drawing with the top prize being $1,000 per team member. There are also prizes for the second and third teams drawn, as well as individual prizes of $100 each for 50 people who lose at least 10
pounds but who were on a team that didn’t achieve the 10-pound goal.
“There were 27,000 Alabamians who participated in last year’s contest and lost almost
130,000 pounds,” Couch said. “We’re hoping for a big turnout in our area that results in the formation of healthy lifestyle habits.”
Hewitt-Trussville High School participated as a
weigh-in site last year.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
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Hands On Birmingham’s 14th Annual MLK Day of Service is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 20 at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve in Pinson.
The service is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Volunteers will help make Turkey Creek more beautiful by assisting with general beautification of the preserve. The proj-ect will involve working outdoors, pulling weeds, clearing out litter and sim-ple landscaping.
Volunteers are encour-aged to dress appropriately for the weather and wear clothes they don’t mind getting a little dirty. Vol-unteers are also encour-aged to be mindful that the terrain can be uneven at times, especially around the creek bed.
The cleanup day is lim-
ited to 100 volunteers. For more information or
to sign up to volunteer, vis-it www.handsonbirming-ham.org. For more infor-mation about the preserve, visit www.turkeycreeknp.
wordpress.com.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
LifestyLe
photo courtesy of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve
Turkey Creek Nature Preserve in Pinson
turkey Creek Cleanup 2014 set for Jan. 20
Numbers recently released from the Alabama State Department of Education show that efforts to keep students in school are gaining traction as the state’s high school graduation rate continues its upward climb.
The high school graduation rate is now 80 percent, up from 75 percent a year ago. It was 72 percent two years ago.
State Superintendent of Education Tommy Bice said for every 1 percent increase in the graduation rate, about 600 additional students graduate from
an Alabama high school. In the past two years, approximately 4,800 more students have not only graduated from high school, but graduated on time.
“Not only is this increase significant for our students, but it is significant for our state’s long-term economic impact as well,” Bice said. “More students graduating from high school means more students going to college, starting careers, and becoming productive, tax-paying citizens. High school graduates are much less likely to be unemployed or underemployed, less likely to receive public assistance, and less likely
to end up on the wrong side of the criminal justice system. Alabama’s climbing graduation rates are good news for the entire state.”
In 2013, the State Board of Education embarked on the mission of PLAN 2020, Alabama’s framework for education reform, part of which includes making sure students graduate from high school on time and prepared for college and/or a career in the 21st century. As part of the plan, the state’s objective is to reach a graduation rate of 80 percent by 2016 and 90 percent or more by the year 2020. With the graduating class of 2012-13 reaching 80 percent
of students graduating on time earlier than expected, Bice said he is encouraged by the state’s progress but realizes there is much work to do.
Part of that effort involves addressing the reasons why students drop out of high school and providing support and encouragement. Bice said school systems around the state are already employing innovative and practical tactics to combat what he considers to be one of Alabama’s education priorities.
“We’ve seen school systems use their people, funding, time, and other resources in creative ways to meet the needs
of students contemplating dropping out,” Bice said. “Students leave school for a lot of reasons. As leaders in education, it is our responsibility to finds ways to keep our young people in school.”
Bice said an integral component to keeping students in school is helping them identify their skills and abilities and realize the potential for their future careers. Under Alabama’s PLAN 2020, all students will enter ninth grade prepared with a four-year plan that addresses their individual academic and career interest needs based on the results of a career assessment, which is taken in eighth grade.
“From teachers and counselors to parents and mentors, we all have a vested interest in making sure our students’ complete high school prepared and eager to start college or their career,” Bice said. “Completing high school with a quality education and with the ability to compete with students from any other state or country should be common-place. We expect that of our public education system; we expect that of ourselves.”
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
alabama graduation rate tops 80 percent
Scale Back alabama kicks off this weekend
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune Page 7
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A Trussville native participated Dec. 28 in the 46th annual Birmingham Poinsettia Debutante Ball.
Megan Roxanne Early, a 2011 Hewitt-Trussville High School graduate, was one of 32 other young ladies who were escort-ed by their fathers.
The debutantes were all dressed in white ball gowns and carried a bouquet of red poinsettias. The ball began with the debutantes’ presentation at the Benefac-tors’ Dinner, then presented to their fami-lies, honored Ball Board members and the closest family friends.
The ball was hosted by the Ballet Wom-en’s Committee and Poinsettia Men’s Club at Vestavia Country Club. All pro-ceeds of the ball go toward the support of the Alabama Ballet.
Early is a third-year student at Auburn University, majoring in biomedical sci-ences. She’s a member of the Zeta Tau Al-pha sorority. Early is the daughter of Todd Early and Deborah Early. Her maternal
grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Herschel Morgan of Pell City, and her paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs. Larry Early of Sylvan Springs.
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The Turkey Creek Na-ture Preserve in Pinson has partnered with the Alabama Forestry Commission and the Arbor Day Founda-tion for an Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign tree giveaway to be held Feb. 8.
The event is part of a statewide effort to provide seedlings to communities affected by tornadoes in 2012.
The cities of Pinson, Clay and Trussville suf-fered significant damage in the Jan. 23, 2012, EF-3 tornado. Clay suffered the most damage, as six neigh-
borhoods were affected, resulting in 321 damaged homes, 170 of which suf-fered heavy to severe dam-age. One person, 16-year-old Christina Heichelbech, died in the tornado, and 40 to 50 people were treated and transported to area hos-pitals.
The tree giveaway at Tur-key Creek Nature Preserve will be held at the “Falls” parking lot starting at about 10 a.m. Feb. 8. It will con-tinue until all the trees have been handed out.
The free seedlings avail-able will include flowering dogwood, shumard oak, eastern redbud, blackgum and bald cypress.
“This is an amazing pro-
gram that will greatly bene-fit the Pinson and surround-ing communities,” Turkey Creek Nature Preserve Manager Charles Yeager said in an email.
As part of the Alabama Tree Recovery Campaign, a similar tree giveaway will be held Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. at the City of Clay Public Works and Feb. 15 at 8 a.m. at Argo City Hall.
More information will be released about the tree giveaway as the date ap-proaches.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity has been selected to participate in Habitat for Humanity In-ternational’s Repair Corps program, an initiative fund-ed by The Home Depot Foundation to help repair, renovate or construct the homes of U.S. veterans.
Habitat Birmingham is one of up to 20 Habitat af-filiates selected for Habi-tat’s 2014 Repair Corps program.
“We are excited to par-ticipate in Habitat for Hu-manity’s Repair Corps pro-gram, and grateful to The Home Depot Foundation for funding this project,” said Charles Moore, presi-dent and CEO of Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity. “We are hon-ored to work alongside former service men and women, and their families, to provide critical repairs to their homes.”
Habitat’s Repair Corps program is funded by The Home Depot Foundation. With donations of $6.2 mil-lion to date, including $2.7 million in 2014 in cash and in-kind gift cards, The Home Depot Foundation supports Habitat grants for Repair Corps projects rang-ing from new construction to home repair projects such as roofing and weath-er stripping, to the instal-lation of wheelchair ramps and renovated bathrooms
and doorways to accom-modate disabled veterans. Repair Corps grants will be allocated in amounts up to $15,000 for each project.
“While veteran home-lessness has declined in recent years, it is critical that we have support sys-tems in place for veterans covering the whole hous-ing spectrum to ensure that a few years from now, we are not faced with a rising tide of negative statistics again,” said Kelly Caffarel-li, president of The Home Depot Foundation. “That is why we support programs like Habitat’Repair Corps as part of our mission to ensure every veteran has a safe place to call home.”
Funding for Habitat’s Repair Corps is part of a five-year, $80 million in-vestment The Home Depot Foundation is making to multiple organizations to repair and renovate homes and public housing facili-ties for U.S. veterans.
As is required of new Habitat homeowners, veterans selected to part-ner with Habitat’s Repair Corps program will repay zero-interest loans cover-ing a portion of the costs of their repairs. Loan amounts will be determined on a sliding scale based on the veteran’s income to ensure affordability for the vet-eran.
Greater Birmingham Habitat for Humanity has been big in the city of Clay in the past year. In May 2013, 10 families received keys to their new homes as part of its Eighth Annual Home Builders Blitz in the Winchester Hills subdivi-sion in Clay. Last month in the same subdivision, a woman and her daughter received the key to their new home, an unveiling two weeks in the making as part of Greater Birming-ham Habitat for Human-ity’s “Home for the Holi-days.”
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
photo courtesy of Turkey Creek Nature Preserve
Turkey Creek in Pinson
file photo by Gary Lloyd
Keitha Burpo (sitting), Patricia Burpo (holding keys), Terry and Brandon receive the key to their new home in the Winchester Hills subdivision in Clay in May 2013.
tree giveaway set for feb. 8 at turkey Creek
Greater Birmingham habitat selected for repair Corps program
Page 8 January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune
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ACTA Theater in Truss-ville has announced show dates for “Blithe Spirit.”
The play will be Feb. 14-16 and Feb. 21-23. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7 p.m., while Sunday shows are at 2:30 p.m.
Directed by Nell Rich-ardson, “Blithe Spirit” has been a comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages since 1941. Novel-ist Charles Condomine,
whose first wife Elvira has been dead for seven years, has been reasonably happy with his second wife Ruth, that is, until he invited the eccentric Madame Arcati, a local medium, to conduct a seance in their home.
The Condomines are joined for the evening by Dr. George Bradman and his wife Violet, although both couples are highly skeptical, and Charles is merely collecting material for his next book. Pande-monium reigns when El-vira is summoned from the
Other Side, as Charles is the only one to whom she is visible and audible.
The cast includes Donna Cleckler, Mary Anne Gar-rett, Kevin Garrett, David Gregson, Suellen Wilkins, Donna Love and Lynne Long.
Reservations can be made by calling the theater at 205-655-3902.
Fees for the sixth annual Trussville’s Got Talent show are due Friday.
The show is scheduled for Feb. 8 at the performance hall at Hewitt-Trussville High School. Paine Primary and Paine In-termediate students will perform at 4:30 p.m. Hewitt-Trussville High and Hewitt-Trussville Middle students will perform at 7 p.m.
The entry fee is $20 for individuals and $40 for groups. Entry fees and entry forms are due at the students’ school office Fri-day. All checks should be made payable to HTHS.
Rehearsals at the Paine schools are Feb. 4 at 5 p.m., and Feb. 7 at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Rehearsals at the middle school are Feb. 6 at 5 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. Rehearsals at the high school are Feb. 5 at 3:30 p.m. and Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Categories include dance, song, theatri-cal, comedy, musical instrument and other.
All talents, which are limited to two to three minutes, must be approved prior to Feb. 7.
For more information, visit www.truss-villecityschools.com or email [email protected].
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
aCta theater announces next show’s dates
Trussville’s Got Talent fees due Friday
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
by Gary Lloyd
Editor
For The Tribune
Paine Primary School students showed compas-sion during the holiday season.
Students in Donna Es-sig’s and Jamie O’Brien’s
second-grade classes col-lected stuffed animal bears for the Trussville Fire De-partment. Firefighters give bears to children in times of need, such as injury or fire.
Gina Gamble’s second-
grade class hosted a class “yard sale” and invited other second grade classes to shop. Items purchased included small toys, books, candy, puzzles and games. The children learned mar-keting skills and practiced
counting money and mak-ing change. The sale earned $84 and all proceeds went to a needy family in the community.
Students in Debbi Gray’s, Linda Odom’s, Haley Dykes’ and Gam-ble’s second-grade classes decorated place mats for Jimmie Hale Mission’s annual Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
Students from Angie Seeley’s, Carly Bagwell’s and Michelle Miskelley’s first-grade classes partici-pated in the annual Christ-mas For Kids toy drive sponsored by the Truss-ville Fire Department. The students realized that some students are less fortunate during the Christmas sea-son. The students collected approximately 50 toys to be given out to local chil-dren.
“Christmas is about giv-ing,” one student said. “What if I didn’t have something under the tree?”
Anne Pratt’s first-grade class adopted an angel. The class chose to support an angel tree child in lieu of a book swap. They were able to provide all of the items on their little angel’s wish list.
Angela Shorter’s kinder-garten class spearheaded a book/game drive for a kindergarten class in Bella
Coola, British Columbia. With the help of Marcia Segers’, Tamea Barnes’ and Buffy Bland’s kin-dergarten students, they collected more than 200 books and games to send to the kindergarten class on an Indian reservation in Bella Coola. There is only one kindergarten class on the entire reservation.
submitted photo
Students from Gina Gamble’s second-grade class
submitted photo
Students from Jamie O’Brien’s second-grade class
submitted photo
Students from Angela Shorter’s kindergarten class
Paine Primary students show compassion
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January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune Page 9
For The Tribune
Sixteen Trussville City Schools students partici-pated in Saturday’s MLK Unity Walk at Railroad
Park in Birmingham.Thirteen were Hewitt-
Trussville High School students, while three were from Hewitt-Trussville Middle School.
The students who par-ticipated were Patrick De-Pews, Anabeth Friday, Sid-ney Powell, Alyssa Akins, Abbie Rigg, Taylor Coon-er, Jaron Godbolt, Kim-
The MLK Unity Walk was established by the Bir-mingham Metro Diversity Coalition to honor the leg-acy of Martin Luther King Jr. and promote healthy
living all at once.For more information,
visit www.birminghamme-trodiversitycoalition.org.
16 trussville students participate in MLK Unity Walk
A citywide membership provides more locations, more classes, more choices.
Mission To put Judeo-Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind and body for all.Vision We will lead our community to become the healthiest in America. A United Way Partner.
ymcabham.org/ JOINFor the Y in your community, call
801-YMCA
HALF OFF ENROLLMENT FEE THROUGH JANUARY 31
I am often contacted by people who have a re-cently deceased family
member who want to know whether it is necessary to probate the will.
That answer often de-pends on whether the de-ceased had any assets. In most cases where the an-swer is yes, probating the will is highly advisable as doing so will allow the per-sonal representative -- also called an executor -- to re-
ceive letters of administra-tion that will allow them to carry out those tasks called for in disbursing assets to the heirs named in the will and deal with any creditors of the deceased.
Probating the will can often provide legal protec-tion for the personal rep-resentative, as any action taken by the personal rep-resentative will not be seen as actions taken by that in-dividual, but as a represen-
tative of the estate. Another scenario in
which probating the will is advisable is when family members are in a dispute as to assets of the deceased. Unless the will is specific, a personal representative has a large amount of dis-cretion in how the assets of the estate are to be handled. The personal representa-tive often has the ability to dispose of assets in a man-ner that would override the
wishes of warring family members.
Further, in the event the deceased owned real es-tate, the personal represen-tative is able to dispose of the real estate to avoid any potential long-term com-plications, such as issues involving family members who may hold an heirship interest unknown to ev-eryone in the family. Also, mortgage companies often require that a personal rep-
resentative be appointed before they will speak with anyone but the deceased.
The death of a fam-ily member is a sad event. Don’t compound this loss by making a mistake when it comes to the distribution or liquidation of their prop-erty. Contact an attorney to assist you to ensure a smooth transition that will benefit you and your fam-ily.
It happens every time I leave the house.
I blow the horn to startle another driver’s at-tention away from the cell phone and back to the road so he or she maneuvers back across the double-yellow lines into their own lane. I try not to get T-boned because someone has run the light. I watch, in amazement, as the big, red “STOP” sign is appar-ently invisible.
These are daily occur-rences that I deal with, that I sadly watch others deal with. I listen to those not
paying attention fire their horns back in disbelief that they’ve done something wrong, wait for three, four and five vehicles to zoom left after the green turn sig-nal has blinked to red.
These wrongs seem to be on the uptick lately, es-pecially in our coverage area. I witnessed the worst example last month.
I was second in the turn lane going left from Edwards Lake Road to Lowe’s. The light was green, but cars were com-ing from the opposite di-rection. An old junker of
a car came hurdling out of the McDonald’s parking lot to my right, nearly swiping the right side of my truck. It barreled by me and the truck in front of me, cut-ting us off in front of the
turn lane, and proceeded to flash in front of oncoming traffic toward Lowe’s.
The truck in front of me then followed that car closely in the parking lot, no doubt cussing the driv-er. I parked a few spots away from that car, and as I walked past it toward the store, two women emerged. I told the driver she needed to learn to drive, that she was putting other people in danger.
She and her passenger laughed.
I told them again, told them it was not a joke.
The passenger doubled over in laughter, and the driver quipped, “Well, you got here, didn’t you?”
Is this seriously the mindset behind the wheel these days? That drivers can selfishly, dangerously and stupidly disobey the rules of the road and not consider others’ safety? That a text message is greater than a life? That getting somewhere a few seconds earlier is worth putting yourself and others at risk?
It sure seems that way, and this must-get-there-as-
quickly-as-possible mind-set needs to change. Plan better. Leave earlier. Put down the cell phone.
I’m tired of typing up short articles about men, women and children dying in car accidents, being told that speed and distraction were factors.
Accidents do and will happen. But foolishness and distractions are always preventable.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Should you probate your relative’s will?
Motorists today provide incentive to stay home
OpiNiON
Gary Lloyd
Chesley p. payne
Page 10 January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune
“What was I thinking?”
Are you prepared? Don’t put it off any longer.
Everything you need to know is just a phone call away.
j m g a r d e n s . c o m
Call us at (205)655-2536 and make an appointment with our Family Service Department for more details.
We are offering a $3,000 preneed discount on our Traditional Funeral Service Package
until February 16, 2014.
“We’ve got plenty of time, and when the time does come there’s enough life insurance to take care of all that.”
That was what you told her every time she tried to talk to you about making preneed cemetery and funeral arrangements.
Avoid the additional stress and suffering associated with having to make funeral
arrangements in the midst of such grief and pain.
Are you prepared? Don’t put it off any longer.
Everything you need to know is just a phone call away.
When she asked you to check in to making preneed
cemetery and funeral
arrangements, remember your
answer?
Zumba on Mondays, Wednesdays in trussville
Zumba with Karla is at the Trussville Civic Center Mondays and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. The $7 classes are for members and non-members. For more information, email [email protected] or call the civic center at 205-655-9486.
Wrestling at palmerdale homesteads Community Center
GCW Wrestling is the first Saturday each month at 7 p.m. at the Palmerdale Homesteads Community Center. The Mark Taylor Band performs the fourth Saturday each month, clogging and line dancing, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Georgiana davis Masonic Lodge meetings
Georgiana Davis Masonic Lodge No. 338 in Trussville meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday each month. Practice nights are on the first and third Monday. Family nights are on the fifth Monday of the month. The lodge is at 190 Beechnut St. in Trussville. For more information, call Bryan Stover at 205-706-5220.
Jazzercise at trussville Civic Center
Jazzercise is Mondays at 5 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 9 a.m. at the Trussville Civic Center. For more information, contact Beth Gilbert at 205-966-9893.
audition etiquette workshop Saturday in trussville
An audition etiquette workshop will be held at ACTA Theater in Trussville on Saturday, Jan. 18. Attendees are encouraged to bring an acting resume and headshot. The workshop is $25 and will last from 9:30 a.m. to noon. ACTA Theater is located on Parkway Drive in Trussville.
class will be Jan. 20 and Jan. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Friendship Hall in Fultondale. For more information, contact Dan Bailey at 965-8572 or Rilla Mewbourn at 680-4711.
trussville property tax vote feb. 25
A special property tax election in Trussville will be Feb. 25, 2014, for the purpose of two new elementary schools. Voting places will be Trussville City Hall and First Baptist Church of Trussville. Polls will be open that day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Seven additional mills in property taxes would cost Trussville residents $70 per year on homes appraised at $100,000, $140 per year on homes appraised at $200,000 and $210 per year on homes appraised at $300,000.
Next trussville City Council meeting
The next Trussville City Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. at Trussville City Hall.
trussville school board meeting Jan. 27
The Trussville City Board of Education will hold its first meeting of 2014 on Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Trussville City Schools Central Office on North Chalkville Road. A public work session begins at 4:30 p.m.
reading, memorizing scripts workshop feb. 6-27
A workshop on reading and memorizing scripts will be held each Thursday from Feb. 6 through Feb. 27 at ACTA Theater in Trussville. Students will practice with small scripts and monologues. The class is intended to teach actors a fun way to memorize lines. The class each Thursday lasts from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The cost is $65 for the one-month class. To register,
Springville dance feb. 1The Traylor 8-piece band will play
Feb. 1 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Shack Burgers & BBQ at 5393 Highway 11 in Springville. For more information, visit www.bandmix.com/traylor8-pieceband or call 205-467-0770.
reading book club meeting in Clay Jan. 21
Join the Clay Public Library’s popular reading book club, which meets on the third Tuesdays of most months. Our January selection is “The Astronaut Wives Club” by Lily Koppel. The meeting will be Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. at the library at 7257 Old Springville Road in Clay. Please register if you would like to attend. Call 205-680-3812 for more information.
author book signing in trussville feb. 16
Trussville native Garrett B. Robinson will sign copies and read from his book Feb. 16 at the Trussville Public Library. The signing will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call the library at 205-655-2022.
Emergency response trainings continue in trussville
A community emergency response team module in Trussville is tonight, Jan. 16, at the Trussville Civic Center. Sponsored by the city of Trussville, the module will focus on fire safety and utility controls and last from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Other modules each week after that focus on disaster medical operations (two parts Jan.
23 and Jan. 30), light search and rescue operations (Feb. 6), CERT organization (Feb. 20), disaster psychology (Feb. 27), terrorism and CERT operations (March 6) and graduation (March 13). All modules must be completed to graduate. For more information, email John Griscom at [email protected].
Clay City Council meeting Jan. 21
The Clay City Council will meet Tuesday, Jan. 21 in its second meeting of 2014. The meeting was moved from Monday, Jan. 20 to Tuesday, Jan. 21 due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. at Clay City Hall, located at 2441 Old Springville Road in Clay.
first board meetings in Clay of 2014
The Clay Public Safety Committee will meet Jan. 27, the School Committee meets Jan. 23 and the Library Board meets Jan. 28. For more information, call Clay City Hall at 205-680-1223 or visit www.clayalabama.org.
‘the Night Sky’ storytime at pinson library feb. 21
Join Ms. Allison for “The Night Sky” storytime on Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Pinson Public Library. Hear songs, stories and enjoy a snack. The library is located at 4410 Main St. in Pinson.
January 16 - 22, 2014 | The Trussville Tribune Page 11
As our new patient, you will receive a free whitening kit worth $300, after completing your cleaning and new patient exam. Plus, receive touch-up whitening when you keep your 6 month cleaning schedule. Simply mention this offer or bring this ad with you on your new patient visit. Offer expires January 31, 2014. Restrictions may apply. Call for details.
205-655-0313137 North Chalkville Road, Trussville
Yes, I finally did it. After years of
resisting, main-ly because I’m a penny pincher and was deter-mined to squeeze every bit of possible use from my basic blue slide model, I joined a host of my con-nected friends in Smart-phone Land last week. I even added texting to my skill set (well, I wouldn’t necessarily categorize my abilities “skillful” just yet, but I’m getting there) and began utilizing some pretty nifty apps.
To top it off, I bought an e-reader the same evening I got the new phone and began downloading books from the Internet like there was no tomorrow. The
mere thought of acquir-ing the latest bestsellers for a fraction of the cost of a new hardback makes me giddy, and the number of freebie books available online thrills my discount-loving soul more than I can say.
So except for my lack of an iPod and an iPad, I guess you could say my arrival in the 21st Century is complete – at least until the next gotta-have-it elec-tronic gadget comes along. And I hope that’s not any-time soon, considering I’m still getting used to the gadgets I’ve got.
In hindsight, I prob-ably should have waited to purchase either the phone or the e-reader. With two
very different devices to become accustomed to at the same time, I’m swiping when I should be tapping and clicking when I should be punching, and getting nothing but irritated when I don’t get the results I de-sire.
I got so frustrated try-ing to figure out how to add contacts to my new phone last evening I near-ly threw the darn thing against the wall. When Jimmie showed me it was a simple matter of tapping on a perfectly visible – and logically presented – icon with a plus sign on it, I was almost embarrassed. All I can figure is my brain was in overload, trying to soak in too much new technol-
ogy at the same time.Frankly, I’m feeling so
up-to-my-eyeballs in tech-nology that if I were to bring even one more de-vice into the mix at this point, my head would likely explode. Besides, I can’t imagine what kind of device it would possibly
be. With two computers at home, two more at the of-fice and a smartphone in my purse, not to mention TVs, radios and a variety of other thingamajigs, I’m so overly-connected now it nearly makes my head spin.
And it’s actually unnerv-ing when you think about it. With all the tracking mechanisms inherent in a wired world, using my electronic devices means that while I’m connect-ing to the outside world, the outside world is gain-ing information about me. Whoever researches such things has access to my Internet-viewing habits, my purchasing habits, my reading habits and more.
Which kind of makes me wonder why I felt so com-pelled to recently purchase not just one, but two, new gadgets by which my life may be further monitored. Just another example of the perversity of human nature, I guess.
Now that I’m this far in with the smartphone and the e-reader, however, I’d be hard-put to give them up. I’m enjoying them too much. But all of a sudden, my simple little dumb-phone and a dog-eared paperback are looking a whole lot more sensible to me than they did last week.
21st Century living great fun but not all it’s cracked up to be
June MathewsSomewhere in the
Middle...
The registration dead-line for the second annual Super Chili Bowl in Truss-ville is Jan. 30.
The Super Chili Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 1 at the Trussville Civic Center.
Registration is $25 per competitive team and $20 per fun team.
The registration fee in-cludes an eight-foot by eight-foot cooking area, one electrical outlet, a six-foot table, tablecloth, two chairs, plastic cooking gloves, ladle, spoons and cups.
Competitive team awards include the grand champion; trophies for first, second and third places; best booth; plaque for best design, them and decoration; best costume; and plaque for most unique costumes, overall presen-tation and performance to support team theme.
A people’s choice award will be given to a team from either the competitive or fun categories.
Admission to the event is $5 in advance and at the door. Children ages 10 and under get in free.
Setup begins at 7 a.m. on Feb. 1, and booth judging will begin at 11 a.m. Chili judging begins at 11:30 a.m., public chili sampling begins at noon and awards will be presented at 2:30
p.m.The grand champion
award last year went to the “Fire In the Hole” Amerex Corp. team. Team mem-bers included Mark Lewis, Jeff Layfield, Mark Bailey and Heath Posey. For more information, visit www.trussvillechili.org.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
Jefferson County Schools Transportation Department Director Neal Underwood announced on the district’s website that it is taking applications for school bus drivers.
Applicants must have a School Bus Driver Certifi-
cate, minimum CDL Class B driver’s license with P&S endorsements, DOT Health Card or a school bus driver physical exami-nation report.
Those who wish to ap-ply must do so by logging on to www.jefcoed.com, clicking “Departments,” then “Human Resources.” After that, scroll down to “Classified and Substitute
Applications,” click under “Classified Applicants” and complete the applica-tion process.
In October, it was an-nounced that for the sec-ond year in a row, Jeffer-son County Schools aced its buses inspection by the Alabama State Department of Education. No major deficiencies were found in the system’s 484 buses.
The annual inspection includes a check of brak-ing, exhaust, steering, sig-naling systems, tires and other safety items. Shop
personnel positions and maintenance records are also reviewed. By com-parison, the state of Ala-bama average for major
deficiencies for the last in-spection year in 2013 was 2.6 percent, according to Jefferson County Schools. Additionally, 118 systems earned deficiencies of less than 10 percent for this year.
At the Sept. 26, 2013, Jefferson County Board of Education meeting, 36 Transportation Department employees were honored for their work.
Jefferson County Schools serves schools in Clay, Chalkville and Pin-son.
Contact Gary Lloyd at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @GaryALloyd.
