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They say you learn something new everyday. We learned something new last week when we learned that a person over the age of 21 who is found guilty of certain sex crimes on a child under the age of 6 'shall' be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. We really thought that the only time you could be sentenced to life without was in a capital murder case when the only two options a judge and jury have are death or life without. Last week an Escambia County (Ala.) jury convicted Christopher Lance Burtram, 34, of sodomizing...
We didn't know Garrett Ryan Salter; that's probably a shame. We've probably covered him in football and baseball games, but we didn't know him as a person. After the T.R. Miller High School graduate died in a single-vehicle crash last Wednesday just outside of Brewton we reached out to people who knew him. There was a single theme: He had a big heart and a big smile and people liked to be around him. When we talked with David Jennings who coached him and coached against him in youth baseball Jennings said that while Salter's athletic ability...
Much like Flomaton's decision to have a firm come in and help the town develop a Form Base Code in hopes of creating economic opportunities for the town, the town of Century took a positive step Monday night by hiring former Gulf Breeze Manager Edwin 'Buzz' Eddy to come in and help the town not only evaluate but to turn around their utility departments which have been struggling to reach black ink for years. There's that old saying about not seeing the forest because of the trees and sometimes it takes a different set of eyes to focus on what...
Since Monday, we've been in contact with Escambia County (Ala.) Emergency Management Director David Adams about this possible storm that is brewing off the coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Adams made his first report to the county commission Monday morning. At that time, there were a lot of uncertainties about the low pressure system in Georgia that was making a turn toward the Gulf. Adams basically told the commission that it was too early to tell what the upcoming storm would do but that people needed to keep an eye on it. We talked to Adams...
You can't erase history by trying to ignore history. Nike folded under pressure from Colin Kaepernik to pull its Fourth of July Air Mike 1 Quick Strike Force tennis shoe off the market. Kaepernik protested because the flag used on the back of the shoe was the one Betsy Ross is credited for designing to represent the 13 colonies that signed the Declaration of Independence, ending England's rule over what would become the United States of America. Kaepernik made a name for himself while in the NFL for kneeling during the national anthem in...
Do you remember the song 'Henry the VIII' that was made famous by Herman's Hermits in the mid-1960s? Basically, the song continues to repeat itself over and over again with 'I'm Henry the Eighth I am, Henry the Eighth I am I am, and even tosses in the lyrics the 'second verse, same as the first'. We thought about that song when we decided to write this editorial the week before the Fourth of July. Looking back, something about fireworks safety has filled this space in every issue before the Fourth of July and New Year's Eve since we can...
Within hours after Brewton resident William Douglas Smith pleaded guilty Wednesday morning to multiple sex crimes against young boys we began receiving telephone calls questioning why someone who molested so many young boys got off with a 20-year sentence. Most of the people we talked too felt the least he should have received is life, while others said he should be taken out on the front lawn of the courthouse and shot. Smith was scheduled to be tried by a jury Wednesday morning in Brewton on two counts of sexual abuse of a child under the...
Flomaton Councilman Buster Crapps has repeated the phrase that it is the council's responsibility to look out for the money and it's the mayor's responsibility to manage the employees. He's said it in several different ways, but he's been consistent in saying the mayor has the responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the town and it's the council's responsibility to make sure they have enough money to pay for it. State law and town charters spell out the responsibilities of the mayor and council. Some councils are different and have...
We may sound like a broken record, but if you live in Flomaton and you get this issue of the Tri-City Ledger before 1 p.m. today (Thursday), you need to be at town hall. We've written about it, people have talked about it, people have called us about it, but you will hear the ins and outs of a possible Form Based Code being implemented in Flomaton at the 1 p.m. meeting in the council chambers. As we've said before, whether the Flomaton Town Council decides to go in this direction will depend on what the tax-paying citizens of Flomaton tell...
Next Thursday will be a very important day for the future of Flomaton. At 1 p.m. at town hall, the citizens of Flomaton are asked to show up for a question and answer period with John Robert Smith about the possibility of implementing a Form Based Code for the town. From what we've read and what we've heard, it seems like a good plan to help improve Flomaton's economy for years down the road. But like you, we really don't know and won't know unless we attend that meeting and ask Smith some pointed questions. Over the past 20 or so years...
For many people, this will be a long weekend with Monday off to celebrate Memorial Day. There will be family gatherings, there will be trips to be the beach or to the river and Monday night Flomaton Speedway will put on a fireworks show. We just hope people will pause this weekend to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day; celebrate is probably not the correct word, because what we are actually doing is paying tribute to the many men and women who have died fighting to give us the freedom to go to the beach, have cookouts with our families or w...
For most Flomaton High School fans, Dec. 6, 2018 will be etched in their minds forever. That's the date the Hurricanes captured the school's first state football championship with a 23-12 win over Piedmont at Jordan-Hare Stadium on the campus of Auburn University. There was a long period of celebration by the Flomaton faithful, but like other high schools across the state preparations immediately began for the 2019 season. We doubt Flomaton had the 24-hour rule most college coaches talk about in terms of celebrating a victory to getting ready...
As we've done in the past, we covered two trials last week where seniors from high schools across Escambia County (Ala.) made up the jury pool to decide the fate of two suspects charged with real crimes. Sponsored by the Escambia County Bar Association, the Law Day experience has not only won the bar association multiple national awards, it provides a great learning experience for our students. These are not mock trials. The 12 high school seniors who make up the jury have the responsibility to listen to the evidence, deliberate and return a...
We agree with State Rep. Alan Baker that it's too early to start making judgement over whether we will support an Alabama lottery bill sponsored by State Sen. Greg Albritton that passed the Alabama Senate and is now heading to the House of Representatives. “I'm not going to waste my time until it comes to the House floor,” Baker told us this week. “If it comes out of committee I will study the bill.” Albritton also said he expects the House to add amendments to his bill that will allow the voters in Alabama to vote on a lottery that is similar...
Tuesday afternoon we talked with Lisa McMillan as she sat in her chair with her apron on at Coastal Alabama Community College as people filled their bowls with soup in the Empty Bowls Soup Fundraiser that helps her do what she loves best – give back to the community. McMillan runs Drexell & Honeybee's, a non-profit organization that has a simple goal – feeding people. Located at 109 Lee St., in Brewton, Drexell & Honeybee's is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from from 8 a...
Chicken Little said the sky was falling. People have predicted the end of time based on Biblical and so-called scientific data; global warning will destroy the planet and oil and gas exploration, especially fracking, is causing all the earthquakes in the Flomaton, Century and Jay areas. Sounds like something you would read in the National Inquirer. As we talked to Sandy Ebersole with the Geological Survey of Alabama this week we, nor she, knows what the cause is of 13 earthquakes in the area since March 7. She did tell us that the most frequent...
This Friday, as many as 29 students from across Escambia County (Ala.) will gather at the Double AA Auction, Inc., building on Ag Drive in Brewton (which is located behind Southern Pine Electric Co-op) to show and sell pigs they have been raising since Dec. 4. Students learn from the start that this is not a pet project, it's a food project. They are raising those pigs to be slaughtered and turned into hams, bacon, pork chops, ribs and more that will end up on somebody's dinner table. We talked to four students involved in the program last...
Too often we don't appreciate the job our police officers, sheriff deputies, highway patrolmen and others do to keep us safe. We simply see them as people driving a patrol car and carrying a weapon and a badge. Law enforcement officers go through extensive training at the police academy to get certified. They then continue extensive continuing education and classes and training throughout their career. Being a cop 30 or 40 years ago compared to being a cop today are like night and day. Last week we sat down with East Brewton Police Chief Kenny...
Saturday morning we were at the Flomaton Speedway to cover multiple fire departments cutting up old school buses. It wasn't play time, it was time to teach and train firemen how to react in the event we have a major school bus crash with children trapped inside. Ben Roe, who serves as the Barnett Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department chief and also works as a state trooper, said what he's said before – It's not if, but when we will see a school bus crash in this area. We hope Roe is wrong in his choice of 'if' and 'when' in terms of a school b...
As we talked with Flomaton High School Principal Scott Hammond and Flomaton Elementary School Principal George Brown about student absences the discussion was a little bit disturbing. As we enter the final few weeks of the school year both principals talked about how important it was for students to be in school. We talked about school report cards and how having too many students who missed 15 or more days could deduct points and possibly turn an A school into a B school simply because of excessive absences. We were a little shocked that both...
Do you have earthquake coverage in your homeowners policy? It's a question that's really never answered until an earthquake hits close to home. Our bet is most people in California have earthquake insurance. We remember back in 1997 when there was an earthquake in the Little Rock community in Escambia County, Ala., that shook houses for miles and miles. Some of those houses suffered damage and several driveways were cracked. Most homeowners who had cracks in the walls of their home assumed it would be covered but they found out otherwise. We...
Like most of us, we were watching and listening Sunday afternoon as storms roared through our area. If you were attempting to watch TV you got interrupted. This area dodged a bullet; but we can't say the same for the people in Lee County who got slammed with a tornado that claimed as many as 23 lives. The storm left total devastation in its path taking no prisoners. It left those who survived scrambling to not only put their lives back together but to simply survive. We reached out to see what people could do to help the people in Lee County...
Over the past 20 or so years we've seen the town of Flomaton attempt to implement zoning within the town limits only to see those efforts die. We've long advocated that zoning was needed to attract businesses and we know we've lost potential businesses due to the lack of zoning. Mayor Dewey Bondurant Jr., told us this week that he has had as many as five businesses over the past 16 years that wanted to come to Flomaton, but refused because of the lack of zoning. He said one of those happened about a month ago. We understand the 'Z' word scares...
If you watch TV or surf the internet, you've seen those tear-jerking advertisements seeking donations to help save starving and cold dogs. 'For as little as $$$ a month you can help this animal find a safe home' is how most of these commercials present themselves. We're not asking you to not send money, but we are asking you to reconsider where you send your money. Paws Crossed Dog and Rescue in Brewton is working hard to find homes for stray animals, many who look just like the ones you see on those national commercials. But if you give your...
Our feeling is that most people take it for granted that when they go to the grocery store they will find meat, vegetables and other items they all need to make dinner. We doubt that anybody pauses to think about how that pork chop, steak, potato, broccoli, beans or peas made it to the store. We also take it for granted there will be a blackberry pie and ice cream in the freezer section. It's kind of like putting your garbage can at the street the night before pickup; out of site, out of mind. Anthony Wiggins, Escambia County's extension...
