The Clarke County Democrat Podcast
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Grove Hill Mayor Ross Wood said it isn’t feasible to add a sales tax to help the local hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department remain open but other officials insisted money is available to meet a critical need. “What are we going to do, do nothing?” Councilmember Eddie Foster asked after the Nov. 20 council meeting. The city currently has a 1-cent sales tax designated for the Grove Hill Memorial Hospital which is used to help pay for the new emergency room wing constructed several years ago. The city also gives the hospital about ,000 monthly through revenue from alcohol sales.... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/gh-mayor-says-cant-risk-citys-financials-to-aid-hospital-program/
Arrests booked through the Clarke County Jail the week of Nov. 20-Nov. 27 are listed. Unless otherwise noted, arrests were made by Clarke County sheriff’s deputies. Mikell Johnson, 20, rape, first degree. James Brandon Roberts, 32, harassing communications, third degree, unlawful possession of marijuana, second degree. Lillie Pugh, 31, speeding above 45 mph on county road. Antonio Laneal Yelder, 25, burglary, third degree, identity theft, petition to revoke bond. Johnny Washington, 60, burglary, third degree. Austin Ogletree, 27, resisting arrest, domestic violence, third degree, driving while license suspended. Llam Harrison, 21, unlawful possession of marijuana, second degree, unlawful possession or... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/clarke-arrests-642/
Arrests made the past week by the Jackson Police Department include the following: Derrica Nettles-Johnson, 35, retail theft; Antonio Yelder, 25, burglary, third degree, two charges; Ammon Gracie, 28, two alias warrants; Joseph Jones, 43, alias warrant; Latiki Steele, 41, domestic violence harassment and domestic violence trespassing; Alexander Hill, 51, domestic violence burglary, domestic violence-criminal mischief; Jamarcus King, 36, possession of marijuana. Calls made during the week included: Ambulance, 11 Assault, 3 Harassment, 6 Wreck no injuries, 7 Shoplifting, 1 Juvenile problem, 4 Traffic hazard, 4 Criminal trespass, 1 Trespassing, 1 Criminal mischief, 2 Intimidation of witness, 1 Interference with... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/jackson-police-report-15/
The Clarke County Sheriff’s Office and the Thomasville Police Department worked together to confiscate these drugs in Thomasville recently. The drugs included 4.4 ounces of marijuana, two ounces of methamphetamine laced with fentanyl and drug paraphernalia. Sheriff DeWayne Smith said there is a suspect and an arrest will be forthcoming. He said the suspect is believed to have been distributing drugs throughout the county. Smith said, “Drugs are a problem in our county. Law enforcement works constantly, even over the Thanksgiving holidays, to stop the manufacture, distribution and use of illicit drugs. We need the public’s help. Anyone who knows... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/arrest-pending-in-thomasville-drug-case/
The Grove Hill City Council voted on Nov. 20 to hire two Clarke County sheriff’s deputies part-time after city officers recently resigned. The council approved hiring Seth Newton and Austin Reed Graham with no cap on the hours they will work. They will wear Grove Hill police uniforms when on duty with the city. In other business at the meeting, the council: Reappointed James Wheeler and Chip Harrigan to the Clarke County Healthcare Authority Board of Directors, commonly known as the hospital board. The council will likely appoint Clinton Hawkins to the board at its next meeting to fill... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/clarke-deputies-will-work-part-time-as-grove-hill-policemen/
The Grove Hill Memorial Hospital Auxiliary’s Christmas Tree Lightning will be Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. in the hospital dining area. Memorial and honor lights may be purchased for per light and an acknowledgement card will be sent to the donor. A Christmas scroll will be displayed in the hospital entrance lobby with all the names listed. Forms can be picked up at the hospital registration desk or call 251-769-5645 or 251-275-4533 for forms to be sent to you. Proceeds from the tree lighting benefit projects of the auxiliary. Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/grove-hill-memorial-hospital-tree-lighting-set-for-dec-12/
In a market-driven economy, businesses go and come. Each year, thousands come into existence, and thousands collapse. Others declare bankruptcy and attempt to restructure in order to stay in existence. Several national retail establishments failed in recent months. To some extent, Covid-19 and the economy caused their downfall. In other instances, failure to adjust to changing consumer expectations was the culprit. Poor management and lack of capital were also in play. What follows is the story of two wellknown retail firms which no longer exist as well as the reasons for their demise. Bed Bath & Beyond grew rapidly from... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/dollars-cents-237/
Marriages Nov. 17—Nov. 22 Garrett Luker Vick to Sealy Ann Green Jonathan Travis Hayes II to Candice Few Harrell Dale Allen Root to Michelle Nicole Pruitt Property deeds Nov. 17—Nov. 22 Dorothy C. Parker to Dorothy C. Parker John Hancock Life Insurance Co. to The Westervelt Company Rebecca C. Meggionson to Mortgage Electronic- Other Clay K. Tate to US Bank Trustas Trustee Federal Home Loan Mortgage to DAC Properties, Inc. The Northern Trust Company to Elissa M. Efroymson Michaels Ledkins to Robert Johnson Clinton Gray Pope to Robbie Walter Kennedy Donna Turner to Lori Stout Maxine Haskew Goosens to Crescent,... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/clarke-records-342/
Skipper Insurance and Realty was closed Friday, the day after Thanksgiving but Joe Skipper had been in his office working some during the day. Fortunately, he was gone by 4 p.m. when an SUV veered off of Forest Avenue and crashed into the rear of the building — right into Skipper’s office and the corner where his desk is located. It could have been tragic had he been seated at his desk. The impact knocked down a brick wall. Skipper’s fronts on College Avenue but has a back employee entrance and parking lot accessed from Forest Avenue. Jamarcus King, 36,... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/joe-skipper-was-lucky-not-to-be-at-his-desk/
Mediacom Communications is offering ,000 in scholarships for high school seniors who plan to obtain further education. The scholarship program is in its 23rd consecutive year and Mediacom’s investment will award [post_excerpt],000 World Class Scholarships to 60 high school seniors. Scholarship recipients are given the flexibility to use the financial awards to support post-secondary college costs or vocational training from an accredited institution starting in the fall of 2024. Award selection is based on academic achievement and leadership accomplishments. Applications are available online at www.mediacomworldclass.com. Information has been sent to all high schools in areas where Mediacom delivers its high-speed... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/mediacom-offering-scholarships/
The Grove Hill Memorial Hospital Auxiliary has started a project of delivering swag bags to all mothers of babies born at the hospital along with door bows. The bags contain useful personal items for the mothers and also for the new baby. Auxiliary members Cheryl Horton and Fleaka Walker are shown delivering the bags and door bows to hospital RNs Ronda Beck and Beverly Pugh. Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/bags-for-mothers/
Christmas is just weeks away and a lot of activities and events are scheduled around the county, most notably Christmas parades! Here’s a rundown of parades coming up in Clarke County. Grove Hill’s parade will be Thursday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. The theme is “Whoville in Grove Hill.” Call the Grove Hill Area Chamber of Commerce to sign up, 251-275-4188. Lineup will be on Church Street in front of Clarke County High School. The parade runs north, turns on Cobb Street to Jackson Street and continues south. This is the usual route. Many Grove Hill businesses will be... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/time-for-christmas-parades/
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell visited Thomasville last week to formally acknowledge a [post_excerpt] million appropriation to Thomasville Regional Medical Center made earlier this year. Sewell (D-Birmingham) said as a daughter of the Black Belt, she knows how difficult it is for rural America. “Nothing is more important than the health of our constituency,” she said. Sewell said the Thomasville hospital is a “state-of-the-art facility” and “truly a blessing” for the city and region. The [post_excerpt] million appropriation is part of .8 million secured for 15 projects in Sewell’s Seventh Congressional District. Thomasville Regional Medical Center opened in 2020 as the... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/thomasville-mayor-happy-with-1m-appropriation-at-a-time-for-citys-hospital/
Former Clarke County Sheriff Ray Norris pleaded guilty to two state indictments last week and received a suspended five-year sentence of unsupervised probation. Nine other charges were dismissed against Norris, who resigned in 2021 amid an impeachment proceeding and has dealt with federal and state indictments since. “I’m just glad to get all of this behind me,” Norris said. “I’m back in the area working now (in construction). Man, I feel good … I’m happy. I’m not mad with anybody.” Norris pleaded guilty on Nov. 21 in Clarke County Circuit Court to one count of unlawful use of campaign contributions... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/ex-sheriffs-plea-ends-legal-woes/
Have you recovered from the latest time change? The one that sent the clocks back an hour, pushing us into darkness in what used to be the end of the afternoon? Seasonal Affective Disorder, also called SAD, is a type of winter depression that can be found in the young as well as the old. The decrease in daylight can affect us, as can the lack of sunshine, which lowers our production of the mood regulator serotonin. It doesn’t help that not only is there little sunshine, but often it’s too cold or snowy to make a trek outdoors. Symptoms... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/time-change-got-you-might-be-sad/
In recent years, candidates for political office have lambasted, run against and proclaimed that they were not career politicians. Every television ad for someone who has never held office has proudly stated that they are not career politicians. That all sounds good, but is it really good? In my lifetime, the word politician has become synonymous with someone sinister and untrustworthy. In fact, politics has become something that the brightest and best people have come to avoid. That was not the case when I was a boy growing up in Alabama. The most outstanding young men in the state chose... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/inside-the-statehouse-437/
* In the early 1800s, a railroad marketer set up a head-on collision between two trains as a publicity stunt. Some 40,000 people came to watch, and the resulting boiler explosion killed three spectators. But ticket sales soared, and railways everywhere staged train crashes right up until the Great Depression. * The Zombie tit is a species of bird that has learned to track down tiny bats, split open their skulls, and feed on their brains. * On average, a 4-yearold will ask 400 questions in one day. * One of the weirdest scandals in sports history occurred in 1973... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/strange-but-true-211/
Thompson Engineering was hired to do design work for a new concession stand and restroom at Gates Drive Park and a new fire station on U.S. Highway 43 by the Thomasville City Council at a Monday meeting which lasted less than 10 minutes. The engineering work is for a preliminary design. The projects must get final approval in the future. In other business at the meeting, the council: Agreed to post full-time certified police officer and relief radio dispatcher positions. Heard city attorney Edmon McKinley say several dilapidated buildings and mobile homes are being looked at and letters... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/thompson-engineering-okd-to-design-new-tville-concession-stand-fire-station/
The heavy rain last Monday night and after midnight Tuesday, Nov. 20 and 21 and continuing into the day Tuesday was enough to cancel the burn restrictions in place across much of the southern half of the state. Rainfall was significant in Clarke County. The Clarke County Emergency Management Agency with the U.S. National Weather Service reported these totals for Nov. 21: Grove Hill, three separate reports of 6.71 inches, 6.85 inches and 6.79 inches. Sand Flat recorded 5.41 inches and Jackson, 5.30 inches. Citizen reports included 7 inches in Grove Hill and Scyrene and in Thomasville, 4.30 and 5.6... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/more-than-6-and-7-inches-of-rainfall-for-grove-hill/
The Fulton Fire Department’s new training facility is nearing completion just a short distance from the Morris Allday Fire Station and Town Hall. Grant funds and donations, both money and materials and in-kind work have made the facility possible, said Fire Chief Danny Bedwell. He thanked everyone for their support. Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/fire-training-facility-almost-ready-in-fulton/
The Clarke County Board of Education’s longest-serving member, who is in the final year of his last term, was elected its president at the Nov. 16 meeting. Charlie Anderson of Thomasville, who has served on the board for more than 40 years and is not seeking re-election, was elevated from vice president to president. Board member Darryl Perryman was elected vice president. A president and vice president are elected annually in November from the five-member board. The president presides at meetings and signs any required paperwork. Anderson succeeds T.L. Douglas as board president. The election was much smoother than last... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/anderson-elected-new-clarke-boe-president/
A Thomasville man was found guilty of attempted murder following a trial in Clarke County Circuit Court last week and a Grove Hill man pleaded guilty to a separate attempted murder charge the week before. District Attorney Stephen Winters said gun violence is rampant in Clarke County and the First Judicial Circuit and warned citizens not to resort to gunfire to settle differences. He said these two cases are proof of the severe consequences. A jury on Wednesday found Telvin Devon Robinson guilty of the attempted murder of Rondie Miles, who was shot on Pegasus Parkway off Tallahatta Springs Road... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/guilty-verdict-in-attempted-murder-case/
Jared Hudson beams when he shows off two paintings he recently acquired — one of an old steam locomotive and the other of an A-styled camp house. Both were painted by his late grandfather, George Campbell of Grove Hill. Campbell had an outdoor sign business in the days when most were hand lettered. His hobby of painting was a natural outgrowth of his business and he painted extensively. Campbell died in 2002 at the age of 84. Recently, someone surfing Facebook Marketplace came across first one painting and then another signed by a George Campbell. The description on one said... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/granddaddys-art/
We are sad to announce the passing of Albert Leu Gregory (Al) of Hugo, OK. Mr. Gregory was born in Jackson, AL on December 23, 1959, died at the age of 63 November 9, 2023, at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa, OK. Graduated from Grove Hill Academy in 1980. Served in the United States Navy till his retirement as a Yeoman First Class in 2006. He will be sadly missed and will always hold a place in our hearts. Mr. Gregory is survived by his: daughter, Allisa (Cameron) Moreno; Son, James Gregory; grandchildren, Ariana and Olivia Moreno; siblings, Zola Howell,... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/gregory-10/
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalm 23:1-6 Romans 5:5-11; John 6:37-40 Love will Pastorial break your Ministry heart. The West pain of love is Alabama felt most Conference when the one you love suddenly steps into eternity and leaves you behind on earth. This heartbreaking reality compelled someone to write, “If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, Id walk right up to Heaven and bring you home again." (Author unknown). The phrase “rest in peace” is both a wish and a prayer. Something in us urges us to say a prayer for our departed loved ones when they die. Death... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/are-you-prepared-to-meet-god/
Social assistance at Salvation Army — The Salvation Army Social Service office is open on Wednesdays from 9- 11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. When in need of assistance with food and a variety of other needs, the office attempts to assist where they can. For additional information call 251- 246-5693. VFW meets monthly in Jackson — The VFW on Club Wiley Road in Jackson meets the third Saturday of each month at 11 a.m. Employment help for veterans available — If you are a veteran and need employment assistance, the Jackson Career Center can help. The Veteran Services team members... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/community-calendar-703/
Southern pine bark beetle infestations have exploded in the last few months in southwest Alabama and other areas of the state. In July, a beetle-infestation map on the Alabama Forestry Commission’s website showed about 25 beetle spots in northern Washington County and about four just across the county line in neighboring Choctaw. Spots have increased There were no beetles in Clarke County at that time but that has changed. A couple of weeks ago, the AFC map showed 70 or more beetle spots in Clarke County and some in adjacent Marengo, Monroe and Wilcox counties as well as other parts... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/pine-beetles-explode/
Eunice Lavader Smith, age 83, of Grove Hill died November 13 at her home. She was born November 1, 1940 in Uniontown, Ala. to Roy Buckhanan and Eunice B. Wade. She was a retired seamstress and attended Thomasville United Pentecostal Church. She is survived by four daughters, Sherry Payne (Randy), Angela Dunagan (Fred), Lynn Raine (Thad), and Donna Presley (Kipper); brother, Leon Wade (Teresa); sister, Retha Fuller (Charlie); eleven grandchildren, eighteen great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. Funeral services were held at Thomasville United Pentecostal Church on Friday, November 17, at 11:00 a.m. Rev. Ronnie Wead officiated. Burial followed at... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/smith-93/
Shirley Ann Andrews Kelley, 77, passed away at her home Nov. 9, 2023 surrounded by family and friends. She was born Jan. 29, 1947 to Cecil and Juanita Fendley Andrews. She held a variety of jobs and titles over the years but her favorite title was always Mom. Her and her husband, Donald owning a few small businesses such as Flower Town and a car lot as well as operated the Sandflat Grocery and service station that used to be at the end of Sandflat road. She also ran a daycare for several years and taught piano. She was preceded... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/kelley-26/
The Christmas toy drive called Operation Christmas in Jackson has been renamed the Helen H. Skipper Annual Toy Drive. The late Helen Skipper was a big proponent of the toy drive and of many other programs in Jackson. The new name was officially recognized at the Jackson City Council meeting on Nov. 14 with Skipper’s husband, Joe, children Jonathan and Courtney Skipper Reeves and their families in attendance. The toy drive is coordinated by the Jackson Police Department. Donations of toys are welcomed and applications to benefit from the drive will be taken through Dec. 1. Application forms are available... Article Link https://www.clarkecountydemocrat.com/articles/jacksons-christmas-toy-drive-renamed-for-helen-skipper/
