dave
03-21-2003, 00:50 AM
Linden increases its water and sewer rates.
<p>The vote passed Monday night to increase the water/sewer rates which will total 20% from now until 2005. Sited reasons being the need to increase the water capacity, sewer maintenance, and the fact the rates had not been increased in 2 years. Utilities board member stated he’d received negative feedback concerning the rate hike, but stated the increase was needed to operate and maintain the system, stating “This is not something we want to do; this is something we have to do.” Mariah Ford (my new hero) spoke the gospel prior to the vote. She stated the fact that “Everything’s going up (in Linden) and there’s no jobs or nothing to do. “…If we pull together we can get something going in Marengo County, just like in Demopolis, just like Selma, just like Montgomery. Look how Demopolis is filling up…Look at Linden, it’s supposed to be the county seat, where is it at; it’s gone in the dump.” Mayor Vice stated the town needed to improve the water situation if any industry was going to come to Linden. Not to mention the roads, the schools, stores, scenery, etc. Board chairman Charles Ballas stated in session the current sewer system couldn’t handle the smallest industry. So much for recruiting them this year…</p>
340 pounds of dope didn’t make it home.
<p>Vincent G. Valentine was driving his tractor-trailer when he was pulled over by a state trooper. The trooper, being suspicious like he’s trained to be when a black is driving, asked to search the trailer, which Valentine agreed to willingly. During the inspection, the trooper discovered approximately 340 pounds of marijuana; worth about $300,000 on the street. Valentine, who is from Connecticut, is charged with trafficking. Assisting on the investigation is the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, due to the amount of drugs in question. No word on where the final destination of the supply was headed, or if others have been names as to being involved in the crime.</p>
News -n- Notes…
The Linden City Council is down-playing the whole bingo issue. According to Mayor Vice, it takes 3 votes to pass the ordinance, not just one; so the bingo license was never actually passed. Instead of admitting the mistake, he just stated the above and (I assume) decided to not vote anymore on the issue, one way or the other. The ostrich syndrome seems to be an effective tool in small town politics.
Goodloe Sutton’s latest commentary is truly disturbing. Basically, he’s attempting to tell his readers if you shoot a “dope dealer”, and you’re the parent of a dope head, you won’t be sentenced to jail by a jury of your peers because it’s “justifiable homicide”. The whole article is meant as a message for D.A. Griggers and Judge Hardaway that being soft on drug dealers is wrong. I guess if the Judge lets a drug dealer loose and he kills someone, we can blame the judge. If a disgruntled parent, fed up with his/her child’s addiction, shoots someone he/she thinks is a drug dealer, we can all blame Goodloe.
As often as we see coverage of the war, we see coverage of some celebrity or disapproving politician spouting off at our President and the war itself. We as citizens are torn between doing the right thing in protecting freedom, and wanting our own to be safe here at home, not in a desert half way around the world in harms way. I feel regardless of your opinion, now isn’t the time for protest. The troops, many from our family, neighbors and friends, deserve support for the job that they have to do; even if you don’t agree with the job they are doing. I pray for the safe return of all America’s soldiers.
<p>The vote passed Monday night to increase the water/sewer rates which will total 20% from now until 2005. Sited reasons being the need to increase the water capacity, sewer maintenance, and the fact the rates had not been increased in 2 years. Utilities board member stated he’d received negative feedback concerning the rate hike, but stated the increase was needed to operate and maintain the system, stating “This is not something we want to do; this is something we have to do.” Mariah Ford (my new hero) spoke the gospel prior to the vote. She stated the fact that “Everything’s going up (in Linden) and there’s no jobs or nothing to do. “…If we pull together we can get something going in Marengo County, just like in Demopolis, just like Selma, just like Montgomery. Look how Demopolis is filling up…Look at Linden, it’s supposed to be the county seat, where is it at; it’s gone in the dump.” Mayor Vice stated the town needed to improve the water situation if any industry was going to come to Linden. Not to mention the roads, the schools, stores, scenery, etc. Board chairman Charles Ballas stated in session the current sewer system couldn’t handle the smallest industry. So much for recruiting them this year…</p>
340 pounds of dope didn’t make it home.
<p>Vincent G. Valentine was driving his tractor-trailer when he was pulled over by a state trooper. The trooper, being suspicious like he’s trained to be when a black is driving, asked to search the trailer, which Valentine agreed to willingly. During the inspection, the trooper discovered approximately 340 pounds of marijuana; worth about $300,000 on the street. Valentine, who is from Connecticut, is charged with trafficking. Assisting on the investigation is the Alabama Bureau of Investigation, due to the amount of drugs in question. No word on where the final destination of the supply was headed, or if others have been names as to being involved in the crime.</p>
News -n- Notes…
The Linden City Council is down-playing the whole bingo issue. According to Mayor Vice, it takes 3 votes to pass the ordinance, not just one; so the bingo license was never actually passed. Instead of admitting the mistake, he just stated the above and (I assume) decided to not vote anymore on the issue, one way or the other. The ostrich syndrome seems to be an effective tool in small town politics.
Goodloe Sutton’s latest commentary is truly disturbing. Basically, he’s attempting to tell his readers if you shoot a “dope dealer”, and you’re the parent of a dope head, you won’t be sentenced to jail by a jury of your peers because it’s “justifiable homicide”. The whole article is meant as a message for D.A. Griggers and Judge Hardaway that being soft on drug dealers is wrong. I guess if the Judge lets a drug dealer loose and he kills someone, we can blame the judge. If a disgruntled parent, fed up with his/her child’s addiction, shoots someone he/she thinks is a drug dealer, we can all blame Goodloe.
As often as we see coverage of the war, we see coverage of some celebrity or disapproving politician spouting off at our President and the war itself. We as citizens are torn between doing the right thing in protecting freedom, and wanting our own to be safe here at home, not in a desert half way around the world in harms way. I feel regardless of your opinion, now isn’t the time for protest. The troops, many from our family, neighbors and friends, deserve support for the job that they have to do; even if you don’t agree with the job they are doing. I pray for the safe return of all America’s soldiers.