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BEN DAVIS PICKS ALABAMA, PAGE 9

Sapps Community devastated by tornadoMany homes destroyed, but no lives lost

Bruce Hughes and his wife survived the storm in theirmobile home. Hughes, pictured at left, began thecleanup process Thursday, Feb. 4.

Feb. 2 Tornado ReportsEF- 2, 135 mph

Starting Point - Cochrane - 4:34 p.m.Ending Point - Carrollton - 5:09 p.m.

Damage Path Length/Width26.2 miles; 1200 yards

EF-0, 85 mphEthelsville - 11:02 p.m. to 11:08 p.m.

Damage Path Length/Width 4.2 miles; 1400 yards

The information is the individual tornado events that occurred. The data is PRELIMINARY and may be subject tochange. (Source: National Weather Service)

BY BO BLACKManaging Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

Sounds of chainsaws filledthe air as the wind blew on acool, Wednesday afternoon.The sound heard is that ofpeople cleaning and collectingtheir lives or what’s left ofthem from the ripped aparthomes, destroyed cars anddamaged materials. While thesound through the air is one ofrecovery, it’s also one of hope.After all, no lives were lostwhen an EF-2 tornado, capa-ble of producing winds up to135 mph, ripped through theSapps Community on theevening of Tuesday, Feb. 2,2016. In total, the tornado thatrumbled through Pickens

County destroyed 13 homesalong Martin Luther KingRoad in the Sapps Commu-nity. The track of the tornadowas first estimated to be 30miles long.‘TIL DEATH DO US PARTBruce Hughes and his wife

were having what he thoughtto be their final moments intheir mobile home on thatTuesday evening just offMLK Road in the Sapps Com-munity. All he could thinkabout was the fact that hewould be leaving behind fourchildren and four grandchil-dren, wondering who wouldtake care of them. “Me and my wife are gone

and who will be here with allthe children. That was myonly thought. All I did wassay, ‘Lord, take care of us

Lord. Take care of us.’” Hughes knew a tornado was

on its way, but he had to waiton his wife to get home, say-ing he wasn’t leaving to go tothe storm shelter without her.As she came into the home,the tornado wasn’t far behind.Hughes entered the kitchenwhen his wife came running ata frantic pace, asking whatwere they going do. The twohurried to the bathroom andbraced for cover. Hughes saidall he could see was blackclouds as he closed his eyesand hung on to his wife.“By the time I got in there

where she was and grabbed ahold to her that’s when itstarted hitting,” he said. “Itstarted rocking the trailer,picked the trailer up anddropped it back down. Then it

started picking us up and Iwas wondering how could itpick us up and then I lookedback and the back of thetrailer was gone.”The two were under clothes

and debris when everythingwent silent, going calm lessthan a minute after their worldturned upside down. The twosuffered no injuries, other thansoreness and bruising. Familymembers and volunteershelped go through what wasleft of the home a day later.Among the debris was threevehicles buried under the rub-ble. Hughes was glad therewasn’t two bodies among that.“We’re trying to see what’s

what and see if there’s any-thing worth getting or saving,”Hughes said. “It’s just good tobe here. I thought we were

gone. I always think aboutwhat happened on TV. If onecomes, most of the time ittakes you away. It didn’t takeus.”

REALITY CHECKBrenda Coleman walked

the street along the SappsCommunity Wednesday, Feb.3. While Coleman doesn’t livein the affected area, she doeshave one brother-in-lawwhose home is completely de-stroyed, along with multiplemembers of her church thatlost it all. “It’s kind of like a war

zone,” she said.Coleman said in the midst

of a chaotic mess, reality hasa way of reminding onewhat’s important.“In a time like this, you

learn that you can’t ever be

ungrateful,” she said. “Youshould always give thanks andregardless sometimes what thesituation might be, you stillhave to give thanks because itreally could’ve been worsethan this. We could’ve beenpreparing for funerals. I knowinstead a lot of people havelost things. I’m quite sure it’sokay. We can always get ma-terial stuff and just like we hadbeen saying, you probablywill end up with better stuffthan what you had.

See TORNADO on Page 3.

Volunteers from multiple counties help clean upBY BO BLACKManaging Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

Many members of theSouthern Baptist AssociationDisaster Relief Team arrivedon Sapps Road and MLKRoad around 8 a.m. onThursday, Feb. 4. RogerO’Shields from WalkerCounty, along with Mike Hil-dreth and Aaron Aldridge,both of Kennedy, helped tocut limbs and clear debrisfrom different driveways.O’Shields estimated there tobe 40 or more volunteers inthe area from the Baptist As-sociation group, includingsome from Mississippi.“Any place they need us,

like (Hurricane) Sandy, Iwent to New York,”O’Shields said. “We’ve beento New York, Mississippi, it’sjust wherever.”Less than 100 yards from

the three volunteers was thehome Annette Walker. Hertwin brother, Anthony, said

his sister was disabled andwas assisted by a walker. An-thony said his sister’s homewas heavily damaged butthey had hopes of fixing it upwhere she could live in itagain.“That’s the plan to fix it

up,” he said. “It’s going to betough. I don’t think she hasinsurance.”This is just one of a string

of tragic events for the familyas Anthony said both hismother, then his father, re-cently passed away. Major Dewey Alderson, of

the Salvation Army, alongwith workers from the organ-ization were stationed in amobile food truck in BeaverTown on MLK Road to meetthe needs of volunteers,home owners and anyone inthe area. “We respond to all kinds of

disasters like this,” he said.“We’ve cooked and every-thing.”Alderson said with break-

fast came sausage and eggs,along with hot coffee. Lunch

was served with hot dogs,potato salad and chips,topped with banana puddingfor dessert. The truck is

equipped with two ovens,microwaves, coffee makersand a freezer, among otheritems.

As Salvation Army workerFelicia Sealey said, “Any-where we’re needed, that’swhere we will go.”

Roger O’Shields, of Walker County, along with Aaron Aldridge and Mike Hildreth,both of Kennedy, help clean up in the Sapps Community Feb. 4.

PHOTOS BY BO BLACK

PAGE 2 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Two heads are better than one.

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Even though at the time, Iknow I talked to a lady whereher complete house got de-molished, she’s in good spiritsand that’s good to see.”Coleman said in the com-

ing days she was going to tryher best to help contribute tothe cleanup efforts.“You see this on the TV

and you might maybe drivethrough somewhere whereyou see this but when it hitsclose to home, it brings a littlereality to you,” she said. “Yousee this on TV, but thesethings really happen. Myheart goes out to everyoneover here.”

GONE IN A FLASHRuby Turner had family

members who lost a lot. Shechecked on the home offriends Herman and AdaThompson and the home wasalmost unrecognizable fromthe tearing away of trees to aguest house in the back yardthat was completely sweptaway. A front yard that once

was full of trees were nomore. Turner explained thatthe Thompson’s moved fromthe back door and patio areathat was enclosed and tookcover in the bathroom. “They could see it wasn’t

getting any better with thewind and the next thing youknow, everything was gone,”Turner said. Debris filled the area where

the Thompson’s stood just be-fore the tornado hit. “They had a guest house

back there and it’s completelygone. I don’t even knowwhere it is. You see the foun-dation, that’s where it was,”Turner pointed out. SHELTERS SAVE LIVESAs many reflect on the tor-

nado that was, most talk aboutwhat did happen, while somealso think about what didn’t,but could have happened. Thetornado resulted in a total offour injuries, minor in nature,and more importantly, nodeaths. Two of the 14 stormshelters in Pickens Countyplayed a large role in the sav-ing of lives with one locatedat 4216 MLK Road in theSapps Community and theother located at 1184 MLKRoad in the HintontownCommunity.

“It was a huge impact,”EMA director Ken Gibsonsaid. “We probably would’vehad 100 deaths (if not for thestorm shelters). They werepacked in there.”Gibson said one shelter

seats 96 people and the other47. He added that there wereconsiderably more peoplethan that in the shelters. “Instead of survivors, we

would have had body bags (ifnot for storm shelters),” StateEMA Division C CoordinatorDon Hartley said. Less than 24 hours after the

event, Hartley said the imme-diate challenge is getting peo-ple the help they need throughstate and local agencies, alongwith Community and faith-based groups.“Identifying needs and

meeting what the people ex-pect and that expectation is toimmediately survive whathappened to them and thenlong term be able to get theirlife back to some semblanceof normalcy,” Hartley said. One of the first tasks was

restoring power to the SappsCommunity Center. “If we can get that power

back on there, we can estab-lish that as the disaster recov-ery center for the Community

rather than having to transportpeople to Aliceville City Hall,like we’re having to do now,”Hartley said the day after thetornado. “That’s right there inthe middle of where every-thing happened. They feelcomfortable going there.”Aliceville City Hall served

as the disaster recovery centerimmediately following thetornado with agencies likeRed Cross and SalvationArmy helping out. The cityhall was also used as a shelterwith an estimated 16 peopleusing the facility to stay overnight on the night of Feb. 2. “I really think the warning

process worked the way thatit should work tonight,” ABC33/40 Meteorologist JamesSpann said the night of thetornado. “The warnings wereissued far in advance, peoplewere able to hear the warn-ings. They had their weatherradio or smart phone app andwent into a safe place andthey’re okay. That’s what's allthat matters here.” In addition to damage in

the Sapps Community, the Al-iceville Federal CorrectionalInstitute also received dam-age, along with the town ofCarrollton and various partsof Pickens County.

TORNADO(Continued from Page 1.)

Herman and Ada Thompson’s front yard, pictured atleft, was once full of trees. Now it’s almost unrecog-nizable with very few trees left. Above, residentssearch through the rubble to see what can be recov-ered.

Very little was left at the home of Bruce Hughes. “I always think about what happened on TV. If one comes,most of the time it takes you away. It didn’t take us,” Hughes said.

A guest home that was behind the Thompson’s house was destroyed with only its foundation left behind.Herman and Ada Thompson were near the back part of their home just before the tornado hit. At left is theback part of the home following the tornado.

Pickens CountyCommunity Safe Rooms

City of Aliceville - 332 3rd Ave. NE, Aliceville

City of Aliceville - 751 5th NW, Aliceville

Town of Carrollton - 41 Elliott Street, Carrollton

Town of Gordo - 401 4th Ave. NW, Gordo

Town of Pickensville - 11 Jackson-Ferry Road,Pickensville

Forest Community - 112 Bains Road, Ethelsville

Forest Community - 71 County Road 89,Ethelsville

Hintontown Community - 1184 ML King Road,Aliceville

Hughes Town Community - 897 Roland BateRoad, Carrollton

Palmetto Community - 51 School Circle, Reform

Sapps Community - 4216 ML King Road, Aliceville

Shade Road Community - 240 Shade Road, Aliceville

Sommerville Community - 7420 County Road13, Aliceville

Zion Community - 3368 Zion Road, Gordo

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD PAGE 3

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PAGE 4 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

obituaries

ChurchHappenings

FEBRUARYNew Zion Freewill Pentecostal Church,

Reform, will have its Black History Pro-gram Sunday, Feb. 14 at 3 p.m. Guestspeaker is Rev. Thomas W. Linton, the pas-tor of The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ,in Tuscaloosa. Elder Katie B. Summervilleis pastor. Everyone is invited.

Rocky Ridge Baptist Church, Co. Rd.45 Reform, will be observing their BlackHistory Fellowship Program on Sunday,Feb. 14 beginning at 2:30 p.m. with guestMinister, Rev. Jeremy Brock, Pastor of theSt. James Baptist Church, of Sulligent,along with his congregation. Please share inthis festival occasion. Host Pastor is Rev.Clayton Mitchell, Jr.

Pine Grove Baptist Church, Carrollton,will host Musicians Appreciation forBrother Lee Richardson Sunday, Feb. 14 at3 p.m. Choirs, groups and soloist are wel-come! “Sing praises to the Lord, you whobelong to him; praise his holy name.” Psalm30:4; For more information, contact KeshiaTroupe at 205-292-6931.

New Providence Baptist Church, Hwy.

17 S. Reform, will host its Annual ChoirDay Sunday, Feb. 21 at 2:30 p.m. Allchurches, choirs, groups, soloist and com-munities welcome. Pastor is Rhonald Ran-dolph. Choir President is Sis. Martha D.Dixon.

Unity Grove C.M.E., Reform, will haveits Annual Stewardess Board Day Programon Sunday, Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. Our guests willbe Dr. Lonnie Weaver and New CanaanBaptist Church of Aliceville. All are invited.Rev. Joseph B. Randolph, Jr., Pastor

First United Methodist Church, Re-form, hosts Celebrate Recovery every Fri-day night at First United Methodist Church.Food and fellowship begins at 6 p.m. Wor-ship at 6:30 p.m. Small groups start at 7:15p.m. and Solid Rock Cafe at 7:45 p.m. Thechurch is located at 807 3rd Street NE. Formore information contact 205-375-6846 orPastor Joyce at 205-246-1034.

Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, offersCelebrate Recovery for those suffering withhurts, habits and hang-ups. They meet everyTuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Mt. Pleasant Churchin Gordo. This is a Christ-centered ministry.The public is invited.

The Pine Grove Baptist Church familywould like invite the public to join them forworship. Rev. Carlos Calhoun is the pastor.Transportation available upon request; call205-399-6870.

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BY ELDER TIM MCCOOL

Fool? Cool? or Tool?The book of Ephesians de-

scribes the preacher as a“gift” from God (Eph.4:11).If he is functioning as Godintended, the preacher issupposed to be teaching us toprepare and equip ourselvesto face the decisions, pitfallsand trials of this life with agoal to honor God (v.12).Sadly today it seems that

the preacher is viewed as aCEO of a company. But thechurch is not a company, it isa body. In order to function abody needs a head and JesusChrist is the Head of thechurch (Eph. 5:23). The

church doesn’t need a CEO,it already has One.Some view the preacher as

a fool – a court jester wholives “pie in the sky,” whotells you that everything isgoing to “work out” some-how. He walks above sin anddoesn’t live in reality. I per-sonally don’t know anypreacher like that. This is ajust a misconception that thepreacher is in some specialgroup and we should feelsorry for him or we can’t ap-proach him. The preacher isa sinner just like anyoneelse.Paul said in I Cor. 4:10-11

that he was a “spectacle tothe world” and a fool “forChrist’s sake.” I hope youdon’t see your preacher as afool. He is an ordinary per-son just like you, and hestruggles with the samethings you do.Others see the preacher as

cool. Have you noticed thatmany of the new movementshave these “cool” fellowswho identify with theyounger generation becauseof their lingo and the waythey dress? I wonder howJohn the Baptist or Elijahwould have fit that mold-

dressed in camel’s hair andtheir un-kept look and wildhair. Would it be cool if JohnBaptist offered you a locustto eat?Is the preacher a fool to

you? Is he cool? Well, heshould be a tool. To be some-one you can depend on forconsistently giving youGod’s word, which provideseverything we need for howto live our lives (2 Tim.3:16). To be one who is al-ways available, just like atool box at home. When youneed a hammer or pliers,they’re there (unless yourtool area is a mess likemine!).You don’t need a tool until

you need it right? But whenyou need it, you MUST haveit. While taking out a dishwasher last night, there wasone little screw that Icouldn’t twist with my barefingers. My son brought ascrew driver and in onetwist, the screw came loosewhen I couldn’t budge itwith my fingers. I didn’tneed that tool until I neededit.What is the preacher to

you? A fool? Is he cool? Ihope he is a tool.

Practical Christianity

Grady Ray “Bigdaddy” ElmoreGrady Ray “Bigdaddy” Elmore, 80 of Ethelsville, entered his heavenly home Jan. 30, 2016.

Graveside services were Feb. 1 at Pine Grove Baptist Church Cemetery with Bro. Gene Dawkinsofficiating and Skelton Funeral Home of Reform directed.Grady Ray was born March 13, 1935 in the Zion community of Alabama to the late Claudie

Elmore and Dessie Porter Elmore. He was a member, deacon and Sunday School teacher at PineGrove Baptist Church. He was a retired employee of the Pickens County EMA and the PickensCounty Road Department. There is no doubt this larger than life character had a long, joyful, fulfilling life. And if you’ve

ever heard this many pray or teach a Sunday School lesson, you know he’s worshiping in glorytoday. After first seeing his future wife sitting on a pile of shingles at the age of 15, he spent 60happy and hilarious years married to Nita and raising three sons he loved dearly. You would havethought no more love could have fit in his heart if you saw him with his five grandchildren, butthen came his great grandchildren. He spent his last days doing what he loved most, hunting (akasitting on the porch at the Playhouse) with friends that have become family over the years. Thehuge void of “Bigdaddy” will never be filled in anyone’s hearts, but we take comfort in his peacein Heaven and our soon to come reunion with him.He was preceded in death by his mother and father; infant son, Keith Elmore; daughter-in-law,

Debbie Elmore; in-laws, Henry and Mildred Copeland; brothers, William Henry Elmore (Fran-cise) and Gerald Elmore (Joanne). He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Juanita Copeland Elmore, of Pine Grove; sister, Nancy

Keasler, of Reform; brother, Ted Elmore (Martha), of Tuscaloosa; sons, Steve Elmore (Jonette),of Tuscaloosa; Mike Elmore (Scarlette), of Pine Grove; Mark Elmore (Barbara), of Pine Grove;Grandchildren, Matthew Elmore (Trina), of Huntsville; Albert and Brooke Owens, of Gordo;Chase and Kate Elmore, of Petal, Miss; Melissa Elmore, of Tuscaloosa; and Jody Mason, ofHagerstown, MD; Great-grandchildren, Lena Elmore, of Huntsville; and Cooper Elmore, ofTuscaloosa. Pallbearers were Donnie Bowles, Josh Bowles, Cody Bowles, Chase Elmore, Matthew Elmore,

Jody Mason, Albert Owens, Josh Jackson and Heath Forrester. Honorary Pallbearers were JackSauceman, Ray Shaw, Mike Cooper, Ken Gibson, Roger Harcrow, Floyd Joyner and all past andpresent members of The Playhouse Hunting Club. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Pine Grove Baptist Church, 75 Strawberry Lane,

Ethelsville, AL 35461.

Mary Louise ParhamGraveside services for Mary Louise Parham, 87 of Gordo, were held Feb. 4 at Salem Primitive

Baptist Church with Skelton Funeral Home of Reform directing. She died Jan. 31, 2016 at Her-itage Health Care.

Lillian Lucile Bridges CorbinLillian Bridges Corbin, 93 of Gordo, died Wednesday, Jan. 27,

2016 at her home in Gordo. Services were held Saturday, Jan. 30at Gordo First United Methodist Church with Rev. Ron McKayofficiating. A private burial was held at Greenhill Memorial Gar-dens with Skelton Funeral Home of Reform directing. Mrs. Corbin was born Dec. 22, 1922 in Pickens County. She

was active in the Order of Eastern Star for over 50 years, PTA,Girl Scouts, Extension Homemakers Club, United MethodistWomen and an active member of Gordo First United MethodistChurch for over 60 years, where she was a member of the choir.She loved music, sewing and gardening. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harvey Gice and

Clarice Estelle Bridges; her loving husband of 52 years, Paul J.Corbin; one sister, Beatrice Atkins; three brothers, Harvey “H.G.” Bridges Jr., Edward Bridgesand Cecil Bridges; and one grandson, Travis Busey Jr. She is survived by two sons, Kenneth Corbin (Martha), of Brewton, and Warren Corbin (Kay),

of Gordo; one daughter, Carole Dean (James), of Peterman; sister Alice Simpson, of Gordo; eightgrandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Blake Corbin, David Kelly, Sean Kelly, Tyler Reid, Mike Simpson, Richard

Simpson, Dennis Bridges and Todd Bridges. Honorary pallbearers are Dr. John Brandon, the RuthCorr Sunday School class, Chancel Choir members and special caregivers: Sandi Towne, MarySpain, Susan Lancaster, and Dean Moorehead. The family would also like to express their thanks to the staff of Hospice of West Alabama. In

lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Gordo First United Methodist Church, P.O. Box343, Gordo, AL 35466 or Hospice of West Alabama, 3851 Loop Road, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404.

Card of ThanksThe family of Winston Ferguson would like to express a special ThankYou to everyone who helped us during our loss. We appreciate all you do

for us each day. Linda Ferguson, Tammy Brown and Family

91ST BIRTHDAY – Earline Jones celebrated her 91st birthday with friends and familyon January 26. The party was hosted by Windsor Nursing Home in Columbus, Miss.Guests enjoyed fellowship with the birthday girl as well as enjoyed a buffet of wonderfulparty foods. Mrs. Jones was born on January 26, 1925 in Aberdeen, Miss. She is pic-tured with Olivia Harrell, one of her many great grandchildren. Mrs. Jones wants to thankall who attended.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD PAGE 5

Devotional

Member FDIC www.fnbca.com

Gordo • 364-7800

This Devotional and Directory are made possible by these businesses who encourage all of us to attend worship services.This page will appear each week in the Pickens County Herald

and church names will appear on a rotating basis.

BAPTIST

ALICEVILLE FIRST BAPTIST323 Broad St. N.W.Aliceville, 373-8151

ARBOR SPRINGS BAPTIST11307 County Road 27Reform, 375-2628

BETHLEHEM PRIMITIVE BAPTIST

Boyd Road (West of Northport)

BETHLEHEM SOUTHERN BAPTIST

6917 County Road 27, Reform, AL35481

BIGBEE BAPTIST2975 County Rd. 78 • Aliceville

CARROLLTON BAPTIST30 Baptist Rd. • Carrollton, 367-

8577

CEDAR GROVE BAPTIST4268 County Road 1Aliceville, AL 35442

CLUSTER BAPTIST2948 Highway 32, Aliceville

CROSSROADS BAPTIST1869 Lewis CrossroadsCarrollton, 367-2112

ELBETHEL MISSIONARY BAPTIST

6704 County Road 75Ethelsville, 658-2551

EMMANUEL BAPTIST24173 Hwy. 82 • Gordo, 364-8982

ETHELSVILLE BAPTIST230 Main St. • Ethelsville, 658-2213

FIRST BAPTIST526 2nd St. NW • Gordo, 364-8908

FIRST BAPTIST 506 3rd S.W. Ave.Reform, 375-6079

FIRST CANAAN BAPTIST682 New Canaan Road • Aliceville

FLATWOODS BAPTIST778 Flatwoods Rd. • Gordo,

364-7079

FOREST BAPTIST1345 Benevola Road • Gordo,

373-8953

FRIENDSHIP BAPTISTRoute 1 • Reform, 375-2305

GORDO FIRST BAPTIST311 2nd St. NW • Gordo, 364-7392

HEBRON BAPTIST2244 Sapps Rd. • Aliceville,

367-1282

HIGHLAND BAPTIST695 7th Ct. NW • Gordo, 364-7550

LIBERTY BAPTIST32150 Hwy. 17 • Reform, 375-2764

MINERAL SPRINGS BAPTISTT B Woodard Jr. Road • Reform,

375-2214

MT. HEBRON BAPTIST281 Franconia Road • Aliceville,

373-8610

MT. MORIAH FREEWILL BAPTIST

43 Heritage Rd.Ethelsville, 375-6175

MT. OLIVE BAPTIST777 Mount Olive Church Rd.

Ethelsville, 658-2308MT. PLEASANT BAPTIST

Mt. Pleasant Rd. • Gordo, 364-1550NEW HOME BAPTIST

412 1st Ave. W. • Gordo, 364-6131

NEW CANAAN BAPTIST1104 Wilson Road • Aliceville

NEW SALEM BAPTIST3499 County Road 3Reform, 375-6737

NEW WRIGHT MISSIONARY 11441 Hwy. 14 • Aliceville,

373-3353

PICKENSVILLE BAPTIST119 Old Mill Rd. • Pickensville,

373-2002

PINE GROVE BAPTIST9004 Hwy. 86 • Carrollton,

367-8558

PINE GROVE BAPTISTRoute 1 • Ethelsville, 327-3104

SALEM MISSIONARY BAPTIST30 Cedar Drive, Carrollton

205-367-8884

SHADY GROVE BAPTIST724 3rd Ave NW

Aliceville, 373-3221

SPRING HILL BAPTISTStinson Ridge • Carrollton

SPRING HILL BAPTIST1353 Springhill Rd.Carrollton, 367-1136

ST. JOHN MISSIONARY BAPTIST16421 Highway 14

Pickensville, 373-3608

STANSEL BAPTIST29750 Hwy. 17Reform, 367-9293

WEST END BAPTIST130 Mobile Rd. NW

Jeff Lewis, President • David Lewis, Vice President

404 3rdAve. NW

Aliceville, AL373-8100

Owners: Tim &Angie Gates

Lunch Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.Open Friday and Saturday Nights 5 - 9 p.m.

LEE TURK & BUZZ MILLER

SULLIVANSUPPLY INC.107 1ST AVE. E

REFORM, AL 35481Ph: 205-375-9678Fax: 205-375-6693

sullivan006@centurytel.net

SouthernFireplaces

Paul & Melanie Dill • 3138 Co. Rd. 30 • Ethelsville(205) 658-1043 (O) • (662) 251-3077) (C)

Fax: (205) 658-2259Hours: Tues - Fri 9-5; Sat & Mon By AppointmentGas Inserts • Gas Logs • Wood Inserts • Wood Stoves • Electric Heaters

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hwy. 82 West

Gordo, AL

205/364-7145

NOLAND LUMBERCOMPANY, INC.

P.O. Drawer R • Gordo, AL364-7118

Manufacturers of Hardwood LumberMike Noland 364-7118

Hwy. 82 West • Reform205-375-6358

Serving Pickens Countyfor Over 60 Years! Come Shop With Us!

Pickensville Marine3100 Hwy. 86 West • Pickensville

Bill Laessig, Ownerwww.pickensville marine.com

205-373-6372 ortoll-free 1-888-373-6375

J. F. RAINER & SON, INC.FORESTRY AND TIMBERLANDS

*TIMBER SALES AND APPRAISALS

*TIMBERLAND MANAGEMENT

*SITE PREPARATION AND REFORESTATION

*TIMBER MARKETING AND LOGGING

*SERVING AREA LANDOWNERS SINCE 1956

JOhN D. RAINER, REGISTERED FORESTER

P. O. BOX 609, REFORM, AL 35481

OFFICE: 375-6393 MOBILE: 399-2342

Aliceville ManorNursing Home703 17th St. NWAliceville AL 35442

(205) 373-6307 • Fax: (205) 373-2737

TommyWinders,Pastor

205-367-8577cbc01@

centurytel.net

Jacob Fields, Owner

Call 911 to Report Suspicious Activity

Town Square DinerCarrollton

Lunch and DinnerBreakfast served 4-10:30 a.m.

(205) 367-8433

PICKENS COUNTY

HERALD215 REFORM STREET

CARROLLTON, AL205-367-2217

Owners: Allen &Josh KernopPh: 364-6225Fax: 364-1107PO Box 424

Gordo, AL 35466

Dr. Julia Lett Boothe, M.D.and Staff

Pickens CountyPrimary Care

PO Box 1000 Reform / 375-6251

Arbor WoodsHealth & Rehab

PICKENS COUNTY

HERALD215 REFORM STREET

CARROLLTON, AL205-367-2217

PAGE 6 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

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LEGALNOTICE

In the Probate Courtfor Pickens County,

AlabamaIn the Matter of the

Estate of Andrew Jackson

Criswell, Deceased

Case No. 2015-113Letters of Adminis-

tration on the Estate ofAndrew JacksonCriswell, deceased,have been granted toJoyce C. Pate andBrian Criswell, the15th day of January,2016, by the Hon. JohnEarl Paluzzi, Judge ofthe Probate Court inand for PickensCounty, Alabama, no-tice is hereby given thatall persons havingclaims against said es-tate are hereby requiredto present the same

within time allowedby law or the same willbe barred.

Joyce C. Pate andBrian Criswell,

PersonalRepresentative of

the Estate of Andrew Jackson

Criswell,Deceased

LEGALNOTICENOTICE OF MORTGAGE

FORECLOSURESALE

STATE OF ALABAMACOUNTY OFPICKENS

Default having beenmade under the termsof that certain mort-gage executed by Deb-orah RozzelleMcGuire, a marriedwoman, on the 3rd dayof June, 2003 to FNBof Central Alabamawhich said mortgage isrecorded in the ProbateOffice of PickensCounty, Alabama, inReal Property Book168, at Page 729, andby reason of such de-fault, having declaredall of the indebtednesssecured by said mort-gage due and payable,and such default con-tinuing, notice ishereby given that, act-ing under the power ofsale contained in saidmortgage, FNB of Cen-tral Alabama will sell atpublic outcry, for cash,to the highest bidder,before the front en-trance of the Court-house in the City ofCarrollton, PickensCounty, Alabama, atnoon or otherwise dur-ing the legal hours ofsale on February 16,2016 the following de-scribed real estate situ-ated in Pickens County,Alabama, to-wit:All of Lot Number

Seven (7) according tothe map and plat of Re-form Homes Subdivi-sion, as recorded in theOffice of the ProbateJudge of PickensCounty, Alabama, inBook of Deeds 46, atPage 409.For informational

purposes the street ad-dress for the above ref-erenced property is:609 1st Street, Reform,Alabama 35481.Together with the

hereditaments and ap-purtenances thereuntobelonging and all fix-tures now attached toand used in connectionwith the premisesherein described.Said sale will be

subject to the right ofway easements and re-strictions of record inthe Probate Office ofPickens County, Ala-bama, and will be sub-ject to existing specialassessments, if any,which might adverselyaffect the title to sub-ject property.Said property will

be sold on an “As Is,Where Is” basis with-out warranty or re-course, express orimplied as to title, useand/or enjoyment.Alabama law gives

some persons whohave an interest inproperty the right to re-deem the propertyunder certain circum-stances. Programs mayalso exist that help per-sons avoid or delay theforeclosure process.An attorney should beconsulted to help youunderstand these rightsand programs as a part

of the foreclosureprocess.Said sale will be

made for the purposeof paying the indebted-ness secured by theabove described mort-gage, and the proceedsthereof will be appliedas provided by theterms of said mortgage.The Mortgagee re-serves the right to bidfor and purchase thereal estate and to creditits purchase priceagainst the expenses ofsale and the indebted-ness secured by the realestate.The failure of any

high bidder to pay thepurchase price andclose this sale shall, atthe option of Mort-gagee, be cause for re-jection of the bid, and ifthe bid is rejected,Mortgagee shall havethe option of makingthe sale to the nexthighest bidder who isable, capable and will-ing to comply with theterms thereof.This sale is subject

to postponement orcancellation.

FNB OF CENTRALALABAMA,Mortgagee

Robert P. ReynoldsREYNOLDS,

REYNOLDS & LITTLE, LLC,Attorneys for Mortgagee

2115 11th StreetPost Office Box 2863Tuscaloosa, Alabama

35403-2863Telephone: 205-391-

0073File No. 98.0072

LEGALNOTICEMORTGAGE

FORECLOSURESALE

Default having beenmade in the payment ofthe indebtedness se-cured by that certainmortgage executed byJames Howard Gentryand Margaret D. Gen-try, husband and wife,originally in favor ofWells Fargo Bank,N.A., on the 24th dayof November, 2008,said mortgage recordedin the Office of theJudge of Probate ofPickens County, Ala-bama, in Real Book242, Page 814; the un-dersigned Wells FargoBank, N.A., as Mort-g agee /Tr an s f e r e e ,under and by virtue ofthe power of sale con-tained in said mort-gage, will sell at publicoutcry to the highestbidder for cash, in frontof the main entrance ofthe Courthouse at Car-rollton, PickensCounty, Alabama, onMarch 1, 2016, duringthe legal hours of sale,all of its right, title, andinterest in and to thefollowing describedreal estate, situated inPickens County, Ala-bama, to-wit:Lot 3 and 4, Block

A, as shown by theMap of CunninghamSubdivision No. 2, inthe City of Aliceville,Pickens County, Ala-bama, in Deed Book65, Page 187. Less andexcept that portion ofLot 4 sold to GertrudeMcAdams, more par-ticularly described indeed recorded in Book39, Page 737.Property street ad-

dress for informationalpurposes: 256 PineHill Drive, Aliceville,AL 35442THIS PROPERTY

WILL BE SOLD ONAN “AS IS, WHEREIS” BASIS, SUBJECTTO ANY EASE-MENTS, ENCUM-BRANCES, ANDEXCEPTIONS RE-FLECTED IN THEMORTGAGE ANDTHOSE CONTAINEDIN THE RECORDSOF THE OFFICE OFTHE JUDGE OF PRO-BATE OF THECOUNTY WHERETHE ABOVE-DE-SCRIBED PROP-ERTY IS SITUATED.THIS PROPERTYWILL BE SOLDWITHOUT WAR-RANTY OR RE-C O U R S E ,EXPRESSED OR IM-PLIED AS TO TITLE,USE AND/OR EN-JOYMENT ANDWILL BE SOLD SUB-JECT TO THE RIGHTOF REDEMPTIONOF ALL PARTIES EN-

TITLED THERETO.Alabama law gives

some persons whohave an interest inproperty the right to re-deem the propertyunder certain circum-stances. Programs mayalso exist that help per-sons avoid or delay theforeclosure process. Anattorney should be con-sulted to help you un-derstand these rightsand programs as a partof the foreclosureprocess.This sale is made for

the purpose of payingthe indebtedness se-cured by said mort-gage, as well as theexpenses of foreclo-sure.T h e

Mortgagee/Transfereereserves the right to bidfor and purchase thereal estate and to creditits purchase priceagainst the expenses ofsale and the indebted-ness secured by the realestate.This sale is subject

to postponement orcancellation.

Wells Fargo Bank,N.A.,

Mortgagee/TransfereeGinny RutledgeSIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C.P. O. Box 55727Birmingham, AL 35255-5727Attorney for Mortgagee/Transfereewww.sirote.com/fore-closures380989

LEGALNOTICESTATE OF ALABAMA

PROCLAMATIONBY THE

GOVERNORWHEREAS, the Al-

abama Legislature at itsRegular Session of2015 ordered an elec-tion to be held on a cer-tain proposedamendment to the Con-stitution of Alabama of1901, set out herein asAct No. 2015-342(SB421), in accordancewith the provisions ofSection 284, asamended by Amend-ment No. 24, Sections285 and 287 of theConstitution of Ala-bama of 1901, asamended, and the elec-tion laws of this state;andWHEREAS, notice

of this election, to-gether with this pro-posed amendment, isrequired by law and bythe provisions of ActNo. 2015-342 to begiven by Proclamationof the Governor, whichProclamation shall bepublished once a weekfor four successiveweeks immediatelypreceding the day ap-pointed for the electionin a newspaper quali-fied to run legal noticesin each county of thestate.NOW, THERE-

FORE, I, Robert Bent-ley, as Governor of theState of Alabama, dohereby give notice, di-rect and proclaim thaton Tuesday, the 1st dayof March, 2016, anelection will be held inthe State of Alabama inthe manner and formprovided by law uponthe following proposedamendment to the Con-stitution of 1901 of theState of Alabama:

SB 421ENROLLED, An

Act,Proposing an

amendment to the Con-stitution of Alabama of1901; to provide thatthe legislature may au-thorize a retirementprogram for district at-torneys and circuitclerks first elected orappointed on or afterNovember 8, 2016.BE IT ENACTED

BY THE LEGISLA-TURE OF ALA-BAMA:Section 1. The fol-

lowing amendment tothe Constitution of Al-abama of 1901, asamended, is proposedand shall become validas a part thereof whenapproved by a majorityof the qualified electorsvoting thereon and inaccordance with Sec-tions 284, 285, and 287of the Constitution ofAlabama 1901, asamended:

PROPOSEDAMENDMENTThe legislature is

authorized to provide aretirement program fordistrict attorneys andcircuit clerks of thestate who are firstelected or appointed onor after November 8,2016.Section 2. An elec-

tion upon the proposedamendment shall beheld at the nextstatewide primary, gen-eral or special electionin accordance withSections 284 and 285of the Constitution ofAlabama of 1901, nowappearing as Sections284 and 285 of the Of-ficial Recompilation ofthe Constitution of Al-abama of 1901, asamended, and the elec-tion laws of this state.Section 3. The ap-

propriate election offi-cial shall assign a ballotnumber for the pro-posed constitutionalamendment on theelection ballot and shallset forth the followingdescription of the sub-stance or subject matterof the proposed consti-tutional amendment:“Proposing an

amendment to the Con-stitution of Alabama of1901, to authorize thelegislature to provide aretirement program fordistrict attorneys andcircuit clerks of thestate who are firstelected or appointed onor after November 8,2016.”“Proposed by Act

_____.”This description

shall be followed bythe following lan-guage:“Yes ( ) No ( ).”I further direct and

proclaim that notice ofthis election to be heldon Tuesday, the 1st dayof March, 2016, uponthe above set forth pro-posed amendment tothe Constitution of1901 of the State of Al-abama, be given bypublishing the same ina newspaper publishedwithin each county au-thorized to publishlegal advertisements. IN TESTIMONY

WHEREOF, I havehereunto set my handand caused the GreatSeal of the State of Al-abama to be affixed bythe Secretary of State atthe State Capitol in theCity of Montgomeryon this 4 day of Janu-ary, 2016.

Robert BentleyGovernor

Attest: John H. Merrill Secretary of State

LEGALNOTICEMORTGAGE

FORECLOSURESALE

Default having beenmade in the payment ofthe indebtedness se-cured by that certainmortgage executed byRose Merry Smith,originally in favor ofMortgage ElectronicRegistration Systems,Inc., solely as nomineefor Resmae MortgageCorporation, on the27th day of June, 2006,said mortgage recordedin the Office of theJudge of Probate ofPickens County, Ala-bama, in Book 214,Page 902; the under-signed U.S. Bank N.A.,as trustee, on behalf ofthe holders of the J.P.Morgan Mortgage Ac-quisition Trust 2006-HE3 Asset BackedPass-Through Certifi-cates, Series 2006-HE3, asMortgagee/Transferee,under and by virtue ofthe power of sale con-tained in said mort-gage, will sell at publicoutcry to the highestbidder for cash, in frontof the main entrance ofthe Courthouse at Car-rollton, Pickens County,Alabama, on March 1,2016, during the legalhours of sale, all of itsright, title, and interestin and to the followingdescribed real estate, sit-uated in PickensCounty, Alabama, to-wit:Parcel 1: The North

half of Lot number 23 inBlock “F” of the Kirk-land Addition to theTown of Aliceville, Ala-bama, as recorded in theOffice of the Judge ofProbate of PickensCounty, Alabama, inDeed Book Q, at Page405.

Parcel 2: Begin at theSoutheast corner LotNumber 23 and runNorth along the Eastboundary of Lot No. 23,Block F of the KirklandAddition to the Town ofAliceville as recorded inthe Probate Office ofPickens County in DeedBook Q at Page 405 adistance of 82.5 feet tothe point of the hereindescribed lot; thencefrom said point of be-ginning run West andparallel to the Northboundary of Lot No. 23,Block F, a distance of157 feet; thence Southand parallel to the West-ern boundary of Lot No.23, a distance of 41.25feet; thence East andparallel to the Northernboundary of Lot No. 23,Block F, a distance of157 feet; thence Northalong the Easternboundary of Lot No. 23a distance of 41.25 feetto the point of begin-ning.Parcel 3: Lots num-

bered 45 West and 71West in the town of Car-rollton, Alabama,known as the A.W.Latham Residence Lots.Less and Except:Parcel 1: The North

half of Lot number 23 inBlock “F” of the Kirk-land Addition to theTown of Aliceville, Ala-bama, as recorded in theOffice of the Judge ofProbate of PickensCounty, Alabama, inDeed Book Q, at Page405.Parcel 2: Begin at the

Southeast corner LotNumber 23 and runNorth along the Eastboundary of Lot No. 23,Block F of the KirklandAddition to the Town ofAliceville as recorded inthe Probate Office ofPickens County in DeedBook Q at Page 405 adistance of 82.5 feet tothe point of the hereindescribed lot; thencefrom said point of be-ginning run West andparallel to the Northboundary of Lot No. 23,Block F, a distance of157 feet; thence Southand parallel to the West-ern boundary of Lot No.23, a distance of 41.25feet; thence East andparallel to theNorthern boundary

of Lot No. 23, Block F,a distance of 157 feet;thence North along theEastern boundary of LotNo. 23 a distance of41.25 feet to the point ofbeginning.Property street ad-

dress for informationalpurposes: 161 PhoenixAvenue, Carrollton, AL35447THIS PROPERTY

WILL BE SOLD ONAN “AS IS, WHEREIS” BASIS, SUBJECTTO ANY EASE-MENTS, ENCUM-BRANCES, ANDEXCEPTIONS RE-FLECTED IN THEMORTGAGE ANDTHOSE CONTAINEDIN THE RECORDS OFTHE OFFICE OF THEJUDGE OF PROBATEOF THE COUNTYWHERE THEABOVE-DESCRIBEDPROPERTY IS SITU-ATED. THIS PROP-ERTY WILL BE SOLDWITHOUT WAR-RANTY OR RE-C O U R S E ,EXPRESSED OR IM-PLIED AS TO TITLE,USE AND/OR EN-JOYMENT ANDWILL BE SOLD SUB-JECT TO THE RIGHTOF REDEMPTION OFALL PARTIES ENTI-TLED THERETO.Alabama law gives

some persons who havean interest in propertythe right to redeem theproperty under certaincircumstances. Pro-grams may also existthat help persons avoidor delay the foreclosureprocess. An attorneyshould be consulted tohelp you understandthese rights and pro-grams as a part of theforeclosure process.This sale is made for

the purpose of payingthe indebtedness se-cured by said mortgage,as well as the expensesof foreclosure.T h e

Mortgagee/Transfereereserves the right to bidfor and purchase the realestate and to credit itspurchase price againstthe expenses of sale andthe indebtedness se-cured by the real estate.This sale is subject to

postponement or can-cellation.

U.S. Bank N.A., astrustee, on behalf of theholders of the J.P. Mor-

gan Mortgage Acquisition Trust2006-HE3 Asset

Backed Pass-ThroughCertificates, Series2006-HE3, Mort-gagee/Transferee

Ginny RutledgeSIROTE & PERMUTT, P.C.P. O. Box 55727Birmingham, AL35255-5727Attorney for Mort-gagee/Transfereewww.sirote.com/fore-closures294886

LEGALNOTICESTATE OF ALABAMA

DEPARTMENT OFCONSERVATIONAND NATURAL RE-

SOURCESSTATE LANDS DI-

VISIONINVITATION FORBIDS FOR OIL AND

GAS LEASEON CERTAIN

STATE LANDS INPICKENS COUNTY,

ALABAMANotice is hereby

given to all interestedparties that sealed bidsfor the purchase of indi-vidual oil and gas leaseson certain acreage lo-cated in Pickens County,Alabama, will be re-ceived by the Commis-sioner of Conservationand Natural Resourcesuntil March 8, 2016 at2:30 p.m., at which timeall bids will be publiclyopened and read in theCommissioner’s confer-ence room, 64 NorthUnion Street, Room 469Folsom AdministrativeBuilding, Montgomery,Alabama 36130-1901.The tract of land to

be offered for lease lo-cated in Pickens County,Alabama is further de-scribed as follows:A parcel of land

owned by the State ofAlabama Department ofRevenue located in aportion of Township 18South, Range 13 West,the E2 of the SW4 of theSE4 of Section 31 lo-cated in Pickens County,Alabama, containing 10acres, more or less. The State does not

warrant nor guaranteetitle to the lands hereinadvertised and all bid-ders should satisfythemselves as to theState's title and to theaccuracy of the acreageoffered.Each bid submitted

must be for the entireacreage of the tract. Nobids for less than thecomplete tract will beconsidered. The personhaving made request forstate lands to be adver-tised for oil and gas pur-poses, regardless ofwhether such person isthe successful bidder,shall be required to paythe costs of advertisingthis invitation for bids.Each bid submitted

must include bonus of-fered on oil, gas, otherhydrocarbon minerals,and the constituentproducts. Bids offeringa bonus of less than$225.00 per net mineralacre will not be consid-ered. Royalty for thisoffering is fixed at 25%.Each bid submittedmust be accompaniedby a certified orcashier's check for thetotal amount of bonusoffered and madepayable to the order ofthe State of Alabama.Bids submitted withoutsuch check will not beconsidered. Unsuccess-ful bidders’ deposits willbe returned followingthe bid opening.AT T E N T I O N :

PLEASE NOTE THATALL BIDS MUST BESUBMITTED SPECIF-ICALLY TO THESTATE LANDS DIVI-SION OFFICE AT 64NORTH UNIONSTREET, ROOM 464,FOLSOM ADMINIS-TRATIVE BUILDING,MONTGOMERY AL-ABAMA 36130 (36104IF DELIVERED BYPRIVATE COURIER)IN A SEALED ENVE-LOPE AND MUST BECLEARLY MARKEDON THE OUTSIDE OFTHE ENVELOPE"SEALED BID FORAN OIL AND GAS

LEASE, DEPART-MENT OF REVENUEPROPERTY LO-CATED IN PICKENSCOUNTY, ALA-BAMA, NOT TO BEOPENED UNTILMARCH 8, 2016 AT2:30 P.M.” ONLY ONEBID PER ENVELOPE. NO BID SHALL BE

RECEIVED FOR ANYREASON ANY TIMEAFTER THE ADVER-TISED DEADLINE.IT SHALL BE THESOLE RESPONSIBIL-ITY OF THE BIDDERTO ENSURE AC-TUAL RECEIPT OFTHE BID BY THESTATE LANDS DIVI-SION PRIOR TO THEADVERTISED DEAD-LINE. Any lease awarded

after this bid opening,shall be on the standardDepartment of Conser-vation and Natural Re-sources' oil and gaslease form (February1981), have a primaryterm of five (5) years,provide for delay rentalof Ten Dollars ($10) peracre per year. A copy ofthe lease form may beobtained from the StateLands Division office atthe address above or bycalling (334) 242-3484. The successful bid-

der must execute and re-turn the lease to theState Lands Divisionwithin fifteen (15) daysfollowing the date of re-ceipt; otherwise, theaward may be deemedto have been withdrawn,and the bid forfeited.All laws of the State ofAlabama concerning theleasing of state proper-ties for oil and gas pur-poses shall govern thislease whether or not in-cluded in this notice.The Commissioner

of Conservation andNatural Resources re-serves the right to with-draw any and all tractsfrom this notice prior toissuance of a written ac-ceptance of a bid, or toreject any and all bidsfor any and all tracts. Inany case, no bid for anytract will be acceptedand no lease will beawarded to any bidderunless: (1) the bidderhas complied with allrequirements of this no-tice; and (2) the amountof the bid has been de-termined to be adequateby the Commissioner.Specification of a mini-mum bid amount to beconsidered does notsuggest acceptance ofany bid which mayequal or exceed thatamount.The Department of

Conservation and Natu-ral Resources does notdiscriminate on thebasis of race, color, reli-gion, age, gender, na-tional origin, geneticinformation, veteran sta-tus or disability in itshiring or employmentpractices nor in admis-sion to, access to, or op-erations of its programs,services, or activities. Unless specifically

provided otherwise insubsequent correctiveadvertisement, the termsand conditions as statedin this notice shall becontrolling over thistransaction.

N. Gunter Guy, Jr.,CommissionerDepartment

of Conservation and Natural Resources

LEGALNOTICE

In the Probate Courtfor Pickens County,

AlabamaIn the Matter of the

Estate of Sharon Dian Hood,

DeceasedCase No. 2015-026Letters of Adminis-

tration on the Estate ofSharon Dian Hood, de-ceased, have beengranted to Brenda DianHarris, the 4th day ofFebruary, 2016, by theHon. John Earl Paluzzi,Judge of the ProbateCourt in and for Pick-ens County, Alabama,notice is hereby giventhat all persons havingclaims against said es-tate are hereby requiredto present the samewithin time allowed bylaw or the same will bebarred.

Brenda Harris,Personal

Representative ofthe Estate of Sharon Dian

Hood,

LegalNotices

PriceClassified ads and legal notice rates are thirty-two (32) cents per word, per insertion, with aminimum charge of seven dollars ($7.00). Wereserve the right to classify the ads according toour criteria. Cash in advance is required on allclassified ads in and out of state.

To Place an AdYou may bring your ad to our office on High-way 17 in Carrollton or you may mail your adto the address below; payment must be made be-fore the ad can run in that upcoming week’sissue. Deadline for ads is 12 noon on Friday forthe next week’s issue.

Mail ads to:Pickens County Herald

P.O. Box 390Carrollton, AL 35447-0390

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD PAGE 7

BY BO BLACKManaging Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

CARROLLTON | If you’retraveling through Carrolltonin the coming months and no-tice the lone traffic light intown flashing at all hours oftime, don’t think you’re imag-ining things. Mayor Joe Lan-caster has heard concernsfrom employees at Head Startabout getting a cross walk atits location, where employeeshave to cross the road to andfrom his or her vehicle. Themayor also noted the futureplans of the Pickens CountyBoard of Education’s Collegeand Career Center that was re-cently presented at a councilmeeting. Those plans changeeverything related to the re-quest of a cross walk at thepresent time, according toLancaster. Jonathan Anderson, district

engineer with the AlabamaDepartment of Transportation,met with the council at itsThursday, Feb. 4 meeting todiscuss the whole picture. An-derson said the most benefi-cial thing to do is wait untilthe project with the Collegeand Career Center is completebefore ALDOT does a trafficstudy in the area. Andersonsaid ALDOT wants to do the

traffic study and will do sowithout a cost to the town. “The thing about those traf-

fic studies is they’re basedupon the existing condition,”Anderson said.A team of engineers would

study the traffic flow in all di-rections of the area, countingall vehicles that travel alongthe way. “Most of the times, what-

ever comes out of that study,they’re going to recommend,”he said.He also added that the state

office is in favor of getting ridof all flashing lights and plac-ing stop signs on the sideroads because their concern istraffic along Hwy. 17 beingimpacted. Anderson said hecommunicated to the main of-fice that right now isn’t thetime for the traffic study asconditions will change whenthe Pickens County Collegeand Career Center is built,causing an increase in traffic,both on foot and by vehicle. “This is going to be big for

right here in Carrollton andwe’re looking forward to it,”Anderson said about the fu-ture plans.The engineer assured the

council that the traffic studywould be done after the newbuilding was in operation.Mayor Lancaster proposed thetraffic light flash yellow 24/7

heading in the north and southdirection, while flashing redon the sides and the proposalwas approved. Anderson saidstate law says it would have toflash at all times for threemonths before it could be re-moved (if that were broughtup following a future trafficstudy) to be sure accidents atthe intersection do not in-crease; if accidents did in-crease, the town could put thelight back in operation.Councilman Freddie Lowe

asked if the town would haveany liability for an accidentafter the change of the trafficlight. Anderson put his con-cerns to rest saying a writtendocument would show thatthe council was in agreementof the light change at the rec-ommendation from an engi-neer. He added he would bringthe document to the councilmeeting in March before achange was made to the light.

CARROLLTON PARTNERS WITH SOLIDWASTE DEPARTMENTThe Town of Carrollton ap-

proved an agreement to part-ner with the Pickens CountySolid Waste Department,which includes receiving a re-cycling trailer, pending a grantapplied for by the Solid WasteDepartment. Solid Waste Manager Joan

Owens commended the town

in their work with her depart-ment. The Solid Waste De-partment received a $149,600grant last year, which wasused to start its recycling pro-gram. The recycling buildingwill be in full operation March1 and recycling trailers will bedistributed to Aliceville,Gordo and Reform after eachagreed to partner with the de-partment a year ago. In the up-coming grant the Solid WasteDepartment will apply for, thedepartment would use thatgrant money for a trailer forCarrollton, clear stream con-tainers for all towns in Pick-ens County (to be used forevents in town or at athleticevents), a mesh cardboard re-cycling trailer for Alicevilleand Gordo, among otherthings. Owens said that Ala-bama Department of Environ-mental Management (ADEM)is encouraging the SolidWaste Department to ask forthe grant money as its one oftwo counties (Tuscaloosa) inwest Alabama that recycles. “EPA and ADEM will soon

force us to recycle and I’mtrying to get ahead of thegame. It’s coming to wherewe’ll have to,” she said.Owens said that while fund-

ing has been cut to the state,she has been assured that therecycling center can becomeself-sufficient. She added that

she’s trying to reach that goalwhile grant money is stillavailable over the next year.Owens said the PickensCounty Board of Educationhas also partnered with theSolid Waste Department andhave written a grant as well.That grant would fund recy-cling trailers for every school,as well as recycling paper binsfor every classroom. Owensadded that Pickens Academyhas also been included in thegrant to receive a trailer andpaper bins, pending approvalfor the grant.The solid waste manager

told the Carrollton councilthat she would know if her de-partment receives the grant inJuly and if it did, moniescould be spent starting in Oc-tober. “It’s a process that we have

to go through, so we’re talkingdown the road before thistrailer gets here,” she said. The town would be in

charge of maintaining the re-cycling trailer, but as far asgetting the supplies, therewould be no cost to the town.

OTHER NEWS ANDNOTES

• Councilman Chuck Mc-Daniel commended the streetdepartment and everyone whohelped with cleanup effortsfrom the tornado that affectedCarrollton Feb. 2.

• The council approved tokeep the council and mayor’ssalary for the next four yearsat a rate of $110 per month forthe council and $541.50 permonth for the mayor. It alsoapproved to keep the qualifi-cation fee for municipal elec-tions at $10.• The council agreed to

leave its millage rate the sameat 26 mills for the upcomingyear.• The council approved

buying a Husqvarna ridingmower for $1,957 from GordoTire.• The council was presented

with a Housing AbatementOrdinance. The ordinance in-cludes a process for how thetown would handle eyesoresor dilapidated structures. AnAbatement Board is made upof a voting member in eachcouncil member’s district.“We need some kind of pol-

icy that we can go to and saythis is in ordinance, this iswhat it says,” Lowe said. One concern was finding

people willing to be a part ofthe board. “Each of us going around

know we have eyesores andwithout this, we have nostanding to take any kind ofaction,” the mayor said. After a brief discussion, the

council voted to table the mat-ter until the next meeting.

Changes to Carrollton traffic light coming

Salaries to remain same for future Reform mayor, council

The City of Reform held a brief council meeting Tuesday, Feb. 2, where the council decidedon the pay of the next council and mayor in the next four years. Mayor Benni Harton recom-mended that the mayor’s pay stay the same at a rate of $1,300 per month. The council also agreedto keep the salary at $200 per month, or $100 per meeting, for council members. The councilalso approved to keep its millage rate, a tax rate that is applied to the assessed value of property,at 18.5. The rate isn’t a regular percentage, but in tenths of a penny. The council also learned thatthere would be an Ideas Workshop Tuesday, March 8 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Pickens County HighSchool in relation to the city’s Comprehensive Community Masterplan. The meeting will includesmall group discussions that allow different ideas to be heard. The meeting is open to anyonewho lives or works in Reform. If you have any questions about this meeting, contact Mayor Har-ton at cityofreform@nctv.com or Stacey Browning at stacey.browning@gmcnetworks.com.

Summerville-Kirksey Scholarship Applications available Feb. 15

The Summerville-Kirksey Alumni Association’s 2016 Scholarship Application will be availablestarting Feb. 15, 2016 to April 15. Applications will be available online at www.summerville-kirksey.com, as well as in the Aliceville High School Counselor’s Office. You may also contactCarl Brooks, Alice Faye Hurst, Marva Gipson, Herbert Lavender or Bettye Simmons. The 2015recipients included: Teairia Amison, Clifton Dunner, Stephon Dunner, Jerquendez Hill, MarqueseMason, Narkita Morrow, Haley Richardson, David Shamery, Jalen Spencer, Demi Wilkins, DemiaWilkins and Michael Wilkins. COMPLETED applications must be post marked on or before April 15, 2016 and mailed to

P.O. Box 353 Aliceville, AL 35442. Applicants must be a descendant of a Summerville-KirkseyAlumni.

Family Wellness Workshop for GEAR UP Alabama Students

Parents of GEAR UP Alabama students at Aliceville Middle School, Gordo High School andPickens County High participated in a Financial Wellness Workshop to promote healthy moneymanagement skills. Paula Ramsey and Dr. Stephanie Yates, of Regions Bank presented a programon responsible financial management and savings. In addition, Lynne Marine, Site Facilitator of

Gordo High School and Pickens County High and Dr. Jackie Stennis, Site Facilitator of AlicevilleMiddle School, instructed parents on healthy eating habits, and awarded numerous door prizes.The next Financial Wellness workshop will be Monday, Feb. 22 at the Carrollton Service Center.The program begins at 6 p.m. All GEAR UP parents are encouraged to attend.GEAR UP Alabama is a seven-year, $49 million project aimed at the students of Alabama's

Black Belt counties in an effort to raise the high school graduation rate and get more students incollege. Governor Robert Bentley says that "Gear Up Alabama" is critical to changing the mostlyrural counties across central Alabama that traditionally have more poverty than the rest of thestate.

Parents of GEAR UP Alabama students recently participated in a Financial Well-ness Workshop to promote healhy money management skills. The next workshopis Monday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Carrollton Service Center. All GEAR UP parentsare encouraged to attend.

PHOTO BY LYNNE MARINE

PAGE 8 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

American Legion Post 104 American Legion Post 104 in Carrollton

meets on the second Thursday of each month atthe Post at 7 p.m. All veterans and their familiesare encouraged to join them. The next meetingis Feb. 11, 2016.

LEPC Meeting Feb. 17The Pickens County Local Emergency

Planning Committee will meet Wednesday,Feb. 17, at 1:30 p.m. at the EMA OperationsCenter in Carrollton.

Hospital Auxiliary Scholarships AvailableThe Scholarship Committee of Pickens

County Hospital Auxiliary now has scholarshipapplications for persons in Pickens County in-terested in a pursuing a career in a medical-re-lated fields. Applications may be picked upweekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m,. at the PCMCGift Shop or from all Pickens County highschool counselor offices. Applications are alsoavailable on the DCH Health System websiteunder Pickens County Medical Center/scholar-ships opportunity. The deadline to turn in appli-cations to the Gift Shop is March 31, 2015. Formore information, call 367-8111, ext. 127 or373-6980.

Emergency Preparedness Event Feb. 13. The Fayette Medical Center Volunteer Auxil-

iary is sponsoring an Emergency PreparednessEvent on Saturday, Feb. 13. Pickens, Fayette,Marion, Lamar, Walker and Tuscaloosa Countycitizens are invited to hear guest speakers, visitvendors and attend classes. The Fayette CivicCenter will host the event from 9 a.m. until 5p.m. The theme for the day is “What can citizensdo to better to prepare themselves for emergen-cies/disasters when help is delayed or does notarrive?”The Fayette Medical Center staff and Bevill

State nursing students will have a booth to offerblood pressure checks, glucose sticks and portalinformation.

Valentine Sweetheart PartyLocated at Aliceville Activity Center Satur-

day, Feb. 13 with entertainment provided start-ing at 9 p.m. Must be 25 to attend. $7 for men;

$5 for women. For more information contactRobert “Cookie Man” Wilder at 205-373-1500or 205-399-2567.

American Legion Post 40 The Robert H. Driver American Legion Post

40 and Auxiliary meets every third Thursday ofthe month at 6:30 p.m. at the Post 40 Legionbuilding, 228 South Main Street, Gordo. Thenext regular meeting will be on Feb. 18.

Lamar County Relay For Life Beauty Pageant Feb. 20

The Lamar County Relay for Life BeautyPageant will be Feb. 20, 2016 at 2 p.m. in theLamar County High School Gymnasium in Ver-non. Pageant is open to any county and state, fe-males age 0-18 years. Forms can be picked upat Chiropractic Center of Vernon, Debra PorterFormals in Fayette, Family Health Pharmacy inSulligent and West Alabama Bank in Millport.Deadline for entries will be Feb. 11, 2016. Pro-ceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. Formore information contact pageant directors Dr.Caroline Josey-DuBose or Becky Irvin at 205-695-7570 or 205-712-1746.

American Legion Post 327 and AuxiliaryUnit 327

The Joseph Cousette American Legion Post327 and Auxiliary Unit 327 (Aliceville) meet thelast Thursday of each month in the basement ofthe Aliceville Civic Center. All Auxiliary mem-bers/Legionnaires are asked to be present.

$500 Scholarship Available for High School Seniors

The Pickens County Soil & Water Conserva-tion District is now accepting applications for a$500 scholarship sponsored by the AlabamaConservation District Employees Association.Applicant must be a U. S. citizen, high schoolsenior, and living in the State of Alabama. Ap-plications may be picked up at the PickensCounty Soil & Water Conservation District of-fice located at 155 Reform Street Service CenterBldg. Room 304, Carrollton, Alabama 35447.Deadline to receive completed applications inthe District office is March 4, 2016. For moreinformation or questions, please contact Angie

Porter at 205-367-8168 or e-mailangie.porter@al.nacdnet.net.

Pageant Time, Feb. 27It’s pageant time and every young lady has a

queen inside of them! The pageant is Saturday,Feb. 27, 2016 at 4 p.m. at the Aliceville MiddleSchool for ages 3-18. Registration is Saturday,Feb. 6, 2016 from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to4 p.m. at New Bethany Church, located at 1716Mobile Road, SW Aliceville, AL 35442. Fee is$20. Sponsored by Today’s Ministries. For moreinformation, call 205-260-9046 or 205-463-6369.

Catfish Supper Feb. 27 to benefit South Lamar Rescue Squad

The South Lamar Rescue Squad is sponsoringa “Catfish Supper” on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016.This fund raising event will be at the RescueSquad building 2 miles east of Millport onHWY 96 from 3 to 6 p.m. You get boneless cat-fish fillets, hush puppies, french fries, cold slawand dessert on each order. Dine-In adult plate is$12 and child plate (under 12 years old) $5.Dine-in plates include a drink with your order.All carry-out plates are $10. Come by and enjoysome of the best catfish and good fellowship.We are a non-profit Rescue Squad, operatingemergency ambulance and rescue service for thesouth end of Lamar County. Your support anddonations keep our ambulances rolling.

Application deadline for 2016 AlabamaState Employee Combined Charitable Campaign

March 4, 2016 is the application deadline forlocal voluntary charitable health and human careagencies or federations to apply for participationin the fall 2016 State Combined Campaign.The State Combined Campaign will begin in

August/September and is designed to allow stateemployees to give to recognized local and/orstatewide charities. Alabama law emphasizeslocal control to help ensure the campaign meetsneeds where state employees work and live. Charitable agencies desiring to participate in

the 2016 State Combined Campaign should con-tact Monique Scott at 345-6640 ormonique@uwwa.org for application instructions

or visit www.statecombinedcampaign.org.Questions concerning federation/agency eligi-bility should also be referred to the above pointof contact.

Fayette Medical Center to host first 5K/FunRun March 12

The Fayette Medical Center 5K and Fun Runwill be held Saturday, March 12, starting andending at the FMC Long Term Care parking lotentrance in Fayette. The 5K begins at 8:30 a.m.,with the Fun Run starting soon after. Awardswill be given only to top qualifiers of the 5K.The event, which highlights National NutritionMonth in March, also will include a wellnessarea open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Dietitians, ther-apists and fitness experts will be available to dis-cuss nutrition and fitness. Event registration willtake place from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. March 12in front of Fayette Medical Center near the Out-patient Therapy building.

VFW Meeting The Veterans of Foreign Wars will meet the

second Monday of each month at the VFW Postin Aliceville at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting willbe March 14.

Volunteers needed at Southern Hospice Care

Share your heart, share your time. SouthernCare Hospice is looking for volunteers in Pick-ens County who love people and enjoy helpingthem. Training provided. Contact Sherry at 205-469-0273.

Drawing Sponsored by Auxiliary Unit 327The American Legion Auxiliary Unit 327 is

sponsoring a drawing with all proceeds to ben-efit the Alabama Girls State and Auxiliary. Do-nation is $2 with a chance to win two differentitems. First prize is a wood handmade AlabamaCrimson Tide bank. Second prize is an AlabamaCrimson Tide Fleece Throw. The drawing willbe held March 31, 2016. For more information,contact Ruthie Cousette at 205-393-1126; TelsaMcKinstry at 205-399-4109; Chris Frazier at205-463-6391; Bessie Matthews at 205-373-2701 or any member of the Aliceville AuxiliaryUnit 327.

Upcoming Events/Announcements

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BY BO BLACK Managing Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

GORDO | Cub Scout Pack 82was in attendance at the GordoTown Council meeting Mon-day, Feb. 1 and the grouplearned about government andhow citizens can be involved.Not only did the group attendthe meeting, they each camewith a question in hand to askthe council. The first questionasked was “Why did you wantto be a government leader?”Councilman Tim Washingtontackled it saying, “The reasonfor me was I wanted to helpmake a difference with our townand I felt like I had something tobring to the town in order tomake things better for all of thepeople coming up under us andfor all of you young guys. Wewant to pave the way and makethings better so that y’all canstep in and carry everythingon.”Mayor Patterson followed by

saying part of the council’s jobis working toward the futureand instructed the cub scouts towork toward people that willcome after them. When askedwhat’s the biggest challengefacing the community, MayorPatterson said that the mainchallenge, not only for Gordo,but for all of the county is keep-ing people in the county. “We’re losing a lot of young

people to other places, lookingfor jobs,” he said. “A lot of ushere in the county are meetingand trying to come up withideas to bring jobs to PickensCounty, so our young peoplecan stay here and make ourcommunity that much better.The drain on people away fromour communities is our biggestproblem right now.”From garbage pickup, to po-

lice protection and providingwater and sewer, the scouts

learned the town’s role in thedifferent areas and learned howimportant it was for day-to-dayliving. One of the final ques-tions included what preparedone for the job as a councilmember. The mayor said thatcouncil members can takeclasses and receive training tolearn more, but he said therewas one key to the job. “As far as having something

beforehand, there’s nothing re-quired, but a love of commu-nity,” he said. “That’s all youneed.”As the questions came to a

close, the mayor explained tothe cub scouts how the councilmeeting works from listening toitems on the agenda to makinga motion and voting on differentmatters. He also explained thateach council member has a voteand that the council may not al-ways agree on issues. “That’s what America is

about,” he said. “We’ve got theability to speak our mind. If it’ssomething that might affect oneof their districts and they don’twant it, they might vote againstit, but the rest of us might thinkit’s good for the whole. We try tothink things through before wego through the process of votingor acting on anything that’sbrought before us.”COUNCIL APPROVES

RAISESThe council voted to increase

pay for council members andmayor for the next four years ina 5-0 vote. The mayor did notparticipate in the vote. The raisemoves the council’s pay from$100 to $150 per month and themayor’s pay from $400 permonth to $500 per month, start-ing after the upcoming munici-pal election. Therecommendation for the raisecame from Councilman Wash-ington. He made the recommen-dation with the stipulation thathe would support it if it didn’thurt the city financially. The

mayor added that after lookingat the numbers, following dis-cussion at the last meeting, thatthe salary increase wouldn’t hurtthe city from a financial stand-point.

POLICE REPORTChief Todd Hall again warned

about scams targeting older peo-ple in the community. He toldcouncil members and citizensthat if they hear of any suspi-cious activity to report it.“It’s pretty rampant right

now,” he said. “They’re target-ing the elderly and a lot of thepeople are not talking with theirfamily about it.”Hall said the key is to get law

enforcement involved early ifsomeone suspects a scam goingon. Hall also mentioned the im-

portance of recently-purchasedbody cameras.“They’ve helped us in about

four citizen complaints thatwe’ve had,” he said. “We wereable to bring citizens in and therewere some pretty serious allega-tions against the officers and wewere able to sit them down andplay that tape and after that wedidn’t hear anything else fromthem. It’s good in a number ofdifferent ways. It helps me po-lice the officers that are out thereand it also protects the officerwhen he’s out there doing hisjob and people accuse the officerof doing things he’s not doing.The cameras have been veryhelpful. I appreciate you goingout on a limb and purchasingthose for us. It has already madea difference and paid dividendsfor the city.”

OTHER NEWS ANDNOTES

• The town recently receivedits annual Alabama Power checkfor its use of the town’s streets.

The check was in the amount of$104,000. Mayor Patterson saidthe amount this year was about$4,000 more than last year’scheck. He added that the townoperates with this check and thesales tax collected. • Councilman Washington

said a citizen brought to his at-tention that the traffic light onHwy. 82 was not allowingenough time for traffic to comethrough. Mayor Patterson saidthat in the last week, theylearned that the sensor was notoperating correctly. As of now,the light is on a timer, due to thecost it would take to repair thesensor ($2,600). • Councilman Terence

Williamson commended thetown on the progress with thedowntown streetscape projectthat recently began. The side-walk project was funded by anALDOT grant.

• Councilwoman MelissaAdams voiced concern overspeeders in her area, near 13thAve. She said one recent inci-dent almost resulted in an acci-dent. The discussion aboutspeeding led to another discus-sion about the amount of trafficthat goes through Gordo in agiven week. Mayor Pattersonsaid that 12,000 cars comethrough per day on Hwy. 82,making 360,000 chances permonth for the police departmentto give a ticket. Patterson saidthat the average number of tick-ets given a month is 100 with theaverage number of stops permonth at 180. • As the meeting ended,

Councilman Jim Elmore told thecub scouts they would have tostep up and take their places onthe council one day and to bethinking about what each can doto help people out.

Cub Scouts learn all about government

Cub Scout Pack 82 is pictured with the Gordo Town Council after the Feb. 1 meeting. Scout members are DenLeader Paula Beams, Connor Duren, Lucas Cargile, Ryan Birmingham, Robert Cargile, Brandon Birminghamand Noah Beams.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD PAGE 9

JamieChapman

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• Led effort to increase local school revenue by approximately $900,000 per year• Secured a $1.7 million state mandated operating reserve for the first time• Increased county-wide graduation rate to 90%, exceeding the state’s 89%• Reopened LaDow (now the Pickens County College and Career Center), serving over 150 students county-wide• Obtained a GEAR-UP grant giving students and parents an opportunity to attend any two year college in Alabama tuition FREE• Purchased new textbooks for all subject areas which will be completed byMay 2016• Purchased 210 new computers for our schools and provided FREE Wi-Fi access• Purchased 11 new school buses for the 2016-2017 school year.

Davis rolls with the Crimson TideThe Gordo linebacker helped Alabama secure the top class on Signing Day

BY BO BLACKManaging Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

GORDO | For months, BenDavis has faced the questionof where he would be attend-ing college. It’s been over ayear since Davis was named a5-star recruit, one of the toplinebackers in the nation andthe No.1 player in the state ofAlabama, a title he held fromthe first state ranking to thelast. And in less than a fewminutes on Wednesday, Feb.3, better known as NationalSigning Day, all of thosequestions finally had an an-swer. As millions watchedfrom home on ESPNU, theGordo High School gymna-sium was full of proud par-ents, family, friends andfaculty when Davis turned tohis right, eying his mother,Faye Davis, and the two si-multaneously let everyoneknow that he would be attend-ing the University of Alabama – his mother sporting Ala-bama gloves and Davis show-ing off a Houndstooth hat.While he may have lacked

sleep, saying he didn’t go tobed until 3 or 4 a.m. on themorning of Signing Day,Davis didn’t lack excitement.“Alabama is getting a

tough, hard-nosed, hard-working linebacker, big andlikes to run and make tack-les,” Davis said. A visit just before Signing

Day to Auburn made himthink twice about where hewould attend. Davis said hechose Alabama with Auburncoming in a close second.When asked what made thedifference between Alabama

and Auburn in the final deci-sion Davis said, “What theyhad was the home feeling andthe winning tradition. I’m awinner. I’m ready to go.”The senior from Gordo said

from the start he wanted toenjoy the recruiting processand that’s what he did. “It’s been fun,” he said.

“I’ve been enjoying it. I’vebeen one of those guys to takeit all in. Coming from a smalltown, it’s a once-in-a-lifetimething, so I got to enjoy theprocess.”While the attention of being

a high-profile recruit may getto some, Davis said being a 5-star was a nice honor, but did-n’t change him.“I really don’t pay attention

to all of that,” he said. “It’sgreat accolades and I’m hon-ored and humbled, but everyday you’ve just got to playball, so that’s what I focuson.”Another positive Davis

looked at when consideringAlabama was his family.“He was real happy with it

being his alma mater,” Davissaid referring to his father,Wayne, Alabama’s all-timeleader in tackles. “Being closeto home, my family will get tosee me play, my grandmotherwill get to see me play.”Wayne described what it

was like watching his sonmake his decision to attendthe University of Alabama.“You always want your

children to be successful andachieve things that they de-sire,” he said. “It’s a wonder-ful feeling. We’re so excitedabout it.”Was there ever any doubt in

Wayne’s mind where his sonwould play college football?

“For me, there wasn’t anydoubt in my heart that he wasgoing to Bama,” he said. “Oneof the things I think is impor-tant in the recruiting processwas this is how we started.Bama was always at the top. Iwanted him to go through theprocess and see other schools,leave no doubt, so we wentthrough the process and in theend, Bama’s still at the top.”After going through the re-

cruiting process, it’s time tolook forward to anotherprocess and it’s one his familyis ready for.“We’ve waited through this

process,” Wayne said. “Nowit’s time to lock in to theSaban process and that’s ex-actly what we’re going to do.We look forward to Ben beingcoached by, in my opinion, thebest coach in the nation inCoach Saban over the courseof the next few years and see-ing Ben develop into a betterfootball player. It’s going to beexciting.”The Crimson Tide entered

the day on Feb. 3 outside ofthe top five in most recruitingrankings. With the signing ofDavis and multiple other play-ers on Signing Day, Alabamashot up to the top spot in threeof four recruiting services (Ri-vals, Scout and 247Sports)and was ranked No. 3 byESPN’s recruiting service.Davis said his mindset is to gointo the University of Ala-bama to earn a starting posi-tion and the goal is clear – towin a national championship.He will enroll in June andmajor in sports management.Davis said he would like toone day become a generalmanager or CEO of a sportsteam.

PHOTOS BY BO BLACK

“We’ve waited through this process. Now it’s time to lock in to the Saban process andthat’s exactly what we’re going to do. We look forward to Ben being coached by, in myopinion, the best coach in the nation in Coach Saban over the course of the next fewyears and seeing Ben develop into a better football player. It’s going to be exciting.”

-Wayne Davis, Feb. 3, 2016

Gordo senior Ben Davis makes it official by signing a Letter of Intent to attend the University of Alabama toplay football. At right, Ben and father Wayne, the all-time leading tackler in Alabama history, embrace as therecruiting process comes to an end.

PAGE 10 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Topic: Love and the Law

No representation is made that the quality of legal service to be performed isgreater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

Host: Bob PrinceGuest: Chris Jones

Email your legal questions anytime at lawcall.com/tuscaloosa

BY DOUG SANDERS JR.Correspondent

ALICEVILLE | Two Al-iceville High School stand-out athletes signed letters ofintent to play football at thecollege level on NationalSigning Day Feb. 3.The ceremony was held

in the crowded AlicevilleHigh School Media Centerwith members of the twosignees’ families and team-mates and friends present.Banners proclaimed thatboth would go “From FridayNight Lights to SaturdaySunshine.”Da’quan Curry had made

no secret that he was com-mitting to Alabama A&MUniversity, but AnthonyBrown waited until the lastsecond to reveal he wouldbe attending MississippiValley State University.Head Football Coach

Rico Jackson opened theceremony by saying thatwhile the attention that daywas on athletics, it was theplayers’ education and theirGPAs that were looked at bythe recruiters. He noted thatby signing letters of intent,the two players would re-ceive an education paid forby their respective universi-ties.“This is my 13th year and

every year I’ve had a kidsign,” Jackson said. “Everyyear, I’m excited that theyget to further their educa-tion. I tell them, even theones that didn’t sign, I careabout football because that’swhat you want to do. I wantthem to be able to go finishand get a degree or get atrade or do something thatthey can take care of theirfamily.”Coach Jackson also com-

mented on each signee. OfCurry, he said when he firstarrived in Aliceville tocoach the Yellow Jackets, helooked like an athlete. “He cared about his

grades and never missed apractice,” said Jackson. Hecredited Curry for being oneof the team leaders whohelped steer the Jackets totheir 20th consecutive sea-

son to make the playoffs. Hepredicted Curry will do wellat A&M.“I think he’s a steal,”

Jackson said. “I think Ala-bama A&M did a great jobrecruiting him. They’regoing to play him at corner-back. I think he’s going toget bigger. He’s going to getfaster. He can already run.He’s got good feet, goodhips and great ball skills, sohe’s got a big upside.”Curry was one of five de-

fensive backs signed by Al-abama A&M. In his seniorseason in Aliceville, Curryhad 41 tackles, two inter-ceptions, eight passbreakups and one fumble re-covery.Of Brown, Coach Jack-

son joked that when he firstarrived in Aliceville, Brownwas the one who asked somany questions like “Whoare you?” Jackson creditedBrown for being anotherteam leader “who onlymissed one practice and thatwas when he was in theemergency room.” He was a player who was

always ready and should bean asset for the Delta Devilsof Itta Bena, Miss.“He’s a team leader,”

Jackson said of Brown.“The kids really looked upto him for leadership be-cause he showed leadership.He embraced me coming in,which is sometimes toughfor the seniors. I thought hehad a pretty good year andwas deserving of his schol-arship.” Brown, at 6-foot-3, 284

lbs., will play along the de-fensive line in college. “I bring physicality, hard

work,” Brown said. “Coachsaid they need some moreguys on defense so I’mready to go take my talentover there.”

Aliceville duo signs with Alabama A&M, MVSU

CURRY SIGNS WITH ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY – Aliceville High School’s Da’quan Curry signed a letter of intentto play football for Alabama A&M University on National Signing Day (Feb. 3). Curry, seated right, is shown with motherMinnie Wells. Standing, left to right, are AHS Head Coach Rico Jackson, AHS Principal Terry Sterling and Carl Wells.

BROWN SIGNS WITH MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY – Aliceville High School’s Anthony Brown signeda letter of intent to play football for Mississippi Valley State University on National Signing Day (Feb. 3). Brown, seatedleft, is shown with mother Melissa E. Brown. Standing, left to right, are Deaundrey Eatman, AHS Head Coach RicoJackson and AHS Principal Terry Sterling.

BY BO BLACKManaging Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

GORDO | In addition toBen Davis making his Na-tional Signing Day decision,three more Gordo senior foot-ball players inked withschools on Feb. 3 as D’An-gelo Jones and Malek Steelewill attend Itawamba Com-munity College and TylerDavis will attend AlabamaPrep in Birmingham.“It was just a great day for

Gordo in general,” Gordocoach Ryan Lolley said. “I’mso proud of all four of thoseguys. They’ve worked ex-

tremely hard. They’re all greatmen of character. I’m just ex-cited to see them in the futureand how they move on to thenext phase of their life.”Lolley said the excitement

and recognition of the sign-ings may serve as motivationfor others in the future.“I think it’s a great motiva-

tional tool for anybody thatfollows behind these guys,”he said. “Number 1, they’re agreat person. Number 2, theytake care of their academics.Number 3, they work ex-tremely hard in the weightroom and at practice to be thevery best player they can be.”Jones, a second team All-

State selection, will play de-

fensive tackle for the ICC In-dians. “They’re all about academ-

ics first and then football,” hesaid. “They’re like one bigfamily.”Steele, will also be joining

Jones at ICC and will play onthe defensive line. The two arecousins and will be roomingtogether.“I was nervous at home, but

when I got here, everythingwent away and I was calm,”Steele said of signing day.The two from Gordo will

join 31 other signees atItawamba. The Indians had toreplace 27 sophomores fromlast year’s team that advancedto the semifinals of the

MACJC playoffs.“We had a lot to sign this

year after losing a big sopho-more class,” Coach Sean Can-non said. “We targeted a lot ofguys in the surrounding areasand were able to get someguys that wanted to be Indi-ans.” Davis said signing to con-

tinue his education and foot-ball career was “a dream cometrue.” “It means a lot,” he said

about Alabama Prep.“They’ve given me an oppor-tunity.”The senior will play re-

ceiver and plans to studyphysical education. He saidfrom football, to teammates,

to coaches and teachers, hewill remember it all from histime at Gordo. Davis will bepart of the first signing classwith Alabama Prep. Student-athletes playing at AlabamaPrep will take their collegeclasses at Jefferson StateCommunity College and theteam will play other prep andjunior colleges.“Tyler fits our program per-

fectly,” Alabama Prep coachDewayne Coker said. “He hasgreat hands and is a goodroute runner on offense and heshows ability on the defensiveside as well. However, whatstruck us the most was whathis coach said about him.Coach said he was one of the

greatest leaders he had everhad. We spent some time withTyler and we can see it in himand we are pleased to havehim. We think we can get himto where he wants to go.”

Malek Steele, picturedbelow left, signs withItawamba Community

College. He will play onthe defensive line.

See Tyler Davis andD’Angelo Jones’

signings on Page 11.

Gordo trio signs with junior college, prep school

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD PAGE 11

Give blood Friday, Feb. 12 at the Pickens County Career CenterThe Pickens County Career Center will be host to a Blood Drive, sponsored by LIFE South, Friday, Feb. 12 from 8 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Snacks, refreshments and recognition items for all

donors will be included. If donating, you are instructed to eat well and drink plenty of fluids before donating. Each blood donation supports the local hospital. Donors must be 17 or older (16with written parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and show photo I.D. For more information, call toll-free 888-795-2707 or visit www.lifesouth.org. All donors will receive a recognitionitem and cholesterol screening. LifeSouth is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community blood supplier for more than 100 hospitals in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. LifeSouth is a community blood center, meaning the blood supply

collected from donors directly serves the needs of patients in the community. The blood donated here will stay here for local patient transfusions.

Tyler Davis, pictured above left, signed with Alabama Prep out of Birmingham on Feb.3. Davis said meant a lot for them to give him an opportunity to continue playing foot-ball while earning an education. D’Angelo Jones, pictured above right, will join hiscousin Malek Steele at Itawamba Community College this fall. Jones and Steele arepart of a large signing class at ICC after the school lost many sophomores following aplayoff run this past season.

BY BO BLACKManaging Editor

pickenscnty@centurytel.net

GORDO | Greg Kosloff hasa wealth of experience when itcomes to sports. He’s officiatedfootball, basketball and base-ball games, going from thehigh school level, all the way tothe Southeastern Conferencelevel. He’s coached baseballfor 10 summers in Japan and hespent the past 12 years coach-ing baseball at Holy Spirit,along with two years as foot-ball coach. Now Kosloff is em-barking on his first year as ahead coach in softball, joiningthe Gordo Lady Greenwave forthe 2016 season. The opportunity presented

itself when Gordo High SchoolPrincipal Mark Capps con-tacted Kosloff last July aboutan open faculty spot, as well asthe softball coaching job.Kosloff said he and Capps haveknown each other over 25years. Capps called askingKosloff if he ever thoughtabout Gordo. Kosloff said hewas quite familiar with theGordo baseball program fromthe times he has coached

against them.“I had never coached soft-

ball,” Kosloff said. “A lot ofthe game is similar (to base-ball) balls, strikes, hits, outs,but I wasn’t totally committedwhen I left here. I went homeprayed about it, talked about itwith my family and it was agood career move. I’m retired28 years from the TuscaloosaPolice. I went to Japan 10 yearsto coach baseball. We felt likethis was a good move for usand best move I ever made.”Once the decision was made,

Kosloff was all in. “I had been in this commu-

nity a lot to officiate ball overthe years,” he said. “The com-munity aspect, the support hereis incredible. I felt like thiswould be good for me comingin. The support part has beenincredible. Being able to hireGary Thomas to be my assis-tant coach is, probably a guythat’s forgot more softball thanyou’ll ever know, it’s been acomfort for me, it’s helped meto transition and I’m learningfrom him every day. I knewthis, but I didn’t know this, soto be able to have somebodywith me with his knowledge ofthe game to teach me, it’s been

a blessing for him to be withme.”Kosloff said parents of the

softball players have been help-ful in preparing for the upcom-ing season.“We’ve got great mommas

and daddies that have jumpedin,” he said. “We’ve done somuch work on the field,painted dugouts, we’ve built anoffice upstairs in the press box,new foul poles, putting a newsprinkler system in. The con-cession stand and working thegate, you know there’s so manythings behind the scenes, and tohave mommas and daddies tohelp do those things, so I don’thave to really worry aboutthose things, so on game day, Ican worry about playing ball.It’s big. Coach Capps and theadministration here have beenawesome with their support.”Kosloff said 58 girls at-

tended the first organizationalmeeting about the upcomingsoftball season. “We had 19 kids come out

for eight spots,” he said. “Inever had tryouts at HolySpirit. We didn’t have the num-bers.”The Lady Greenwave team

has seven player returning withstarting experience. The teamreturns all of its pitching with

junior Cierra Brown and soph-omore Brooke Perrigin. Perri-gin also plays short stop andhas received a scholarship offerto Auburn University at Mont-gomery. Both catchers, HalliKoon and Victoria Burkhalter,return and will split time be-hind the plate. OutfieldersKassedy Wrightson andGabrielle Jackson are alsoback.“We’ll be rebuilding some-

what this year because we’re soyoung, but in the next fewyears, we’ll have a chance tomake a deep run I’m con-vinced,” Kosloff said. “Wepreach real hard about beingone heartbeat. You can have ateam full of superstars, but ifyou’re not all going the sameway, you’re going to struggle.”A key to improving is having

a schedule that will challengeand Kosloff believes this year’sschedule will do that. Theteam’s first home game willcome against two-time statechampion Hale County Tues-day, Feb. 23. “The only way to get better

is to play better, so we’vescheduled up a bunch,” he said.“You can play 18 dates andseven tournaments and we’recompletely full.”Kosloff laid out the team

goals as well.“Our number one goal will

be to host the area tournament,which means we’re the regularseason area champions,” hesaid. “My big thing is, ofcourse I want to win, but if Ican make these girls, just like Iused to tell my boys, if I canmake these girls one day begood mothers, good wives,productive in their community,education is the key to life, sowe’re really working hard onour education. Our first yeargoing in is to be better than wewere last year and to be able tohost the area tournament, thengo down to Troy to play in theregion.”The Lady Greenwave begin

softball season Feb. 15 in theBryant Tournament.

DID YOU KNOW?While Coach Kosloff has

many years of experience insports, he was also a profes-sional wrestler for over 20years. “You name it, Madison

Square Garden, all over theUnited States. You name it, Iwas there,” Kosloff said aboutwhere he wrestled.He’s wrestled the likes of

Ric Flair, The Road Warriors,the late Dusty Rhodes and TedDiBiase among others.

Kosloff begins first season as softball coach in Gordo

Coach Greg Kosloff, right, talks with the Gordo softball team during practice Friday, Feb. 5. Also pictured isTaylor Clegg, Haley Willis and Sidney Pugh, among others. Below left, Kosloff coaches Victoria Burkhalter inthe outfield.

PHOTOS BY ANNA JUNKIN

PAGE 12 PICKENS COUNTY HERALD WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Maddox JunkinParents: Ryan & Kristyn Junkin

Grandparents: Ricky & Kim Junkin; Karen Lindsey & Tommy Irvin

Happy Valentine’s Day

Elizabeth Claire “Libby” StrawnParents: Lauren & Michael Strawn

Grandparents: Brenda & Hugh Snoddy; Melanie& Larry Strawn; Kim & Aaron Hollis

Great-Grandparents: Elizabeth Snoddy; Clarise &Roy Cook; Judy & Tom Halbert

Gunner Paul MontgomeryParents: Dustin & Anna MontgomeryGrandparents: Billy & Julia Floyd;

Karen Montgomery

Lillian Rebecca BlackParents: Richard & Rachel Black

Grandparents: Tammy Black; Richard & DjuanaBlack; Glenn & Becky Lawley

Sarah FreeGrandparents: Tim & Jennifer Free

Melodii TraywickGrandparents: Tim & Jennifer Free

Lauren PeavyParents: Blair & Susan Peavy

Grandparents: Bobby & Janet Pritchett; Tony &Sue Peavy

Great-Grandmother: Bertha Rittenberry

Bettye Brooke WilkinsParent: Justin Wilkins

Grandparents: Gene & Kaye BonnerGreat-Grandparents: Alton & Blanche Bonner

Allie NaveParents: Josh & Becky (Bonner) NaveGrandparents: Gene & Kaye Bonner

Great-Grandparents: Alton & Blanche Bonner

Bella NaveParents: Josh & Becky (Bonner) NaveGrandparents: Gene & Kaye Bonner

Great-Grandparents: Alton & Blanche Bonner

Piper NaveParents: Josh & Becky (Bonner) NaveGrandparents: Gene & Kaye Bonner

Great-Grandparents: Alton & Blanche Bonner

Mikayla NaveParents: Josh & Becky (Bonner) NaveGrandparents: Gene & Kaye Bonner

Great-Grandparents: Alton & Blanche Bonner

Tristan BrewerParents: Carol Cusanelli & Brian BrewerGrandparents: Bob & Sherry Cusanelli;

John & Gerrie BrewerGreat-Grandparent: Dot Barrentine

Gabrielle (Gabby) BaileyParents: Chad Bailey & Michelle Fair BaileyHappy Valentine’s Day! We Love You!

Joseph Fisher BaileyParents: Chad & Michelle Fair BaileyHappy Valentine’s Day! We Love You!

Anna Elisabeth KirkParents: Tyson & Meredith Kirk

Grandparents: Mrs. Jackie S. Finney; Mr & Mrs.Rob Finney; Mr. & Mrs. Sonny Reece;

Mrs. Judy KirkGreat-grandparents: Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sauceman

Did You Know? – Valentine’s Day Facts• Based on retail statistics, about 3 percent of pet owners will give Valentine’s Day gifts to their pets.• About 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged each year. This makes it the second largest

seasonal card sending time of the year.• Many believe the X symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times. People who

couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an X. The X was then kissed to show theirsincerity.• In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their

Valentine. They would wear this name pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. Thiswas the origin of the expression “to wear your heart on your sleeve.”• Richard Cadbury produced the first box of chocolates for Valentine's Day in the late 1800s.• More than 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine’s Day.• Over $1 billion worth of chocolate is purchased for Valentine’s Day in the U.S.• 220,000 is the average number of wedding proposals on Valentine’s Day each year.