Troy AL News Commentary and Reading Recommendations

Seems the maker of the whiskey didn't have a clear head, to endanger such a desirable status.

From http://www.wtvynews4.com/home/headlines/1231227.html:
 
Conecuh Ridge is about to lose its designation as Alabama's official whiskey.
State Representative Alan Boothe of Troy got the House to pass a resolution today repealing the designation. (...)
Boothe got the Legislature to designate the Troy-based liquor as an official Alabama product last year. But (...) (t)he maker of Conecuch Ridge, Kenny May, recently pleaded guilty in Geneva and Houston counties to charges of illegal sales. May was ordered to pay a total of $1,200, $49 in fines and court costs.

Maybe Alabama will find a different hard liquor to replace the product. How about "the well-concealed mystery bottle in a brown paper bag"?

09:06 AM   

This website deals with the current situation of rural Alabama, points out strategies for economic improvement, and warns of a "The Crisis in Rural Alabama." Very much worth a read.
 
Ironically, it takes several minutes to download over a high-speed connection, and requires Acrobat reader. So, few rural residents will be able to read it. Which is sad because it's a great document and features many great photos of rural Alabama as well.

From http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/edi/:
 
Rural communities throughout the South have struggled for decades – and still struggle – to provide jobs, good schools, quality health care, adequate infrastructure, and an improved quality of life. Some states and communities have done a better job of addressing these issues than others. We highlight a few of these stories.
The typical small farmer now derives a majority of his income off the farm. Even larger farms usually have at least one family member with a job “in town” to provide access to medical and other benefits. The slow death of family farming has had devastating effects on Alabama’s rural communities. With the loss of farm income, rural communities witnessed the exodus of the grain dealers, gins, restaurants, insurance companies, feed stores, chemical companies, banks and other businesses that were the backbone of their local economies. Gone also were tax revenues that funded rural schools, hospitals, highways, libraries, and all the other facets of life needed for a healthy community.

Some of the many examples in the document include Andalusia's Henderson Sewing Machine company, and Eufaula's successful strategic plan which includes preserving its environmental resources and reviving its farmer's market.
 
Some of the recommendations in the article are: Create an Alabama Rural Development Council - Create a position/office in state government that focuses exclusively on rural development. - Implement a regional economic and community development strategy and program. - Support the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) Program - Upgrade the rural technology infrastructure - Support Interstate highway expansions in rural Alabama - and more.

08:19 AM   

From http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily...s/040421a.shtml:
 
Congratulations to Troy State University, or should we say Troy University?
It will take a while before those who attended and are familiar with Troy State University to catch on to the idea that "state" has been dropped from the name.
The university's trustees voted to change the name. The change takes place in August 2005.

Trustees took the action to boost the university's image. In the article, the Decatur Daily speculates it might be good to rename Athens State University, as well.

08:34 AM   

From http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...0/APF/404200833:
 
Staffing company Kelly Services Inc. Tuesday said its profit more than tripled in the first quarter due to the economic recovery, with particular growth in international business.
The Troy-based company said its net profit rose to $1.1 million, or 3 cents a share, from the prior year's $310,000, or 1 cent a share.

Great news!

06:57 AM   

Wonderful hope for type 1 diabetics. Could the days of dependency on insulin shots and insulin infusions come to an end in the near future?

From http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/ind...08948100540.xml:
 
A 24-year-old Troy woman's lifelong dependency on insulin shots and pumps to deal with her diabetes may be over after receiving the first pancreatic cell transplant performed in Alabama.
Doctors said Monday that Valerie Hendrix's new cells began working 24 hours after the procedure, which was performed at UAB Hospital on April 15.

The procedure took 40 minutes. Surgeons infused the cells into Hendrix's liver with a catheter.
 
Hendrix received 720,000 isletcells, which could be enough to cure her diabetes if they function properly.

07:41 AM   

I bet the move is welcomed by students and teachers. It's easy to overlook that in schools, just as much (and important) work is done as in company offices and highrises. The mind works better if the body is comfortable.

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...nion/edit62.txt:
 
Under a proposal, to be ironed out by Mayor Jimmy Lunsford and the board of education, the city would put $55,000 a year toward a school bond issue that would air condition gymnasiums at Charles Henderson Middle School and Academy Street, provide renovations to the athletic facilities at Charles Henderson High School and renovate the Recreation Department's current office space the school board will take over when the department moves into new offices at the SportsPlex.
(...)
c:

08:34 AM   

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...ews/story02.txt:
 
The grant seeks $470,000 from the agency to defray the construction costs that engineering estimates place at nearly $800,000.
A second grant for $200,000 is also being sought from the state's Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Grant Program
(...) "A business incubator is a great tool. Auburn's Chamber has used this for years to start new companies, and Auburn's success is really outstanding," he said.
The proposed facility would be about 15,000 square feet and include three manufacturing bays, 12 office spaces, one technology pod, a conference room, a break room, and common restrooms.

Sounds like a great project, let's keep our fingers crossed that it works! Who knows, maybe the next Bill Gates will start at Troy Industrial Park. (Not extremely likely but possible!)

07:02 AM   

People like that should be an inspiration to all of us!

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...ews/story04.txt:
 
Johnny Barron of Troy received the African American Leadership Conference 2004 Leadership Award for his long commitment to community and the leadership role he plays, in both adult and youth activities.
(...) "I am speechless," Barron said. "This is a total surprise to me. I am a workaholic. Everyone tells me that. But I love what I do and I owe so much to my father who inspired me to play music. I thank God for what I am able to do and I thank all of you for this award."

Congratulations!

08:28 AM   

The students participated in 'Job Shadow Day'

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...ews/story05.txt:
 
The Pike County Sheriff's Department hosted six students from county and city schools and showed them everything from the inside of the patrol car to the inside of the courtroom.
"I rode around with Dennis Riley," said Jon Eric Troesch, an eighth-grader from Banks Middle School. "He took me to look for speeders, but there weren't any so we came back to the courthouse."
(...) Troesch said the group of students was able to sit in on some of the court cases.
"There was one guy who stole a four-wheeler and another person who stole something and then murdered a guy," he said.

Sounds like great fun - and educational, in the broadest sense. Hands-on learning like that is the kind that sticks with you for life. I commend the local business owners and members of the courthouse and Sheriff's Department that helped these kids get insight into their jobs.

08:31 AM   

Read the article for more information. How about a ballot box right at a basketball goal at the university? People would have to 'dunk' their votes and get some exercise in the process.

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...ews/story01.txt:
 
Troy City Council members are considering the location of voting boxes in the upcoming municipal elections this summer.
The city will have until Feb. 24 to set the polling places and the actual boxes located inside those polling places, City Clerk Alton Starling said.
(...) Any change in polling places require the approval of the U.S. Dept. of Justice under the Voting Rights Act of the 1965, Starling said.

Municipal elections are scheduled for Aug. 24 A runoff election, if required, will be on Sept. 14.

09:58 AM   

So these things do work!

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...ews/newss02.txt:
 
An AMBER Alert issued in Florida has resulted in the location of a 15-year old girl in Troy.
Law enforcement officers from Houston County, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Niceville (Fla.) Police Department and Florida Department of Law Enforcement recovered Janelle Angelea Adkins at 300 Second Avenue Tuesday evening.
(...) Adkins left the Troy house with Florida law enforcement.
Scarbrough said that no arrests were made in Troy.
(...) AMBER is the acronym for America's Missing Broadcast Emergency Response and is a voluntary partnership between law enforcement and local broadcasters, who have agreed to allow the Emergency Alert System to be activated in the event a person under the age of 18 is abducted.
The AMBER plan has four distinct purposes: to provide a rapid response to the most serious child abduction cases; to gain the assistance of thousands of television viewers and radio listeners through the coverage area; to coerce the kidnapper to release the child for fear of arrest; and to deter people from committing the crime.
It was implemented in Alabama June 1, 2003.

Interesting information. Keep on the lookout for those AMBER alerts and help find missing children. Ten-thousands of children go missing each year in the Southeast U.S. Most are family-related or runaways, not violent abductions by strangers, but the numbers are staggering just as well!

06:25 AM   

Gotta love that headline, thought up by the clever folks at the Messenger:

From http://www.troymessenger.com/articles/20...ews/story02.txt:
 
Troy electricity gets jolt
(...) Troy's electrical distribution system is about to receive a $6.9 million jolt.
Troy officials plan to move forward with an upgrade to the city's electrical system that should result in fewer outages and shorter restorations.
(...) "That's all on old poles, and we've nearly lost that line several times (from car strikes or weather-related instances)," said Lance Junkin, an engineer with Stewart Engineering.
(...) While engineers had planned a phased project over five years, the council chose to move ahead with the total project because funding was available through the city's recent bond issue.
"The design work is going forward right away, and work will hopefully begin this summer," Lunsford said.

Lunsford expects the upgrade to be completed by the summer of 2005.

06:49 AM