Serving Cleburne County since 1906 TEAM I COMMUNITY 7 Two 8th-grade teams from Cleburne County High School travelled to Mobile, AL, on Friday, February 21, to compete in the Math and Science Bowl at the Alabama School of Math and Science.
Send your announcements to: mpointer@cleburnenews.com Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. 75 CENTS
news@cleburnenews.com
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Cleburne receives new radios St. Pawtrick’s LAURA CAMPER
news@cleburnenews.com
Cleburne County received and distributed mobile and portable radios to the Sheriff’s office and the Heflin and Ranburne police departments this week. But it may be some time before local law enforcement can use the radios in a digital frequency, said Steve Swafford, county administrator. The equipment eventually will become part of the county’s digital emergency communication network, something local law enforcement officers believe will improve communication with officers in the field, they said. Since the county narrowbanded its frequency in 2012 as required by the Federal Communications Commission, the officers have had spotty communication with Cleburne County dispatch, said Cleburne County Chief Investigator Michael Gore. “We started having interference and it put officers’ lives in danger,” Gore said. Heflin Police Chief A. J. Benefield agreed. “If they’re calling for help or need assistance, we’re no help if we can’t hear them,” Benefield said. The county investigated the interference for months, but couldn’t find a definitive cause. In June, the county tried using a different radio tower to communicate with the officers. But it didn’t work.
Finally, officers from the de-
radios. Heflin received three
Laura Camper
Jason Smallwood field service tech with McCord Communication is showing the new communication equipment they installed in the county. partments tested several different types of equipment and chose the analog-digital equipment purchased from McCord Communications. The county used a $40,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security to buy the equipment. The Sheriff’s office received 31 mobile units for police vehicles and hand-held
mobile units and three handheld radios. Heflin also bought another six mobile units and nine hand-helds and the base unit for the department, Benefield said. Ranburne received three mobile units and three hand-helds, Swafford said. The county applied to the Federal Communications Commission to convert the frequen-
cy emergency communications already uses from analog to digital. But the commission found some nearby frequency licenses that might have been affected by the longer reach of digital communications, said David Butts, sales manager for McCord Communications, which sold the new equipment to the county. In order for the FCC to issue the license those affected agencies have to issue a letter agreeing to the change. But one licensee declined, Butts said. The county has now applied for a secondary analog frequency it uses to be converted to digital, he said. It could be a month, it could be six months before the county hears whether there are any issues with its new application, Butts said. The new equipment will improve clarity and increase coverage for the officers, Butts said. But the officers won’t see the full effect until the frequency changes over to digital. “Digital signals travel much better, much further,” Butts said. “That’s one reason we’re having to get letters of consent from out of state.” That means better communication for the officers, but it also increases the likelihood of interference, Butts said. Benefield said he’s just hoping for clear communication. “We haven’t had that for a long time,” he said. Staff writer Laura Camper 256-463-2872. On Twitter @ LCamper_Star.
Former Cleburne publisher dies LAURA GADDY
Consolidated News Service
Longtime newspaperman Ed Fowler died from an illness early Sunday, just a week after ending a career that spanned more than four decades. During his time in journalism, Fowler, 67, worked at Alabama papers such as The Tuscaloosa News, The Montgomery Advertiser and The Anniston Star.
By the time Fowler was hired at The Daily Home in Talladega in 1992, he had already spent almost two decades in the business. He also served as The Cleburn News publisher for more than 15 years. Fowler’s wife, Trisha, said he died early Sunday morning at Regional Medical Center in Anniston. “Last week when I saluted my old friend Ed on his retirement, I never expected I wouldn’t see him again,” wrote Brandt Ayers, chairman of Consolidated Publishing Co. and publisher of The Anniston Star, in a statement emailed Sunday. “He was such good company with an
For news stories call Laura at 256.463.2872 +
archive of stories gleaned from a long and varied career in the news and management side of newspapers.” After spending more than two decades with Consolidated Publishing, Fowler resigned on March 1. Consolidated publishes The Star and The Home. “He was a good friend and had a long, successful history with Consolidated papers and other newspapers. He will be sorely missed,” said Phil Sanguinetti, Consolidated’s president. Away from work, Fowler was a husband, a father to three, a stepfather to two and a grandfather. Besides his wife and children, he is survived by a sister
— one of three siblings — and his mother, Katherine Fowler, 86, of Rome, Ga. Fowler enjoyed golf, reading novels and attending church, Trisha Fowler said Sunday. “He was my best friend,” she said. “I was just blessed to be his wife.” She also said Fowler got his first job in the business as a newspaper carrier at about 12. She said he would sit on the hood of his father’s car, his young brothers at his side, and toss newspapers onto lawns. Fowler began working for Consolidated when he was n See Fowler page 8
INDEX: Opinion/Editorial . . . . . . 3 Church Sponsor . . . . . . . 6 Sports . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 4
Heflin Highlights. . . . . . 2 Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Day events
LAURA CAMPER
news@cleburnenews.com
Once a year, Heflin celebrates its Irish heritage with its annual St. Pawtrick’s Day Pet Parade and the Strides of March 5K. The events set for Saturday are the most recent celebrations of what used to be Cleburne Day, in memory of Patrick R. Cleburne, the county’s namesake. Cleburne, who was born in Ovens, Ireland, on March 16, 1828, was an Irish immigrant who settled in Arkansas. He served in the Confederate Army and quickly rose through the ranks to become Maj. Gen. Cleburne. He was killed in battle in Franklin, Tenn., in 1864, according to some websites that detail Cleburne’s life. This year’s events will begin at the Heflin Recreation Department on Coleman Street with the 5-kilometer footrace at 8 a.m. Registration begins at 7 a.m. The 5K will be followed by a children’s 1 mile fun run. The cost to register for the 5K is $20 and for the fun run is $12. At 10 a.m. registration begins for the Pet Parade at Small Town Bank on Ross Street. There is no fee to participate in the parade, and all kinds of pets are welcome. The parade has previously featured chickens, rabbits and last year, a resident brought a pet turtle for the parade, said Heflin City Clerk Shane Smith. The pets are invited to dress up in their St. Patrick’s Day finery, he said, and there is a prize for bestdressed. There also are prizes for the most unique, largest and smallest pets. The parade will proceed up Ross Street to the Cleburne County Courthouse steps. At Ross Park in front of the courthouse, vendors, pet organizations and advocates and the Tickled Pink Petting Zoo from Graham will entertain residents from about noon to 1:30 p.m., Smith said. The Liberty Hill Methodist Church will serve a fish fry to benefit Relay for Life, Smith said. The rabies clinic that generally sets up for the event was unable to attend this year, Smith said. The clinic will instead set up at Small Town Bank on March 29 at 4 p.m., he said. “We just want people to come up and enjoy the day,” Smith said. Staff Writer Laura Camper 256463-2872. On Twitter @LCamper_ Star.
To subscribe
256-463-2872 P.O. Box 6, Heflin, AL 36264 FAX: 256-463-7127
Matthew 22:37 Don’t wait till there is a problem with your tank
JDS JDS
CALL Joey Sprayberry
Septic & Services
Pumping • Installation • Repairs • Grading & Clearing • Storm Shelters Licensed • Bonded • Insured Serving Alabama & Georgia
AL# (256) 419-1105 • GA # (770) 574-3648
386 Ross Street • Heflin, AL 36264
256.463.2224
+