SELMA SUN | July 11, 2019

Page 1

SHINING THE LIGHT ON SELMA AND DALLAS COUNTY, ALABAMA July 11, 2019 | Volume 4, Issue 24

www.selmasun.com

50 ¢

Selma residents pitch in to save city sports BY CINDY FISHER Selma Sun Staff

City squabbles over leadership of the Parks and Recreation Department have shut down Selma’s city sports programs, and volunteers from across Dallas County are offering to help keep it alive. The Selma City Council on June 27 defunded the director position of Parks and Recreation, which eliminated the job of Sean VanDiver. Then, last week, Mayor Darrio Melton moved the two assistant directors of Parks and Recreation to the Public Works department, leaving the parks department without leaders to run the sports league that includes football and baseball that would start soon for the fall season. The Selma Sun has left messages for Melton and several City Council members and none were returned by press time. There was a massive outpouring of support on social media this week, with many volunteering to help coach or repair facilities to make sure Selma’s kids get to play sports. Others suggested forming a nonprofit that would run the league. Morgan Academy's Athletic Director and head football coach Josh Thacker said he would volunteer to oversee a city rec league. In a social media post directed to the mayor,

Selma city sports have shut down, including fall sports like football. Photo provided.

Thacker said he has served as an athletic director at two schools for seven years and has extensive experience with budgets and running a league. “I learned under the best coaches in the state of Alabama as to how an athletic department should look,” he said on Facebook. “I would love to talk with you about what could be done to save youth sports in Selma. I would gladly and proudly take over the department and keep it in top shape.” Thacker said he has not received a response from the mayor as of press time. As a coach, Thacker says having kids grow up in city leagues prepares them to play at the higher level, like high school and college. A Fayette native, Thacker said many of his fondest memories as a kid were from playing in his local sports league. “Little League sports are paramount in a community,” he said. “I have a 3-year-old son and I want him to be a part of something special like that too.” Thacker hopes to “rally the city of Selma behind city recreational sports, much like the community did to cut grass at the cemeteries after city workers were laid off late last year. Selma’s city recreational facilities need repairs and upgrades, and a nonprofit would allow fundraising to cover costs, Thacker said.

Selma mayor escapes ‘no confidence’ vote as council urges him to rehire laid off employees BY FRED GUARINO Selma Sun Staff

The Selma City Council Tuesday showed that they’re losing faith in Mayor Darrio Melton, but not enough to pass a “no confidence” order against him. Four council members voted in the affirmative, but four either passed or abstained

and another council member was absent, so the vote died. Instead, the council said they will continue to try to work with Melton and urged him to rehire the 69 employees he laid off at the end of 2018 citing budget constraints. The council voted unanimously to reaffirm a previous vote that provided funds to cover costs for all laid off city employees.

Council member Angela Benjamin, who voted yes to the no confidence vote, said the council previously approved enough money to cover the positions and it’s up to the mayor now to bring them back. “We don’t have the power to bring them (employees) back. This was a vote in support of a vote we already made,”

she said. “We put the money there for all of the employees to return. It is on the mayor of the city to bring them back or not.” She said Melton has said he wants to bring employees back, “So, he can bring them back.” Many of the laid off employees worked in the public works department and their

return would put manpower back on maintaining city land, including cutting grass at the cemeteries. Volunteers have been cutting grass since May. The rehiring could also restaff the Parks and Recreation department that is now understaffed and has caused a shutdown in kids’ sports team activities.

On the “no confidence” vote, Council President Corey D. Bowie abstained, Carl Bowline passed, Johnnie M. Leashore passed and Michael Johnson abstained. Council member Susan Youngblood was absent. Council members Benjamin, Miah Jackson, Samuel Randolph and Jannie Thomas all voted in the affirmative, but it was not enough.

Best Buy, partners bring high-tech equipment to teach Selma teens BY TODD PRATER Selma Sun Staff

Those who have access to equipment and instruction have a better chance of succeeding in this high-tech world. But what about kids in underserved communities who don’t have access to computers and teaching? That’s where Best Buy is lending a hand, and Selma is on the list. Best Buy has partnered with a number of tech companies and opened Best Buy Teen Tech Centers in nearly 30 low-income communities around the country to help fill the tech gap. Through the work of the MJ 93/90 Foundation, in conjunction with Wallace Community College, a Best Buy Teen Tech center has opened

in Selma on the Wallace campus. The MJ 93/90 Foundation was created by Michael D. Johnson, an NFL player from Selma. Adam Pettway is the director and coordinator of the local center. He said these centers are a place for kids to explore a wide variety of tech-related fields in a hands-on environment with mentors available to help if needed. Pettway said the communications industry is represented with programs to handle everything from still photography to videography and audio production. “All of our computers have the Adobe [Creative] Suite, which includes Premier Pro, Photoshop, After Effects and more so students can take their content and edit it,” Pettway explained. He also said they have state-of- the-art video

cameras and a green screen for kids to use in their movie or video production. Green screen is the technology used in television stations to superimpose the meteorologist onto weather maps and radar. Any picture can be used, so students can put themselves in the middle of Rome or on the moon if they choose to do so. An audio booth is under construction. Pettway said Best Buy Teen Tech Centers will also serve kids with interests in other aspects of the arts and sciences. He said the center is always growing and expanding. “If we have a kid come in and say they’re interested in something and genuinely want to know more about it, all they need to do is let us know, and we will do whatev-

er it takes to get them the tools they need to learn more about it,” Pettway said. For example, if a student wants to learn how to put designs on T-shirts, the center will do what it takes to get the proper equipment and materials so students can learn the process, and “maybe turn a hobby into a lucrative career.” At a recent soft opening of the center, some kids were invited to give the center a test run. Thomasine Johnson said that Best Buy and Michael Johnson are working out scheduling conflicts, so the grand opening date is not set, but they are looking at a date at the end of July. She added that students can go by the center anytime it is open. It is located on the campus of Wallace Community College next to the library.

Teens in Dallas County now have access to high-tech equipment thanks to Best Buy and Michael Johnson’s Foundation MJ 93/90.

Subscribe today at

www.selmasun.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.