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From The Tribune staff reports
ODENVILLE — The suspect killed during a police chase and shooting on Saturday, March 20, 2021, in St. Clair County has been identified. According to reports, 41-year-old Gerald Wayne Marlin Jr was shot and killed following the chase. See SHOOTING, Page 3
Pinson Council aids Palmerdale Fire Station with staffing crisis By Crystal McGough
PINSON – Palmerdale Fire Chief Jason Howell addressed the Pinson City Council during both the pre-council and regular council meetings Thursday night, March 18, 2021, to request assistance with finances to staff paramedics in the Palmerdale Fire District. See PINSON COUNCIL, Page 5
Local attorney coaches Cumberland team to national competition From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — Trial teams from Samford’s Cumberland School of Law dominated a major regional competition in March. The teams will now advance to the national competition, and one of the coaches is a Trussville attorney. See CUMBERLAND, Page 5
Leeds Council member alleges discrimination by mayor; Council approves new member By Nathan Prewett
Leeds – At a regular meeting of the Leeds City Council on March 15, 2021, Councilor DeVoris Ragland-Pierce alleged discrimination and neglect of services to District 5 by Leeds Mayor David Miller. See LEEDS COUNCIL, Page 4
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TRUSSVILLE — A Remlap family is hoping to find their beloved pet after the dog disappeared from Deerfoot Animal Clinic on Sunday, March 21, 2021. Evie, the less-than 5 lb. Yorkie was being boarded at the clinic while the family was on a trip to Disney. Natasha Peek, said her daughter, Laci, got the dog for her seventh birthday. When Laci turned 13 this week, the family decided to take a trip to the “Happiest Place on Earth” but the trip has been anything but happy. “What kid should be bawling their eyes out at Disney?” Peek said. “She [Evie] is not just a dog, she is like my daughter’s child.” Deerfoot Animal Clinic owner, Dr. Scott Russell, said the dog slipped out of a small opening between the building and the fence, while kennel attendants were inside cleaning the runs. He said the clin-
ic has done all they can to try and find the dog. “This sort of thing is not supposed to happen, and we take all the precautions that we can,” said Russell. “We’ve got the fence buried underground so they can’t get out, but this one little bitty pup just squeezed through that little gap.” Since the incident, the small opening on the gate has been temporarily barricaded. Russell said he plans to per-
manently fix the fence very soon. The family dropped off Evie and their other dogs at Deerfoot Friday, before leaving for their trip. Peek said they were contacted Sunday evening about the dog running away. “We boarded her there and she was left unattended while she was out doing her potty break,” said Peek. “She got out at 4 p.m. and we were told about it at 10 that night.”
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CENTER POINT — When David Haynes considered the call to serve as a pastor for the first time in 2014, the finance committee chairman at his prospective church gave him this news — the church was only going to be able to make it for about two more years. TURNING OVER THE KEYS The small, aging congregation was struggling to pay the bills for the sprawling church campus, and the group was only getting smaller. But what has happened in the nearly seven years since can only be described as a string of miracles, Haynes said — and that includes the fact that the congregation will be turning over the keys to another church soon. “I just have to say ‘praise the Lord’ for the way it’s worked out,” he said. First Baptist Church, Center Point, came with a “long and rich history,” said Haynes, who came there after a long career in public and private school education. As the story goes, Mrs.
Franklin — the owner of the grocery store across the street — felt a burden to build a church on the corner, so she started taking up a collection. When she finally got enough money to start the church in 1914, she got sick and had to be brought over in a rocking chair in a wagon for the first service. She died days later. Decades down the road, Haynes found a group just as dedicated, passion-filled and generous. “When I got here, I was impressed with the compassion of these people,” he said. “They’re so giving. We’ve just recorded one miracle after another.”
When the church has teetered on the edge of not paying its bills, the small band of church members has given sacrificially to keep the lights on at the large campus. Checks have shown up just when they needed to. And miracles have come in other ways too, Haynes said. Because of their good relationship with city officials, they got connected with a business that purchased one of their lots to build a restaurant. RESCUED BY GOD God has continued to “rescue” them, he said. And they haven’t taken that for granted — they’ve used their time
At the time of the incident, Deerfoot had 40-50 boarded pets and there were around three kennel workers on site. Office Manager Pat Ruschhaupt said the group working at the time let several small dogs out to use the bathroom while they cleaned the runs. “While they’re doing this, they are also peeking out the door, checking on them,” Ruschhaupt said. “It’s not like they leave them out there and nobody goes and looks.” Ruschhaupt said employees take turns watching the dogs while runs are cleared. When one of the workers came back, she realized a dog was missing. Russell said he was notified shortly after the dog disappeared and he immediately looked into what happened. “I don’t think it was gross negligence on our part,” said Russell. “It’s not like we left the gate open. See MISSING DOG, Page 6
there to reach out to the community. A thriving Hispanic congregation meets in the building too, and Haynes has been leading a Bible study at a nearby community college for a while now. But as resources stretched thin, church leaders explored offers made to purchase the church campus. In the end, neither of the two offers felt like the right thing to do. And then one day Haynes got a call from a church member saying a church near them — Greater Grace Missionary Baptist Church — had burned. GOD’S PROVISION Lawrence Jackson Sr., pastor of Greater Grace, said Haynes was one of the first people to come and check on them. “He said, ‘Our church had an emergency meeting, and we want you to meet in our building,’” Jackson said. It wasn’t the first time he had seen God miraculously provide his church with a building. See FBC CENTER POINT, Page 4
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FBC Center Point to pass ‘baton of ministry’ on Easter By Grace Thornton
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Family searching for dog after incident at Trussville boarding facility By Erica Thomas, managing editor
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March 24 - 30, 2021 Suspect killed in St. Clair County car chase identified
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Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Trussville opening soon From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — Tropical Smoothie Cafe will open its new Trussville location the first week of April. The location will be in a strip development at 2050 Gadsden Highway. Blake Thomas with See TROPICAL SMOOTHIE, Page 5
Home exterior business moving to Trussville From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — A new home exterior business is moving from Irondale to Trussville. NAI Chase Commercial, a member of the world’s premier managed network of commercial real estate firms, NAI Global, made the announcement Thursday. See DURANTE, Page 2
New Raindrop Car Wash in Clay now open By Erica Thomas, managing editor
CLAY — Raindrop Car Wash in Clay is now open. The car wash is in the old Fred’s location, off Deerfoot Parkway, after a major remodel and renovation. The car wash offered free car washes during the first week of business. See RAINDROP, Page 3
Alabama protest bill approved over objections By Kim Chandler Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers approved a bill — filed after the tumultuous summer protests — to stiffen penalties for participating in riots and traffic-blocking demonstrations. See PROTEST BILL, Page 6