The Trussville Tribune – April 19 - 25, 2023

Hewitt-Trussville band students’ impromptu National Anthem brings down the house

Leeds council rejects ordinance modifying R-5 zoning code

By Nathan Prewett

For the Tribune

LEEDS – At a meeting on Monday, April 17, the Leeds City Council rejected an ordinance discussed at the previous meeting that would modify the R-5, garden home district.

of the HTHS Chamber Choir, brought a crowd of Washington, D.C., tourists to complete silence on Saturday, April 15, 2023, when they began an impromptu performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The Husky Band, along with Springville High School’s Mighty Band from Tiger Land, were in the nation’s capital this weekend to perform in the annual National Cherry Blossom Festi-

Moms 4 Life Blood Drive’ to be held Saturday in honor of Aniah

By Crystal McGough Associate Editor

val Parade, which took place Saturday morning at 10 a.m. EST/ 9 a.m. CST, from 7th – 17th Streets Northwest off Constitution Avenue.

Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty hosts 2023 Annual Art Competition

By Crystal McGough Associate Editor

TRUSSVILLE – Ala-

bama’s Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty (EWCF) held its annual high school art competition at the Trussville Public Library on Thursday, April 13.

Eight local high schools were represented in the competition, including Center Point, Fultondale, Pinson, Springville, Shades Valley, Oneonta, Hewitt-Trussville and Moody. This was Fultondale and Oneonta’s first year to participate in the contest.

“We’ve been doing the art competition for over 30 years,” said Lisa Dole, EWCF 2nd Vice President and Art Show Chair.

“It’s a great way to recognize the students and their abilities,” EWCF President Janice Braue added.

Committee members said the turnout was one of the largest they have ever had for this event. Refreshments were provided and each of the

student participants received an honorable mention.

Isabella Martin, from Moody High School, won first place and was awarded $150 for her mixed media art titled “3008.”

Second place, along with a $100 prize, went to DeAsia Ward, from Springville High School, for a colored pencil piece titled “Pink Snake.”

Third place, along with a $75 prize, went to Ava Jew-

MARTY’S TRUSSVILLE

ell, from Hewitt-Trussville High School, for a watercolor painting titled “Morning in the Mountains.”

Additionally, as the teacher of the winning student, Moody High School art teacher April Bishop was awarded a $150 gift certificate to Alabama Art Supply. The committee also had door prizes, which consisted of various art supplies and a gift card to Alabama Art Sup-

ply. Door prize winners were Isabella Martin, Ava Jewell and Anna Lovell.

The students’ artwork will continue to be on display in the lobby of the Trussville Public Library through Thursday, April 20. Next year’s EWCF

Art Competition is scheduled for Thursday, April 11, 2024.

The artists:

• HTHS – Emma Haynes, Olivia Evans, Haley

Melton, Ava Jewell, Xinyuam Huang and Siena Mugnaini (teacher Laykin Rubin)

• Springville High School

– DeAsia Ward, Haley

Abts, Reagan Schlenker, Deasia Ward, Trace Whitt, Nick Latty, Breanna Byrd, Emma Claire Kimbrough, CeCily Johnson and Sadari Cameron (teacher Jennifer Brand)

• Fultondale High School –Daniel Arrington, Avery

Leech, Jazmin House and Joy Ukeje (teacher Eric Quick)

See ART, Page 4

CLAY – LifeSouth Community Blood Centers is partnering with two Alabama

‘2

Blanchard, Destiny

Washington

Photo by Crystal McGough

Hewitt-Trussville High School Band at the White House (Instagram @hthsband)

The Trussville Tribune

190 Main Street Trussville, AL 35173

(205) 533-8664

Scott Buttram, Publisher publisher@trussvilletribune.com

Crystal McGough, Associate Editor news@trussvilletribune.com

Tree Talk: Wood Wide Web

By Anthoni Goodman, Ph.D. Commentary

In the past couple of years, you may have read that trees can communicate with one another using an invisible network of fungi, but what does it mean for trees to communicate? That old oak tree in your front yard isn’t going to say ‘howdy’ as you walk by, and it certainly isn’t sending you a text – but it can send chemical messengers through its roots into the vast network of hundreds of fungi which are happy to pass along the note to nearby trees, shrubs, and even grasses. The fungi are not just the mushrooms which pop up after a good rain but the tiny white, yellow, or orange threads which innervate most of the topsoiland provide countless services as they break down old plant matter and create fresh soil. These cobweb-looking threads are actually the body of the fungus which can range from inches in size to miles wide in extreme cases.

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Sanders, Sports Editor news@trussvilletribune.com

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Butch Cole, Director of Business Development takebacktrussville@gmail.com

Many of these fungi have developed special relationships with plants in which these fibers, called mycelium, wrap around or even penetrate the rootlets of trees, shrubs, and pretty much anything with roots and set up shop. At this junction they trade water for the plant’s sugars. This interaction is called a mycorrhizal relationship. The mycelium is far thinner and wider than even a tree‘s roots and can soak up a lot of water, but they desperately want what the plant makes and they can’t – fuel in the form of sugars and carbohydrates. These relationships go further as many fungi can lure, trap, and digest small bugs such as springtails and nematodes and trade vital nitrogen for even more sugars! Moreso, they help mycorrhizal plants become more resistant to disease as fungi can act like an external immune

system, taking out bacteria and pests before they reach the plant. This symbiotic relationship helps both plants and fungi thrive where they otherwise wouldn’t have. In fact, many plants and fungi can’t grow to maturity without a partner. These relationships have gone so far that some trees need a specific subset of fungi to grow, and some fungi can’t grow without their special tree buddies! Orchids can’t even germinate without their mycorrhizal partners. This is why most soil mixes are actually pre-inoculated with known beneficial fungi (check it out on the next bag of potting soil you buy!).

Okay, so fungi are pretty much everywhere in the soil and have plant friends, but what about the communica-

tion? Plants don’t just send out buckets of sugar to keep the fungi happy, they also send out a constant trickle of chemical messengers. These chemicals (just little organic molecules) are a kind of diagnostic of the tree – some might mean the tree is getting lots of great sun while others may indicate a bug infestation. These signals are passed from one plant to another through the fungi, allowing the other plants to unfurl their leaves a bit more for the sun or shore up their defenses against the bug infestation. This underground wood-wide web allows for plants, even different species, to work as a community by simply telling their neighbors how they are doing. That means that in some ways the trees ac-

tually are chatting about the weather, gossiping about their pest-infested neighbors, or even encouraging their young ones to grow. In some cases, the fungi are even tasked with storing sugars, nitrogen, and other vital nutrients for new plants in the neighborhood as the local environment shifts – all to keep the community healthy, happy, and thriving even in times of transition. Who would have thought that mycorrhizal relationships would have such wisdom to share? I wonder what we’ll learn next time we tap into the Wood-Wide Web?

Dr. Goodman recently published the book “Edible Wild Mushroom Foraging and Identification presented by The Alabama Mushroom Society”.

Monday - Friday 8am-5pm Saturday 8am-2pm Closed Sunday

Member of the Alabama Press Association

L oca L / R egion

Cafe

a new page, opening a meatand-three café in Springville.

Top Notch Café and Catering officially opened at the former location of the Springville Café, located at 6204 Main Street, on Monday, April 3, 2023. Serving only lunch, their business hours are Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We started Top Notch Catering in Leeds on a shoestring and a prayer, God’s grace and a whole lot of miracles,” owner Tommy Jones said. “We really didn’t have anything; we just started a little catering company and it grew a little each year.”

Prior to 2020, a lot of Top Notch’s business revolved around corporate catering, but when Covid hit and employees began working remotely, that side of the business came to a sudden halt.

“There was no one to serve lunch to, so we were kind of forced out of our catering kitchen,” Jones said. “We just started driving

From front page Kilimanjaro

From front page

was doing a project to help bring clean water to communities in Kenya in February 2020 when inspiration hit.

About 50 miles from where Bond was working stood Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, standing at 5,895 meters – over 19,000 feet – tall.

“Every day, I could see Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background, and I thought to myself, I’d love to climb that mountain,” Bond said. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

Then, Bond had an idea to get a team together to climb the mountain in order to raise awareness for the needs of people in Africa, specifically the need for clean water.

Before long, Bond had formed a team of eight, including three people from Trussville, two from Africa, and others from Pennsylvania and Seattle, who will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in October 2023.

“The climb is kind of a catch to get people excited about changing the world, especially when it comes to clean water and water scarcity and water poverty across the world,” Bond said. “The more people who are aware of the needs and challenges, in terms of clean water and other needs, the more people know, the more people can get behind or support making a difference in the world.”

Each climber is tasked to share about the work Designs for Hope is doing internationally and invite others to be a part of something bigger than

around looking for a place to rebound. We were on a drive, ended up in Springville, and saw that the café was up for sale. The price was right and that was it; we bought it.”

For Jones, owning a small lunch-focused restaurant has been a lifelong dream.

“I’ve been in food my whole life,” he said. “I’ve waited tables, I’ve done white tablecloth, I’ve done barbecue. I’ve slung the hash and I’ve dropped the foie gras.

I’ve served both clienteles, as far as the quality of food. … This came available, and we hopped on it, so I finally got my lunch spot!”

Top Notch Café and Catering is a traditional Southern meat-and-three, serving staple items such as casseroles, fried chicken, hamburger steak, greens, potatoes and more. Their signature dish, however, is their Pecan Chicken. For dessert, Top Notch offers homemade

cobblers, bread pudding and banana pudding.

While Jones said he is not planning to get back into catering corporate lunches on weekdays, Top Notch’s catering services will still be available for weddings and other weekend events.

“There’s still a lot of catering on the table,” he said. “I’ll continue to take weddings … anybody that needs any kind of weekend catering, if it falls in the parameters of what we do, we’ll do that.”

Top Notch Café and Catering will be accepting call in orders for lunch, as well. To order, call the café at 205577-9431.

For more information, including pictures and reviews, visit their Facebook or website at www.topnotchcateringonline.com.

“With 16 years of catering experience, we now hope to bring our love of food, family, and service to this community,” a post on Top Notch’s Facebook page says. “We look forward to growing in this community and becoming a part of your family!”

was exploring that, the Lord just basically said, ‘Use your skills and talents to serve Me.’ So, putting the two together, we created the ministry,” he said. “We use engineering skillsets to provide for the spiritual and physical needs of churches and ministries and missional organizations in third world countries. We work with local North Ameri

can churches as well as differ

ent denominations both local

ly and internationally.” To learn more about De

signs for Hope, or to sign up to sponsor the Kilimanjaro Burpee Challenge, please visit designsforhope.org.

Band

From front page

Following the parade, the Husky Band visited the historic Jefferson Memorial, built in honor of former president Thomas Jefferson.

While inside, seven band students who are also members of the chamber choir formed a circle next to the statue of Thomas Jefferson and began singing the national anthem. A crowd of tourists fell silent as the students continued singing.

Following the impromptu performance, those listening erupted into cheers and ap-

plause.

“Our Chamber Choir students curated a special moment for everyone at the Jefferson Memorial this evening,” said a post on the Hewitt-Trussville High School Band Instagram Saturday night.

The full chamber choir, under the direction of HTHS choir teacher Alan Gillespie, has performed this version of the national anthem many times, including a Talladega performance on national television via Fox Sports.

To view the full performance, visit @hthsband on Instagram.

https://www.designsforhope.org

themselves.

As a way to raise awareness and also raise funds for clean water projects, the team is gathering at Cahaba Elementary on Saturday, April 22, at 5 a.m., to hold a “Burpee Challenge” fundraiser.

“We’re trying to raise a lot of money for projects, water projects specifically,” Bond said. “We’re doing one

burpee for every meter tall that the mountain is, so we’re doing 5,895 burpees in order to raise money. What we’re asking, if people are interested, is to donate one cent for every burpee that we do as a team. If they want to be a part, they can sponsor our burpees and that money will go directly towards water projects.”

Bond said that the team members are each planning to do 100 burpees per hour for eight hours.

“Each person is tasked to do about 800 burpees,” he said. “It’s just a fundraiser and a fun way to get people excited and involved in doing something that’s hard and challenging.”

Designs for Hope is a parachurch organization ministry that was founded in Trussville in July 2011. With a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Bond said he felt called to put his professional skillset to use serving God.

“I felt the call into international missions and as I

Where Love and Care Make a Difference

Credit: Hewitt-Trussville High School Band Instagram

Credit: Springville Bands Facebook page

Top Notch Café & Catering is located at 6204 Main Street, Springville. (Credit: Tommy Jones)

Photo by Chris Bond

Center Point High School

– Jerald Ivy, Khamya

Williams, Cori Davis, Joi

Quinn, Zenobia Gonzales and Lauren Slay (teacher

Melissa Sanchez)

• Oneonta High School –

Alexa Martinez, Gabri-

ella Medina, Cameron

Wilson, Abril Arriaga, Tori Tekulve and Natalie

Zarate (teacher Abby Pat-

terson)

• Moody High School –

Ariana Castillol, Keira

Jones, Anna Lavell, Rylee Butler, Malissa Hayes and

TCS

From front page on Monday, April 17, 2023, at 3 p.m., to give the community an opportunity to come out and meet the new superintendent of the school system, Dr. Patrick Martin.

From parents and students to administrators and teachers, former Board of Education members to current city council members, stakeholders in the community came out to shake hands and get to know their new superintendent while enjoying some light refreshments.

Following the meet-andgreet, the Board of Education held its regular monthly meeting at 5 p.m., where Martin’s superintendent contract was officially approved.

“I’d just like to say that my family, we are all very excited,” Martin said. “We’re excited to be part of the Trussville community and now it’s official after this evening. My children started school today – this was their first day here at Trussville – so, I had the opportunity to go pick up all three. I asked all three how was school today and they loved it. As a father, that’s really all you can ask for.”

Tears were shed as board members then gave a heartfelt farewell to Interim Superintendent Dr. Frank P. Costanzo.

“I’m pretty sure what I say will never be adequate to describe what you meant to Trussville,” Board President Kathy Brown said. “You came and you lead us through some tough times.”

Isabella Martin (teacher April Bishop) SVHS – Dominica Wilson, Jennifer Camacho and Kaylee Grill (teacher Jill Ritchey)

• PVHS – Rachel Conner, Maleah Pliscofsky, Micah Collier, Kylee O’Keefe, Roselyn Vega and Daniela Mungvia Alfaro (teachers Melissa Jones and Eric Screws)

Dole said she would like to thank the Eastern Women’s Art Committee, Alabama Art Supply, Art Contest Judge Misty Graves and the Trussville Public Library. The EWCF’s next event

will be its 21st Annual Charity Golf Tournament on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at Highland Park Golf Course in Birmingham, benefitting Parkinson Association of Alabama Inc. For more information on this and other EWCF events, visit easternwomen.org.

The Eastern Women’s Committee of Fifty was organized in April 1986, with a mission to participate in and improve the cultural, civic and charitable development of Alabama’s eastern communities. Over the past 35 years, the club has made over $1 million in contributions to various organizations.

Board Vice President Kim DeShazo seconded the appreciation for Costanzo leading the school system through recent hardships.

“You have been nothing but a godsend for all of us,” DeShazo said. “We have had some really tough times over the last six months, and you came in when you did and just, night one, the calming presence and the confidence and the ability was just immediate. I think all of us just took a deep breath because it’s been so much turmoil and you just calmed those waters quickly.”

Board member Sherrye Tolbert thanked Costanzo specifically for his leadership

over the last six months.

“I don’t think we would’ve made it,” Tolbert said. “Every time I would see you, I was like, ‘Can you stay?’”

Finally, board member Dr. Steve Ward expressed his appreciation and respect for Costanzo, educator to educator.

“As a fellow educator, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate what you have done; what you are doing,” Ward said. “You are a true school man, and that’s one of the highest compliments I can pay someone. So, thank you again. It’s a pleasure and honor to have worked with you. I wish you the best.”

The board presented Cos-

tanzo with a proclamation, which read, “Whereas Trussville City Schools has been fortunate to have Dr. Frank Costanzo serve as the Interim Superintendent of Schools Oct. 22, 2022, through April 2023; and whereas Dr. Costanzo has demonstrated a deep commitment to the Trussville City Schools and to ensuring that every student receives an excellent education; and whereas Dr. Costanzo has worked to lead the Trussville City Schools through a challenging time while ensuring that students and staff have a safe learning environment; and whereas Dr. Costanzo’s leadership and dedication has inspired the entire Trussville

City Schools community to come together and support our students and staff; Now, therefore, be it proclaimed that Trussville City Schools expresses its deepest gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Frank Costanzo for his exceptional service and dedication and Interim Superintendent.”

City Councilor and liaison Lisa Bright introduced the board to newly appointed BOE member Jason Daniel, giving them a brief bio on his credentials and qualifications.

“Jason currently serves as the vice president for Physician Practice Administration for the UAB Health System,” Bright said. “He has been with UAB for almost 25 years and has served in many capacities during his career. … He is currently serving as a board member and treasurer for Leadership Trussville.

“We thank you (Jason)

for applying. Jason applied multiple times and that shows his tenacity to serve on this board and we’re just grateful to have (him) join it and be a part.”

In other business, the board recognized two groups of students with Leadership Hewitt-Trussville who came to present their proposals for school improvement projects.

The students were introduced by Business Education teacher Amber Benson, who said the students were selected for Leadership Hewitt-Trussville after going through an application and interview process.

The first group, consisting of Katherine Andrae, Jia Jones, Bilal Khan and Emma Johnson, presented their proposal for directional signs around the high school campus that would not only be helpful to students, but first responders, as well.

The second group, consisting of Ella Grace Young, Ella Allen, Ava Njoroge and Abby Holloway, proposed “flexible lunch seating” at the high school in the form of counter-top style seating at various locations around the campus.

“This just again shows you what I have seen, that sometimes we take for granted how great our students are,” Dr. Costanzo said after both presentations.

The May monthly Board of Education meeting will be held Monday, May 15, 2023, in the boardroom of the TCS Central Office at 5 p.m. The meeting will be livestreamed on the TCS website.

“3008,” Mixed Media, by Isabella Martin “Pink Snake,” Color Pencil, by DeAsia Ward “Morning in the Mountains,” Watercolor, by Ava Jewell

Dr. Patrick Martin with his family. L-R: Jackson, Ryleigh, Patrick, Tyson, Treyson and Taren Martin (Photo by Crystal McGough)

Dr. Frank P. Costanzo and his wife Teresa. (Photo by Crystal McGough)

Leeds

From front page

At the last meeting, the proposal came from the Planning and Zoning Commission, which would require features of a home to be relocated to the back such as driveways and garbage cans.

Commission Chair Eddie Cook said that the ordinance would make homes in the district more aesthetically pleasing.

However, a resident and home building company owner, Curtis White, brought up concerns that the proposed ordinance would drive up the costs of homes for those who are first-time buyers. This was acknowledged at last night’s meeting by Mayor David Miller though he still favored the ordinance.

BOE

From front page

the month of February the district received 57.08% of the general fund revenues and 93.27% of the local revenues, up 2.57% from February of 2022. Expenditures and other fund uses in the general fund were 41.09% of the budget, under a target of 41.67%. Accounts payable were $467,013 and gross payroll expenditures were $1,236,524. The month was ended with an excess of revenues over expenditures in the general fund of $2,972,892.

The unreserved fund balance was $7,118,797.

Afterwards Superintendent John Moore spoke on the bus, saying that a new route will be added next year. Though he did not know the exact location of the route that will be added in the city, he said that it is an elementary route and that the reason was to alleviate some congestion on the current routes.

“We have two elementary routes that are close, that are very packed,” he said. “That

we need to break apart and make three routes from two.”

The bus was purchased for $126,318.

During comments, Director of Elementary Education and Federal Programs reported that there were 144 students in the summer enrichment program. Board member Kathy Dutton noted that the program has become quite popular recently, leading to more students being enrolled.

Moore made several announcements, starting with the courtyard project at the high school. He reported that Birmingham Decorative Concrete Owner Brandon Meeks annually selects a school to provide projects for and that Leeds was chosen for one this year. Moore said that the project will make the courtyard more aesthetically pleasing.

Moore then spoke about completing the massive and ongoing stadium project at the middle school, saying that he met with an architect, who is working on plans to bring bathrooms, the concession stand and other parts of the structure up to date.

The plans will also include an open space from the locker room area to the football field to create more room for attendants.

Moore addressed an ongoing effort to make the district eligible for federal funding for free lunches to all students. He said that a school official will attend a meeting in Montgomery where more details may be gleaned to make the district possibly qualify.

The final note of discussion was addressing attendance at the schools, namely for employees. Moore said during the COVID pandemic employee attendance experienced a decrease along with students. Afterwards the board discussed potentially implementing an attendance incentive program, with this option to be explored in the future.

The next meeting will be held on May 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Leeds Board of Education Building on 1517 Hurst Avenue. Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@ gmail.com.

“The other side of that argument – and I think that it was a very good point – is that we don’t make zoning on the basis of first-time homebuyers,” he said. “My first home was a trailer. Most people, unless they come from money, have been working for quite a while. They have to start at a reasonable level, which in most cases means a mobile home, a rental home or an existing home of a size that they can afford. And that’s normal. That’s the way you build the American dream.”

Councilman Eric Turner made a motion to adopt the ordinance but there was no second, causing it to fail.

Additionally, the council rejected another ordinance, this one being a request from Linda Miller to rezone a building on Lawley Avenue that she owns from R-2, single family to T-3, form-based code.

A public hearing was held in which several residents spoke out against the rezoning. The first was Jason King, who had spoke about the matter in a previous meeting and again brought up the reportedly dilapidated condition of the building.

He said that a previous application for the rezoning had originally requested that the building be rezoned to B-2 but was later changed to T-3. He added that the zoning commission approved recommending it despite objections from residents. He expressed concern that if the building was turned into a business after being rezoned it would impact the neighborhood, particularly with traffic. He urged the council to reject the ordinance.

Afterwards Jacob Meyer and Jason Pugh also expressed concerns about the potential of traffic to affect the area. Pugh asked that if the house was structurally unsound and can’t be renovated what the alternative would be.

Miller then addressed King’s point about the original B-2 designation, saying that it was a suggested change as it would be “too broad.” He clarified that the zoning would not say that the house is sound or unsound but that it would still be subject to standard inspections to determine if it is up to code.

“The zoning approval does not approve that house for use as a business,” he said. “It’ll approve that property as a use but it’ll have to meet the specifications.”

When it came to the vote during the regular meeting the ordinance was not met

with a motion, which caused it to fail.

The council also went into an executive session that had been delayed from several previous meetings. The session regarded possible litigation and lasted roughly 30 minutes before the council returned and voted to resolve it. Few details could be spared by City Attorney Scott Barnett other than to say that negotiations were still being worked out.

Susan Carswell spoke during public comments to complain about the way that baseball games have been handled at a park in the city, saying that among those are games have been cancelled or not played after parents paid to enter their children.

She said that a Parks and Recreation board member got into a heated argument with parents and a coach about supposedly using a field for practice without permission and used profanity. She asked what the council could do, to which Miller replied that it would be investigated.

Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 1400 9th Street Northeast. Agenda packets can be seen online at the City of Leeds website.

Nathan Prewett can be reached at nthomasp6@ gmail.com.

Mayor David Miller (Photo by Nathan Prewett)

John Moore on April 11, 2023

Class

From front page

theater-goers next weekend as they travel in time through American history. Opening night for the class’s spring performance, “A Turn of the Page through American Classics,” is Friday, April 21, at 7 p.m., at the Merch Events Center located at 8008 Parkway Drive in Leeds.

“We have 15 really talented kids doing some poetry – not just reading it but acting it out – and doing scenes from Little Women, Rip Van Winkle, Red Badge of Courage, Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Great Gatsby,” Director Victoria Boyce said. “These kids are really invested in their characters. We’ve worked hard on developing their characters, and making sure the kids understand what they’re saying and what’s going on in the scenes. So, I think they’re going to have a lot of fun with that.”

There will also be performances Saturday, April 22, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the final performance will be Sunday, April 23, at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $5 and will

Beautification

From front page

Beautification Board Awards Contest, which will be held Monday, June 5, with a rainday of Monday, June 12, 2023.

Nomination forms will be available from May 1-31, at Trussville City Hall, Trussville Public Library and the Trussville Chamber of Commerce. Nominations can also be submitted online at https:// trussville.org/wp-content/ uploads/2023/04/2023-Beautification-Nomination-Form-Fillable.pdf.

“It’s that time of year!

Beautification will be taking nominations for all kinds of awards,” Trussville Councilor and Beautification Board

Credit: Leeds-Moody Area Kids Acting Class

be available for purchase at the door, cash or check only. Concessions will also be available.

For more information on the Leeds-Moody Area Kids Acting Class, including upcoming semesters and performances, call Director Victoria

liaison Jaime Anderson said at the April 11 meeting of the Trussville City Council. The 2023 Trussville Beautification Board Contest categories are:

• Best use of color

• Best home landscape design

Best home overall

Best business overall

Best turf

“We are celebrating 30 years of the Trussville Beautification Board Awards Contest,” Board member Melodie Trimm said. “The Beautification Board Contest honors inspirational residential and commercial landscapes in our community. Nominated by neighbors and judged by a committee of master gardeners, we recognize those who

Boyce at (205) 285-7635. You can also visit them on Facebook or Instagram.

“We’re super excited for our first performance in our new space,” Boyce said. “We think everybody who comes to see it is going to have a lot of fun.”

mothers to bring a blood drive to Covenant Church International in Clay this Saturday, April 22, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Angela Harris is the mother of Aniah Blanchard, who was murdered in 2019 after being kidnapped by Ibraheem Yazeed, a convicted felon who was out on bond at the time for prior charges of kidnapping and attempted murder. Aniah’s murder led to the creation of Aniah’s Law, a state constitutional amendment that allows judges to deny bail for defendants suspected of violent felonies such as murder, kidnapping and human trafficking, among other things.

Tora Washington is the mother of Destiny Washington, who was murdered on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus by former UAB football player Carlos Londarrius Stephens, to whom Washington had just sold a pair of AirPods.

The girls’ mothers met and became fast friends when Harris showed up to speak at Destiny’s UAB candlelight vigil.

Two years later, Harris took a job as school nurse at Tarrant High School, where Tora Washington also worked, and the two became even more close.

“It was just meant to be, for Tora and I working literally just a couple of doors down from each other,” Harris said. “We just became really, really close. Every day, we support each other.”

From there, Harris reached out to Washington and the three women began to plan a blood drive to be held in honor of both of the girls, who lost their lives way too soon.

“We were talking about doing something in honor of Destiny and Aniah, just to give back because they were givers; they loved helping people,” Washington said. “I really wanted to do the blood drive because I know that would be something that Destiny would love to do; to help others. By giving blood, you’ll be able to help in many areas. Also, I know there’s a blood shortage in the hospitals. Destiny worked at St. Vincent’s East as a Patient Care Technician and she talked about that constantly, about needing more blood. She wanted to go help at a blood bank before she was taken away from us.”

Destiny graduated from Clay Chalkville High School in 2018, and was in the honor society at CCHS, as well as at Lawson State Community College where she was attending nursing school.

Both mothers have also set up scholarship funds in their daughters’ names. Aniah’s is through the Homewood City Schools Foundation and Destiny’s is through Covenant Church International. Information on how to contribute to their scholarship funds will be available at the blood drive Saturday.

Anyone who comes out to donate blood at “2 Moms 4 Life” will also receive a free breakfast and/or hotdog lunch, as well as snacks, drinks, and a custom-made T-shirt designed by Harris and Washington. The LifeSouth mascot, a drop of blood informally named “Drip,” will also be present to give out candy to any children who come with their parents.

Credit: Trussville Beautification Board

take pride in keeping Trussville beautiful.”

For more information, please visit https://trussville. org/government/boards-committees/beautification-board/

In December 2022, LifeSouth District Community Development Coordinator Paige Howard visited Tarrant High School to see if the school would be interested in doing a blood drive. It was there she met Harris.

“I did not realize who she was,” Howard said. “Then she teared up a little bit … and the minute she said Aniah’s name, it all registered who she was.”

Aniah also graduated from Homewood High School in 2018, where she was captain of the softball team. At the time of her murder, she was a sophomore at Southern Union State Community College and planned to transfer to Auburn University.

“It’s just something amazing and so special that we can do this blood drive in honor of our daughters together,” Harris said.

“We’re real excited about the drive at LifeSouth,” Paige Howard said. “We’re constantly in a shortage in Alabama for blood. Every two seconds, someone needs a blood donation. Currently, we’re at a two-to-three-day supply of blood; we want to be at a five day supply. If we’re below five, doctors are having to cancel important surgeries. So anybody who comes out and donates, not only will it really mean a lot to the moms to honor the two girls and their memory, but it’s also saving lives. With every one donation, three lives are saved.”

Donors can also pre-signup at www.lifesouth.org.

T-shirt design by Angela Harris and Tora Washington

Cahaba River Society, Friends of Pinchgut Creek team up for EarthWeek Cleanup

From The Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE – The Cahaba River Society partnered with Friends of Pinchgut Creek on Monday, April 17, 2023, for a litter cleanup event. This was the first stop on a five-day EarthWeek

cleanup throughout the Cahaba River watershed.

“Friends of Pinchgut Creek was happy to partner with The Cahaba River Society on this project,” director Jean Cox said. “We were able to clean a stretch of Pinchgut that we have never worked before. That stretch is next

to the interstate, so it has collected plenty of litter over the years. We are grateful for all the planning and work that Wil Ranier, the Field Programs Director at CRS, put into this week’s event, and we are incredibly grateful for the volunteers that attended the event worked for hours.”

In all, 51 volunteers worked to remove over 400 pounds of litter from the roadside and creek banks near the Valley Road connector. That included 68 lbs. of aluminum and 25 lbs. of plastic that will be recycled.

The event was sponsored by Diversified Fund Energy, who in addition to sponsoring provided a team of hard-working employees that helped collect litter.

Inaugural Heritage Days planned April 27-30 in Trussville

From The Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE – Trussville’s first annual Heritage Days event will take place April 27-30, 2023, to celebrate and showcase Trussville’s historic district.

The four-day Heritage Days, organized by the Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, will feature arts, music, history, culture, a pickleball tournament and tour of Cahaba Project homes.

Most events are free to the public, including a Saturday evening concert picnic on the Mall. Heritage Days will kick off Thursday, April 27, with the Alabama Plein Air Artists painting scenes across the Cahaba Project neighborhood. The Artists will continue this Friday, April 28.

The Gee’s Bend Quilters of Alabama, who share a unique Great Depression origin with the Cahaba Project, will be welcomed to Trussville on Friday, April 28, at 6:30 p.m. This will be a free registered event through the Trussville Public Library.

On Saturday, April 29, the Gee’s Bend Quilters of Alabama will lead a quilting workshop at the Trussville Public Library beginning at 9 a.m. This workshop has sold out. At 2 p.m., a pickleball exhibition will take place at the pickleball courts on the Mall. This friendly competition will result in a winning team. Priz-

es will be awarded. At 4 p.m., the Alabama Plein Air Artists will showcase and sell their Cahaba Project art under the Mall pavilion. Children can enjoy a $5 painting craft to take home while parents enjoy viewing the art show.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., there will be a concert picnic on the Mall, featuring various local musical acts. Scheduled to perform are the Birming-

ham Heritage Jazz Band, Cahaba Elementary School S.H.I.N.E. Show Choir, First Baptist Church Trussville Senior Adult Choir, and the Highway 11 Band. The Trussville Historical Society will be on the Mall selling Trussville-themed souvenirs.

Parking for the day’s events is at the Cahaba Elementary School parking lot.

On Sunday, April 30, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a tour of several Cahaba Project homes. Home Tour parking and check-in booth will be at Cahaba Elementary School. Accent Limo will shuttle guests to the homes and back to parking. Tickets are $20 and are available through the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce’s website here. Ticket sales benefit the Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation’s Stone Gateway Project.

A limited-edition commemorative coin has been made for this inaugural event and cast at Sloss Furnac-

es. Supplies are limited. To pre-order yours, email CahabaHHF@gmail.com.

Heritage Days sponsors include Amerex Corporation, Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Accent Limo, Hampton Inn, Sam’s Club, Realtor Tandi Smith, Trussville Public Library, Realtor Lee Marlow, the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce and Amy R. Peterson Art.

Local businesses will of-

fer “Heritage Days Deals” through the weekend. If your organization is interested in being a Heritage Days community sponsor, please contact CahabaHHF@gmail. com.

For more information, visit www.cahabaheritage.org/ heritage-days.

The mission of the Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, Inc., is to support through education, outreach

and civic involvement such things that promote, perpetuate and enhance the value of the community as a historic district designated on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information on the Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, Inc., visit www.cahabaheritage.org. You can also find the foundation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Credit: Cahaba Homestead Heritage Foundation, Inc.

Lass But Not Least: At Our Best During The Worst

By Ken Lass

It was January 28, 2014. I was driving on the I-459 bypass on the way back to the TV station after finishing a feature story for Daytime Alabama.

The temperature was in the high teens and there was a fluffy layer of snow on the ground.

As I approached the Highway 31 exit ramp, traffic came to a hard stop, backed up as far as I could see. After several minutes I shifted into Park, set the emergency brake and turned on the radio.

It was only then that I learned the snow had unexpectedly frozen on the streets and freeways. Schools, caught by surprise, quickly decided to let out early, causing thousands of panicked parents to get on the roads at the same time in an attempt to pick up their kids. The result was the equivalent of a carnival bumper car ride on the highways. Not only were passenger cars stacked up all over the interstates, but big rigs were jack-knifed and spread out horizontally across multiple lanes. The freeway in front of me had become a parking lot. The day would later become known as the Snowpocalypse.

An hour went by. Two hours. Three. The radio reports indicated the situation was only getting worse, not better. Clearly, this gridlock would not be resolved by nightfall. I called the TV station to see if they had vehicles on the road that might come and pick me up. I was told all units were out covering the situation, and they would come get me when there was a lull.

I had worked in television newsrooms long enough to know that, during a big weather story such as this, there is no lull. Coverage is continuous and chaotic.

They weren’t coming to rescue me. I knew I was forgotten the moment they hung up the phone.

Dressed only in sport coat and open shirt, I pulled my collar up around my neck, and got out of the car. It was surreal. Hundreds of empty cars around me at a standstill. People walking in droves along a four lane interstate as though it was a pedestrian mall. It was like a scene out of one of those nuclear war aftermath movies.

The Highway 31 ramp was just a few hundred feet away. Even the ramp was blocked by collided cars. At the bottom was a gas station/convenience store packed wall to wall with folks just trying to get warm. My cell phone was almost dead. My only connection to people who might help me was about to go dark. I approached a frazzled employee, who was overwhelmed by the sudden flood of distraught fugitives. I meekly inquired if there was anywhere I might plug in my phone, fully expecting to be laughed out of the building. Much to my shock and surprise, he flashed a sympathetic smile, came out from behind the counter, and pushed the freezer containing the popsicles and ice cream bars a bit out from the wall, revealing an outlet with an available socket. He invited me to plug in.

That would be the first of an amazing series of kindnesses extended to me by people I did not know. And I needed them. Because, as the sun began to set, it started to sink in that, for the first time in my life, at the age of 63, I was going to spend a night homeless. And it was terrifying.

I remembered there was a hotel about half a mile down the street, but of course, they were completely booked up.

Savvy Senior: New RMD Rules for 2023

Employees were hauling out blankets and pillows for stranded stragglers and allowing them to sleep on the lobby furniture and the floor for free. One precious lady unselfishly offered to give her blanket to me. I politely declined. She needed it more. Besides, there was literally nowhere left to lie down.

After more wandering, I wound up at a nearby Subway Deli, one of the few places still open. There was a handful of other frightened folks in the place. Rather than boot us out at closing time, the owner graciously told us we could stay there overnight. I spent the evening in one of their wooden booths. Didn’t sleep much but at least I was warm. There’s a lot to be said for just being warm. I will never take it for granted again.

At sunrise, I headed back out into the cold. My car was still blocked in. Might as well try to walk back to the TV station. A mile down the road, I was offered a ride by a friendly couple passing by.

Now, normally, I would never recommend getting into a car with strangers, but these were desperate times. They turned out to be sweet people who felt sorry for me because I looked so cold. They drove out of their way to drop me off at the TV station. I was safe, thanks to the kindness of others.

I would come to learn that the thoughtfulness shown to me was typical of the entire city. People pitched in everywhere to help those in need. Unselfish love. Service to others. What a concept.

It takes the worst of times to bring out the best in us.

(More from Ken at kenlassblog.net)

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior,

What are the new rules on required minimum distributions from IRAs and 401(k)s? I will turn 72 this year and want to be clear on what I’m required to do.

Planning Ahead

Dear Planning,

Thanks to the SECURE Act 2.0 that was passed by Congress last December, there are several new rules that affect required minimum distributions (RMDs) from traditional IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred retirement accounts. These changes, which build on the original SECURE Act of 2019, are a benefit to retirees by increasing the RMD age and lowering the penalty for missing a withdrawal. Here’s what you should know.

New RMD Rules

As of Jan. 1, 2023, the starting age for taking RMDs is now 73, up from 72. And it rises to age 75 in 2033. This change means that if you turn 72 this year, as you stated in your question, you can delay your RMDs one more year, allowing your savings in these accounts to grow longer, tax deferred.

But once you turn 73 (next year), you must start taking annual RMDs from the tax-deferred retirement accounts you own – like traditional IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and 457(b) s – and pay taxes on those withdrawals. Distributions are taxed as ordinary income in your tax bracket.

There are, however, a few

exceptions. Owners of Roth IRAs are not required to take a distribution, unless the Roth is inherited. And starting in 2024, Roth 401(k)s will not be subject to RMDs either.

There’s also a work waiver for RMDs you should know about. If you are still working beyond age 73, and you don’t own 5 percent or more of the company you work for, you can delay withdrawals from your employer’s retirement plan until after you retire. But if you have other non-work-related accounts, such as a traditional IRA or a 401(k) from a previous employer, you are still required to take RMDs from them after age 73, even if you’re still working.

Deadlines and Penalties

Generally, you must take your distribution every year by Dec. 31. First timers, however, can choose to delay taking their distribution until April 1 of the year following the year you turn 73. But be careful about delaying, because if you delay your first distribution, it may push you into a higher tax bracket because you must take your next distribution by Dec. 31 of the same year.

Also note that you can always withdraw more than the required amount, but if you don’t take out the minimum, you’ll be hit with a 25 percent penalty (it was 50 percent) on the amount that you failed to withdraw, along with the income tax you owe on it. This penalty drops to 10 percent if you take the necessary RMD by the end of the second year following the year it was due.

Distribution Amounts

Your RMD is calculated by dividing your tax-deferred re-

tirement account balance as of Dec. 31 of the previous year, by an IRS estimate of your life expectancy. A special rule applies if your spouse is the beneficiary and is more than 10 years younger than you.

IRA withdrawals must be calculated for each IRA you own, but you can withdraw the money from any IRA or combination of IRAs. If you own 403(b) accounts, they too allow you to total the RMDs and take them from any account or combination of accounts.

With 401(k) plans, however, you must calculate the RMD for each plan and withdraw the appropriate amount from each account.

To calculate the size of your RMD, you can use the worksheets on the IRS website – see IRS.gov/Retirement-Plans and click on “Required Minimum Distributions.” Or contact your IRA custodian or retirement-plan administrator who can do the calculations for you.

For more information, see the “Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements” (publication 590-B) at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p590b. pdf.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

Paul DeMarco: As violent crime increases public safety must be the first priority for Alabama State officials this legislative session

By Paul DeMarco

Despite aggressive lobbying by liberal advocacy groups, the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate have passed legislation that has given prosecutors and law enforcement more tools to protect citizens.

In 2019, reforms were passed to strengthen the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles which fixed a broken system that had allowed violent felons back on the street commit more crimes. After the murder of Aniah

Blanchard, a constitutional amendment was sent by lawmakers to the voters and ultimately became the law which allows judge to deny bail to offenders who are accused of violent crimes. Last year, the Nick Risner Act was signed into law and would prohibit anyone convicted of killing another person with a deadly weapon from getting an early release under the state’s “good time” laws. This year after the murder of Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputy Brad Johnson, a bill was just passed by the legis-

By Phil Williams, 1819 News

Commentary

Some years ago, a contract lobbyist came to my State Senate office. Contract lobbyists are interesting. Unlike a governmental affairs person, who works directly for one company, contract lobbyists work for whomever retains their services. Which also means they can decline to work for someone if that individual or organization doesn’t fit their personal or professional beliefs.

This lobbyist was under contract to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and brought in an Apple representative. They were corporately pushing for a bill giving preferential hiring treatment to LGBTQ applicants. Needless to say, I didn’t support their bill, and I gave the lobbyist some good-natured grief for representing the HRC.

That was six years ago, and since then, the HRC has become what some refer to as the LGBTQ mafia. If you want to know who is pushing the overwhelmingly rabid transgender agenda, look no further than the Human Rights Campaign. A major face in the transgender agenda is Dylan Mulvaney. He is everywhere now, and yes, I called him “he.” With over-the-top antics, Mulvaney has become famous for chronicling his “transition” to a transgender woman during “365 Days of Girlhood” on social media. While he once was that feminine guy skipping across rooms, giggling that he is a woman, he was nonetheless confined to TikTok or Instagram then.

Not anymore. For unfathomable reasons, major

lature which would further reduce the amount of time inmates in Alabama state prisons can get for “good time” credits to exit prison before their sentence expires. When this law is signed into law, it will streamline a system that has been inconsistent in application and allowed inmates out much earlier than their imposed sentence.

But there is still work to be done.

Recently Huntsville Police Officer Garrett Crumby died in the line of duty on March 28th. The murder of

another police officer in Alabama is sadly a reflection of what is occurring in this country. So far in the United States this year there have been 99

members of law enforcement shot and 10 officers have been killed by ambush.There have been 32 police officers shot in 27 separate ambush-style attacks across the Nation. Since 2020 there is now a 57 percent increase in the number of officers shot in the line of duty.

And what you see time and time again is the shooter is a repeat felon. The accused that shot and killed Officer Crumby had been arrested for felony assault charges for shooting two people in January of 2022. He should have

Phil Williams: Low score wins

corporate brands like Budweiser, Nike and Kate Spade have made him one of their national spokespersons.

Why would major corporations long associated with the beer of the average Joe, the gear of major athletes, and the high fashion sense of actual women, feel the sudden need to have a guy with a serious level of immaturity and obvious attention seeking disorder as their national spokesperson?

Three words: Human. Rights. Campaign.

Welcome to the modern world of corporate extortion. The unofficial, yet official, version of pay-to-play.

As environmental, social, governance (ESG) scores are continually forced on corporations, the goal of making a profit for shareholders has shifted. Companies now look beyond their corporate charters, proving their worth through ESG scoring. A part of that ESG score — the “S” — is partially based on something called the Corporate Equality Index (CPE).

Who promotes the Corporate Equality Index? You guessed it: the Human Rights Campaign.

Criteria such as whether a specific company has a public stance on LGBTQ rights, provides LGBTQ benefits, promotes gender fluidity in

the workplace, and more, form the CPE. The goal of the HRC is to force companies to obtain a perfect score of 100, or risk having their CPE score decline, which in turn brings down the company’s overall ESG scoring.

“Well, we can’t have that! We’ve got to get more of that woke in here! Trot out some dude pretending to be a chick and let’s see if that will up our score! Let’s call it inclusivity!”

Thus, a company that once had heroes like Bo Jackson and Michael Jordan promoting its brands suddenly has a skinny dude dancing around in Nike sports bras.

If you think this makes no sense, you would be right. If you think this defies their corporate image, you would also be right. Yet companies continue to do it, and according to the HRC, there are 379 Fortune 500 companies participating in the Corporate Equality Index, and 258 of them have achieved the coveted score of 100.

It’s likely some of those 379 companies actually believe in the things HRC stands for. They may in fact believe that a biological male can wake up one day identifying as a woman, that children should be subject to mutilating surgeries rede-

signing their anatomies, or that drag queens should be allowed to prance provocatively in front of elementary school children.

But I theorize that many of them do not. It is more likely that many of the companies scoring well on the HRC’s CPE are just corporate cowards living in fear, and so they pander into subservience, never knowing that the wokists will never be satisfied. Wokists will always demand more, and if you fail them, they will lower your score and bring the fires of ESG down upon the corporation’s bottom line.

But history shows that companies which stand up and say “no” do pretty well. Rather than scoring 100 on

HRC’s made-up index, we need more companies to shoot for a golf-like, “low score wins” approach.

Goya Foods is the largest Hispanic-owned food distribution company in the U.S. After Goya took conservative stances, progressive cancel culture called for massive boycotts, yet their net sales rocketed up 22%. People who had never eaten black beans in their life rushed to the stores to buy Goya Foods products.

Chick-fil-A faced constant backlash from liberals for promoting biblical marriage between a man and a woman. The boycotts failed every time, and Chick-fil-A is one of the highest grossing restaurant chains in the

never been back on the streets with his violent history. Our judicial system has failed us again in Alabama and allowed the murder of another Alabama Police Officer. Thus, the Alabama Legislature should continue their progress in closing the dangerous loopholes in our justice system that allows dangerous individuals back into our communities.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives and can be found on Twitter at @

Paul_DeMarco

world, with sales in the billions. HRC and liberal wokists will never be satisfied. They are bullies. But those companies who dare to push back will find that good old red-blooded Americans will rush to their support and thank them for their courage.

In this case, the low score wins.

To contact Phil or request him for a speaking engagement, go to www.rightsideradio.org. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News.

To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819News.com.

Paul DeMarco is a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives

o utdoo R s

Injury can’t stop Cash at NASP State Championship

By David Rainer Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

What do you do if you break a bone in your elbow

three weeks before the 20th anniversary National Archery in Schools Program’s (NASP) Alabama State Championship?

If you’re Jake Cash of Ashville High, you adapt and overcome.

Chris Cash, Jake’s father, said his son tripped on a cable on the high school band’s trailer and landed on a battery used to power equipment. The tip of Jake’s elbow was broken, but, instead of surrendering his chances to compete, he and his coaches, Joshua Dollar and George Brightman, devised a way to work around the handicap.

“I started archery junior year so I knew I would have only two years to do it,” Jake said. “I had already put in so many hours practicing. So, three weeks before state, I decided I didn’t want to say I’m not doing it. One of my coaches told me it had been done before, and I was willing.”

Cash is a right-handed shooter with an injured right elbow, so the coaches rigged a leather strap connected to the string that he could grip with his teeth. Adjustments to the bow’s draw weight and a different aim point yielded positive results.

“There was certainly a learning curve to something unconventional like this. I grab the strap with my back molars and push my left arm out,” Cash said. “The aim was pretty close to what it was before. We had to adjust the bow’s tension to get me where I’m aiming on the target. I was aiming with my face more to the right than

I usually would, so my arrows were hitting to the left. It took about halfway through the week for me to start shooting consistently. I had gotten the fundamentals of it and started fine-tuning some things.”

Spring break occurred at an inconvenient time for Cash, who only had one day for the coaches to help him get acclimated to the new setup.

“I had to learn on my own because of spring break,” he said. “Then the week after spring break was state championship week. The first time people saw me doing it, they didn’t expect me to get back to where I was.”

Remarkably, Cash scored 285 out of a possible 300 during the competition, where archers shot rounds from 10 meters and 15 meters.

“It was a bit of a handicap, but I somehow pulled it off,” he said. “I shocked myself with it. I was not thinking it was going to be viable for me to shoot. Fifteen meters is a long shot. That is what I struggled with. At 10 meters, a little mistake won’t cost you much. But at 15, you make a little mistake and you’ve shot a seven or a six.

“Learning to avoid mistakes like that, like putting my mouth on the same spot on the tab with the same tooth, that was really the hard part of learning to shoot this way.”

The NASP not only teaches youth how to enjoy the recreational aspect of archery, but it also provides valuable life lessons.

“This really taught me the value of dedicating yourself to something,” Cash said. “If you stay dedicated, it will work out. This is my first year shooting, and I’ve already learned that practice will get you to plac-

es, especially when something like this happens a month before state. It’s practice and dedication.”

Jake’s 285 score put him in the top 10 percent of the 2,000 shooters.

“He ended up in 22nd place,” said Chris Cash. “I couldn’t ask for any more than that. I told him I was proud, and I was impressed.”

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division hosts and conducts the NASP State Championship at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery. Michael Bloxom, WFF Regional Hunter Education Coordinator who coordinates the Alabama championship, said NASP originated in Kentucky.

“The archery program was actually invented by a math teacher looking for a new way to teach math,” Bloxom said. “That was in 2001, and Alabama was one of the first states to come on board with the program nationally. This is our 20th year. It started with 200 archers and has now grown to 2,000 archers this year.”

Archers from the 4th through 12th grades compete in seven regional events throughout the state, and the top shooters qualify for the state championship. “We had almost 7,000 kids shoot in one of those regional tournaments,” Bloxom said. “The scores are ranked, and invitations are sent out to about 2,000 shooters for the state championship. The program is in about 400 schools throughout the state, and we give out about $10,000 in scholarships at the state tournament. We also have the University of Montevallo here, giving scholarships to their collegiate archery team to the top shooters.”

Ray Metzler, who was a volunteer at this year’s competition, was the WFF Hunter Education Coordinator when Alabama joined NASP 20 years ago.

“We went from shooting in the pecan orchard at AWF (Alabama Wildlife Federation in Millbrook) with, I think, 224 shooters to now 2,000 shooters at the Cramton Bowl,” Metzler said. “We have 400 schools participating now. That’s

good.”

NASP uses 10-ring targets similar to the Olympic-style scoring system with a 10 score for the bullseye and 1 point for the outer ring. Archers shoot a total of 30 arrows, 15 arrows from 10 meters and 15 arrows from 15 meters. Scores are recorded after each group of five arrows. A perfect score is 300 points, which has not yet been achieved in the 20 years of the Alabama championship.

“We’ve had several 297s and 298s, so it’s pretty elusive,” Bloxom said. “The archers can’t use sights. All the kids throughout the program have to use the same bows, same arrows and same format. That keeps it an even playing field between your smaller schools and your bigger schools with more resources. The team score is derived from the scores of the top 12 shooters with at least four of the opposite sex, so it keeps it a co-ed program.”

The top shooters and teams from Alabama will advance to the NASP National Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, in May. More than 10,000 archers from across the country will compete in that tournament.

Bloxom said the National Wild Turkey Federation Alabama Chapter, the Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association and Alabama Wildlife Federation are among the biggest supporters of NASP in the state.

“They have funded all our scholarships, and now we can offer free admission to all the parents and spectators,” he said. “The cost for the individual kids hasn’t gone up in more than 10 years. They get a T-shirt and get to keep their arrows, so it’s something they get to take away other than the

experience.”

Bloxom said school kids who might not be drawn to play sports like baseball, softball, football or basketball have the opportunity to participate in a team sport with NASP.

“It’s a great program because archery is a sport that kids of all shapes, sizes and abilities can do,” Bloxom said. “We have shooters who have special needs and disabilities, plus your kids that aren’t your typical athletes. They may not be able to compete in the traditional sports, but archery is one of those things some kids just have a natural ability for. Once they have a chance to try, they find out they like it. Then they get good at it, and it gives them the opportunity to take part in a team sport where they develop discipline and confidence that they might not otherwise get to experience.

“Here in Alabama, the Department (ADCNR) really supports the program. We do free teacher training. What we hope to do is create lifelong archers. We hope some of these kids will become bowhunters, competitive shooters or just shoot in their backyards. And every time they buy a bow or arrows, they will be helping wildlife conservation through the Pittman-Robertson Act. That’s one component of it, but it’s also teaching good skills, like discipline, responsibility and teamwork. The reason it’s a school program is it’s not just archery; we’re actually looking to improve academics as well.”

Speaking of academics, Bentley Joiner of Fayetteville School was named one of 10 NASP Academic Archer Equipment Winners for 2023. Joiner was selected from more than 34,000 nominees nationwide.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR PREQUALIFICATION AND BIDS

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A written list of Contractors receiving prequalification will be issued to all who requested consideration by 5:00 PM Local Time, May 9, 2023

PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held at 9:00 am Local Time, Thursday, May 11, 2023 in the City of Trussville Conference Room located at 113 North Chalkville Road Trussville, AL 35173. Attendance by all Prequalified Bidders is mandatory in order to avoid disqualification.

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Per the Owner and the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR), Act 2013-205, the project will be bid EXCLUDING TAXES.

The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive technical errors and/or abandon the prequalification and bid process if, in their judgment, the best interests of the Owner will thereby be promoted.

City of Trussville, AL

113 North Chalkville Road

Trussville, AL 35173

TURNERBATSON Architects

1950 Stonegate Drive, Suite 200

Birmingham, AL 35242 Phone: (205) 403-6201

Jake Cash overcame an elbow injury to shoot 285 at the NASP State Championship. (Credit: Billy Pope)

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Preschoolers at Play

Wednesday, April 19: 10:30am - 11:30am

Trussville - LBK Auditorium

AGE GROUP: EARLY

LEARNERS (BIRTH - PRE-K)

EVENT TYPE: CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

Cat Craft Club: DIY Ribbon Wand Toys

April 20 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Pinson Public Library (RSMC), 4509 Pinson Boulevard Pinson, AL 35126 United States

EVENT TYPE: STORYTIME, CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

(M-F 8am-6pm ET).

HEALTH/BEAUTY

shop from home. Professional installation. Top qualityMade in the USA. Call for free consultation: 844-809-9165.

Join Ms. Alicia for special playtime program for preschool-aged children. A guided sensory time will begin at 10:30, followed by free play at several stations set up around the large auditorium with various toys. We will briefly highlight an activity to help your child with reading and school readiness that you can also use at home.

Parents are asked to stay with their children and travel with them as they play with the different selections of toys.

Ages 2-5 years old. Held on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 10:30 am. No Registration is Needed.

Adult Book Club

Wednesday, April 19: 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Trussville - Cahaba Room

AGE GROUP: ADULT (AGES 18+)

EVENT TYPE: BOOK GROUP, ADULT PROGRAM

Love cats? Love crafts? Then we have the purrrfect club for you! Cat Craft Club is a bi-monthly event for teens & adults to gather together to make a cat craft.

April’s craft is DIY Ribbon

Wand Toys on Thursday, April 20th at 5:30 PM! We’ll supply everything you need to make a cat-inspired work of art!

No registration required. Snacks will be provided. This event is only teens (6th-12th grade) & all adults.

Samford Legacy League’s 2023 Scholarship Celebration featuring Sons of Serendip

April 20 @ 5:30 pm - 9:15 pm

Covenant Presbyterian Church, 65 Old Montgomery Hwy

Homewood, AL 35209 United States

Join Ms. Alicia for stories, songs, bubble time, and lots of fun! The event will be held in the library auditorium every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

All ages. Every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Understanding Medicare Thursday, April 20:

1:00pm - 2:00pm

Trussville - Parkway Room

AGE GROUP: ADULT (AGES 18+)

EVENT TYPE: ADULT PROGRAM

ATTENTION OXYGEN THERAPY USERS! Inogen One G4 is capable of full 24/7 oxygen delivery. Only 2.8 pounds. FREE information kit. Call 844-322-9935.

ATTENTION: VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices! 50 Pill Special - $99 + FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW: 866-5050828. FOR SALE

DirecTV Satellite TV Service Starting at $59.99/month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV! 844-594-7108

1-877-323-5516

Educational seminar about Medicare options. Learn about important Medicare Parts A and B topics that could impact you, including enrollment, costs, benefits, etc. Your questions will be addressed by Health Benefits specialist Linda Reynolds. Registration is optional.

Ferus Presents: Cash Back April 21 @ 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm

NEED NEW Flooring? Call Empire Today to schedule a Free in-home estimate on Carpeting and Flooring. Call Today! 1-888-381-0916.

AUTOMOTIVE SUPPORT THE BLIND! Donate a car to the American Council of the Blind. FAST FREE PICKUP. 24-hour response. Running or not. maximum tax deduction and no emission test required! Call 24/7: 844-601-1342.

AUTO INSURANCE from $29 month Free 2-minute Quote! We Compare all Insurance providers offers for you! Lowest Rates! Call Now 866450-0943

Join us for Adult Book Club!

Connect with your community and share your thoughts about the books you’ve read.

Book Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 2PM. Contact the Adult Dept (205-655-2022 or tr.adult@ jclc.org) if you need assistance in obtaining books. 2023 meeting dates are Jan 18, Feb 15, Mar 15, Apr 19, May 17, June 14, July 19, Aug 16, Sept 20, Oct 18, Nov 15.

Computer Skills - Partnered with Trussville Senior Center

Wednesday, April 19: 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Trussville - Parkway Room

AGE GROUP: ADULT (AGES 18+)

EVENT TYPE: CLASS

From the America’s Got Talent Stage Come Sons of Serendip Anticipation is building for Samford Legacy League’s 14th annual Scholarship Celebration, which will feature a heartfelt performance by Billboard-charting quartet and America’s Got Talent finalists Sons of Serendip. The unique classical crossover group took America by storm after auditioning for AGT on a whim and has since enjoyed a dynamic touring career. A harpist, a cellist, a pianist and a lead vocalist comprise the gifted group whose sound was described by The New York Times as “alive with detail but silky beyond reason.” With stirring arrangements, stellar musicianship, fresh interpretations and inspiring stories, they strive to “make listeners’ lives a little better—even if just for a moment.”

The event, which is open to the public, will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Reservations are required and cost $125 per person ($55 tax deductible). Find more information and make online reservations at samford.edu/ legacyleague.

This class is intended to provide a basic understanding of technology related terminology, the use of Windows 11, navigation of the Internet, Internet safety, and more.

Children’s Storytime Thursday, April 20: 10:30am - 11:30am

Trussville

AGE GROUP: EARLY LEARNERS (BIRTH - PRE-K)

Trussville Entertainment District, 101 Beech Street Trussville, AL 35173 United States

FREE EVENT ALL AGES

Attention Johnny Cash Fans!

CashBack is The Premier Johnny Cash Tribute Band. Frontman/drummer Bondarenko has a powerful voice re-creating the sound of Cash, in his heyday. CashBack brings a lively show, with blazing guitars, swingin’ rhythm, and exciting visuals

The Great Bunny Hop Games April 22 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Pinson Bicentennial Park, 4200 Oak Street Pinson, AL 35126 United States

(All ages)

We’re celebrating Spring with The Great Bunny Hop Games at Pinson Bicentennial Park on Saturday, April 22nd from 3 to 5 PM!

bunny eggs with prizes. This event has fun for all ages. Presented in collaboration with Pinson Parks & Recreation. Pinson Bicentennial Park is located at 4200 Oak Street West, Pinson, AL 35126 TRUSSVILLE 4636 Camp Coleman Rd CLAY 6501 Deerfoot Parkway GRAYSON VALLEY 5580 Chalkville Road MOODY 2200 Blueridge Drive During the month of April, the 6 individuals that like, share, & comment on this post the most, will win one of the following prizes: • FastPass Protect Annual Membership • One $100 Gift Card • One $50 Gift Card *Comments must include one of the 4 participating locations Winners will be announced Thursday, May 4th, 2023 on Tribune Unscripted at noon, on our Facebook pages, and a personal instant message will be sent. Facebook SpringGiveawayClean LOCATIONS (One per designated location) 16 Commercial & Residential Call Jarod @ 205-747-6309 $75 OFF INITIAL PEST CONTROL SERVICE This coupon is only valid with a new annual service agreement.

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Betty Ogle

december 10, 1929 — april 9, 2023

Betty Rebecca Free Ogle, 93, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 at her home in Trussville. She passed away after battling Alzheimer's disease for several years. She was preceded in death by her husband, James B. Ogle in 2021. She is also survived by her son James B. Ogle, Jr of St. Augustine, FL, daughter Deborah Peterson of Slidell, LA and daughter Jan Chafin, of Odenville, AL. She had 4 grandchildren as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was born in Lafayette, Ga on December 10, 1929 and was the youngest of 9 children born to James Walker Free and wife Molly. The Free's also lived in Albertville, AL for a number of years before settling in Birmingham. She was a devoted homemaker and loved her husband and children always putting their needs ahead of hers.

The Ogle's attended First Baptist Church of Center Point for over 50 years and were active in choir, Sunday School and served on many committees through out the years. They ensured that their children were raised around biblical teachings and did their best to have their children in church on a regular basis.

The family would like to thank doctors John and Stacy Davis, Grandview Medical Center and Peggy Lowe as their primary care giver for their service to our parents in their later years. Services will be held at Jefferson Memorial Trussville on April 17, 2023. Visitation will begin at 11am with services to follow at 12pm.

Harvey Mack Williams

may 26, 1952 — april 13, 2023

Harvey Mack Williams, age 70, of Jasper, Alabama went to be with the Lord Thursday morning, April 13, 2023.

Mack was born May 26, 1952 in Birmingham, Alabama. As a child of a Methodist minister, Mack and his family moved frequently, but Tarrant, Alabama was always considered his home. Mack was a graduate of Tarrant High School in 1970 and married Lee Ann in 1975. They shared two children, Jonathan and Joy. His interests included gardening, woodworking, and tinkering with his tools in various projects around the house. He loved being involved in his children’s lives. “Coach Mack” could be found at the ball park or cooking “Mack” burgers in the concession stand during those early years. He was also known as the family videographer, capturing moments at family holidays, vacations, sporting events, and half-time shows.

Mack was as an infantryman in the 167th Infantry Unit with the Army National Guard in Bessemer. He was honorably discharged in 1977 after completing 6 years of service.

For 30 years, Mack worked at South Central Bell / AT&T. His work duties ranged from a lineman in the field to private & commercial installation of telecommunication equipment, digital lines, and fiberoptics. He then worked in general tech support at AmSouth / Regions Bank until his retirement in 2019.

Mack was a devout Christian and loved the Lord. He was an active member of Rock United Methodist Church and served in a host of leadership capacities. One of his favorite roles was co-teaching the children’s Sunday School class with his wife for over 20 years. They transferred to Hope Community Church, formerly Gardendale Mt Vernon UMC, in 2000. Mack enjoyed his Sunday School class and singing with the Men’s Ensemble & church choir. Mack and Lee Ann moved to Jasper in 2022, where he was a member of First Methodist Church of Jasper at the time of his death.

Diagnosed in 2011 with Multifocal Motor Neuropathy, a rare neuromuscular disorder, Mack underwent years of treatment and regular weekly therapy sessions. The family would like to give special thanks to his neurologist, Dr. John Riser, his therapy team at Alabama Neurology Associates, and his home infusion nurse, Penny Shadinger. Their kindness, compassion, and attention to Mack during this journey will never be forgotten.

Mack is survived by his wife, Lee Ann Williams; children, Jonathan (Emily) Williams, and Joy Williams; granddaughter, Claire (11) Williams; sister, Nancy (Kelly) Hill; nephew, Wesley Sloman; niece, Whitney Williams. He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank Williams and Earline Williams, and his brother, DeVan Williams.

The family will receive visitors on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at Hope Community Church, formerly Gardendale Mt Vernon UMC, in Gardendale, Alabama from 12:30pm – 2:00pm with the funeral immediately following.

Reverend Alan Beasley and Reverend Steve Baccus will officiate. He will be buried at Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made in Mack’s honor to the mission team at Hope Community Church or a charity of your choice.

AskEddie

Jefferson Memorial is a full-service funeral home and perpetual care cemetery dedicated to serving our community with dignity and compassion.

We Make it Personal® , one family at a time.

Dealing with Grief when a Loved One With Parkinson’s Disease Passed Away

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, balance, and coordination. There are an estimated 1 million Americans living with Parkinson’s disease. Watching a loved one struggle with this disease can be incredibly difficult, and coping with their loss can be even more challenging.

Here are some ways to cope with grief when a loved one has Parkinson’s disease:

You may experience grief while your loved one is alive as you watch them struggle and then again after they pass. Grief is a natural and normal response to loss, and it’s important to give yourself permission to experience a range of emotions, including sadness, anger, guilt, and loneliness.

Seek support from others. This might include talking to friends and family members, joining a support group for people who have loved ones with Parkinson’s disease, or seeing a therapist. Engaging in self-care activities can also be helpful when coping with grief. This might include exercise, meditation, journaling, or spending time in nature.

Finally, finding ways to honor and remember your loved one is essential. This might include creating a memorial or tribute, volunteering for a Parkinson’s disease organization, or participating in an activity that your loved one enjoyed.

It can empower patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease to make their end-of-life wishes known early in the disease progression. This can be done by creating an advance directive, establishing a durable power of attorney to ensure their healthcare wishes are followed, and discussing their funeral arrangements.

205-322-0543

1591 Gadsden Hwy Birmingham, AL 35235

If you have any questions about funeral planning please email: askeddie@jmgardens.com

Betty Joyce Hutchins

january 16, 1931

— april 8, 2023

Betty Joyce Hutchins, age 88, of Blountsville, Alabama passed away on April, 8 2023. She was born to TJ Waddell and Evelyn Powell Waddell on January 16, 1935.

Betty retired from Pemco as a Seamstress and was a member of AFL-CIO union. She is preceded in death by her parents, TJ Waddell, Evelyn Powell; brother, Wendell Waddell; children, Wanda Barnett, Jean Chrisenberry, Julia Horn, Gary Cobb; grandchild, Randall Moore.

Betty is survived by her daughter Sandra Little (Jimmy); daughter in law Callie Denson; son in law, Mickey Horn.

Grandchildren, Stacy Requena, Crystal Sweatman, Shawn Malphurs, Michael Dowdy, Sandy Keener, Allen Barnett, Kris Horn, Kelsey Horn, Jason Cobb, Felichia Douglas, Kyle Denson. 32 great-grandchildren and 6 greatgreat- grandchildren.

The family will receive friends on Monday, April 17, 2023 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens with a service following in the Chapel. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery.

Mary LeBlanc

april 3, 1928 — april 14, 2023

Mary Mildred LeBlanc, age 95, of Pinson, passed away April 14, 2023. Mary was a spunky soul and loved those around her with her whole heart. She was loved by many family and friends and will be greatly missed. Services will be Sunday, April 16th at 10 a.m. Services will be in the chapel with burial in Jefferson Memorial Gardens Trussville. Visitation will be from 9 AM to 10 AM. She is survived by her son, John (Angie) LeBlanc; and daughter Mary Blair; grandchildren, Lacy (Jeff) Melvin, Hunter LeBlanc, Becky (Thomas) Lower, and Megan (Jarrod) Hicks, great grandchildren, Michael and Matthew Melvin, and Harper and Oliver Hicks. She was preceeded in death by her husband of 54 years, Jean Gilbert LeBlanc and daughter Michelle Fay Hays. Pallbearers will be Hunter LeBlanc, Jeff Melvin, Michael Melvin, Charles Green, Danny Green, and Chris Bailey.

Shelby Wood

december 2, 1940 — april 7, 2023

Shelby Jean Wood, 82, of Trussville, AL passed away on April 7, 2023. Shelby was born on December 2, 1940 in Cullman, AL to the late Patrick and Bernie Allcorn. She was a 1959 graduate of Dora High School and a member of Bethel Baptist Church in Moody, AL. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her husband of 30 years Edward Shelby Wood. She is survived by her daughter, Rhonda Wood; stepsons, Rick Wood (Vickie) and Ron Wood (Deanna); grandchildren, Chris Wood, Cortney Smith (Nathan) and Caroline and Kathleen Wood; brother, Terry (Jane) Allcorn; sister, Sandra (Dale) Graham and all her nieces and nephews. The family will have a graveside service at Jefferson Memorial in Trussville, AL Thursday April 13th at 2PM.The family asks that in lieu of flowers please make donations to Prohealth Home Health & Hospice at 1800 Corprate Park Drive Birmingham, AL 35242.

Eddie Seal, General Manager

Helio Castroneves Enjoying Return To IndyCar

By John Goolsby

For the Tribune

IRONDALE – Helio Castroneves, winner of the inaugural Barber IndyCar race in 2010, returns to Barber Motorsports Park for the Children’s of Alabama Grand Prix later this month. “Leeds and Barber have become a place I enjoy very much,” said the four-time Indy 500 Champion. “My wife’s family is from Atlanta, so I always have many people go to Barber to support me.”

“Barber is only 50 minutes from Talladega and in the middle of the NASCAR world. The way people have accepted IndyCar at Barber has been incredible,” said Castroneves. “It is because of everyone; the promoter’s investment, the fans accepting us, and the media, too.”

Castroneves loves racing at Barber. “Turn 13 and 14 are incredible. People don’t realize how fast you go through there. It is absolutely incredible. The amount of Gs we pull through there is incredible,” he said. “It’s one of my favorites, for sure.”

Castroneves has won 31 IndyCar races (10th all-time) and 50 pole positions (4th alltime). He is one of four drivers (A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser) to have won the Indy 500 four times (2001, 2002, 2009, and 2021), and he has won the Rolex 24 At Daytona

three times (2021, 2022, and 2023). At 47, Castroneves is still going strong. 2023 marks his 23rd year as a full-time driver in the IndyCar series.

The 2007 Dancing With The Stars winner first strapped on a racing helmet as a 12-year-old in 1987 when he began racing go-karts in his hometown of Sao Paulo. Castroneves progressed quickly

to junior formula open-wheel cars. In 1992 he contested the Formula Chevrolet series in Brazil, finishing as runner-up. The following year he moved up to the South American F3 series. Over the next two years, Castroneves won seven races and was runner-up in both seasons’ championships. In 1995 Castroneves left his native Brazil for England

to compete in the ultra-competitive British F3 series for Paul Stewart Racing. He finished 3rd in the championship and recorded a victory at the famed Donington Park track.

Castroneves made the decision to move to the U.S., partially due to sponsorship issues, to compete in the Indy Lights Series for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. He finished be-

hind fellow Brazilian Tony Kanaan for the Indy Lights championship in 1997.

He first raced in IndyCar (CART) for Bettenhausen Racing in 1998, where he was runner-up to Kanaan for CART Rookie of the Year. He moved to Hogan Racing for the 1999 season. In 2000 Castroneves joined Roger Penske’s legendary team and was

a fixture as a full-time driver for the next eighteen years. That same year, the likable Brazilian tasted victory for the first time in an IndyCar at the Detroit Grand Prix.

After the 2017 season, Castroneves stepped away from racing full-time in IndyCar to compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar series for Team Penske. Between 2018 and 2020, Castroneves recorded five wins. In 2020, his 21st year with the Penske organization, Castroneves won the IMSA championship with co-driver Ricky Taylor in an Acura Daytona Prototype. The IMSA title was Castroneves’ first championship in any racing series. He previously finished as the runner-up in the IndyCar championship four times (2002, 2008, 2013, and 2014).

Castroneves, focusing on his sports car career, only raced an IndyCar for Team Penske at the Indy 500 and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course events in 2018 and 2019. In 2020 he returned to the Indy 500 with a new team, Arrow McLaren SP, for the first time in 20 years.

Castroneves would join Meyer Shank Racing in 2021 for a limited IndyCar schedule and put his name in the record book by winning his

See HELIO, Page 16

genuinely

Helio Castroneves. Photo By: Meyer Shank Racing

Castroneves wins inaugural race at Barber. Photo by: IndyCar

Four-time Indy 500 champion. Photo by: IndyCar

Castroneves wins in SRX series. Photo by: Racer

Green Wave avenge

Tuesday’s loss to Moody, win area championship

By Johnny Sanders Sports Editor

LEEDS

– After an emotionally exhausting game at Moody on Tuesday night, the Leeds Green Wave baseball team had two choices as they faced the same Blue Devil team on Wednesday night. The first option was to continue to be upset at the outcome and how everything played out Tuesday night. The second, use it as motivation. The Green Wave chose to do the latter, beating Moody 8-0 in the first game and 6-4 in the second on Wednesday night.

In game 1 of the night, Nolan Moore pitched a complete game shutout for Leeds. The Green Wave got the bats going on offense early. In the first, Caden Vane singled to center field to bring home Conner Nelson to put the Green Wave up 1-0 after 1 inning.

In the second inning, Andrew Howard and Peyton Moore got on base right out of the gate and Graham Gulock bunted to bring home Howard for the score. Ty Bedell would get on base with a bunt of his own, loading the bases. After an out by Alex Bradofrd, Nelson would fly to center field for a single that would score More and Gulock and put Bedell on third. The inning would end with Leeds leading 4-0.

The third, fourth and fifth innings would be scoreless for each team before Leeds exploded again with 4 runs in the sixth. Moore got things started with a double to left field. Gulock was walked and then Bedell hit a single to load the bases for Leeds. Bradford stepped to the plate and took the first pitch over the left field wall for a grand slam with no outs on the board, putting Leeds up 8-0 and

that is how the game would end.

Nolan Moore would go the distance in the shutout, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 9 batters in the process. Moody’s Chase Marshall would go the distance for the Devils, allowing 8 runs on 12 hits and striking out 5.

At the plate, Alex Bradford would have 4 RBI on his grand slam, for the Green Wave in the game.

The second game would be closer, but the end result would be the same. Like the first game, Leeds would start things off with a 1-0 lead after the first inning was over. Bedell would walk as the first batter, later crossing the plate on a Conner Nelson sacrifice fly.

In the second inning, Leeds would put up 4 runs on Moody beginning with a Moore single that would bring home Jarod Latta and set Howard up at third base. Gulock would walk, loading the bases for Bedell, who would hit a grounder to third where the ball would be mishandled and Howard would get home for the score to make it 3-0 Leeds. Bradford would be hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring home Moore and Nelson would hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Gulock. Moody would manage to get the next two batters out, avoiding further damage in the second inning.

In the third, Moody would begin to rally as they got their

Lady Tigers beat West Point by 3, earn opportunity to host area tournament

By Johnny Sanders Sports Editor

SPRINGVILLE – On

would get a walk to lead off followed by a Emmy Leopard double to right field that would send Bowden to third.

first run on the board with a Payton Isbell grounder to first base that was dropped, scoring Blaine Burke who was on third base. Leeds would be unable to answer in the inning and it would end 5-1 with the Green Wave comfortably in the driver’s seat.

The fourth would be scoreless by both teams and, in the fifth, Moody would continue to scratch their way back into the game. Isbell would triple to center field, bringing home Landon Cherry. Chase Marshall would then double to left and bring Isbell home to make it 5-3, closing the gap between these two rivals.

Leeds would once again be held scoreless in the fifth and Moody would move closer to making another big comeback against Leeds as Blaine Burke hit a grounder to shortstop that would bring home Mitchell and make it a 1-point game, 5-4.

In the top of the sixth, Leeds would get another run on the board to stave off the Blue Devils who had a comeback on their minds. Nelson hit a grounder to second scoring Bedell from second base. Moody would be unable to re-create the magic from Tuesday night, not scoring in the top of the seventh inning, sealing the 6-4 win for Leeds and giving the Green Wave the area championship.

Tuesday night, the Springville Lady Tigers welcomed the West Point Warriors to town for a softball game that had the potential to give them an opportunity to host the area tournament starting next Friday. In a game that saw Springville score runs in all innings except the fourth, the Lady Tigers got the win 6-3 over West Point.

The first inning would be Springville’s most productive as they were able to put up 2 runs after holding the Warriors scoreless in the top of the inning. Leah Bowden

Kiley Christopher would then hit a double of her own to bring Bowden and Leopard home to put Springville up 2-0 after one.

West Point would get on the board in the top of the second, but the Tigers would answer with a run of their own when Riley Ruple hit a line drive to left field; however, Kaylee Sue Martin would tag up and score the third run of the game for Springville.

The Warriors would fail to score in the third but Springville would keep plugging along, putting another

run on the board. This time, Ashlyn Cooley would hit a single to second base, bringing Cheyenne Conner home

Springville gets big second inning to propel them to 6-2 victory and area title

By Johnny Sanders Sports Editor

SPRINGVILLE – On Tuesday night, the Springville Tigers baseball team got a key area win over the Fairview Aggies, using a 4-run second inning and 6 shut-out innings to get the 6-2 victory.

“I feel like a broken record but I am thankful to be able to say that I am proud of these guys for finding ways to win important games, “said Tigers Coach Jonathan Ford.

The Tigers and Aggies ended the first inning with no runs on the board, but that would all change in the second. Fairview would continue

to have trouble finding any runs but the Tigers took command in the second inning of play. Fairview would walk G Martinez and A Holland would get hit by a pitch to put 2 runners on quickly in the in-

ning. J Conner bunted to advance both runners and load the bases for C Samuelson who would hit a grounder to shortstop, scoring Martinez. Zach Brown would then hit a single that would bring Holland and Conner home and Samuelson would advance to second base. Brady Gillespie would ground into a fielder’s choice that would see Samuelson cross the plate for the fourth and final run of the inning for Springville. Gillespie, who was the pitcher for the Tigers, would continue his brilliant game, shutting out the Aggies once

Leeds Baseball 2023 Area Champions (Photo by: Ty Bedell)

See LADY TIGERS, Page 16

Springville pitcher Shelby Hathcock (Photo by SHS Softball)

Carter Samuelson and Zach Brown talking gameplan for Springville. (Photo by SHS Baseball)

Huskies fall short against Spain Park, but playoff hopes still alive

By Johnny Sanders Sports Editor

TRUSSVILLE – On Friday night, the Hewitt Trussville Huskies hosted the topranked Spain Park Jaguars in a really big game with playoff implications. A true matchup between two of the best teams in 7A baseball ended with the visiting Jaguars taking a 7-5 win over the Huskies despite a late push from Hewitt to come back. Spain Park struck first blood with a 1-run first inning but Hewitt would put 3 runs on the board in response. Brett Moseley would get on base first, bunting it perfectly down the third-base line and Jack Ollis would later bring him home on a hard ground ball single to center field. Carson Wideman would hit a ball to third where the player would bobble the ball and let it get past him to get runners on first and second. Drew Ollis would double to left bringing Jack Ollis and Wideman home to make it 3-1 Huskies after the opening inning.

The second and third would be scoreless for both teams before Spain Park would put up 3 runs on the Huskies with a 3-run home run after the first two batters got on base, one being walked and the other getting hit by a pitch. The fourth would end with a 4-3 score in Spain Park’s favor.

After another scoreless inning in the fifth, Spain Park would hit another home run, this time a solo shot, in the sixth inning to make it 5-3 Jaguars. Hewitt would be unable to answer in the inning.

In the final inning, Spain Park attempted to slam the door shut on Hewitt by putting up 2 more runs on the Huskies,

making it 7-3 as they came to the plate for their final at-bat.

Rob Wright would get on base after a grounder to third would be mishandled followed by a Grayson Pope single to the same spot, putting 2 men on base for the Huskies. The next batter would be struck out, giving Hewitt just one more out for the game. Kurt Kizer would come to the plate next and single to center field, scoring Wright and putting Pope on second with a 7-4 deficit. Jack Ollis would then hit a line drive to center field as well, scoring Pope and getting the crowd and the home dugout into a frenzy, with the winning run at the plate. Wideman would be hit by a pitch to load the bases for Drew Ollis who would strike out swinging to end the game. Hewitt would lose 7-5 despite an impressive rally at the end.

On the mound for the Huskies, Ryan Davis took the loss, pitching 6 innings and allowing 7 runs on 9 hits and striking out 5 batters. Will Argo would come in to finish the game, pitching 1 inning and allowing no hits, no runs and striking out 3 batters.

At the plate, Jack Ollis and Drew Ollis each had 2 RBI to lead the Huskies.

“First thing I will say is Spain Park’s starting pitcher gave up 3 runs in the first and then go basically all the way to the seventh putting up zero’s,

Play Ball! 20 years of making miracles in Moody

By Loyd McIntosh For The Tribune

you have got to tip your hat to that kid,” said Hewitt Trussville coach Jeff Mauldin. “To be able to do that is impressive. I was impressed. Their lineup is hard to navigate. They have a ton of experience, a ton of seniors over there. They are probably one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the state. Coach Smith does a good job. They don’t flinch in big games and are a solid team.”

Coach Mauldin continued, “As far as our guys go, we came out of the gate really good, giving up a run in the first and then coming back with 3 of our own. Then the middle innings we went through a lull and couldn’t get hits or guys on base. I’m proud of the way we fought. Down by 4 in the seventh inning and we got some guys on base and make some things happen. We got some clutch hits and cut it to

2. We are one hit from tying or a hit to the gap from winning. We are proud of our kids for battling the whole game with one of the best teams in our state. I’m proud of our guys’ fight. We have to move past it and get ready to play Oak Mountain. Our playoffs begin now. Ryan Davis has been one of our main guys. I took him out of the game on pitch count. I told him I felt like he pitched well enough for us to win the game. He had some mislocated mistakes during that lull in the middle innings. A good team capitalized. The two homers wound up being the difference. Overall he battled and pitched well enough to win. He battles and fights for his team. That’s what we need when we put a guy on the mound. Guys who compete and fight. Our team loves when he pitches and that’s why. He goes out and fights and competes for them.”

MOODY — The city of Moody came together to celebrate 20 years of making miracles this weekend.

The Moody Miracle League, launched in 2003, has given thousands of children and adults the opportunity to play team sports over the last two decades. On Saturday, April 15, the Moody Miracle League provided the community with free food, carnival games, and an exhibition game for every current player in the league from ages two to 74.

The event also brought out civic leaders, such as Moody Mayor Joe Lee and Red Diamond CEO Bill Bowron, as well as the Moody High School baseball team who spent the day serving as volunteer baseball buddies helping the athletes live out their dreams of playing baseball.

“Community is all about including everyone and that means everyone,” said Bowron. “These children deserve to play a team sport as much as anyone else. Having this facility of this quality in our area is really a gift.”

The first Miracle League in the state of Alabama and only the third in the nation, the Moody Miracle League holds two seasons per year –one in the fall and one in the spring – providing anyone with a mental and/or physical disability a chance to play baseball in an organized league. The league serves St. Clair, Etowah, Jefferson, Shelby, Talladega, Blount, and Calhoun counties and has become a major source of pride and civic involvement for Moody and beyond.

“The Miracle League is the focal point of our entire park. We located it right up at the front of the park so that

when you come in, you walk right through the Miracle League so you get a feel for what it’s all about,” said Lee.

“It’s a big deal for the city of Moody.”

Since 2016, the league has been under the direction of Steve and Kim Sebastian who, like many of the coaches and other volunteers, became involved after their child started playing in the Miracle League.

“We just lucked into it,” said Kim Sebastian, whose son started playing in the Miracle League when was 11 years old. “We didn’t know anything about it, and we came out for Octoberfest and they were out here doing a ball game and one of the coaches saw us walking by and said to our son ‘Hey, would you like to come over and hit the ball?’

“He hit the ball and ran the bases and had so much fun, so we came up the next weekend and registered him to play,” she added. “He’s been playing ever since.”

In 2023, the Moody Miracle League has 145 players split among 11 teams, five for children and six for adults. In each game, all players hit twice, and every hit is a home run. They also get to play in the outfield with their “buddy,” typically a volunteer who

ensures the player doesn’t get hurt from a line drive. During a day of Miracle League games, one will see players in Yankees, Giants, Cubs and other Major League team names putting on batting gloves, chatting with teammates, and hanging out in the dugout waiting for the first pitch, an experience most of them would never have without the Miracle League.

“For a lot of these players, including many of the adults who are homebound, this gives them something to look forward to,” said Kim Sebastian. “They’re disappointed when we have to cancel due to rain, and they constantly ask if we’re going to make those games up. It’s the highlight of their week.”

For the first time in 2023, the Moody Miracle League raised enough money to offer the experience free of charge. The generous donations from individuals, churches, and corporations make it possible for people with physical and mental disabilities to experience the thrill of playing America’s pastime.

“I really enjoy playing ball. I used to have to watch my sisters and them play but now I get to come out here and play,” said Jamie Duffel,

Photo by Loyd McIntosh

Hewitt Trussville Pitcher Ryan Davis.

(Photo by: Johnny Sanders)

Helio

From

fourth Indy 500. He moved back to the IndyCar series full-time for the 2022 season with Meyer Shank Racing.

The move back to openwheel cars was not an easy transition physically for Castroneves. “Oh, man. It was something,” he said. “I remember testing in 2018, just prior to the Indy 500, just being away for five or six races, I felt it.”

“After two years of not even being there, it was a big change. The cars are incredible machines. They don’t have power steering, and with the new aero screen, it becomes very warm inside,” Castroneves said. “It’s still an adjustment. Whenever you lose a little bit, it takes a little bit longer to get it back.”

Castroneves will go down in racing history as one of the greatest Indy 500 drivers ever. He has four pole positions at the Brickyard (2003, 2007, 2009, and 2010) to accompany his four victories and has finished second three times (2003, 2014 and 2017). His fastest four-lap, ten-mile qualifying run is 231.725 MPH. He holds the record for the longest span between wins at 20 years and the record for the fastest average winning race speed at 190.690 MPH in 2021. With all his success at Indy, Castroneves is still not done. His goal for 2023 is to win his fifth 500. “Drive for five is our goal,” he said.

While Castroneves is at home behind the wheel of an IndyCar and a prototype sports car, he enjoys racing other types of race cars as well. “Moving from one type of race car to another presents a big challenge,” he said. He previously tested a Formula One car for Toyota, raced in the IROC series, raced in the American LeMans series, competed in Australian V8 Supercars races, and regularly competes in the Race of Champions-Nations Cup.

Green Wave

Castroneves competed in the inaugural Camping World SRX Series in 2021, finishing 5th in points. This past summer, Castroneves won a heat race and the main event in the SRX event at the half-mile Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. Castroneves, a last-minute addition to the race, beat NASCAR veterans Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte, Ryan Newman, Michael Waltrip, Greg Biffle, Bill Elliott, and Five Flag track star Bubba Pollard. “Spider-Man,” as Castroneves is known, climbed the fence, his usual victory celebration, after his SRX victory.

Castroneves has enjoyed getting used to the SRX car.

“Stock cars are very difficult to drive,” he said. “It is a different driving style and takes a different understanding of the fundamentals. Some drivers are more adaptable than others, and with the simulators, you have an idea of where you are going before you get in the car.”

“How cools is this?” he said. “I’m getting to try different things.” Castroneves hopes to be able to compete in the Daytona 500 and the 24 Hours of LeMans in the near future. “Last year, we discussed the idea of running LeMans very openly and talked about it again this year after the 24-Hour win, but it is in Acura’s hands,” he said. “Look, I’m trying. If it happens, it happens, and if it doesn’t, it wasn’t meant to be.”

Castroneves has a message for those that have never attended an NTT IndyCar race at Barber. “Take a chance and try IndyCar. We aren’t comparing ourselves or competing against NASCAR and Talladega. We are adding another flavor to racing. It’s another type of racing they can try and have a good time with,” he said.

Tickets for the race on April 28-30 can be purchased at indyalabama.com or by calling 877-332-7804.

From page 14

At the mound, for the Green Wave, Dax Phillips pitched 6 innings allowing 4 runs on 8 hits and striking out 2. Jarod Latta came in for an inning to finish things off, allowing 1 hit, no runs and striking out 1 batter. For Moody, Bryant Hardin took the loss, pitching 5 innings and allowing 6 runs on 4 hits and striking out 2. Landon Cherry finished things up for the Blue Devils, pitching an inning and allowing 1 run, no hits and striking out 3.

At the plate, Moody’s Payton Isbell led with 2 RBI and Leeds’ Conner Nelson matched

Lady Tigers

From page 14

for the score to put the Tigers up 4-1 after three innings.

The fourth would be scoreless for both teams, but in the fifth West Point would do their best to make a comeback. The Warriors put 2 runs on the board in the top of the inning. Springville would answer with a run of their own, holding on to a 5-3 lead.

West Point would be un-

Springville

From page 14

again in the third while his team put up another run when Samuelson grounded into a fielder’s choice and scored Holland came home to make it 5-0 Springville. The fourth and fifth innings would be scoreless for both teams. In the sixth in-

Play Ball

From page 15

a long-time Miracle League player on the adult Yankees squad. Confined to a wheelchair, Duffel is helped by an-

the 2 RBI for the Green Wave. “I thought Leeds executed their pitches well in both games, especially in game 2,” said Eamonn Kelly, Moody’s coach. “We struggled to score guys when they were in scoring position. We hit there decently and actually out hit them. We made some mistakes by walking some guys and hitting a couple of guys early to dig a big hole. We battled back but it was too late. Kudos to their staff and how they plated us coming out of game 1. Coach Wingo does a great job with those guys. We have to focus on us and get ready for a great 1st round opponent from here.”

Leeds coach Jake Wingo

able to score in the sixth but Springville’s Layla Bradshaw would single to left field and drive in a waiting Leopard who was on second base to make it 5-3. The sixth would be much the same as Springville would close out the scoring for the night when Ruple grounded out to second, but Martin managed to get across the plate to make it 6-3 and after shutting the Warriors out in the seventh, that would be the final.

ning, Asa Morrison hit a line drive to center that brought in C Gleason, who was pinch running for Gillespie for Springville’s final run of the game, making it 6-0 Tigers.

Fairview would show some life in the final inning, scoring their only 2 runs of the game, but that would not be enough to beat the Tigers on this night.

other player, Ralph Rawlings, who helps her to bat and run the bases. “Running the bases is my favorite because I tell him to take off and I feel like I’m running, running, running.”

said, “I am super proud of our players and how they responded after what happened in game 1. They were determined to get the job done. In the first game, Nolan Moore pitched a complete game shutout. He did a fantastic job. We were able to get some things going offensively. Get some small ball going and bunt the baseball. Alex Bradford had the grand slam which was huge for us. In game 2, Dax Phillips pitched great. He pitched 5 innings. Moody made a run after we had 5 runs in the first 2 innings. They were able to scratch some runs across. Made it 5-4. We were able to score a run in the sixth to make it 6-4. Jarod Lat-

Shelby Hathcock pitched 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and striking out 5 batters. Georgia Chancellor would finish things out for the Tigers, going 2 innings and allowing no hits nor runs and striking out 4 batters.

Kiley Christopher and Riley Ruple led the way at the plate with 2 RBI each.

“We put some hits together that helped generate 6 runs,” said JP Taruc, Springville’s coach. “Shelby Hathcock

Zach Brown and C Samuelson would lead the Tigers batting with 2 RBI each. On the mound, Brady Gillespie would get the complete game win allowing 2 runs on 4 hits while striking out 13 batters.

“We were able to take the early lead in the second after 2 walks and 3 straight singles by Jake Conner, Carter Samuelson and Zach Brown.

“Jamie and I are kind of a team together, so we’ve been attending the ball field for many, many years,” said Rawlings. “We’ve gone down to Florida and played with other teams and done a lot

ta did a great job coming in and finishing for us. It was a hardfought game. Moody played great and challenged us. Great series against a great opponent. Give them credit. We are fortunate to have won the series.”

Coach Wingo continued, “This is really big for our community and our school. I’m just really happy for our kids because they put the work in. It’s good to see the hard work pay off and they deserve it.”

Before the playoffs, Leeds, now 20-12, will play Sylacauga on Monday night and then John Carroll on Tuesday. Moody, now 16-12, plays Minor on Monday and travels to Pell City Tuesday.

pitched a great game for us and Georgia Chancellor came in and finished the game. Kiley Christopher led the team with 2 RBI that gave us the lead early. Emmy Leopard and Kaylee Sue Martin hit well, going 2-3. Overall, I’m proud of my girls for doing whatever it takes to win and win as one.”

Before the playoffs begin next Friday, the 25-5-1 Tigers will take on Fairview on Thursday.

After getting one in the third we couldn’t string together hits until the sixth. With the win and Saint Clair’s win over Hayden, we clinched the area title. We will get to host the winner of the Sardis/Boaz series in the first round of the playoffs next Friday.” Springville, now 15-12, will travel to Fairview for a doubleheader on Thursday.

of activities with the Miracle League, so it’s been a Godsend.”

To donate, volunteer, or register a player for the Moody Miracle League, go to moodymiracleleague.org.

Nolan Moore - Leeds Baseball