The Trussville Tribune - May 8 - 14, 2019

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The Trussville Tribune www.TrussvilleTribune.com

May 8 - 14, 2019 Huskies to face off against Bob Jones in semifinals

By Shaun Szkolnik, sports editor

TRUSSVILLE — Hewitt-Trussville baseball has had a spectacular post season so far. The Huskies put away Oak Mountain in three games and was able to triumph over the Florence Falcons in two games Thursday.

See HUSKIES, Page 16

Body found in Birmingham Water Works intake basin

Trussville Fire crews battle house fire on Dawns Way

By Crystal McGough, copy editor

TRUSSVILLE — Trussville Fire & Rescue battled a house fire on Dawns Way in the Hidden Trace subdivision on Monday, May 6, 2019.

Heavy smoke and fire were showing and several crews were dispatched to the fire at 212 Dawns Way. By the time first responders got to the scene, the fire was already well involved. The home is likely a complete

PINSON — The Pinson City Council passed a resolution submitted by ALDOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) concerning improvements to be made on SR-75, See ALDOT, Page 3

loss and firefighters worked over three hours to put out the flames.

Fire Chief Tim Shotts said three stations responded. Shotts said it appears the fire started in the attic of the home.

The family was at home when the fire started and everyone got out safely.

Dawns Way was closed temporarily to allow first responders access.

BIRMINGHAM — The Birmingham Water Works Board said a body was found in an intake basin in the Sicard Hollow Road treatment facility.

The body was found around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, 2019, at the Cahaba Pump Station by an employee, according to Rick Jackson with Birmingham Water Works.

See BODY FOUND, Page 4

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

SPRINGVILLE — The Springville Police Department said a man was arrested after leading officers on a chase through a pond.

George Monroe Randolph, of Hayden, was booked into the St. Clair County Jail on Monday, May 6, 2019.

See MAN SWAM, Page 4

Trussville Police Detective rescues kitten from Main Street

See KITTEN, Page 4

Inside the Tribune News - Page 1-7 Politics - Page 8 Calendar - Page 10 Classified - Page 10 Tribune Living - Page 11 Obituary - Page 12 Faith - Page 13 Kid page - Page 14 Sports - Page 15-16

Pinson Council passes ALDOT resolution on AL 75, ordinance on removal of 4422 Main Street

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

SPRINGVILLE PD: Man swam through pond trying to evade police

50 Cents

A ‘sweet’ life for Jefferson County K9 officers

By Erica Thomas, managing editor

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Many of us enjoy rewarding ourselves for a job well done. Whether it’s a new outfit, a nice dinner or just putting our paycheck in the bank, we work for something. But for some of our hardest-working officers in Jefferson County, it’s all for nothing more than a piece of PVC pipe.

walk with a purpose, you can rest assured Sweet Davis, of the Central Alabama Police K9 Training Center, means business.

Davis has been training Jefferson County K9 cops for nearly five years. It’s more than a job for her, it’s a dream come true.

“I used to sit in front of the TV when I was little and watch all the little police dogs I could watch on TV...I always

K9 Officer Razor searching a field for a “suspect” during a training exercise

We’re not talking about sheriff deputies or police officers. We are talking about their sidekicks...K9 officers.

These dogs train day in and day out to stay focused on their mission: to keep crime at bay. But they have no idea what impact they are making.

The same could be said for the woman in charge of making sure all the pups are minding their p’s and q’s. With a strong, southern accent, and a

wanted to do dogs all my life. I even dreamed about it,” David said.

As soon as Davis was old enough, she packed up and headed to Germany to learn how to train police dogs.

When she came back to the states, her hometown police department helped her get going.

“I got back and got with my local law enforcement, the Maplesville Police De-

Teachers & Students of the Year named during Pinson Education Foundation Banquet

By Erica Thomas, Managing Editor

PINSON — The Pinson Education Foundation held its 11th Annual Awards Banquet on Monday, May 7, 2019, at Palmerdale United Methodist Church.

See TEACHERS, Page 6

Local Cub Scouts reflect on achievements as they prepare for the next level

By Shaun Szkolnik, for the Tribune

K9 Officer Razor, with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

partment,” Davis said. “They sent me to K9 school. When I got out of there, I trained all the dogs for about 10 years for nothing, just free. Then I thought, ‘Well, this job’s getting very expensive,’ so then, at that time, I started charging.”

Since Davis started her business, she said it’s all she thinks about.

“I’m fixing to be 58 in July and this is all I do,” Davis said.

The dogs are trained in narcotics, patrol, tracking and bomb detection.

For certification for the dogs trained to sniff out drugs, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office gets a license from the Drug Enforcement Administration for illegal drugs including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, Marijuana, ecstasy and some synthetic drugs.

Before the DEA sends the drugs for training, they test them to make sure they do not contain any other substances such as fentanyl, which could be extremely dangerous for dogs to come in contact with.

The drugs are packaged tightly and placed into locked boxes until they are brought out to be used. While the drugs are on loan, the DEA has the right to audit the sheriff’s office at any time to ensure none of the drugs are removed during training.

After months of training, it’s time for the certification test. Davis strategically hides the drugs inside a building and in and around vehicles at the training center. The dogs are brought in and must alert to what they find.

See K9, Page 3

TRUSSVILLE — Local Cub Scouts had the opportunity for their achievements to be celebrated at a graduation ceremony held for Pack #216 at the Civitan Park Sunday, May 5.

The graduation, however, was only part of the event.

See CUB SCOUTS, Page 7

Pinson Public Library offers summer reading program From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

PINSON — The Pinson Public Library is preparing for its Summer Reading Program.

The library provides free events for people of all ages during the summer months. The purpose is to keep the community reading, entertained and engaged.

See LIBRARY, Page 11

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 2

The

Trussville Tribune 190 Main Street Trussville, AL 35173 (205) 533-8664 Scott Buttram, Publisher publisher@trussvilletribune.com Erica Thomas, Managing Editor news@trussvilletribune.com STAFF WRITERS Shaun Szkolnik, Sports Editor Crystal McGough, Copy Editor CONTRIBUTING WRITERS June Mathews Terry Schrimscher SALES STAFF Ryan Jennings, Director of Sales & Marketing Shari Moore, Account Executive Meredith White, Account Executive Lauren Taylor, Traffic Coordinator

May 8 - 14, 2019

HT engineering academy students take trip to Barber's Speedway BIRMINGHAM — The world is turning faster than the wheels of any race car, and if the students of today are going to keep up with demands of tomorrow, they are going to need to be familiar with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).

The Engineering Academy POE (Principles of Engineering) students got a healthy dose of STEM on April 4, when they spent the day at Barber’s Speedway.

The event focused on helping students determine their career paths by providing valuable career resources.

Several speakers presented opportunities available to the students in a wide variety of careers.

Speakers included an Indy Car driver, a team manager, and Alabama Power representatives.

One major topic discussed was the current and future status of electric transportation and job opportunities in this field.

Photo by TCS

After the presentations, students worked in small groups to design and assemble pinewood derby cars with

the assistance from Alabama Power engineers. After the cars were assembled, each group raced their cars head-

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May 8 - 14, 2019

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Local / Region

School physicals on May 17 for Hewitt-Trussville students currently in grades 6-11 From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE — Hewitt-Trussville students who are currently in grades 6-11 and want to participate in athletics during the 20192020 school years should attend the school physicals taking place on May 17.

All students that will be in grades 7-12 during the 2019-

2020 school year that wish to participate in athletics should attend. This includes current sixth graders that wish to participate in athletics during 2019-2020 as seventh graders.

The physicals will take place at the Hewitt-Trussville High School Gym. Students at HTHS can start during their athletics period. Students at HTMS should come right af-

ALDOT, from front page

ter school ends for the day.

Athletic school physicals are $5 each. Cash or checks accepted. Students will need to bring page two of the physical form. Physical forms are available online at www. hthuskies.com.

Physicals are good for one year. Students who get a physical in May will be covered for the entire 2019-2020 school year.

K9, from front page

Cpl. Chad King, a K9 officer handler, has been through the training and said the dogs and their handlers must complete several courses.

“For certification, you’ve got to do cars, you’ve got to do rooms, you’ve got to do building searches, luggage and open field,” King said.

When they do find a drug,

when I started was I loved the dogs so much I got attached to them. What made me give them up and feel good about it was each time I knew the dog was going to a police department and was going to get the best food, going to get to ride and do his job that he loved every day for life. That’s what that dog lives for.”

could trigger an aggressive response.

These dogs are more than pets to the officers. They are truly partners in fighting crime. Once an officer becomes a K9 handler, they will likely stay with a dog throughout their career, if they choose to do so.

Davis also trains service

K9 Officer Pistol with her handler Cpl. Chad King

the dog must alert. There are several different indications including barking, scratching, sitting and pointing. After giving the alert, the dog is rewarded with a toy. For Jefferson County, those toys include burlap, rope, a pillow and in one case, a simple PVC pipe.

Although it doesn’t seem like much, to the dog the reward is a sign it has pleased its handler. The dogs are not regularly given toys, so when they get something to play with, it’s very special. This is how the handlers ensure the dogs take their jobs seriously.

Once the certification process is complete, training isn’t over. The K9s must undergo 16 hours per month of maintenance training.

Sweet Davis said her job is never-ending, but she loves doing it.

“You have to love this,” she said. “I love dogs, so it’s a lot of hard work, but you’ve got to love it. The hardest thing I had

And it’s a “sweet” life if you ask Sweet Davis.

“If you put him in a kennel and he’s a working dog, he’ll whine,” Davis said. “He wants to go to work. The only thing he’s working for is his toy. For us, it’s a paycheck, but to him, his toy’s his paycheck!”

This certification process is done once a year in Jefferson County. Several municipalities from across the state come to participate. As for maintenance training, Jefferson County, Trussville, Walker County and Jasper K9 officers regularly participate.

K9 handlers are encouraged to keep their dogs with them 24/7. Officers are on call and can be sent out to a call at a moment’s notice. But if you see one of them out and about, trainers recommend you ask the handler before approaching the K9. Jefferson County doesn’t have dogs that are trained to bite, but just like any animal, something

and therapy dogs, and show and competition dogs for civilians. When it comes to teaching, Davis said it is rare that she has issues.

“The Lord has gifted me,” she said. “I can look at a dog and read a dog. I can just look at it and know just like the dog’s talking to me. I know what the dog needs. If I do have a problem, I go home and like I said, God gave me this gift, I’ll dream how to fix that dog and next thing I’ll do is go fix that dog. I’ve been like that all my life.”

Davis trains all breeds of dogs, but if you are looking for an appointment, it could be a while. There is a waiting list. You can visit www.centralalabamapolicek9 for more information.

A video featuring Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office K9 Officers Razor and Pistol showing off some of their field training skills has been posted to www.trussvilletribune.com.

including resurfacing, planing, striping, leveling, widening and patching, on a section of the highway from 116 feet south of Fox Hill Drive to 240 feet south of Innsbrooke Parkway.

“This is ALDOT’s resolution that it’s sending out for this improvement project on state route 75,” City Attorney Shane Black said. “And this is a standard type resolution, the council has seen this type of thing before…First of all, this is the approval of the plan for 75. This is approval of the location, this is approval that the city, to the extent it’s got it, will grant ALDOT full access to any of that right of way and any of the right of ways on the adjacent streets that touch on 75, to the extent that they end up having to enlarge or do anything with the margins of 75.

That the city will not permit any future encroachments on 75. That the city won’t adopt any ordinances that change speed limits on 75.

These are the kinds of things that this resolution talks about.”

Mayor Hoyt Sanders asked Black to address some concerns about some wording in the resolution that may not apply to the city of Pinson.

“The final page makes a couple of statements, and sometimes these don’t always apply to Pinson,” Black said. “The first one is that the city is agreeing to perform all maintenance on the crossroads that are not federal state highways.

I think that’s ok, though, because it says ‘that are in the jurisdiction of the city.’ It also says that the city ‘agrees to perform any maintenance on any existing road which has been replaced by a new road.’

I don’t think that’s an issue here in this project…Number three: ‘that the city agrees to perform all maintenance on interchanges to the theoretical crossing of the denied access line.’ Now, to the extent that there are maintenance interchanges, to the extent that it’s a city street that’s going to require that, it may require it with respect to all interchanges, Mr. Mayor.

Number four: ‘that the city agrees to perform all maintenance on grade separations along the roadway to the end of the bridge, or the denied access fence, whichever the case.’ That’s, again, not really an issue.”

Later in the meeting, Black asked the council if they would consider making a motion to allow him to amend certain parts of the ALDOT resolution.

“This ALDOT resolution, as I’m looking through it, it is a little bit different in a couple of ways from some of the others,” Black said. “I’d appreciate if y’all might consider a motion to allow me to modify it as needed to make sure that we are presenting this in the

ALDOT plans for proposed SR-75 project

same form as the ALDOT resolutions similar to this in the past.”

Black said that they needed to make it “clear that there are certain roads that are maintained by the county, and that there’s nothing that we’re doing in here that is creating an assumption obligation on behalf of Pinson.”

Sanders asked the council if they would like to make a motion “to authorize Mr. Black to amend and attach any other documents of clarification necessary to explain Pinson’s unique situation.”

Councilor John Churchwell made the motion and Councilor Robbie Roberts seconded it. The motion passed unanimously.

“For public information, since we just had our birthday, annexation law, including when your incorporation date was, dictates what roads are the city’s and which roads remain the county’s,” Sanders said. “So that’s what we’re talking about is our roads, their roads.”

The council also passed Ordinance 2019-11, authorizing the removal and disposal of the house at 4422 Main Street, which is owned by the city.

According to the ordinance, “the City Council finds that the Structure is not needed for public or municipal purposes…(and) the City Council finds, in this situation, that removing the Structure by sealed bids is the best way to sell the Structure at its fair market value.”

The ordinance adds that the city does not intend to sell the property, only the structure, itself, “upon condition that the Structure be removed from the Property.”

“It’s been added to and needs a roof, and a host of other things that probably make a whole lot of repair not really in the best interest financially,” Sanders said. “What we may try to do is harvest some of the items that might be of use to us. For example…we would probably try to save some of the rockwork on the front, perhaps for an addition or signage or something over at the Rock School. So there might be some little things, but, you know, it’s still just a very old

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home with inefficient windows and no insulation, of course.”

In other city news, the council passed an ordinance annexing two parcels of land at the location of 6268 Spraul Avenue into the city limits, at the request of property owner Shelly L. Bryant.

Additionally, the council unanimously passed a motion to hire Hinkle Roofing to install a new pre-painted aluminum seamless gutter system at Bicentennial Park, for the amount of $3,240.

Each gutter will have a PVC elbow on the bottom turn out for safety.

“I think we can always start with the gutters and then add the guards,” Sanders said. “They would be matching, safe and put, of course, in nondescript areas, behind bushes and things like that where we could work it in. So that would reduce the discoloration and so forth.”

The city council approved payment of bills in the amount of $49,022.54.

In recognition of Independence Day, the mayor and council decided to move its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, July 4, 2019, to Wednesday, July 3, 2019, at 2 p.m.

“We may have an abatement hearing to handle at that time,” Sanders said.

Upcoming events in the city of Pinson: • Pinson’s Got Talent — May 3, at 7 p.m., at PVHS • Shred-a-Thon — May 4, at 9 a.m., at Pinson City Hall • Movies in May, at the Pinson Bicentennial Park amphitheater • May 3 – Grinch • May 10 – Ralph Breaks the Internet • May 17 – Mary Poppins Returns • May 24 – Bonus/Rain Date • Beat the Heat at Turkey Creek, July 20 • National Night Out, Aug. 6, at Bicentennial Park The next meeting of the Pinson City Council will be May 16, 2019, at 7 p.m. The council meeting will be preceded by a pre-council session at 6:30 p.m.

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 4

Center Point man wanted on murder and drug charges From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama released information on a man wanted for two counts of murder and three counts of unlawful distribution of a controlled substance.

As of May 4, 2019, Omar Shereef Yelverton, of Center Point, was wanted by the Bir-

mingham Police Department.

His last known address was in the 1000 block of Ladonna Sue Circle.

Crime Stoppers has not released information on the case Yelverton is connected to.

Anyone who has information on the whereabouts of Yelverton is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (205) 2547777.

Omar Shereef Yelverton

CRIME STOPPERS: Fairfield woman wanted for making a terror threat after disrupting a school was wanted as of May 4, 2019.

Hines' last known address was in the 3600 block of Avenue F in Fairfield.

Hines has not been convicted of the crime.

If you have information on her whereabouts, you are asked to call Crime Stoppers at (205) 254-7777. You can make an anonymous tip and could receive a cash reward if your tip leads to an arrest.

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

HOMEWOOD — Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama said a woman was wanted on a felony warrant for disrupting a school.

Cherra Hines, 35, of Fairfield, is facing a charge of making a terror threat. Investigators did not say what school Hines is accused of threatening but did say she

Keller Williams Realty hosting RED Day, day of giving From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE — Keller Williams is hosting RED Day, a day of service, on May 9, 2019.

RED stands for RENEW, ENERGIZE and DONATE. KW Trussville is inviting people to drop in at the Trussville Mall location between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to make a $20 donation.

The money raised will go to Alabama Fallen Warriors & Vettes4Vets.

If you make a donation, you get to participate in “Bring 5 Take 5” Give Day. You bring five “used but in

new condition” items to swap for five other items. You can also purchase items if you do not have five to bring. Your cash or check donation will be tax-deductible.

RED Day is an initiative celebrating Keller Williams

Realty’s year-round commitment to improving local communities. Each year, on the second Thursday in May, tens of thousands of associates from across the United States and Canada participate in a range of service projects.

BODY FOUND, from front page

Birmingham Police are investigating the incident as an “unclassified death”.

The person found has not been identified and the body has been sent for further examination to determine a cause of death.

Jackson said there is no threat to the water. He said the location where the body was found is the initial location where water is taken in before it is treated. He said it is not uncommon to find dead things in the water but

usually those things include deer and raccoons, not human bodies. Still, he said the water treatment process will work the same to clean any impurities from drinking water before it reaches homes and businesses.

May 8 - 14, 2019

Jefferson County Department of Health is offering a measles vaccine From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

BIRMINGHAM — The Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) is offering a measles vaccine to residents of the county. People that do not have a primary care provider will also be eligible to get the vaccine.

According to the JCDH, adult residents of Jefferson County may go to the Adult Immunization Center, which

is located in the basement level of the Central Health Center at 1400 Sixth Ave. S. in Birmingham (205-930-1034). No appointment is necessary and the offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The cost is $105.79.

Those who do have insurance will have to contact their insurance company to find out if reimbursement of the cost is possible.

According to the JCDH, pediatric residents of Jeffer-

son County may go to one of the following locations for the vaccine.

• Central Health Center (main level) 1400 Sixth Ave. S. Birmingham, AL 35233; (205) 933-9110 • Eastern Health Center 601 West Blvd Roebuck Birmingham, AL 35206; (205) 591-5180 • Western Health Center 631 Bessemer Super Hwy Midfield, AL 35228; (205) 715-6121

Former Hoover police officer arrested on domestic violence charge From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

HOOVER — A former Hoover police officer was taken into custody on a domestic violence charge on Sunday, May 5.

According to police on Sunday at 12:31 a.m. Hoover Police responded to a residence in the 2300 block of Village Center Street on a report of a domestic altercation.

After interviewing both parties, it was determined that a verbal argument escalated into a physical confrontation.

Police said the female party sustained injuries (scrapes

and red marks) but refused medical attention, said police.

According to authorities the husband, Jason Bragg McIntosh, 44, was taken into custody and charged with domestic violence in the third degree. McIntosh was transported to the Hoover City Jail without incident and was released after posting $1,000.00 bond at 1:54 a.m. Monday morning.

Police said that McIntosh is a former Hoover Police Officer who resigned on March 20, 2019.

According to authorities, McIntosh was the subject of a previous domestic violence

Jason Bragg McIntosh

case that occurred on February 23. That case is being investigated by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA).

Homicide in Birmingham ruled to be justifiable From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

BIRMINGHAM — The Birmingham Police Department reported that detectives have received a ruling in connection with a homicide investigation. The incident was reported on Sunday, April 28 at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Officers from the West Precinct were dispatched to the 2800 block of Bessemer Road to investigate a Shot Spotter alert of shots fired in

the area. As officers arrived, they received a report of a person shot at 2808 Bessemer Road. Officers located the victim unresponsive inside the doorway of a car detail shop suffering from a gunshot wound.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue reported to the scene and pronounced the victim deceased as a result of his injury.

Police identified the deceased as Omari Sharad Pollnitz,38, of Birmingham.

The other subject involved was identified and interviewed by BPD investigators. BPD Homicide Investigators presented the information gathered on the case to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office for review.

Following the assessment of the information, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office ruled the shooting as justifiable.

No warrants will be pursued in this investigation.

MAN SWAM, from front page

Officers said he was driving a stolen truck when they attempted to pull him over. They said he fled and was eventually caught after a foot chase. The officers said they found a pound of methamphetamine in the vehicle.

Randolph is charged with trafficking drugs, receiving stolen property and attempting to

elude law enforcement. Randolph’s bond has been set at $1,030,500.

The Springville Police Department thanked the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Office, the Odenville Police Department, the Argo Police Department and the Alabama Department of Corrections Dog Team for assisting.

George Monroe Randolph

KITTEN, from front page From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville Police Department said one of its detectives saved the day for one lucky kitten on Main Street on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.

Detective Ryan Robinson saw the long-haired, gray kitten jump from a car at the intersection of Chalkville Road in downtown Trussville. Robinson jumped to the rescue just in time for the tiny kitten.

Photo by Kenneth Bryant, Facebook

Police said the kitten had been in the engine of a car and that the driver of the car probably never knew he was there.

Witnesses said Detective Robinson saved the kitten’s life because it jumped into traffic, ran into a parking lot, then climbed into another vehicle. After about 25 minutes of searching, Robinson found the kitten.

A woman nearby got the kitten and said she plans to take it to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society.

Papers fly from seniors at Hewitt-Trussville From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE — Husky Hour at Hewitt-Trussville High School was a show of senior pride on Tuesday, May 7, 2019.

As seniors prepared for graduation, they tossed their

papers from the rails. Husky Hour has become a tradition.

It takes place during the lunch hour before 5th period.

Brian Thompson, a sophomore at Hewitt-Trussville videoed the show of school spirit and pride. You can view the video at www.

TrussvilleTribune.com.

Husky Hour

May 8 - 14, 2019

The Trussville Tribune

M e t r o / S tat e

2 arrested in connection to string of crimes across Alabama

Arrest made in death of elderly woman in Birmingham

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

VESTAVIA HILLS — The Vestavia Hills Police Department, the Homewood Police Department and the Secret Service Financial Crimes Task Force arrested two suspects they said were involved in multiple car burglaries, identity thefts and credit card fraud throughout the state of Alabama.

Police said the suspects were targeting parking lots of gyms, pre-schools, day cares and recreation areas such as parks and walking tracks. The suspects’ identities and charges are as follows: • Damien D. Waller, 25, Tamarac, Florida

• 5 Counts of Unlawful Breaking & Entering of a Vehicle-$75,000 Bond total • 4 Counts of Theft of Property 3rd- $40,000 Bond • 1 Count of Fraudulent use of Credit Card (Shelby County DA’s Office-$5,000 Bond) • Waller’s charges have a total bond amount of $115,000.00.

• Tazomi S. Natta, 28, Plantation, Florida.

• 5 Counts of Unlawful Breaking & Entering of a Vehicle-$75,000 Bond total • 4 Counts of Theft of Property 3rd- $40,000 Bond • Natta’s charges have a total bond amount of $115,000.00.

Page 5

TRUSSVILLE — A suspect was arrested in the death of an 84-year-old Birmingham woman. Brenda Evans, 52, is facing a murder charge in the death of

Hattie Evans.

Birmingham Police said the victim was found dead in a home at 9009 Zion City Road at 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, May 5, 2019. According to the Jefferson County Coroner, she died as a result of head injuries related

to a domestic incident and was found on the floor of a bedroom. Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced her dead on the scene.

Brenda Evans is now being held in the Jefferson County Jail.

Woman charged with murder in death of Vestavia Hills police officer From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

GARDENDALE — A Vestavia Hills police officer was shot on Thursday, May 2, 2019, and later died.

Gardendale Police received a call to Woodbrook Drive at 10:47 p.m. When officers arrived on the scene at Woodbrook Apartments at 10:52 p.m., they found a

man suffering from a gunshot wound. Gardendale Fire and Rescue took the victim to UAB where he was pronounced dead on the morning of Friday, May 3, 2019.

The victim was identified as 42-year-old Andrew Wade Kimbrel.

Stephanie Nicole Keller, 43, was arrested and charged with murder. She is being held in the Jefferson County

Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Investigators believe the shooting was domestic in nature.

Gardendale Police Department Chief Mike Walker said his prayers are with the victim's family and with the Vestavia Hills Police Department.

Stephanie Nicole Keller, Jefferson County Jail

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 6

May 8 - 14, 2019

TEACHERS, from front page

PVHS Character Awards

Several teachers, support staff and outstanding students were recognized for their efforts and character.

Pinson Valley High School’s Culinary Arts class prepared the food for the evening’s event. Ginny Jett, the Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism instructor, said her students started Friday by preparing vegetables. They worked all day Monday mak-

not one of them,” Jett said.

“So, just to inspire them to get involved, even if it’s just cooking at home, that’s what we’re here to do.”

Food Giant provided all the food for the banquet.

Joe Cochran, the executive director of the Pinson Education Foundation, started the banquet off with a warm welcome. The Boy Scouts led the crowd in the

Rudd Middle School Character

the evening. The small group belted out the lyrics, wowing the crowd with their harmonizing vocals.

ship of Christian Athletes (FCA). Bill Gray spoke about the importance of teachers involving themselves in the

Student of the Year

for the basketball championship win.

“It was a heart-warming excitement for us to see those guys dig down a little bit deeper, then come back with a vengeance,” Knight said. “…Those lessons they learn to becoming a champion, they can apply to their lives, all their lives, as they grow old.”

Character winners were

was given to the Career & Technical Student of the Year. The award was presented in the name of Cody Cole, who died in a crash in 2016.

The winner of the 2019 Big Country Award was Niko Ramos. He was given a plaque and a $750 cash award.

The Student of the Year was Kaitlyn Ambrose. She was given $1,000. Other nominees were Faith Pot-

PVHS Teacher of the Year

Pinson Elementary Teacher of the Year

ing everything from scratch.

They served a salad with made-from-scratch dressing, stuffed Greek chicken breast with roasted potatoes, garlic-sautéed green beans and focaccia bread. Jett said the experience could be more than a lesson for the ninth – 12th graders.

“There are industries that come and go but this is

pledge and Barry Wilson with the Palmerdale Homestead Community Center led them in prayer.

Part of the Pinson Valley High School Chamber Choir, directed by Sarah Timothy, performed “Royals” by Lorde. Not all the members were able to be there because they were at the band banquet, which started earlier in

Johnson Elementary Teacher of the Year

Rudd Middle School Teacher of the Year

The guest speaker of the event was the director of Central Alabama’s Fellow-

lives of students. He used analogies with the handgame “Rock, Paper, Scissors” to explain how the rock represents a Godly foundation, the paper represents the covering of love and acceptance from others, and the scissors represent how sharp God’s love is.

After the message, Joe Cochran introduced Pinson Valley High School’s head football coach Patrick Nix and head basketball coach Darrell Barber. The two helped Cochran present appreciation plaques to those who supported the teams over the past year. Among those honored were Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight, Pinson Mayor Hoyt Sanders, cheerleader coach Shannon Galamore and auto supplier Kamtek.

Commissioner Joe Knight, on behalf of the Jefferson County Commission, presented a resolution honoring Coach Nix on two, backto-back championship wins.

The resolution congratulated Nix and his team. Another resolution was presented to Coach Barber and his team

presented next to Pinson Valley High School students.

Those students were Stephanie Conner, Cameron Ambrose, Satori Van Cleaf, Joseph Potter, Tannah Kirkland and Romeo Zempoalteca.

Students selected from Rudd Middle School were Alaina Mullen, Rider Acosta, Delaney Weekly, Hakeem Menifee, Kate Rickless and David Stewart.

Mayor Sanders presented the award for support staff.

The winner was Lori Smith.

Also nominated was Lori Akin. Both were recognized for going above and beyond to help teachers and students at Pinson Valley High School.

Teacher of the Year nominees were named from each school. Below is a list of nominees. The teachers with the (*) beside their names were the winners.

PVHS Samantha Bonner* Darrell Barber Jamie Mizerany Tony Hatmaker Jameson Prater Rudd Middle School Tami Parker* Victoria Chambless Johnson Elementary Abigail Bradford Leah Comer* Lisa Gray Pinson Elementary Katerine Perkins Becky Gwin* The “Big Country Award”

ter, William Clayton, Jerrett Goodman, Gabriel Clayton and Drew Rickles. The nominees received $250 each.

The Pinson Education Foundation was established and is promoted and sponsored by Palmerdale Homesteads Community Center.

“Big Country Award”

Sponsors of the banquet included The Alabama Butterbean Festival, Food Giant, Unique Touch Gifts, Hometown Bank, Clay-Pinson Chamber of Commerce, Jay Ellet of State Farm, Cammie Cooper of State Farm, ESC Central, Pinson Valley Heaty Treating, Deerfoot Eye Care, Serra Automotive, Mills Pharmacy, Stanley Moss, John Churchwell, Shannon Galamore, Joy McCain and Steve Hudson.

The Trussville Tribune

May 8 - 14, 2019

Page 7

10 people charged in over $200 million prescription drug fraud From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

BIRMINGHAM – Ten defendants were charged in a 103-count indictment, including a nurse practitioner, a pharmacist, managers, sales representatives, billers, and the owners of a Haleyville, Alabama-based pharmacy, Northside Pharmacy, doing business as Global Compounding Pharmacy.

The indictment charges them with fraudulently billing health care insurers and prescription drug administrators for over $200 million in prescription drugs.

According to U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, in one listed instance, the defendants’ fraudulent conduct caused a prescription plan administrator to pay over $29,000 for one tube of a cream advertised as treating “general wounds.”

Town, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, Special Agent in Charge Derrick L. Jackson, Defense Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin, United States Postal Inspector in Charge, Houston Division Adrian Gonzalez, and Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Thomas Holliman announced the charges.

The indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges the following individuals: 1. John Jeremy Adams, 38, of Panama City Beach, Florida, an owner and president of Global, charged in 38 counts; Adams was arrested on Wednesday and arraigned on Thursday in the Northern District of Florida.

2. Ashley Adams, 36, of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, director of HR for Global, charged in 10 counts; 3. Jeffrey Black, 54, of Destin, Florida, an owner and vice president and COO of Global, charged in 18 counts; 4. James A. Mays, III, 43, of Winfield, Alabama, a pharmacist at Global, charged in 20 counts; 5. Jessica Linton, 36, of Clearwater, Florida, the manager of the billing team at Global, charged in 24 counts; 6. Lisa Holmes, 40, of Troy, Alabama, a district manager supervising sales representatives at Global, charged in 12 counts; 7. John Gladden, 49, of Tallahassee, Florida, a district manager supervising sales representatives at Global, charged in 9 counts;

8. Christi Cunningham, aka Christi Mook, 34, of Crestview, Florida, a sales representative at Global, charged in 9 counts; 9. Juan Rodriguez, 41, of Tampa, a biller at Global, charged in 6 counts; and 10. Lori Dawn Edenfield, 45, of Marianna, Florida, a nurse practitioner, charged in 32 counts.

“Motivated by greed, the defendants executed a brazen health care fraud conspiracy and scheme that cost health insurance plans, including those that protect the elderly, disabled, military members and veterans, millions of dollars,” Town said.

“Their scheme deprived health insurance plans of money that could have gone to assist patients with real medical needs. To date, this investigation has resulted in 28 people being charged. Would-be healthcare fraudsters should be on notice that our Office is dedicated to rooting out this conduct. We applaud the investigative agencies for their hard work.”

“The egregious corruption uncovered in this complex and wide-ranging fraud scheme wasted millions of dollars in American taxpayer funds, and furthermore, deprived U.S. military members and their families of legitimate prescription medications and other needed medical care,” said John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, DCIS-Southeast Field Office. “Through our aggressive investigative efforts with our partner agencies, DCIS helped stop this shameful abuse of one of DoD’s most critical programs.”

“Healthcare Fraud continues to impact the cost of healthcare in America and is amplified when trusted professionals abandon their ethical code in the name of greed. These unethical practices are damaging the lives of individuals and families throughout this country,” said Thomas J. Holloman, Special Agent in Charge for IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS CI will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners in an effort to prosecute those abusing our healthcare system for profit.”

“Pursuing those who perpetrate fraud against VA programs and operations is a priority for VA OIG,” said Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division Special Agent in Charge David Spilker. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of VA programs designed to help our nation’s veterans and their families.”

According to the indictment, Global, which described itself as “one of the top three largest compounding pharmacies

Ask t Our u o b A mer m u S ials Spec

in the United States,” primarily shipped compounded and other drugs from its Haleyville facility, but did most of its prescription processing, billing and customer service at its “call center” in Clearwater, Florida. The company hired sales representatives who were located in various states and were responsible for generating prescriptions from physicians and other prescribers. The company also worked with affiliated pharmacies.

The indictment describes a multi-faceted health care fraud and mail fraud conspiracy and scheme in which the defendants billed for medically unnecessary drugs. Aspects of the scheme included paying prescribers to issue prescriptions; directing employees to get medically unnecessary drugs for themselves, family members, and friends, to be filled and billed by Global and other related pharmacies; altering prescriptions to add non-prescribed drugs including controlled substances such as Tramadol and Ketamine; automatically refilling prescriptions—often as many as 12 times— regardless of patient need; routinely waiving and discounting co-pays to induce patients to obtain and retain medically unnecessary drugs; and billing for drugs without patients’ knowledge and hiding that conduct from patients by mailing the drugs to J. Adams’ home. According to the indictment, when prescription drug administrators attempted to police this fraudulent conduct, the defendants evaded and obstructed those efforts, including by providing false information in response to audits and diverting their billing through affiliated pharmacies. In executing the scheme, the defendants billed health insurance plans and their prescription plan administrators over $200 million and were paid over $50 million.

The indictment states that the defendants targeted multiple health insurance plans, including Global’s, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, and plans providing health insurance to the elderly, disabled, members of the military, and veterans—Medicare, TRICARE, and CHAMPVA, among others. In addition, the defendants targeted the health insurance plans of Medtronic, a medical device company, and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., a pharmaceutical company, both known by some of the defendants to have high-reimbursing health insurance.

According to the indictment, Adams and Black would hire individuals known to be on Medtronic and Novartis’s health insurance plans, and direct them to get prescriptions for medically unnecessary

drugs for themselves, family members, and friends, and then pay them a commission for these prescriptions.

Some of the conduct described in the indictment includes billing for female sex creams issued to male patients, billing for drugs issued to children that Global stated were contraindicated for use by children, and billing for drugs that patients did not need and therefore simply discarded in the trash.

The indictment also charges the defendants with aggravated identity theft, charges J. Adams, Black, and Edenfield with participating in a kickback conspiracy, and charges J. Adams, Black, and Mays with multiple counts of spending the proceeds of health care fraud and mail fraud. Purchases included for private plane travel and expensive watches.

The charges stem from a larger investigation that has to-date resulted in 18 additional individuals being charged and signing plea agreements. Those individuals include Global Vice President of Sales Phillip Marks, Operations Manager Jeffrey South, District Manager Angie Nelson, National Field Trainer and sales representative Bridget McCune; sales representatives Bonita Amonett, Roddrick Boykin, Joshlyn Bowen, Erin Brown, Vanessa Case, Peter Eodice II, Jody Hobbs, Robin Lowry, Kelley Norris and Dawn Whitten; billers Fermin Alfonso, Stacey Cardozo, and Christopher Nunez; and a nurse practitioner, Brandy Lunsford.

The maximum penalty for healthcare and mail fraud conspiracy is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for health care fraud is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for mail fraud is 20 years and a $250,000 fine. The penalty for aggravated identity theft is a mandatory two years, to run consecutive to other counts. The maximum penalty for the kickback conspiracy charge is 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum penalty for spending proceeds of health care fraud and mail fraud is 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI, HHS-OIG, DCIS, USPIS, IRS-CI, and a United States Attorney’s Office investigator investigated the cases, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chinelo Dike-Minor and Don Long are prosecuting. The Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division provided assistance in the investigation.

An indictment contains only charges.

A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

1 dead after multiple shots fired in Bessemer intersection From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

BESSEMER — Bessemer Police are investigating a homicide after two people were found shot on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

Bessemer Police and Bessemer Fire were called out on reports of multiple shots fired at the intersection of Hall Avenue

and 10th Street at 5:10 p.m. They found one person in a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound.

That person was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Another person was found nearby with gunshot wounds. Anthony Hyshaw, 18, of Birmingham was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:38 p.m., according to Jefferson County Coroner Bill Yates.

CUB SCOUTS, from front page

While scouts were honored for their accomplishments, they were also encouraged as they advanced into the next set of adventures that scouting holds for them.

There were five arches set up, each one representing a different rank. The scouts entered through the arch representing their rank and exited the arch representing the new rank. The scoutmaster read their names, achievements, and they were presented with the accouterment of their new scouting status.

“In scouting, there is a long tradition of crossing the bridge from one rank to the next,” said Scoutmaster Robb Letts. “Typically, we leave crossover ceremony for our outgoing Arrow of Lights (the last rank in cub scouts) going into Boy Scouts.

We do that as a separate thing in March so they can get acclimated to troop life before summer camp opportunities come up. Here we do our arches as kind of exiting one door and entering another door as the new chapter starts.”

Each of the arches was a different color, and each color represented one of the ranks.

“They’re specific to each rank,” said Letts. “In cubs, we have an orange for Tigers, gold

for Lions, gold for Wolves, blue for Bears, red for our Webelos and our final Arrow of Light is the dark green.”

Scouting is an organization steeped in history and self-reliance. In accord with those two traditions, Pack #216 has developed a ceremony that is all its own.

“This is kind of our pack tradition,” said Letts. “Each pack has their own tradition behind things. This is something that many years ago was put together, and we really enjoy this kind of program. It is an opportunity for us to organize things a little bit where the kids know specifically ‘I’m entering this doorway and I’m going to stand in this doorway,’ so we get plenty of good photo opportunities and things of that nature for our families.”

For Letts, the parents and the scouts, the event is a source of pride in a job well done and anticipation for the future.

“It is a big sense of pride knowing you’ve delivered the program the way that it was supposed to be delivered and that your unit is 100% graduated out,” said Letts. “It is a great way to tell whether we’re meeting our Journey to Excellence guidelines.”

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 8

May 8 - 14, 2019

Politics

Inside the Statehouse: Prowess at Unlocking the U.S. Treasury for Alabama

By Steve Flowers

Senator Richard Shelby Turns 85 this week. He is an Alabama Treasure with Legendary Our Senior U.S. Senator, Richard Shelby, turns 85 this week. In March he reached another milestone – he surpassed Senator John Sparkman as the longest serving U.S. Senator in Alabama history. Shelby has been our senator for 32 plus years.

Alabama has a treasure in Richard Shelby. He is not only the longest serving U.S. Senator in Alabama history, he is also the most successful U.S. Senator in Alabama history. During his illustrious tenure, Senator Shelby has chaired the Senate Banking Committee, Intelligence Committee and Rules Committee. However, his current perch as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee is unparalleled.

He has brought home the bacon during his five

Steve Flowers Inside the Statehouse

six-year terms like no one in history. However, in his sixth six-year term it’s Katie bar the door. In addition to chairing the Appropriations Committee, he also retained the Chairmanship of the Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations. It is through this channel that he has pumped immense federal money into the Heart of Dixie in last year’s budget alone. It is staggering. It is almost unimaginable.

However, get this, in the Fort Rucker budget alone Senator Shelby carved out an additional $95 million for future vertical lift research, which will help accelerate development of helicopters flown at Fort Rucker; $10 million to up-grade Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters; $1 billion for THAAD missiles: $111 million for long range anti-ship missiles; $306 million for JAG missiles; $484 million for Hellfire missiles, which are made in Troy and used for training at Fort Rucker; $254 million for Javelin missiles for the Army and Marine Corps; and $663 million for Joint Air-Surface Standoff missiles, which recently made their debut in strikes on Syria in response to their use of chemical weapons.

Sen. Shelby has bestowed a largess of grants on UAB for medical research over the years. However, he recognizes the possibility of explosive growth in the

Huntsville area. The Redstone Arsenal is reaping the rewards of Senator Shelby’s prowess and influence. The amount of money our senior senator is putting into North Alabama is mind boggling: in Army research $11 billion for instruments in transformational technologies to address future Army needs; $10.4 billion for missile defense; $664 million for hypersonic research; $184 million for Directed Energy; $306 million for Cyber Research; and $200 million for Space Launch vehicles.

Of all the things that Sen. Shelby has procured for Alabama, specifically the Huntsville area, his Hallmark legacy may be securing the placement of one of the largest FBI facilities in America.

Huntsville will eventually be second only to Washington D.C. for the FBI. The FBI’s investment in Huntsville could reach $1 billion. Initially 1,350 jobs will be transferred from

Washington to North Alabama. The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville already includes a U.S. Army Base as well as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Folks these 1,350 to 1,500 Federal FBI jobs all pay more than the average Alabama salary.

The Huntsville metro area is poised to grow more size wise and economically than any area of America in the next decade in no small part to Senator Richard Shelby.

He has almost four years left on his 6 th term, 44 months to be exact. He is in excellent health, physically and mentally. Most Alabamians hope and pray he runs again in 2022. However, he will be 88.

If Senator Shelby does not run, who might follow him? He might be involved in picking his successor. He is convinced that someone young should be his heir. He realizes the importance of youth and how it predicates future seniority.

First on most lists is State Rep. Bill Poole, who like Shelby hails from Tuscaloosa. He is only 42-years old but has served in the legislature for nine years, most of his time as Chairman of the House Education Budget Committee. He is the most respected member of the House. His adroit handling of the Infrastructure Package had many longtime Statehouse observers labeling him as having future governor or senator written all over him.

Another name to remember is 37-year old Katie Boyd Britt. She is Shelby’s former Chief of Staff and current CEO of the Business Council of Alabama.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.

Bill would require use of state vaccine database

By MARY SELL, Alabama Daily News

Bills in the Alabama Legislature would require health care providers to check a statewide patient database before administering vaccines and update the registry when they give any.

The database is currently available to anyone in the state who provides vaccines, Alabama Public Health Officer Scott Harris said. Pediatricians do a pretty good job of updating it, he said, but some other providers do not.

“The bill would require

anyone who gives vaccines to enter them in the system,” he said. The one exception is for annual flu vaccines.

When children move across the state, their medical records don’t always follow them, Harris said.

“The whole gist of the it is to make sure kids can

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have their records accessed when they’re going through school,” Harris said.

Besides providers, school nurses can access the “ImmPrint” database. ImmPrint stands for Immunization Patient Registry with Integrated Technology.

Last week, an infant too young to be vaccinated was the first confirmed measles case in Alabama in recent years. The disease was considered eradicated in 2000, but the Centers for Disease Control has reported multiple outbreaks in at least six states and 764 individual cases this year.

The measles case is a good example of why the registry is needed.

“Most people my age don’t know what we got (vaccinated for) or when we got it,” Harris said.

And in “outbreak situations,” health and school officials would easily know who has been vaccinated and who has not, Harris said.

Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, is the sponsor of Senate Bill 256. He said the registry also prevents over-vaccination by alerting medical professionals if they have already been given to a patient.

“With concerns about vaccines, you can see what a

child has had,” Melson said.

“It’s a good to have a record of who’s been treated.”

His bill is waiting for a vote in the Senate. A House version of the bill, House Bill 522 sponsored by Rep. April Weaver, R- Brierfield, is in the House Health Committee on Wednesday.

According to the department of health, of the 770,835 public and private school students in 20172018, nearly 93 percent of them had up-to-date vaccination records on file at their schools. Pickens

County had the lowest reported rate of up-to-date records, 77 percent.

State law allows the state health officer and the state board of health to decide which diseases children must be immunized for prior to attending school. The department requires vaccines for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox.

State law also allows for exemptions from vaccines based on religious or medical reasons.

May 8 - 14, 2019

The Trussville Tribune

Page 9

Come join us as we kick off this year's 2nd Saturday Downtown Summer Series with TrussVegas!

We have some exciting entertainment with impersonators, meet and greets, food trucks, magician, face painting, and more! You do not want to miss this great event to not only see some great performances from the classics like TINA TURNER, CONWAY TWITTY, ROY ORBISON, ARETHA FRANKLIN, AND ELVIS PRESLEY but to also have a chance to meet them and have your picture taken with them!

This will be a great kick-off to our 2nd Saturday Downtown event series.

MAIN EVENT! 4:00 p.m.

-9:00 p.m.

Next to the Holy Cross Episcopal Church, across from Trussville Gas & Water.

Bring your chairs/ blankets and pick a great spot for some even greater entertainment!

Be sure to follow the event page on Facebook for updates.

The Trussville Tribune

Page 10

May 8 - 14, 2019

Calendar

May 8 Introduction to Genealogy Want to learn how to do genealogical research? Come to the Trussville Public Library for this introductory class that will help get you started on your genealogical journey. Taught by staff from the Birmingham Public Library’s Southern History Department, this session will cover such topics as vital records, courthouse and church records, and the Federal Census.

May 11 Motherwalk 5k and Fun Run The Motherwalk 5K and 1 Mile Fun Run is a run/walk created to bring awareness about ovarian cancer. We began in 2002 and are celebrating our 16th year in 2019. All funds raised will go directly towards ovarian cancer research and support efforts to raise awareness about the risks, symptoms, and treatments of this deadly disease. The event will be at Homewood Central Park from 6:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. To register, please visit motherwalk.com.

May 13 Monday Night Knitting, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Monday night knitting group at the Trussville Public Library!

Join us for fellowship and creativity. All levels of experience are welcome (crocheters welcome too). There should be someone available to help if you need assistance. If you are a beginner wanting to learn how to knit, call the library at 655-2022.

May 13 Ukulele.Guitar Meetup, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

If you’re a Ukulele and/or Guitar enthusiast looking for a safe laid-back environment to play music, then this meet-up is for

you! All you need is a Ukulele and/or Guitar and the desire to have fun. If you are not experienced or do not own a Ukulele yet, let us know! The Trussville Public Library will provide a loaner ukulele. There will be chord charts & sheet music projected onto the big screen TV. We’ll have fun with music links and Youtube play-alongs. You can bring your own favorite music to share too. All ages and skill levels are welcome. No cost to join!

May 16 Understanding Medicare, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Educational seminar about Medicare options at the Trussville Public Library. 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.

May 17-19 Logan Martin Lakefest Free Don’t miss The Logan Martin Lakefest and Boat Show presented by America’s First May 17 through 19. This is the south’s largest in-water boat show, featuring pontoons from Bennington, SunTracker, Silverwave, Southbay and Avalon, and Fishing Boats from Carolina Skiff, Tracker, Nitro, Xpress, and more. Plus, LakeFest is giving away a brand new pontoon boat AND a Tracker ATV! Fireworks Friday night, Lake Lifestyle Vendors, Live Music all weekend long AND a special appearance by Darren Knight, aka “Southern Momma.”

Plus, it’s FREE to attend!

Come join the party May 17 through 19. More info at www. loganmartinlakefest.com May 18-19 Barber Historics at Barber Motorsports Park $15 This two-day event will feature fast-paced, wheel-to-wheel racing with cars from the early days through the mid 80’s competing on track. Off track, this event will feature one of a kind sports cars and family activities.

May 19 Free Handbell Concert at the Trussville Public Library, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Join us for a free performance by the Trussville First United Methodist Church Handbell Ministry.

May 20 Social Media Marketing for Artists at the Trussville Public Library, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm Bring your laptops and smart phones! Professional artist

Christi Bunn will share her story and lead an interactive workshop on how to grow your art (or other) business through the Internet and particularly through social media. After earning a degree in advertising and graphic design/studio art, Christi worked in the corporate world, then became a freelance web/graphic designer. She has also had great success marketing her own artwork via the Internet, including over 200 commissioned pieces. More info at www.christibunn.com

Program is co-sponsored by the Cahaba Art Association.

May 28 Adult Volleyball (Co-ed, 18 and over) with the Trussville Parks and Recreation begins May 28.

Games will be on Tuesday nights at Red Gym (601 Parkway Drive). Sign up by May 21 with a team of at least 6. $150/team. Email Donna Fox at DFox@trussville.org or call (205) 508-5666).

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May 8 - 14, 2019

The Trussville Tribune

Page 11

Tribune Living

Mythic Cards & Games thriving in its new location

By Crystal McGough, copy editor

CLAY -- Even a dreary, rainy day didn’t stop people from coming out to enjoy a night of gaming at Mythic Cards & Games Saturday night. Cars packed the parking lot and gamers filled the tables for multiple events at the popular game shop in Clay.

Mythic, which originally opened in Clay in 2016, recently moved from its former strip mall storefront location at 6401 Old Springville Road to what most people in Clay know as the white house beside Carroll Pharmacy. The shop opened at its new location, 6779 Old Springville Road, on April 10, 2019.

“We’re getting new customers, so that’s a great thing,” owner Nathan Thompson said of the move.

“We’ve actually had some people that have noticed us that did not know we were in Clay before. I’m really surprised how much traffic is here. We’ve (also) still got a lot of the same customers that are coming the whole distance to get here – the extra mile. We have a lot of people that come out and have a good time with us.”

Thompson bought the property in July of 2018 and has spent the last year preparing it to be the new home of Mythic Cards & Games.

“It’s been a lot of work, but I’m very proud of it, very proud of what I’ve done,” he said. “One thing I wanted to keep is the, you know, try to keep the look of the building.

I didn’t want to really change it. We could’ve changed, we could’ve ripped out everything and gutted it, but I tried to save as much as I could of the history of the property.”

The closed-in front porch playing area boasts original rockwork from the house, and the retail portion of the store still has a lot of the 100-year-old original wood floors.

Thompson said that the new location feels like it has a lot more space because of the layout of the building, but there’s only about a 500 square foot difference between the house and the former storefront building. The difference between the two buildings’ layouts, however, has made a huge difference.

“The building’s not really much bigger, but it is designed a lot differently and it’s much more efficient for what we’re doing,” Thompson said. “We can comfortably sit more players. We’ve gotten a lot more play space.

It’s actually been great.”

At the former location, only six of the nine playing tables he had were able to be

regularly used. Now he has 10 tables available for people to play on. Up to six people can fit on the regular tables, while up to 10 can fit at the “big table,” Thompson said.

However, he usually spaces the seating out with four players per table and six to eight on the big table.

“We have room to add a couple of tables for big events,” he said. “Our normal everyday seating arrangement holds 38 people.”

Thompson said that he would love to expand the building down the road, but that it is not in the immediate plans.

“Everybody’s been positive (about the new location),” Thompson said. “The only negative feedback that I’ve heard has been that we might need some more parking, which is something that I’m realizing quickly. We’ve actually not gone out to the edge of the property, so we have enough room on the property to make approximately 16 more parking spots, which we may do in the future.”

Mythic’s customer base ranges in age from nine years old to the mid 70s, Thompson said.

While the store gets a lot of players for collectible card games such as Magic: The Gathering, Force of Will and Yu-Gi-Oh!, Thompson said that a lot of people come in to play board games, as well.

“We’ve got demos of a lot of the newest (board game) titles that have come out,” he said. “We have people that play anything from Monopoly to Dice Forge, and Dix It

and Mysterium, all kinds of games.”

One of the best additions to the new store, according to Thompson, is a large board game retail area.

“Before, we had a lot of board games, and we still have a lot of board games – we carry over 300 titles – but before, all you could see was…the edge of the games,” Thompson said.

“It’s a lot different, because now you can see the games.

I’ve had customers that have been in the store every week playing Magic that said, ‘When did you get this board game? I’ve been looking for this board game’ on games that I’ve had for months. So that’s been a great change.

We’ve got a lot more room for retail and a lot more room for gaming.”

Other retail items that can be purchased at Mythic include cards and other supplies for a large assortment of trading/collectible card games, Dungeons & Dragons handbooks, collectibles such as Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures, and dice sets.

“We carry some premium items,” Thompson said.

“We carry tons of dice for D&D (Dungeons & Dragons) players. That’s another big seller that we have, tons of dice sets. We have a couple of bowls where you can make your own set, or we have full sets available all the way from plastic dice to metal dice to natural gemstone dice. We’ve even got machined aluminum dice in stock, so we’ve got all different prices of dice.

“One thing that we have

(that) other game stores don’t really offer is we have all of our card inventory listed in a database. So you tell us a particular card that you’re looking for, we can pull that card for you and get it for your deck.

“We also sell snacks and drinks, so the gamers can come out, hang out, grab a Hot Pocket and soda, and don’t have to run out for food.”

Thompson said that his number one seller is Magic: The Gathering.

“There’s millions of players worldwide,” he said.

“Board games are definitely the number two seller. One thing that we do is we carry a lot of old stock that other stores don’t carry. We’ve got stuff back to the first edition.

We’ve got games from pickup-and-play $20 games to… some of the Kickstarter special editions of games that go up to $400, $500, $600.”

Thompson said he also takes trade-ins of all kinds of games for cash or credit.

Mythic Cards & Games’ regular hours of operation are: Wednesday – 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday – 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Friday – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Saturday – 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Sunday – 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“We generally stay late every night,” Thompson said.

“Generally, everybody’s having such a good time that it’s hard to get people out.”

Thompson said that pre-release events, which he holds four times a year, can last all night. On April 27, he held a Magic: The Gathering pre-release event that lasted from 12 a.m. until 6 a.m.

During that weekend, Mythic had five separate events that brought in 30-40 players each.

“The great thing was that in our old spot, we were really cramped,” he said. “Here, for the pre-release, we had nobody that had complaints, everybody seemed very comfortable. So we’ve got more room between the tables here, which is a great thing, and more room for everybody to sit. So I think it’s a lot better spot.”

Thompson said that most tournaments are held on weekends, but there are occasionally Force of Will tournaments on Wednesday nights. Force of Will tournaments are also held on Sundays.

The store hosts two Magic: The Gathering tournaments every Friday night at 7 p.m.: a standard format tournament and a draft tournament. Draft is a tournament format where players open new packs of cards at the event and build their decks.

While Mythic does not focus largely on video games, there is a small video gaming room in the back of the shop where Super Smash Bros. tournaments are held.

One such tournament took place last Sunday, May 5.

“I try to balance all the

tournaments to where we can do everything,” Thompson said. “So we have as many tournaments as we can during the weeks, and then we have open free play for everybody at other times.”

Local artist Mariah Weber, who moved to Alabama from New York last summer, said that she goes to Mythic almost every time the doors are open.

“It’s just a really great community and everybody’s really kind,” Weber said.

“We love it here. I’ve made a lot of really close friends here, too, especially moving to a new state. That’s a really hard move, so it’s been great to come here and have a community.”

Weber, who painted a mural of a popular character from Magic: The Gathering on a wall inside the store before it opened in its new location, said that the best thing about Mythic is the community.

“Everybody comes together and supports each other,” she said. “We help build decks together. Nathan provided games and cards for our church group when we did a board game night. He provided a lot of stuff for us be able to have that.”

As far as new events, Thompson said that he is considering starting junior leagues for Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering, which would appeal to middle school-aged kids. The details are still being worked out for the junior leagues.

Upcoming events: Board game open play every Thursday during regular business hours Dungeons & Dragons campaign starting Wednesday, May 8, at 6 p.m.

Force of Will pre-release event on May 19 Thompson said that Mythic has store rules that are simple, yet important: Be respectful of others Respect yourself No foul language No smoking or vaping “One great thing that we have is we’ve got a family friendly environment, because we require that,” Thompson said. “We also have one other rule…no cash transactions among players.

It’s a trading card game, don’t open a store in my store.”

To keep up with scheduled events at Mythic Cards & Games, visit their Facebook page or check out the Wizards Event Locator, which can be found online at magic.wizards.com.

“Come out and join us,” Thompson said. “Come out and play games!”

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 12

O b i t u a ry

Steven Charles Aders november

Sentell Killingsworth

1, 1954 - may 1, 2019

november

Steve Aders, age 64, of Oneonta went to be with his Saviour on Wednesday, May 1, 2019. Steve was a loving husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend to all he knew. He was a devout member of Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. He loved Alabama football, fishing, and enjoying good food. He will forever be remembered for telling good stories. He had a kind and gentle spirit and a faithful love for his Lord.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Aders and Hazel LeCroy; a sister, Beverly Brooks; and a grandson, Tristen Aders. He is survived by his wife, Rhonda Aders; his children, Paul Aders, Meigan Alesse (Matthew); his grandchildren, Jackson Aders, Liam Aders, Bryant Alesse, Ethan Alesse and Tyler Alesse; His sisters, Jimmie Zeringue (Wayne), and Kathy Harper (Tim);numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

In lieu of flowers please make donations to Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church PO Box 102, Oneonta, Alabama 35121.

Henry “Hank” S. Edwards may

May 8 - 14, 2019

23, 1967 – april 27, 2019 Henry “Hank” S. Edwards, age 51, of Bessemer, Alabama passed away on Saturday April 27, 2019. “Hank” was born May 23, 1967. Hank was a beloved officer of the Bessemer Police Department for over 23 years. He was selflessly dedicated to the city of Bessemer and passionate about the betterment of the entire community. Hank contributed many special acts of kindness and bravery throughout his tenure, to include being awarded the Medal of Valor for his heroic actions in which he saved a young girl from a burning building.

Hank will always be much loved and forever missed.

Hank was preceded by his parents Johnny and Doris Jean Edwards. He is survived by his daughters, Amber Elaine Edwards and Abbie Gail Edwards; a son, Isaac Wayne Edwards; brothers, John (Coni) Edwards and Terry (Mary) Edwards; the mother of his children Billie Edwards Nelson; a host of aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews and his Bessemer Police Dept. family.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsgardendalechapel.com for the Edwards family. CARRY ON !!

25, 1928 ~ may 3, 2019 (age 90)

Sentell Killingsworth, 90, went home to be with the Lord on May 3, 2019 after a brief illness.

He is survived by his wife Betty Ruth Killingsworth, sister Betty Jean Kujan, Son Devin Killingsworth (Fay) Son in Law Dale Craiger (Vicki) Grandchildren Angela Flemmer (Scott), Brandy Lusk (Wayne), Casey Craiger (Sunshine), Adam Killingsworth and Charla Craiger, great grandchildren Layla and Wayne Lusk II, Ivy Craiger, Gracie and Ashton Craiger, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father Sam Davis Killingsworth, mother Della Lee Mann and daughter Debra Ruth Craiger.

Sentell was born on November 25, 1928 in Marshall County, and grew up there until WWII made the family move for work at the steel plant in Gadsden. Sentell graduated from Emma Sansom High School in 1949 and joined the Army in October 1950. He was deployed to Germany during the Korean War, where he worked as a carpenter and drove 2 1/2 ton trucks. He was honorably discharged in 1952 and returned home to Gadsden.

That fall at a rainy Emma Sansom football game he met Betty Ruth Mackey, and they were married the next year on June 18, 1954. Sentell went to work for Orkin Pest Control, and after 28 years left the company to start his own pest control business. Sentell Pest Control was created, and with Betty Ruth’s help he ran the company for 35 years.

He retired at 85 years young. Sentell also enjoyed working at Homestead Hollow managing the permanent cabin and summer kitchen, where he was often seen making corn cob pipes. He was a member of the 1st Baptist Church of Springville and served on the Springville Historical Society Board. Sentell was an avid Alabama football fan, and one of his favorite memories was attending the Alabama verses Auburn game where Alabama was victorious for his 80th birthday.

Online condolences can be expressed at www.jmgardens.com.

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In our Ten Commandments and Estate Garden you have several options Drop in or call for an appointment and we will be happy to provide you with a number of options.

Contact our Family Service Department at 205-322-0543 for an appointment.

The Trussville Tribune

May 8 - 14, 2019

Page 13

Faith

Victory City church holds first service at Hilldale building in Center Point

By Shaun Szkolnik, for the Tribune

CENTER POINT – Victory City held its first church service in its new home on Sunday. That new home is in the recently renovated Hilldale building in Center Point.

For Victory City, the opportunity to worship is a blessing and an opportunity. It also signals a huge step forward for a new church plant that held its first official service March 10 of this year.

The senior pastor of Victory City is Brandon Knight.

Knight is a 27-year-old graduate of both Samford and Dallas Theological Seminary.

He dedicated his life to Christ when he was fifteen and has since served at East Side Baptist Church in Birmingham and First Memorial Baptist Church, also in Birmingham.

It was there that he felt the call to a different direction.

“It was while I was there that I felt led to plant a church,” said Knight. “I didn’t really think I had enough people or knew enough people.

I didn’t even know where to begin. I reached out to this gospel singer named Pastor Smokie Norful. He has a pretty large congregation in Chicago. I knew that he had

started a church with about 12 people. So, I reached out to him.”

Knight reached out to Norful through Instagram.

Norful responded and flew Knight and his wife out to Chicago. They had an eighthour meeting with Norful where they were immersed in what Knight calls, “Church Planting 101.” Norful gave them a crash course in what to expect, the ins, the outs, the commitments and the logistics of planting a church.

This experience is also what inspired Knight to name the chuch plant Victory City.

“They have two campuses,” said Knight. “Their main campus in Bollingbrook is Victory Cathedral Worship Center. Their secondary campus, which is in the heart of Southside Chicago, is Victory City, and so that is where we got the name Victory City Birmingham. It was our little way of paying homage to his church and the many people that were there for us.”

With this knowledge and a whole lot of faith, Knight and Victory City moved forward.

“We had our first interest meeting on July 22,” said Knight. “We had about 35 people who showed up, who were interested or just wanted

Photo courtesy of Victory City

to see what we were going to do. From then to March 10, we were meeting at the Northeast YMCA, really just doing Bible studies.”

From there, Victory City quickly grew and actual church services began on March 10. They were held at Center Point High School.

Through the process, Knight never lost sight of something he had come to realize during his time serving in other churches: that the cornerstone of any church must be the word of God and that the congregation must delve deep into the word.

“It opened up my eyes really to what the call of pastoring was,” said Knight. “It is the preaching, but I’m a big believer that the primary role of the pastor is to feed the people, to feed the flock.

And you have to be, the Bible

says, not a novice. That is why I spent a lot of my time getting deeper into the Word.”

That is not a lesson that Knight will forget now that Victory City has found a permanent home.

“We are really excited about the opportunity God has opened for us at Hilldale,” said Knight. “That is a multi-million-dollar facility, especially with the renovations that the city of Center Point has done.

We’ll be worshipping, using primarily the sanctuary space.

We’re just really excited to be at that facility and to actually be in a church. Being in a church, I think, helps a lot of people. Especially when you’re church planting, to really see it as a church and to realize that it is a church. The high school has been great, the facility has been great there, but there is a bit more of ownership being able to use the facility at Hilldale.”

The growth of Victory City has been steady but not explosive. Knight is committed to building a church that has deep roots and not one that is sown on rocky ground.

“We started with about 35 people at the first interest meeting,” said Knight. “Not everyone wants to be a part of a church planting so kin-

da weened it out and from that number we had a good 15-20 who were really committed to planting a church, and then a few months prior to the launch, that jumped to another 30 or so. Since we’ve been meeting, we’ve been averaging about 50. Even in the first few weeks, we’ve seen a good, steady growth. As a 27-year-old pastor, that’s not what a lot of people would think I’d want, but I definitely prefer a slower controlled, steady growth, that is based on the word of God as opposed to any theatrics or performance or anything else. It is a good, solid, steady growth.”

That fits in with the mission of Victory City, which is summed up in their motto: “Know, grow and sow.” Victory City wants to get people to know Christ, to grow in Christ and to sow Christ in others.

“We feel at Victory City that the most effective way to sow Christ into people is through the word of God, by the word of God,” said Knight. “Small groups can be great for fellowship, but the primary way that people grow is by hearing the word of God and being able to apply the contextual word of God to their lives. When they grow

in the word of God, when they become Christians, their primary goal is to go, invest and sow the word of God into others. That is how the church, as a whole, the body of Christ, grows and that is really important to us. We stress the word of God is the primary way. When we pray, when we sing, and I have to preach the word of God.” Church services at Victory City begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday mornings and generally end around 11:15 a.m.

Knight said that at about the sixth-month mark, after moving into the new building, the church will look into starting a weekly Bible study.

There are no current plans to start a Sunday school program. That may change as more resources become available, but Knight wants any program developed by Victory City to be more than just teaching out of a book; he wants teachers that are knowledgeable in the Bible and doctrinally sound.

“We have great childcare during the service,” said Knight. “Which is huge for us because it allows a lot more people to come in.”

The Hilldale building is located at 533 Sun Hill Road in Center Point.

Kids Talk about God: What’s different about your mom?

By Carey Kinsolving and friends

"She likes to do dances in the car, which are hilarious," says Savannah, age 11.

"Some of the dances I think are extinct. When she starts to dance to a song, I tell her to stop because I think she will hurt herself."

Let's just hope she doesn't do the Twist. This is one of those extinct dances from the '60s where the lyrics and dancers go "round and round and up and down." It's the down part that concerns me.

Road visibility might be a problem.

"Sure, it's annoying when she calls me my sister's or my dog's name, but sometimes it's funny," says Mary, 11. "I

love my mom so much. She is very good to me."

Isn't that the way it is with Mom? She may be peculiar at times, but it's OK because you know she loves you.

"My mother reminds me of spring and summer because of her bright, kind smile," says Kelsey, 11. "Her face is welcoming and soft. She has smooth, reassuring hands like the calm ocean. When I'm sad or worried, she looks relaxed and helpful. My mother is as lovely as a rose on a warm, sunny morning."

What more could one possibly say about Mom than "the sun is always shining when she is with me," says Stephanie, 11.

The sun of Mom's love can be shining even when life

brings storms. "The best thing I like about my mom is that she loves me!" says Morgan, 11.

Moms know instinctively that their children need love.

It's part of a divine package called "eternity in their hearts" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

No one has to teach mothers to love their children. God placed it in their hearts.

Love fosters security. No amount of fame, money or power can take the place of knowing one is loved. Even those with dysfunctional moms or no moms (orphans) can find security in God's love. It's hard to feel unloved when we consider how Jesus willingly suffered by taking our sins on himself so that he might save us and live in and

through us forever.

As the Lord Jesus hung on a cross, he looked down at his mother and said, "Woman, behold your son!" (John 19:26). Jesus also said to the Apostle John, "Behold your mother!" (John 19:27). From that day forward, John took Mary into his household.

In spite of the context of Jesus providing for his mother through John, I couldn't help but think of Jesus' conversation with a Jewish teacher named Nicodemus: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).

When the Israelites beheld a bronze serpent lifted

Carey Kinsolving

up on a pole by Moses, they were healed from poisonous snakebites. Because of its role in the temptation of Eve, the serpent is under a curse.

Jesus took the punishment we

deserve when he allowed sinners to lift him up on a cross.

Yes, even Mary had to behold and believe in her son as the one who became accursed for her sins. Will you?

Point to ponder: God designed mothers to love their children.

Scripture to remember: "Woman, behold your son!"

(John 19:26).

Question to consider: Will you behold the Son of God by believing in him?

"Kids Talk About God" is written and distributed by Carey Kinsolving. To access free, online "Kids Color Me Bible" books, "Mission Explorers" videos, a new children's musical, and all columns in a Bible Lesson Archive, visit www.

KidsTalkAboutGod.org.

Call Your Mother

By Michael J. Brooks

An ABC tribute to Gilda Radner some time ago reminded me of the number of people we’ve lost in the last few years who made us laugh: John Belushi, John Candy, Phil Hartman, Bob Hope, Grady Nutt, Robin Williams, Rodney Dangerfield, Jerry Clower and others.

Humor has great value.

Solomon said laughter is medicine for the soul (Proverbs 17:22), and sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to have a good laugh.

Lincoln, a man who suffered depression or "melancholia" as it was called in those days, talked about the value of humor in the stressful days of the Civil War. “With the fearful strain that is on me," he said, "if I did not laugh, I would die.”

Lewis Grizzard was a great Southern humorist. But, occasionally, he stepped aside from humor and made some pretty astute observations about life.

He did this, I believe, in one of his books entitled, “Call Your Mama—I Wish I Could Call Mine.”

By Michael J. Brooks

Me too, Lewis.

I guess I thought my mother would live forever. She was a constant in the changes of my life. But there came that terrible December in 1993 when our family had gathered for Christmas and she was so sick she couldn’t function. I thought maybe she'd worked too hard preparing the house and the meal, but she lay down on the couch and didn't have energy to get up. My wife and sister forcibly took her to the local hospital. An X-ray turned up something ominous, and the doctor thought she needed to go to a larger hospital for tests.

The Monday following

Christmas the doctors at Birmingham’s St. Vincent’s Hospital confirmed the dread diagnosis: cancer. In seven weeks she was gone.

Those were weeks of trial as my siblings and I scheduled time to be with her and take care of things. One of the most stressful rites of passage is caring for aging and dying parents. In addition to the shock of impending loss there's the demands of everyday tasks that must be done.

I read something recently about the trauma we experience when our mothers die.

Mothers, the article stated, represent unconditional love, and we're often unprepared for a world in which no one else seems to fill that significant role.

God knew what he was doing when he invented the family and put mothers in them. She is the family's heart, civilizing us and teaching us to care. Mothers fill a niche no one else can. They love us and are proud of us no matter what.

May 12 is Mother’s Day. Be sure to call your mother.

I wish I could call mine.

-30Reflections is a weekly

devotional column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church in

Alabaster, Ala. The church's website is www.siluriabaptist. com.

Page 14

D K I pageS

The Trussville Tribune

HIDDEN IMAGES

May 8 - 14, 2019

Find all the of hidden pictures in this Mother’s Day themed picture.

Each week, The Trussville Tribune invites students to submit stories to Tribune Kids for their own special column.

The list of the upcoming topics will help you plan. Please also try these guidelines in order for students to have a better chance of having their writings published. Please send all writings to tribunekids@gmail.com or bring to The Tribune located at 190 Main Street, Trussville.

TRIBUNE KIDS MONTHLY WRITING

C O R N E R

Questions

READING What is your favorite book? How does it inspire you?

Deadline: May 11 Publish Date: May 15 MEMORIAL DAY Memorial Day is Monday, May 27, 2019. What does Memorial Day mean to you?

Deadline: May 18 Publish Date: May 22

TRIBUNE KIDS MONTHLY WRITING

GUIDELINES

1. Keep length between 50 and 100 words.

2. Follow directions for the topic. Creativity is great but is the entry on topic?

3. Make sure all entries are legible.

4. Include students’ name, school, grade and parent’s email on each entry submitted.

5. Screen for appropriateness. We try to avoid potentially embarrassing entries, but sometimes it is not obvious.

By Sean Carpenter, senior at Pinson Valley High School

INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE COMIC STRIP

Note: Parents or teachers should include a note if an entry is exceptional for a particular student that might not otherwise stand out.

Page 15

655-2095

sports

Keeping Co Community 1st Always

From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

See HT SOFTBALL, Page 16

Huskies have great success at track and field championships in Gulf Shores

By Shaun Szkolnik, sports editor

GULF SHORES — The AHSAA’s 95th State Outdoor Track and Field Championship in Gulf Shores took place in Gulf Shores from May 2 through May 4.

During the events, Hewitt-Trussville has been well represented by dedicated and talented student-athletes who have took to the competitions and soared.

See SUCCESS, Page 16

May 8-14, 2019

Sunday May 12, 1 p.m. at Tennessee Smokies

Walk-off home run gives Huskies victory in 10 inning game

HT softball qualifies for regional tournament

Hewitt-Trussville Softball defeated Vestavia 10-0 Thursday to punch their ticket to the AHSAA Regional Tournament. The Huskies will travel to Tuscaloosa for the regional alongside Thompson, Oak Mountain and Spain Park. The entire regional will be played on Thursday May 9.

Saturday May 11, 7 p.m. vs Louisville City FC

The Trussville Tribune

Get ready for HT Swimming and Diving season From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

TRUSSVILLE — Grab your towels, caps and goggles, Hewitt-Trussville Swimming and Diving season will be here before you know it.

The team is open to rising seventh and 12th graders. Interested athletes and parents should make plans to attend the informational meeting on May 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the HTHS Lecture Hall.

By Shaun Szkolnik, sports editor

FLORENCE – After 10 innings of play, a walk-off home run by Husky Julian Sauger gave Hewitt-Trussville the 1-0 victory in the second game of the AHSAA 7A quarterfinal against the Florence Falcons Thursday, May 2.

The game quickly became a battle of pitching with Jared Waits taking the win for Hewitt-Trussville. He gave up zero runs and six hits. He struck out 12 and pitched for seven and two-thirds innings.

Grant Taylor took the loss for Florence. He pitched for seven and two-thirds innings.

Taylor struck out 16 and walked one. He gave up one hit and no runs.

The Huskies did even better in the first game of the series, defeating the Falcons 4-1.

The Huskies put up their first run in the second inning when Creed Parker singled on a 0-1 count, scoring a run.

The Huskies took the lead for the remainder of the game in the third when Jacob Bishop grounded out, scoring a run.

Michael Fowler had the win for the Huskies. He gave

See SEASON, Page 16

MVP Spotlight: Lily McCormick Photo by TCS

up seven hits and one run.

Fowler struck out seven and walked one. He pitched for seven innings.

“God is good,” said head coach Jeff Mauldin. “That kid (Julian Sauger) honestly he is our leader. He is our spiritual leader and for him to be able to do something like that in that moment is really special. It is a proud moment. His mom is here to see him do it.

It is absolutely amazing. He caught 17 innings and hit a

walk-off home run in the bottom off the tenth. He threw out a runner earlier in the inning. I’m super proud of him.

I couldn’t be any prouder of the kid.”

“Big win right there,” said Sauger. “A great team win. First off, I want to thank Florence, they’re a great program, a great team, and they really went out to bat tonight.

Second, I want to thank Jesus Christ. He does everything for me. He gives me the oppor-

tunity to play baseball every day and I like to give back to that…anyone on our team could get that hit. Anyone can.

It just happened to fall on me tonight. Our pitchers did a heck of a job. Our team did a heck of a job defensively.

It was just a matter of who’s going to get it done. We found a way.”

The Huskies advance to the semi-final round of the playoffs next Friday at Phil English Field in Trussville.

By Shaun Szkolnik, sports editor

TRUSSVILLE – For Hewitt-Trussville senior Lily McCormick lacrosse is a sport that has provided fulfillment for a number of years and will likely be a large part of her life for years to come.

McCormick took up lacrosse when she was in the fifth grade and she has never looked back.

See SPOTLIGHT, Page 16

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 16

May 8 - 14, 2019

HT Mountain Bike Team wins state championship From The Trussville Tribune staff reports

The Hewitt Mountain Bike Team completed their 5th season on May 5, 2019, taking home the State Championship trophy. The final race of the season was held at Tannehill State Park where over 500 riders raced through the woods on single track and up the steep climb known as “The Hill.”

The day was a success for the Huskies as they won today’s race “The Feud at the Furnace” and also the state series.

The Hewitt Mountain Bike team has 50 student-athletes this year: 25 high school and 25 middle school. They swept the entire series for Division 1, winning all of their races throughout the 2019 spring season. Many riders showcased their ability to meet the demands of mountain bike racing.

Top 10 Results for the State Championship race at Tannehill are: High School Boys • Varsity: Ryan Payant, 5th, Austin Hicks 6th, Noah Rigg, 8th • JV: Sam Lovin, 1st, Luke Curtis, 7th

Photo by TCS

• Sophomore: Grayson Davis, 3rd • Freshman: Jacob Roper, 3rd, Zach Williams, 5th High School Girls • JV: Izzy Haley, 4th, MaKinley Haynes, 6th Middle School Boys • 6th grade: Dalton King, 1st, Brooks Maddox, 5th Middle School Girls • 8th grade: Lillie Brittain, 3rd • 7th grade: Shazie Bryant, 5th, Mary Ann Dukes, 9th Top 10 Results for the Alabama Overall Series are: High School Boys • Varsity: Ryan Payant, 6th,

HT SOFTBALL, from page 15

In Thursday’s elimination game, the Huskies got off to a quick start by scoring four runs in the first inning. After a walk to Kenleigh Cahalan and a single by Crystal Maze, Hannah Borden drove them both in to put HT up 2-0. Later, Rylee Tyree drove in a run

with a ground ball to third.

Finally, Kailey Walters singled to left to score Hannah Dorsett.

The Huskies would add runs in each inning to secure the win. Crystal Maze went 3-3 with an RBI. She also scored twice. Hannah Borden

• • • • • • •

Austin Hicks 7th, Noah Rigg, 9th JV: Sam Lovin, 2nd, Luke Curtis, 8th Sophomore: Grayson Davis, 3rd Freshman: Jacob Roper, 2nd, Zach Williams, 5th High School Girls JV: Izzy Haley, 3rd, MaKinley Haynes, 6th Middle School Boys 8th grade B: Jase Leamon, 8th, Kell Littlefield, 9th 6th grade: Conrad Jones, 8th, Carey Owings, 10th Middle School Girls 8th grade: Lillie Brittain, 2nd

HUSKIES, from front page

was 3-4 with two RBI’s. Kaitlyn Hughes was dominant in the circle as she tossed a complete game shutout. Hughes did not allow a hit and struck out two Rebels.

Later in the day, the Huskies fell to Spain Park 4-1 in the area championship game.

Semifinals, Huskies, Bob Jones, playoffs, baseball, Trussville, Hewitt-Trussville . Photo by TCS

The next step for the Huskies will be the 7A Semifinals, which means that Hewitt-Trussville has made it to the final four.

The stage has been set and the Huskies will face off against Bob Jones starting on Friday, May 10. Two games will start at 4:30 p.m. and if it

is necessary a third game will be held on Saturday at 1 p.m.

This series will be held at Phil English Field in Trussville.

LIBRARY, from page 15

Photo by TCS

SEASON, from page 15

Head Coach Molly Jones is ready for the fun to begin.

“Swim team members are in general great kids,” said Jones. “Swimmers can participate in individual events, as well as relays involving the team. All points awarded for both types of events go towards a team score, which has led to us winning or placing high in meets in the past few years.”

The season begins in September and concludes with the state championship the first weekend of December,

but it is never too early for student-athletes to get started.

“Most of the swim team members are already swimmers at the YMCA or similar places,” said Jones. “Since we do not have team practices, I would highly recommend getting involved somewhere that you could practice at least a few times a week.”

Once the season starts, Huskies will have plenty of opportunities for greatness in the water while develop-

ing and nurturing, friendships that could last a lifetime.

“Multiple opportunities to qualify for sectionals and state,” said Jones. “In the past two years, HT has started participating in Tuesday night meets in order to raise the chances for members to qualify for sectionals. Swim team members have enjoyed these meets and they have brought about not only more qualifying opportunities, but team bonding and friendships.”

SPOTLIGHT, from page 15

She has played on the high school team since she was in eighth grade and when she starts attending classes at the Savanah College of Art and Design she will be doing so, in part at least, thanks to an athletic scholarship for lacrosse.

That level of success does not come without sacrifice.

“She puts in a bunch of

time. One on one with the ball and the wall,” said head coach Tom McCormick. “Additionally, she travels to play for a team out of Atlanta and Ohio.

This last summer she played in Virginia, Florida and Pennsylvania. She participated in a speed and agility camp for several mornings a week for all of the long hot summer.”

One of the benefits of par-

ticipating in sports is that it tends to build characteristics that can serve a person for an entire lifetime. Characteristics such as perseverance, loyalty and leadership.

“She is a vocal leader on and off the field,” said McCormick. “She encourages all her teammates and loves to celebrate when a player gets her first goal ever! She brings work ethic and bunch of knowledge to the game of lacrosse. She holds the Trussville record for most goals, 217 in high school or 52 in a season or 12 in one game. Even more impressive she has the record for the most assists with 21 in a season!”

Her time in lacrosse has also led to her growth as an individual as well as a player.

“She has matured and just grown,” said McCormick.

“Stronger, faster and better at the draw. Lily has grown from a kid to a young lady.”

McCormick plans on attending the Savanah College of Art and Design where she will major in film and writing.

She has three scholarships: • Academic - a 30 on her ACT gave her that award.

• Artistic- based on her portfolio she submitted.

• Athletic scholarship for lacrosse.

Camryn Pettus. Photo by Mackenzie Watkins

When all was said and done Hewitt-Trussville boys came away third in the state, and the girls were thirteenth.

Some highlights from the event included: With a time of 48.259, Stone Shelnutt is the 7A state champion in the 400-meter.

Covering a distance of 23’5, Julian Collins is the 7A state champion in the long jump.

Stone Shelnutt took the bronze for All-State honors in the long jump.

Kelsey Martin has placed fourth and earned All-State honors in the long jump.

Camryn Pettus earned an All-State title by finishing seventh in the triple jump.

All-State honors went to the girls’ 4 x 800 team due to its eighth-place finish. The team includes Avery Cahoon, Abby Sugden, Ellie Kate Jones, and Maci Mills.

Maci Mills finished seventh in the 1600. With that finish, Maci earns an AllState title.

Aaron Himes placed seventh in the 1600.

Kelsey Martin for placed fifth in the high jump and earned All-State honors.

Lea Townsend placed second in the shot put for the silver and broke the previous state record.

Caleb Long placed second for the silver medal in javelin.

He threw 188’7”.

Stone Shelnutt took bronze for the 300 hurdles.

Stone Shelnutt took bronze for the 110 hurdles.

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