The Trussville Tribune – August 10 - 16, 2022

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My Life as a Hobby

Page 6

Glendale Farms Preserve fails to pass during Trussville Council

Argo Councilor Michael Hicks resigns city council, Argo Council declares vacancy

By Crystal McGough For The Tribune

ARGO – Argo City Councilor Michael Hicks submitted his resignation to the Argo City Council, which was formally accepted at the Aug. 8, 2022, council meeting.

See ARGO, Page 5

Moody Council approves onetime bonus for retired city workers

By Nathan Prewett For the Tribune

MOODY — The Moody City Council approved a resolution that authorized a one-time lump sum benefit to retired city employees during a regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 8.

See BONUS, Page 5

Inside the Tribune News - Pages 1-6 Finance - Pages 7-8 Calendar - Page 9 Classified - Page 9 Obituary - Page 10 Sports - Pages 11-12

Page 11

Leeds Board of Education approves acquiring vehicle for D.A.R.E. program

By Nathan Prewett For the Tribune

LEEDS – During a brief meeting of the Leeds Board of Education, the board approved the acquisition and disposition of a vehicle for the D.A.R.E. program and See BOE, Page 5

Pinson’s Historic Rock School celebrates Centennial

Irondale mayor, council president address concerns over gender identity comments surrounding World Games ordinance

See IRONDALE, Page 4

HTHS Hooks commits to ASU

2022

See EASTGATE, Page 2

IRONDALE – Irondale Mayor James D. Stewart Jr. and Council President David Spivey addressed citizens

TUE

87 71

CENTER POINT — After years of neglect, the Eastgate Shopping Center, a historically significant retail outlet in the heart of Center Point, is undergoing a comprehensive redevelopment.

Now under the ownership of Steve Merchant of Mer-

By Crystal McGough For The Tribune

SUN MON

www.TrussvilleTribune.com

August 10 - 16

Eastgate Shopping Center redevelopment underway

WED THU

From The Tribune staff reports Trussville City Hall was packed with residents voicing their thoughts, encouraging the council to vote no to the Glendale Farms Preserve, and waiting for the highly anticipated vote. (Photo by Hannah Curran)

By Hannah Curran Editor

TRUSSVILLE — Glendale Farms Preserve failed to pass during the Trussville Council meeting on Tuesday,

August 9.

Glendale Farms Planned Urban Development (PUD) finally went before the council for a vote after two requests to go back before Planning and Zoning (P&Z)

Board for modifications. The council ultimately voted no, with Councilmember Jaime Anderson, Councilmember Perry Cook, and Councilmember Ben Short voting no, Councilmember Alan

Taylor voting yes, and Councilmember Lisa Bright voting to abstain.

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PINSON — The historic Pinson Rock School celebrates its 100th year. Pinson Public Library, The City of Pinson, and the Pinson Historical Society invite everyone to the Rock School Cen-

See TRUSSVILLE, Page 4

See CENTENNIAL, Page 5

Moody infant diagnosed with rare congenital heart disease

By Hannah Curran Editor

MOODY — A mother’s love for her child is unwavering, and the need to protect their child and keep them safe is always at the forefront of a mother’s mind.

Jordan Richardson has been fighting for her son, Levi, since he was born. She noticed his breathing was “noisy,” and he was struggling to swallow formula. As a new mother, Richardson expressed her concerns with doctors and was told this was normal in newborns.

“They told me that babies are born with narrow nasal passages, which makes them sound noisy when they are born,” Richardson said.

Richardson explained that Levi appeared to be a healthy baby boy when he was born.

But, as Levi got older, friends and family began voicing their concerns telling Richardson that “something is just not right.”

“I would tell them the doctor told me babies are born with narrow nasal passages, that he’ll grow out of

Levi Richardson (Photo courtesy of Jordan Richardson)

it, and they continuously told me ‘no, something’s wrong,’” Richardson said. “I took Levi to the doctor; they checked his lungs and told me his lungs were clear.”

However, the problem was never in Levi’s lungs; it

actually was his trachea, and month by month, Levi began to sound worse and worse.

In February of 2022, Levi was taken in for a sleep study, and that’s when they discovered that the trachea narrows or collapses when

Levi exhales, making it hard to breathe and may lead to a vibrating noise or cough. Levi also struggled to swallow liquids, choking because anything liquid would cause him to aspirate, pulling everything into his lungs.

Finally, in March of 2022, four-month-old Levi was seen by a pulmonologist, and Richardson said within minutes, they knew something was wrong.

Surgery was performed to determine the problem; the pulmonologist informed Richardson that they believed Levi had a vascular ring.

There are several types of vascular rings, but in Levi’s case, he has a rare congenital heart disease called a double aortic arch.

Richardson said Birmingham Children’s Hospital may “see two to three cases a year; it is that rare.” There are only two hospital’s in the United States capable of treating double aortic arch, one being Boston Children’s Hospital and the other Tampa Children’s Hospital.

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Argo Fire and Rescue receives new ‘mini pumper’ fire truck, celebrates with traditional ‘push-in’

By Crystal McGough For The Tribune

ARGO – After three years of hard work and anticipation, Argo Fire and Rescue received its brand new, custom-built See FIRE, Page 3

August to be an eventful month for the city of Pinson

By Crystal McGough For The Tribune

PINSON — The Pinson City Council discussed several upcoming events in the city of Pinson for the month of August at the regular city council meeting held on Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.

On Friday, Aug. 5, there will be a Farmer’s Market See PINSON, Page 6

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Eastgate From front page

Trussville Tribune

190 Main Street Trussville, AL 35173 (205) 533-8664 Scott Buttram, Publisher publisher@trussvilletribune.com Hannah Curran, Editor news@trussvilletribune.com Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor bobby.mathews@trussvilletribune.com SALES STAFF Leigh Hays, Account Executive Shari Moore, Account Executive Lauren Taylor, Office Mgr/Traffic Coord.

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chant Investment Group, the plans for the newly redeveloped shopping center include 19 spaces for rent, with at least one space anchored by a national chain. Currently, Merchant said two spaces have already been leased, while the remaining spaces will be leased once the project nears completion. At the time of this writing, Merchant anticipates the build-out to last four-tosix months.

Merchant also said he is working to recruit a diverse group of businesses and is making an effort to recruit businesses that do not compete with others within the shopping center.

“Right now, we have a nail salon and hair salon, and we are trying to get some national tenants and some restaurants and a mixture of everything.

Moody From front page

Boston Children’s Hospital states that a double aortic arch is a ring with two aortic arches.

The branches from these two aortic arches surround the trachea and esophagus, leading to trouble breathing and swallowing.

The doctors performed a surgery attempting to cut the ring from behind Levi’s trachea and esophagus to help alleviate pressure. Still, the arteries from the branches of the rings began pushing on Levi’s airway.

Levi was put on a ventilator for three days because he couldn’t breathe on his own, and Richardson said she was scared he wouldn’t make it, but the struggles were only beginning.

“Due to all these tests, he couldn’t have anything to eat for like a week,” Richardson said. “For babies that young, it’s not uncommon for them to actually forget how to eat,

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We are not going to overlap and have two or three barber shops, for instance,” Merchant said. “We are going to protect our tenants and not compete within our shopping center.”

The Eastgate Shopping Center was last renovated in 1983 and had fallen into disrepair by its previous owners, who, when pressed by the City Council to provide a plan to improve the shopping center, opted to unload the property instead.

“The bottom line on that property was the previous owners were out of Chicago and had been absentee and not putting anything into that property in a long time,” explains Buddy Aydelette, Economic Development Specialist for the City of Center Point.

“Basically, the city just got a hold of them and asked them to give them a plan of what they planned to do with the property. I think that spurred

them to say, ‘I think we’re just going to sell it,’ and so they decided to auction the property.”

City Council President and head of the Economic Development Committee said the redevelopment of the Eastgate Shopping Center is the shot in the arm the city has needed to spur a new era of development in the city.

“This is the start. I think that this is the foundational breakthrough that Center Point needed as far as economic development,” Collins said. “Seeing that a company has decided to start here is the opening of more to come in regards to development here.

“Being at beginning of the Parkway, something as big as that shopping center being fully occupied and full of businesses will just be phenomenal for our community. This is exactly what we need right now in Center Point.”

For Collins, the redevelop-

ment of Eastgate is personal as well as professional. Having grown up in the area, Collins said her parents used to frequent the restaurants in and around the Eastgate Shopping Center, creating traditions that were an important part of her childhood. She said she believes the redevelopment of the Eastgate Shopping Center will return that sense of community and tradition for the residents of Center Point.

“We would go to CiCi’s Pizza, Seafood and Chicken Box, or Applebee’s every Friday growing up. Those are things that stick with a family, so to see that we could possibly have new businesses there where families can start those traditions with their family is just wonderful,” Collins said.

“I’m excited to see that and to start something like that with my son.”

Read the full story at www. trussvilletribune.com

and that’s what happened with Levi; he forgot how to eat.”

A nasogastric tube (NG tube) was placed through Levi’s nose and into his stomach to help him eat, but Levi struggled with his NG tube, pulling it out and having to visit the ER on multiple occasions.

Levi now has a feeding tube in his stomach, and after months of reteaching Levi how to eat, Richardson only uses his feeding tube for his medicines.

“The surgery he needs now is the surgery he should have received in the beginning,” Richardson said. “The older Levi got, he continued to struggle to breathe. Then, the structures started to grow; they were getting more and more depressed. So now it’s like we’re starting over from like day one.

He’s choking again; he’s splitting up, and his breathing has worsened.”

Scared for her son, Richardson took matters into her own hands and joined a Facebook group of moms all over

the world who have babies with vascular rings. After extensive research, Richardson discovered a surgery that could change Levi’s life.

Richardson pleaded with Levi’s doctors to perform a “combo surgery” to prevent Levi from having to undergo multiple surgeries as he gets older. Finally, the pulmonologist agreed with Richardson and informed her one of the lead surgeons on the vascular team in Boston moved to Tampa about three years ago and is performing surgeries on vascular ring babies.

A team of heart surgeons and airway surgeons out of Tampa Children’s Hospital have designed a surgery to basically reroute Levi’s whole heart system, thus creating his own unique heart and operating on his airway to allow him to swallow properly and get the feeding tube out of his belly.

The surgery will require Levi’s heart to be put on bypass for the operation, and then doctors will go in and open

Levi’s trachea and attach it to his spine so that the structure is not collapsing on itself.

“With Levi going through all these new surgeries, I’m terrified,” Richardson said. “I was always terrified of him going to sleep and not waking back up, but with him having to go on bypass, that’s my biggest fear because they’re cutting arteries and re-suturing them; anything can go wrong. But, if my son doesn’t have the surgery, he could potentially die, so I have to put my big girl pants on and be strong for him and fight for him.”

Richardson hasn’t been able to work since December of 2021; Levi can not go to daycare with the condition because any virus or infection can make him very sick. So while Medicaid will cover the surgery, Richardson is raising money for food and travel expenses for the two weeks they will be in Tampa.

A GoFundMe was created and $755 has been raised for the $3,000 goal.

August 10 - 16, 2022

The Trussville Tribune

Local / Region

Center Point man killed after dispute with neighbor, suspect arrested From The Tribune staff reports

CENTER POINT — A Center Point man was killed after a dispute with his neighbor on Thursday, August 4, at approximately 8:51 a.m.

According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to investigate a shooting in the 2500 block of 2nd Way Northwest in Center Point. Upon arrival, they

discovered 28-year-old Antonio Leon Warren, Jr. suffering from a gunshot wound injury that occurred during a reported assault at his private residence.

“Deputies also observed a man standing nearby wanting to surrender,” Deputy Chief David Agee said. “That man was later identified as 54-yearold Nathan Lee Sanders.”

Detectives were able to determine that the victim and offender were neighbors and had

Nathan Lee Sanders

been involved in an ongoing dispute for the past few years.

Warren was transported to UAB Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

After reviewing the evidence, Sanders was arrested and charged with the murder of Antonio Leon Warren and is being held in the Jefferson County jail without bond.

The story will be updated when more information is available.

Trussville man charged with capital murder in Hoover slaying From The Tribune staff reports

HOOVER — A Trussville man has been arrested and charged with the Wednesday, August 3, slaying of a Hoover woman.

According to the Hoover Police Department (HPD), Skylar Jacquel Dorsey, 24, has been arrested for the murder of Sophia Nicole Zeigler.

Zeigler was inside the Marathon gas station located at 5423 Highway 280 in Hoover around 8:28 p.m. when she was killed.

“The Hoover 911 center

Skylar Jacquel Dorsey

received a call of a person shot inside the convenience store. Officers responded to

the scene where they located an adult black female, Sophia Nicole Zeigler, suffering from a gunshot wound,” HPD Lieutenant Daniel Lowe stated in a press release. “Hoover Fire Department medics responded to the scene and pronounced Zeigler deceased.

Witnesses reported Zeigler entered the store and was followed by a black male. A verbal argument between the two quickly escalated into a physical altercation during which Zeigler was shot …”

Detectives identified Dorsey as a suspect in the case and were determined to be an

acquaintance of the victim.

He was taken into custody in the 3200 block of Beech Avenue Southwest in Birmingham at approximately 7:30 a.m. on Monday, August 8, by the United States Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.

He is currently being held in the Hoover City Jail and will be transferred to the Shelby County Jail later today.

Dorsey is being charged with capital murder. He is being held without bond.

The story will be updated when more information is available.

Coroner identifies man killed in Center Point From The Tribune staff reports

CENTER POINT — The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim killed in Center Point on Friday, August 5, at approximately 6:23 a.m.

Page 3

According to the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office, Jordan Harley Maxwell, 29, of Birmingham, sustained a gunshot wound injury during a reported assault outside an apartment.

Maxwell was transported to the UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he later suc-

cumbed to his injuries.

Authorities ask if anyone has information about this crime, call the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office at

205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

The story will be updated when more information is available.

Fire

From front page

mini pumper fire truck, made

by HME (Hendricks Mobile Equipment). The fire department celebrated this occasion on Aug. 8, 2022, at 4 p.m., prior to that evening’s city council meeting.

The 2021 Ford F550 carries 400 gallons of water and has a 1,500-gallon GPM pump.

“No one has one like it, because it’s a customized truck just for us,” Argo Fire Chief Scott Payne said. “This is going to do the same thing (a full-sized pumper) will; it just has less water on it.”

the current city council members, as well as some former city council members, were present for the celebration.

County Commissioner Ricky Parker and Chairman-elect Stan Bateman were also present.

“I want to thank everyone that’s worked so hard to try to get this truck,” Bradley said.

“I know it’s been a long time coming. I want to thank the previous council and also the present council for working on this and making sure that they did get their truck. … I want to thank Commissioner Ricky Parker and Chairman Stan Bateman for coming today, and everyone who took time

The 2021 Ford F550 carries 400 gallons of water and has a 1,500-gallon GPM pump.

Payne said that the benefit of having a smaller truck is that it can get places faster, and access smaller roads where a full-sized truck can’t go.

Argo Fire and Rescue and the Argo City Council have been working for three years toward acquiring this truck for the department. During that time, the city has gone through two sitting city councils.

“Both councils were a part of this, and the mayor was a part of getting this together,” Payne said. “I’ll never be able to thank everybody that was involved in this.”

Mayor Betty Bradley and

out of their busy schedule to be here.”

Those present, including members of the fire department, city council, former city council and commissioner’s office, joined together to do what Chief Payne called a “push-in.”

“Traditionally, in the fire service, when you get a new vehicle, there’s a few things you can do,” Payne said. “One of them is actually push the truck back in the bay. That’s just a tradition we like to do.”

Following the push-in, guests were invited to tour the new truck and enjoy refreshments.

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 4

Trussville From front page

Doug Neil, before the vote, said that the PUD design met the revisions and stipulations expressed by the council and community members.

The principal changes were a request to review the number of townhomes included in the development plan.

As a result, the developer has reduced the number of townhome units by 25 percent and suggested replacing those 15 townhomes, or 25 percent of the original number generally indicated, with 15 cottage homes.

The plan would have had 43 townhomes, 111 cottage units, and 24 brownstones, with the attached units representing the brownstones and townhomes, and all remaining units are individually detached units.

The project had a total density of 1.7 units per acre.

During public comments, Trussville resident Allison Gault said that the members of the community will remember the outcome of the council’s vote and will vote for those who vote for the community.

“I think what’s best for this city is to have continuity in our leadership so that we can have long-term plans that we can see through to the end,” Gault said. “That’s

what I hope for the city…

We’re skeptical. We just continue development with this mentality of ‘build it, and the infrastructure will come.’”

Another Trussville resident and President of Carrington Lakes Homeowners Association (HOA), Ron Hill, said that they admit this project has created a vast array of emotions on both sides of the proposal.

“To further exacerbate the flames, we have now included what is considered by the Board of Education to be quote, ‘The only option on the table,’ they have at present to alleviate overcrowding schools,” Hill said.

“The developer has made some acceptable changes to the original plan. Some of those changes incorporate some of the recommendations we have put forward.

However, the developer and builder are resisting our call to remove the higher density housing in the form of townhomes, brownstones, and cottages.”

Trussville City Hall was packed with residents voicing their thoughts, encouraging the council to vote no to the Glendale Farms Preserve, and waiting for the highly anticipated vote.

Councilmember Taylor said the property is going to be sold to someone, and the council’s responsibility is to decide what’s the best use for that property.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to what is the best use for that,” Taylor said.

“A lot of terms have been thrown out, like ‘high density.’ I think that’s misused in this because this is not high density compared to others.

I think it’s fair if you want to say I don’t like townhomes. That’s fair to say but to say, I don’t want high densi-

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ty, almost every subdivision we have in Trussville is high density.”

Taylor added that based on where Trussville is, there are not a lot of places for the city to grow.

“I think a national trend is townhomes, and I think they’re being built all over the country,” Taylor said.

Councilmember Short said that there are a lot of good things about this project, but there are also genuine concerns.

“We all are up here because we care about our community, and we want to do what’s right for our community,” Short said. “That’s going to guide whatever decisions I make, I won’t speak for everybody else. That’s what guides me, ultimately, I appreciate everyone in this room for being here.”

In other news, the council approved: • Proclamation Honoring Mt. Joy Baptist Church’s 165th Anniversary • Resolution Adopting the City’s Annual Transportation Plan Per Rebuild Alabama Act • Resolution Accepting the Fiscal Year 2021 Audit • Resolution Awarding the Parks & Recreation Concessions Bid to FH Concession Group LLC • Resolution Authorizing the Mayor to Sell Certain Real Property • Ordinance to Rezone 144 Skyline Drive to R-1 (Single Family) from R-G (Garden Residential) • Ordinance to Rezone Glendale Farms to PUD (Planned Urban Development) from A-1 (Agricultural), I-1 & I-2 (Industrial) The next Trussville City Council meeting will be on Tuesday, August 23, beginning at 6 p.m.

Irondale From front page

at the Irondale City Council meeting Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2022, regarding comments that were been made concerning an ordinance that allowed the Irondale Police Department to assist the Birmingham Police Department during the World Games.

At a council meeting on July 5, Councilwoman Cindy Cuellar requested that the council strike portions of the agreement that said the city of Irondale would not discriminate against hiring officers based on gender identity while under the timeframe of the agreement.

“That’s a Birmingham policy, not an Irondale policy,” Cuellar said on July 5.

“We’re not required to do that.”

The ordinance failed to pass approval of the council that night but was approved the next day at a special-called city council meeting.

Since that time, residents of Irondale have reached out to the city through emails and public comments at council meetings to express their feelings on the matter. While some citizens have asked for a public apology from Cuellar, others have defended her right to stand by her beliefs.

During the mayor’s report on Aug. 2, Mayor Stewart said, “We (the city of Irondale) comply with state and federal law, including following the rules and regulations of the personnel board of Jefferson County. Know this, as mayor, I’m working to ensure we have a healthy work environment, free of discrimination on all levels and if any complaint comes to me, we investigate and we make sure the right thing is done.”

Council President David Spivey also addressed the

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Irondale Mayor James D. Stewart Jr. and Council President David Spivey addressed citizens at the Irondale City Council regarding comments that were been made concerning an ordinance that allowed the Irondale Police Department to assist the Birmingham Police Department during the World Games. (Photo by Crystal McGough)

citizens’ concerns during his comment time.

“Each individual on the council has been elected to serve and each council members’ opinions are their own,” Spivey said. “We do not condone any discriminatory remarks that demean or demoralize any individual, period. The city of Irondale is committed to following state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination in the workplace and consistently strives to maintain a healthy work environment. The policies of the city reflect this and are in line with the Jefferson County personnel rules and regulations, as well as state and federal laws. We want you all to know that the city has been providing a non-discriminatory work environment and will continue to provide that same environment in the future to come.”

Councilwoman Cindy Cuellar, Councilman Robert Box and Councilman John London did not speak on the matter. Councilman Aaron Sims was not in attendance.

During council deliberation, the council discussed a resolution to authorize the city to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Marshals Service on behalf of the City

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of Irondale and the Irondale Police Department.

“What this will enable us to do is we can have a TFO (Task Force Officer),” Irondale Police Lieutenant Paul Kellogg said. “That officer, which is a detective, will be assigned to the United States Marshals Task Force. This enables them to have a liaison with our agency and it enables us to expand our investigative capabilities, particularly in the areas of fugitive apprehension.”

Resolution 2022-R-135, authorizing the MOU with the United States Marshal Service, passed unanimously.

The council approved Resolutions 2022-R-142, 143 and 144, authorizing the city to enter into contracts with Alabama Power for surveillance camera installations at Irondale Public Works, Cahaba Trail and Beacon Park, and Ruffner Park.

Additionally, the council approved four resolutions declaring the following items surplus and authorizing their disposal through donation, trade-in, or sale: 49 sections of 5” fire hose, a 2011 John Deer 85D excavator, a 2016 Pierce 100’ Ladder Truck and multiple Tasers previously utilized by the Irondale Police Department.

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Bonus

From front page

The resolution was passed as R2022-08-08 and will be submitted to Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) to fund the payment for $9,502.

The Alabama Retired State Employees’ Association (ARSEA) and the Alabama Public Employees’ Advocacy League (APEAL) recently passed a legislation that provides an estimated 900 cities, as well as counties and public boards active in RSA’s Employees’ Retirement System with a policy to award onetime lump sum benefits or bonuses to retirees.

Argo

From front page

Hicks is leaving the council due to moving outside of city limits.

“It’s been a good experience,” Hicks said of his time on the council. “I just thank all the council members I got to work with. We had a good time and hopefully did some good things for the city. I know it’s in good hands.”

Hicks served on the Argo City Council for two years.

With three years remaining on his term, the council unanimously approved Resolution 2022-08-08, declaring a

Centennial From front page

tennial Celebration on August 13, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Classes were first held in the Rock School in 1922. The renovated campus is now the home of Pinson Public Library and other city services.

The celebration will feature historical presentations, a play area for children, a photo booth, a 1922-themed penny “school store,” trivia

The Trussville Tribune

“By providing the bonus this year, you can have a meaningful financial impact on the lives of your retirees,” said ARSEA/ APEAL Executive Director Liane Kelly in a letter to the City of Moody. “Living on a fixed income is difficult in even the best of times, but rising prices on needs as simple as groceries, prescription medication, and gasoline make the struggle that much harder. In addition, American Rescue Plan Act dollars can be used to free up the funds necessary to pay for this one-time expense.”

Each retiree receives an amount based on the years

they worked for the city multiplied with the lump sum benefit, which is $2 per month or $24 per year. For example, the letter said that a retiree that worked for 25 years would get $600.

In addition to this and other actions taken, the council heard monthly reports from department heads.

Police Chief Thomas Hunt reported 1,562 calls, 40 arrests, 48 warning citations, 114 total citations, wrote 95 reports, 70 misdemeanors (closed 64), 27 felonies (closed 22), and 15,714 miles were driven by police vehicles. In addition, $1,982.21 were spent on vehicle maintenance.

Fire Chief Larry Horton reported six fires (two vehicles, four woods, grass, or rubbish), 112 emergency medical responses, 10 vehicle wrecks, 11 public services, 52 lift assists, 20 false alarms, and one mutual aid.

The average dispatch to enroute time was one minute, 53 seconds and the average dispatch to arrival time was six minutes, 33 seconds.

There were 51 annual inspections, 13 re-inspections, and one fire hydrant inspection.

Meetings are held on the second and fourth Monday of every month at 6 p.m. at Moody City Hall on 670 Park Ave.

vacancy on the city council.

Anyone interested in filling the position is asked to submit an application to Argo City Hall by no later than 12 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18. Interviews will take place on Aug. 19, and the seat on the council is expected to be filled before the next regular meeting.

“Michael, I want to tell you how much we appreciate you serving this city and all of the things that you’ve helped to accomplish since you’ve been in office,” Mayor Betty Bradley said. “We hate to see you leave, but we also understand and wish you the best.”

In other business, the council passed a motion to enter into a 36-month contract with Spectrum to upgrade the city’s phone system, for the amount of $396/ month.

The council also approved a motion to accept an invoice from Accent Awnings for engineering for a stamped structural drawing for a custom awning at city hall, in the amount of $2,700.

Mayor Bradley announced that the city received its second half of American Rescue Plan Act Funds, as well as a $3,900 tourism grant that will pay for the city’s first “Mon-

games, and more fun for all ages.

Pinson Rock School was constructed in 1921-1922 by the members of the area who wanted a larger building for their students. Adults and children participated in the school’s construction, with adults offering monetary donations, supplies donations, or skills to build the new school. For months, children were tasked with retrieving field stones (also known as chert rocks) to bring to the

site of the school for the construction of the walls.

“A lot of people think the rocks are just a façade for the building, but the outside walls of the original school are literally 12 to 18 inches of rocks held together with mortar,” Allison Scanlan, Director of the Pinson Public Library, said.

The building had several annexes and expansions over the next 60 years to accommodate the Pinson area’s growing population. Several

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ster Mash” Halloween event on Oct. 29.

Bradley also said that EcoSouth Services informed her that there will be a 3.5% increase for waste management services starting in September.

“I wasn’t very happy with that, but there’s not anything we can do about it because we’ve been in contract with them for a year,” Bradley said.

The next regular meeting of the Argo City Council will be Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, at Argo City Hall, immediately following a 5 p.m. work session.

scheduled a budget hearing and an additional meeting for the end of the month.

Chief Financial Officer Ryan Miller gave his report for the ninth month of the fiscal year, with 80.22 percent of the general fund revenues being received. In addition, 99.90 percent of the local revenues were received, up 7.92 percent from 2021.

Expenditures and other fund uses in the general fund were 71.89 percent of the budget, under a target of 75 percent. For the month of June, accounts payable were $453,597. Gross payroll expenditures were $1,121,560 for June. The month ended with an excess of revenues over expenditures in the general fund of $2,150,491. The unreserved fund balance on June 30 was $5,289,763.

Afterward, the board voted to acquire a truck for the Leeds Police Department to be used as a D.A.R.E. vehicle to promote anti-drug education for fifth graders.

Superintendent John Moore said that he recently met with Police Chief Paul Irwin. The department recently held active shooter drills, with one taking place at Leeds High School. When they met Irwin asked about getting a vehicle to use as part of a D.A.R.E program.

In a past meeting of the Leeds City Council, the city government approved using confiscated funds to pay for D.A.R.E. training for officers.

Moore commended Irwin’s efforts for the program.

“He is the right person for the job,” he commented.

Additionally, the board voted to approve the five-year capital projects plan. Moore said that the state uses the data from plans to generate funding requests for the legislature. These can be used for renovations, upgrades, and other things for districts.

During a discussion of personnel, it was mentioned that the district has 36 new employees, these being 25 teachers, five aides, four CNPs, and two bus drivers.

In his comments, Moore said that the first football game with Leeds High School would take place on August 19 at Mortimer Jordan. The game will start at 7 p.m. A jamboree will be held on August 11. He also said that report on standardized test results will be compiled and presented by September.

The next meeting was scheduled for August 30 at 4 p.m., which will be both a board meeting and a budget hearing. There the board will hire a new assistant principal for Leeds Elementary School.

The Leeds Board of Education Building is located at 1517 Hurst Avenue.

other schools were opened in the area, but the Rock School remained available as a daycare and later as a church.

The building fell into disrepair over the years, and the Jefferson County Board of Education voted to demolish the building, but residents of the community fought to keep the building and won.

The City of Pinson purchased the property in 2013, and it was renovated from 2017-2018 to become the new home of Pinson Public

Library as well as other city services. The library opened inside The Rock School Complex on January 13, 2019. The Rock School continues to serve at the heart of the Pinson community and is a focal point for the area.

Since the school was originally constructed by people in the area, there are strong family bonds and pride associated with the building.

“We love to hear stories about the families who contributed to the construction

of the Rock School. We often hear from patrons that their family members were chosen as children to help bring rocks to the site. It is interesting that sometimes the children were chosen as a reward for good behavior or punishment for bad behavior,” Scanlan said. “A lot of people have so many memories inside this building. We are so happy to honor those memories and help our community create more memories here.”

*Amount of rebate will not exceed purchase price.

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The Trussville Tribune

Page 6

My Life as a Hobby: The World’s Longest Yard Sale

By Joe Hobby

It’s been a couple of days, and I have finally recovered enough to write this post.

That’s because I spent some time earlier this month at the World’s Longest Yard Sale.

For those who don’t know, this piece of Americana is exactly what it says it is – a scenic stretch of rural, two-lane highway that begins in Michigan and ends 690 miles and 8,000 Dollar General stores later in Gadsden, Alabama.

Of course, there are yard sales – lots of them all along the way. So, for a picker (or hoarder, as my wife calls me), it’s nirvana – a large number of yard sales concentrated into a small area. From single-family affairs with one table in front of their trailer to dozens and dozens of tents manned by dealers in huge fields, they’re everywhere.

Thousands of merchants set up along this route, selling everything known to humankind. There are clothes, old tools, old signs, toys, furniture, puppies, glassware, household supplies, car parts, boat parts, swords, guns, ammo, knives, oil cans, hubcaps, plumbing supplies, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree. I even saw an old toilet for sale that I embarrassingly discovered was not hooked up for public use.

This year I stayed exclusively in Alabama. Why not?

I figured there was enough junk (which I pronounce “jonque” with a French accent, by the way) nearby to fill up the booths I have at a local antique mall. By the way, I call it junk when I’m

Joe Hobby, Tribune Columnist

buying, and when I’m selling, it becomes antiques.

That’s the law of the picker.

Consequently, I began my first day by driving 90 minutes to Mentone, a charming little mountain hamlet in the state’s northeast corner.

At my first stop, I hit pay dirt, purchasing an old copy of Heidi, a printer’s type drawer, and a pair of wooden shutters. Then, I added four matching mid-century wooden folding chairs from a local church. The price was a bit high, but a sweettalking lady convinced me that the money would do the Lord’s work, and as a good Methodist, I couldn’t resist.

Eventually, I began heading south, stopping at dozens of individual yard sales. Most of the time, they’re a bust, but you will find a nice item at a good price every now and again. However, you find nice people at almost every yard sale. So often, I was offered water, directions, advice, and a dose of good ol’ Southern small talk. Couple these chatty folks with my penchant to run my mouth, and it’s a wonder I’m not still out there.

By the way, so much of the stuff you see is, quite frankly, junk. I feel that many of these so-called treasures could be easily purchased at a nearby thrift store. That’s because there is a life cycle for junk. It goes like this: someone buys something at a thrift store, tries to sell it in a yard sale, and after failing, returns it to another thrift store. Then someone else will buy it, put it in their yard sale, fail, and donate it to yet another thrift store. This process will keep repeating until, eventually, one of two things will happen; 1) the item will finally end up at the landfill, where it probably belonged in the first place, or; 2) the cycle continues for years and years until the item is so old that it actually becomes valuable. Of course, the odds of that happening are about the same as Nancy Pelosi speaking at a Donald Trump rally.

But being a picker, I understand that you have to go thru a lot of chaff to get a little wheat. That’s ok with me.

The thrill of the hunt is entertaining, and I have come across some relatively valuable items at low prices.

After three days, my search turned up enough rusty, old, unique stuff to keep the booths I have at an antique mall full for a month or two. And to keep my wife complaining about the condition of our basement. No matter – the search must continue. That’s the life cycle of junk.

Find more of Joe’s stories on his blog: https:// mylifeasahobby.blogspot. com/?m=1. Also, follow him on Facebook at Joe Hobby Comedian- Writer.

August 10 - 16, 2022

Pinson From front page

held at the Rock School Complex parking lot from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.

“Don’t miss out,” Mayor Joe Cochran said. “Lots of great, fresh vegetables, candles, coffee from Barking Bee, and many other vendors over there. Always a great time.”

Friday evening, the city will be sponsoring Movies in the Park at Bicentennial Park, showing “Wreck-It Ralph 2.”

The city will provide free hot dogs, chips and drinks, and the movie will begin at dusk.

On Saturday, Aug. 6, the businesses of Main Street will hold their monthly Trade Days, where visitors can shop from various vendor booths and shops, including Patti’s on Main Street antiques and consignments, as well as enjoy food and beverages from local eateries such as Price’s Ice Cream and Barking Bee Coffee. There will also be a Classic Car Cruise-In for car enthusiasts to enjoy.

Additionally, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, the city will be holding its annual Shred-a-Thon at Pinson City Hall. There is no limit to how much paper can be brought for shredding, but the city does ask that paper clips and staples be removed if possible.

Later that day, at 3 p.m., Pinson Valley High School will be hosting Meet the Indians, and NFL linebacker Zach Cunningham will be in attendance.

“That’s your opportunity to go visit with the high school players and get autographs,” Cochran said. “Meet Zach Cunningham … the only player in Pinson Valley history to go on to an NFL career. He currently plays for the Tennessee Titans. He will be in attendance and the occasion of that is to celebrate him, his career here at Pinson Valley, and to retire his jersey, which will be the very first

Pinson Public Library Director Allison Scanlan (Photo by Crystal McGough)

retired jersey in the history of Pinson Valley that I’m aware of.”

On Saturday, Aug. 13, the Pinson Rock School will be having its Centennial Celebration, in conjunction with the annual Rock School Reunion, in the Rock School auditorium from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

“We’re going to have a variety of activities for all ages,” Pinson library director Allison Scanlan said. “We have our usual reunion crew who is coming in to have all their fun, but in addition, if you were not a student or had any family members at the Rock School, you absolutely should come celebrate what most consider the heart of our community.”

Some of the Centennial Celebration festivities will include a play area for kids, a coloring competition, trivia and historical presentations from the Pinson Historical Society.

“We’re going to go back to 1922 and have a pennyschool-store,” Scanlan said.

“So you can come spend your pennies in the school store to get any supplies that you might need for the upcoming school year.”

Also on Aug. 13, the First Baptist Church Pinson Daycare/Kindergarten will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary at Bicentennial Park

from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Mayor Cochran and the Pinson City Council will be presenting a proclamation honoring the daycare/kindergarten at 12:30 p.m.

First Baptist Church Pinson will also hold its Back to School Bash at Bicentennial Park on Aug. 13, from 5 p.m.

– 8 p.m.

In other business, after holding two public hearings at which no one spoke, the council approved Ordinance 2022-14, changing the zoning classification of 6984 and 6985 Joy Circle from Jefferson County R1 to City of Pinson District RM, and Resolution 22-26, declaring overgrown grass and weeds to be a public nuisance at 4109 Powell Ave. The council also approved Ordinance 2022-15, amending a former ordinance that changed the zoning classification of 7000 and 6970 Hwy 75, in order to extend any revisionary clause action to allow the property owners an additional 24 months, until Jan. 1, 2025, before they must break ground on an elderly living facility to be built at that location.

The next meeting of the Pinson City Council will be Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022, at Pinson City Hall. Pre-council begins at 6:15 p.m. and the regular meeting begins at 7 p.m.

The Trussville Tribune

August 10 - 16, 2022

Page 7

Finance

Are we in a recession?

By David R. Guttery, RFC, RFS, CAM, President, Keystone Financial Group-Trussville

Sponsored Content

We’re hearing a lot about the state of the economy within the mass business media, and the conjecture over whether we’re in a recession or not has dominated my recent conversations with clients for months.

The answer is that the National Bureau of economic research is the only body that is tasked with such a definition.

Frankly, it will be several months before we hear from the NBER but for the time being, we can certainly evaluate the economic metrics that will factor into that determination. At a very high level, in my opinion, yes, we are in the beginning stages of a recession, and furthermore, as I have discussed in the past, I believe this recession could be long in duration, and hopefully shallow in frequency.

It seems that many people have the impression that a recession is nothing more than two, consecutive quarters of negative growth in gross domestic product. Is this an accurate definition of what it means to be in recession?

No, not really. It is a good, high-level, layman’s definition of what it would mean to be in recession. I say that, because if you find two or more consecutive negative growth quarters, then you generally have all of the other components that are required to meet the definition of being in recession.

This is a very odd period of time. There are so many firsts that are impacting both

the markets and the economy, as well as other things that we haven’t seen in 50 years. So, when trying to answer this question, we have to consider these oddities. On the one hand, it is difficult to have a recession when jobs are being created, and both the manufacturing, and services side of the economy remain in expansion territory.

However, rampant inflation, and wages that are not keeping up with inflation, and economic deceleration are certainly characteristics of a recession. We have all of that at the present time. So, to answer the question, no, you really can’t simply stop with the observation of two negative quarters of gross domestic product growth. The definition of being in recession includes many other factors.

When viewed holistically, I do believe that the current trajectory of the economy will indeed meet the definition of recession, but again, it will be the National Bureau of economic research that makes that determination, several months in the future.

With regard to “firsts” and “oddities”, it is certainly very strange to observe the federal reserve board in an aggressive quantitative tightening posture, while the economy is contracting. We have observed negative eco-

nomic growth over the last six months, as evidenced by recent GDP readings. Yet, the Federal Reserve is quantitatively tightening, which is normally what they would do when the economy is expanding too quickly.

The June reading on headline inflation showed that the CPI increased by 9.1% over the previous 12 months. It is certainly odd that a precious metal like gold, would be down 13% since March while this was unfolding.

I thought that gold, silver, and other precious metals were supposed to be stores of value during periods of high inflation. Clearly, that isn’t working well today.

Part of the reason for that is because of the aggressive posture of the Federal Reserve, and the strength in the United States dollar that has resulted.

As you can see on this chart, the Bloomberg dollar spot index suggests that the dollar is nearing an all time relative high against the global basket of currencies. What is most striking, is how quickly the dollar has strengthened.

Anything denominated in the strengthening currency will likely go down in value. So yes, we do have inflation at a level not seen since 1980, and at the same time we see a precious metal like gold, that has

historically been a safe haven against inflation, also moving down, as a function of significant dollar strength.

For the first time in 20 years, the dollar, and the euro, are at parity. Remember, currency pairings are relative.

The weakness in the euro, is adding to the strength of the dollar, when you consider the two in tandem. The actions of the Federal Reserve are inherently strengthening the dollar.

In the euro zone, that economy is being adversely impacted by the effects of the war in Ukraine, particularly with regard to energy, and food, and Brexit also continues to impact the euro zone. This has resulted in a very strange period of time, where for the first time in 20 years, the dollar and the euro are at parity.

So why is the Federal Reserve taking such an aggressive posture? They are desperately trying to rein in a monster of money that was printed over a 30-month peri-

od of time before it becomes incendiary, and touches off a period of stagflation.

Why did they print so much money? To fund unprecedented spending promulgated by Congress. Why did Congress promulgate such spending? To support an economy, that had shut down for the first time in history, in response to the disease that no one had heard of prior to 2020.

For the first time in 50 years, treasury securities and equities are positively correlated.

Normally, when the market is volatile, we’re able to turn to such things as treasury securities for buoyancy, and negative correlation.

Meaning, treasuries are likely moving in a positive direction while the market is moving in a negative direction. We don’t have that today, because as the Federal Reserve attempts to unwind its balance sheet, it is creating significant price

distortion, and as a result, prices of treasuries are declining, yields are rising, and this is evidenced by inverted yield curves. Again, very unusual, and something that we have not seen since 1972.

Again, this is just a handful of firsts, but we have them, and because we do, it is virtually impossible to rely on anecdotal evidence, and historical models, to glean insight into what may happen next. So, when we’re trying to wrestle with the definition of a recession, we simply cannot rely solely on a high-level layman’s definition of two negative growth quarters of gross domestic product. We must look more deeply, at the components, and view them all holistically.

What are the economic components are that should be monitored when trying to gauge the trajectory of the economy? Well, first, let’s take a look at our capacity to spend.

We know that all nonfarm payrolls rose by 5.1% over the most recent twelve-month period of time according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. I mentioned earlier that headline inflation was 9.1% over the same period of time.

Other things like food, fuel, shelter, and health care have risen by much faster rate than headline inflation. Therefore, our capacity to purchase these things is going backwards, by an increasingly wider margin, every month. Gross domestic product is 70% consumption.

Our ability to consume is going backwards.

Over the last several weeks, I have absorbed the thoughts of many economists, See FINANCE, Page 8

The Trussville Tribune

Page 8

Finance From page 7

who all suggest that roughly two thirds of American households are living paycheck to paycheck. Throughout the year, we have read many opinions that suggest

Americans are saving very little of their income. I believe that, because it doesn’t appear that we have much left to save. We have also heard that savings may have been depleted.

This is a metric from the St. Louis bank branch of the Federal Reserve that suggests that the average American

household is in more credit card debt right now, then at any other point in the last 20 years.

So, to me, it appears that our capacity to spend has gone backwards for a very long time, and the majority of what we do have to spend is being demanded by durable things that we must have, like food, fuel, healthcare, and shelter, to the point where

August 10 - 16, 2022

we may have depleted what savings we had, and now, the average household is turning to credit cards to make those ends meet. So next year, when inflation is still likely to be higher, and wages may still be struggling to keep up with that inflation, you must

an impact on the cost of a gallon of gasoline, or the cost of food. In fact, Chairman Powell has recently admitted that the Fed has no power over these two durable, and pervasive areas of inflation. I would contend to you though,

families have been priced out of the housing market. This means, that rental income is rising. Think about it. If I am a landlord, and the thing that I have is growing in demand, then why wouldn’t I raise rents?

that with every next action, the Federal Reserve is actually adding to housing inflation.

Through quantitative tightening, we see treasury prices declining, and yields rising.

Mortgages are clearly tied to those yields that are rising.

As a result, mortgage rates have more than doubled from where they were in mid-February.

The Goldman Sachs housing affordability index is at a level that we have not seen in a very long time. As mortgage rates have increased, increasingly greater numbers of

Shelter is an economically durable thing. You will consume it. So, food, fuel, and shelter, three durable things that we must have, and that you will consume regardless of the state of the economy, are increasing at a rate that is higher than that of headline inflation. Indeed, these wre the three largest contributors to the CPI reading in June.

The Federal Reserve, by its own admission, can’t touch two of them, and they’re making the third one worse with each sequential policy action.

now add the debt service on this albatross to that equation.

I’m not sure how you connect these dots and come up with an expanding economy.

From a macro economic standpoint, we see that the ISM Manufacturing index does remain above the expansion line of 50, but look at the trend of the last 12 monthly

readings. We are clearly moving in a discernibly negative direction. The same is true of the services ISM index.

We can look at other metrics like housing, durable goods, industrial production, to see confirmation of these trends.

Housing is also a concern.

I would suggest to you that nothing the Federal Reserve is doing right now, will have

Lastly, according to the University of Michigan, consumer sentiment is at an alltime record low, going back to the inception of the survey in 1960.

Confident people spend money. People that aren’t confident typically don’t spend money on things that aren’t necessary, and as result velocity of money is usually lower. That’s exactly what we observe today.

Are we in a recession? We will find the official answer over the coming months, but for now, looking at the data that will go into that analysis, I am comfortable in suggesting that indeed we are in the beginning phases of a recession that could last for a long time. We will actually pro-

cessed economic periods of time. (*) David R. Guttery, RFC, RFS, CAM, is a financial advisor, and has been in practice for 31 years, and is the President of Keystone Financial Group in Trussville.

David offers products and services using the following business names: Keystone Financial Group – insurance and financial services | Ameritas Investment Company, LLC (AIC), Member FINRA / SIPC – securities and investments | Ameritas Advisory Services – investment advisory services. AIC and AAS are not affiliated with Keystone Financial Group.

Information provided is gathered from sources believed to be reliable; however, we can-

duce two videos and articles this month as we tackle this subject. Within our next commentary, we will talk in greater depth about investment strategies that people should consider when navigating re-

not guarantee their accuracy.

This information should not be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.

The Trussville Tribune

August 10 - 16, 2022

Calendar

Happy Birthday, Socks!

August 10 @ 3:00 pm 6:00 pm Free

(All ages) Help us celebrate as Socks turns seven years old on Wednesday, August 10th!

Stop in anytime between 3pm and 6pm.

You don’t have to bring a present for Socks, he is already so very spoiled!

Socks would love for you to please consider making a donation to Kitty Kat Haven through their Amazon Wishlist: https://smile.amazon. com/hz/wishlist/ls/3ET68KTYPX985…

All ages welcome. Cupcakes will be served.

Venue Pinson Public Library (RSMC) Liz & the Grand Tour August 11 @ 5:30 pm 9:30 pm

FREE EVENT, ALL AGES Liz & The Grand Tour features song selections from more than 70 years of country music. We honor the iconic songs and artists from every decade from 1950 through 2020 Venue Trussville Entertainment District

Venue Kelly Ingram VFW Post 668 The Rock School Centennial Celebration August 13 @ 10:00 am 4:00 pm Free

(All ages) Pinson’s historic Rock School is celebrating it’s 100th birthday! Join us for a very special Centennial Celebration on Saturday, August 13th from 10 AM to 4 PM. We will honor the history of the building, celebrate its present, & look to its exciting future. There will fun for all ages including bounce houses/outside games, historical presentations & artifacts, photo booth, interactive Penny School Store, & more!

The Pinson Historical Society will have copies of Tom Bailey’s book, Pinson: The Bicentennial History for sale for $20 (cash preferred) & Mr. Bailey will be available to sign copies of his book.

This event is presented collaboratively with The City of Pinson & Pinson Historical Society.

Venue Pinson Public Library (RSMC) Paws for a Cause August 13 @ 6:00 pm 9:30 pm $100.00

Irreverent Warriors Birmingham Silkies Hike August 13 Free

We Bring Veterans Together Using Humor and Camaraderie To Improve Mental Health and Prevent Veteran Suicide!

Calling all veterans, Active Duty, National Guardmembers, and Reservists!!! Join us as we don our favorite PT Shorty Shorts and hike through the streets of Birmingham!

The connections and bonds made at our events allow veterans to create their own support network solving the most crucial issue contributing to veteran suicide; isolation. We have experienced pain, tragedy, and trauma – whether overseas or at home – and many of us have used humor as a coping mechanism. Finding humor in difficult situations sheds some light on the darkness and helps us maintain a positive mental attitude and continue our mission.

2022 Paws for a Cause: Save the Date The Trussville City Schools Foundation and Trussville City Schools Athletic Foundation have announced Saturday, August 13, 2022, as the date for the annual Paws For a Cause. Tickets go on sale July 13th for this evening event – which will be held at the Trussville Entertainment District. A Trussville-grown band, Dixie Krystal, will open the night.

Venue Trussville Entertainment District Birmingham Restaurant Week’s Wine-O-Logy August 16 @ 4:30 pm 7:30 pm $25 Get ready for a POURfect night! Sip, savor and continue the yum even after Birmingham Restaurant Week (BRW) at the signature

16

Wine-O-logy event! Happening Tuesday, August 16 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., guests can explore their palette through this wine flight tasting event featuring five wine samples provided by United-Johnson Brothers of Alabama and five delicious hors d’oeuvre pairings from Sysco Foods.

After the tasting, each guest will receive a complimentary glass of their favorite wine from the offering.

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This is a must-attend event taking place at Birmingham Botanical Gardens and The Gardens Cafe by Kathy G, one of Birmingham’s most beautiful venues!

Tickets are $25 each in advance. This event will sell out, so get your tickets ASAP! Purchase tickets at www.bhamrestaurantweek. com/events.

Tastings to Include: Station 1: Champs de Provence Brut Rosé – Provence, France A classic dry rosé with vibrant notes of red berries, citrus and orange blossom with a medium-body, flavorful hints of raspberry and a zesty mineral finish.

Station 2: Fried Pork Belly Bite with Garlic Mojo Sauce & Pickled Red Onion Frei Brothers Chardonnay – Russian River, California Beautiful soft straw color with hints of pale green tinges.

Fruit forward aromas rich with citrus, lime zest, white peach and Honey crisp apple mingle with delicate notes of hazelnut, roasted nuts and oak spice. Flavors of crisp, zesty lemon, and barrel spice with just a touch of minerality The wine is refreshing with a beautifully focused, creamy mouthfeel that has bright acidity balance and a long, juicy finish.

Station 3: Peach Park Gazpacho Shooter Matua Sauvignon Blanc – Marlborough, New Zealand Soft in color with green hues, this Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc shows tropical and citrus fruits along with attractive herbaceous/varietal characters on the nose. The palate is generous and fruit driven with acidity giving a fresh, clean palate.

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Page 9

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Page 10

August 10 - 16, 2022

O b i t u a ry

Doris G. Haynes

Cheney Lawler

march

august

30, 1928 ~ july 26, 2022 (age 94)

Doris Garrett Haynes went to be with her Lord and Savior on July 26, 2022. A graveside service will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2022 at Jefferson Memorial Gardens at 10:00 am. Pastor Johnny Kilgore will be officiating.

Cheney Jasper Lawler, Jr., 83, went to his eternal home on July 27th, 2022. A lifelong resident of Birmingham, Cheney was born on August 26th, 1938 to Henrietta Strickland Lawler and Cheney Lawler, Sr who preceded him in death.

He was married to the love of his life, Joyce Lawler, for over 46 years. Cheney grew up as an active member of 66th Street Baptist Church where he placed his faith in Jesus Christ and was baptized. Cheney was a graduate of Woodlawn High School. He attended the University of Alabama and was a member of First United Methodist Church in Birmingham for over 40 years. He was also a retiree of AT&T. He served on the Kenny Morgan Scholarship Foundation for Samford University, volunteered in serving the annual Bobby Bowden Golf Tournament, and was inducted into the Central Alabama Amateur Softball Association Fast Pitch Hall of Fame in 2002. He also coached softball and basketball for many years, including Mel Bailey’s Sherriff’s Department Fast Pitch Softball team.

Doris was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1928. She married Clarence Bookter (C.B.) Haynes in 1946, and they were married for 76 years.

Doris was a teller at SouthTrust Bank for many years and was well loved by her customers and coworkers. Doris was known for her caring and giving heart. She was always thinking of others and went out of her way to help anyone she could. Doris had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh and have fun.

Doris was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She was formerly an active member of Ridgecrest Baptist Church and is currently a member of First Baptist Church Trussville. Doris enjoyed singing in the Senior Choir, traveling, going on church trips, and playing Rook with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

Survivors include: Her husband, C.B. Haynes; Children: Dennis Haynes, Rose Watkins, and Ronnie Haynes (Judy); Grandchildren: Brad Haynes, Brian Haynes (Amy), Chace Haynes, Grant Haynes (Jennifer), and Monica Hartman (Kyle); and eight great grandchildren.

26, 1938 ~ july 27, 2022 (age 83)

He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lawler; his sons Paul Lawler (Missy) and Patrick Lawler (Kim); grandsons Luke Lawler (Leah), Ryan Lawler (Sam), Wes Lawler, Laura Lawler (fiancé, Victor), and Stewart Lawler (Mary); and one great grandson, Levi Lawler. Cheney is preceded in death by his sisters, Jean Falkner (Don); Julia Albert; and brother, Thomas Lawler (Peggy). Visitation and Celebration of Life will take place at First United Methodist Church, Birmingham, with visitation at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 2nd with Celebration of Life service to follow at 12:00 p.m. with Rev. Stephanie Arnold and Rev. Paul Lawler officiating.

Donations may be made to First Baptist Church Trussville.

James Henry Robinson november

(age 72)

17, 1949 ~ july 26, 2022

Mr. James Henry Robinson Jr., age 72, of Smoke Rise, Alabama went to his eternal home on Tuesday, July 26th, 2022. He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on November 17, 1949, to the late James Henry Robinson Sr. and Dena Dietrich Robinson. He is survived by his loving friend, Connie Bonds, daughter, Jaime Giangrosso, son-in-law, Pete Giangrosso, son James Henry Robinson III (Jolena), John Robinson (Patricia), grandchildren, Emmy, Tripp, Cloie, Josh, Gracie, Lanie, Daniel, Wyatt, Dominic, Tori, and Holden, and sister Ruth Meyer (Brad), and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his brother, Tom Behenen. He proudly served his country in the Vietnam War through the US Army with the rank of Specialist. He loved his family, and friends, especially his Brothers in Arms. The family would like to thank the VA Medical Center in Birmingham for the thoughtful care they have given him throughout the years. The family will receive visitors from 5:00-7:00 Thursday, August 4th ,at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home in Trussville. Burial will be at Friday, August 5 at 2:00, at the National Cemetery in Montevallo, Alabama. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to the Gary Sinise Foundation for wounded veterans, www.Garysinisefoundation.org/donate.

Quallie Louise (Whitaker) Rogers

18, 1950 ~ july 27, 2022 (age 72)

Norman Allen Stapp, Sr. october

14, 1944 ~ july 27, 2022 (age 77)

Born October 14, 1944 Went home to be with the Lord July 27, 2022 surrounded by his family. Norman was first and foremost a born-again Christian, which guided him in his roles as husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Norman served in law-enforcement for 40 years. Serving 20 years for the city of Birmingham, where he retired Sergeant. For 14 years he served as Chaplain, and served 1 year as president of the Fellowship of Christian Law-Enforcement. After retirement from Birmingham, he continued on in law enforcement serving a short stint on the Fultondale Police Department, before moving to the City of Irondale Police Department. He retired as Lieutenant, Chaplain, and as a supervisor.

Norman was Senior pastor for 23 years at Mercy Seat ministries Inc. in Ashville, Alabama. His heart throb was to see people come to know the Lord. He was truly a man after God’s own heart, & faithful to his calling. He walked in strength and integrity; he brought laughter and joy into so many people's lives. He had an ability to bring peace & comfort to hurting people, leaving them with hope. He was a strong tower and always a shoulder to lean on for family and friends, and he never met a stranger.

Norman was preceded in death by his mother Mary Lucille Broach, three older siblings Mary Jean Sharpe, William Flyod "Buddy" Stapp Jr., Betty Stewart, and his son David Bradley Stapp.

He was survived by his wife of 43 yrs Dixie Carole Stapp, sons N. Allen Stapp Jr. and Daniel Stapp, daughter Laura Hunt (Jeff), and grandchildren Olivia Wilson (Matthew), Caleb Hunt, Levi Hunt, Ava Hunt. He is already sorely missed by his family & friends. Dad, we will see you soon.

Tiffanie Samantha (Morton) Morton

june

We all share a very special connection with Quallie. She has seen us through our toughest and most memorable times through the years. She has traveled the world to stand by our side whenever we called to support marriages, divorces, births, deaths, first days of school, and graduations. She has helped us start families and careers and watched as we went into the world, growing into the people we are today. She has been there to witness our greatest successes and what we felt were our greatest failures, all while proving that this too shall pass. Our matriarch is the epitome of humility and kindness and has touched many with her thoughtful words and actions. Quallie’s wish for her family is for us to love one another and be there for one another as she did because “loving one another is the meaning of life.” Lastly, she would like to be remembered as “a person that cares about people.”

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september

7, 1990 ~ july 28, 2022 (age 31)

Ms. Tiffanie Morton passed away Thursday July 28, 2022. The family will receive friends at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens August 2, 2022 from 5:00pm-7:00pm in the Chapel. Memorial services will begin at 7:00pm.

She is survived by her grandmother Wanda Morton, three brothers; Justin Morton (Stacie), Hunter Herring, and Jaxson Szalankiewicz (Ashley), her mother April Herring, niece and nephew Ashlynn and Braylen Morton, Step-dad Clay Herring, uncle Johnny Morton, along with numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Tiffanie Morton is preceded in death by her grandfather Wayne Morton.

Tiffanie grew up in Pinson, Alabama. She resided in the Clay area.

Tiffanie had a beautiful heart and soul. She loved people and all of the animals.

She was very compassionate and selfless and always took care of those around her. She loved her career of grooming animals. Her family was always first to her, she would drop anything to be there for them. She loved being in nature and spent much of her free time with her horses. Tiffanie was devout in her religion and spirituality. She had such an infectious laugh and smile. Her loved ones will always remember her funny quirks, such as always needing to have her chapstick with her. She will be missed more than words could ever say.

Betty Pruet (Pruett) Parker december

(age 91)

8, 1930 ~ july 29, 2022

Betty June Parker, age 91, went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on July 29, 2022. She was married to the love of her life, Reverend William Herbert Parker for 64 years. She was an outstanding preacher’s wife, and was Herbert’s partner as he was the pastor of Pineview Baptist Church for 25 wonderful years. She was preceded in death by her husband Herbert, her mother Glennie Mae Pruet, her father Wilburn Hunter Pruet, and her brother Sonny Pruet. Betty is survived by two beautiful daughters, Deborah Mikell and Christie Brown (Keith), two precious daughters in love, Alice Gene Marcum (Ed) and Elaine Manning, one cherished sister in love Cheryl Killingsworth, one granddaughter Traci Wells (Jason), one grandson Michael Brown (Kandace), and four beloved great-grandchildren Lila Faith Brown, William Mikell Brown, Ellie June Brown, and Silas Dwayne Brown. Betty loved life and she was a true and faithful servant of the Lord in the way she loved and cared for others. She brought joy to everyone she met, even in her last days. Her hospice nurses Beth and Diane were a blessing to her and the entire family in the care and compassion that they exhibited. The way she lived her life was as Jesus commanded us all to do, and though many of us fall short, she never did. She was fun and loving and she was always curious about new things, and she enjoyed attending Broadway musicals with her granddaughter when they came to town. She was always up for an adventure and there are so many funny stories of her and her best friend Jackie Hays. They were even more hilarious than Lucy and Ethel in some of the situations they found themselves in. Betty made an impact in the lives of countless people and there is no doubt that when she got to meet her Lord Jesus face to face that He told her “Well done, good and faithful servant”. Those of us left behind mourn her passing greatly but we comfort ourselves with Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Betty’s celebration of life will be held at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home and Gardens in Trussville with visitation from 12-2, service in the chapel at 2, and graveside services following. Dr. Bill Evans is officiating. Pallbearers are Michael Keith Brown, Ed Marcum, Michael Keith Brown Jr., Jason Paul Wells, Thomas V. Evans, and Timothy Wayne Evans, with William Mikell Brown as honorary pallbearer.

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Page 11

sports

The Trussville Tribune August 10 - 16, 2022

Hewitt-Trussville’s Hooks commits to play at Alabama State

By Bobby Mathews Sports Editor

TRUSSVILLE — HewittTrussville’s April Hooks’ deadly aim from beyond the three-point arc is a thing of beauty. Time and again during the 2021-2022 season, she found her range and made Huskies’ opponents pay.

The sharp-shooting guard will take her game to the next level, too, as she recently committed to play college basketball at Alabama State

Hewitt-Trussville’s April Hooks committed to play collegiate basketball at Alabama State. (Photo courtesy of April Hooks’ Twitter)

once her days as a Husky are over. The Hornets program felt like home for Hooks, she said.

“I chose the Hornets because they made it known from the day they offered me that they were serious about me committing to them,” Hooks said, adding that it was important to her to attend a university that qualifies as a Historically Black College & University. “My mom went to a HBCU and my brother currently goes to a HBCU so

internship program for the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, was established to honor the legacy of Parker Boswell, a 2019 graduate of Spain Park High School in Hoover tragically killed in a car accident in September 2020.

Kathy Boswell, Parker’s mother and Executive Vice President of Community Engagement with The World Games, selected Newton for

With the 2022 prep football season less than two weeks away from first kickoff, there’s a feeling of anticipation in the air. It was like an electric undercurrent during Tribune Media Days last week, as I quizzed local coaches Bobby Mathews and players about their prospects for the upcoming season.

One thing was really clear: These players are tired of hitting their teammates.

They’re absolutely ready to line up and play someone — maybe anyone — else. Looking over the schedules for each team in our coverage area, I have some thoughts on what we can expect.

Hewitt-Trussville This is going to be a different Huskies team than in years past. With two defensive linemen — Hunter Osborne and Connor Knight — signed to FBS programs (Alabama and South Florida, respectively), as well as the returning Tyrell Averhart up front, Hewitt-Trussville is going to mean business on the defensive side of the ball.

They also return the leading tackler, Hunter Jones, at line-

See INTERN, Page 12

See OUTLOOK, Page 12

I know that the experience is like no other.”

Hooks has played a tremendous part in the Huskies’ success over the past two seasons, said Hewitt-Trussville head coach Tonya Hunter. Her commitment to Alabama State is part of the ongoing process as she comes into the player Hunter expects her to be.

“It’s such a blessing to see a kid who played as an eighth grader on a 7A varsity level See HOOKS, Page 12

Trussville’s Connor Newton shines as World Games intern

By Loyd McIntosh For The Tribune

TRUSSVILLE — If you attended any of the World Games events at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) last month and noticed how smoothly run the event was, you can thank Trussville native Connor Newton.

An accounting major at Auburn and the recipient of the Parker Boswell Internship Program, Newton came

into his own as a leader at the 2022 World Games, organizing all of the volunteers for the seven sports competing at the BJCC’s five venues. A tall order for anyone, much less a 19-year-old who only graduated from Hewitt-Trussville High School a little more than one year ago. Of course, anyone who knows Newton understands he possesses a level of maturity and leadership skills beyond his age.

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Page 12

Outlook From page 11

backer and Rickey Gibson in the defensive backfield.

Don’t be surprised to see the Huskies lean on that experienced, talented defense while the offensive side works out some kinks in the early going. I expect Hewitt will likely finish 8-2 or 7-3 in the regular season, and I think they’ll get a signature win over Hoover.

Clay-Chalkville The 6A state champs are probably not going to run the table during the regular season. That midseason matchup with Thompson looms large, as does an early game against a familiar foe, 6A finalist Hueytown, who Clay held on to beat for the 2021 championship. That doesn’t mean that the Cougars can’t win another state title, of course.

The Cougars have talent to spare, especially two world-class receivers in Jaylen Mbakwe and Mario Craver, but they also return a very experienced and tough offensive line. Defensively, Clay-Chalkville will again be like the 2 Live Crew album that carried the first parental advisory warning: as nasty as they wanna be.

(My wife just warned me that the above reference is probably too old for most of our readers, but I’m leaving it in there, because it’s a good line.) The Cougars will finish 9-1 heading into the playoffs.

Pinson Valley So many questions surround the Indians this season. New head coach, new starting quarterbac, new starting running backs. That could signal a down year, but Pinson Valley will surprise some folks, I think.

Keywone Posey will likely start the season at quarterback, as he started a couple of games as a freshman and helped the Indians to some key wins while Zach

Pyron was injured. Amare Thomas, a Virginia commit, should have another really good year.

Defensively, I know that Pinson Valley prides itself on its toughness and grit.

The Indians are going to hit, and they’re going to try to make the other team quit.

In the ultra-competitive 6A Region 6, I still see Pinson Valley as a playoff team. I expect them to finish 7-3 heading into the postseason.

Center Point Coach George Bates and I had a good conversation over the summer, where he told me that the Eagles have to deal with what’s in front of them after moving up to 6A and into Region 6.

The Eagles proved they belonged in the elite among 5A teams, but reclassification means that they’re starting from scratch. They’ve got nothing to lose, and that’s going to make them dangerous.

Troy Bruce is clearly a great running back, and all he needs is a small crease to make something happen. Great hands, terrific speed, and he’s got the ability to make guys miss at all three levels. But I think his teammate, Jabari Collier, is my way-too-early pick for player of the year. Collier is quicker than a hiccup, and in a 100-meter run, he’s actually faster than Bruce.

He’s been working hard to improve as a quarterback, and I think he’ll show that off. Throwing to Therman Moore and Harold Holloman is going to be a big help, too. Good, steady receivers always make QBs look even better than they are.

Center Point will finish 6-4 and make the playoffs in the toughest region in 6A. Shades Valley When we talk Mountie football, we’ve got to talk about head coach Rueben Nelson, who won a 5A state championship at Ramsay back in 2016. Nelson knows

what it takes to win, and the 3-7 campaign from 2021 will be where the building blocks of a successful program will be laid. That said, I think the Mounties are still a year away from being a playoff team. I have an enormous amount of respect for Coach Nelson, and you can tell he’s committed to rebuilding the program.

The Mounties will undoubtedly be better than they were last year. I saw them during their spring game against Springville, and the Mounties looked disciplined and focused, and they’ve definitely got some athletes — especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Those boys look hungry. If they keep that up, they may be looking at 6-4 on the season.

Leeds Man, does Jerry Hood know how to build a program. Jarod Latta returns to start at quarterback for the Green Wave, and they’re going to need his steady leadership behind center.

Jeremiah Hunter replaces the reliable Rametrius Yelverton at tailback, and CJ Douglas will be roaming the defensive backfield.

Those Leeds boys will again be dangerous.

The Green Wave went 10-2 last season, and there’s really no reason to think that they can’t do the same thing this season. Alexandria will be a tough row to hoe, but the Cubs always are. The fact is that Leeds is always going to be a physically and mentally tough team that’s going to play disciplined football. That’ll be more than enough to get them into the playoffs again. Leeds will finish the regular season at 8-2 and make a deeper run than they did in 2021.

Moody Here’s where I think Moody has a winner in head coach Jake Ganus: He’s got those boys excited to play football. Talking with Davi-

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on Dozier, who will again be a deep threat for the Blue Devils, he was most excited to show what he can do in the middle of the field.

Expect to see a more versatile Dozier unleashed. Cole McCarty will play well at quarterback, replacing the departed A.J. Wallace, and Amon Lane is going to be the player to watch anytime he’s on the field. Blaine Burke, who has put on a significant amount of muscle, will be a force in the backfield.

If the offensive line can live up to its potential, you’re going to see Moody make some headway in 5A Region 6. The Blue Devils will be better, but the region is stronger after reclassification. I think 7-3 feels right for Moody. They’ll make the playoffs, along with Leeds, Alexandria and Southside.

Springville It’s going to be an adjustment for the Tigers as they move from 6A to 5A. Asa Morrison moves from backup QB to starter, and I think that will be a good thing for Springville. Morrison’s teammates like and trust him, and he’s a good enough athlete at the position — and big enough, at 6-4 — to see the whole field and get the ball where it needs to be.

Springville’s gonna see some not-so-friendly faces in region play, however. I expect the Tigers to be much more consistent in their execution on both sides of the ball during head coach Jon Clements’s second season.

Will that improvement be enough in a revamped region that got even tougher with reclassification? I’m not sure. I think Springville finishes 6-4 but misses the playoffs.

Come the end of the season, I guess we’ll find out how well I fare as a prognosticator, won’t we?

Bobby Mathews is sports editor at The Tribune and author of the novel Living the Gimmick. Reach him by email: bobby.mathews@ trussvilletribune.com or on twitter: @bobbymathews.

August 10 - 16, 2022

Hooks From page 11

mature into the player she has become,” Hunter said. “All of her hard work and dedication is definitely rewarded, and it will definitely show up this upcoming season.”

Seeing Hooks commit to play college ball is a great moment for her, for her coach, and for the Huskies’ program.

“We are so excited for April’s commitment to Alabama State University to play basketball at the Division I level,” Hunter said. “We emphasize to our kids to set

Intern From page 11

the internship which, Newton said, carried with it an enormous amount of responsibility as well as a chance to get to know - and be inspired by - the Boswell family.

“It was definitely an honor,” said Newton. “It was very touching being up on stage receiving the award.

The Boswells are pretty much like family to me. Kathy and I have gotten really close through the last two years.”

Throughout the World Games, Newton worked behind the scenes on many tasks but was primarily responsible for organizing volunteers for dozens of roles throughout the ten-day event. He spent weeks combing through spreadsheets of names and phone numbers, recruiting approximately two hundred individuals to help the events at the BJCC run smoothly.

“I would delegate them out to specific spots. Someone would be a ticket scanner or work the guest services booth, man the hospitality lounge and restock the Coke machine, things like that,” Newton explained. “That was what the job really entailed. I didn’t really even get to watch the sports that much because I was running around being super busy.”

The volunteers came in all shapes, sizes, experience lev-

goals, and April set a goal to play on the Division I level, and she reached it. Now that’s a win for her, and our Hewitt-Trussville girls’ basketball program.”

Hooks is looking forward to her senior season and beyond. She’ll remain a dangerous scorer, whether as a Husky or a Hornet.

“Coach Freda Freeman-Jackson made it clear that she recruited me because of my shooting ability,” Hooks said. “With that being said, I see my role as being a knock down shooter and a consistent scorer.”

els, and ages, but looked up to Newton, trusting his decision-making skills and viewing him as a true leader despite his youth. Together, he said, they faced daily logistical challenges while helping put the city of Birmingham in a positive light for the entire world to see.

“Honestly, most of the volunteers were incredibly respectful of my age,” said Newton. “They realized that I was able to lead with authority and that I had everything taken care of. They really stepped up and filled roles that they didn’t exactly have to do. They did a really good job.”

The work Newton and his team of volunteers accomplished didn’t go unnoticed by the various international sports communities who arrived in Birmingham for the competition. Newton, for instance, met with members of the International Korfball Federation - a co-ed sport resembling a primitive form of basketball - who were impressed with the Magic City.

“They were thrilled with it and just amazed that such a small city could have done something so well,” Newton said. They were from the Netherlands and Australia and they were very pleased.”

Now that the World Games are over, Newton will soon begin his sophomore year at Auburn.

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