The Southern Torch, Vol. 2, No. 25

THE SOUTHERN TORCH / FRIDAY, JUNE 17, 2016 / VOL. 2, NO. 25 / $1.00

COMMUNITY

FAITH

POLITICS

R DEKALB ICON GETS A FACELIFT

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

HUBBARD FOUND GUILTY OF ETHICS CHARGES

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Coming Home: How one child’s courage has inspired an entire community in Collinsville

By Joseph M. Morgan and Tyler Pruett

COLLINSVILLE, Ala.—After nine days of recovery, Jaden Jones, 5, had a special surprise waiting for him when he returned home Wednesday after undergoing his fourth, and what his family hopes will be his final, heart surgery at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham the week before.

When Jaden and his family returned to their home in Collinsville Wednesday afternoon, they were greeted by a welcome party of more than 40 friends, family, neighbors and well-wishers from all over the community, many of the children waiting for the Jones family’s arrival with posterboard signs welcoming Jaden home and celebrating his return after a successful surgery.

The group’s presence and strong show of support is a Jaden Jones, 5, returned home on Wednesday to a welcome party of almost 50 family, friends, neighbors, and other wellwishers from throughout Collinsville

Fort Payne City Council okays new construction at The Crossings

By Joseph M. Morgan joseph@southerntorch.com

The City of Fort Payne recently expanded its agreement with the owner of The Crossings at Fort Payne, the redeveloped shopping center formerly K-Mart

FORT PAYNE, Ala.—The Fort Payne City council recently approved a measure to allow an amendment to the city’s agreement with Second Street Plaza, LLC, (SSP) the company that owns and is responsible for redeveloping the former K-Mart property into “The

Crossings at Fort Payne,” the shopping center that now features Dunham’s Sports, Badcock Furniture, Impact Nutrition and The Dollar Tree.

The original contract stipulated that the city pay the new owner and developer of the property a $2 million incentive to purchase the property if

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Rainsville hosts 6th annual Freedom Fest Run this Saturday

By Tyler Pruett tyler@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — On Saturday, June 18, the City of Rainsville will be hosting the 6th annual Freedom Fest Run. The race will begin at Broadway Baptist Church on McCurdy Avenue South and will begin at 8 a.m. Contestants can pick up their registration packets on Friday, June

17 at Broadway Baptist Church from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. The run will consist of a 5k or a 10k.

The majority of the proceeds will go to help benefit Savannah Willingham. Savannah was injured in a tragic car accident earlier this year.

Since then, the community has poured out love and

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 THIS WEEK IN COMMUNITY

DeKalb native publishes first book Jay Jones, Jr., formerly of Crossville and Rainsville, has recently published his first novel. "Tom and Huck's Final Adventure" answers the question of what happened to Tom and Huck where Mark Twain left off. This adventure, set during the Civil War, tells of their lives as adults. This novel is available online through Amazon…

Page 3 THIS WEEK IN POLITICS

Where the rubber meets the road After the Orlando shooting, will liberals finally get the message?

As details emerge in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting and the FBI unravels the connections of another mass-shooter with ties to radical Islam, will reality finally sink in on the Left?

As the Left invents fictitious social wars to win elections and secure campaign…

Page 8 THIS WEEK IN SPORTS

Inside the HuddleFyffe Red Devils Jerry Clifton, Race Director of the Freedom Fest Run, with Rainsville City Council

The Southern Torch – Southern Torch, Inc. News every Friday.

For Subscriptions: Call (256) 638-4040 or email subscriptions@southerntorch.com

When you mention football in DeKalb County, you naturally think of Fyffe. The Red Devils are a powerhouse in football.

They have made back-toback appearances in the State Championship games and have a State Championship ring on their fingers to prove it.

This week, I went inside the huddle with the Fyffe Red Devils. While at Fyffe…

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Publisher, Joseph M. Morgan Layout editor, Dwayne Adams

Mentone lays groundwork for alcohol sales

By Joseph M. Morgan joseph@southerntorch.com

MENTONE, Ala. — In the regularly scheduled meeting of the Mentone Town Council on Tuesday, Mayor Rob Hammonds outlined what is to be required for the town to meet the criteria of a “Community Development District.” Under House Bill

69, which was signed into law by Governor Bentley late last month, resorts, marinas, and municipalities in counties where alcohol sales are prohibited will have the chance to apply for alcohol sales under the new law.

Up until the passage of HB 69, many towns and tourist attractions that exist in a dry county had

virtually no hope of legal alcohol sales. The larger municipalities in these counties meet the population threshold of 1,000 residents and are able to pass a referendum to allow sales within their city limits. Smaller communities and resorts that are outside of these city limits had virtually no option.

With the majority of voters living in the larger towns, it keeps a countywide wet/dry referendum from making it on the ballot.

Mentone, with its original art and restaurant scene, has been stuck in this situation for years. The town’s population didn’t meet the population requirements for a referendum vote. With the new law in effect and careful planning, Mentone will finally be able to serve alcohol.

Currently, attorney’s are still analyzing the new law to determine all the requirements and how best to set up the district. Mayor Hammonds delivered a

report on their findings thus far at the meeting.

“The decision to create the community development district will be up to the landowners, and not the business owners,” Hammonds said. “51% of them have to be on board.”

“The licensing is handled by the Alabama Beverage Control Board.

The fee of $1,000 must be paid yearly to the DeKalb County Probate Office,” he added.

The council discussed potential zoning of the district to include most of the town where the businesses reside, but in the end, it’s up to the property owners to decide. Several at the meeting were concerned with corporate

businesses such as chain restaurants invading the town. Mentone prides itself on everything local, from the art to the food.

“We want everything to remain tasteful,” Hammonds said, “we will likely have to draft and pass ordinances to address a lot of the concerns.”

The mayor also asked for the business community’s input on drafting the ordinances.

“There is still a lot we are unsure about and the attorneys are still going over it,” he added, “we’re still not sure on things like if we can expand new membership once established or if we can have both onsite/offsite consumption.”

Coming Home, pg. 1 powerful reflection of how Jaden’s courage and bravery have allowed he and his family to triumph over illness and find the perseverance and strength to conquer hardship. And along the way, they have touched and inspired an entire community of people.

Jaden was born with a very rare, congenital heart condition called atrioventricular canal defect, or AV canal. A complication that affects only about 2 in every 10,000 children, AV canal is often diagnosed at or very soon after birth and occurs when the valves that separate the upper heart chambers from the lower chambers are abnormally formed, causing problems with blood flow in the heart and lungs.

In some cases, AV canal allows extra blood to flow to the lungs. The extra blood forces the heart to overwork and if left untreated can cause significant health problems or even be fatal. AV canal defect is a serious heart condition that sometimes requires multiple surgeries—in Jaden’s case a total of four procedures.

Jaden would undergo the first of his four heart surgeries at only two months old, proving only weeks into his young life that he was a fighter. In the last 5 years Jaden has undergone surgery after surgery, recovering each time with an enduring and endearing sweetness of spirit and a fearless show of strength and courage that leaves friends and family full of awe and admiration.

Jaden’s parents, Josh and Allie Jones, said they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and show of love from the community.

“We’ve had so much support from so many people,” Jaden’s mother, Allie Jones said.

“From families and friends to our church family, really the whole community has just been wonderful to us. We’ve had a lot of people show us over the years that they really care about us and love us. I think Jaden has been an inspiration to a lot of people and we’ve been blessed by their prayers for our family and their support.”

As he and his family prepared for his latest surgery on June 7, a “Fontan” procedure to help regulate blood flow to his heart and lungs, he was in his normal high spirits only hours before he would undergo open heart surgery—a process at this point that Jaden sadly knows far too much about and understands all too well for a child so young.

His mom Allie used social media to keep friends and family up-to-date with the progress of the surgery and Jaden’s recovery, posting updates each day for the benefit of the many friends and family who had the Jones family in their thoughts and prayers. Her post the morning before the surgery offers a revealing look into what makes Jaden so special to so many people and how an entire community has been touched and inspired by his story and compelled to show the Jones family their love and support.

“We just got the call to be at Children's (Hospital) in the morning at 6:00,” Allie said in her first post on June 6, the day before Jaden’s surgery. “Jaden isn't nervous at all...he amazes me in so many ways...so I just ask for prayers for a successful surgery, pray for all the medical team involved, and please pray for strength for me and Josh.”

“It is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, and this is our 4th time watching this little 5-year-old go back to surgery. He is such a fighter and I know our

God has great plans for him!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the prayers, the messages, the kind words, the Bible verses. I feel the love and prayers, and I see it surrounding Jaden! He is just excited that we are going to buy new pajamas for his hospital stay!!!”

Collinsville, like many towns in DeKalb County is a tight-knit community, a place where most people have known their friends and neighbors for all of their lives. Allie says she and her husband Josh are grateful for all of the support from their community, and for Dr. Dabal and the very skilled and kind medical team at Children’s Hospital that performed Jaden’s surgery.

She said the doctor’s prognosis for Jaden is good, and that the team at Children’s believe that his health will continue to improve and allow him to do all the things that kids love doing—running, playing, and most importantly to Jaden who already at 5 years old, just like his daddy and siblings before him, he loves to play sports.

In fact, when Southern Torch talked to the Jones family just hours after they returned home from the hospital on Wednesday, Jaden was already in the back yard shooting basketball with his dad and his big brothers. Of course, that’s no surprise to anyone who knows Jaden—or who knows his dad and brothers. As he continues recovery from his fourth surgery, it looks more and more like the hopes and prayers of an entire community are being answered as the strength and health of this special 5-year-old finally are beginning to match his strength and courage.

Maybe one day it will even match the size of his heart.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

COMMUNITY

To submit community news, contact: news@southerntorch.com Tel. 256 638 4040 www.southerntorch.com

A DeKalb icon gets a facelift

Renovations continue at Cricket Theatre in Collinsville

In a state of disrepair for decades, the historic Cricket Theatre in Collinsville received a marquee identical to the original

By Joseph M. Morgan joseph@southerntorch.com

By Joseph M. Morgan COLLINSVILLE, Ala.—There is a buzz on Main Street this week as another phase of renovations has been underway at the historic Cricket Theatre in downtown Collinsville. Work crews began the process of mounting a new marquee sign to the front of the building today and will be in town for the next two

days to finish the project.

The new sign is the showpiece of a building that has served as a symbol of the city for almost 70 years. The raising of the new marquee is a significant step in the Cricket’s renovation.

The Collinsville Historical Association (CHA) purchased the building in 2009 and has invested thousands of hours to save the DeKalb County icon with the first round of renovations kicking off in

2010 with a new roof.

Abandoned and in complete disrepair when purchased by CHA, the Cricket Theatre’s original construction in 1946 was seen as an architectural and technological marvel, immediately establishing the state-of-the-art theater as one of the nicest in Alabama.

The building’s historical significance to the town of Collinsville became absolute in 1951 when the DeKalb County Commission

voted to give as a gift to the city of Collinsville the large town clock that had previously adorned the roof of the DeKalb County Courthouse since 1925.

As the tallest building in the city, located directly in the middle of Main Street, the roof of the Cricket Theatre was far and away the best location to showcase the city’s new crown jewel.

The Cricket became more than just a symbol when the city officially adopted the image of the town clock perched proudly atop the Cricket Theatre as the town seal. The town clock stood for almost 40 years before being removed from the Cricket's roof in

the 1990's after it was determined that the integrity of the structure was compromised and no longer safe to support the weight of the clock.

The Collinsville Historical Association has been working diligently for the past six years to restore the Cricket. There is currently no official date set for a grand re-opening of the theater, but the CHA says they will continue the work for as long as it takes to see the Cricket fully restored. For more on the history of the Cricket, see our previous article about the Cricket's restoration that originally appeared in Southern Torch last November.

Above, the Cricket before its decline in the 1990's. The new marquee installed earlier this week is identical to the Cricket's original marquee from 1946.

DeKalb native publishes first book

By Tyler Pruett tyler@southerntorch.com

RISING FAWN, GA — Jay Jones, Jr., formerly of Crossville and Rainsville, has recently published his first novel. “Tom and Huck’s Final Adventure” answers the question of what happened to Tom and Huck where Mark Twain left off. This adventure, set during the Civil War, tells of their

lives as adults. This novel is available online through Amazon, Books-A-Million, and Barnes & Noble. Jones and his wife Libby currently reside in Rising Fawn, GA. Jones, who uses the pen name “J.T. Jones,” tells the story of Tom and Huck’s estrangement over the love of a woman and their different paths in separate parts of the

country. Tom serves as an officer in the Confederate Infantry while Huck sails his ship running the Yankee blockade. The two men are ultimately reunited bringing about the tragedy that will separate them forever.

Jones tells the story of two friends separated by life, but reunited by war.

“Tom and Huck’s adventures began with a white picket fence and a journey down a river, but just as the Mississippi is vast and ever-changing, so too are the adventures of these two friends,” reads the book description on Amazon.com.

“The boys have grown up and have begun pursuing their unique paths in life. Tom left home to study law and start a family while Huck studied steamboats and has become a ship’s

captain. But life is about to be far from normal,” the description explains further.

“War has come to the South. The Yankees draw closer and separate the friends to different sides of the conflict.

Daily mischief becomes life-threatening decisions, and the games they once played are no longer safe. Follow Tom and Huck as they face new challenges amid the horrors of war.”

The book was published by Thurston Howl Publications, a publisher in Nashville. It was officially published on April 29, 2016. Jones’ work had a warm review from one reader on Amazon.com.

“A very entertaining read with surprising twists along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed the continuing escapades of Tom and Huck. The author did an excellent job of keeping you entertained,” reader Theresa C Gearrin commented.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

COMMUNITY

READ FROM THE WINNER

OF OUR FATHERS DAY PHOTO CONTEST!

Pictured are, Tyler Still, Kimbrelin Still, Coty Still holding Stella, Brandi Still, Mecai Maxell and Caden Maxwell. Not pictured is Coty's oldest child, Justin.

I posted a picture of Coty Still and his family on Facebook for Southern Torch's Dad contest because sometimes I feel, as a mother-in-law, I come up short. I don't think he knows how much he is appreciated by a lot of people.

I mentioned in the Facebook post that Coty and my daughter, Brandi, married having five children between them and then two years ago they had a little girl, Stella.

It has been challenging to say the least. He and my daughter have had to adjust to so many changes and so have the children.

The challenges that come along with raising kids in a large family are many, but when it's a blended family it gets even more complicated.

Teenagers, kids about-to-be teenagers, teenagers and driving, teenagers and hormones.

Getting everyone to school on time, to practices, music, sports and church.

And then there is the big expense of the groceries it takes to feed all of them!

Oh, and did I mention that somewhere in the midst of all of the activity, Coty managed to get his Masters Degree?

Coty, teaches at Geraldine High School and is also a very talented musician, singer and songwriter. He is a great candy maker, is a hard working man, and a great father to a bunch of kids.

He loves my daughter and he loves the Lord.

What more could a mother-in-law ask for?

New construction at The Crossings, pg. 1 they agreed to refurbish the building and redevelop the property to recruit new businesses to Fort Payne.

The agreement allows the city to pay the development incentive to the property owner out of future sales tax that will be generated after the property was developed and news businesses moved into the former K-mart building.

The amended contract will allow for the outright sale of an “outparcel,” one of the vacant areas of the lot adjacent to the redeveloped K-mart building, so that a third party can purchase the property outright from Second Street Plaza to construct their own building and operate a

business. The amendment ensures that even though Second Street Plaza will no longer own the outparcel of property, they will still collect the sales tax generated by the new business until the city’s obligation is paid back to SSP. “You don’t anticipate everything that you might do when you draft these agreements,” Fort Payne city attorney Rocky Watson said. “It (the agreement) was all based on Second Street either building or refurbishing the (former K-Mart) building and leasing it, and us making the payments we pledged to them for the redevelopment out of the sales tax on the

new businesses. We did not contemplate a business coming in there and building itself and want to purchase the land.”

Watson said Second Street Plaza (SSP) has the business lined up, a restaurant according to the contract, to purchase the empty land and begin construction on a new building. Watson said the deal will allow the city to pay off the $2 million the city agreed to pay Second Street Plaza to develop the property much quicker, and hopefully provide capital that will allow SSP to continue to develop the rest of the property at The Crossings.

Freedom Fest Run, pg. 1

support for her. The Freedom Fest Run is following the community’s example this year and donating to a great cause.

Cash prizes will be given to all that place first in their particular age group. $50 will be awarded to each first place finisher and $500 to each male and female overall winner. The time to beat from last year’s 10k

was 32:04.

Jerry Clifton, who serves as the race director, spoke to the Rainsville City Council during the last meeting. He was happy to report that with eleven days to go, they were already at over 700 registrations.

“Last year we had 625 runners come out,” Clifton said, “this year we already have over 700 registrations

and we’re expecting between 800 to 1000.”

“We have people coming from a 150 mile radius. Some from as far away South Carolina and Florida,” Clifton said.

For more information on the 6th annual Freedom Fest Run, contact race director Jerry Clifton at (256)717-5650 or cliftonj35986@gmail.com

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT 5

Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

3 locations to serve you:

Rainsville 256-638-8600 Scottsboro 256-574-2679 Fort Payne 256-845-3350

THE FISHERMAN SOUTHERN GOSPEL QUARTET For bookings call: Glenn Smith (256) 572-6146 Check us out on Facebook

ADVERTISE here for only $1250/week!

RAINSVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RAINSVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

June 15, 2016 Carol Beddingfield, Executive Director

June 16, 2016 Tim Eberhart, Executive Director

in one of their recruiting campaigns. The Fort Payne Chamber is looking for a "few good women."

The Chamber will host an event on August 23rd at 11 AM to honor “Women in Business”.

The Board of Directors has created the recognition for a two-fold purpose: 1) to honor a segment of our population that really creates a difference in the business world and 2) to encourage young women to become the future business leaders of our area.

Sister Shubert, a well-known entrepreneur, will be the keynote speaker. She is a recognizable force in the baking industry and for also fiercely creating her mark on the business world.

Women will be chosen for a few key awards. Some of the categories will include women owned businesses both large and small, management skills, longest employment, as well as community contributions.

Applications for the awards are available at the Chamber office, 300 Gault Avenue, North. Tickets for the luncheon will go on sale on August 2nd.

The search is on for the listing of women owned businesses as well as those women who serve in management who have contributed to the overall growth of the business.

Please contact the Chamber office if you or you know someone who needs to be included in our invite to join us in this celebration of women.

There are over 10 million women-owned businesses in the United States. That is an increase of over 1/4 since 2007. These businesses generate more than $1.4 trillion in receipts.

89.5% of these companies have no employees other than the owner. The remaining employ over 8,500,00 people.

These companies make a huge impact on the national economy. More information will follow concerning local companies and their impact on our daily lives.

will be going public with a new version of the Rainsville community website, rainsvillealabama.com. A complete overhaul is in progress, and I can hardly wait for everyone to see the new and improved, mobile-optimized, more-dynamic version. At this point, I believe it’s only a few weeks away.

We would love to have some outside input in regard to what could be improved or added to make the site the best that it can be. We want the site to do a better job of presenting Rainsville to the world in a variety of contexts.

One thing that makes any site update better is better content. Do you have content ideas for the Rainsville site?

The improved website needs to come closer to capturing the essence of what makes Rainsville Rainsville. We would love to hear from some folks in that regard. Is it the schools? The churches? The nearby college? The Northeast Alabama Agri-Business Center? Body Vision? Something else?

Web content is better when it looks better, and good photos can be the key to looking better. In most cases, awesome websites have awesome photos presented in an awesome fashion. We would love to incorporate photos from photographers from outside our office walls.

Do you have a photo that would help make the site more visually pleasing? Maybe it’s a photo from a festival or last year’s farmers market. Maybe you captured an action shot at a sporting event, a sunrise at a Rainsville landmark, or some other moment that would be suitable to share in such a way.

If you would like to discuss the website’s content or the type of photos we’re looking for, contact me at 256-638-7800 or timeberhart@farmerstel.com.

In other matters, we are about to go full throttle on our scholarship fundraiser, our annual golf tournament. We awarded $6,000 in scholarships in May, and now we will be attempting to raise at least that amount through our annual tournament which is scheduled for August 20 at the Rainsville Golf & Country Club. Golfers and sponsors can sign up now by contacting me.

Lastly, on behalf of our member retailers, let me remind you to shop local for all your last-minute Father’s Day gifts.

The Marines used a phrase, "looking for a few good men",

I’ve mentioned here before that before summer’s end we

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

FAITH

A Whole New World

By Dr. John E. Morgan Pastor–Collinsville Baptist Church

I was frozen in place with my mouth wide open. I could not believe what I saw.

My wife and I were in Brunswick, Georgia on Memorial Day. We had left the beach for my wife to buy a hair dryer and a brush. I figured ten minutes. Then on to a local hot dog stand. Lots of character. Foot long chili cheese dogs.

Gloria had an address for a store called Ulta.

We walked in. That’s when I froze in amaze-

ment. The store was huge. Every kind of beauty product in the world. I had no idea such a place existed. “This must be the female mother ship”, I told my wife.

We were met by a young woman dressed like she was going to a big time party. Nothing like a clerk at the cosmetics section of Walgreen’s. “Can I help you?” she sweetly asked.

I looked at her. “I never knew a place like this existed,” I said. She looked confused. “No, really, I had no idea there was a store like this.”

More confusion.

Coming back to my senses, I said, “My wife needs a hair dryer.” “Oh, yes sir. Let me show you where they are.” She was incredibly helpful and nice.

We made the long walk to the back of the

store. “Here they are”, she said. The wall was full of hair dryers. More hair dryers than I had ever seen. Or knew existed. “Let me get someone who specializes in hair dryers.”

She got another very nice and helpful woman to help my wife. Knew everything about dryers.

It was a good time for me to walk around the store.

I could not believe there were that many kinds of lipsticks and hair sprays.

I stumbled onto the men’s section. Maybe 2% of the store. I told the three workers at the front of the store that I was going to sue for sexism.

They just laughed. Very nice. Offered to help me with a new fragrance.

I passed. I saw a sign on the wall saying Philosophy. That interested me. There were words like peace, hope, love. I picked up a

box with Hope on it.

“Hope – the best is yet to come.” On a jar of anti-aging cream.

“Miracle Cream” it said.

My wife had made a dryer choice. I told my new friends in the front she needed help with a hair brush. Turned out one of them was the brush specialist. Very nice and helpful. 3,000 brushes, mostly round.

After much consultation she chose one.

At the check-out we realized the workers had taken a liking to us. They gave me several free samples. A face cleaner I will never use.

Something for sore feet.

Usable.

We walked out to the parking lot. “Gloria, how did know about this store?” “Honey, there is one just like it in Gadsden.” “No, there can’t be.” “It’s out close to Krispy Kreme.” “Never

heard of it”. “They have color ads in the paper every Sunday.” “Oh. I never knew such a place existed.”

We drove away. The hot dog place was closed for the holiday. No chili dog. I got nothing. But my wife loves her hair dryer and brush.

Maybe you have felt uneasy and out of place at church. Given it a little try then quickly left. You should try again. Most of the people are really nice and helpful. And can help you find real love, peace and even hope that doesn’t come in a jar but is a miracle. A place with everything you really need.

My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

The Shepards Voice: Don’t Worry!

By Lucas Pruett

A few minutes ago, I sat down to brainstorm on what to write this week. First off, it’s hard to believe that this is my fifth article. It’s amazing how quick the months fly.

I thought about the great truth and application that has come from the old testament. I think of how the second article we settled into the question of “Do we really know how much God loves us?”. God has taken us through some big things.

I must admit that as I pondered on these past articles I began to feel a bit guilty. I have not wrote any articles directly from a teaching of our amazing savior. Brother and sister, there is nothing more important in our faith walk than the words of Jesus. His words are those of the living God. Our creator put on human flesh and has given us wisdom, encouragement, and instruction to live by.

These life creating words are found throughout the books of Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and John. Our foundation as a follower of Jesus and a child of God has to be built on his words. In Matthew 7, Jesus says,”Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

(Verse 24). His words are essential to our lives.

Building on them, as oppossed to the words of the enemy, is essentially the difference between a house that stays standing and one that falls when the storms come. Child of God, How is your foundation? What words of Christ are you building on this week? Let’s look at a few you can start with.

In Chapter 7, Jesus gives us big advice on one of our biggest struggles to date as humans. I’m talking about that constant thorn in our side, worry. We have a way of going crazy with worry. Whether we show it externally or internally, worry eats at all of us. It’s an amazing dynamic.

Jesus, practical as always,

spoke right into this.

Jesus states, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Mt. 7:24). First off, if we are building our foundation on Jesus’s exact words, then we need to write verses like these down and study them constantly and write them on our hearts through memorazation.

Try that today. You won’t regret it. Back to this power packed verse. Jesus knew about worry. He knew about every emotion we could ever experience. He was 100% human. Day in and day out, he felt stress and worry just like us. Luckily for us, Jesus deals with it ALOT differently than us.

In this verse, He gives us the God way to deal with worry and to eliminate the slavery it brings upon us. His message is simple. Worry about tomorrow, when it is tomorrow. I can see your face now. You are probably giving me the “Duh” look. However, think of the last time a big event was on the horizon for you. Think of how you spent days on days worrying about that or thinking about that.

That is something we all do. Jesus is asking us to stop doing that because when we worry about the events of tomorrow then they steal the joy of today.

Each day has plenty trouble of it’s own, we have no room to allow the days ahead to steal the

joy of the current days journey. Christ wants us to bring to him our worries of the day and He will provide for us. He will always give us our daily bread. He never says that he will provide our future daily bread today. There is something so powerful about living in the moment with Jesus. That is what Jesus is inviting us to do here.

He wants us to stop stressing over tomorrow and just enjoy today. The enemy is going to ask differently, but I plea that you follow the Shepards voice only this week!

Don’t worry about tomorrow, choose Jesus today! If you have any thoughts or questions then please feel free to reach out to me at

writingonpurpose@gmail.com.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

OPINION/EDITORIAL Where the rubber meets the road After the Orlando shooting, will liberals finally get the message?

By Tyler Pruett tyler@southerntorch.com

As details emerge in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting and the FBI unravels the connections of another mass-shooter with ties to radical Islam, will reality finally sink in on the far Left?

As the Left invents fictitious social wars to win elections and secure campaign contributions, will the tragedy in Orlando finally force Liberals to acknowledge that a real war is being waged where people actually die? As an extremist, terrorist monster forces members of the LGBT community into a nightclub bathroom at gunpoint and then systematically slaughters 50 innocents, will the Left finally finally stop tossing around inciteful words like war, hate, and bigot in the transgender bathroom rights debate?

My simple answer is, “No.” Delusion has become a virtue on the extreme Left, with those best at promoting a false reality rising to the top, and those who live the deepest in delusion contributing the most. Liberals have a warped view of what constitutes war and repression. This rhetoric stems from an inability to find real solutions to real problems.

Elitist, liberal politicians promise to change things for the better. But when their out-of-touch-with-reality beliefs won’t allow them to seek real solutions, they find a scapegoat or even create problems to throw legislation or executive orders at.

Those that thrive on the extreme Left are those who

can also most quickly present a false reality in the wake of a tragedy. While the details of Saturday night’s shooting in Orlando were still unfolding, President Barack Obama and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton wasted no time, immediately using the hateful massacre as a platform to push for regulation of the second amendment—regulation that has time and time again failed at preventing tragedy.

This delusion has become so evolved that, not for the first time, but for the second time this administration has used terrorism as an excuse to push firearm legislation. After the San Bernardino attack of late last year, the president seemed to have a list of executive orders written and ready to issue, garishly demanding compliance without even going through the motions of seeking the consent of any other branch of government.

The orders the president deemed as “common sense” actually made “no sense,” and not a single measure would

have prevented Sunday’s tragedy.

The coward who attacked the Orlando nightclub was never on a no fly list. The FBI investigated the shooter, but didn’t deem him worthy of any more attention. This was also the case with the Boston Marathon bombers and the San Bernardino shooters.

Earlier this week, one Democratic congressman took this liberal delusion to a whole new level. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) declared that he would be boycott any future “moment of silence” observed on the house floor if it were taken to honor victims of mass shootings, because congress refuses to pass any meaningful firearm regulations to prevent such tragedies. This is what it’s coming to: a U.S. Congressman dishonoring victims of a tragedy because he can’t get legislation that he wants, legislation that has time and again failed to prevent these mass shootings.

I think it’s safe to say now that no matter what statistic or reality is staring those on the far Left in the face, they’ll simply ignore it and continue on with the delusion that banning a type of firearm will somehow change mental illness, hate, or radical ideology. Some have even mentioned bringing back the 1994 ban on “assault” weapons, a ban that expired and did not change anything.

Remember the shooting at Columbine High School?

Those events unfolded a full five years into one of the most restrictive firearms bans in U.S. history. It’s a waste of time

to point this out to the Left however. If it doesn’t fit the delusion, it’s “hate” or “bigotry.”

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the other Democratic candidate for president also took the stance that firearms legislation would somehow stop these tragedies and condemning “automatic weapons” instead of terrorists could somehow save bloodshed. Automatic weapons have been illegal since the 1930’s and may only be owned with permission of the federal government after an extensive background investigation.

To date, not a single legally owned automatic weapon has been used in the commission of a crime in the United States. The weapon used in Orlando was a semiautomatic, meaning only one round is fired with each pull of the weapon’s trigger. If the weapon used was “automatic,” applying a somehow more restrictive ban on the weapons certainly would not help, as they’ve been tightly controlled for for the last 82 years.

The Left’s delusion is even going as far as to try to redefine human suffering.

Taking the position that a man who prefers to dress like a woman should be required to use the men’s bathroom is portrayed as Nazi-type hate.

Meanwhile, people in all corners of the world are being enslaved, abused, and slaughtered because of their gender, skin color, religion and yes, sexual orientation.

Children routinely go to

bed hungry and are abused right here in America.

Problems like ISIS aren’t as important because the Left does not have a reasonable solution, therefore they cannot raise money or votes by politicizing it.

We can only hope as a nation that at some point the rubber will finally meet the road. We can only hope that through this tragedy, delusion will crash into reality like hitting a brick wall. That reality is that we have a war to fight. It’s against an extremist ideology that executes thousands of men and women yearly across the globe because of their gender or sexual orientation, and as they have just proven, they want nothing more than to do it right here.

The Left is making it easier and easier for those of us living in reality to vote for Donald Trump. While he certainly has his faults, faults that I have routinely pointed out in past weeks and months, his position on this issue is at least within the realm of reality. At the end of the day, acknowledging and attacking the real problem is the only solution. A homophobic, extremist Muslim terrorist killed 50 people in Orlando, and the type of weapon he used is not the issue. An individual that crazed, that evil is not going to stopped by any type of gun regulation. If the Left can’t get with reality on the issues now, then hopefully they will be forced to face it when Americans go to the polls this November.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

POLITICS Hubbard found guilty of ethics charges • Using office for personal gain through a consulting contract with Capitol Cups, a business owned

by Robert Abrams.

• Lobbying the state Department of Commerce for consulting client Robert Abrams.

Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, (R-Auburn) was convicted of 12 charges Friday night. Hubbard will immediately be removed from the Alabama House of Representatives.

By Tyler Pruett tyler@southerntorch.com

UPDATED JUNE 11, 2016, 6:49 A.M. MONTGOMERY, Ala.—After less than seven hours of deliberation a Lee County jury convicted Alabama Rep. Mike Hubbard in his felony ethics case, automatically removing him from the Alabama House of Representatives and his coveted position as Speaker of the House, leaving a power vacuum in the Alabama Legislature, GOP politics and state politics as a whole that has not existed in more than half a century.

Hubbard, 54, was convicted on 12 of 23 charges related to using his public position for personal gain.

The jury deliberated for seven hours on various charges to

decide if Hubbard used his office for personal gain.

The prosecution alleged Hubbard used the position and influence of his office to make millions. The 12 charges of which Speaker Hubbard were convicted include:

• Voting on legislation with a conflict of interest that would benefit American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc., a consulting client.

• Receiving money from a principal, American Pharmacy Cooperative Inc., through a consulting contract.

• Receiving money from a principal, Edgenuity, through a consulting contract.

• Lobbying the governor’s office for consulting client Robert Abrams.

• Using state personnel to benefit consulting client Robert Abrams.

• Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, former Business Council of Alabama Chairman Will Brooke, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.

• Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, James Holbrook/Sterne Agee, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.

• Soliciting and receiving money from a principal, Great Southern Wood President Jimmy Rane, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.

• Soliciting and receiving

pike & stiefel will face off for seat on rainsville council Tina Pike announces candidacy for Rainsville Council Place 1

Marshall Stiefel announces candidacy for Rainsville Council Place 1

Tina Pike and her husband Steven.

By Tyler Pruett tyler@southerntorch.com RAINSVILLE, Ala. — Tina Pike attended nine different schools in the area growing up, ending at Fyffe High School. Pike got pregnant her senior year, and was encouraged to quit school and get her GED. Pike would get her GED, but would also complete nursing school in the same year. Her nursing graduation came on the same night as her high school graduation. Tina got her first job at age 13 at the College Corner Restaurant, and has served the public for 41 years. Pike and her husband Steven have five children and seven grandchildren between them. Steven made his support known for his wife’s candidacy in a heartfelt Facebook message: “Time after time I have seen her put others needs' above her own and their is absolutely NO doubt that she would do the same for the citizens of our great city regardless of their social or economic background,” Steven said.

Pike serves on the board of directors of Addicts 4 Christ and also manages the charity thrift store. Their mission is to give hope and support to those that are struggling with addiction. She is also active with other charitable organizations such as Food to Families and Lighthouse of Hope.

Tina decided to run for office after a sermon one Sunday. The pastor made the remark, “We have a duty to vote, and pray for elections.” Tina took this as a sign of what she should do in life, but still argued with God for two years before choosing to run.

If Pike wins the election, she plans to focus on needed renovations to city properties. One of these renovations is improvements to city hall and bringing the building up to standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Mrs. Pike raised her concerns at a previous council meeting.

“I want to make sure that city hall and the police department is up to government standards. At the meeting they were about to vote on new security measures without thinking of handicap accessibility,” Pike said.

She also supports open door policies in terms of city council meetings as well as mandatory attendance policies for city council members.

“You can’t consult with the citizens that elected you behind closed doors,” Pike said.

“I understand that there are unexpected events in our life that will take us away from responsibility, but when you commit to something, you should be dependable if at all possible,” Pike explained.

Pike will be on the ballot against incumbent councilman Joey Graham and fellow challenger Marshall Stiefel for the August municipal elections. There could be other challengers to join the race before the qualifying deadline on July 5.

Marshall Stiefel, his wife Nicole, and their five-year-old daughter Landrie.

By Tyler Pruett tyler@southerntorch.com RAINSVILLE, Ala. — Lifelong Rainsville resident Marshall Stiefel announced this month his candidacy for city council. He’s a 1994 graduate of Plainview High School and finished Athens State with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Stiefel, working with his father, is self employed and small business owner. Marshall has been married to his wife, Nicole, for nine years. She teaches the preschool program for special needs children at Fyffe. They have a five year old daughter, Landrie.

Stiefel is a conservative Christian that believes in fiscal accountability. He’s always been fascinated by the political process and if elected wants to guard against government overreach.

“As a small business owner, I know what excessive government regulation can do to local business. I want to maintain the local infrastructure to help small business thrive,” Stiefel said.

Transparency and accountability is also important to Stiefel. When asked about recent citizen concerns on meeting attendance and conducting business behind closed doors, he made clear that citizens should been involved with the decision making process and it’s a councilman’s responsibility to be at most of the meetings.

“It should be like any company or job. Sometimes extenuating circumstances arise, but there should be a limit of only three meetings or so that can be missed. You should know the responsibility of the job when you decide to run,” Stiefel said.

“And the citizens are the town and business should be conducted in the open. There should be transparency throughout,” Stiefel added.

Stiefel will be on the ballot against incumbent councilman Joey Graham and fellow challenger Tina Pike for August municipal elections. There could be other challengers to join the race before the qualifying deadline on July 5.

money from a principal, Great Southern Wood President Jimmy Rane, a $150,000 investment in Craftmaster Printers.

• Soliciting and receiving a thing of value from a principal, former BCA Chairman Will Brooke, help obtaining clients for Auburn Network and financial advice for Craftmaster Printers.

“This is a good day for the rule of law in our state,” said Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange. “This kind of result would never have been achieved had our office not put together the finest public corruption unit in the country. I’m very proud of their work. This should send a clear message that in Alabama we hold public officials accountable for their actions.”

With his conviction, Hubbard is immediately removed from office, per state law. Alabama Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey wasted no time in offering her thoughts on the conviction.

“The verdict reached by 12 Lee County jurors brings

finality to a lengthy legal process that has impacted our state government and public trust,” Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said in a statement to AL. com. “I pray that Mike, his wife Susan, and their sons will be strengthened and supported through the uncertainties of this difficult time. I respect the jury’s hard work and accept their findings. It is not easy to sit in judgment and these jurors did their duty as citizens of Alabama."

Hubbard faces a maximum penalty of two to twenty years imprisonment and fines of up to $30,000.00 for each count, all of which are Class B Felonies. He will be sentenced on July 8, 2016.

Southern Torch will continue to report on this issues as details emerge and what the fallout from Hubbard's conviction will mean for the Alabama Legislature, Republican politics, and the face of Alabama politics as we know it. Stay tuned.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

DEATH NOTICES 6/17/16 Burt Funeral Homes Mrs. Ethel Coady Ferguson - February 2, 1921 - June 6, 2016. From Rutherfordton, NC formerly of Fort Payne passed away June 6, 2016 at Oak Grove Healthcare in Rutherfordton, NC. Mrs. Ferguson was preceded in death by husband, Thomas Ferguson.

Mrs. Jane McNutt Galloway - Lenora Jane Galloway passed away peacefully on the morning of Friday, June 10, 2016 at the age of 79 in Summerville, GA at Oakview Health and Rehabilitation.

She is survived by her brother, Ben McNutt; children, Juanita Galloway (and John McDonough), Anthony (and Kenna) Galloway, Regina (and Charles) Martin, Dowe (and John) Foreman; 8 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Two sons Garry and Mark, preceded her in death.

W.T. Wilson Funeral Chapel Mrs. Edith Talley Davis - Age 79 of Albertville passed away June 8, 2016. She is survived by daughters, Brenda (Jimmy) Smith and Angela (Greg) Gilbreath; son, Charles (Joan) Davis; grandchildren, Charles Etherton, Maria (Brian) Jay, Brian (Tammy) Selvage, Darlene (Heath) Butler, Russ (Lukita) Gilbreath, Ryan (Teia) Gilbreath, Deaven (Nick) Patterson; 17 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Mrs. Davis was preceded in death by her husband, Alford Davis; sons, Calvin and William Davis and grandson, Jason Etherton.

Mrs. Eugenia Johnson - Age 80 of Fyffe passed away June 8, 2016. She is survived by daughter, Pamela Johnson Bell (Jody); son, Johnny E. Johnson (Jan); 8 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her husband, Thea Johnson, Jr. Mr. Willis Morgan Freeman - Rev. Willis Morgan Freeman age 87 of Fort Payne passed away June 10, 2016. He is survived by his daughters, Rebecca Freeman, Bonnie (Blake) Isbell, and Maribeth Freeman; sons, Willis Morgan Freeman, Jr. and Michael Wayne Freeman; sister, Mary Nell Driscoll; 11 grandchildren

and 12 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Freeman was preceded in death by his brother, Dempsey K. Freeman, Jr. Mrs. Jewell Grace Coleman - Age 89 of Grove Oak passed away June 12, 2016. She is survived by daughters, Wanda S. (Dennis) Phillips, Helen C. (Ed) Pope, Nancy C. Noles and Lisa (Anthony) Greeson; grandchildren, William (Ted) Phillips, Jon Alan (Sloan) Pope, Amanda Pope, Matthew (Amelia) Noles, Grace Ann Noles, Wesley (Natalie) Greeson, Kyle Greeson and great-grandchildren. Mrs. Coleman was preceded in death by her husband, William Coleman; son, Ronald Coleman; granddaughter, Suzan Phillips Estes.

Corner Stone Funeral Chapel & Crematory Mrs. Gertrude Gilbreath Tucker - Age 91 of Rainsville passed away June 8, 2016 at Crossville Health Care.

Survivors include sons, Clarence (Julie) Tucker, Allen Tucker; grandchildren, Tammy Tucker, Mark Tucker, Ashlee (Kevin) Wilks; 11 great-grandchildren and sister, Ruby Wilson. Mrs. Tucker was preceded in death by her parents, General Lee and Hattie Mae Young Gilbreath; husband, A G Tucker; sister, Mozell Upton; brothers, Thurston, J.B., R.L., and John Gilbreath.

Misty Dawn Byram - Age 35 of Trenton passed away June 12, 2016 at Hospice of Chattanooga Care Center.

Misty is survived by her father, Thomas Weathers; grandmother, Ruby Walraven; several aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by her mother, Carolyn Weathers; grandparents, Jessie and Dorothy Weathers and Tim Walraven.

Wilson Funeral Home & Crematory Mrs. Nelda Tolbert Bowen - Age 65 of Fort Payne passed away June 8, 2016 at Grandview Hospital. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Terry Bowen; daughter, Brooke Bowen; son and daughter-in-law, Will and

Emily Bowen; grandson, Liam Bowen; brother, Billy Tolbert; and sisters, Greta Pierce, Jan Stevens, and Donna Smith.

Mrs. Bowen was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Randy Tolbert.

Mr. Howard Butler - Mr. James Howard “Tudley” Butler, 78 of Fort Payne passed away June 12, 2016. He was preceded in death by his brother, Jack Butler. He is survived by a sister-in-law Mary Butler and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Helen Marie Buchanan - Age 76 of Fort Payne passed away June 10, 2016 at her home. She is survived by her son, Gary Neal (Deena) Gorham; daughters, Chalane (Barry) McClung and Donna (Van) Knight; sisters, Katherine Dupree, Gaynell Dover, Lee Curl, Edith Buchanan, Diane Laney, and Joyce Anderson, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Thomas Gorham and grandchildren, Whitney Alise Sparks, Thomas Lee Gorham and Baby Smith.

Rainsville Funeral Home Mrs. Ida Mae Keel - Age 84 of Rosalie passed away June 10, 2016 at her residence. She is survived by her 2 sisters, Loyce Pitts Hoge and Pauline Pitts Roberts. Mrs. Keel was preceded in death by her husband, Clarence Keel; parents, Polk and Annie Mae Pitts; brothers, Junior Pitts, Charles Pitts, Emmett Pitts and Billy Pitts and sisters, Louise Hakes and Joyce Wicks.

Mrs. Melissa Kay Mitchell - Age 47 of Fort Payne passed away June 10, 2016 at her residence. She is survived by son, Nelson Overby and wife, Lacy; daughter, April Anderson and husband, Shawn; sisters, Sue Broyles and husband, Johnny, Paula Jean Bishop and husband, Charles and Bobbie Dean Ledbetter and 3 grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by parents, Nelson and Gloria Mitchell and sister, Evelyn Marie Huffman.

Kerby Funeral Home Mrs. Hazel Jeanette Rowell - Age 84 of Henagar passed away June 13, 2016 at Dekalb

Regional Medical Center. She is survived by son, Danny Rowell and wife, Martha; daughters, Judy Ann Shrader, Donna Cowart and husband, Jeffery, Rita Hutcheson and husband, Rickie; brother, Claude Bryan; sisters, Rose Howard, Elaine Price and Teresa Workman; 8 grandchil-

dren and 5 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husband, Joe Rowell; parents, Henry and Minnie Lee Bryan; son-in-law, Dave Sharder; brothers, Sammy Bryan and Gerald Bryan; sisters, Sue Raines and Faye Smothers and great-grandchild, Annie Ruth Rowell.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Inside the Huddle-Fyffe Red Devils

Garrett Thrash at a Fyffe early morning workout

Fyffe players stretching before running

By Marla Jones, Sports Editor marla@southerntorch.com

FYFFE, Ala.—When you mention football in Dekalb County, you naturally think of Fyffe.

The Red Devils are a powerhouse in football.

They have made back-to-back appearances in the State

Fyffe has great community support for their “Red Devils.” While at practice, several people came by and blew the horn to show the team support while they were out on the field sweating.

Wait, sweat? Thats one thing I did not see them do. Benefield has fine

Players have to run several sets each day

Championship games and have a State Championship ring on their fingers to prove it.

This week, I went inside the huddle with the Fyffe Red Devils.

While at Fyffe, I had the opportunity to actually be the “Coach of the Day”.

Growing up, I played with Barbies, when I mean playing with Barbies, I actually mean, cutting all their hair off to make my big sister cry. I never thought that one day I would get to be a “coach.”

Coach Benefield turned over the reins and let me call out the exercises, time the players and even show them a thing or two. I guess this is where all the people in elementary school, that picked me last for the dodgeball team are kicking themselves.

tuned machines that do not sweat. I had leg cramps after practice because I had sweated so much but the heat did not phase them one bit.

Getting the team adjusted to the heat will only benefit them when the helmets and shoulder pads get put on.

THE RECORD: Fyffe finished the 2015 season with a 13-2 record and lost to Elba 36-22, in the final round of the State Playoffs.

PREPARATION: The summer workout schedule for Fyffe is Monday thru Thursday, beginning at 5 p.m..

Official practice with helmets and shoulder pads will begin the first week of August.

PLAYERS: The Fyffe Varsity Football Team has twelve returning seniors. The team has six returning defensive starters and seven offensive starters for the 2016 season.

COACHES: Coach Paul Benefield will return as Head Coach for his nineteenth season at Fyffe. His coaching teams consist of: Coach Brian MashburnOffensive/Defensive Line, Coach Brad Thomas- Defensive Backs, Coach Steve Edge-Linebackers, Coach Rodney Coots-Middle Linebackers, Coach Tim Cochran and Coach Brad Martin-Junior Varsity.

SCHEDULE: The Red Devils will start their season game on August 19, 2016 with a

Jamboree game at Maplesvlle. They will play a half with Maplesville and a half against Sweetwater.

Regular season play will begin at home against next door neighbor, Geraldine on August 26.

The Red Devils will host Asbury for a regional game on September 2.

They will travel to Westbrook on September 9 before hosting Ider on the September 16. The Red Devils will be traveling for three weeks as they go to face

neighbor, Plainview on September 23. On September 30, they travel to Sand Rock and then on to Collinsville on October 7. On October 14, they come home to play Section, travel to Gaston on October 21, and then host their final regular season against Cleburne County. The Fyffe Red Devils have a very hard schedule this season but they have the know- how and the skills to play again in that championship game in December.

SPOTLIGHT ON COACHES

FYFFE, Ala.—The Southern Torch Coach of the Week is Paul Benefield, Head Coach of the Fyffe Varsity Football Team.

Coach Benefield graduated from Fyffe High School. He received his degree from Jacksonville State University.

“Coach Marla” overseeing the high knees exercise

FANS OF THE WEEK! The Southern Torch Fans of the Week are members of the Fyffe Red Devils Football Team. Pictured are: Will Mashburn, Seth Benefield, Sports Editor and “Honorary Coach” Marla Jones and Carter Hilley. Submit your photos to marla@southerntorch.com or look for “our camera on the go” to be our next Fans of the Week!

Coach Benefield has coached for thirty-five years.

In 1997, he returned home to Fyffe. While at Fyffe, the football team has qualified for playoffs every season but one. Under his leadership, the Fyffe Red Devils have won eleven region championships and a State Championship. In 2007, he was named Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. In 2012, he celebrated his 200th win as head coach. His record is 240-52 in twenty-four seasons as Head Coach.

Coach Benefield is married to Jodi Benefield.

They have three sons; Alex, Eli and Seth. Coach Benefield has coached all three boys in football.

Coach Benefield’s favorite quote is “If it was easy, everyone would do it.” Southern Torch wishes Coach Benefield and his Fyffe Red Devils the best of luck in their upcoming season.

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Rodeo StarsTalk with the Tide Dreams come true

By Marla Jones, Sports Editor marla@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala.— The DeKalb County University of Alabama Alumni Chapter will present "Talking With The Tide" on Thursday, June 23 at the First Methodist Christian Life Center in Fort Payne. The event will include talk with former Alabama football players about

Jake Wells and Alec Edmondson competing in the Georgia High School State Championship.

By Marla Jones, Sports Editor marla@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala.— Many young boys and girls have played cowboys growing up. Most have dreamed of becoming a big star, for Jake Wells and Alec Edmondson, their dream came true when they won the Georgia High School Rodeo State Championship recently, While many high school graduates left on their Senior trip, Jake and Alec stayed home to practice for their upcoming State Championship Rodeo. They practiced into the wee hours of the morning and several times throughout the day. Rodeo is a little different from other sports because you do not have a coach to schedule and oversee practices. The boys have Alec’s Grandfather, Junior Mattox, Shane Edmondson and Billy Berry to show them the “ropes” in rodeo.

Alec’s father, Shane Edmondson and his roping partner, Billy Berry have roped professionally for many years.

The Team Roping State Rodeo Championship was held at Perry, Georgia.

When the dust settled in Perry, the boys had won a State Championship and received college scholarships. The pair plan to attend Northeast Alabama Community College for their first year and then transfer to a University with a college rodeo team.

Until then, they will continue to compete in the Professional Cowboy Association Rodeos and in the United States Team Ropings in the Southeast.

The State Championship win qualified the team to compete for a national championship July 18-23 in Gillette, Wyoming at the National High School Finals Rodeo.

Valley Head has new football coach

By Marla Jones, Sports Editor marla@southerntorch.com

VALLEY HEAD, Ala.— After the resignation of Head Coach Sam Graham last month, Valley Head now has a new football coach. Coach Brian Knapp was approved by the board Tuesday, June 7, 2016. “I appreciate the board's approval of my selection in a quick and timely manner. I look forward to what Coach Knapp brings to the table” said Principal Bill Monroe.

Brian Knapps joins Valley Head after spending 8 years at Douglas High School. He was the longest tenured coach and the winningest coach in school history “I was a 28 year old kid that fell in love with the place” said Brian Knapp. “It was a good match.”

“Valley Head is rich in football tradition and that is very appealing to me.” said Knapp. “When you factor in that my home is eighteen miles from the ballfield, it makes it very nice. Plus I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful girls, ages 2 and

12, that I get to spend more time with now that I am not having to drive so far to work.”

Football is something that has been a part of Knapp’s life since an early age. He is a third generation coach. His Grandfather, Roy was a Head Coach in Alabama for forty-two years. He is recognized in the Alabama Hall of Fame. Knapp’s father, Buddy was a head coach in the State of Georgia and is also a member of the Georgia Hall of Fame. “I had the honor of playing for my father” said Brian Knapp.

“My roots are from Georgia but I have deeper roots in Alabama because of my Grandfather Roy” said Knapps.

Knapp’s father, Buddy will be helping him coach at Valley Head. “I finally get to tell him what to do” said Knapps. “The roles are reversed.” Valley Head has made it to the first round of the State playoffs for the past seasons and Knapps hopes to carry them even farther this year.

their years with Alabama football under the coaching of legendary head football coach, Paul "Bear" Bryant and National Champion Coach Gene Stallings and others. Former players will answer questions and share memories in a fun filled evening where “Roll Tide” will certainly be heard. The event will be hosted by former

National University of Alabama Alumni President, Ben Shurett. A UA Silent Auction will held. Guests can preview the UA Silent Auction items beginning at 6 p.m.

Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person and $10 for twelve and under. For information, please call (256)997-6451 or email uadekalb@gmail.com.

All-State Honors

By Marla Jones, Sports Editor marla@southerntorch.com

MONTGOMERY, Ala.— The Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) recently released their 2016 All-State Baseball and Softball honors.

Each class has a first and second team along with honorable mention.

These teams are the “best of the best” in baseball and softball. The association goes over strict guidelines and statistics throughout the State to make their recommendations.

Several Dekalb County athletes received the honor.

Baseball: Class 6A

First Team:

Alan Smith, Fort Payne, Designated Hitter

Class 3A

First Team: Cody Willingham, Plainview, Outfielder Honorable Mention-Jayse Pruitt, Plainview, First Base

Class 2A

First Team: Ethan Jones, Fyffe, Third Base Dallas Reed, Collinsville, Utility

Softball: Class 6A

First Team: Brooke Ingram, Fort Payne, Outfield Honorable Mention: Jessica Lee, Fort Payne, First Base Kryslin Chappell, Fort Payne, Utility

Class 3A

Honorable Mention: Casey Eddings, Plainview, Catcher Anabelle Brown, Plainview, Shortstop

Class 2A

First Team: Savannah Hood, Ider, Catcher- Mackenzie Hughes, Ider, OutfielderJamie Roberts, Collinsville, Designated Hitter

2016 Class 2A Pitcher of the Year Courtney Blevins, Ider

2016 Class 2A Coach of the Year David Hughes, Ider

Southern Torch would like to extend our congratulations to these young men and women for representing DeKalb County as some of the best athletes in the state this year. Congrats!

Catch of the Week!

Connor Edmondson, age 12, happened on this bad boy recently. Conner is in the seventh grade and attends Cornerstone Christian Academy.

Submit your photos to marla@southerntorch.com to be our next Catch of the Week!

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Friday–June 17, 2016

THE SOUTHERN TORCH