Cash For Crooks Div. of Refuge In (RITT) Trouble Times, PO Box 28083, Birmingham, Alabama 35228-0001 shares the life of 23-year-old Andrew Sanders who on April 6, 2008 was found lying face down in the 2400 Block of 9th Avenue South of South Town Housing from a gunshot wound.
If you know anything that will bring an arrest/conviction for his murder, call Crime stopper at 205-254-7777 or text from any cell CRIMES7777.
RITT works with the BPD is placing these cases in the media in case you, our readers think of something you might have forgotten. No one will know your name because you will have a code and there is no Caller ID. When calling NO NICK NAMES PLEASE. Will you help remove the invisible body bag from our communities?
If there is a cold case you wish seen again, please email oddusasplace@yahoo.con or call Minister Ward at 205-240-9910.
Help these families have closure to the loss of their loved ones. No one need ever know your names.
Birmingham natives Albert Benifield (Woodlawn 1974) and Jamal Ali (Wenonah 1977) are instrumental in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Nu Epsilon scholarship effort at Alabama A&M University.
On October 4, the brothers presented a check to university president, Dr. Andrew Hugine, for $20,000. To date, their total stands at $50,000 as part of a $100,000 pledge. To support the brothers of Nu Epsilon please go to www.aamu.edu.
Postal Clerk Pleads Guilty to Stealing Prescription Painkillers from Mail and Burglarizing Post Office
BIRMINGHAM — A former U.S. Postal Service clerk in Tuscaloosa pleaded guilty today to stealing prescription painkillers from the mail and to breaking into the Skyland Post Office, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Max Eamiguel, of the Southern Area Field Office, and Postal Inspection Service Team Leader Frank Dyer.
NICHOLAS STEVEN DAVIS, 42, of Tuscaloosa, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler. Davis admitted stealing a medical parcel containing about 180 tablets of hydrocodone from the mail on July 6, 2012, while he worked as a distribution clerk at the Skyland Post Office. The parcel was addressed to someone on Lake Lurleen in Coker, Ala.
Davis also pleaded guilty to breaking into the Skyland Post Office on June 15, 2014, intending to commit theft, after he was fired from the Postal Service.
The maximum penalty for the charges Davis pleaded guilty to is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. No sentencing date has been set.
The Postal Service OIG and the Postal Inspection Service investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Salter is prosecuting.
Morgan County Man Sentenced to 6 1/2 years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge on last Wednesday sentenced a Morgan County Man to more than six years in prison for possessing child pornography obtained over the Internet, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard D. Schwein Jr.
Walter Scott Simpson, 42, of Danville, pleaded guilty in July to one count of possessing child pornography. U.S. District Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Simpson to 6 1/2 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised release. The judge ordered Simpson into custody following the hearing.
Simpson used the Internet and a peer-to-peer file-sharing software program to possess and access images of child pornography between January 2011 and May 2012, according to his plea agreement with the government. A sentencing document the government filed Tuesday states Simpson used his computer, the Internet and the file-sharing program to possess at least 25,443 images of child pornography, which included images of children under 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and images depicting sadistic and masochistic conduct with prepubescent children.
Undercover law enforcement officers received child pornography in January 2012 from a computer using peer-to-peer software, according to Simpson’s plea agreement. The FBI tracked the computer to Simpson’s Danville residence, where agents executed a search warrant for computer media in May 2012 and found the child pornography, the plea agreement states.
The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Fortune prosecuted.
MONTGOMERY – Attorney General Luther Strange has urged members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to support legislation that would help prevent children from being trafficked on the internet.
Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating about $150 billion each year. There are numerous cases nationally of children as young as 12 being used in prostitution as young as 12. The FBI estimates that nearly 300,000 American youths are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
“The great tragedy is while human trafficking is a pervasive and fast-growing crime, it is often undetected,” said Attorney General Strange. “Victims may go unrecognized and not even realize that what is being done to them is illegal or that they can ever escape. Victims are isolated from those who might help them, and trapped in a terrifying web of violence, intimidation and control. We are asking Congress to pass legislation that would help in breaking this web and freeing its victims.”
In a letter co-sponsored by the Indiana and Washington attorneys general, and joined by 53 attorneys general, Attorney General Strange asked members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their support of the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation (SAVE) Act (S. 2536), which would provide more oversight of websites that facilitate “adult services,” such as Backpage.com.
Attorney General Strange said federal courts have recognized that the internet has become a favored means for advertising the availability of children for sex. Internet ads can be purchased in multiple locations with the click of a button. This allows human traffickers to maximize their profit and evade detection by moving victims quickly to lucrative venues where there is significant demand for commercial sex. Attorney General Strange said organized crime groups and street gangs use the internet to sell their victims as well, which is why passage of the SAVE Act is particularly critical.
The use of the “adult services sections” on websites such as Backpage.com created virtual brothels where children are bought and sold using euphemistic labels such as “escorts.” The SAVE Act would require these websites that are facilitating trafficking through their business model to take steps to verify the identity of individuals posting advertisements and the age of those who appear in these advertisements.
In just one week this June, law enforcement arrested 281 alleged sex traffickers and took 168 children out of prostitution in a nationwide FBI crackdown where many child victims were offered for sale on “escort” and other “adult services” websites.
Preventing kids from being trafficked on the internet has been a long-term interest of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). NAAG has taken several actions regarding Backpage.com and similar websites, including requesting that these exploitive websites shut down their “adult services” sections which fuel the online trafficking of youth.
The states and territories that signed today’s letter are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
AG Strange presents Beauregard Elementary School with 2014 Attorney General’s Safe School Initiative Award of Excellence
MONTGOMERY – Attorney General Strange recently presented Beauregard Elementary School in Lee County with the 2014 Attorney General’s Safe School Initiative Award of Excellence for Alabama State School District 2. One school was selected as the winner from each of the Alabama State School Board of Education districts.
“The Alabama Safe Schools Initiative Awards of Excellence are presented to schools that have performed exceptionally to provide a safe environment for students, with special emphasis on implementation of the Best Practices my office compiled based on last year’s recipients,” said Attorney General Strange. “I’m pleased that Beauregard Elementary School was selected as one of the eight winning schools in Alabama for 2014. In making this decision, the judges noted many things that distinguished Beauregard Elementary School: its continuous involvement and coordination with local law enforcement, an association that has produced a system-wide safety plan with consistent language throughout the county; as well as implementation of several ‘Best Practices’ that include a safety plan flip book and providing each classroom with a safety bag of essential safety supplies. I am honored to personally present the safe schools award to Beauregard Elementary School.”
“Beauregard Elementary School is very honored to receive the 2014 Alabama Safe School award from Attorney General Strange,” said Principal Lisa Harris. “Beauregard is a close-knit community and our teachers and students need to be commended for their combined efforts to make BES a safe and great school to attend. Lee County continues to work closely with our local sheriff’s office and school resource officers to instill the best practices in our schools. A special thanks goes to Mrs. Erin Redden (safety chairperson), who took the initiative to write the application and complete the necessary action that got us recognized.”
Attorney General Strange is personally presenting the awards for the 2014 Awards of Excellence to the eight winning schools during the month of October. Other winning schools throughout the state include Orange Beach Elementary School in Baldwin County, Northington Elementary School in Tuscaloosa County, Lincoln High School in Talladega County, Meadow View Elementary School in Shelby County, Hayden Elementary School in Blount County, Haleyville High School in Winston County and Oak Park Middle School in Morgan County.
AG STRANGE PRESENTS MEADOW VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WITH 2014 ATTORNEY GENERAL’S SAFE SCHOOL INITIATIVE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
(MONTGOMERY)—Attorney General Strange today presented Meadow View Elementary School in Shelby County with the 2014 Attorney General’s Safe School Initiative Award of Excellence for Alabama State School District 5. One school was selected as the winner from each of the Alabama State School Board of Education districts.
“The Alabama Safe Schools Initiative Awards of Excellence are presented to schools that have performed exceptionally to provide a safe environment for students, with special emphasis on implementation of the Best Practices my office compiled based on last year’s recipients,” said Attorney General Strange. “I’m pleased that Meadow View Elementary was selected as one of the eight winning schools in Alabama for 2014. In making this decision, the judges noted many things that distinguished Meadow View Elementary School: the addition of the Quick Access Program to monitor guests coming into the school, as well as its Notify Me system that can communicate with students and parents during emergencies; and in addition to having a full time Safety Resource Officer, the school conducts school bus safety drills for its students. I am honored to personally present the safe schools award to Meadow View Elementary School.”
“It is a true honor to receive the Award of Excellence from the Attorney General’s Safe School Initiative,” said Principal Rachea Simms. “The mission of MVES is to love and educate students in a SAFE environment where everybody teaches and everybody learns. The top priority of Meadow View Elementary School is to ensure that our children and staff are safe. We know that if we create this environment for our staff and students they can accomplish their goals in the classroom. This could not have been achieved without the efforts and support of our city council and mayor, PTO Board, local fire and police departments, MVES Staff, and the Alabaster City School Board of Education. Meadow View Elementary School will continue to improve our safety precautions to ensure that our children and staff have every opportunity to become ‘Champions of our Future.’”
Attorney General Strange is personally presenting the awards for the 2014 Awards of Excellence to the eight winning schools during the month of October. Other winning schools throughout the state include Orange Beach Elementary School in Baldwin County, Northington Elementary School in Tuscaloosa County, Haleyville High School in Winston County, Lincoln High School in Talladega County, Hayden Elementary School in Blount County, Beauregard Elementary School in Lee County and Oak Park Middle School in Morgan County.
Gov. Robert Bentley and State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson held a news conference to provide an update on preparedness and planning activities in response to potential cases of Ebola in the state. Ebola, also known as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), is not spread through air, by water, or in general, by food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who are at highest risk of contracting Ebola include those who travel to countries with active Ebola outbreaks and are health care workers or family and friends of an Ebola patient in direct contact with the person who was infected with the virus.
“As with all types of emergencies, preparedness is essential to an effective response,” Gov. Bentley said.
“We are making plans to protect the safety and well-being of all Alabamians through public health and our health care providers. Ebola is a very dangerous infectious disease, and we are committed to providing local communities the assistance they need to respond quickly if the need arises.”
The Alabama Department of Public Health remains in constant contact with the CDC to ensure that it has the most updated information on how to
prevent and respond to Ebola should there be a case in our state. In addition, Public Health has taken several steps to provide local communities, partner organizations and health care providers with information and education that they can use to prepare for response to Ebola.
State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson said, “We feel at this time that we are taking the necessary steps to educate ourselves on the latest medical updates, provide useful prevention information to the public, and prepare our staff and partners to respond. These are the actions
we will continue to take in the future.” Alabama’s hospitals have worked extensively with ADPH for years to better prepare hospitals and health care workers to care for patients with infectious diseases. “Alabama’s hospitals take very seriously any new threat to patients, their families and to health care workers, particularly the latest threat from Ebola,” said J. Michael Horsley, president of the Alabama Hospital Association. “However, it’s important to note that hospitals prepare for the unknown every day and are currently updating their infectious disease plans as needed with the latest information from the Alabama Department of Public Health and the CDC.” Horsley added, “Through this partnership, and funding made available from the Federal Hospital Preparedness Program, we’ve been able to enhance hospital isolation capability and provide personal
protective equipment for employees and to train employees on how to handle such outbreaks. “We’ve always worked hand in glove with Public Health and other state partners in preventing the spread of infection.” Horsley said, “The good news is that this work is paying off. In a recent CDC report, Alabama was one of only two states in the nation to perform better than all other states in infection prevention in three of the four reporting categories, so we have a strong base to build upon.”
A toolkit on Ebola for Alabama health care providers and the community is available online. This same information has also been provided to
Alabama hospitals. The public can visit adph.org/ebola for the latest information about Ebola.
Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick Continue the Legacy of the Magic City Classic Breakfast
By: Gwen DeRu
With the dedication and support of Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick, LLC (WSK) the Annual Magic City Classic Breakfast continues Friday, 7 a.m. at the Harbert Center. William Bell, the Mayor of Birmingham Ala. is the speaker.
Attorney Kelvin Howard and Attorney Charlie Waldrep, Senior Partner of WSK are proud to host this Magic City Classic breakfast for the second year, which in years past was sponsored by the Birmingham Business Alliance.
“The breakfast is important because it really recognizes scholarship. While we enjoy the game and the 100 or so athletes on the field, the parade, the parties, the bands and the renewal of friendships, it is the Breakfast that provides a venue that brings together our community to celebrate the scholarship of the students at these great Universities,” said Attorney Charlie Waldrep.”
Each year, the City of Birmingham welcomes current students, faculty, and alumni of two (2) historically renowned Black universities, Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University, and hosts what has become one of the largest, most anticipated yearly events within the City, The Magic City Classic. WSK is sponsoring and continuing this “kick-off” breakfast, as it has become a part of the “Magic City” tradition! It is indeed a rich and valuable part of the Birmingham community, and Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick, LLC’s commitment to support our City!
“The Magic City Classic Breakfast is important because it supports a fundamental purpose of colleges and universities, which is education and scholastic achievement! It is an honor to present scholarships to both schools,” said Attorney Kelvin Howard. “I am humbled to once again be the host of the annual Magic City Classic breakfast along with Charlie Waldrep and the law firm of Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick, LLC. We are pleased to celebrate an annual American “classic” which features Alabama A&M and Alabama State, two of the most prominent historically Black universities.”
Waldrep Stewart & Kendrick, LLC is devoted to promoting community programs and events in addition to supporting philanthropic efforts that further strengthen Birmingham. Members of the WSK, LLC firm can often be found participating in charity events, sitting on numerous boards, contributing to various charities and is known for its efforts in the community. The firm even hosts community events at the WSK offices. WSK, LLC has been recognized as Top Ranked Law Firm by Martindale-Hubbell. WSK, LLC attorneys have also been named Top Attorneys in Birmingham.
Others that are supporting these efforts include the emcee Eunice Elliott, who joined Alabama’s 13 Morning Show, Today in Alabama as a Traffic reporter and can be heard weekly on HOT 107.7 radio. Also, others supporting these efforts include Angela Lewis of WSK, Catrena Norris Carter with Who’s Who In Black Alabama/Women of Will, and Chandrel Wright-Richardson with Harbert Center.
Sponsors and supporters include Resanant Bank, Mayor’s Office/ City of Birmingham, Jimmy Hale Mission, Cumulus Media, The Lewis Group and the Birmingham Times.
Join them… “Support the Legacy: Continue the Dream.”
One of the biggest weeks of the year is upon us as it is Game Week for the 73rd State Farm Magic City Classic which pits Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) rivals Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University.
The full week of action begins Monday, Oct. 20 with the SWAC Weekly Coaches Teleconference. For Alabama State University Head Coach Reggie Barlow it is just the beginning as he will also host the Reggie Barlow Radio Show at Downtown Baumhower’s Monday evening from 6-7 p.m. The show can be heard live on WVAS FM and returns to the Baumhower’s location after a week in which the show originated at the WVAS Radio Studio. All ASU fans are invited to Baumhower’s to be part of the live audience.
Tuesday the Hornets will hit the practice field for a 7 p.m. night practice session which will lead into a busy Wednesday. The Press Conference for the Classic will be held Wednesday at 10 a.m. ASU players joining Coach Barlow at the press conference will be Malcolm Cyrus, Kourtney Berry and Ed Mosley.
Thursday the Hornets will hold their regular scheduled practice beginning at 11 a.m. Friday will have the Hornets loading the bus for Birmingham where they will meet for the Regions Bank Team Luncheon scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Following the luncheon ASU will make their way to their team hotel to change into their practice gear and head to Legions Field for their Friday afternoon walk through.
Saturday is game day and the parade will begin the action at 8 a.m. followed by the Coors Light Pregame Tailgate Party at 10 a.m. The kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN3 and will be shown on a tape-delay basis later that day on ESPNU. The game can also be heard live on HornetVision and the HSRN Radio Network. Links for the audio broadcast can be located on Game Day Central before kickoff Saturday.
Check bamastatesports.com for a daily update on the Hornets’ football team leading up to Saturday’s action.
Schedule of Events Thursday, October 23
11:30 AM Kickoff Luncheon – Invitation only
7:30 PM Pep Rally – Regions Field Club Lounge
Cash bar, light hor d’oeuvvres, a band and DJ, along with appearances by the cheerleaders
and mascots. Price to increase at the gate.
Friday, October 24
7:00 AM Magic City Classic Scholarship Breakfast – The Harbert Center
11:30 AM Regions Bank Team Luncheon – Invitation only
Saturday, October 25
8:00 AM McDonald’s Magic City Classic Parade – Downtown Birmingham
9:00 AM Shuttles begin – Perimeter will close
10:00 AM Coors Light Pre-Game Tailgate Party
• Come get your gameday party started at the Coors Light Pre-Game Tailgate Party
2:30 PM 73rd Annual State Farm Magic City Classic – Legion Field Will your Alma Mater earn the
bragging rights this year? Come show your support as they battle it out on the gridiron.
HALFTIME Celebrity Ambassador & Hip-Hop Legends Bell Biv DeVoe, along with a performance on behalf of the Alabama A&M Marching Maroon and White Band and ASU Mighty
Marching Hornets
POST-GAME Celebrity Ambassadors Bell Biv DeVoe to perform at the post-game concert.
Statement from the Mayor of Fairfield
by Jesse J. Lewis, Sr.
Kenneth Copeland, the Mayor of Fairfield, stated that the City of Fairfield does not have any problems that money would not cure. I must remind the Mayor that this is true with 95 percent of all the problems anyone can have. I am not sure whether or not the City Council and the Mayor realize that this situation will only get worse. It’s sad when you can’t buy gas for the fire trucks and police cars on credit.
The next three big issues are going to be paying the water, light bill and salaries. The only thing the City of Fairfield can do at this point is have citizens vote to annex into the City of Birmingham. There are two questions here: (1) whether the City of Birmingham wants them, and (2) whether Birmingham can afford it. I cannot speak for my alma mater, Miles College, but if I were the president, at this period in time, I would rather be in Birmingham than Fairfield.
This same scenario can be said for Brighton, Lipscomb and, possibly, Midfield. My suggestion is all these small cities between Bessemer and Birmingham choose which way they what to go. At least Bessemer and Birmingham would get an increase in federal funds because of the increase in population.
Republicans Taking Over the Senate
I am one of the few people who welcomes the fact that there’s a possibility Republicans are going to take over the Senate in 2014. In the event this happens, I will guarantee you that in 2016 they will be running for the hills.
Here’s a group of people who have one issue: obstruction. In every state in America you would think that Barack Obama was on the ballot. The only thing they are saying is, ‘I am more conservative than the conservatives and I will never vote for Obamacare.’ Ninety-five percent of these same people say they will support a national health care program.
These people are saying that President Obama is responsible for Ebola coming to America’s shores, companies leaving the United States going to Canada to avoid paying taxes here; and he is responsible for ISIS, gay marriages and interracial marriages.
What they do not say is when Obama took office we were in a free fall recession, losing one million jobs a year with employment as high as 10-12 percent. Now we have a stock market doing better than anytime in 10 years, the unemployment rate is down below 6 percent and millions of uninsured people now have health insurance. I predict that as soon as 75 percent of the people get health insurance, we defeat ISIS and find a cure for Ebola, he will go down in history as the greatest of all the Presidents of the United States.
In order to win an election, these people will lie, rob, cheat, and I don’t want to say, attempt murder, but some politicians – I wouldn’t put it past them. For example, the former governor of Virginia, Robert McDonnell, who was found guilty of taking bribes. He said he didn’t do it; the mother of his children did it. He was going to put a woman in jail he had been married to for 38 years. If this is not low down, I don’t know what is.
Would You Believe?
This is hard to comprehend; very difficult to understand and almost unbelievable… of all the schools in America to play football, three teams from the SEC are at the top of the list.
Not only three teams on top; they are all in the Western Division of the SEC. The problem is they cannot stay there; the top four and Alabama has to play two teams in the top five. Ole Miss and Mississippi State have to play each other.
My guess would be at the end of the day the only team in America that would be undefeated is Florida State. Unquestionably, the question should be asked is Jameis Winston the best football player in America. The answer is yes. The next question is whether Jameis Winston is unstable, the answer is also yes.
I must add another statement about Florida State remaining No.1. They can only remain No.1 if Jameis Winston remains the quarterback.
As we struggled to craft a budget for operating our fair City, our City Council told nonprofits that have served the community for decades that we are sorry we can no longer fund you or the service you provide. We hope you understand, we are doing this because we all must sacrifice for the City. When the Council proposed huge cost increases in retiree health care costs and the retirees said that these cost increases would be burdensome, the Council said the same thing again. “We hope you understand, we are doing this because we all must sacrifice for the City.” When citizens have asked for more improvements and better police protection in our neighborhoods, the Council said the same thing again. “We hope you understand it, we are doing this because we all must sacrifice for the City and live within our means.” Yet when it came to their own compensation and the compensation of future councils that will most likely include most of our current members, this same council seemed to say, “We know the financial constraints we said were important when reviewing benefits for others, but we will not apply those constraints to anything that benefits us.” And after that they gave themselves an immediate 56 percent raise, with another 44 percent raise slated to kick in with the next council elections in two years.
While I have great respect for our Council as individuals who I believe truly want to move this City forward, I think awarding themselves a raise at a time when so many of those they represent are struggling just to hold on to what they have, is selfish and in some ways an insult to those of us who elected them. What has changed since the current group took office that created this driving need to so drastically increase their own compensation, and if they can understand and choose to fund their own needs to the tune of a 100 percent pay increase over two years, how can this same group author budgets with no pay increase for the other folks that work for the City. If this group feels that increasing their own pay should be such a priority, how do they then turn around and tell everyone else to hold on for better times.
I sincerely hope that the Council will re-consider this proposed increase in compensation. How do you tell a Police Officer or a Firefighter you have no funding to increase their pay for work that puts their lives at risk on behalf of the citizens, but that you just found funding to give the Council a 100 percent raise? How do you tell Neighborhood leaders who have sought funding to fix deteriorating streets, establish programs for our kids, in short funding to hold the City together, that the funding doesn’t exist to fight for these priorities and yet still propose a 100 percent raise for yourselves?
Some of you on the Council are my friends and I appreciate your friendship. And as a friend I would tell you that in every discussion I have been in on this issue the public was upset at the idea of the magnitude of the raise, given other priorities that have been told to be willing to sacrifice on behalf of what is the greater good for the City. I honestly believe that in the spirit of moving this City forward and in the spirit of fairness, the Council should reduce or rescind the proposed increases in compensation.
Or at least that’s the way I see it.
(Do you have a question or comment on this column? Look me up on Facebook/HollisWormsby or email me at hjwormsby@aol.com.)
