Opinion & Policy

  States around the nation are flush with cash because of federal COVID-19 relief dollars and increased tax revenue. At least 32 of those states have enacted either some sort of tax cut or rebate this past year. So the question is, will Alabama join those other communities around the country which provide some relief…

  Unless you are totally unplugged from all news outlets, social media, and live off grid, you are probably like me and cannot wait for November 9 – regardless of the results. I am trying to cut down on the news that I listen to or take more breaks from it because it is SO…

Let me put this out first. I am not anti-police. I am not anti-government. I was once a law enforcement officer during my career, and most all of my jobs were working for the government, either at federal, state, or at a more local level. With every government job I swore an oath to support,…

  When I was serving in the Pentagon I had a unique opportunity to visit the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. I was only there briefly, but entering the office I was struck by the weight of history, and General Casey’s personal secretary asked if I would like to see some…

  The deadliest drug problem in our state is soon to be addressed thanks to Alabama Rep. Matt Simpson, a former district attorney in Baldwin and Mobile counties. The fentanyl epidemic is a national problem that has come to our state, causing more than 1,000 deaths in Alabama in 2021 alone. That is more than…

  Much of the news the past couple of weeks has been about the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the events surrounding her funeral. We still have a strong bond with Great Britain and her monarchy even though we fought a war to gain our independence from them. Queen Elizabeth II was the only…

Dear editor, Last Saturday morning I was riding my bike at Coosa County schools when I had a bicycle wreck. While it wasn’t the worst, not the first and probably not the last, what happened after that made a huge impact on my appreciating what an awesome community Coosa is. I had moved over because…

  Living in Alabama all my life, I am protective of my state’s reputation. Often I have traveled regionally and abroad hearing all the negatives about living here. Some of it true, most of it not. It’s no secret there are plenty of things we need to work on, and we are doing that. We…

This past week, Teddy Wayne Gentry, a retired 70-year-old gentleman and resident of Fort Payne, was pulled over for speeding outside the city limits of Fort Payne by Cherokee County sheriff’s deputies. While I was not present, and I have not seen the actual arrest report, as a former law enforcement officer, I imagine that…

  Fall is here!! At least this morning. I am really tired of the hot humid weather and look forward to cooler mornings and evenings. Now maybe I can get some of my outside chores done that I’ve been putting off! It’s gotten to the point I don’t even know what to comment on from…