Opinion & Policy

The fear of COVID-19 and living in this pandemic have made me more aware of my health and how important it is to take care of myself. I am a mom of three kids and seven grandchildren, plus I help take care of my parents. I know I need to take better care of myself.…

  Since Halloween is the thirty-first of October (The ancient Celtic day was November 2.) I thought I would use this story for my column. My parents had moved to Tarrant City from Weogufka several months before I was born, where my father and mother had a photography and art studio. My father was also the…

  This past week the State of Alabama executed a man who had been convicted in 1991 of the brutal murder of Trussville resident Sharma Johnson. The 22-year-old victim was kidnapped and murdered by the perpetrator who was convicted by a jury of these crimes, but it took more than 30 years for justice to…

Special to the News   Last Thursday night, Attorney General Steve Marshall issued the following statement after the execution of Willie B. Smith III at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore: “Justice has been served. Tonight, Willie Smith was put to death for the heinous crime he committed nearly three decades ago: the abduction and execution-style…

  “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain” is a classic line from the infamous “Wizard of Oz.” In fact, that line was once voted as number 24 of “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” of all time. This phrase is often used in regard to politics, when the deceit is more obvious than…

  Welcome, guys and ghouls, to another spookified “Southern Blend!” This week we will feature another historically haunted piece of our heritage, Fort Morgan. The fort was built in 1934 after 25 years of construction by enslaved African Americans. A major reason for the delay was because of the isolated location. This isn’t Fort Morgan-suburb-of-vacationville…

  Beginning with the first college football games in early September for this 2021 season, college football fans everywhere began to exercise their First Amendment right to criticize our president, by chanting together, “F#%k Joe Biden.” That alone has gone viral and has spread to any event where a body of people may gather. On…

  I hope you are all enjoying this great fall weather! I certainly am – I much prefer cooler weather over the heat of the summer months. Now we will trade high power bills because of air conditioning for high power bills because of heaters. Hopefully we can make it a while longer not using…

  The nation’s economy is already seeing the effects of inflation. The increase in prices is detrimentally effecting consumers and the cost to manufacture goods. And Alabama is being hit tremendously hard on both counts because of the high inflation. The supply chain crises is a major problem in  the country, and the Port of…