A look back at 2010

At the end of the year, people tend to forget about the events that made the year what it was. All of these events that took place over the past 365 days combined together to make 2010 a year many will never forget.

National Events

• The nation wept for the country of Haiti when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake rocked the country’s capital of Port-au-Prince. It was estimated that three million people were affected by the quake due to loss of life, loss of property or injury.

This event hit home for local residents Andy and Pat Richardson because of their recent visits to the country for mission work. It also affected members of Tharptown Baptist Church because of their connection to Grace Baptist Church located in Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Many individuals and groups in the area gathered together to collect money for the Haitian Emergency Relief Organization (HERO) to help the struggling nation in their time of need.

• No one in Franklin County could have predicted that the explosion on April 20 onboard BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig (located 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana) would have such far-reaching effects.

Nearly three months later, the gushing wellhead was finally capped on July 15, but not before dumping an estimated 205.8 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico – a favorite vacation spot for many local residents. Tar balls began to wash up as early as May, and costal and marine life were affected along with the tourism rates.

Local resident Kenny Hurst said his family saw tar balls in Gulf Shores during their end-of-May vacation to the coast. “A feeling of sadness was expressed from lots of people down there,” he said, talking about the tourists and the residents of the area.

While the spill has been capped and Alabama’s costal cities are returning to a normal routine, the effects of the oil spill will continue to be felt for years to come.

Local Politics

• Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott announced on Feb. 11 that he would not seek an eighth term as sheriff – a position he held for 28 years. He said that it was because of God’s grace and mercy that he had served for that amount of time but felt that it was time to step aside.

This announcement opened the door for seven candidates to enter the sheriff’s race: Republican candidates Ray Hayse and Glen Demastus and Democratic candidates Robert Pace, Terrell Potter, Mike Franklin, Shannon Oliver and Scott Seal all vied for the title of Franklin County’s next sheriff.

After the November 2nd general election, Oliver ultimately came out on top and is scheduled to take office in January. “It’s exciting that the people think enough of me to give me this opportunity,” said Oliver after the election. “We are all going to have to work together to face the problems we have.”

• In February, a petition began circulating around the city of Russellville calling for the legalization of alcohol sales within the city limits. This issue would spark a major debate between city residents on both sides of the issue. The petition garnered enough names to have the matter placed on the Nov. 2 general election ballot. The Russellville Citizens for Progress, a group formed in support of legalized alcohol sales, said the issue was strictly about bringing more revenue into the city.

“The legal sale of alcohol in the city would generate more revenue without having to raise taxes,” group spokesman Dick Tutich said.

However, there were many in the city that felt that progress would come at a high price. The Franklin County Vote Dry Political Action Committee was formed on Sept. 7 to be the voice for those who opposed the legalized sale of alcohol.

Calvary Baptist Church’s minister Dr. Wade Wallace served as spokesman for the group and said he wanted the citizens to understand that the effects of alcohol could be fatal. Calvary Baptist Church Student Minister Ryan Mouser added that legalizing alcohol would bring unnecessary temptations into the city.

“Being a youth minister, I know the temptations kids face and how dangerous having alcohol around can be,” Mouser said. “It would be devastating to have to do a funeral for one of these kids because of an alcohol-related death that could have been prevented.”

Ultimately, the sale of alcohol was legalized by a vote of 1,422 to 1,327 – a margin of 95 votes. The city council now faces the task of regulating the sale of alcohol and putting ordinances in place that will be in the best interest of the city.

“We are trying to work as fast as we can but we want to take our time and make sure we do this right,” Russellville Mayor Troy Oliver said.

“We are committed to getting a good ordinance in place.”

A similar petition was presented to the Phil Campbell City Council and set for a vote by residents inside Phil Campbell’s city limits during the June 1 primary election. However, the measure was defeated by a vote of 192 to 147.

• During the November general election, Republican candidates swept the state, claiming many offices once held by Democrats. However, the two men representing Franklin County at the state level were able to hold onto their seats in the midst of the political upheaval. Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow and Sen. Roger Bedford will continue to serve their districts due in large part to the support they received from Franklin County residents.

Crime and Courts

• After dealing with several bouts of graffiti and gang vandalism, law enforcement and state officials came together in January with the purpose of imposing stricter penalties for those involved in such activities.

Franklin County District Attorney Joey Rushing drafted a bill that Sen. Roger Bedford planned to take before the Senate that would make gang activity a felony as opposed to a misdemeanor.

“This bill will prohibit the membership and exhibition of enterprises [associated with street gang activity],” Rushing said. “This problem is something that must be dealt with.”

• After inaction by the Alabama Supreme Court in September, a Franklin County man convicted of capital murder over three years ago will receive a new trial for the 2005 death of his son.

Jodey Wayne Waldrop, 32, formerly of Red Bay, was convicted of capital murder in August 2007 for killing his three-week-old son, Jodey Jo “Chance” Waldrop in September 2005.

On March 5 of this year, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the guilty verdict based the fact that Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey did not instruct jurors to disregard testimony concerning an assault conviction Waldrop had received in Mississippi prior to the capital murder charge. Even though Waldrop’s attorneys did not object, the lack of instruction was still enough for a reversal.

After the Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the verdict, the case went to the Alabama Supreme Court, which refused to hear arguments from the attorney general’s office asking for the Court of Criminal Appeals ruling to be reversed.

According to officials, Waldrop will be transported from Holman Death Row in Atmore to the Franklin County Jail to await his new trial.

• More than 60 people were arrested by Franklin County law enforcement agencies at the end of April during a five-county methamphetamine round up.

In all, 175 people were arrested as part of Operation SINUS that involved 65 officers from 22 agencies in Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin, Marion and Winston counties.

The arrests were based on multiple pseudoephedrine purchases by individuals buying the drug with the intent of using it to manufacture methamphetamine.

“The methamphetamine epidemic has affected larger cities such as Florence, Muscle Shoals, Russellville, Hamilton and Haleyville, but this week the Drug Task Force witnessed the destruction in small towns such as Winfield, Phil Campbell, Jasper, Lynn, Nauvoo, Hackleburg, Guin, Brilliant, Bear Creek and Arley,” Tim Glover, commander of the Lauderdale County Drug Task Force said at a press conference.

“This shows that there is not a meth problem here – it’s an epidemic.”

• Unfortunately, news reporting isn’t always pleasant. This fact held true in 2010 with three separate deaths being reported.

Douglas “Sluggo” Craig , 42, was stabbed to death at the apartment of his ex-girlfriend following a domestic altercation on June 24. The ex-girlfriend claimed she stabbed Craig in self-defense and after the information was presented to the grand jury, no charges were filed.

Andres Pascual Francisco, 26, 306 South Carroll Avenue, was charged with capital murder for the stabbing death of 20-year-old Francisco Valesquez on July 15.

Jerry Ronald Mills, 54, 194 Block Church Road, Phil Campbell was charged with the murder of 70-year-old Robert Leroy Presley following a shooting outside of Presley’s Russellville home on Oct. 13.

• The small town of Phil Campbell was turned upside down when the Phil Campbell branch of CB&S bank was robbed on Sept. 23.

Following an investigation, Ronald Pollard, 49, who had been living at 2011 Hixon Avenue in Florence, was identified as the robber. Hixon was taken into custody one week later after being apprehended by deputies with the Tunica County Sheriff’s Office in Mississippi.

School Happenings

• In June, the Russellville City School Board voted to hire Chris James as the principal at West Elementary School. James had previously served as the school’s assistant principal for seven years. James replaced Ramona Robinson after she was promoted to federal programs/special education coordinator for the system.

• Residents voted in June to keep the one-cent sales tax increase that was first implemented in January to benefit both the Franklin County and Russellville City school systems.

The one-cent tax has been estimated to bring in about $2 million annually, with the county school system receiving 58 percent and the city school system receiving 42 percent of that money.

The tax will remain in place for two more years before it comes up for a vote again in 2012.

• One of the most heated debates of the year took place when the Russellville City School Board and Superintendent Don Cox squared off against the Russellville City Council and Mayor Troy Oliver.

The city council held a special called meeting on Friday, Sept. 24 to pass the operating budget for the new fiscal year. The budget included capping the funding given to the city schools at $1 million as opposed to allowing the schools to receive the 38.33 percent of the three-cent sales tax originally allotted to the schools. Giving the schools the 38.33 percent would have totaled close to $1.4 million.

Holding a special called meeting to address budget issues is not unusual; however, Cox questioned the timing of this particular meeting, which occurred during an away football game.

“Why would you call a meeting at 7 p.m. on a Friday night when most of the town is gone to support the football team, band and cheerleaders?” Cox asked. “It sounds like they were trying to slip something by. We had school personnel and parents at the ballgame, board members who had parents to pass away. They did it when they thought they would get the least amount of opposition.”

Oliver disagreed saying the timing of the meeting was necessary in order to have a set budget in place for the new fiscal year.

“We went back and forth so much last year when we were working on the budget that it was January before we had one in place,” Oliver said.

“We needed to have the budget ready so our department heads would know what they had to work with.”

Community Events and Achievements

• A song co-written by Russellville native and songwriter Sam Mizell was announced as one of the nominations for a 2010 Grammy Award.?

“The Motions,” written by Mizell, Jason Houser and contemporary Christian artist Matthew West, was nominated for Best Gospel Song of the Year.

The song, which is performed by West and is featured on his album titled “Something to Say,” topped the 2009 Billboard Hot Christian Song and Hot Christian Adult Contemporary Song charts. The song also ranked No. 4 on the Billboard decade-end chart for Christian Songs.

Mizell graduated from Russellville High School in 1992 and attended Calvary Baptist Church. Mizell’s family currently resides in South Carolina, but he said Russellville has a very special place in his heart.

• The landmark Frosty Inn restaurant in Russellville celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a celebration on May 1. The restaurant was first opened in 1960 by Raymond and Betty Grissom and has been a staple in the community ever since.

“In the beginning, we made root beer in a stainless steel barrel-like container and distributed it through a carbonation dispenser into a frozen novelty mug,” Raymond said.

“We did the same with Coke and I believe the mugs are what set us apart from other restaurants. People would keep coming back, wanting an ice cold beverage in either a 16 ounce or eight ounce frozen mug.”

After owning the restaurant for 42 years, the Grissoms sold the business to their daughter, Ramona Robinson, and her husband, Jeff, who keep the restaurant up and running today.

• In November, Russellville native Madeline Mitchell was crowned the winner of the Miss Alabama USA pageant held at the Bama Theater in Tuscaloosa.

Mitchell got her start in pageants at Russellville’s Sweetheart pageant when she was in the sixth grade. She said that after that first pageant, she knew it was something she wanted to continue to do.

Mitchell’s pageant career was almost cut short in 2008 when she was involved in a near-fatal car accident on her way home from Tuscaloosa where she was pursuing a degree in elementary education.

After many long months of therapy and preparation, Mitchell was finally able to return to the stage. She credits much of her success to the support of family and friends.

“I don’t know what I would have done without so many people who were constantly telling me ‘You can do this,’ especially on the days where it really felt like I couldn’t,” she said.

“My mom really encouraged me, and I just never gave up.”

Mitchell was the Grand Marshal of Russellville’s Christmas parade on Dec. 2. She was honored at a banquet following the parade by Mayor Troy Oliver, who presented her with a key to the city and a proclamation declaring Dec. 2 as “Madeline Mitchell Day” in the city of Russellville.

Mitchell will compete in the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas this spring.