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280 Living
www.280living.com
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Volume 3, Issue 8
April2010
Longworth F i n e F u r n i t u re
Chandeliers, Accessories & Gifts,
Fine Furniture, Carpet & Rugs, Custom Bedding & Window Treatments Personal Design Service ◆ 5426 Highway 280, Suite 6• The Terrace @ Greystone
2 0 5 . 4 3 7. 9 8 8 7
neighborly news & entertainment
Highway 280 Expansion…
April Features
Are you involved in the discussion? W
Sports | pg 18 • Facebook Fan Giveaway
4
• Restaurant Review
6
• Business Spotlight
7
• Dusty Bottoms Rodeo
10
• Irma Palmer
11
• Earth Day
17
• Varsity Athlete
18
• Brent Watson
19
• Young at Heart
20
• Linda Noel
21
• Rick Watson
21
• Paul Johnson
23
• Live Music
26
Calendar Of Events 25 Become a fan on Follow us on
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ork on the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) proposal to alleviate congestion on highway U.S. 280 has been temporarily suspended. That plan includes a four-lane elevated toll road from I-459 to Eagle Point Parkway, with future options to expand to six lanes. Rethink280, a local citizens’ organization started by the group Citizens to Save 280, has presented an alternative plan that the group believes would be more cost effective and preserve commercial areas and communities. Rethink280 has been presenting their plan in areas that would be affected by an overhaul of 280. We would like to hear your thoughts and ideas on the future of this busy, vital thoroughfare. There are three ways to have your voice heard: Visit 280living. com to leave a comment and vote in our online poll; post a comment on our 280 Living Facebook page; or e-mail us at feedback@280living.com. Selected responses received before April 15 will be published in the May issue.
For more information, Rethink280 has posted its plan at www.rethink280. org, and Figg Engineering has posted artist renderings of the elevated roadway at www. figgbridge.com/birmingham_bridge. html. Other key players in this discussion
Rush Hour 280 include the Alabama Department of Transportation and Business for a Viable 280. Please visit www.280living.com to view links and to vote in our online poll.
Oak Mountain Teen Finds Peace in a Storm
Spring Home Showcase
By Kathryn Acree Mark Newton is a young man who has faced one of our greatest fears head-on in his battle with cancer. In December 2008 the Oak Mountain 10th grader was dealing with continual shoulder pain. He was an active member of his school tennis team, so he and his family made a trip to their pediatrician after lumps appeared on Mark’s neck. He was prescribed antibiotics but the irritation continued. By March 2009, a biopsy showed he had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, stage 2A. “It was a whirlwind of emotion for the first day or so,” Mark said. “I stayed in Children’s Hospital for a week of testing. At the beginning it was dealing with what I’d been told and grasping that.” Mark and his parents, Mike and Teresa and brother Matt, are members of Meadow Brook Baptist Church and over the next few days fellow members and church staff gathered with the family for prayer, support and encouragement. “My youth group was going on a mission trip to Jamaica over spring break, just a week away, and I wouldn’t be joining them,” Mark said. “That was an immediate disappointment.”
Mark Newton Mark’s course of care would involve four, 21-day cycles of chemotherapy. As challenging as the chemo treatments were as he completed his 10th grade year that spring, he kept up with his school-work, even after hospital stays. “Friends, family and church members gave us so much support,” he said. “I could feel their prayers and God working through them and See TEEN | pg 20
Spring brings a new season, which is often marked by a feeling of rejuvenation. As the fresh spring air whisks through the branches, people begin their “spring cleanings.” We look to freshen ourselves to welcome the beginning of the sunshine. As the dark gray skies of winter leave us behind, we look to change our surroundings. We often pull out the spring wardrobe and get increasingly excited about the beautiful, Alabama spring day. Springtime is here, so for some reason we feel the need to greet the new season with a clean house. In addition, some of us believe that with each new beginning, we should give our house a fresh look. We go one step further than calling the cleaning service; we actually look for changes that we can make, which will give the appearance of a new space. The change may entail a $10,000 remodeling project or may be as simple as rearranging the furniture and art that we already own. Amazingly, a fresh coat of paint, a new rug, or even a new couch can change the entire look of a room. See page 13 for ideas in our Spring Home Showcase.