T.J. Yeldon visits Daphne youth center, PAGE 5
Sports Academy faculty train Fairhope football players on concussion awareness
The Courier
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JULY 19, 2017 | GulfCoastNewsToday.com |
Complaint alleges bias, discrimination at Spanish Fort High Spanish Fort High School student Julia Coccaro and other concerned students and parents have filed an official complaint with the Baldwin County School System regarding numerous issues they contend show bias and discrimination on the part of the school system. For more, see page 3.
DEATHS
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Linda C. Anne James Franklin Forte Robert William Harmon LaDean Kirkconnell Leona Mae Phillips Julian Tedder Rev. DuWayne Vernon Winters
Sewer line will go over Fish River, not under it By JANE NICHOLES Courier Correspondent
SUBMITTED Eastern Shore Art Center Community Outreach Director Nancy Raia was recently awarded $3,000 from the Fairhope Rotary to continue her work with the Rotary Youth Club. She is being presented with a check by Rotary President, B.G. Hinds.
Child pornography production case heading to grand jury
Local entrepreneurs launch Eastern Shore Art Studio… with a ‘Twist’ Aspiring to bring a new creative outlet to the Mobile area, Painting with a Twist is now open in Spanish Fort. It’s a place where friends come together to paint, bring a beverage of their choice and uncork their inner artist. Painting with a Twist of Mobile – Eastern Shore is located at 10200 Eastern Shore Blvd, Suite 400. For more, see page 34.
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Rotary Youth Club donates $3,000 to Art Center
Baldwin County students win Alfa Foundation Scholarship Four Baldwin County students received $1,000 scholarships from the Alfa Foundation. They are among 100 students from across the state who will reap the rewards of an Alabama Farmers Federation membership when they pay their tuition fees this fall. For more, see page 33.
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Weekley By CLIFF McCOLLUM cliff@gulfcoastmedia.com
Bay Minette resident Jennifer Lynne Weekley’s production of child pornography case will be heading to a Baldwin County grand jury, after Weekley waived her right to a preliminary hearing July 13. Baldwin County Assistant District Attorney Matt Simpson said the DA’s office would soon present the case to the grand jury for a possible indictment. “At this point, we will continue preparing this case and do everything we can to get this to a Baldwin County grand jury as soon as possible,” Simpson said.
Weekley is charged with three counts: sexual abuse of a child under 12, permitting or allowing a child to engage in production of obscene matter and production of obscene matter. During a bond hearing on June 21, Simpson laid out the charges against Weekley and some of the information that led to her arrest. “What we have in this case is Ms. Weekley has communicated with an individual in Florida via text message conversations,” Simpson said. “We have those text message conversations. In those conversations, she discusses with this person in Florida as to the acts that she would perform with her children who were a girl at the age of 6 or 7 at the time and a boy the age of 3 or 4 at the time.” Simpson said multiple acts were included in the productions Weekley allegedly created. “These are acts that she would perform on SEE PORNOGRAPHY, PAGE
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The sewer line proposed to go under Fish River will instead be attached to the County Road 32 bridge. The decision by Baldwin County Sewer Service seems to end a controversy that involved residents, elected and appointed officials in county and Fairhope city governments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Mobile Baykeeper. “We’re not boring the river at this time,” said Jenny Williams, spokesperson for the privately SEE SEWER, PAGE
Mayor’s statement about IT invoices contradicted by multiple sources Council, former mayor, police chief, IT company share comments By CLIFF McCOLLUM cliff@gulfcoastmedia.com
A statement sent by Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson last week about a set of invoices submitted to the city by IT company Elias Technologies has come into question by current and former city leaders, city employees and Elias Technologies issuing statements contradicting many of the mayor’s claims. Two invoices from Elias Technologies to the City of Fairhope were recently given to The Courier that appear to show work equipment used by former city employees Sherry Sullivan and Jennifer Fidler was sent to be examined and searched by Elias, a IT forensics company, at the request of Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson. The invoices from the company both have the same invoice number, billing date and case title, but the details and amounts charged for the work differ between the two.
Mayor Wilson’s statement about the invoices
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In a post on her blog entitled “Sensationalized Headlines and Innuendos,” Wilson laid out the following: “Questions have been raised regarding invoicing for IT services as well as about surveillancing (sic) of city employees. I wish to answer those questions to the extent I am allowed without divulging confidential information. My comments are also tempered by my constant efforts to safeguard the privacy of current and former city employees. “Elias Technologies was hired to perform internet security services for the City and the Police Department. The fact that the City entered a contract with Elias, and the amount of the contract, is not confidential. Those facts can be released to the public and the media, and I will be glad to continue to discuss those issues publicly. “However, because the services provided by Elias were part of a process to update and improve the security systems of the city, I do not intend to discuss the actual details of that work. If someone with the City has released such SEE INVOICES, PAGE
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