Madison MVP finalists
The finalists for Madison Visionary Partners (MVP) inaugural Madison Visionary Awards has been named.
award ceremony is celebrating the people who make Madison a great place. Page 3A
Say Watt!?!
The Say Watt!?! team from Madison captured the state championship in the Alabama FIRST LEGO League - Challenge Superpowered State Competition. The win qualified them to compete at nationals in June. Page 5A
MADISON – Voters will soon be heading to the polls in a special election deciding the fate of a proposed change in government structure.
A petition submitted by citizen’s group, Madison Forward, seeking a special election has officially been approved by
Madison County and Limestone County Probate judges. The group is promoting the city’s proposed plan to move to city manager-council form of government instead of the current mayor-council form.
The petition was originally submitted on Jan. 4 with approximately 900 signatures. This first attempt was rejected, however, for failing to provide the mini-
mum required signatures from eligible citizens. Madison Forward then resubmitted the petition with a new set of signatures on Feb. 6.
Probate Judge Frank Barger approved the resubmitted petition on Feb. 17 with a total of 1,108 signatures, meeting the required “10% of the number of qualified voters, or a minimum of 895 qualified voter signatures,
who voted in the last general municipal election held in the city of Madison.”
The date for the special election will be set by Mayor Paul Finley. An announcement was expected at Monday’s Madison City Council meeting. Because of the The Record’s Monday afternoon press time, we will have to bring you coverage of it at www.themadisonrecord.com.
By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com
By CALEB ODOM caleb@themadisonrecord.com
BIRMINGHAM – The Sparkman
Lady Senators are practically staring high school immortality in the face with a State Semi-Final game against Foley on Thursday, March 2 at noon in Birmingham.
This is the high school 7A Final Four after all and Sparkman head coach Jarvis Wilson is not taking this game lightly.
“I will remind them of their team goals and aspirations while we will work tirelessly to ensure that we are prepared to play on the biggest stage in the AHSAA,” Wilson said.
Urinetown The Musical For the spring musical, James Clemens Theatre will present a hilarious study in satire, “Urinetown - The Musical.” Page 7A
For the Lady Senators, it was first a defeat of Chelsea 61-41 in the regional semi-finals on Feb. 15 that thrust them into the Northwest Regional Final game with
Hewitt-Trussville on Feb. 21 in Hanceville.
Sparkman had what it took to send the Huskies into the offseason with a 55-44 victory.
The Lady Senators racked up the free-throws, hitting 26 of 32 from the charity stripe to overpower Hewitt-Trussville.
Even a 14-6 start by the Huskies couldn’t deter the resilient Sparkman unit.
“They have bought into our culture of being positive and never quitting on each other,” Wilson said.
“Our team culture was on display as we never got rattled and just stayed within ourselves with the mindset of making the next play.”
Lady Senators Kennedy Langham with 15 and Jamya Griffin with 14, played a key part in Spark-
man taking over the game and eliminating Hewitt-Trussville.
It cannot be overstated the impact of Lady Senator Nylaa Fuller who had the court on lockdown defensively.
“The defensive pressure that Fuller put on was clinic-worthy,” Wilson said.
“That is a testament to her knowing the role we needed her to play with today.”
With Sparkman into the State Semi-Final, the game on Feb. 22 would determine their eventual opponent.
The Foley Lion’s win 56-40 on Feb. 15 against the Central Red Devils out of Phenix City, Ala. sent them in the Central Regional Final with Daphne on Feb. 22.
Foley was triumphant over Daphne 68-46 and now has to deal
See SPARKMAN Page 5A
MADISON – Madison City Schools will have a new campus for middle-school students when Journey Middle School opens in August 2023. Journey will accommodate approximately 750 students in its 170,000 square feet and provide much-needed room in Madison’s existing middle schools, Liberty and Discovery, according to Dorinda White. White works as MCS Coordinator of Strategic Initiatives, Attendance and Community Relations. Journey’s capacity rating is listed at 1,200 students. School families now can access a page with facts about Journey’s opening and events. Visit the MCS website at madisoncity. k12.al.us, and click the “Our District” menu, and click “Rezoning Info.”
In addition, parents can use the “school zone locator” to identify their child’s school. Visit apps.schoolsitelocator. com/?districtcode=01141.
“If parents cannot find their address in our school zone locator, they can always call our Central Office (256-464-8370),” White said. “We’ll let fam-
See JOURNEY Page 5A
MADISON – Madison Police responded to a shooting at Elements Apartments on Royal Drive, which is off Sullivan Street, in Madison Sunday night where one woman was injured.
According to Madison Police
Department, a woman was shot in a drive-by shooting around 11 p.m. Sunday at the complex. Police were still looking for the suspect at The Record’s press-time on Monday. They believe the suspect was driving a white Nissan sedan.
One resident of the complex said he was surprised by the
shooting because it’s usually quiet there. Bryant Caldwell was relaxing in his apartment when he heard about 8 or 9 shots ring out followed by sirens a few minutes later. “I thought it happened at the neighboring complex at first,” he said. It wasn’t until Monday morning that he realized the incident occurred out-
side his apartment building. “It is certainly scary for something like to happen so close.”
Other nearby residents said they heard several shots, but not any commotion before the incident.
Reports said the injured woman was transported to the hospital and was in stable condition.
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“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.”
-Florence Nightingale
Madison City Board of Education members continued their involvement in schools last week in volunteering with Superintendent of Education Dr. Ed Nichols to help the carline at Mill Creek Elementary.
(L-R) in photo: Mill Creek Principal Nathan Wilson, board members Scott Newberry, Alice Lessmann, and Tommy Overcash; Supt. Dr. Ed Nichols, Board President Tim Holtcamp, Board Vice President Travis Cummings.
By MARIA RAKOCZY news@themadisonrecord.com
MADISON – The Madison City Board of Education announced on Tuesday that an opening is now available on the board.
The open position is that of Travis Cummings as his term expires. John Peck, public relations manager for Madison City Schools, explained, “The Board of Education has five members who each serve a five year term. The terms are staggered, so one district member’s term ends each year. This year, the term of Travis Cummings expires. The City Council will decide whether to reappoint him or appoint a
new member.” Cummings is eligible to reapply for his seat, but Peck was unable to speak for Cummings’ intentions. The city council is accepting applications from other candidates who “want to get involved and directly impact [their] community”.
The application considers a candidate’s community involvement and character, and requires that the candidate be a resident of the city of Madison and supply references from three other Madison residents. Applications are open until March 7. For more information or to apply, go to www.madisonal.gov/90/Boards-Committees.
MADISON – The first annual Madison Visionary Partners (MVP) community-wide event to celebrate the volunteers who make Madison a great place to live, work and play is fast approaching. Finalists for Community Volunteer of the Year, Youth Volunteer of the Year, and Philanthropic Business of the Year were announced this week.
The finalists for the top category, Madison Visionary of the Year, will be announced at the event luncheon.
The luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. on March 30 at the SportsMed Club at Toyota Stadium. Tickets are on sale and limited sponsorships are available until March 15.
“One of the elements of Madison’s success is its people and MVP thought it fitting to honor the volunteers who work every day to build community in our city,” said Melanie Thornton, Executive Director of MVP. “We have many people doing good and most often, they are the ones working behind the scenes. What better way to bring them in the spotlight than through these awards?”
Finalists for Youth Volunteer of the Year include Olivia Downs, Senior at James Clemens High School; Emilie Tesseneer, Freshman at Bob Jones High School, and Rian Edwards, Junior at Bob Jones High School.
Finalists for Community Volunteer of the Year includes Sandy Weisner, founder and director of the Madison City Community Orchestra; Elizabeth Servidio, volunteer at the Madison Senior Center, and Crystal McBrayer, President of the Madison Street Festival.
Finalists for Philanthropic Business of the Year include Redstone
Federal Credit Union, Signalink and Apparel Lab.
Finalists are featured in the March edition of Madison Living Magazine. You can find it in businesses throughout Madison or online at www.madisonlivingmagazine.com.
“We had such a wonderful response from the community during the nomination process. We have a great group of volunteers and businesses who will be highlighted for their work in Madison,” said Thorn-
ton.
These awards highlight a key element in MVP’s mission as Madison’s community nonprofit. In addition to fundraising for large projects, MVP is also working on building a community of volunteers who want to bring small projects, events and programs to Madison.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit mvpmadison. org. Tickets will be on sale until March 15.
The Town of Triana honored its first mayor after rejuvenation in 1964 on Saturday. Town officials and family members gathered to dedicate the town’s gymnasium in his memory.
By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com
TRIANA – Town Council members in Triana are reviewing an important document that substantiates the town’s growth and the progress in satisfying goals of the 2017 Comprehensive Plan.
“The bottom line, up front . . . Triana has made great progress towards meeting our Comprehensive Plan goals,” Triana Mayor Mary E. Caudle.
In 2016, leaders used community surveys to draft the plan. Focus groups convened at Triana Public Library and Triana Town Hall. The Top of Alabama Regional Council of Governments or TARCOG assisted the process.
Needed improvements existed for retail growth, first-responder staffing, housing diversity and internet coverage. Construction was needed for a new
administration building, a second storm shelter and a pavilion at boat launch. The existing municipal building needed renovation. In economic development, staff should create a guidebook. According to the plan, Triana needed support for community services, maintenance, repairs, improvements and growth. The existing relationship with Madison City Schools and PTA should strengthen.
Citizens want the town to reinstate an independent water system. Boosts in recreation will originate with the Tennessee River, trails, fishing and pavilion events.
In 2017, Triana had two police officers and two 10-year-old cars. Currently, Triana has three officers and two vacancies in the department with a fleet of three late-model
See TRIANA Page 7B
MADISON – The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said last week that a Madison Police office has been charged with sexual misconduct in connection with an incident that happened last November.
According to press release from sheriff’s office, they were contacted by Madison Police about an incident involving officer Kevin O. Walter, 35. “Madison Police asked the MCSO to conduct the investigation because it involved
Officer Kevin Walteran off-duty employee,” the sheriff’s office stated. “After the investigation was complete, Madison County Sheriffs investigators forwarded the case to the Madison County District Attorney’s Office for fur-
ther review.”
The case was recently presented to a Madison County Grand Jury and a sexual misconduct warrant was issued.
According to WAFF 48, court documents reveal that Walter and the victim knew each other and allege that he engaged in intercourse with the victim while she was inebriated. Walter turned himself in on Feb. 8 and bounded out for $1,000. At this time Walter is on administrative leave and is scheduled to have a felon examination this morning.
By STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com
HUNTSVILLE — The Kids to Love Foundation has set the date for its annual Denim & Diamonds fundraiser, the premier fundraising event for its Davidson Farms home for girls and the Whitaker Cottage Community.
This year’s Denim & Diamonds, presented by Twickenham Advisors, will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at The Jackson Center, located at 6001 Moquin Drive NW in Huntsville.
Country music star Collin Raye will be this year’s headline artist. Raye has had 21 country songs chart in the Top 10 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country chart during his career. Several were number one hits, including “Love, Me,” “I Can Still Feel You,” and “My Kind of
Girl.” Raye’s most recent album, “Scars,” came out in 2020.
“This is a night to celebrate the girls of Davidson Farms and the Whitaker Cottage Community, what they’ve accomplished and how their lives are changing with the support they’re getting from Kids to Love’s team of experienced mentors,” said Kids to Love Founder and CEO Lee Marshall.
“Davidson Farms is about Hope, Heal, and Home, and we can’t wait to tell our guests how that’s happening there every day.”
In addition to Collin Raye, the evening also will feature an auction and hors d’oeuvres.
Davidson Farms, the foundation’s home for tween and teenage girls located near Ardmore, Ala., was established in 2017. It is a state-licensed home, but is not run with any state funding — all fund-
ing to meet the needs of the girls who live there comes from private donations.
Davidson Farms also is home to the Whitaker Cottage Community, which provides homes for girls who age out of the foster care system. Opened in September 2022, the cottages allow the young women to begin a life of independence while they continue their education or begin a career, all with the aid of Kids to Love’s mentors.
Davidson Farms is named in honor of the late Dr. Dorothy Davidson, whose generosity allowed Kids to Love to buy the property. You can read more about Davidson Farms and how to purchase tickets to the event at kidstolove.org.
The Kids to Love Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to meeting the immediate needs of foster children.
By STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com
MADISON – The newest barbecue festival in the Tennessee Valley is coming to Toyota Field, with the debut of the Smoke In The Outfield BBQ Festival at the home of the Rocket City Trash Pandas from Aug. 4-5.
Team registration is on sale now for amateur cook teams interested in participating. Teams can sign up for the Kansas City Barbecue Society sanctioned competitions HERE, at a cost of $150 per team. Tickets for the general public will go on sale on March 1.
The festival will bring amateur cook teams from across the region to North Alabama, with competitions taking place in a variety of categories including chicken, ribs, and pork. The event kicks off with the VIP Opening Night Celebration on Friday, August 4 at 5:30 p.m., with introductions of the cook teams and their specialties as they prepare the next day’s competitions.
Free live entertainment including a live band, face painting, balloon animals, outdoor games, and a mechanical bull will be on hand for attendees. Food and beverages will be available for purchase, including pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked turkey, and specialty drinks.
On Saturday, August 5, the festival will be from 12-5 p.m. with more live entertainment, games on the con-
course, local vendors on hand, and of course, the barbecue stations where guests can sample and/or purchase their favorite foods.
All competitions will take place on Saturday, with the awards presentation set for Saturday afternoon. Guests can arrive to watch judges begin critiquing the competitors’ food beginning at 12 with the judging of chicken, then ribs at 12:30, and finally pork at 1 p.m. People’s Choice sampling will begin at 1:30 p.m. for guests that have purchased special sampling tickets.
The first-place overall winner will receive a guaranteed $1,500 cash prize. Second place will receive $1,000. Cash prizes will be presented for the top three winners in each of the specific categories as well. All cook teams will need to provide their
own electricity, water will be available for use.
The Kansas City Barbecue Society is the number one organization of grilling and live-fire smoking enthusiasts globally. It is also the top sanctioning body for barbecue food sports. Throughout the two-day festival, guests will be able to learn more about the sport of barbecuing and the techniques used by the professionals.
Smoke In The Outfield will be one of the Trash Pandas’ signature events for 2023, with other events including the Beer & Wine Festival on June 17, Casino Night on the Concourse on July 15, and Fall Festival on October 28.
More information on this event will be released in the coming weeks and months.
Held at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, the 2023 All Girls State Chess Championship set an attendance record with 66 participants. Photo by Scott Wilhelm
HUNTSVILLE –
In its sixth year, the All Girls State Chess Championship experienced another record-setting attendance when it convened at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.
The 2023 event set an attendance record with 66 participants, who competed in HudsonAlpha’s impressive library and auditorium.
“It was so appropriate to hold this event at HudsonAlpha where STEM skills and innovation are on full display. Girls who play chess are analytic problem-solvers, and we wanted them to see where these skills can be utilized in the future,” Ranae Bartlett said. Bartlett is President of Madison City Chess League or MCCL.
State Sen. Arthur Orr sponsored the tournament.
“We were excited to see girls representing Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering, Academy for Science and Foreign Language or ASFL, Altamont, Auburn High School, Baldwin Arts and Academic Magnet, Bob Jones High School, Brocks Gap Intermediate School, Columbia Elementary School, Discovery Middle School, Heritage Elementary School, Hilltop Montessori, Horizon Elementary School, Lee Scott Academy - Auburn, James Clemens High School, Liberty Middle School, Madison Elementary School, Midtown Elementary School, Mill Creek Elementary
School, Rainbow Elementary School and the home school community,” Bartlett said.
“Thank you to all the families who support their girls playing chess, and thank you to all our coaches and teacher chess club sponsors who help grow this game!” Bartlett said.
In the championship, the top five scores in each section earned individual awards. The top three teams in each section received team awards.
The following results for the championship start with first place and continue in descending order:
* K-12 Section individuals -- Sarah Peter, Nirvana Rajbhandari, Emily Jiang, Oviya Gowder, Advitya Kana and Nora Farris (tied for fifth).
* K-12 Section teams -Bob Jones, James Clemens and Discovery.
* K-6 Section individuals -- Kylie Zou, Sophia Jerez, Moranu Adedoyin, Esinam Tettey and Luna Qu.
* K-6 Section teams –Discovery, Rainbow Elementary School and Columbia.
* K-3 Section individuals – Alice Zou, Avyaktha Subramania, Annabelle Hsu, Summer Seewald and Udara Sarathchandra.
All competitors received an All Girls State shirt.
“Many thanks to Nadia Sosonkina who took our awards photos and to Huntsville City Council President John Meredith who helped hand out awards,” Bartlett said.
MCCL’s mailing address is P.O. Box 843, Madison, AL 35758. For more information, visit madisonchess.com.
MADISON — The Kids to Love Foundation broke ground Monday on the Smith Family Wellness Center, in honor of Mark C. Smith — another step forward in the foundation’s mission to meet the needs of children living in foster care.
MADISON – The Say Watt!?! team from Madison captured the state championship in the Alabama FIRST LEGO League - Challenge Superpowered State Competition. The win qualified them to compete at nationals in June.
FIRST represents “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology,” a not-for-profit international organization that promotes STEM to youth.
Fort Payne High School hosted the event on Feb. 18. Twenty-four teams competed from across Alabama and advanced to the state competition after participating at one of four qualifiers.
Say Watt!?! formed in August 2022, registered (at firstinspires.org), and ordered required supplies. Say Watt!?! members meet weekly, sometimes twice.
“This year’s FIRST LEGO League theme was ‘Superpowered.’ We went through the energy journey from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” spokesperson Stephanie Cook said. Cooks work as Counselor at Madison Elementary School.
“The LEGO League - Challenge is essentially a two-part program: in-
novation project and robot game. We had to create an energy-related innovation project and present it to people in the industry. Our idea was to help solve wasted energy that ‘vampire’ appliances use,” Cook said.
For the robot project, the team completed the engineering design process by developing a mission strategy, designing both mechanical and software solutions, testing and iterating the solution to build in reliability.
Say Watt!?! members are Tyler Pych and Rhylan Holcombe, fourth-graders at Columbia Elementary School; sixth-graders
Cathy Liao and Charli Cook and seventh-grader Trenton Holcombe at Discovery Middle School; and Maddox Acker, sixth-grader at Liberty Middle School.
The team worked with several professionals throughout Madison and Huntsville while developing their innovation project. The students met with industrial electricians, electrical and software engineers, program managers and Tennessee Valley Authority.
Say Watt!?! then developed an entertaining skit for their project presentation to competition judges. “We also developed two other presentations to showcase our robot’s engi-
Continued from page 1A
ilies know where they are zoned.”
“As with our former rezones, we always strive to keep our schools representative of our diverse community,” White said. “MCS has always created school populations at each school with similar socio-economic ratios.”
“Rising seventh- and eighth-grade students may complete a transfer request to remain at their currently zoned middle school for their seventh- and eighthgrade year,” White said. Parents must provide transportation if the student requests the current zone.
Journey’s administrators are Dr. Treva Stewart, Principal; Gerald Franks, Assistant Principal and Athletic Director; and Tabitha Odom, Assistant Principal. Journey’s address is 217 Celtic Drive, just south of MCS’ Central Office and MCS Stadium.
The following subdivisions are rezoned from Discovery to Journey: Bridgemill in Triana; Brookfield Manor in Triana; Draper Drive in Triana; Palmer House in Town Madison; Savannah Grove Terrace in Triana; Fearn Drive in Triana; Brentwood; Brookhaven; Cambridge Woods; Clift Acres; Colonial Grand; Edgewater (streets zoned for Madison City Schools); Hughes Heights; Kingstowne; Lakeshore;
neering design process and (steps) to achieve FIRST core values of Fun, Teamwork, Innovation, Inclusion, Impact and Discovery,” Cook said.
All those components make a team stand out. At competition, spectators see the robot game, but Say Watt!?! had to pre-program their robot to function autonomously for game points. Each team received three different chances; only the highest score counts.
Initially, the team wasn’t happy because their robot didn’t perform to expectations. “We regrouped and discussed what went wrong. We kept our heads high. For the second run, we scored the best score to-date with a strong 365-point showing . . . the highest score for the 2022-2023 season,” Cook said.
“We all celebrated by giving highfives and enjoying well deserved snacks,” she said. “The awards ceremony was stressful because they hold the top three finishers until the end. We didn’t know how the judging events went. The stress and anticipation were almost overwhelming.”
“Our team was called for finalist. Finally, they announced the champion as ‘Say Watt,’” Cook said. “What’s most impressive of our team’s accomplishment is that five of six
Landess Circle in Triana; Malvern Hill in Triana; Mountain Brook; Nolandale; Novare in Town Madison; Old Ivy; River’s Landing in Triana; Shelton Station; Southern Landing in Triana; Stavemill Estates; Stratford Square Estates; The Crossings at Rivers Landing in Triana; The Heights in Town Madison; The Station in Town Madison; Westgate; Willow Creek; and Windstone.
The following neighborhoods formerly attended Liberty but now will attend Journey: 3 Park Preserve; Ashbury; Autumn Oaks; Brentwood Manor; Brighton Park at Ashbury; Cedar Springs Station; Centennial Oak; Dublin Farms; Fieldcrest; Garner Housing Authority; Gin Oaks; Governors Estates; Greenbrier Hills; Hardiman Place; Historical Madison; Home Place; Madison Meadows; Madison Pointe; Madison Station Apartments; Madison Trace; Maplewood Estates; Meadow View l; Meadowlark; Millstone; Milltowne Townhomes; Morningside Moore; Oxford; Palmer Preserve; Railroad Ridge Road; Shiloh Creek; Somerset Apartments; Stone Brook; Taylor’s Crossing; Whisperwood Estates; and Will Halsey.
For more information, email zoning@ madisoncity.k12.al.us.
The new Center is located at the current Kids to Love Center, at 140 Castle Drive in Madison. It will house therapy rooms and offices for the Grant Hill Trauma Team. The new facility was made possible by a generous donation from Linda Smith.
“This new facility will fill a critical need in the foster care community,” said Kids to Love Founder and CEO Lee Marshall.
“Every single child in foster care has experienced trauma in some form. That trauma needs healing, and we know that trauma can be treated. Our team is ready to meet that need and get these children the help they need to live healthy lives.”
The Mental Wellness Center’s aim is to change
the trajectory of children’s lives by dealing head-on with the trauma of abuse, neglect and abandonment.
The Grant Hill Trauma Team, including Kids to Love’s clinical director and team of therapists, will offer a new approach with Instinctual Trauma Response treatments. This ITR treatment will determine the level of trauma a child has experienced and address the trauma they’ve experienced in order to improve their cognitive and behavioral health — areas where most children in care struggle. ITR treatment reduces or eliminates troubling symptoms caused by any trauma, including in-utero or pre-verbal trauma.
Children living in foster care have a number of mental and behavioral health needs and currently in Alabama, there are significant delays in getting them support. That support is causing harm; their foster family placements get disrupted, they end up in situations where they’re moved to more restrictive levels of care or institutionalized, and
The Issue
As the remembrances of former President Jimmy Carter pour in, we deal with many of the same problems he did that ultimately cost him the presidency.
The news that former President Jimmy Carter has entered hospice care has triggered a flurry of remembrances and reassessments of not only his presidency but his post-presidency as well. Few former presidents — John Quincy Adams comes to mind — are more notable for their actions after leaving office than during it. But Carter is one of them.
As president, Carter struggled to deal with one issue that probably, more than any other, contributed to his reelection loss in 1980: inflation.
It took drastic action by then Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volker to tame the inflation of the 1970s and early ‘80s. That drastic action led to a recession, but it succeeded in bringing inflation under control. When Volcker stepped down in 1987, inflation had fallen to 3.4% from its peak of 9.8% in 1981.
With that experience under its belt, the Federal Reserve has made price stability — that is, controlling inflation — its primary goal, at least until recently. The lesson of the 1970s was that inflation, once underway, is hard and painful to tame. So, it’s best not to let it get going in the first place.
Like his predecessor Gerald Ford, who infamously tried to fight inflation by getting people to wear “Whip Inflation
Now,” or “WIN” buttons, Carter approached his inflation crisis (and energy crisis, and so on) as if it were simply a bad mood that needed to be turned around rather than a crisis with real underlying economic causes.
On July 15, 1979, Carter gave his “Crisis of Confidence” speech. But history remembers it better as the “Malaise speech,” al-
though Carter never used the word.
“It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will,” Carter said. “We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation.
“The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America.”
There was a lot of wisdom in that speech, but it didn’t work in Carter’s favor. Ronald Reagan used it against him, asking Americans if they were better off than they were four years earlier. And when Reagan ran for reelection in 1984, he asked Americans that question again and defeated Carter’s former vice president in a landslide. It was “morning in America.”
But as Carter learned, correctly diagnosing a mood isn’t the same as solving the underlying causes.
That is why the news Friday that inflation is again surging is especially worrisome.
Consumer prices — the Fed’s preferred inflation measure — rose 0.6% from December to January, a sharp acceleration from the 0.2% increase from November to December. Yearover-year, prices rose 5.4% in January, up from 5.3% in December.
The inflation news made an already bad week on Wall Street even worse, and talk of the Fed engineering a soft landing — getting inflation under control without triggering a recession — grew more faint. A new research paper produced by what The Associated Press calls “a group of leading economists” casts doubt on avoiding a recession.
“The researchers reviewed 16 episodes since 1950 when a central bank like the Fed raised the cost of borrowing to fight inflation, in the United States,
By MARIA RAKOCZY news@themadisonrecord.com
HUNTSVILLE – The Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce hosted a Washington Update last week where Alabama senior Senator Tommy Tuberville informed the North Alabama community of his efforts and plans to prioritize national security and agriculture in the 118th session of Congress
Tuberville is a member of the Armed Services committee, on which, he is contributing to the National Defense Authorization Act that will supply critical fund-
ing to military projects in an effort to bolster the country’s military capabilities against China. According to Tuberville, the nation is seven years behind in military development, but this bill will allow places like Redstone Arsenal to continue the crucial work it performs on an increased scale.
The senator’s recent visit with world leaders in Munich, Germany opened his eyes to the severity of the situation in Ukraine and the imperative for the United States to increase its military strength. He is working hard to move Space Command beyond politics and make it a reality for Redstone Ar-
senal.
He applauded Huntsville for already contributing invaluably to national security and urged Huntsville to maintain its level of excellence, “Thanks for what you do. Keep working hard. Keep inventing things. Keep doing the things that make us stronger, give our war fighters the opportunity to deter what possibly could around the world in the very near future.”
Tuberville has already successfully passed two bills benefitting the military and veterans as a member of the Armed Services
STORYTELLER Games we played (I am surprised we made it through childhood)
By BRUCE WALKER Columnist
Grandpa had a prized brahma bull named “Big Bill”, he weighed 1500lbs and strutted his stuff all around that 40-acre pasture, puffs of steam came snorting from his nostrils like a freight train. If you stepped into his domain, Big Bill would glare, snort and stamp his massive hoofs sending grass, dirt and rocks into the air.
10-year-old brains are not quite developed as they should be and we thought it would be great fun to corral Big Bill in the feed lot. We waited until he was near the wood rail fence and one of us would slide under it and grab his long, thick tail. Immediately he would go into a rage, going round and round with one of us hanging on for dear life. Big Bill would whirl, and the momentum of his anger would send
lot. One of our “city” cousins was spending the summer with us, he was from California, 8 years old, 60 lbs., wearing thick, black horned rim glasses. Petey decided to go out in Big Bill’s pasture, Nooo!
MADISON – For the spring musical, James Clemens Theatre will present a hilarious study in satire, “UrinetownThe Musical.”
After seeing “Urinetown” on Broadway in 2002, teacher Amy Patel performed in Huntsville’s 2009 production. “Last year, Huntsville High School did a one-act version of ‘Urinetown.’ My students went crazy over it,” Patel said. “I knew this was the perfect year (for) the show.”
Among the show’s qualities are its comedic script; a good blend of male/female roles; ambitious music; and a challenge to both actors and technicians.
The premise of “UrinetownThe Musical” originated when the composer visited Paris and was surprised at the number of pay-for bathrooms. “The com-
poser imagines ‘Urinetown,’ a town where people are forced to use public pay toilets. Corrupt lawmakers and greedy corporations take advantage of regular people who simply want to use the bathroom,” Patel said.
“The satire makes fun of politicians, government, musical theater . . . even its own title,” she said. The main character Bobby Strong falls in love with Hope Cladwell. Bobby is unaware her father is president of Urine Good Company, the water utility. “Already you can tell it’s a little ridiculous.”
Urinetown’s ensemble-based cast includes Joey Crider (Officer Lockstock); Michaela Raye Robinson (Little Sally); Carly Parker (Ms. Pennywise); Adam McDougal (Bobby Strong); Grace Hur (Hope Cladwell); and Alex McDaniel (Caldwell B. Cladwell).
Along with Patel as Artis-
tic Director, the staff includes Harris Gessner, Music Director; Newt Johnson, Assistant Music Director; Clint Merritt, Technical Director; Autumn Tolbert,
HUNTSVILLE – Art and nature will merge into one unforgettable experience at Huntsville Botanical Garden (HBG) March 3 when the ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN exhibition opens to the public.
Created by Santa Fe artists Jennifer and Kevin Box and presented by PNC Bank, 18 pieces from the collection of larger-than-life sculptures inspired by the ancient Japanese art of origami will temporarily call the Garden ‘home’ through the end of August.
Box has taken origami, which literally means ‘folding paper,’ in
a new direction. After years of experimentation, he developed a technique that led to several successful castings of paper into bronze.
“This exhibit is a perfect fit for Huntsville Botanical Garden,” said HBG Chief Executive Officer Sue Wagner. “Paper is made from plants, origami is made from paper, and the origami sculptures that will be displayed in the Garden reflect elements of the natural world.
It’s a beautiful melding of subject and setting.”
Along with wife and co-creator, Jennifer, Box collaborated with world-renowned origami masters Te Jui Fu, Robert J. Lang, Beth
By STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com
MADISON – The Blast Off Book Festival is returning to Madison Public Library with a “New York Times” Best Selling Author whose plots and characters intrigue children.
Jennifer L. Holm will be the event’s special guest. During her presentation, Holm will discuss her two graphic novels, “Babymouse” and “Squish.” Participants in the festival can learn about the process of writing books and graphic novels.
Holm is the recipient of three Newbery Honors awards and collaborates on the Eisner Award-winning “Babymouse” series with her brother, Matthew Holm. “Babymouse” has more than 3.4 million books in print.
By STAFF REPORTSHer novels include
“Our Only May Amelia,”
“Penny From Heaven,”
“Turtle in Paradise” and a Scott O’Dell Award for her novel, “Full of Beans.” Her best-selling series, “Squish,” now is streaming as an animated television series on HBO MAX.
For the Blast Off Book Festival on March 2, doors
at Madison Public Library will open at 5:45 p.m. The session will start at 6 p.m. and close around 7:45 p.m.
The “Babymouse” series has 13 volumes. The books enter the imaginative life of Babymouse, a sassy young mouse who dreams of glamour, excitement, adventure, straight whiskers and reigning as queen of the world, according to Amazon (amazon.com). Babymouse’s ultimate dream is to receive an invitation to the ‘oh-so-exclusive’ party that socialite Felicia Furrypaws is conducting.
The comedy “Squish” looks at the ventures of an amoeba who wears a ball cap. Squish acts like all the typical youth in middle school. Squish’s hometown of Small Pond looks suspiciously like real life
news@themadisonrecord.com
MADISON - The Madison Newcomers & Neighbors club will meet Thursday, March 9, at the Hogan family YMCA 130 (Park Square Lane in Madison). Social time begins at 9:30 a.m. and
the program promptly at 10:00 a.m. History Facts of Madison will be presented by Cindi Sanderson, who has a strong belief in preserving the past and educating others. She currently serves as chairperson of the Madison Station Historic Preservation Com-
mission.
All current residents, newcomers and friends are always welcome to attend. A variety of educational programs and various social activities are offered each month.
For further information contact Martha Heard (256)772-9721.
Sunday FUNDAY Monday STEAK NIGHT $11.50
Tuesday K AR AOKE
VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR UPCOMING EVENTS
Preserving history will be the topic of the next Madison
Sparkman Continued from page 1A
If Sparkman were to get past Foley, the Lady Senators’ State Final opponent would be the winner of other State Semi-Final game on March 2 at 9 a.m.
with tidy streets, schools and homes.
However, Small Pond is inhabited solely by single-celled creatures with a few quirks. And the bacteria constantly make a mess of everything.
Founded in 1818, the Huntsville-Madison
between Prattville and Hoover.
There was a scenario where Sparkman could have faced Bob Jones for the state championship, but the Lady Patriots fell to Hoover 48-35 on Feb. 21 in the Northwest Regional Final.
members have never competed at FIRST. We’re essentially a rookie team.”
Continued from page 5A with Sparkman for a trip to the State Final on Saturday, March 4 at 4 p.m. at the Birmingham BJCC.
Coaches for Say Watt!?! were John Holcombe, Organizer/Lead; Brianne Holcombe, Innovation Project/Presentation; and Justin Cook, Robot
Game. Say Watt!?! is not a school team. As a community team, members attend different schools and organized as friends.
As overall state champion, Say Watt!?! had first choice for an invi-
Continued from page 7A
and Spencer Black, Student Technical Director.
tational meet. They chose Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts on June 9-11. “Say Watt!?! was 100-percent self-funded throughout the season but recently started fundraising to help ensure the team can attend the event,” Cook said.
and boxes that people normally would discard.
County Public Library is the oldest public library system in Alabama. The system has 10 branches, along with a BookMobile and Outreach services, and serves all of Madison County.
For more information, visit hmcpl.org/blastoff.
To advertise in The Madison Record, call Donna Counts at 256-714-7152
In the show’s music, “Run, Freedom, Run” is an upbeat anthem with gospel vibes as Bobby rallies people in freedom fighting. “A Privilege to Pee” allows Penny Pennywise to defend her public amenity, frequented by poor people in town.
sound, costumes -- all the things that take a show from good to great . . . from great to fantastic,” Patel said.
Continued from page 7A Exhibit Continued from page 7A
James Clemens Theatre thanks its sponsors, including UAHuntsville, Joe the Pro, State Sen. Tom Butler and U.S. Congressman Dale Strong. “Musicals are very expensive productions. Without sponsors and ads sales, we would not have the funds to pay for royalties, musicians, meals at rehearsals, lighting,
“It’s funny when people scrunch up their noses when they hear the show’s title, but . . . it has to have a ridiculous title,” Patel said. “There’s really nothing inappropriate about it -- no foul language, no inappropriate subject matter, except ‘potty’ talk.”
Following tradition, students are adopting an outreach project with an organization promoting environmental sustainability. Set designers Carmen Cruz and Autumn Tolbert designed a set built of trash, including grocery sacks, paper towel tubes
Johnson and Michael LaFosse to create original designs that eventually became the huge statues made of museum-quality metals that will dot the landscape and adorn the atrium at the Garden.
“As a national main street bank, PNC strongly supports the communities where we live and work,” said Nick Willis, PNC regional president for Greater Alabama. “We are delighted to support this exhibit and the Gardens as they continue to inspire imagination and make a lasting impact on our Huntsville community.”
Sculptures in the exhibit include colossal butterflies, ponies, birds and more. The highlight of the show will be “Master Peace,” a 25-foot-tall sculpture of hundreds of origami peace cranes towering over the Aquatic Garden.
Box believes that seeing the sculptures amid the natural beauty found in botanical gardens makes it more of an
Showtimes for “Urinetown” are April 6 and 7 at 7 p.m.; April 8 at 2 and 7 p.m.; April 13 and 14 at 7 p.m.; and April 15 at 2 and 7 p.m. in James Clemens Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, military and senior citizens.
In addition, Madison’s middle and high schools can attend a school show on April 12 at 9 a.m. Teachers can email JamesClemensTheatre@ gmail.com for reservations for a class.
For more information, visit Facebook/James Clemens Theatre and Instagram.
immersive experience.
“I think that there’s nothing more enchanting than experiencing art in the outdoor environment,” Box reflected. “Botanical gardens are museums for plants. It’s just the perfect setting.”
ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN is included with regular admission to the Garden. To create a more complete experience, a free audio tour is available for guests to dial into and hear interpretation for each piece directly from the artist.
“We are so grateful for the support from PNC that helped bring this delightful yet sophisticated exhibit to our community,” said Wagner. “We feel confident that people who come see this exhibit will leave with a sense of inspiration.”
To learn more about ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN or other events, programs, classes and more at Huntsville Botanical Garden, visit hsvbg.org
By BOB LABBE bob@themadisonrecord.com
ORLANDO, FLA .- A year’s worth of hard work came down to just three minutes for the James Clemens competition cheer squad at the Universal Cheerleaders Association National Championships held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.
Utilizing what James Clemens head coach Hannah Stockman called, “a difficulty that sets us apart from all the others,” the Lady Jets won the Small Varsity Division I National Championship with their three-minute performance of perfection. Competing in the division comprised of 114 squads from across the country, the team with nine seniors
on board overcame a season of adversities, including numerous girls who took the top girl position due to injuries and changes within the squad lineup, and made their goal of doing their best. “They worked hard to move through the difficulties they had to face and having the nine seniors was a huge help for us,” added Stockman in
By BOB LABBE bob@themadisonrecord.com
HARVEST- While she preps this week for a run at the Class 7A girls’ basketball State Championship, Sparkman’s senior Kennedy Langham is reaping the benefits of a fantastic career with the Lady Senators. The 5-foot-9 team leader has been selected as one of 12 seniors from across the state for the 33rd annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Basketball Classic to be played March 11 at the Pete Mitchell Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile.
By CALEB ODOM caleb@themadisonrecord.com
MADISON --- It was the top of the seventh inning and all Smiths Station batter Jake Middleton could do was spike his bat toward the dugout and stomp away from the batter’s box after striking out looking.
Bob Jones pitcher Tanner Hermesch had a satisfied smirk on his face as he struck out three Panthers batters looking in the final inning to secure the 5-4 win for the Patriots on Saturday, Feb. 25.
“I was dialing up the fastballs,” Hermesch said.
“When they can’t hit it, they can’t hit it.”
The top of the seventh inning was just the final note to a game that had virtually everything in it, and when the last Smiths Station batter took
a called three strikes, it was Bob Jones who had bagged an important victory on a day that would feature two Patriot home wins.
“That win will pay off down the road because we know we
can answer back when we are down early and be able to come back,” Bob Jones head coach Jared Smith said.
The Panthers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first
Langham is among six selected for the 12-player squad to represent Alabama who are participating in the AHSAA State Basketball Championships this week in Birmingham. Sparkman (25-8) is set to face Foley (23-5) in one semi-final game at noon on Thursday, March 2. Hoover (34-1) will meet Prattville (24-4) in the earlier semi-final, which will tip-off at 9:00 a.m. Winners of each semi-final will advance to the State Championship Game scheduled for Saturday with tip-off at 4:00 p.m.
Sparkman advanced to the final four with a 55-44 victory over Hewitt-Trussville in the Regional Tournament.
“I’m really excited about being chosen for the game and considered to be one of the best in state,” said Langham. “Many of the girls on the squad I have played with during AAU games and that should be great.”
Langham has played for the Alabama Southern Stars AAU team and has helped the team to the nationals the last three years.
Langham was a second-team
HARVEST - The post-season honors continue to pour in for the Sparkman High bowling program as 11 members of its team were named as part of the All-County Teams. The selections come on the heels of the Sparkman boys winning the Class 6-7A AHSAA State Championship and the Lady Senators finishing runner-up.
“Their efforts were a total team effort through the North Regionals and State Tournament,” said Lisa Ivey head coach of the Sparkman program. “The boys fought hard with high concentration levels in the State Finals where they defeated Spain Park. The girls didn’t bowl their best, but were still in the hunt tied 2-2 in the finals against American Christian only to see American Christian win the final two games for the state title.”
The All-County Teams were selected by coaches’ nominations. As expected, Sparkman had the most bowlers selected among the elite group, while Bob Jones and James Clemens had four student-athletes each chosen for the listings.
The All-County Teams includ-
Sparkman High bowling team members who were selected among the All-County Team for the 2022-2023 season display their certificates for the end-of-season honor. The Sparkman boys won the AHSAA State Championship, while the Sparkman girls were runner-up. Photo by Lisa Ivey, Sparkman High School
ed First Team: Boys- Dalton Tolgo, Sparkman, (188.7 avg.), Alfonso Carrington III, Sparkman (202.0), Joshua Norris, Bob Jones, Aidan Wells, James Clemens; Girls- Angela Webber, Sparkman (190.4), Jenna Webber, Sparkman (176.7), Natalie Alsup, Sparkman (169.3), Rebekah Wagner, James Clemens. Second Team: Boys- Zacary Swaim, Sparkman (195.9), Dalton Robin-
son, Sparkman (188.7), Justin Fuller, James Clemens, Brian Millin, Bob Jones; Girls- Taylor Enfinger, Sparkman (155.6), Maddie Blevins, Sparkman (152.1), Julia Sloan, James Clemens. Honorable Mention: Boys- Rory Donnelly, Sparkman (183.9), Ayden McArthur, Sparkman (171.5), Parker Cushing, Bob Jones; Girls- Kylee Christler, Bob Jones.
By STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com
HUNTSVILLE - The University of Alabama in Huntsville men’s basketball team has earned the 2022-23 Gulf South Conference Regular Season Championship in its 93-81 victory over visiting Valdosta State on Saturday afternoon at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall. UAH improves to 24-6 (19-5 GSC), while VSU slides to 18-12 (14-10 GSC).
The Chargers started action in the 2023 GSC Men’s Basketball Championships as the No. 1 seed with a First Round matchup against eighth-seeded Mississippi College at Kelly Court at Spragins Hall on Tuesday. You can find updates at www.themadisonrecord.com.
Sophomore Luke Burnett guided the Chargers offense in the victory with a team-high 25 points, as he went 9-for-15 from the field and 7-of-11 on three-pointers. He has eclipsed 20 points in a game seven
Langham
times this season.
Burnett was joined in double-figures by Max Shulman with 15 points, followed by Chaney Johnson and Jack Kostel with 12 points apiece. Shulman nearly achieved a double-double with nine assists in the game to go along with his 15 points.
Johnson additionally led the Chargers on the boards with eight rebounds, while Kostel added six assists. Dane Harding rated second
Continued from page 1B
All-State selection last year as a junior. She signed with Samford University where she looks to study exercise science and carries a 3.4 grade point average. Prior to her senior season she played in the North-South All-Star Week basketball game scoring four points in her 12-minutes of playing time coming off the bench in the game the North won 75-52.
In last year’s Classic, Alabama defeated Mississippi 89-81 to extend its series lead to 18-14. The Alabama
Baseball
teams in both girls and boys, were selected by the AHSADCA All-Star Selection Committee.
Jarvis Wilson, head coach of Sparkman, looked to Langham to be a team leader during this year’s campaign as the shooting guard is a four-year starter for the Lady Senators. She averaged 16-points per game and is regarded as one of the favorites to be chosen Ms. Basketball in Class 7A at the completion of the current season.
“Our big win over Hewitt-Truss-
Continued from page 1B
inning when Patriots starting pitcher Braden Booth began to struggle.
“I just lost feel for my fastball,” Booth said.
“I felt like I was getting a little bit pushy with my action, but after that I just got fluid with it and just tried to fill it up as much as I can.”
Before Booth was moved to shortstop in the same inning, he had recorded a pair of strikeouts but had also given up two doubles and three walks.
The Patriots turned to Nathan Mayfield to get the last out of the opening inning to keep the score at 3-0 Panthers. Booth returned to mound in the next inning, and he had his confidence back.
Meanwhile, the Bob Jones bats got to work on mounting a comeback in the bottom of the first with an RBI single by Zack Johnson that made it 3-1 Smiths Station.
Panthers’ lead was trimmed further in the bottom of the second inning to 3-2 thanks to CJ Bush’s walk coming all the way around to score.
Bob Jones knotted the game up at 3-3 in the third when Sam Mitchell’s double plated Booth who had reached on a throwing error by the third baseman.
The bottom of the third also could have haunted the Patriots as they had the bases loaded with one out and Smiths Station right fielder Jarrett Bonniot twisted around to make an important final out that kept the game deadlocked.
Right on cue, the Panthers retook
the lead 4-3 in the top of the fourth when Jason Tharpe’s walk scored on a throwing error.
But Bob Jones could not be denied in this game as the Patriots promptly answered in the bottom of the fourth in the form of Sam Mitchell coming up clutch with an echoing home run to right center.
“My thought process was trying to help the team out at that point,” Mitchell said.
“I think some of the guys look at me as a leader, so I was just trying to set an example. Saw the ball, hit the ball man.”
The baseball cut through the silvery sky toward the construction area at Bob Jones’ campus and over the fence.
Mitchell rounded the bases full of emotion as his team cheered him on from the dugout and foul territory.
The Bob Jones designated hitter gave home plate an emphatic stomp as he yelled at his team who preceded to beat on him in jubilation.
The stage was set in the bottom of the sixth inning when Booth came through with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give Bob Jones the 5-4 lead for good.
“I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball,” Booth said.
“Get it in the outfield. Only one out so pretty much any ball hit into the outfield can score a run.”
Bob Jones offensively unloads on Hazel Green in Game 2
The Patriots kept the momentum going in the second game of a
on the team with seven assists in addition to notching nine points and three rebounds.
UAH shot 54.8 percent from the field (34-62) and 45.2 percent on three-pointers (14-31), as the squad held the edge over VSU in bench points (35-25) and points in the paint (38-30).
This is the first time the Chargers have earned a GSC Regular Season Championship since the 2015-16 campaign.
ville gave us lots of confidence and if we can keep our defensive pressure on Foley we should play well,” added Langham. “We’re using the talents on our team we already knew we had and we plan on showing everyone else. We have confidence.”
As for the All-Star Game near the Gulf of Mexico in the Gateway to the Gulf, Langham added, “It will be a great experience as to have my family and friends there to watch will be a great time.”
Saturday doubleheader with a 10-6 defeat of Hazel Green in the cold driving rain.
The Bob Jones bats went off as both Sam Mitchell and Braden Booth had home runs against the Trojans.
Patriot starting pitcher Ben Arn gave his team five solid innings with eight strikeouts and three walks while allowing five hits and three runs.
Bob Jones took the 1-0 lead in the second when Mitchell went deep with a solo shot to left.
Hazel Green answered with a 2-run jack by Blake Hall in the top of the third.
After retaking the lead 4-2 with small ball in the bottom of the third, the Patriots expanded their advantage to 6-2 thanks to Booth’s 2-run homer over the fence in left in the fourth inning.
A 4-run bottom of the sixth inning by Bob Jones that was fueled by Mitchell’s 3-run base-clearing double essentially put the game away for the Patriots as the rain continued to fall.
Jets’ davenport throws no-hitter
On Friday, Feb. 24 in Madison, James Clemens baseball held Smiths Station hitless when Luke Davenport tossed a 7-inning gem that included 17 strikeouts and just three walks.
The Jets scored a pair of runs in the first and third innings along with a five spot in the fifth for the 9-0 victory over the Panthers.
By CALEB ODOM caleb@themadisonrecord.com
MADISON --- The James Clemens boys soccer team battled the rain and Crossville on Friday, Feb. 24 and the Jets had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
It was a cold nasty night at Madison City Stadium as James Clemens welcomed the Crossville Lions to town and the Jets appeared to have 1-0 victory in their grasp, but a late yellow card and goal by Crossville dashed those hopes.
Even though the Lady Patriots didn’t make it to the state finals this year, they compiled an amazing season.
HANCEVILLE - The Northwest Regional Final was the final game for the Bob Jones Lady Patriots as they came up short to Hoover 4835 last Tuesday, Feb. 21 in at Wallace State.
The Lady Bucs’ Reniya Kelly tallied 18 points in the victory for Hoover who hit the ground running in this one.
It was 11-5 Hoover after a quarter of action.
The second quarter was more of the same for the Lady Patriots was they scored another five points before halftime to trail 25-10 at the midway point.
“Starting slow really falls on us,” Bob Jones head coach Jasmine Carr said.
“We didn’t get into our sets enough. We settled at times, gave up offensive rebounds as well as missed defensive assignments that we shouldn’t have.”
The Lady Patriots were led by the scoring of Zamrya Goode, who accounted for 11 points in the game.
“Zamyra brings so much high intensity to our team on both ends of the floor,” Carr said.
“I hate she got into foul trouble early in the first half, but she rebounded the ball well for us after halftime and also got to the free throw line by being aggressive offensively.”
Bob Jones made some adjustments at halftime like bringing more defensive pressure which helped the Lady Patriots close in
on Hoover a little better.
By the end of the third quarter, it was 34-21 Lady Bucs with time running out on the season for Bob Jones.
Something interesting that happened in this game was that Hoover scored 11 points in the first quarter and then 14 in the second period.
In the third and fourth quarters, the Lady Patriots had the same scoring sequence with 11 and then 14.
In the end, Hoover had the number that mattered though, with 48 total points to Bob Jones’ 35.
The Lady Bucs move on to the State Semi-Finals where they do battle with Prattville on Thursday, March 2 at 9:00 a.m. at Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham.
James Clemens’ lone goal was credited to Maxim Sadriyev after the ball ticked off of a Lion defender and passed the goalkeeper in the 30’ minute.
The Lions took advantage of a late yellow card in the 70’ minute when Cesar Franco of Crossville was taken down by Jets defender Jaxon Yamaguchi.
Franco had found a gap in the defense, and he was trying to sidle through the window in an attempt to tie the match up.
“We can’t give up a foul right there on top of the box,” James Clemens senior Luke Boseck said.
“We can’t blame it all on the one guy who fouled him, it was bad giveaways leading up to the play.”
The yellow card led to a Crossville free kick and it was Martin Negrete of the Lions who was given the task of kicking the ball around a wall of James Clemens players.
Negrete’s shot hooked around the defense and passed Jet goalkeeper Kanon Waite.
The matched was suddenly tied up with 10 minutes left to play and that was how it would end for James Clemens.
“I thought overall we did well,” Jets head coach Jared Keesee said.
“We are definitely a fast team and have to play fast, but on a wet turf field, the ball was skipping a lot. So we lost a lot of opportunities that way. But we had a lot of bad giveaways, that’s what led to us giving up that goal.”
COLUMBUS, Ga. - The No. 17 University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team won its ninth consecutive game on the final day of the NFCA Division II Leadoff Classic on Sunday afternoon by topping Le Moyne by a final score of 5-2. UAH improves to 14-3, while LEM slides to 2-5.
The Chargers came from behind to defeat the Dolphins, as UAH put together a four-run rally in the top of the fifth to take a 5-2 lead on the way to the nonconference victory on Sunday.
Jada Henderson led the UAH offense with three RBI and two base hits in four trips to the plate. She capped off the
Chargers four-run fifth with a two-RBI single to right, and she is now third on the UAH roster with 13 RBI this season.
Maddie Cartron drove in the go-ahead run to kick off the four-run rally with a two-RBI single to left that plated both Gracie Green and Lila Young. Catron’s now up to a team-high 23 RBI.
Grace O’Berry earned the win in relief to improve to 3-1 in 2023, after working the final 4.1 innings with zero runs allowed and three strikeouts. Her ERA drops to 0.38 this season over 18.1 innings.
UAH jumps back into Gulf South Conference playthis weekend at Montevallo with a single game Friday at 5 p.m. followed by a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.
By STAFF REPORTS news@themadisonrecord.com
HUNTSVILLE - Next
MADISON - The 2022-2023 youth basketball season in Madison was a perfect season for some and near-perfect for others. Seven of the eight divisions had teams post undefeated regular season campaigns with four of those squads racing through the post-season tournament with victories in the championship battle, thus completing a perfect season.
The 10-Boys Suns, 11-Girls Liberty, 14-Boys Sixers and 18-Boys Bulls all claimed division championships in both the regular season and tournament play to complete undefeated seasons while the 7-Boys Bulls, 8-Boys Bulls and 12-Boys Timberwolves posted 10-0 regular season marks before falling in the extra play. The 8-Girls Sky had one loss in the regular season (9-1) to win the schedule title and nailed down the championship trophy in the post-season tournament.
The program hosted by the Madison Recreation Dept. featured 69 teams spread out through the eight divisions of both boys and girls play. The season culminated with the post-season tournaments with finals held throughout the month of February. The championship games were completed as follows:
18U-Boys
The Bulls pulled off their perfect season with three wins in the tournament posting victories over the Cavs, Celtics and Raptors. In the finals against the Raptors (7-6), who were 5-5 during the regular season and came alive with wins over the Bucks, and Heat before facing the top-seeded Bulls, the Bulls came back in the second half after trailing 17-11 at halftime. Posting 15 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth stanza, the Bulls (13-0) captured the championship trophy with a 52-29 win.
The Bulls, led by coaches Cameron Benefield, Jeffrey Conway and Stuart Nelson, had two players score in double figures as Owen Lockette had 15, including 11 in the explosive second half, and Ben Conway as he scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half. For the Raptors, Michael Sieger led in scoring with 12 while Ram Gade had seven.
14U-Boys
The Sixers opened a seven-point lead after the first quarter and maintained the lead to a 43-33 victory over the Warriors (11-2) to post a perfect season. The Sixers (13-0) had three players finish the title game scoring in double figures. Those were Elijah Degante (13), Nicholas Koukos (12) and Reece Brazeal (12). For the Warriors, Joshua Wilhide was tops with 15 while Cal Duthu added eight. The Sixers were coached by Mark Brazeal and Thomas Koukos.
12U-Boys
The Timberwolves were one win away from a completed perfect season and a tournament championship, but a slow first half against the second-seeded Mavs, where the No. 1 seed T’Wolves scored just five points and fell behind by eight at halftime, put a sour end to what was a sweet season. The Mavs upset the Timberwolves 27-22 in the title game. The Mavs (11-2) had a well-rounded scoring barrage from the team as Liam Anderson was tops with eight and Samuel Cooke, Salomon Diaz and Mason McMahan each tallied six points. For the runner-up T’Wolves (12-1), Thomas Barbee was the leading scorer hitting for nine points and Sean Sieja added five.
11U-Girls
The Lady Liberty stood tall in the 11-Under girls’ division as the No.1 seed team rolled through to a 12-0 perfect season with a 26-23 defeat of the second seeded Fever. The Fever led by five at halftime but could
muster just 10 points in the second half while the Liberty scored 18 in the second half, including 13 in the fourth quarter, to squeeze out the three-point victory. Loraleigh Copeland led the Liberty with 10 points, six of which came in the fourth quarter, and Lanie Waddail added six points. For the Fever (10-3), Madison Godwin and Madelyn Spiliar scored six points each and Madeline Parker added five. The Liberty was coached by Dustin Copeland and Denny Langston.
10U-Boys
The James Gardner coached Suns capped off a perfect 13-0 season with their 36-26 victory over the Heat for the title championship. A 17-4 scoring advantage for the Suns in the third quarter erased any doubts of who the winner would be as Max Gardner of the Suns led all scorers with 18 points, 10 of which were posted in the third quarter alone. Brantley Phillips added 11 for the winning Suns. For the Heat (10-3), Makari Miller put on a show scoring 16 of the team’s 26 points.
8U-Girls
The one-loss Sky doubled up their opponent in the finals with a 25-12 defeat of the Lynx (8-4). A 10-nothing fourth quarter was the difference in the game for the No. 1 seed as Zyla Mitchell scored 12 points on
the game and Cybil Gebus put in 11. The Lynx was a one-girl show as Jersey McKinnon scored all 12 of the team’s points in the loss. The Sky (11-1) was coached by Brent Mikelson.
8U-Boys
In what was the game and certainly the fourth quarter of the post-season tournament, the second-seed Lakers outscored the top-seeded and undefeated Bulls 12-0 in the fourth quarter to complete a wonderous comeback and post a 22-21 victory for the championship trophy. Leading 21-10 going into the final stanza, the Bulls could not muster one single point while the Lakers took control with their dozen points. Brooks Vinson was the leading scorer for the Lakers (10-3) with five of his seven points coming in the fourth quarter. Dallas Miller added six points for the winners. The Bulls’ (12-1) Brody Duvall was the game’s top scorer with 16, but he was held to just two points in the second half.
7U-Boys
Camden Strode scored 10 of the Lakers’ 12 points, but it wasn’t enough to derail the Suns in the division final matchup. The Suns (11-2) defeated the fifth-seeded Lakers (8-5) 24-12 for the title. Kannon French was the Suns’ leading scorer as he poured in 13 on the game.
A lemur is a small primate which ranges in size from that of a cat to a squirrel. The lemur has a very small, natural habitat. They are found primarily on the Island of Madagascar and the four-island chain, the Comoros. These five islands off the coast of Africa are the only places that these animals are found in the wild, and they are now considered an endangered species. The lemur lives mainly in forestlands. People have destroyed much of their homes. Ring-tailed lemurs are the most well-known type of lemur. These animals have catlike ears, large yellow eyes, and long, striped tails of black and white. All other lemur species have solid tails. The lemur’s tail is often used to help the animal balance, but it is not used to climb or hang from trees. The tail is long in comparison to the animal’s body, usually several inches longer than the body itself, and it boasts thick, wooly fur. Some lemurs are active during the day and sleep in trees, as a group, at night. Other lemur species are nocturnal. Their diet consists of mainly fruits and leaves but also includes insects and very small vertebrates. At birth, they are carried on the mother’s belly and stay close to her for several weeks. Conservation groups are currently working with lemurs to help repopulate the species.
Using the numbers 1-6, complete the puzzle. You are to have one of each number (1-6) in each vertical and horizontal row, as well as only one of each of the numbers 1-6 in each of the six bold box areas.
Across Clues:
2. Color of a lemur’s eyes.
4. Endangered species from Madagascar.
6. Specific type of lemur with black and white tail.
8. Lemurs live in groups called what?
Down Clues:
1. Animal that sleeps during the day is what?
3. Chain of islands where lemurs live.
5. Lemurs eat fruits and what?
7. Lemur comes from Latin, meaning what?
5)Insects
Black, Comoros, Endangered, Forest, Ghost, Lemur, Madagascar, Nocturnal, Primate, Ring-tailed, Solid, Tail, White, Yellow Eyes
By BECKY MILLER God’s Lemonade Stand
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. - Romans 12:2 NLT
What does it mean to be worldly? Adopting too many of the customs of this present world thinking they really matter when they don’t. My recent wake-up call was my obsession with thinking everyone has a Super Bowl party when that is only media hype. You can be perfectly happy watching it alone without a house full of people.
Anyway, there are
We live in a fallen world full of sickness, loss, and brokenness. Life can be so very hard. As followers of Christ, we can be used as instruments of peace and comfort.
By DAWN REEDmany ways you can get too caught up in this culture forgetting as a follower you are not to adopt the customs of the world which can get you into a very dark place if not careful.
This does not mean you can’t do anything, but you need to remember you represent Christ not in a Holier than thou way but in a way that reflects His character.
PRAYER: Lord, help me to slow down and rest in you. Help me purge things from my life which take me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God’s Lemonade Stand is written by former Madison resident Becky Miller. Her daily devotions appear on Facebook or at godslemonadestand.blogspot.com.
My heart hurt over the man’s troubles. One thing after another was going wrong in his life. Loss after loss had laid him low. And he didn’t understand.
He had been faithful to God. Why was he suffering so?
I had known of the man’s heartaches and loss. Reading it again stirred my mind, making my heart heavy on his behalf.
Job had lost nearly everything.
Five hundred yoke of oxen and 500 donkeys were taken by the Sabeans. Servants were put to the sword. Fire fell from heaven and burned up 7,000 sheep and his servants. The Chaldeans swept down on Job’s camels and made off with them.
They put more of his servants to the sword. Then, Job’s seven sons and three daughters were killed when the roof collapsed in the house where they were eating. It was a lot. Most have heard this agonizing story told in the book of Job. It’s so much easier to read than to live!
Things turned from bad to worse. Job had suffered great personal and financial loss, then he suffered physical affliction with painful sores from the soles of his feet to
the crown of his head. He took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. In Job 2:9-10, we read that his wife encouraged him to curse God and die. He would not. “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” he asked her.
In his trouble, Job cried out to God, “If I have sinned, what have I done to You, You who see everything we do? Why have you made me Your target? Have I become a burden to You?” (Job 7:20). He doesn’t know that the story ends well. That he survives and is blessed. He doesn’t know that 4,000 years later, people will still be encouraged by his story.
It’s common for those who are going through rough times to be visited by others in the community. So, it was with Job. When Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar heard about Job’s troubles, they set out to go and comfort him. I hesitate to call them Job’s “friends,” because I’m still on the fence.
When the three saw Job from a distance, they barely recognized him. They wept, tore their clothes, and sprinkled dust on their heads. They sat on the ground with Job for seven days and nights. No one spoke a word to Job because they saw how great his suffering was.
Originally, they had come to comfort Job. But their words turned to sharp judgment, encouraging
him to renounce his sin. Each one took a turn reprimanding Job for his hidden iniquity. Job’s “friends” analyzed his situation and judged him incorrectly. Add that to his difficulties. Job replied, “You are miserable comforters, all of you!” (Job 16:2).
Silence can be golden. When someone we care about is hurting, we often want to speak words of comfort. We want to soothe the ache, explain the reason for their difficulty. From time to time, when searching for the right words, we can make unnecessary statements that inflict even more harm. We live in a fallen world full of sickness, loss, and brokenness. Life can be so very hard. As followers of Christ, we can be used as instruments of peace and comfort. Being there, just saying “I’m so sorry,” goes a long way. Holding a hand. Sharing a hug. Making a casserole or cake. We don’t always have to have the answers or reasons for suffering. We can just BE THERE. SILENTLY. We can learn from Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar that words are not always necessary. Yes, there is surely a time to speak the truth about sin. God can show us when that is. He can also tell us when NOT to speak.
First Corinthians 13:4 reminds us, “Love is patient, love is kind.” Sometimes “Love is quiet.”
Cheer
Continued from page 1B her fourth season as head coach at James Clemens.
The clean-cut and up-standing group of girls from James Clemens also won the Small World School and Game Day Non-Building National titles in Orlando. In addition, the Junior Varsity squad finished eighth in the national competition.
“This squad certainly out-worked everyone and it showed,” said Stockman. “This squad worked out for the competition more than any other squad I’ve had. They believe in discipline and goal setting.”
Heading into the nationals the confidence was there for the squads, but a sour taste remained from the recent Alabama State Championships where James Clemens did not win the State Championship in the Game Day division. The squad admitted it just didn’t perform well and would be happy to finish among the top five at the nationals knowing how competitive the division is from top to bottom.
“We would have been very happy with a top three finish and our winning was the biggest surprise,” said Stockman.
In the Division I contest, which the organizers claimed was the most competitive division they had ever witnessed, James Clemens made the necessary adjustments to make their routine work.
The girls rallied around one another and, accord-
ing to Stockman, pulled it off to near perfection.
Stockman added, “The difficulty of our routine set us apart from the others as we were the only ones to have the skills to do so. Our girls did what we asked them to do. We did our best and it showed.”
The following girls made up the cheer squad roster for the 2022-2023 Lady Jets: Seniors- Kenze Achenbach, Whitney Bailey, Paris Dryer, Alexis Ivy, Perri McMahan, Kiersten Ratcliff, Gabbie Russell, Katie Russell, Ella Thomas; JuniorsKaty Bennefield, De’Nazia Griffin, Julia Ingalls, Sydney Snodgrass, Malikah Stowe, Kaylee Tucker; Sophomores- Hannah Bruce, Maddie Hayden, Emma Jones, Amelia Koerlin, Kaitlyn Stone, Haley Swafford, Bella Tejeda, Parker Wrobel; Freshmen- Gabby Dickerson, Cate Downs, Zoe Godine, Lauren Johnson, Camryn Lomack, Sophia Smith, Peighton Stevenson, Dion Thomas.
The National High School Cheerleading Championship, produced by the Universal Cheerleaders Association, is the pinnacle of cheerleading for high school squads. Just to make it to the event is a great accomplishment, but to compete well is even more impressive. To be a multiple winner is one of the greatest achievements one school can make.
treatment is usually limited to once a month.
The Mark C. Smith Wellness Center will allow the Grant Hill Trauma Team to treat children with no delay and no limitations on how often they’re seen. Therapists specialized in trauma treatment will be able to provide consistent and effective treatment.
In addition to the Wellness Center, the new 10,000-square-foot facility will have a kitchen, ware-
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house, lab and classroom space for Kids to Love’s private school KTECH, and more.
The Kids to Love Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to meeting the immediate needs of foster children. Since its incorporation in 2004, Kids to Love has reached more than 300,000 foster children, rescuing them and meeting their needs. For more information, visit our website at www.kidstolove.org.
Continued from page 3A
SUVs and 2027 Dodge Charger.
Work is in progress for a fire station, valued at $2.5-million.
Retail outlets grew with Dollar General, U-haul and Bait ‘n Tackle. Industrial park is home now to Geocue, Lambert Relocation, Fulfyld and Pace Runners.
The city founded a Planning and Zoning Commission in 2018. The town hired a full-time Building Inspector.
Concerning the town’s growth, the 2020 Census listed 2,090 people; an estimate in 2022 from water customers found approximately 4,860 residents. Council approved a 50unit townhouse complex, and builders are constructing scores of single-family homes.
A residential growth chart documents the increase new building permits from 8 in 2007 to 184 permits in 2022. Currently, houses are under construction in Brookfield Manor, The Crossings at River’s Landing, Southern Landing, Bridgemill and Hidden Rivers. Work is complete for Savannah Terrace, Phase 5/6 and Malvern Hill, Phase 1. Workers are building subdivisions for Evergreen Mill, Malvern Hill, Phase 2-3 and Foster Place.
Along with the City of Madison, citizens in Triana passed a 12.0-Mill
MADISON - Tommy Ragland was the Probate Judge who established the Madison County Record Center (MCRC) to store the Madison County court records. Because I often researched the old records, I volunteered to photograph the pages of all of the surviving Madison County land deed and court Record and Minute books stored there. These books covered the times from the earliest days of the county to the into the start of the 1900s. During that effort, I noticed a number of odd and unexpected things that were adjudicated in the courts of the county’s history. For example, there were several cases tried in the courts about some citizens of the county operating a “flying jenny” without a license. My only experience and knowledge at the time had to do with a jenny being a female mule. I also knew that such a jenny could not fly any more than could pigs, so my interest focused upon reading the details to try to learn what had been done to bring on a court-imposed fine. It seemed to me that perhaps someone had suspended their female mule on a rope and pushed it back and forth. However, even if that was the case, then perhaps it should have been a charge of cruelty to animals. It made no sense to me that a license from the county would be required or even allowed for such activity.
people from all around, because the fares were so low and the trains ran into town early in the day and back out later in the afternoon each day. Knowing that, I wondered if groups of the older generations had been swaying in unison on the trains so much that their actions threatened to derail the passenger cars. However, since only one or two people were being prosecuted for the crime in each case, that was unlikely to be the problem. A close reading showed that the real crime was throwing rocks at the trains as they passed along. The rocks could enter into the cars and hit passengers, or perhaps large rocks could even threaten to derail the trains. It was a serious crime, similar to throwing rocks at buses or other vehicles on our highways today. The railroad took it to be serious, as did the courts. Of course, some folks perhaps just got angry at the noisy trains spooking their horses and then vented their anger by throwing rocks.
Property Tax to benefit Madison City Schools.
Triana youth are attending Midtown Elementary School and will attend Journey Middle School in August.
While internet upgrades are underway, including Town Hall, the “town is at mercy of internet providers to expand further out,” Caudle said.
Concerning utilities, online bill payment is available for water/sewer billing. Triana added the second water intake in Rivers Landing to increase supply and is exploring a third intake with Huntsville Utilities. Sewer system improvements, phase 1 are complete for four life-stations. The town hired a full-time water clerk.
Sales tax increased by 1.5 percent to match surrounding municipalities.
From the census, the town saw “4x increase in Gas Tax funds,” Caudle said.
Triana’s Comprehensive Plan concludes with goals for existing components, like growth for first-responders and retail, and new enhancements, like a fire station and sewer system upgrades.
Triana has enacted a moratorium for residential development to align services and planning. The town will decide on locations to allow new construction.
It turned out that my old unabridged dictionary from the 1950s actually does define a jenny as a female mule, according to one of the acceptable definitions. The word was also listed as applicable to a female wren or a female jay bird, either of which could certainly fly, but not be responsibly “operated” by people. Another definition was given as a type of World War I airplane. Yet another clause was listed as “a spinning jenny” without further elucidation. At least it was spinning and not flying, so the terms seemed similar, but I still did not understand the issue. Further research on Google showed that the term “spinning jenny” applied to an old form of amusement that did not involve mules. It was reported that the term applied to a mechanism constructed by using a 16-foot pole 5 inches in diameter with a hole in the center point of the length. A wooden or metal peg was inserted into the hole, and the base of the peg was emplaced in a depression or shallow hole in a stump. Alternatively, the pole could be suspended with a rope from a strong branch of a tree. Either way, it was an old form of a merry-go-round, known to have been commonly improvised from the mid-1800s into the mid-1900s by people who wanted to spin it around to provide some fun for children. Some even charged a fee or bartered for rides. Apparently, enough people in Madison County had been operating flying jennies for money that they got the attention of the tax assessor as a business that should be taxed or at least have license fees levied. It is unknown whether that is still the case, or if it can perhaps still be done for a family’s own children without a license from the county.
Anyhow, that first notice of such an oddity got me so interested that I began to more carefully read the case pages as I made photographs. I noticed several prosecutions for “rocking the train”. This was in the days before automobiles, when the train was for many a common means of transportation to town from outlying areas of the county. People could actually just stand beside the tracks and flag down the train for low-cost transportation to the next stop or beyond. They could also return home in like manner. This enabled the town merchants to do business with
One of the most strange cases that was found in a collection of old records returned to the Madison County Records Center by the Bragg family several years ago. It involved a Black man who in 1867 filed a case against three White men from Jackson County. That happened two years after the Civil War had ended and well after the Black citizens were declared to be free. However, in this case the three Jackson County men had entered into a verbal agreement with the Black guy to sell his wife back into slavery for a good fee. The deed was done, with another man in south Alabama being the purchaser. The sale of course broke the new law of the land. After a period when the men from Jackson County refused to share the proceeds of the sale with the Madison County former husband, then he filed suit in the Circuit Court over the violation of their agreement to share the money. He stated to the court that he either wanted the money that was owed to him, or he wanted his wife back. Of course, the man was without understanding in his admission to having participated in such a criminal act. Besides that, it is doubtful that a twice-freed wife would ever want to return to a husband that had sold her. The ultimate disposition of the case was not found.
Naturally, there were many other categories of court cases that were attention-getting in the county’s history. A number were from the County Court Record Books. That court generally handled cases appealed from Justice of the Peace decisions. The “JP” courts were not “courts of record”, meaning that official records were not normally kept of any JP’s opinions or testimonies in the matters brought to them. Perhaps notetaking was too laborious and time-consuming for them. Some more of the things that stick in my mind now, after many years since making the photo reviews, involve such things as when two “ladies of the evening” were arrested for getting into a public fight on the streets, with parasols as their weapons. This offense was noted for at least two different entanglements. Other cases had to do with people having a pool table, or playing cards, or swearing on the Sabbath. In fact, even using profanity in the presence of a woman at any time would lead to prosecution in court, as would any establishment being open for business on a Sunday. What was really odd was that the New York lottery was regularly publicized and tickets sold here, but local gambling was illegal. Another common offense was entering certain establishments of ill repute before acceptable times of evening, or for the ladies therefrom to walk along the streets at given times of day.
An intriguing case in the Circuit
Court of 1945 was also accidentally noticed. The case record was not photographed, but it was copied for future reference related to military history of the WW2 era. It involved a divorce petition by Catherine XXXX (identity shielded) against her husband, Robert XXXX. The fact of there being a divorce case was not what made it of interest, because there are many of those, just as there are also in the 1800s many detailed and fascinating “bastardy” cases. In the 1945 case, Catherine was a resident of Madison County, while Robert had been born in Massachusetts. After they married and then separated, Robert was residing in the Brook & Bridle Inn of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Apparently, they had separated to be at some distance apart, because Catherine was still in Madison County with their 2-year-old daughter. They were married here in 1941 in Madison County, but Robert must have been away for several long periods, as he was at the time a First Lieutenant in the U. S. Army. It seems from the data in the case record that during his travels, if not also at home here, Robert must have frequently gotten very involved with other women. Proof of that conduct was in the form of post cards to Robert received from some of the women in other states. The evidence in the divorce petition included one post card from a woman in New Jersey and New York. Another post card was from nearby Mississippi. Catherine also introduced a number of letters from other women who wrote to Robert, with plain language that they wanted to maintain the relationships. Robert did not contest the divorce proceedings at all. In fact, he apparently was happy to be released from the marriage, even if he did have to pay child support.
In general, the various court records are very useful to learn about family relationships, neighbors of the time (who often gave court depositions about their knowledge and perspectives on court cases), business partners, estate inventories, debts, and details of bastardy or court cases. In addition to the County Court for the more minor cases, there was the Circuit Court (especially for significant lawsuits and criminal cases), Chancery Court (primarily for estate litigation or business and land disputes), and Probate Court. The Probate Court initially was called the Orphan’s Court – probably because it dealt primarily with inheritances and orphan provisions, but none of the court charters were carefully enforced. The responsibilities and authority transitioned throughout the years. Even the Circuit Court by the middle 1900s split into a Family Court and Criminal Court emphasis.
Additionally, there was a County Commissioners’ Court, which was basically a series of minutes, documenting the required actions levied upon the citizens by the County Commissioners to deal mostly with road developments and ferry crossing fees, plus appointments and reimbursements to Overseers of the Poor.
All of these types of records provide a much more comprehensive picture than just checking census records to learn of the lives of people here from long ago. Of course, some of the records were lost to bookworms and theft through time. However, most of the Madison County records are still here, with some of them having been saved by taking wagon loads to Blount County for safekeeping during the Civil War when Federal troops occupied the county. They were returned after the war times, so only a very few of the Record books or corresponding Minute books of any of the courts are now missing, since our courthouse was not burned.
Tuberville
Continued from page
committee. Those bills are part of his legislative approach that focuses on “the small things.”
“It’s the small things that count,” Tuberville
stated. “In Washington, D.C., everybody looks at the big picture. They don’t look at the small things behind the scenes, and it’s the small things that have
made this country better every day.”
Agriculture is another major part of that approach.
“National security is food security,” Tuberville asserted.
Tuberville is the first Alabama representative in decades to sit on the Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee. With rising food and fertilizer prices driving small, family-owned farms out
of business in Alabama, which is sixty percent farmland, the senator felt compelled to join the committee to uplift the backbone of the American food supply. He sees the 2023 Farm Bill as a ripe opportunity to do just that. The bill will take effect for five years and amount to a historic $1.2 trillion. Tuberville plans to leverage provisions in the bill that will lift regulations on fossil fuels, introduce price
Nooo! we shouted, but it was too late, Petey was in the middle of Big Bill’s territory. We heard the bull snort, stamp his hooves and thunder straight toward our little cousin. Everything moved in slow motion as Buddy Jr and I ran toward Petey, but Big Bill was closing the gap, we wouldn’t make it in time. Watching, helplessly, as all this unfolded, Petey, stretched out his hand toward the rampaging bull and immediately ‘Ol Big Bill slowed to a walk, came up to Petey, lowered his massive head and gently placed his chin in our cousin’s small hand. By that time a ½ dozen or so of us were gathered around Petey and the bull, dumb-founded by what we saw! Petey scratched his nose and “ol Bill gently snorted and followed our cousin to the pasture gate like he was a puppy dog. We thought Petey had ruined our favorite game. The next day we walked down to the pasture and slid under Big Bill’s fence-immediately he snorted, stomped and charged, we held out our hands like Petey, but he still ran like a run a way freight train, we scattered back under the fence to the safe side, grinned at each other and high fived that Big Bill was back to his normal old self, let the game begin. Digging holes can be quiet fun.
control measures, and provide crop insurance.
“We’re going to help farmers. We’re going to try to get them back on their feet,” the senator promised. “We’re going to try to talk some sense into this White House where we start making it feasible for our farmers to make a living because if you’ve got a farm and you want to pass it down to your kids, you don’t want them to stay and work on that
Dig a long, wide and deep pit and, voila, you have a blank canvass for adventure. Covering it with a tarp and scattering leaves and branches across the top, we were big game trappers. According to which movie we saw that past Saturday, our hole could be a bunker from which we fought the Nazis or a gold mine where we struck it rich. The dark, cool hole with the smell of mother earth, enhanced our imaginations. We didn’t just watch adventures; we made our own.
Then, there was the BB gun battles. With our trusty old Daisy pump action BB gun, we staked out our bunker and defended it against the enemy (my cousins and friends). We had serious rules of engagement, no shooting above the chest or below the belt and do not pump your BB gun more than 10 times. Hand to eye co-ordination was paramount!! In the heat of our Alabama summers, we hiked to our favorite swimming hole, Autauga Creek, where the infamous “Blue Hole” swirled in ominous majesty. We had been told, and everyone believed it, you couldn’t touch bottom, no matter how deep you dived or how long you held your breath, no one ever reached the bottom, and lived to talk about it. Some adults said the
Continued from page 6A
not.
President Joe Biden, like Carter and Ford, would like us to think inflation is just a state of mind — “corporate greed.” But “greed” is a constant. Government policy is
The Fed has toyed recently with other priorities besides price stability, and the federal government’s COVID spending has flooded the economy with money — much of which, we now know, went to people and local governments that
farm if they can’t make a living.”
Tuberville is beginning his third year in office in the Senate. He sits on the Armed Services; Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and Veterans’ Affairs committees, as well as, the three subcommittees of Seapower; Readiness and Management Support; and Strategic Forces under Armed Services.
blue hole sat on top of an underwater cave, and an older teenager dove for the bottom and was never seen again. A huge water oak leaned out over that blue hole with large branches that made perfect diving platforms. The contest began by daring someone to dive from a particular branch. Taking the challenge meant you picked the next branch to dive from for the one who dared you. Higher and higher we climbed until someone “chickened out”. Diving from the branches of that old tree, you had to use your hands and arms to navigate past limbs on the way down. As far as I know, no one ever got “hospital hurt”.
These games of childhood actually prepared us for adulthood; Like young bear or lion cubs, fighting stalking, chasing and honing their survival skills. We honed our skills: calculating risks; learning to win and lose, graciously, developing friendships through shared “activities”… and there really are guardian angels.
Bruce Walker chooses to see the humor in life’s events. He speaks regularly to a wide variety of groups. You may contact him; bruce@brucestoryteller.com or visit his website www. BruceStoryteller.com
didn’t need it.
Former President Carter is an admirable man with many qualities worth emulating. Washington, however, has emulated the wrong ones. The choice is tighten the money now, or tighten later when the costs will be even higher.
