Southern Torch, Vol. 3 - Issue 43

WE ARE PROUD TO DEDICATE THIS ISSUE IN HONOR OF THOSE FIGHTING BREAST CANCER & THE SURVIVORS

THE SOUTHERN TORCH / FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 / VOL. 3, NO. 43 / $1.00 THIS WEEK IN SPORTS

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Earthquakes on the rise

Sand Mountain Showdown

THIS WEEK IN COMMUNITY

By Marla Jones Reporter

Last Friday’s earthquake that was recorded northeast of Scottsboro is the eighth reported in our area during the last two years, an increase of 100 percent from the previous two. The number of earthquakes reported in the Northeast Alabama area (red on map) has increased by 100 percent in the last two years, as compared to the previous two years. (USGS)

By Tyler Pruett Managing Editor

tyler@southerntorch.com

Step into the past with a full review of 1978's classic horror movie, Halloween! Just in time for the holiday.

THIS WEEK IN POLITICS

Moore endorsed by Senator Ted Cruz The Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, Roy Moore, was endorsed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Rainsville sues property owners

The City of Rainsville has been seeking to replace the aging bridge on Chavies Road.

Now the council is pursuing condemnation on a piece of property needed for the right-of-way for the project. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)

This week's Southern Torch Team of the Week is the Plainview Bears. They took down the Sylvania Rams last Friday night.

At the Movies!

TWEET

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — Last Friday (October 20), a magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck around 8 miles northeast of Scottsboro, Alabama as recorded by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Fort Payne also

experienced a 2.2 magnitude tremor in late August, as well as a 2.6 magnitude in June and a 2.3 in March. While these quakes were not strong enough to cause significant damage, seismic activity in our area has increased dramatically in both frequency and magnitude in the last four years.

By reviewing data from the USGS on recorded earthquakes for the last ten years for the DeKalb County area (Southern DeKalb County line to the Tennessee state line), the number of recorded earthquakes reported in the search area increased by 75 percent (4 reported) from

October 2013-October 2015 when compared to the previous two years (Oct. 2011- Oct. 13, 1 reported) and the number has increased another 100 percent in the Oct. 2015 – present (8 reported) time frame.

These numbers only include earthquakes of 1.5

Continued P6

marla@southerntorch.com

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — In a special called meeting, the Rainsville City Council moved to authorize City Attorney Nikki Scott to file a lawsuit against the property owners adjacent to the Chavies Bridges in order to condemn two

Continued P2

Henagar discusses Truck takes out utility pole in FP library remodeling

PHOTO: Mayor Lee Davis and the Henagar City Council receive reports from the department heads. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)

By Tyler Pruett Managing Editor

tyler@southerntorch.com

HENAGAR, Ala.— (Video on our Website) The Henagar City Council met on Monday, October 23rd for their regularly scheduled meeting. The council meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 5 pm.

After opening the meeting and approving the minutes from the last meeting, the council and Mayor Lee Davis discussed doing some needed remodeling at the Henagar Public Library.

The city is looking to replace the carpeting and remove a wall in the children’s area of the library. The work on the walls will be done before

the carpeting, as to not dirty up the new flooring.

The library is also currently in the process of repainting.

The mayor also explained that the library doesn’t have much in terms of funds, and the city would need to supplement from the general fund for the project: “They are going to start doing some fundraisers and there are some grants that they are applying for now. Things are looking a whole lot better than they were a month or so ago. For the time being they don’t have the money so we’ll have to pay half that if we do it,” said Davis.

The mayor also explained that the central heating and cooling unit in the back part of the

library is shot. He explained that Southern Heating and Cooling had come out, worked on the unit, and looked at the problem. It was discovered that previously there was one large unit for the whole building, and this was replaced with two smaller units after it had went out. Davis also explained that the city would like to replace the two smaller units with one large one.

The work on the library air conditioning will be done before next summer, with the heating being fixed before the winter months.

The mayor and council then discussed and approved a motion on a project to replace the old carpet at city hall for

Continued P2

An 18 wheeler struck a utility pole on Sunday night at the intersection of 4th Street and Gault Avenue N (Highway 11) in Fort Payne. (Tyler Pruett | Southern Torch)

By Tyler Pruett Managing Editor

tyler@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — At approximately 8 pm, an 18 wheeler struck a utility pole at the intersection of 4th street and Gault Avenue North (Highway 11) in Fort Payne, between the City Park and Southern Properties.

A large section of Gault Avenue, from 3rd Street to 8th Street, was closed until the early hours of the Monday morning.

The driver of the truck was reportedly unharmed.

According to the Fort

Payne Police Chief Randy Bynum, the driver stated that his GPS took him on a wrong turn down 4th street when he struck the utility pole on the street corner.

The crash tore down the pole and connecting red lights, making it necessary for the Fort Payne Improvement Authority (FPIA) to respond and fix the lines before morning.

We spoke with the FPIA to obtain an estimate on how much the Sunday night repair would cost. A representative from the utility company said that one would be available in the next week.

Visit our website at www.southerntorch.com for daily news updates and pick up your weekly print edition at news stands every Friday.

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THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

Henagar Council, Earthquakes, page 1 page 1 $1694.69.

The council then went into executive session for approximately 15 minutes to discuss a grievance with a city employee.

After returning from executive session, the city selected an employee to serve on a, “grievance committee;” as per city policy. In this situation, the city selects an employee to represent them on the committee to discuss the grievance, and the individual who filed the grievance also selects an employee. The employees then get together and select a third, who hears both arguments and makes a ruling on the situation.

The city council move to appoint Librarian Donna Carlin to represent the city on the grievance committee for the situation.

The council then checked with the department heads for an update. Henagar Police Chief Randell Smith reported that everything was well in the department, and the new body cameras were working.

Fire Chief Jeff Crump said that the department had a class last Monday night with two certified fire college instructors.

The department is also in the middle of another three week class. Henagar will also be conducting “Pump Tests” the 11th and 12th of November. The 18th and 19th of November, all the Henager fire officers will be taking a MIMS 300

class for those two days.

The class can only be taught in the classroom, and Crump mentioned making that the town is covered for those two days. The class will be taught at DeKalb County Ambulance Service.

Crump also said that the department will be opening bids for a new tanker truck on the first Monday night in November, and he would like for as many council members be present as possible. The truck will be bought with a grant the department applied for.

Public Works supervisor Byron Shewbert updated the council on paving projects. Shewbert said that they had gotten spots fixed on Brookfield Circle, in front of the library, and had started on Clayton Drive. Crews has had problems with the feeder hopper stopping up on the paving equipment and had ordered an industrial vibrator to fix the problem. The department is also working on the library and replacing one of the coil packs on a city police vehicle.

Before adjourning, the city moved to pay the monthly bills.

The next meeting of the Henagar City Council will be held on Monday, November 13 at 5 pm.

Portion of the USGS’s 2014 Long-term Induced Hazard Map, showing northeast Alabama with a moderate to low hazard for induced seismic activity. (USGS) magnitude or greater, and include a search area of northeast Alabama; from the DeKalb – Cherokee County line in the south, to the TennesseeAlabama line in the north.

The numbers also include Scottsboro and surrounding areas. These comparisons do not include Georgia, however, several seismic disturbances were recorded across the state line and a short distance away from DeKalb and Jackson counties. In the last two years, there have been two recorded quakes in Summerville, Ga. and one reported in Lafayette.

The highest magnitude quake for the area in the last ten years was the most recent tremor that occurred near Scottsboro last Friday. The eight recorded quakes in the last two years averaged around 2.11 in magnitude and averaged 2.12 in 2013 and 2014.

From 2009 to 2013, the reported tremors only averaged 1.65.

Naturally occurring earthquakes are caused mostly by the rupture of geological faults within the earth that generates seismic waves.

While there are fault lines nearby, our area

doesn’t have a fault line as large as the San Andreas fault in California, which extends for 750 miles.

Northeast Alabama is, however, located in the Southern Appalachian Seismic Zone, which is an extension of the East Tennessee Seismic Zone.

USGS Geophysicist Paul Caruso discussed what could be the cause of these earthquakes, where our biggest threat could originate from, and what to do if our area experiences a quake large enough to cause damage.

When asked what magnitude it requires to cause significant damage to structures and infrastructure, Caruso replied, “We don’t see significant damage until earthquakes get up to about 5.5 magnitude.”

“In the Southern United States and the Central United States, the main fault we worry about is called the New Madrid fault; it runs along the Mississippi (River), around Memphis and St. Louis,” Caruso explained. “And that has produced significant earthquakes.

Especially in 1811 and 1812, we think there were three major earthquakes as large as magnitude 8.”

“Of course we didn’t have seismometers to measure quakes back then, but one way we can estimate the magnitude from back then is looking at newspapers, and turns out those earthquakes rang church bells is Boston, several hundred miles away,” Caruso explained.

When asked if anything might be causing the increase in tremors, Caruso explained that human activity may be to blame.

“We’ve had several areas in the United States where we have documented induced earthquakes caused by human activity, such as pumping high quantities of water in disposal wells.

They do that in some areas where they are fracking.

Here in Colorado, we had the first documented case of humans causing earthquakes, which was actually the U.S. Army here at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in the 1960’s,” said Caruso.

The event Caruso is referring to is a series of earthquakes that erupted after the U.S. Army drilled a 12,000 -foot well to dispose of waste fluids northeast of Denver,

Colorado in 1961. Over 1300 earthquakes were recorded in the area during the 1960’s after the Rocky Mountain Arsenal began injecting the waste fluids in 1962.

In 2014, the USGS published a “Long-term induced hazard,” map for the U.S., which depicts the areas which are at risk for more of these, “induced” quakes. Northeast Alabama resides in an area with a moderate to low hazard on this model.

As our area isn’t accustomed to seismic activity, Caruso was asked what course of action people should take in the event of a significant seismic event: “We always tell people, the best thing you can do if you feel an earthquake is get under a desk or a table, wait until the shaking stops, and then go outside,” he replied.

“Whenever there is a major earthquake where a lot of people are killed in Mexico, people are sleeping outside for weeks afterwards. It’s because of the aftershocks….

Sometimes when a building is already weakened, an aftershock can be enough to collapse

Truck strikes pole, page 1 tracts of property.

Scott updated the council that all right-of-way negotiations were settled with the exception of two tracts.

The two tracts in questions are owned by Roger and Teresa Berry.

Without the purchase

of these two tracts, “the City was sitting on dead center” Scott stated. She also informed the council, that Mr. Berry had obtained a lawyer and that she had been in talks with the lawyer, since September 12, 2017.

The City had offered the Berry’s a price that was set by a contracted right-of-way acquisition specialist. A response to the city’s offer was due by October 13, 2017. Scott advised the Council that it would be in the City’s best interest to move forward with a process to condemn the property.

“All we can do is move on,” said Mayor Rodger Lingerfelt. After a brief discussion on alternative means to settle this, the Council voted to move forward with the condemnation process.

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

COMMUNITY Update on 2017 Marine Corps 'Toys for Tots'

Friday–October 27, 2017

3

at the movies

Looking Back on a Horror Masterpiece

Toys for Tots volunteers with staff from Fort Payne Dairy Queen and Krystals. (Contributed Photo | Toys for Tots)

By Staff Reports FORT PAYNE, Ala. — It’s that time of year again, and the Marines Corps League of North Alabama is out hosting events and collecting toys for children in need this Christmas. So far, they have 144 signups by families who are in need.

The Department of Human Resources (DHR) is still accepting applications.

Collection boxes are currently being placed at businesses throughout the county, and the Northeast Alabama Marine Corps League will update us soon with a list of locations where donations can be made.

Krystal and Dairy Queen employees are chipping in to help by selling Toys for Tots cutouts for display in their businesses (with names of donors) for 2nd year in a row.

Eric Wilborn, President Red Knight Alabama Chapter 15

updates on the Annual Benefit Ride for Toys for Tots, held earlier this month: Earlier in the month the Second Annual Benefit ride for Toys For Tots was held. We had the help of the Town Of Shiloh and the Shiloh Volunteer Fire Department, as well as the Northeast Alabama Detachment 1404, Marine Corps League.

I would like to thank Chief Deputy Michael Edmondson for the escort for this year’s ride. We had 38 bikes that attended the ride this year. Our ride left at 11 am and returned at 1:30 pm. We had a cookout and entertainment following the ride with proceeds also going to Toys For Tots.

We had great corporate sponsors again this year:

Bailey Bridges BTC Trucking Soggy Bottom Trucking Triple G Trucking Smith Logging Builders Supply

KE Smith Trucking Don Chico’s Dekalb Parts High Maintenance Salon JoJo’s Stan’s Automotive Wal-Mart Santa Fe Jacks Fort Payne South End Fort Payne powersports Scooters Sports Grill in Scottsboro Rick Dobbs DC Equipment DeKalb Sportsmen & Pawn.

With the proceeds from the ride and cookout along with corporate donations we raised $2,625 for the 2017 Toys For Tots campaign. The members of our club put a lot of hard work into the event. Special thanks needs to go to Chadney and Kim McDonald for their efforts to make the event a success also to Donavan Janzen Fire Chief at Shiloh for all his help.

n

HARVEST Holiday Market Come shop and support local vendors at our Harvest Holiday Market!

Fort Payne VFW • November 4, 9am to 4pm

Staff: Eloise Smith, Business Manager

Southern Torch (USPS Periodicals #19790) is published each Friday by Southern Torch, Inc. 203 Main Street E, Rainsville AL, 35986. POSTMASTER:

Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor Marla Jones, Sports Editor Zach Hester, Graphic Design Artist Amy Thrash, Advertising Representative

Send address changes to Southern Torch, P.O. Box

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614 Rainsville, Alabama 35986-0614.

Membership rates: Regular yearly rate–$30 Senior or Veteran yearly rates–$25

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) rests as madman Michael Myers rises from a fight in John Carpenter's 1978 classic 'Halloween'. (John Carpenter | Compass International)

By Zach Hester ST Columnist Halloween. The precursor to the modern slasher and my personal favorite scary movie of all time. In the nearly forty years since the release of the original horror masterpiece, John Carpenter’s Halloween has cemented itself as one of the most celebrated flicks since the inception of the horror genre.

It’s hard to dislike Halloween with such an important legacy in its hands, so this week, the last week before All Hallows’ Eve, I decided to look back on this classic.

The story is simple. In the fictional town of Haddonfield, Ill. in 1963, Michael Myers murders his sister on Halloween night.

After spending fifteen years in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, Michael breaks out and returns to his hometown to kill again, this time taking interest in high school student Laurie

Strode. Over the course of the night of October 31, 1978, Laurie fights to stay alive while Michael is pursued by his psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis who refers to killer as ‘evil incarnate’.

The performances in this movie are amazing, from Donald Pleasance’s portrayal of a frantic Dr. Loomis to Nick Castle’s silent portrayal of the Michael, credited here as ‘The Shape’, we get very fine acting from a great cast. Jamie Lee Curtis also debuted as Laurie Strode, a babysitter with a strong will to survive. Curtis, a relative unknown outside of her television roles, was cast because of her reputation as Psycho actress Janet Leigh’s daughter. She quickly became a critically and financially successful actress and continues to make waves today on television and film. Her origin as the original ‘scream queen’ has influenced many future

actresses that followed her.

From the iconic score to its use of light (or lack thereof), Halloween captures a unique essence that the scary movies of today haven’t been able to grasp. In his original 1979 review, the late film critic Roger Ebert said this of the movie, “[It is] a visceral experience — we aren’t seeing the movie, we’re having it happen to us. It’s frightening.”

Despite not being born until fifteen years after the film's release, I can look back and appreciate how great it is. I can see the origins of the horror movies that we can today, and each time I watch this tour de force of classic calamity, I find something new to appreciate.

With a new installment of the series heading to theaters next year, take some time during this fall season, dust off your Michael Myers movies, and enjoy the thrill of ‘The Night He Came Home.’

Around Town October 28, Ghost Fest - From 3pm until 11pm come down to the DeKalb Theatre for Ghost Fest. Doors are at 2 with the show starting at 3, it is $5 to see many great bands! For more information on all of the bands, go to: www.annasghost.com/ ghost-fest-1/ October 31, Geraldine Trunk-R-Treat - The Town of Geraldine will be hosting their annual Trunk-R-Treat on Tuesday, October 31 from 5pm to 7pm in the old gym at Geraldine High School (rain or shine)! Hot dogs and drinks will be served by the mayor and council.

October 31, Rainsville Trunk-R-Treat - The City of Rainsville will be hosting their annual Trunk-R-Treat from 5pm to 8pm at the city park. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held at the Tom Bevill Center.

October 31, Rainsville Community Church Trunk-R-Treat - The

Rainsville Community Church will host a Trunk-R-Treat from 6pm to 8pm.

October 31, Halloween Block Party - Join us in Downtown Fort Payne Halloween night for some Trick or Treat fun! Downtown business will be staying open late and handing out candy to all you trick or treaters.

Come dressed in your best

costumes. It starts at 5pm and all ages are welcome!

November 4, Dogtown Fire Department Harvest Festival - The Dogtown Fire Department will be holding their Harvest Festival on Saturday, November 4 from 5pm to 9pm. Join them at 127 County Road 89 in Fort Payne for pizza, bingo, games, prizes, and more!

Stevenson I Centre I Scottsboro I Higdon I Leesburg Rainsville I North Ft. Payne I South Ft. Payne

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THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

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DEATH NOTICES RAINSVILLE John Davis - 37 of Rainsville, passed away on Friday, October 20, 2017 at his residence. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 22 from 1pm to 8pm and Monday, October 23 from 8am to 1pm.

Funeral services are set for Monday, October 23 at 1pm at Rainsville Funeral Home Chapel with Bro. Ronnie Murdock officiating. Burial will follow in Rainsville Memorial Park.

Martha Frances Hash - 89 of Fort Payne, passed away on Friday, October 20 at DeKalb Regional Medical Center. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, October 24 from 5pm to 8pm and Wednesday, October 25 from 10am to 2pm. Funeral services are set for Wednesday, October 25 at 2pm at Rainsville Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Clifford Herd officiating.

Entombment will follow in Mountain View Memory Gardens Mausoleum.

WT WILSON Betty Willodean Dobbs - 88 of Fort Payne, passed away on Thursday, October 19, 2017. The family will receive friends on Friday, October 20 from 4pm until 8pm at the

funeral home. Funeral services are set for Saturday, October 21 at 12pm at WT Wilson Funeral Chapel with Bro. JT Williams officiating.

Burial will follow in Liberty Hill Cemetery in Adamsburg.

James “JW” Jackson - 88 of Tallassee, AL (formerly of Sylvania) passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2017. The family will receive friends on Sunday, October 22 from 10am until 1pm at the funeral home. Funeral services are set for 1pm on Sunday, October 22 at 1pm at WT Wilson Funeral Chapel with Bro. Terry Turner officiating. Burial will follow at Trinity (Burnt Church) Cemetery.

Orville JD Duncan - 93 of Fort Payne, passed away on Saturday, October 21, 2017. The family will receive friends on Saturday, October 21 from 6pm to 8pm and on Sunday, October 22 from 10am to 3pm at the funeral home.

Funeral services are set for Sunday, October 22 at 3pm at WT Wilson Funeral Chapel with Bro. JT Williams and Bro. Randy Miller. Burial will follow in Walker’s Chapel Cemetery.

Ezra Lee Summerford - 82 of Dawson, passed away on Sunday, October 22, 2017.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, October 24 from 2pm to 8pm at the funeral home. Funeral services are set for Wednesday, October 25 at 1pm at WT Wilson Funeral Chapel with Bros. Ricky Wooten & Raymond Smith officiating. Burial will follow in Wesley’s Chapel Cemetery.

Sheila Ann Treadaway - 61 of Rainsville, passed away on Sunday, October 22, 2017.

The family will receive friends on Monday, October 23 from 5pm to 8pm and on Tuesday, October 24 from 8am until the time of service at the funeral home.

Funeral services are set for Tuesday, October 24 at 3pm at WT Wilson Funeral Chapel with Bro. David Cole and Bro. Jeff Cole officiating. Burial will follow in the Highway Church of God Cemetery.

BURT Roy Wilson Culpepper - 86, passed away on October 19, 2017.

Visitation will be held on Friday, October 20 from 6pm to 8pm at Burt Chapel-Fort Payne. Funeral services are set for Saturday, October 21 at 11am at New Oregon United Methodist Church with Rev. Ian Conerly officiating. Burial will follow at Fischer Cemetery.

Harry Lee Hopper - 72, passed away on October 19, 2017. Visitation

will be held on Saturday, October 21 from 3pm to 8pm at Burt Chapel-Valley Head. Funeral services are set for Sunday, October 22 at 2pm at Burt Chapel-Valley Head with Rev. Trey Kincer and Rev. Brian Howard officiating.

Burial will follow in Little River Cemetery.

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THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

POLITICS

5

Moore receives Texas INSIDE THE STATEHOUSE Doug Jones to speak Senator Ted Cruz's in Fyffe on November 7 endorsement Contributed by Reita Grant

Secretary of DCDEC

Contributed by Steve Flowers AL Political Consultant

PHOTO: U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R – TX) endorsed Alabama GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Roy Moore on Tuesday. (Gage Skidmore | Wikimedia Commons)

By Staff Reports MONTGOMERY, Ala. — In a release sent out today, Judge Roy Moore announced the endorsement of GOP Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Cruz ran a somewhat successful campaign for President in 2016, and remains a national player in conservative politics.

Cruz tweeted his support for Moore this morning (Tuesday, October 24): @tedcruz: “Join me in supporting @ MooreSenate for Alabama!” along with a Roy Moore campaign banner.

Statement released by the Moore campaign: On Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) announced his endorsement of Judge Roy Moore for the U.S. Senate.

In a statement, Cruz said he needed principled conservatives like Judge Moore as allies in Washington, D.C: “This December, the People of Alabama have a clear choice. They can choose a liberal Democrat, who will stand with Chuck Schumer to raise taxes, weaken our military, open our border, and undermine our constitutional rights. Or, they can choose to elect Judge Roy Moore, a conservative who will proudly defend Alabama

values.

“I strongly urge the voters to elect Judge Roy Moore. Judge Moore has a lifelong passion for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and he has the courage of his convictions.

“In the Senate, we need reinforcements; we desperately need strong conservatives who will stand up to the Washington status quo.

“Please join me in supporting Judge Moore on December 12.”

Judge Moore welcomed Senator Cruz’s support and said he looked forward to working with Cruz to achieve tax reform for American families and to strengthen the U.S. military.

“Ted Cruz has been a stalwart defender of our constitutional rights,” Moore remarked. “I appreciate his strong endorsement and I look forward to collaborating with him on proposals to strengthen the U.S. military, cut spending, and lower taxes on American families and businesses.”

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — There have been quite a few political happenings in the Heart of Dixie during October. Birmingham has elected a new mayor.

36-year-old Randall Woodfin defeated two-term mayor William Bell.

I never got to know Bell that well; however, the few times I visited with him he seemed to be an affable fellow. He surely looked like a mayor. His distinguished demeanor and exquisite diction and appearance gave an elegant impression for Birmingham. He looked like he came out of Hollywood central casting.

Woodfin beat Bell the old-fashioned way. He went door-to-door with shoe leather and diligence.

He met most of Birmingham’s voters one-on-one and it paid off.

He beat Bell convincingly, 58 to41. At 36 Woodfin will be the youngest Birmingham mayor in modern history.

In addition to changing mayors, Birmingham voters also ousted two longtime city council leaders, Johnathan Austin and Kim Rafferty. Austin was City Council President.

Alabama State University did a good days work when they selected State Senator Quinton Ross as their new president.

Senator Ross is a gentleman of impeccable character and ability. Ross has served 15-years in the Alabama Senate with distinction. He is very well respected among his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

Even though being in the Democratic minority in the Senate, he has been able to work with the Republican majority to get an immense amount of things accomplished for his Montgomery district. His legislative and governmental experience will be invaluable in unlocking fundraising doors for the university.

Quinton Ross is an educator by profession with undergraduate and graduate degrees from his beloved Alabama State. He grew up in Montgomery, went to public schools and then continued his education degrees in his hometown. He is only 48-years old. He can build quite a legacy at Alabama State. He has the proper pedigree and love for his alma mater to make his tenure special.

The legendary coach, Pat Dye, worked diligently on behalf of Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate race. It did not hurt Moore any. Coach Dye is an icon in Alabama.

He is a man’s man. I love to visit with him.

Even though he grew up on a farm in Georgia, he

is a true Alabamian through and through. He reminds me some of our great folksy senator, Howell Heflin. Heflin was a true Alabamian. However, his daddy was a Methodist minister. As you may know, Methodist ministers are moved often. His daddy was serving a stint in Georgia when Heflin was born. Judge Heflin was always a little embarrassed by this fact being as he was a U.S. Senator from Alabama. He would often say that his daddy was doing missionary work among the heathen.

Pat Dye grew up in Georgia and was an All American guard for the University of Georgia Bulldogs. He became a coach for Bear Bryant 45 years ago. He became Bryant’s most renowned recruiter. He was the mainstay of Bryant’s last decade. His recruiting was relentless. He learned every corner of the state.

When Alabama took the field for the national championship game against Notre Dame in 1973, 24 of the 72 players were signed by Dye. He went on to become one of Auburn’s greatest coaches. His decade at the helm was some of Auburn’s glory years.

He enjoys his life on his magnificent farm in East Alabama. He spends most of his time on his land hunting and fishing.

However, he has gotten riled up about the fact that Alabama is losing an immense amount of money to our neighboring states of Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee because the powers that be will not let Alabamians vote on a lottery.

Those powers that be are the Indian/Las Vegas gambling interests that want to continue to buy control of certain political offices that will allow them to continue their monopoly.

Our interim acting Attorney General, Steve Marshall, has shown his hand. Marshall, even though totally unknown, is running for a full term.

The gambling interests have put their money on him. He has done their bidding and has filed suit against the Alabama owned casinos to allow his new bosses, the Indian gambling casinos, a monopoly.

You will be able to follow the money in the AG race. You can bet your bottom dollar that Pat Dye will be against Marshall.

The Indian Gambling syndicate needs to hedge their bet. Marshall will not win that race. Alabamians will know that the gambling syndicate backs this unknown charlatan and his claim to the office was that he was Robert Bentley’s appointee.

See you next week

FYFFE, Ala. — According to the DeKalb County Democratic Club and Executive Committee, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Doug Jones will be speaking at the “Democratic Rally & Barbeque for Northeast Alabama,” held at the Fyffe Senior Center on Tuesday, November 7.

The event will begin at 6 pm, and admission is free.

SPECIAL TO THE SOUTHERN TORCH FROM THE DEKALB CO. DEMOCRATIC CLUB AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: DeKalb County Democrats are very happy that their preferred candidate, former Attorney General Doug Jones, won the Democratic Primary on August 15, with 64 percent of the vote and no runoff. Of the seven great Democratic candidates in the Senatorial race, Jones was the favorite of most Democrats in DeKalb.

We feel Jones will represent the values of our people and be a strong voice for all citizens of Alabama, including minorities, women and those who need a hand up at times. He is an advocate for health care under the Affordable Care Act. Here are a few statements made by Jones at his watch party after learning he had won: “All my life I have been trying to work with folks to make sure people have equal opportunities– they’re treated fairly, they’re treated the same under the law, they’re

PHOTO: Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Doug Jones, will be speaking at a rally in Fyffe on November 7. (Contributed Photo)

treated with dignity and respect…”

“As your United States Senator, I am going to continue to fight for everybody in this state,” Jones said: “I’m going to be an independent voice…

I’m going to be beholden only to the people of the state of Alabama.”

Jones received the endorsement of Vice-President Joe Biden before the election, and State Senator John Baker, who knows him personally, spoke for him at a recent meeting of the DeKalb Democrat Club.

Baker comments: “I have known Doug Jones for about 32 years.”

He was a young volunteer when I was chair of the state party. He served as US Attorney in Birmingham under Bill Clinton. He successfully prosecuted two KKK members who bombed the 16th Street Baptist church in the early 60’s killing two or three little girls. Doug is level headed, very reasonable, and thoughtful. I think he has the intelligence and temperament to make a really good US Senator.”

It’s time we elected a Democrat to the U. S. Senate, but most importantly it is time we elected a man of integrity who will serve the people of Alabama well.

USE HAPPY JACK Use Happy Jack Skin Balm for hot spots on dogs & cats. Hometown Feed & Seed. (www.kennelvax.com)

6

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

THE SOUTHERN TORCH SCOREBOARD IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY HOME

62-7

SHERIFF JIMMY HARRIS 16-7

21-8

AWAY

48-27

Fyffe red devils section lions

albertville aggies fort payne wildcats

woodville panthers valley head tigers

collinsville panthers

Geraldine bulldogs new hope indians

Plainview bears sylvania rams

etowah blue devils crossville lions

ider hornets asbury rams

45-6

13-3

42-6

sand rock wildcats

48-6

The Sand Mountain Showdown The Plainview Bears take down the Sylvania Rams

The Plainview Bears celebrate their region championship win over the Sylvania Rams, 13-3. (Kristy Gallagher | Southern Torch)

By Marla Jones Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com RAINSVILLE, Ala.—On Friday night, the Plainview Bears defeated the Class 3A, No. 9 ranked Sylvania Rams, 13-3 to win the Region 7 Championship.

The first half of the game, featured several missed opportunities. On the Rams first possession of the night, they moved the ball down the field, to their own 32. Ram Quarterback Blake Spears threw a perfect pass to Eli Battles, when Bear defender, Jathan Underwood snatched the ball from him. The Bears took over on their 33-yard line but the Rams stopped them in their tracks. With only 5:00 minutes remaining in the first half, the Rams took over, and after an eight-play drive, found themselves stuck on the Bears 13-yard line. The Rams settled for a 30-yard field goal by Christian Andrade. At the end of the half, the Rams had the 3-0 advantage.

The second half was back and forth between the two rivals. The Rams got the ball to start the third quarter. After 10 plays and 30 yards later, they gave it back to the Bears. The Bears failed to convert on

fourth-and-1 and the Rams took back possession. After only moving down the field for six yards, they punted back to the Bears. The Bears took over on the Rams 45. Plainview Quarterback, Bailey Dukes connected with Chance Broyles on a perfect 33-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 remaining in the third. The extra point attempt by kicker, Luis Hernandez was good. The Bears took the 7-3 lead. The Rams took possession but five plays later, the Rams punted back to the Bears. With 11:00 remaining in the game, the Bears mounted their attack.

Bailey Dukes connected with Jacob Wooten to bring

the Bears to the Rams’s 5-yard line. A illegal substitution penalty on the Rams, set up first-and-goal on the 3-yard line. With 9:25 remaining in the game, Bailey Dukes scored on a quarterback keeper. The extra point attempt failed, giving the Bears the 13-3 advantage. With 3:44 remaining in the game, Blake Spears intercepted the ball but the Rams failed to convert on fourth down..

The Bears took back possession and the Rams were forced to use all their timeouts. The Bears ran the clock out,with a run by Clay Cooper, to win one of the biggest rivalries in DeKalb County.

The Sylvania Rams fall to 4-1 in Region 7 play and 7-1 overall. Plainview is 5-0 in Class 3A, Region 7 play and increases their record to 7-1 overall.

“I’m very proud of our kids. We had a great week of preparation with a lot of focus and that carried over into Friday night” said Plainview Head Coach Dustin Goodwin. “These kids deserve success and we are excited to be region champions.”

Both teams will be on the road tonight. Plainview will travel to face New Hope in region play. Sylvania will take on Brindlee Mountain in regional play.

Plainview's Clay Cooper brings down Sylvania Rams' Kris Shavers in Friday night's Sand Mountain Showdown (Kristy Gallagher | Southern Torch)

Crossville Falls to Etowah

Crossville's Blanton Jones passed for 176 yards against the Etowah Blue Devils on Friday night. (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)

By Marla Jones

Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com CROSSVILLE, Ala.—The Crossville Lions fell to the Etowah Blue Devils, 42-6 on Friday night.

The Blue Devils took the early 21-0 lead over the Crossville Lions. With 9:35 remaining in the first, Etowah scored on a 54-yard run. With 5:24 remaining in the first, they attacked again with a 10-yard run.

With :55 remaining in the first, the Blue Devils scored from 84-yards out.

With only :30 ticked off the clock in the second quarter, Etowah scored on a 47-yard run, giving them the 28-0 advantage over the Lions. With 7:00 remaining in the first half, Etowah's quarterback

connected with the receiver for a 55-yard touchdown pass, to go up 35-0. Etowah forced a fumble to take it back 45-yards for the Etowah final touchdown of the night. Going into the half, the Blue Devils led the Lions, 42-0.

With 11:27 remaining in the game, Blanton Jones connected with Banks Jolley on a 40-yard touchdown pass. The extra-point attempt failed, making the score 42-6 where it remained for the rest of the game.

Blanton Jones finished the 18-for-25 with 176 passing yards. Banks Jolley finished the night with 81 yards and a touchdown.

The Crossville Lions will travel tonight, to take on Alexandria in region play.

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

7

Fyffe Tames the Lions Hornets Sting the Rams

n Silas Hicks scores on a six yard touchdown against Section. (James Williams Photography)

By Marla Jones Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

SECTION, Ala.—The Section Lions were no match for the Class 2A, No. 1 ranked, Fyffe Red Devils.

Fyffe defeated the Section Lions 62-7 on Friday night.

The Red Devils quickly put points on the board in the first quarter. The first being on a 10-yard quarterback keeper by Seth

Benefield. The extra point attempt was good and the Red Devils jumped to the early lead with only 5:00 ticked off the clock. Just minutes later, Payton Anderson scored on a 9-yard gallop into the endzone. Silas Hicks connected with Benfield for a 59-yard touchdown pass to put the Red Devils up 21-0 in the first quarter.

Anderson started the scoring, in the second

quarter, with a 2-yard dash into the endzone. With 5:37 remaining in the half, Silas Hicks scored on a 6-yard touchdown. Section put their only points on the board, with a 35-yard pass into the endzone. The point-after attempt was good. On the last play of the half, Benefield connected with Anderson, on a 35-yard pass to close out the first half, with the 41-7 advantage over the Lions.

The Fyffe Red Devils tacked on three more touchdowns in the second half of the game. The first being a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Benefield with 7:57 remaining in the third.

Jake stone scored on a 6-yard run in the third.

With 11:38 remaining in the game, Payton Stone scored with a 30-yard stampede into the endzone.

“It was a good win for us. It clinched the region championship and guaranteed a home playoff game which is one of our goals every year” said Fyffe Head Coach Paul Benefield.

“We just want to get better and stay focused and hope we stay healthy.”

Fyffe will complete their regional schedule tonight as they host Gaston.

Ider stung the Rams in Class 2A Region Play last Friday night. (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)

By Marla Jones Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

IDER, Ala.—In a Class 2A, Region 6 matchup, the Ider Hornets defeated the Asbury Rams, 48-6. This win gives the Hornets a ticket to the Class 2A playoffs.

Ider attacked early, scoring four times in the first few minutes of the game. Ider put their first points on the board with only :31 ticked off the timeclock, with a 6-yard gallop into the endzone by Sam McKay. Twenty-seven seconds later and after a Ram fumble, Townson connected on a 21-yard pass to Alex Brown for the score. Two minutes later,

Ryan Adams scored for the Hornets on a 8-yard stampede into the endzone. Just five minutes into the game, Gavin Weldon brought it in from 23-yards out to make the score 27-0.

During the second quarter, Ider fans were treated to several more touchdowns. With 11:05 remaining in the first half, Alfred Richards scored on a 21-yard gallop into the endzone. Two minutes later, he found his way across the endzone, on a 39-yard run. With 7:00 remaining in the first half, Gavin Henry cashed in on the Ider scoring frenzy with a 8-yard gallop into the endzone. The two-point conversion gave

the Hornets the six touchdown lead over the Rams, going into the half.

The second half was quite until Ethan Barnett galloped across the endzone, from 13-yards out, to score for the Hornets. Asbury answered back on a 3-yard dash into the endzone, making the final score 48-6.

Dylan Avery led the Hornets with 83 yards.

Seth Hawkins had 76 yards and Alfred Richards finished the night with 60 yards.

The Ider Hornets will face Westbrook Christian tonight. A win, can place the Hornets in the number three seed, for region play.

No Hope for New Hope Tigers Fall in Region Play

Geraldine took away all hope for the New Hope Indians on Friday night, defeating them 45-6 in region play. (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)

The Valley Head Tigers fell to the Woodville Panthers in region play last Friday night. (Marla Jones | Southern Torch)

By Marla Jones

Sports Editor

Sports Editor

marla@southerntorch.com

NEW HOPE, Ala.—The Geraldine Bulldogs easily defeated the New Hope Indians 45-6 on Friday night.

Geraldine’s Andrew Hall took the opening kickoff back for 80 yards to score for Geraldine. The point after attempt failed by the Bulldogs jumped to the early 6-0 lead. With 9:28 remaining in the first quarter, Thomas Willoughby connected with Austin King. King brought it down 35-yards to score for the Bulldogs.

Geraldine went for two but were unsuccessful With 6:02 remaining in the first quarter, David White stampeded down the field

for the 60-yard touchdown score. The PAT failed but the Bulldogs had the 18-0 advantage over the Indians. With 1:24 remaining in the first, Hall scored his second touchdown of the night with a 60-yard rampage into the endzone. The extra point by Eduardo Garcia was good, giving the Bulldogs the 25-0 advantage.

With 7:19 remaining in the first half, Hall cashed in on his third touchdown of the night, with a 15-yard gallop into the endzone. The point-after attempt failed, making the score 31-0.

With 2:35 remaining in the second quarter, Willoughby came in on a 1-yard quarterback keeper.

The PAT by Garcia was

good and the Bulldogs went into the half with the 38-0 advantage over New Hope.

With 8:05 remaining in the third quarter, Hall scored his third touchdown of the night on a 55-yard run. The PAT was good and the Bulldogs went up 45-0.

New Hope put their only points on the board, on a 65-yard touchdown with 10:41 remaining in the game. The point after attempt failed, making the score 45-6 where it stayed for the remainder of the game.

Geraldine increased their record to 3-2 in Class 3A, Region 7 play and have a 3-5 overall season record.

Geraldine will travel to face North Sand Mountain tonight.

By Marla Jones marla@southerntorch.com WOODVILLE, Ala.—The Woodville Panthers defeated the Valley Head Tigers, 21-8 to end the hopes of a playoff berth for the Tigers.

During the first quarter, the Tigers made their way down the field with great teamwork between quarterback, Jordan Burt and running backs Frank Hester and Roger Kirby. The Tigers held strong, converting two, fourth-and-1 situations to get the first down, during the first quarter.

The Tigers held the Panthers and forced them to punt to start the second quarter. Valley Head blocked the punt and took over possession on the Panther 18-yard line. With

10:22 remaining in the half.

Kirby was snuffed by a Panther and threw the ball and was intercepted. The Tigers held the Panthers preventing them to capitalize on the play. The Tigers were them forced to punt back to the Panthers, and with only :35 remaining in the first half, they scored.

The Panthers went for two but not without two-penalties by the Tigers.

Woodville were successful and went into the half with the 8-0 advantage.

The Panthers came back from the half, ready to attack. With 9:20 remaining in the third, they scored. The point-after attempt gave them the 15-0 advantage over the Tigers.

After Burt suffered a shoulder injury, Roger Kirby took over as quarterback.

The Tigers could not convert and were forced to

punt back to the Panthers with 7:35 remaining in the third. With 4:33 remaining in the third, the Panthers scored their final touchdown of the night.

The point after attempt was good and the Woodville took the 21-0 lead.

With 7:34 remaining in the fourth quarter, Kirby connected on a 35-yard pass to Hunter Izell, to put the Tigers in scoring position.

Kirby scored on a quarterback keeper from 3-yards out. The Tigers went for two, and Kirby brought the ball in, making the score 21-8. Time ran out for the Valley Head Tigers, ending their hopes to make it to the playoffs.

The Valley Heads Tigers have a bye this week.

They will face Collinsville on the road, next week.

8

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

McPherson selected for Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic

Missed Opportunities

After several missed opportunities for both teams, the Albertville Aggies defeated the Fort Payne Wildcats 16-7 in region play.

(Amy Thrash | Southern Torch)

By Amy Thrash

By Staff Reports MONTGOMERY – Two quarterbacks and a placekicker/punter fill out the 40-player Alabama All-Star Team that will face Mississippi in the 31th annual Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game Dec. 16 at the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg.

The roster, comprised of current high school seniors, was being released by position this week.

Defensive linemen were announced Monday, offensive linemen on Tuesday, linebackers and defensive end on Wednesday, running backs Thursday, defensive backs Friday and receivers Saturday.

The quarterbacks/kickers were officially announced Sunday to close out the player series, according to Alvin Briggs, Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association.

The annual all-star contest is an event of the AHSADCA and the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) and the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC). Steve Smith of Piedmont is serving as Alabama’s head coach.

The quarterbacks selected are James Foster of Sidney Lanier and Jack West of Saraland, and the place-kicking and punting duties will be handled by Evan McPherson of Fort Payne. West has committed to Stanford University, Foster has committed to Missouri and McPherson has announced plans to sign with Mississippi State.

Photos, videos, statistics and other information on each of the all-stars can be found at www.ahsaa.now.

The all-star game, which has been played annually since 1988, was played in Mississippi for the first time in 2015 with Mississippi winning 28-21. Alabama rebounded to win 25-14 last year at Cramton Bowl and improved its edge in the series to 22-8.

The game will be televised live over the Raycom Network of stations in Mississippi and Alabama. The contest will also be broadcast live over the AHSAA Radio Network.

Fan of the Week

Sports Reporter

amy@southerntorch.com

FORT PAYNE, Ala. The Fort Payne Wildcats were defeated by the Albertville Aggies, 16-7. in region play on Friday night.

After several missed

opportunities by both teams, during the first two quarters, they entered the half, deadlocked at 0-0.

With 8:15 remaining in the third, Albertville ran it up the middle, scoring from 13 yards out.

The extra point attempt was good, giving the Aggies the 7-0 lead.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Aggies had a 73-yard gain before the Wildcats brought them down inside Fort Payne’s 10-yard line. The kick by Diaz netted a 21-yard field goal for Albertville, with 9:53 left in the game, giving them a 10-0 lead. With 5:45

remaining in the game, J.C. Groat found his way into the endzone after a six-carry drive. The point after attempt by Evan McPherson was good bringing the score to 10-7.

The Wildcats had to turn over the ball to Albertville.

After taking a knee twice, the Aggies figured out that was not enough to run the time clock out and had to run the ball. On the third down, they ran it in from 11-yards out to score.

The extra point was not successful but was enough for the 16-7 victory over the Wildcats.

The loss puts the Wildcats in a do-or-die position in the regional playoffs. They now have to win tonight over Pell City and Albertville has to lose to Southside, in order for the Wildcats to take the No. 4 seed in the Class 6A, Region 7 playoffs.

CCA Volleyball places second at State The Cornerstone Christian Academy Lady Eagles placed second in the ACAA State JV Volleyball Title on Saturday. They faced Tuscaloosa Christian Academy in a best of three match.

DeKalb Volleyball teams move forward

Collinsville Lady Panthers GERALDINE LADY BULLDOGS

PLAINVIEW LADY BEARS

FYFFE LADY RED DEVILS The Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Volleyball Super Regional Tournament gets underway on Thursday, October 26 with the South at Montgomery's Multi-Plex and the North at Huntsville's Von Braun Center (South Hall). The State Volleyball Championship will be played November 1 & 2 at the CrossPlex in Birmingham. (Ider not pictured)

The Southern Torch Fan of the Week, Sandy Collins, was spotted enjoying the Valley head pep rally on Friday! Submit your photos to marla@southerntorch.com to be our next Fan of the Week.

Sylvania lady rams

Southern Torch will have complete updates in next week's paper! Good luck to all area teams!

COACHES: SUBMIT YOUR STATS TO MARLA@SOUTHERNTORCH.COM!

SOUTHERN TORCH TEAM OF THE WEEK

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

plainview bears (256) 845-9814 • info@mychimpro.com 1297 Co. Rd. 835, Fort Payne, AL 35968

Check out our Facebook to view our wood and gas fireplaces, stoves, & inserts!

Good Luck to ALL Area Teams!

Paid. Pol. Adv. by Andrew Hairston, PO Box 1341, Rainsville, AL 35986

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10

THE SOUTHERN TORCH

Friday–October 27, 2017

Southern Torch

would

like to encourage everyone to join with our special advertisers below in supporting men and women fighting breast cancer! From DeKalb County to the rest of the world, we stand with you.

In honor of those fighting, a portion of our advertisement sales this week will be donated to the

Hope Foundation. Stay strong.

SUPPORTING THE

ADMIRING THE

HONORING THE

SUPPORTING BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

NEVER GIVING UP ON