Category Archives: Reverie of a reporter
The man behind the councilman
Benjamin Little arrived in Anniston in 1984, driving a silver Chevrolet Chevette and sporting the close-cropped haircut of an Army man. Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
The sound of sirens … or silence
Officials in Calhoun, Talladega, Cleburne, St. Clair, Clay and Etowah counties have to figure out how to pay for the maintenance of these high-tech weather sirens. Or they have to take them down. Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
“Over but not out”
I pulled this Sunday story for The Anniston Star together in a week — no small feat when you’re trying to understand the technicalities of a radio system that covers 1,300-square miles across two counties. Writing and researching about public … Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
Radios, sirens and good-bye federal $$
It’s a big transfer — one that board chairman Mike Fincher calls unprecedented. The main issue is funding: Will the 3200-odd users who’ve agreed to pay for radio communication that was once free be enough to support what’s expected to be a $600,000 (or more) per year system? What happens when a microwave chip or generator fails? Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
Delays and dilemmas
The Sunday story is out and in print; visit The Anniston Star’s website to read about the case backlogs, evidence delays and prison overcrowding in Alabama. Want solutions to the problems? The next story in the series focuses on those … Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
Justice Delayed
The whole system has slowed down, officials said, and the forecast doesn’t look much better. The state general fund faces a $366 million budget shortfall in the next fiscal year, and Bentley has pledged not to raise taxes. Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
Groups or Gangs: The Sunday Story
In a matter of months, “gangs” has been transformed into a buzzword, a touchstone people reach for when discussing the recent rash of homicides in the Anniston area. Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
Groups or gangs?
They wonder, frankly, if the “gangs” speak is little more than a public official’s attempt at a quick fix, an easy answer to residents’ vocal questions about the safety of their community. Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
‘A miscarriage of justice’
“I hereby find there has been a great miscarriage of justice here; I apologize to you,” Jones said to Tyson at the end of the hearing. “I cannot make it right. All I can do is recognize that this…order entered by Judge Laird is in error.” Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
Zeroed out: Children’s advocacy centers
But without any state funding – the Calhoun-Cleburne center received $62,000 in state funds for fiscal year 2011 – the center may have to cut two of the five full-time jobs there, officials said. And if that happens, local court officials worry the center won’t be able to conduct as many child interviews as they do now – causing the number of abused children who slip through the cracks – and the number of child abuse perpetrators who go free – to rise. Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
