Tag Archives: Alabama
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
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
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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
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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
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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
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‘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
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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
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Understanding inmate health care
But how are these cost-cutting measures affecting inmates? What’s being said by opponents of judges who allow non-violent and non-repeat offenders out of jail early based on medical costs? And what happens when one inmate – who absolutely must stay in jail – breaks the bank with a serious chronic illness or emergency health problem? Continue reading
Filed under Reverie of a reporter
