Tag Archives: The Anniston Star
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
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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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
Proposed cuts for federal workers could hurt Anniston…
But Jacksonville State University Economics Professor Christopher Westley said the real problem isn’t the cuts. It’s Anniston’s reliance on the depot as that economic engine. Westley blames local leaders like Sumners for their inattention to other industries and their inability to attract a variety of businesses to the Anniston-Calhoun area. That’s worked for a while, Westley said, but won’t anymore. 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
