Opinion

Sept. 11 was simply another ordinary date until that day 25 years ago when it wasn’t. It still isn’t a holiday, and perhaps never will become one, but it is certainly a day we should never forget. It was a day that changed our lives. It was a day...

When 300,000 tons of foreign beef has gotten the green light to flood American grocery stores, it’s not just a trade decision — it’s a direct hit on the safety of our food supply and the survival of our rural communities. Let me be clear. This isn’t about “choice” or “competition”...

Last Saturday, I spent the day in Pittsview, Alabama. That was the first time in my now somewhat-long life to visit the town. It is actually a small, unincorporated community, but they do have their own zip code (36871) and post office. It was once known as Pittsboro. In case...

There is a line between journalism and exploitation. It should not be difficult to find. This weekend, a video appeared on social media showing a partially undressed man behaving erratically in the parking lot of a Cullman motel.  The location was identified and the man’s condition was presented to an audience...

Now that I think about it, I suppose I’m a little like former President George W. Bush - though not because of his domestic or foreign policies.  “Dubya” had a reputation for giving everyone around him a nickname. Staff members, reporters, even world leaders - nobody was safe. It was just how...

This month we celebrated the life and remembered the death of one of the biggest names in the world of entertainment. Even though he has been dead for 49 years now, his music still lives on and to a much lesser degree, so do his movies. Elvis Presley is...

What a year of travel…Spain and Mexico all in the same year. So far in 2026, I’ve looked across the Alboran of the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Okay, let me be completely honest. I did not see the Gulf of Mexico from the Mexico side. I...

Moths are unsung heroes of the ecosystem, they pollinate plants, feed wildlife, recycle nutrients and serve as health indicators.  They are important pollinators for nighttime flowers and other vegetation like primrose and moonflowers. Even day-flying moths help pollinate plants much in the same way as hummingbirds. Gardenia flowers, Yucca plants and mountain mint are just a small few of the plants that get pollinated by moths.  Night owls, night hawks and bats are a few that rely on moths as feed while robins, bluebirds and swallows rely on moth larvae and also woodpeckers, who are very effective at maintaining moth population. Even small mammals, reptiles and amphibians eat moths.  Most moth larvae are voracious eaters, consuming large amounts of plant material such as leaves, stems, flowers and roots. It also helps break down plant matter, making nutrients more available to the soil. When they die, their bodies decompose, returning nutrients to the soil. Some adult moths also feed on animal waste or other organic matter, further contributing to the cycle.  Moths are sensitive to environmental changes, making them bioindicators of ecosystem health. They help us understand how our environment is doing; if they aren't around that tells us that perhaps our environment is too polluted or perhaps habitat quality is too low. However when you see them fluttering in the night that's a good indicator that the environment is thriving.  Moths are beautiful; they bring drama and mystery to our night skies and turn our gardens into nightly fairytales. With patterns that look like eyes and shimmering silk like wings, how could anyone want to hurt these beautiful night fairies?   Unfortunately, we hurt moths without even realizing it. Human activities that contribute to climate change can alter moth habitats and life cycles. Weather events, such as droughts, floods and wildfires can destroy moth populations by damaging host plants or their breeding...

For those of you who have been reading my column for a while you know I occasionally write about stupidity. More specifically, my stupidity - a subject I am an expert in. You know what they say, “Write what you know.”  Well, yesterday I turned in another Hall of Fame performance. I’m not sure what kind of award...

I am a dog man! No, that is not a super hero; however, I have had a couple of dogs that were heroes…at least to me. I like cats, too, but I have not had one for quite some time. I do prefer dogs because they will usually come...

In order to keep your child safe you have to educate yourself on any and all threats. One thing that can be often overlooked is button batteries. Button batteries are disc-shaped batteries that gets their nickname from their resemblance to a button or coin. They are typically 1-6 millimeters in height and 5-25 millimeters in diameter.   When button batteries are ingested, saliva triggers an electrical current. The current creates a...

August brings many new endeavors and excitement. School is back in session and balancing your schedule may seem more unobtainable than ever. While these adjustment periods can feel like a permanent slowing of momentum, try to turn your focus to those who are less fortunate.   Whether being unexpectedly laid off from a...

The games we played when I was growing up were quite different from those children play these days. For one thing, we usually played actual physical games rather than computerized games. We had never even seen a computer or a cell phone back then, so we certainly didn’t play...

Alabama lawmakers have already decided that the online adult-content industry is profitable enough to tax.  Beginning Sept. 1, 2025, Alabama imposed a 10% tax on the gross receipts of commercial entities operating adult websites.   The tax covers sales, memberships, subscriptions, performances and other qualifying content produced, sold, filmed or generated in Alabama.   The Alabama Department of...

I learned to drive shortly after I learned to ride a bicycle.  Since I didn’t need a license to ride a bicycle, I figured I didn’t have to have one to drive a car either. Well, I didn’t say I was driving legally, but then I wasn’t driving out...

On July 29, there was the full moon, the Buck Moon – also known as: Thunder Moon, Salmon Moon and Hay Moon. The name you have probably heard the most here in Alabama is Buck Moon. This moon appears annually in July, marking the middle of summer (deep breaths...

As summer draws to a close, excitement is building across our community as the Cullman City School System prepares to welcome 3,200 students back for the first day of school on Aug. 11.  The start of a new school year is always a special time. It represents new beginnings, a fresh start and the opportunity...

“The Calamity Club” was one of the most anticipated books of the year. It has been 17 years since Stockett’s first book, “The Help,” was published. “The Help” was wildly successful and was a wonderful movie as well. I certainly had high hopes that “The Calamity Club” would be just as riveting as “The Help.”  The new novel is set in Mississippi during the 1930s,...

My memories were transported back more than half a century ago, even before I ever smelled the scent that firmly landed me there. I began my journey down memory lane the moment I saw those white bottles. Jean and I were in an antique store in downtown Woodbury, Georgia. The...

Dear Editor:   Anyone who has faced pancreatic cancer knows the statistics can be terrifying. Too often, patients are diagnosed late, and treatment options can feel limited. I’ve been fortunate, but I’ve also lost people I love to this disease.  When my family and I learned I had stage 3 pancreatic cancer, we understood — firsthand — that it was often treated...

It’s the sound more than the smell that takes me back. Not a loud sizzle like bacon, but quieter, softer. As a kid, when I heard that low hiss from a cast-iron skillet, it meant supper was going to be hot dogs. Hot dogs - also known as tube steaks,...

Summer is in full swing, and Alabama and Florida beaches remain popular vacation spots. If you traveled to the beach this summer, or at any point, you may have browsed a few souvenir shops!    There you can browse through keychains, keepsake sand, family photo boots, magnets and even request custom souvenirs such as airbrush...

Have you ever wondered or imagined what it might be like to not be able to see? The ability to see is one of the greatest gifts and senses we have as human beings. There are approximately 191 million people who can’t see. There are a staggering 2.2 billion...

When you become a parent it is easy to purchase more items than necessary. The bassinet now gathers dust in the corner, practically used for storage. The changing table has been outgrown and the bottle sanitizer serves no purpose as your toddler plunges a fallen snack into their mouth.   Countless stacks of baby clothes are packed...

It was the kind of week that most people would like to forget. There were definitely some highs in the week but some frightening lows as well. It all began when I took a hard blow to my right eye one week prior to the week in question. Since I...

In Washington, healthcare debates often focus on insurance plans, reimbursement rates, and federal spending. In rural America, the conversation is often much simpler: Will there be a hospital nearby when you need one?  For decades, rural communities across our nation have watched hospitals close their doors. These closures have forced...

There is a dangerous misunderstanding on social media that needs to be addressed.  Just because something is posted on Facebook does not mean it is free to copy, paste, screenshot, crop, repost, monetize or pass off as your own.  Facebook is public-facing. It is not public property.  Every day, individuals, small businesses, photographers, media companies, designers, schools,...

Summer heat is no joke and nothing to handle unprepared. Though it’s not so easily avoidable, especially when you have children.   Here are some tips to keep the hassle at bay by preparing for the unexpected!   First things first, the diaper bag.  Mastering your diaper bag is the holy grail of any outing. It’s all about...

July, July – my, oh my – is it really July? – Christmas was only last week – and now the new year is half gone – the month has come when we all were born – So, if you are a red-white-and-blue-blooded American – Happy Birthday! – you...

That, my friends, is the sound of a very distinctive holiday: the Fourth of July.  Sure, we've got more important ones. Like Thanksgiving, that glorious celebration of food, football and silently wondering, "How can I possibly be related to these people?" The thing most of us are truly thankful for is the sight of...

Every time Alabama sees a case involving an educator, a school employee and a student, the same public argument erupts.  One person says the age of consent is 16. Another says it is 18. Someone else says it is 19.  Then someone asks whether it matters if the student attends a...

When I die I hope I go to a familiar place. I pray it’s as simple as falling asleep, waking up to laughter in the next room and I’m not able to get up quick enough.   Whenever it happens I hope there’s a house in the trailer park just for me, though anything will do. Because my heaven is stray...

September is recognized as National Hunger Awareness Month, though awareness of child hunger extends beyond a single month. For some children and families this can span over the course of years, which feels like a lifetime.  Food-insecurity affects 14 million children in the United States. That’s 1 in 5 children who experience hunger.   According to the nonprofit No Kid Hungry, “As you might...

Some of my longtime readers will remember Ginger (65). Ginger was our sweet yellow lab and Cocoa’s (15) big sidekick. Ginger died back in 2020 at the age of 13. That’s 91 in human years. Yes, that was the year of Covid, but she did not die from Covid. Please...

Let me set the scene for “The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.” Frederick Fife is a kind and charming octogenarian who is broke and about to be evicted from his apartment. He spent his life savings on experimental cancer treatments for his wife, Dawn. He is not sure were his next meal will come from.   While sitting in the public park in his neighborhood, he sees what...

There are moments in life when the distance between an ordinary day and tragedy is measured in inches.  I’ve thought about that a lot lately.  A few days ago, my wife Carol, my son Matt and I went to a funeral home to pay our respects to a family of dear lifelong...

I’ve heard it said that our first friends are our first cousins. I had a bunch from which to choose, but one of my favorites was Rowdy Pritchard. He was 18 months older than me. Rowdy’s mother, my Aunt Lula, was my dad’s sister. When I was young, we...

Summertime heat in Alabama can be brutal, but the need for outdoor fun doesn’t stop! If you’re looking for a way to have a nice early morning or mid-afternoon trip out of the house, here is a perfectly mapped out adventure for you.   Things you will need for the trip:   Purse, wallet, keys and so...

“Honey, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”  That’s not just a saying in the South – it’s a warning.    Everyone who lives here knows we pay for those mild winters every summer. You don’t notice it in January when you’re wearing a light jacket and feeling smug watching people up north using snowblowers to clean...

Alabama is football country. So, what do we do when it’s not football season? This week we had a most unusual sporting event. At Auburn’s Jordan Hare Stadium, there wasn’t a football game, but there was a futbol game. In our country, we usually call it soccer. Argentina played...

CULLMAN, Ala. - Rules no longer have bearing in college football, but we already knew that.  What we didn’t know was to what extent, but we found out earlier this week after Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby won his injunction against the NCAA, ruling him eligible to play this year...

No one should mistake this position for sympathy toward anyone who attempts to prey on a child.  If a person knowingly seeks sexual contact with a minor, communicates with someone he believes to be a minor or travels to meet a child for an unlawful sex act, that person should...

Have you seen them? They first arrived in America about 40 years ago. Back then, there seemed to only be a small gaggle of them and after a little while they seemed to disappear. Now, after all those years, they have flown back in and this time they’ve grown...

During my sophomore, junior and senior years in high school I painted props in advanced theater. I tried to place the color yellow into every piece that I made because yellow became a beacon of hope for me. No matter how little sleep I had gotten the night prior I could...

“The Correspondent” is an epistolary (a story told through letters) debut novel.   The book is about Syble Van Antwerp, a retired law clerk in her 70s. Syble tends to be cranky and a little bit difficult to get along with.   The novel begins in 2012 and spans nine years. Though the letters she writes and the letters she receives, the reader learns...

I was two days out of knee surgery, lying on my bed in a Lortab-laced fog, when I sat up and uttered a sentence to my wife that I never imagined would come out of my mouth.  “Hey, I’m going to get my walker, go to the kitchen and take a...

In the spring of 1989, my little family and I moved to Rainbow City, Alabama, where I had been called as pastor of White Springs Baptist Church. Ashley, our one and only child, was not quite 2 years old, so her first memories of childhood were there. We had...

Romantic comedies in the 2020s don’t feel like the ones from the 1980s. I made it my mission to stop procrastinating and watch some highly recommended films. These two are my current favorites, though I do not claim they’re the best. I have a lot of inventory to sort through before coming to that decision!  “The Princess Bride”  I watched...

Many have experienced storm anxiety since the tornado outbreak of 2011. The panic can set in quickly – when the out-of-nowhere summer rain shower blocks your view of the road, as wind speeds pick up or your phone dings with the most recent weather alert.   It is normal to be worried, but here are a few...

There was a time when a childish prank meant ringing a doorbell, running away and hiding in a ditch while your friends tried not to laugh too loudly.  It was stupid. It was immature. It was annoying.  But it usually was not destructive.  That is not what the Cullman Police Department described this week...

Ready or not, we finally said adios to the South of Spain and the Costa del Sol. We headed back to Malaga where we boarded a rapid-rail train and headed back to the immaculate capital city of Madrid. Once there, we went underground. No, we didn’t go into hiding, but...

Have you ever wondered what volunteer opportunities are available for you to assist the Cullman community? Doing your part has never been so easy! Here is a list of several community efforts in the area.   Donating  There are many things you can do to assist area residents, but let's start with donations. A simple closet cleanout can benefit several households. You...

Reading is whatever you would like for it to be. It can mean a long awaited vacation at your fingertips. Perhaps it is a magical garden, a cold case revisited with a harrowing new discovery or even a chance to live vicariously through a painter in Paris. An opportunity to start over, to...

I’m in my bathroom, standing in a nasty puddle of water, with a plunger in one hand and a bent coat hanger in the other. It’s hard to believe that just 12 hours earlier, I was eating breakfast on a cruise ship, while a man in a white jacket asked me if I wanted...

Water is gift from God that we may take from granted. Water is a necessity of life, and as far back as I can recall, I have been able to go to the kitchen sink and instantly have this necessity at my fingertips. As a young child, that water...

When I was growing up, I often wondered who my mother planned on feeding with all that food we grew in her vegetable garden. My siblings were all older than me. They married and left long before I was grown and gone. Mama didn’t have as many mouths to...

Mother’s Day has always served as a day when we honor and celebrate the cherished mothers and mother-like mentors in our lives. It’s a day where young kids scribble their names on printer paper, draw sticks figures of themselves holding hands with Mommy and go to the store with Dad...

It was usually about 8:45 on a rainy Sunday night when the drama began.   One of my boys would burst into the den, chest heaving like he had just run the final leg of an Olympic relay. His face looked like he had just seen a boa constrictor in the bathroom.  Once he...

My husband was the first to recommend this book to me. It was spoken highly of to him by his godfather and his copy was passed on to my husband. They both read it fairly quickly and explained that the book kept them captivated.   The way my husband told me to read...

I know the song says, “Amarillo by morning, up from San Antone,” but on our tour across the South of Spain, I found myself singing “Marbella by morning, up from Fuengirola.” It was a Friday morning, to be exact, when we boarded the big red bus for a ride to...

From the mountains of the Tennessee Valley to the shores of the Gulf Coast, and everything in-between, our state is second to none in the country when it comes to beautiful outdoors and recreation.  Whether it’s camping and hiking across Alabama’s state parks, fishing our streams, rivers, coastlines and bays, or hunting in our...

I am a writer. I write articles, books and songs. While I have won a few awards for some of my newspaper and magazine articles, I have never written a best-selling book or song. I have written hundreds of songs, recorded a few off them and lost or thrown...

Now, before you let your mind go where it shouldn’t, this Ronda is not a woman. Ronda was the next city we visited in Spain. It is a place of stunning beauty, but it is a deeply divided city. The water of the Guadalevin River separates the city as...

I woke up at 3 a.m., which is not unusual. At my age, the bladder rules. It was time to take a bathroom break, return to bed and then think of something boring until I conked out again. That’s normal. What is not normal, however, is what I saw when I turned over...

In recent years, the Corporate Memphis style has been widely used for advertising. This form of art is known for its “low-effort” presentation. It is highly popular among platforms such as Google and Facebook.   Corporate Memphis displays pops of color and disproportional anatomy and objects. People in this design will have minimal to no facial expressions....

What is Flock Safety? What does it do? What does it mean for residents and visitors?    They are small, often mounted high on poles or along roadways, easy to miss unless you know what you are looking for.  But for many communities across the country, Flock cameras have become a growing part of modern...

This novel by Sean Dietrich has a dual storyline. The first is about Sheriff Winston Browne and the residents of Moab. The second is about a young girl who is being held captive in a cult.   Set in the 1950s, “The Incredible Winston Browne” is a heartwarming novel. Winston has never married and his still friends...

Yes, I know the songs says, “Well, I’ve never been to Spain, but I’ve been to Oklahoma,” but the opposite is now true for me. I have now visited Spain and every state on every side of Oklahoma, but not Oklahoma.  Eventually, I’ll get to Oklahoma and Delaware to...

To the Editor,  Domestic violence is not a distant issue – it is a daily reality in our community. I see firsthand the impact this has on individuals and families across our county.  Law enforcement in Cullman County responds to domestic-related calls regularly, many involving repeat offenders and escalating violence. One of the most dangerous moments for a victim is immediately after an offender is released from custody. We have seen cases where victims are re-assaulted within hours or days of that release. This is not hypothetical – it is happening here.  House Bill 389 addresses this exact problem. By strengthening bond conditions and allowing for temporary holding periods, this legislation targets the highest-risk window where retaliation and serious harm are most likely to occur.  This is not about being overly punitive. It is about being realistic and protecting victims during the most dangerous phase of these cases. Right now, gaps in the system allow individuals with a history of violence to return to the same environment without adequate safeguards....

Publisher’s note: Some stories aren’t about answers. This is one of them.  I don’t think about her death first. That’s what I didn’t expect.  It’s her smile.  That big, effortless smile that showed up before anything else did. The kind that didn’t ask for attention but took it anyway.  And her laugh. The kind that filled a room without trying.  That’s what hits me first.  For a...

Larry was an unusual sort. In fact, to even say such would be like saying that Babe Ruth was a baseball player. Everybody who knew Larry already knew that. He was a good man; but honestly, he could be quite difficult. Larry was not a member of our church, but...

CULLMAN, Ala. - In the next three weeks, Alabama (April 11) and Auburn (April 18) will play in their "A-Day" spring games, and UAB will hold their up close and personal Spring Showcase (April 18), for fans to get their first looks at their 2026 football squads. All three...

One of the most complex things you can do for yourself when becoming a parent is allow yourself to grieve who you were. This has been crucial for me to accept, but it isn’t always easy. I’m so thankful to have other new moms around me I can talk about these things with.   It...

What? Well, that’s how they said it where Jean and I recently spent a little more than a week. The translation in my native Southern English would be something like, “Hey! How y’all doing? Everything’s good here!” However you say it, everything was good…really good! We saw and strolled...

Alabama has legalized medical cannabis. That is not a debate; it is law.  Yet as the program begins to take shape across the state, a new question is emerging at the local level: what happens when a legal treatment option exists, but access to it is quietly limited before a patient ever has the chance...

Howard Cannon, a restaurant expert witness and forensic scientist, last year released his book “Restaurant Ridiculous: Dram Shop & Alcohol Liability Personal Injury Lawsuits.” It advises the reader of negligent acts within management and signs of visible intoxication among those served. Normally I don’t read nonfiction, but I found this informative and digestible. It made me take a closer look...

As if by magic, he pulled a folded $100 bill out of a pile of gray lint.  “Look what I found,” he said, waving it in the air with a flourish.  My wife and I stared at him the same way we did when David Copperfield made the Statue of Liberty disappear. You...

Worms…some of the first money I ever made came from selling worms. With two ponds and a creek right beside our house, I grew up fishing. Now everybody knows if you catch fish you have to have bait. As a boy, I caught my own bait and then used it to...

After marching the streets of Birmingham to get their program back then watching the most successful run in school history under Bill Clark, securing a move up to the American Conference, UAB fans were treated to one of the most nonsensical hirings in sports history.  In December of 2022, after...

It seems there’s so much nastiness, rudeness and hate in the world now. It’s everywhere, and it makes me sicker than the thought of drinking warm buttermilk. If not for football and HGTV, I would consider throwing my TV away. And without Candy Crush and calls from my granddaughter, my iPhone could probably...

If Murphy’s Law is, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” the Mechanical Law would be, “What can break down, will break down.” That’s the one that ruled at our house last week. My parents had most of the same appliances the entire time I lived at home. I...

In honor of “Read Across America,” I would like to share my two cents on what it means to be a “reader.”  I didn’t always love to read. I have always loved to write, though I never saw myself as a writer. I would get frustrated at myself when I would spend too much time...

The closure of Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) left a significant void in West Birmingham. For decades, the 192-acre campus served as an educational and cultural hub. Its vacancy represented a loss of activity and uncertainty for the surrounding community and local economy.  The recent purchase of the campus by the United States Coast Guard marks a strategic turning point. The Coast Guard plans to repurpose the site as a national training center, which will subsequently transform a period of uncertainty into a long-term federal investment that promises meaningful economic and community benefits.  From an economic perspective, the project brings immediate and sustained advantages. The establishment...

Election season produces a familiar pattern.  Bold promises. Absolute declarations. Assurances that sweeping change will occur the moment one candidate takes office.  Then governance begins. And reality intrudes.  At every level of government, candidates speak as if election equals authority. But in most offices, authority is shared. It is negotiated. It is...

Seventy-two years ago, Capital Records released a recording of a young Andy Griffith. He recorded under the name Deacon Andy Griffith. Side A of the record contained a comedy monologue that was almost six minutes long. It became Griffith’s first big hit. Griffith played the part of a naïve country...

There is a difference between launching a Facebook page and operating a newsroom.  In recent days, a newly created local social media news platform generated significant attention and praise for its rapid growth and assertive tone. Within 24 hours, publicly available information surfaced showing that the individual leading the effort...

A letter to the editor recently questioned Cullman Electric Cooperative’s motives behind our Community Cupboard initiative. While we welcome open dialogue, it’s important that our members and neighbors have the facts. The Community Cupboards were not created as a publicity effort but out of compassion and a genuine desire to...

I walked about 75 yards from the visitor center, stepped to the railing, looked both ways and gawked.  I’m not a big gawker. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I gawked. But the Grand Canyon will do that to you. It isn’t something you merely see. It’s something...

Last week I was listening to a Christian radio program when the host of the show asked the radio audience, “Is your Christmas tree still up?” He and his co-host went on to discuss when the appropriate time is to take down the tree. He also went on to...

Like many kids in Alabama in the 2000s, I didn’t grow up in a boxing-centric household. I heard stories of Marino, Sanders and Favre - not Tyson and Foreman.  Regardless, when Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather met in September 2015, the world stood still, and like many we broke our...

Cullman Electric Cooperative desperately wants you to believe it cares about the community. Its latest maneuver in corporate benevolence? The "Community Pantry." A pair of wooden boxes meant to house food and supplies completely funded and stocked by the communities they serve. The cooperative helpfully suggests donating boxed macaroni,...

For most of my life, my personal motto has been, “I had rather be busy than bored.” Honestly, I don’t remember if I heard someone say it, or if I dreamed it up on my own. Either way, it fit me to a T. I have never enjoyed being idle...

I used to be so scared to talk to people that I would have to avoid eye contact. If I were in a situation where being social was required I would shake and become so overwhelmed that I couldn’t open my mouth. It felt as if my jaw were...

Sonder, defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “the awareness that other people all have their own complex set of feelings and experiences.”   As a child I had this overwhelming sadness when I saw pictures of my grandparents when they were younger. It was odd to think of them so little...

Hurricane Creek Park is widely known for its rock formations and waterfalls. It is roughly 70 acres of peace and tranquility – a perfect place for a nice walk, picnic and more. I visited one morning in early February to get some fresh air and was so refreshed afterward.   It...

I wish every boy could experience snow the way we do in the South. Since it’s a rare occurrence here, there’s a sense of wonder and excitement that always comes with the white stuff. When snow was in the forecast, I could hardly sleep. The first thing I did...

Have you heard about “Theo of Golden?” If you have not, let me tell you, it is a fabulous book that is sweeping (if not the nation) the South! This is a debut novel that was first self-published by Allen Levi after his friends encouraged him to do so. Later, Simon and...

I have decided, sometime in my not-as-young-as-I-once-was years, that I don’t like cucumbers. Well, at least I don’t like raw cucumbers. I’ve given them ample opportunities to prove themselves, but they’ve come up short.  I’ve even tried cucumber sandwiches. Actually, I have decided the reason I do not like...

The following a guest article from Cullman County EMA Specialist Brent McDonald.  In emergency management, one thing has always remained constant: the responsibility to protect people before, during and after an emergency. What has changed — dramatically over the years—is how people expect to receive information, how quickly they expect...

Every Feb. 14 arrives with the same confidence, dressed in red, trailing balloons, chocolate and the unmistakable belief that it is doing the Lord’s work.  It is not.  Valentine’s Day does not ask how you are doing. It does not check whether love is complicated this year or whether your heart...