Cullman Today, Wednesday, Oct. 7

0:01 >> Good morning, Cullman. Thank you for tuning in to Cullman today. I'm your

0:12 host, Crystal Corley, and today is Wednesday, October 7th. We have a lot to look at in local news

0:17 today, including a fire that damaged a Hanceville church, an important voter registration deadline coming up, and how

0:24 Alabama-grown food is making it onto your kids' lunch trays. All this plus weather and more, but for now, let's

0:31 dive into the top stories happening in Cullman today. We start in Hanceville, where a church

0:40 community is waking up to some tough news this week. Around midnight early Monday, Hanceville Fire and Rescue was

0:47 called to a vehicle fire at 1003 Main Street Northwest. When crews got there,

0:53 the flames had already spread to St. John's Missionary Baptist Church. Firefighters put out the vehicle fire

0:59 quickly, but the fire moved into the church's attic and main building. Six other fire departments came to help,

1:07 along with the Cullman County Sheriff's Office. The Alabama State Fire Marshal's Office is now investigating, and we're keeping

1:14 the St. John's family in our thoughts this morning. Next up, if you've moved, changed your

1:20 name, created a whole identity for yourself, or just not sure if you've registered to vote, now is time to

1:27 check. Secretary of State Wes Allen is reminding everyone that the deadline to register for the November 3rd general

1:34 election is Monday, October 19th. That's less than 2 weeks away. You can register online at

1:40 sos.alabama.gov, or drop off or mail a paper form to your County Board of Registrars. And

1:47 remember, you'll need a valid photo ID to vote. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m.

1:52 to 7:00 p.m. on election day. To finish out our top stories, the food

1:57 on your child's lunch tray may have come from a farm right here in Alabama.

2:02 Governor Kay Ivey has proclaimed October as Farm to School Month. Since 2020, Alabama schools have spent

2:10 more than 5.9 million buying from local farmers and served more than 14 million

2:15 food meals featuring Alabama grown food. Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate says it helps students understand where their

2:23 food comes from while giving our farmers another place to sell what they grow.

2:28 So, keep an eye out this month for school gardens, farm field trips, and

2:32 hands-on lessons. And that's our top stories for today. We'll take a quick break and be right

2:38 back. >>

3:01 >> Hello and welcome back to Cullman today. Now, it's time to speed things up with

3:05 your four in four, four stories in under four minutes. First, we remember a familiar

3:14 name to many of you and to the readers of the Cullman Tribune. Robert Tidwell

3:18 Sr. passed away Sunday on his 92nd birthday. A former Cullman city councilman, he wrote the funny things

3:26 from yesterday column, sharing stories about his wife Rudine, their family, and the Cullman he remembered. He was also a

3:34 founding member of the Friends of helping build the friendships between Cullman and our sister city in Germany.

3:42 Visitation is today from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Moss Service Funeral Home

3:47 with a celebration of life to follow. Mr. Tidwell, thank you for the stories.

3:53 Next, a little hometown pride. Jake Dulaney of Cullman County has been named one of this year's rural medical

4:00 scholars at the University of Alabama. >> >> Jake is one of just eight students in

4:04 the program's 31st class. >> >> It was created to help close the gap in

4:09 prime primary care doctors in rural Alabama, and it's only open to students from rural parts of the state.

4:16 Over 5 years, Jake will earn a master's degree in rural community health and get

4:21 early admission to the UAB Heersink School of Medicine. >> >> He'll spend 2 years of medical medical

4:27 school in Birmingham, then finish his clinical training back in Tuscaloosa. >> >> Dr. Megan Rivera with the program says

4:34 these students have already shown they are bright, ambitious, and dedicated to serving rural Alabama.

4:40 Congratulations, Jake. Now let's get your Halloween calendar filled up. Render Aid Alabama's fourth

4:47 annual Boo Festival is Saturday, October 24th from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Randall

4:52 Shed Community Park in Fairview. The event raises awareness about domestic violence and elder abuse. Also,

4:59 it's free. And there's a lot to do. Touch a truck, a helicopter landing, a

5:04 car and truck show, a hayride, inflatables, food truck, and live music from Drew Long. Vendors will be handing

5:11 out candy, so bring the kids in costume and catch it all. And finally, that same afternoon, the

5:18 Muddy Misfits and Goat Island Brewing are hosting the off-road candy crawl trunk or treat from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at

5:25 the brewery. It benefits the Cullman County Animal Shelter, which will be there with adoptable pets. So if you

5:31 can, bring along donations like food, treats, collars, or supplies. Goat Island is at 1646 John Cooper

5:40 Drive. >> >> We'll take a quick break before we look at the weather ahead and remember the

5:44 members of the community that we've lost. We'll be right back after this. >> Still refreshing three different pages

5:54 to find one score? There is [laughter] a better Friday night plan. Follow local

5:58 football scores, schedules, and team pages at Cullman scoreboard.com. Your team, your town, your scoreboard.

6:06 Cullman scoreboard.com from The Cullman Tribune. >> >> Welcome back. Let's take a moment to

6:17 pause and remember the members of our community who have passed away. Ruth Eloise McCormick, 87 of Cullman,

6:27 passed away Sunday, October 4th. A graveside service will be held today at 10:30 a.m. at Center Grove Baptist

6:34 Church Cemetery. Her family asks that those attending to wear her favorite colors, red and pink,

6:40 and Alabama gear is welcome, too, because she loved her Crimson Tide. Roll Tide, Ruth.

6:47 Tanya Monk Basinger, 52 of Blountsville, passed away Sunday, October 4th. No services are planned at this time.

6:55 Janette Davis, 96 of Crane Hill, passed away Thursday, July 23rd. >> >> A graveside service will be held Sunday,

7:02 October 11th at 2:00 p.m. at East Point Cumberland Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their

7:09 friends and families. Now, let's take a look at today's weather forecast. Another beautiful day ahead. Today will

7:23 be sunny with a high near 85 and a light breeze. Tonight, clear and comfortable

7:28 with a low around 54. >> >> Tomorrow is sunny and a little warmer

7:33 with a high near 88. >> >> And tomorrow night, mostly clear with a

7:38 low around 56. That concludes another edition of Cullman today. Thank you for joining us.

7:47 We'll be back bright and early tomorrow morning at 6:30 a.m. Until then, I'm

7:51 Crystal Corley and this is Cullman today. Have a good one, Cullman. >>