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DAY OF
DESTRUCTION
Residents survey the damage along Fourth Street behind The Cullman Times offices late Wednesday afternoon.
Thousands
without power
PAGE 3A
Photos from
the storm
PAGE 4A
Lots of tears
PAGE 5A
First United Methodist Church was one of many buildings damaged across Cullman County during
Wednesday's storms.
LOCAL
CULLMAN
DOWNTOWN LEVELED
By Trent Moore
STAFF WRITER
CULLMAN Portions
of the City of Cullman
were leveled by tornadoes
Wednesday
afternoon,
and nothing but darkened
rubble remained of some
city blocks by sundown, as
widespread electrical outages have left virtually the
entire county without
power.
Agencies ranging from
Cullman Police and fire,
Alabama State Troopers,
the National Guard and
volunteer fire departments responded to the
city, and helped search
several blocks in the
northeast
section
of
downtown for survivors.
As of Wednesday night,
four injuries and no fatalities had been reported in
the city (one death was
reported earlier in the day
in Johnsons Crossing
from a storm), and officials say most of the initial
search and rescue operations have been completed.
The storms followed a
path
of
destruction
through downtown and
toward the Larkwood
community,
Cullman
Police
Chief
Kenny
Culpepper said. There is
a lot of damage, with trees
down on homes and
things like that.
Authorities are cordoning off the heavily damaged area of downtown,
and a curfew was instituted Wednesday night within that perimeter.
Were trying to direct
people around those areas
to give rescue crews space
to deal with gas lines, and
downed power lines, and
all those issues, he said.
We have a lot of agencies
coming in to help us,
which is good because we
Residents take a minute after surveying damage along Fourth Street behind The Cullman Times offices late Wednesday
afternoon.
have people who have
been working since 5 a.m.,
so we can change shifts.
Culpepper said his only
concern is that some of
those agencies providing
assistance
might
be
pulled back to other areas
of the state, as areas
across Alabama sustained
heavy damage.
Some of those folks
could be pulled back, if
their local areas were hit,
he said. But, we really
appreciate the help.
Crews were working
well into the afternoon to
clear trees from area roadways, and Culpepper said
he anticipates most major
arteries will be open by
Thursday.
Were trying to get as
many open as possible to
where vehicles can pass,
for emergency workers
and necessary vehicles to
CORRECTIONS
Errors appearing in
The Cullman Times
are never intentional.
If you believe there
has been a misstatement, we will investigate fully, and if any
error has been made,
a correction will be
published promptly.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Regular Rate
In Cullman
County
Senior Rate
In Cullman
County
Outside
Cullman
County
60.00 120.00
13 Weeks 33.00
30.00
69.00
4 Weeks
10.00
23.00
11.00
LOCAL
COUNTY
THOUSANDS LEFT
WITHOUT POWER
Holly Pond, Hanceville residents digging out after storms
By Sam Rolley
and David Palmer
The Cullman Times
The early morning
storms that carved a trail
of destruction across
Cullman County took a
heavy toll on residents
from Hanceville to Holly
Pond and along a devastating path through
Alabama Highway 91.
Power was knocked out
quickly across the area
as the storms descended,
and the outlook for
bringing service back
was uncertain.
With certainty, power
will be restored. That
may come in two days
for some residents, perhaps a week or more for
others. But the loss of
property and the emotional toll on Cullman
Countians will be difficult to measure.
Hanceville and the surrounding area was hit
hard early in the morning, with damage reported at the high school and
to many areas of Wallace
State Community
College. Some residents
were reporting widespread destruction in
neighborhoods. Roads
were barely passable in
many streets, and
Hanceville Police Chief
Mark Bowers was warning that moving about
the city would be difficult and potentially dangerous with the large
amount of trees and
power lines down.
But the storm did not
stop there. Its brutal
path cut through rural
areas as well as towns.
And it came not just
once, but several times
throughout the day and
night.
The scene in Holly Pond
was typical of most areas
of the county: trees broken across cars and
houses; residents being
pulled from their homes
by neighbors and rescue
workers.
Vicki Akers, surrounded
by fallen pine trees in
her yard on Brooklyn
Road in Holly Pond, simply counted her blessings.
This is not as bad as it
could have been. We lost
power, but the house is
okay, Akers said. The
siren woke me early and
I went ahead and got up.
The news on TV was
warning how bad this
could be.
Akers said just a few
years ago weather from
Hurricane Ivan brought
destruction to her home
when a tree actually fell
on the dwelling.
My daughter was home
at the time, but she was
not injured. The house
was damaged that time
and my husband wanted
the trees cut down. I
guess this time well get
the rest of the trees
LOCAL
STORM DAMAGE
Shana Glover is seen at her storm damaged home Wednesday morning in Hanceville.
The roof of Lane Horton Gymnasium at Hanceville High School was pulled
off during early morning storms Wednesday morning.
LOCAL
STORM DAMAGE
LOCAL
STAFF WRITER
Libby Coulter, 13, looks over her families car at their home in Hanceville Wednesday morning.
my God, Cullmans
gone, and similar utterances of disbelief, most
were speechless.
Many were jarred by the
sight of bright orange
spray markings, so
strongly identified in television images with the
body-recovery efforts of
workers to indicate
structures cleared of
bodies in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina. One
observer remarked, Did
you ever think youd see
that in Cullman?
In the block grid portion
of the city, the tornados
path appeared to cut a
swath of all-out damage
at least two blocks wide
as it tracked from west to
east. While much of the
city was affected by
straight-line winds associated with the storm,
the touchdown point
appeared to extend from
First Baptist Church
along U.S. Highway 31 as
far as East Side Baptist
church along U.S.
Highway 278.
The south-facing wall of
First United Methodist
church, a building directly across the street from
the offices of The
Cullman Times, bore an
unsettling resemblance
to a structure hollowed
out by aerial bombing.
Like others in the vicinity, Times employees
escaped injury by taking
shelter in a secure portion of their workplace.
Residences along Fourth
Street SE were torn apart
and knocked off their
foundations. The tornado opened a new and
unobstructed vista along
the hilly street one formerly blocked by an
abundance of trees.
The landscape will be
different, and it will stay
War Zone
50 Cents
LOCAL
PAGE 3A
one
in
Johnsons Crossing and
another on the eastern
side of the county and
nearly 100 injuries were
reported in connection to
the storms. It is unknown
exactly how many local
residents have been displaced.
This is one of the
worst disasters ever in the
City of Cullman, and its
really sad to see our downtown like this, Cullman
Mayor Max Townson said.
But, Cullman is a city of
character and I think
we can get this cleaned up
and get through it. Well be
making plans and working
every day, because this is
going to take time. It wont
be in the blink of an eye.
Numerous downtown
buildings, ranging from
Busy Bee Cafe to Rozars
Paint Store, have all but
been destroyed along
with entire residential
blocks. The Cullman
County
Courthouse,
Cullman First United
Methodist Church, the
Cullman County Red
Cross, the Cullman Times
office and dozens of other
buildings were also heavily damaged.
Downtown
looks
almost like a war zone,
Cullman
County
Emergency Management
Agency Director Phyllis
Little said at a Thursday
morning press conference. Cullman County
took several hits, and the
City of Cullman took several hits. At this time we
do not have anyone missing, and everyone who
had been reported has
been found.
Alabama Gov. Robert
Bentley visited Cullman
on Thursday morning,
and held a press conference on the steps of the
damaged county courthouse. Standing in front of
what was left of the buildings
marble
facade,
Bentley said aid is on the
way, and he has already
been in touch with
President Barack Obama
about federal assistance.
I have spoken with the
president, and asked for
help from the federal government, he said. Once
FEMA looks at the state,
there wont be any ques-
Search and rescue workers and dogs walk past The Cullman Times office on their way to search homes destroyed in Wednesdays tornadoes.
tion that assistance is
needed Any way I can
help, we stand ready to do
that.
Electrical power is out
in virtually all of Cullman
County, and that is
expected to be the case for
between 7-9 days, due to
heavy
damage
to
Tennessee
Valley
Authority infrastructure.
This series of storms
caused major damage not
only to Cullman, but also
across North Alabama,
Cullman Power Board
Manager Mike Manning
said. Weve never experienced such widespread
outages. We thought the
ice storm in 1993 was the
worst, but this has really
raised the bar.
Despite rumors to the
contrary, officials do not
expect water shortages,
and EMA and city hall officials say there have been
no reports of contamination in the local water
supply.
We have two generators on site for water
and we should essentially
be able to run the station
on generators, city water
department
manager
David Freeman said.
Gas shortages were one
of the biggest problems
Thursday according to
Cullman
County
Commission Chairman
James
Graves.
who
warned if supplies arent
stabilized it could affect
clean-up efforts.
Were going to be in a
critical situation as far as
fuel is concerned, and
providing to all emer-
order.
The county received
widespread devastation,
and we have implemented
emergency
12-hour
shifts, he said. Were just
trying to continue running calls, and we will vigorously prosecute anyone
out looting or going onto
other peoples property.
With electrical power
out, Cullman City Schools
will be shut down indefinitely. Cullman County
schools will be closed for
at least the rest of the
week, likely longer.
Countywide,
only
Hanceville High School
and East Elementary
School sustained significant damage, as most
campuses survived relatively unscathed. A portion of the roof of the
Hanceville High gym was
peeled off, and the roof at
East Elementary was
damaged.
LOCAL
PAGE 4A
FATALITY BRIEF
Second local fatality
reported from storm
Cullman County coroner
Steve Rodgers has reported a
second fatality due to the round
of severe storms that devastated
the county Wednesday.
OBITUARIES
other parts of the community
has left rescue crews scouring
residences to ensure that no
individuals are still trapped in
their homes or businesses.
These two deaths in Cullman
County are added to the growing
statewide death toll of over 180.
Donna Sue
Swindle Bates
Funeral services for
Donna Sue Swindle Bates,
58, of Cullman will be at 2
p.m. Friday, April 29, 2011,
at Moss-Service Funeral
Home Chapel, Glenn
Posey officiating, with
burial in Cullman City
Cemetery.
Moss-Service Funeral
Home is in charge of
arrangements.
Mrs. Bates died Sunday,
April 24, at Cullman
Regional Medical Center.
Visitation will be from 6
to 9 p.m. Thursday.
NEED TO KNOW
Delores Rodgers
Weldon
With
downtown
Cullman and Cullman
County still reeling after
being hit by tornadoes
Wednesday,
officials
want residents to be
aware of some basic
information as clean-up
efforts begin:
* The eastern part of
downtown
Cullman,
around Second Avenue
SE and Third Avenue SE,
has been locked down
by local authorities for
repair crews. Anyone
entering those areas will
need a pass, which can
be obtained at city hall.
* A curfew is in effect
indefinitely
across
Cullman County from
dusk until dawn.
* If traffic lights are
not working, all intersections should be treated as a four-way stop.
* The Cullman County
Red Cross is now operating out of the Cullman
Civic Center in downtown, as the agencys
downtown office was
destroyed.
* Electrical service in
Cullman County could
potentially remain down
for between 7-9 days
due to damage to
Tennessee
Valley
Authority infrastructure.
*
Cullman
City
YOU READ IT
FIRST ONLINE
CULLMANTIMES.COM
Schools
are
closed
indefinitely
due
to
power outages and damage
to
the
East
Elementary School roof.
Cullman County schools
are closed for the
remainder of the week.
* All residents are
encouraged to use water
sparingly until services
are restored. Generators
are in place at the city
pumping station, and
officials do not expect
outages but everyone
is encouraged to ration
as much as possible to
ensure water remains
available. Rumors that
the water supply has
been contaminated are
not true, according to
city hall officials.
*
Authorities
ask
everyone to remain at
home and stay off the
roads to allow easier
access for emergency
vehicles. Rubbernecking
is discouraged.
* As of Thursday
evening, the list of open
businesses compiled by
the City of Cullman
includes: Food World,
Piggly
Wiggly,
B&B
Petroleum, and the
Catoma Mart.
* A burn ban has been
issued in the City of
Cullman, and all residents are asked not to
burn debris. Instead,
pile it at the edge of the
road, and sanitation
crews will start running
as soon as possible.
* Cullman Regional
Medical Center is open
and accepting patients.
Anyone with a friend or
family member in need
of electricity for an oxygen machine can be
admitted there, or to the
old Woodland Hospital,
which has been rented
and opened temporarily
by USA Healthcare.
LOCAL
PAGE 3B
AFTERMATH
From left, State Rep. Jeremy Oden, gov. Robert Bentley and Congressman Robert Aderholt are seen in front of the
Cullman County Courthouse prior to a press conference discussing Wednesday's tornadoes.
The interior of The Cullman Times is shown after the business was damaged by
Wednesday's tornadoes. Without power, editorial staff are working outside are surrounding hot spots. Staff traveled to The Times Daily in Florence, Ala. late Wednesday night to
publish a brief print edition. Carriers are attempting to deliver some papers and fill boxes
around Cullman.
REGIONAL
PAGE 4B
SEVERE WEATHER
Tornadoes devastate
South, killing at least 280
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PLEASANT
GROVE,
Ala.
Firefighters
searched one splintered
pile after another for survivors Thursday, combing
the remains of houses and
neighborhoods pulverized by the nation's deadliest tornado outbreak in
almost four decades. At
least 280 people were
killed across six states
more than two-thirds of
them in Alabama, where
large cities bore the halfmile-wide
scars
the
twisters left behind.
The death toll from
Wednesday's
storms
seems out of a bygone era,
before Doppler radar and
pinpoint satellite forecasts were around to warn
communities of severe
weather. Residents were
told the tornadoes were
coming up to 24 minutes
ahead of time, but they
were just too wide, too
powerful and too locked
onto populated areas to
avoid a horrifying body
count.
"These were the most
intense super-cell thunderstorms that I think
anybody who was out
there forecasting has ever
seen," said meteorologist
Greg Carbin at the
National
Weather
Service's Storm Prediction
Center in Norman, Okla.
"If you experienced a
direct hit from one of
these, you'd have to be in
a reinforced room, storm
shelter or underground"
to survive, Carbin said.
The storms seemed to
hug the interstate highways as they barreled
along like runaway trucks,
obliterating
neighborhoods or even entire
towns from Tuscaloosa to
Bristol, Va. One family
rode out the disaster in
the basement of a funeral
home, another by huddling in a tanning bed.
In Concord, a small
town outside Birmingham
that was ravaged by a tornado, Randy Guyton's
family got a phone call
from a friend warning
them to take cover. They
rushed to the basement
garage, piled into a Honda
Ridgeline and listened to
the roar as the twister
devoured the house in
seconds. Afterward, they
saw daylight through the
shards of their home and
scrambled out.
"The whole house
caved in on top of that
car," he said. "Other than
my boy screaming to the
Lord to save us, being in
that car is what saved us."
Son Justin remembers
the dingy white cloud
moving quickly toward
the house.
"To me it sounded like
destruction," the 22-yearold said. "It was a mean,
mean roar. It was awful."
At least three people
died in a Pleasant Grove
subdivision southwest of
Birmingham, where residents
trickled
back
Thursday to survey the
damage. Greg Harrison's
neighborhood was somehow unscathed, but he
remains haunted by the
wind, thunder and lightning as they built to a
crescendo, then suddenly
stopped.
"Sick is what I feel," he
said. "This is what you see
in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Not here. Not in the
South."
Alabama Gov. Robert
Bentley said his state had
confirmed 194 deaths.
There were 33 deaths in
Mississippi,
33
in
Tennessee, 14 in Georgia,
five in Virginia and one in
Kentucky. Hundreds if not
thousands of people were
injured
600
in
Tuscaloosa alone.
Some of the worst
damage was about 50
miles
southwest
of
ASSOCIATED PRESS
People reclaim some of their belongings in the Alberta City neighborhood Thursday April 28, 2011, after a tornado struck Tuscaloosa, Ala. the day
before. Massive tornadoes tore a town-flattening streak across the South, killing at least 269 people in six states and forcing rescuers to carry some survivors out on makeshift stretchers of splintered debris.
Pleasant
Grove
in
Tuscaloosa, a city of more
than 83,000 that is home
to the University of
Alabama. The storms
destroyed the city's emergency management center, so the school's BryantDenny
Stadium
was
turned into a makeshift
one. School officials said
two students were killed,
though they did not say
how they died. Finals were
canceled and commencement was postponed.
A tower-mounted news
camera there captured
images of an astonishingly thick, powerful tornado
flinging debris as it leveled
neighborhoods.
That twister and others
Wednesday were several
times more severe than a
typical tornado, which is
hundreds of yards wide,
has winds around 100
mph and stays on the
ground for a few miles,
said research meteorologist Harold Brooks at the
Storm Prediction Center.
"There's a pretty good
chance some of these
were a mile wide, on the
ground for tens of miles
and had wind speeds over
200 mph," he said.
The loss of life is the
greatest from an outbreak
of U.S. tornadoes since
April 1974, when 329 people were killed by a storm
that swept across 13
Southern and Midwestern
states.
Brooks said the tornado that struck Tuscaloosa
could be an EF5 the
strongest category of tornado, with winds of more
than 200 mph and was
at least the second-highest category, an EF4.
Search and rescue
teams fanned out to dig
through the rubble of devastated communities that
bore eerie similarities to
the Gulf Coast after
Hurricane Katrina in 2005,
when town after town lay
flattened for nearly 90
miles.
In Phil Campbell, a
small town of 1,000 in
northwest Alabama where
26 people died, the grocery store, gas stations
and medical clinic were
destroyed by a tornado
hit.
"It was a well-forecasted event," Brooks said.
"People were talking
about this week being a
big week a week ago."
Gov. Bentley said forecasters did a good job
alerting
people,
but
there's only so much they
can do to help people prepare.
Carbin, the meteorologist, noted that the warning gave residents enough
time to hunker down, but
not enough for them to
safely leave the area.
"You've got half an
hour to evacuate the
north side of Tuscaloosa.
How do you do that and
when do you do that?
Knowing there's a tornado
on the ground right now
and the conditions in
advance of it, you may
inadvertently put people
in harm's way," he said.
Officials said at least 13
died in Smithville, Miss.,
where devastating winds
ripped open the police
station, post office, city
hall and an industrial park
with several furniture factories. Pieces of tin were
twined high around the
legs of a blue water tower,
and the Piggly Wiggly grocery store was gutted.
"It's like the town is just
gone," said 24-year-old
Jessica Monaghan, wiping
away tears as she toted 9month-old son Slade
Scott. The baby's father,
Tupelo firefighter Tyler
Scott, was at work when
the warning came on the
TV.
"It said be ready in 10
minutes, but about that
time, it was there,"
Monaghan said. She,
Slade and the family's cat
survived by hiding in a
closet.
At Smithville Cemetery,
even the dead were not
spared: Tombstones dating to the 1800s, including
some of Civil War soldiers,
lay broken on the ground.
Brothers Kenny and Paul
Long
dragged
their
youngest brother's headstone back to its proper
place.
Unlike many neighboring towns, Kenny Long
said, Smithville had no
storm shelter.
"You have warnings,"
Long said, "but where do
you go?"
Some fled to the sturdy
center
section
of
Smithville Baptist Church.
Pastor Wes White said they
clung to each other and
anything
they
could
reach, a single "mass of
humanity" as the building
disintegrated
around
them.
The second story is
gone, the walls collapsed,
but no one there was seriously hurt. The choir
robes remained in place,
perfectly white.
Seven people were
killed
in
Georgia's
Catoosa County, including
Ringgold, where a suspected tornado flattened
about a dozen buildings
and trapped an unknown
number of people.
"It happened so fast I
couldn't think at all," said
Tom Rose, an Illinois truck
driver whose vehicle was
blown off the road at I-75
North in Ringgold, near
the Tennessee line.
Catoosa County Sheriff
Phil Summers said several
residential areas had
"nothing but foundations
left," and that some people reported missing had
yet to be found.
In Trenton, Ga., nearly
two dozen people took
shelter
in
an
Ace
Hardware store, including
a couple walking by when
an employee emerged and
told them to take cover
immediately.
Lisa Rice, owner of S&L
Tans in Trenton, survived
by climbing into a tanning
bed with her two daughters. Stormy, 19, and Sky,
21.
"We got in it and closed
it on top of us," Rice said.
NATION
PAGE 5B
FINANCIAL
Somewhat sheepishly,
Exxon makes $11 billion
ASSOCIATED PRESS
dies.
This week, the industry's
lobbying group touted the 9.2
million jobs that depend on Big
Oil and rolled out a study showing that oil and gas stocks are
excellent investments for public
pension plans.
Before it even came out with
the quarterly results, Exxon
pleaded its case on a company
blog, saying it was not to blame
for high gas prices.
Then Cohen took an unusual
step and spoke to reporters
after Exxon reported the big
profits. He said Exxon pays
more taxes than any other company in the Standard & Poor's
500 index $59 billion in the
United States over the past five
years.
After taxes, the company
earned $41 billion from U.S.
operations during that period.
Drivers and politicians may
still need some convincing. Gas
costs more than $4 a gallon in
eight states and the District of
Columbia. The national average
is $3.89 and has risen for 37
straight days.
At a time when most people
aren't getting raises, gas has
risen 81 cents a gallon this year.
High gas prices ate into the
nation's overall economic
growth in the first three months
of this year. The economy grew
at a 1.8 percent annual rate,
slower than the 3.1 percent at
the end of last year.
Cohen has a point that Exxon
doesn't control the price of oil
or gasoline. Oil is traded around
the world on public exchanges,
and experts point out that the
WASHINGTON The
devastating tornadoes
that
swept
across
Alabama
and
other
southern
states
Wednesday caused widespread power outages,
shut down several large
manufacturing
plants
and could disrupt the
region's fragile economic
recovery.
Most economists say
the setback will likely be
temporary. Martin Soler,
an associate economist at
Moody's Analytics, said
Alabama's economy was
already struggling to
recover from the recession and the storms will
probably set it back further. The state's unemployment rate was 9.2
percent in March, above
the national rate of 8.8
percent.
As rebuilding begins,
though, the state should
benefit.
Boeing Co., Northrop
Grumman Corp., Toyota
Motor Co. and Mercedes
said they have idled
plants in Alabama, mostly because the factories
have lost power. The
plants generally weren't
damaged by the storms
and will likely reopen
after a few days.
In the past decade,
many overseas auto companies have set up shop
in
southern
states,
including
Alabama,
and
South
Carolina
Tennessee. Those plants,
in turn, have spawned
networks of parts suppliers located nearby. If
those parts suppliers are
badly damaged, auto production in the region
could face a longer disruption. Most of the companies were still checking
on
their
suppliers
Thursday.
The tornado damage
compounds troubles for
LO CAL
PAGE 6A
function loft home and downstairs business with his wife and
two year-old child. "We usually
don't go to a shelter when a tornado happens, but for some
reason, we did this time."
Cullman Fire Chief Junior
Reinhardt said one person
caught in the tornado escaped
injury by grabbing a utility pole
just outside another demolished business, Bryant Heating
and Cooling. The unidentified
man's body, said Reinhardt,
"was flapping like a flag in the
wind" before a momentary lull
afforded him just enough time
to dive headfirst through a plate
glass window and into the store-
NEWS
PAGE 6B
SHUTTLE LAUNCH
ENGLAND
LONDON Three
people have been arrested in a security clampdown related to Prince
William's wedding to
Kate Middleton, police
said Thursday.
The arrests come as
Britain's police force
gears up for a modern
security nightmare in
Friday's
event
at
Westminster Abbey, with
5,000 officers on duty to
look out for everything
from Irish dissident terrorists, Muslim extremists, anti-monarchists,
protesters and ordinary
riffraff who might blight
the royal spectacle.
Scotland Yard said officers detained three individuals in south London
Thursday evening on suspicion of conspiracy to
cause public nuisance
and breach of the peace.
The suspects two men,
aged 68 and 45, and a 60year old woman
remain in custody at a
local police station, the
Metropolitan Police said.
The police declined to
give further details, saying it believed those
arrested were planning to
attend the royal wedding
and that 19 other arrests
not specifically related to
the event were made in
London earlier in the day.
Police have been plan-
to
Buckingham
Palace,
where the new royal couple will appear on the
balcony for one of the
most anticipated kisses in
decades.
A wide range of police
will be on patrol Friday:
officers on motorcycles,
escort specialists, dog
handlers, search officers,
mounted police, protection officers and firearms
units, although only a
fraction
of
Britain's
police officers are armed.
Security
around
crowds or on rooftops.
The wedding guests
kings and queens, sports
and
entertainment
celebrities, charity workers, RAF pilots, and
friends and family of the
royals will have their
identification checked
and go through a security
screening before entering
the abbey.
50 Cents
IN SHOCK
Cullman resident Paul Hanson spent his lunch break at the Cullman High School feeding station, along with his grandchildren Tristan Hibbert, 5, and Erin Hibbert, 3-years-old.
Cullman Power Board, said a small section in the northeast side of town has
power, including the area around
Cullman High School and the
Warehouse District of downtown.
"We're working hard to get as much
on as possible," Manning said. "It's still
in the hands of TVA. But they are work-
GO ONLINE
THOSE WITH MOBILE DEVICES CAN CHECK
CULLMANTIMES.COM FOR UPDATED INFORMATION
SPORTS
PAGE 2B
MLB
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Atlantas Derek Lowe makes a pitch against San Diego last Monday. He is scheduled to pitch Sunday against
St. Louis.
putting the Braves in a bad spot.
And thats what I did. I let them
know that Im sorry for the situation.
Lowe will make his next
scheduled start on Sunday, and
the team is unlikely to impose
any
additional
discipline
beyond what the courts decide.
The outcome for McDowell is
not as clear, though manager
Fredi Gonzalez said hes hopeful
the pitching coach will keep his
job.
Im sure theres some hoops
hes going to go through, some
apologizing, which he should
have to go through, Gonzalez
said. But for a person to lose
their job, I wouldnt think so. I
hope it doesnt.
The Braves and Major League
Baseball are under scrutiny,
however, to impose a punishment with some bite if the
teams investigation validates
the
allegations
against
McDowell.
Activists for the gay community are outraged by the allega-
NASCAR
International Raceway.
If the cars runs somewhere near
what it did in practice, we might
have a chance, he said.
Regan Smith qualified second,
the best starting spot of his career, at
128.352 mph. The young driver has
the best average qualifying spot of
the season at 7.75, and is confused.
Weve been qualifying really well
this year and I wish I knew why
because the past two or three years,
I havent qualified to save my life,
he said.
The good fortune hasnt continued in races, where hes finished in
the top 10 just once through eight
races. Hell start the event 30th in
points, having failed to finish two
events.
It sounds bad to say this, but
weve just had bad luck this year. ...
Were right on the cusp of where we
want to be, he said. Now weve got
to take that next step with racing.
Starting up front at Richmond
will be an unusual experience, he
added.
Ive always started more toward
the back, he said. I hope its really
important.
Clint Bowyer starts third, followed by Kasey Kahne, Hendrick
teammates Mark Martin and Jeff
Gordon, Brad Keselowski, points
leader Carl Edwards, Joey Logano
and Paul Menard.
This is what we have to do week
in and week out, said Bowyer, who
is 10th in points.
Kahne did his lap despite a right
knee that has given him problems
since surgery April 18 to repair the
meniscus. It was his second surgery
on the knee, and hes still feeling the
effects.
Its a little bit tight from swelling,
but the meniscus and all of that stuff
is good to go now, he said after his
fast early lap. Im just tired of having my knees worked on.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Qualifying was held prior to the
Juan
Pablo
Montoya
shows
his
joy
after
posting
the highest
NASCAR Nationwide Series race
qualifying speed for the Crown Royal 400.
under the lights at RIR.
RICHMOND, Va.
Clint Bowyers season started with a chance to win the
Daytona 500. A late-race
wreck ended his opportunity, and set the tone for a
miserable opening month.
The low point came after
a blown engine at Bristol
dropped Bowyer to 24th in
the Sprint Cup standings,
and there were few indications that his Richard
Childress Racing team
could climb out of the hole.
Until they did.
Bowyer
goes
into
tonights race at Richmond
International Raceway as
the hottest driver in the
series. Four consecutive
top-10s, including back-toback second-place finishes,
has vaulted him all the way
up to 10th in the standings.
LOCAL
PAGE 3A
borhood. We have so
much that city employees
are trying to keep up with
that it's difficult for us to
do this alone," Gudger
said.
LOCAL
PAGE 4A
NEED TO KNOW
OBITUARIES
Volunteers with Temple Baptist Church grill food Friday in the Cullman High School parking lot.
Red Cross volunteers strategize friday morning at the agencies shelter at the Cullman Civic Center.
non-perishable
food
items.
* Electrical service in
Cullman County could
potentially remain down
for between 7-9 days due
to damage to Tennessee
Valley Authority infrastructure. More than
4,000 workers are in the
field to restore power,
because all four TVA
transmission lines feeding into Cullman are
damaged. If the conduit/weather head to
your home/business has
been
damaged,
you
should contact your electrician to make the necessary repairs on the private
owner side.
* The water supply in
Cullman and Cullman
County is operational,
and the treatment plant is
running on generator
power.
Contrary
to
rumors, water supply is
under control and sufficient and service should
not
be
interrupted.
Authorities ask citizens
not to fill up sinks, tubs,
etc., as this puts a strain
on the system.
* Cullman City Schools
are closed indefinitely
due to power outages and
damage to the East
Elementary School roof.
Cullman County schools
are closed for the remainder of the week.
* All residents are
encouraged to use water
sparingly until services
are restored. Generators
are in place at the city
pumping station, and
officials do not expect
Emergency contacts
* Cullman County
EMA: 256-739-5410.
* City of Cullman: 256739-5410.
* Cullman County
Commission: 256-7754878.
* City of Cullman
Police Dept: 256-7757160.
* Cullman Co. Sheriffs
Office: 256-734-0342.
*
Cullman
City
Sanitation: 256-775-7245
* Cullman City Street
Dept: 256-775-7244.
* Cullman City Water
Dept: 256-772-7210.
* Cullman City Risk
Mgr: 256-775-7130.
*
Cullman
Power
Board: 256-734-2343.
* Cullman Electric
Cooperative:
256-7343200.
* Cullman Jefferson
Gas: 256-734-1911.
* To report gas leaks:
256-734-0565.
* City of Cullman
Dispatch: 256-775-7145.
* Cullman County Red
Cross: 1-800-733-2767.
* FEMA: 1-800-6213362.
LOCAL
PAGE 5A
HANCEVILLE
Good people
A resident walks down a debris filled street Wednesday morning after a severe storm passed through Hanceville.
One
day
after
Wednesdays
massive
storms crippled communities and infrastructure
countywide, there was
shock.
Two days into disaster
recovery mode, though,
Hanceville residents and
cleanup workers were
moving with purpose. For
the people of Hanceville,
where vicious straightline winds devastated
neighborhoods, businesses and a significant portion of the campus at
Wallace State Community
College, there were signs
of life determination,
an abundance of blue-collar energy and in spite
of the destruction and loss
almost a palpable sense
of optimism.
Food stations outside
several local businesses
teemed with activity and
camaraderie Friday as
people
from
both
Hanceville and surrounding areas got together to
swap stories, get information about the condition
of loved ones and, for
many, to learn what they
can do to help.
from
Blount
Im
County, and we didnt get
hit that bad where we are,
said Logan Keith outside
the
food
tent
at
Warehouse
Discount
Grocery Friday afternoon.
But we still dont have full
power, so I just thought Id
come on up here and see
what I could do.
Volunteers like Keith
are using the citys water
department headquarters
on U.S. Highway 31 downtown as a staging area,
where city and disaster
relief workers are organizing cleanup efforts. A lot
STATE
PAGE 5B
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
Southerners found their
emergency safety net
shredded Friday as they
tried to emerge from the
nation's deadliest tornado disaster since the
Great Depression.
Emergency buildings
are wiped out. Bodies are
stored in refrigerated
trucks. Authorities are
begging for such basics
as flashlights. In one
neighborhood,
the
storms even left firefighters to work without a
truck.
The death toll from
Wednesday's
storms
reached 319 across seven
states, including 228 in
Alabama, making it the
deadliest U.S. tornado
outbreak since March
1932, when another
Alabama storm killed 332
people. Tornadoes that
swept across the South
and Midwest in April
1974 left 315 people
dead.
Hundreds if not thousands of people were
injured
900
in
Tuscaloosa alone and
as many as 1 million
Alabama homes and
businesses
remained
without power.
The scale of the disaster astonished President
Barack Obama when he
arrived in the state
Friday.
"I've never seen devastation like this," he said,
standing in bright sunshine amid the wreckage
in Tuscaloosa, where
dozens of people were
killed and entire neighborhoods were flattened.
At least one tornado
a 205 mph monster that
left at least 13 people
dead in Smithville, Miss.
ranked in the National
Weather Service's most
devastating category, EF5. Meteorologist Jim
LaDue said he expects
"many
more"
of
Wednesday's tornadoes
to receive that same rating, with winds topping
200 mph.
Tornadoes struck with
unexpected speed in several states, and the difference between life and
death was hard to fathom. Four people died in
Bledsoe County, Tenn.,
but a family survived
being tossed across a
road in their modular
home,
which
was
destroyed, Mayor Bobby
Collier said.
By Friday, residents
whose homes were blown
to pieces were seeing
their losses worsen not
by nature, but by man. In
Tuscaloosa and other
cities, looters have been
picking through the
wreckage to steal what
little the victims have left.
"The first night they
took my jewelry, my
watch, my guns," Shirley
Long said Friday. "They
were out here again last
night doing it again."
O v e r w h e l m e d
Tuscaloosa
police
imposed a curfew and got
help from National Guard
troops to try to stop the
scavenging.
Along their flattened
paths, the twisters blew
down police and fire stations and other emergency buildings along
with homes, businesses,
churches and power
infrastructure. The number of buildings lost,
damage estimates and
number of people left
homeless
remained
unclear two days later, in
part because the storm
also ravaged communications systems.
Tuscaloosa's
emergency management center was destroyed, so officials used space in one of
the city's most prominent buildings the
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk with Holt Elementary School
Principal Debbie Crawford during the president's tour of tornado damage, Friday, April 29,
2011, in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
University of Alabama's
Bryant-Denny Stadium
as a substitute before
moving operations to the
Alabama Fire College.
Less than two weeks ago,
the stadium hosted more
than 90,000 fans for the
football team's spring
Red-White
intrasquad
Game.
A fire station was
destroyed in nearby
Alberta City, one of the
city's worst-hit neighborhoods. The firefighters
survived, but damage to
their equipment forced
them to begin rescue
operations without a fire
truck, city Fire Chief Alan
Martin said.
Martin
said
the
department is running
normally and has since
deployed a backup vehicle to serve the neighborhood. "In reality, it's just
an extension of what we
do every day," he said.
Emergency services
were stretched particularly thin about 90 miles
to the north in the
demolished town of
Hackleburg, Ala., where
officials were keeping the
dead in a refrigerated
truck amid a body bag
shortage. At least 27 people were killed there and
the search for missing
people continued, with
FBI agents fanning out to
local hospitals to help.
Damage in Hackleburg
was catastrophic, said
Stanley Webb, chief agent
in the county's drug task
force.
"When we talk about
these homes, they are not
damaged.
They
are
gone," he said.
Gail Enlow was in
town looking for her
aunt, Eunice Cooper,
who is in her 70s. She
wiped away tears as she
pointed to the twisted
mess that's left of the
housing project where
Cooper lived.
"Nobody's seen her,"
she said, trying to hold
back the sobs. "She can
just barely get around
and she would need
help."
But in Hackleburg as
in Tuscaloosa, emergency
workers had more to do
than aid suffering victims. People have looted
a demolished Wrangler
jeans distribution center,
and authorities locked up
drugs from a destroyed
pharmacy in a bank.
Fire Chief Steve Hood
said he desperately wanted flashlights for the
town's 1,500 residents
because he doesn't want
them using candles that
could ignite their homes.
In Cullman, a town
about 50 miles north of
workers
Birmingham,
have been putting in long
LOCAL
PAGE 6A
Cullman Mayor Max Townson talks with Senator Richard Shelby on the courthouse steps Friday afternoon. Cullman City Council members Johnny Cook and Clint Hollingsworth are
seen in background.
cleaned
up,"
said
Commissioner Darrell
"Now
we've
Hicks.
moved a lot of the county
equipment to the city
and are assisting with the
cleanup there."
Cullman Mayor Max
COMING
TOGETHER
CONFIRMED
NWS: EF4 tornado
hit Cullman.
Fairview residents
helping neighbors in
time of need.
Page 5A
Page 3A
ASSISTANCE
FEMA
officials in
Cullman
to process
claims
By David Palmer
EDITOR
Paul and Rhonda Johnson, left, and Cynthia White stand near the entrance of the basement where they survived Wednesday's tornado. "It felt like
the end of time," Paul said.
EDUCATION
MAKEUP DAYS
Local school
officials seek
waiver. 7A
Debra Glasscock Kreps, left, looks at family photos, including one of her son Daniel as a child, with sister Melanie
Glasscock Friday afternoon while cleaning up their father Kenneth Glassocks home in Southeast Cullman.
DEATHS
FAITH GATHERING
A community wide "Faith Gathering" will be at 7 p.m.
tonight at the Cullman Fairgrounds, featuring music
from Casting Crowns. There will be no admission cost
but donations for the Red Cross will be accepted. The
event is being organized by civic, school, community
and pastoral leaders in the area. Bring candles, lawn
chairs and blankets for the worship and music event.
Federal
Emergency
Management Agency officials have arrived in
Cullman County to begin
assisting storm victims
with the recovery process.
FEMA will have a
mobile unit in Cullman
early this week to assist
residents and business
owners and to answer
questions. Nonetheless,
residents can begin applying now for assistance,
said Elliot Parsowith, community relation team
leader for FEMA.
The process of applying
for assistance is simple
and typically takes about
20 minutes, Parsowith
said.
The toll-free number to
call for assistance is 1-800621-3362. Online applications can be found at
www.DisasterAssistance.g
ov. Help is available in
most languages. The number for the hearing
impaired is 1-800-4627588.
When making an application for assistance the
following information is
needed:
the address of your
damaged home or apartment.
names of people living in your household.
a description of your
disaster damages.
insurance information.
Social Security number.
a telephone number
where you can be reached
or where you can receive a
message.
an address where you
can get mail.
If you want disaster
assistance funds sent
directly to your bank, provide the FEMA agent:
your bank account
type.
account number.
routing number.
When a person applies
for assistance, a FEMA
application number is
provided. Be sure to save
the number for future reference. The application
number is needed whenever you contact FEMA
concerning your application.
Parsowith also stressed
that insurance is important in the recovery
process. Anyone who has
insurance must file a
claim. Only damages that
are not covered by insurance can qualify for FEMA
Please see FEMA Page 8A
LOCAL
TIME
FROM PAGE 1A
house or business and praying
were the final defenses against
such a large and powerful
marauder.
"I was home 10 minutes and
it hit," said Rhonda Johnson.
"We were praying and huddled
together in the far corner of our
basement. It just bulldozed us.
Windows were breaking out and
the tree fell into the house. You
always hear about things like
this happening, but living
through it is something you can
never forget."
Rhonda's husband, Paul was
home, too, preparing to go to
work. He remembers thinking
about taking a shower early
before time to leave for work,
but received a call that he needed to watch the weather.
"I saw it on television," Paul
said. "It was coming right for us.
It was time to get to the basement. It was deafening to the
ears. It felt like the end of time."
Paul and Rhonda and her sister, Cynthia White, emerged
after the storm to find the house
destroyed. Their feelings were
summed up by Rhonda.
"Give God the glory. He
spared us. He could have taken
us that day, but he didn't," she
said.
Looking around at what was
once their home, Rhonda said
the family would not come
back.
"I don't think we'll live here
again. When a tornado finds a
path they tend to come back,"
Rhonda said.
Next door, Carol Phillips and
Marilyn Phillips were both away
from home. But their little rat
terrier, Pebbles was sensing
something was not right outdoors. Hours later, when the
family was able to reach the
house, their companion was still
Pebbles, a tiny rat terrier, found a safe spot in a bedroom to ride out
Wednesday's deadly tornado.
The Rev. Ken Allen and his son, Parker, stand at the stairwell to the
basement where they survived the onslaught of a powerful tornado
that destroyed much of Eastside Baptist Church.
alive, huddled in a bedroom
with most of the house
destroyed.
Both ladies and Pebbles are
fine today, grateful to have survived the storm.
Not far from their home, Dr.
Ron Carter and his staff had
made the wise decision to cancel all patients for the afternoon. A little more than an hour
CORRECTIONS
Errors appearing in
The Cullman Times
are never intentional.
If you believe there
has been a misstatement, we will investigate fully, and if any
error has been made,
a correction will be
published promptly.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Regular Rate
In Cullman
County
Senior Rate
In Cullman
County
Outside
Cullman
County
60.00 120.00
13 Weeks 33.00
30.00
69.00
4 Weeks
10.00
23.00
11.00
LOCAL
Confirmed: EF4
tornado hit Cullman
The National Weather Service has confirmed the tornado that ripped through downtown Cullman was an EF-4 tornado, the second-largest classification possible.
Childrens toys sit among rubbish in southeast Cullman is seen Friday afternoon.
LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Anyone
passing
through the City of
Cullman received a pleasant surprise late Friday
night, as power slowly
flickered on for a handful
of city blocks on the
northern part of downtown.
Electricity in virtually
the entire county has
been out since a rash of
tornadoes
ripped
through the region and
caused major damage to
Tennessee
Valley
Authority infrastructure
that feeds into the area.
Scattered blocks continued to light up
throughout the night. The
Cullman Power Board
reports
approximately
2,400 customers have
been restored.
As most folks are
aware we got some great
news Friday, when TVA
restored some power to a
Cullman primary substation, and blocks of power
continued to come on
until about midnight,
power board manager
Mike Manning said. As
areas would stabilize,
they would send other
blocks down. The next
loads they brought on
will be less critical, and
we will be able to open
some slowly.
In addition to power
line damage, Manning
said supply remains a
major issue as TVA works
to restore service.
TVA is still fighting
the same battle to keep
the system stabilized, and
COMPLEMENTARY FRAMES
When choosing eyeglass
frames, be sure their color complements your skin tone. Warm
skin tones (with bronze, golden,
or peaches-and-cream look) are
best served by eyeglass frames
that come in shades of gold, copper, bronze, tortoise, honey,
brown, coral, and aqua. If you
have a cool skin tone (with blue
or pink undertones), you will
want to select frames that are silver, pewter, gunmetal, blue, bluegrat, pink, violet, charcoal, or
black. The same color choices for
eyeglass frames apply to hair
color. Presumably, your hair color,
WORLD
LIBYA
Gadhafi survives
airstrike that kills son
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRIPOLI Libyan
leader Moammar Gadhafi
escaped a NATO missile
strike in Tripoli on
Saturday,
but
his
youngest son and three
grandchildren under the
age of 12 were killed, a
government spokesman
said.
The strike, which came
hours after Gadhafi called
for a cease-fire and negotiations in what rebels
called a publicity stunt,
marked an escalation of
international efforts to
prevent
the
Libyan
regime from regaining
momentum.
Rebels honked horns
and chanted "Allahu
Akbar" or "God is great"
while speeding through
the western city of
Misrata, which Gadhafi's
forces have besieged and
subjected to random
shelling for two months,
killing
hundreds.
Fireworks were set off in
front of the central Hikma
hospital, causing a brief
panic that the light would
draw fire from Gadhafi's
forces.
The attack struck the
house
of
Gadhafi's
youngest son, Seif alArab, when the Libyan
leader and his wife were
inside. White
House
spokesman Shin Inouye
declined to comment on
the developments in
Libya, referring questions
to NATO. Alliance officials
in Brussels said a statement would be issued
later Sunday but did not
say when.
Seif al-Arab Gadhafi,
29, was the youngest son
of Gadhafi and brother of
the better known Seif alIslam Gadhafi, who had
been touted as a reformist
before the uprising began
in mid-February. The
younger Gadhafi had
spent much of his time in
Germany in recent years.
Gadhafi's children had
been
increasingly
engaged in covering up
scandals fit for a "Libyan
soap opera," including
negative publicity from
extravagant displays of
wealth such as a milliondollar private concert by
pop
diva
Beyonce,
according to a batch of
diplomatic
cables
released by the secretspilling WikiLeaks web-
site.
But
Seif
al-Arab
remained largely in the
shadows, although he had
a penchant for fast cars
and partying when outside Libya.
Moammar Gadhafi and
his wife were in the
Tripoli house of his 29year-old son when it was
hit by at least one bomb
dropped from a NATO
warplane, according to
Libyan
spokesman
Moussa Ibrahim.
"The leader himself is
in good health," Ibrahim
said.
"He
was
not
harmed. The wife is also
in good health."
NATO warplanes have
been
carrying
out
airstrikes in Libya for the
past month as part of a
U.N. mandate to protect
Libyan
civilians.
Saturday's strike marked
the first time Gadhafi's
family was being targeted
directly.
LOCAL
COUNTY GOVERNMENT
ed.
Banks throughout the area
are for the most part still operating as usual, according to
reports.
Rep. Jeremy Oden, who also
handles public relations for Eva
Bank, said that while he cannot
speak for other banks his company is open.
Were operating right now,
and are expecting payments
that may be due as usual, he
said. Those effected by this disaster that are unable to make
payments such as mortgages are
encouraged to contact their
lenders to explain the situation.
He said that situations will be
handled on a case by case basis,
and leniency can be expected if
circumstances are dire.
In the coming days most officials agree that cleanup, victim
assistance, and repairing infrastructure remain top priorities.
Sam Rolley can be reached
by e-mail at srolley@cullmantimes.com or by telephone at
734-2131 ext. 225.
EDUCATION
week.
East
Elementary
School was damaged in
the Cullman City Schools
system, and Cullman
High School is currently
being used as a staging
area by relief workers.
In the county system,
the
Hanceville
High
School gym was hit, and
electrical
service
is
expected to remain an
issue in some towns well
into next week.
Wallace
State
Community College in
Hanceville was also heavily damaged, and is closed
indefinitely for clean-up
and repairs.
School systems in
Alabama are required by
state law to have students
in session for 180 days,
and both local K-12 systems are already stretching their schedules into
summer due to missed
storm days taken earlier
this year. If they are
required to make up days
currently being missed,
with even more expected
next week, the school year
could effectively stretch
into early-to-mid June.
Weve been in contact
with the state legislative
delegation about make-
LOCAL
NEED TO KNOW
EMERGENCY CONTACTS
* Cullman County EMA: 256-7395410.
* City of Cullman: 256-739-5410.
* Cullman County Commission: 256775-4878.
* City of Cullman Police Dept: 256775-7160.
* Cullman Co. Sheriffs Office: 256734-0342.
* Cullman City Sanitation: 256-7757245
* Cullman City Street Dept: 256-7757244.
* Cullman City Water Dept: 256-7727210.
FEMA
FROM PAGE 1A
disaster assistance.
Kevin Andrews, a community relations specialist
for FEMA, said at a briefing in Cullman that those who
are uninsured are a priority with the agency.
Its important to fill out the application correctly
or it could be rejected. We will have people here to
assist with that process, Andrews said. Its also
important to remember that no doesnt mean no
with FEMA.
Elaborating on his comment, Andrews noted that a
letter declining assistance may be received simply
because an insurance claim has not been finalized.
The appeal process, he said, is also simple.
Any loss because of the storm disaster is eligible,
as long as its in the declared area, Parsowith added.
Even if someone is injured after the storm because of
cleanup work.
Many business owners may find their claim
referred to the Small Business Administration, which
is a partnering agency with FEMA, Parsowith said.
FEMA also appropriates funds to the state unemployment agency for those seeking to regain wages
lost due to the storm.
The important thing is to apply. If you dont apply,
you will never get assistance. If you apply, you have a
good chance of getting the help you need, Parsowith
said.
David Palmer can be reached by e-mail at
dpalmer@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 7342131, ext. 213
STATE
www.firstfederalcullman.com
739-1912
Lynn Williams, Michelle Adams, Beverly Killough,
Joyce Davidson, Shirley Roberts, and Dr. Steven Grunfeld
www.IDS2.com/grunfelddpm
NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE PODIATRIC TO
BE PERFORMED OR THE PODIATRIST PERFORMING SUCH SERVICES
Bearcats advance
in baseball playoffs
AFTER A DECADE.
Page 6A
Page 1B
FAITH GATHERING
Engineers
inspecting
courthouse
for damage
assessment
By Benjamin Bullard
and David Palmer
THE CULLMAN TIMES
Casting Crowns perform during a free concert Sunday night at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.
LOCAL
COURTS
Hearings
delayed one
week. 3A
GO ONLINE
WWW.CULLMANTIMES.COM
LOCAL
DEATHS
Dennis Dwight
Tilley
Loretta Ann Taylor
Essie Lee Tubbs
Mrs. Magdalene
Elizabeth Roberts
Payne
Richard B.
McCarty
Barbara Burrow-
Sinyard
Loyd Winford
Harris
SEE PAGE 4A
CRIME
Five arrested after
posing as cleanup
workers. 3A
LOCAL
Thousands of people attended the free Casting Crowns concert Sunday night at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.
Casting Crowns lead singer Mark Hall performs during a free concert Sunday night.
COMING
WEDNESDAY
AMANDA SHAVERS-DAVIS/THE CULLMAN TIMES
FAITH
FROM PAGE 1A
"This is who we are as
Cullman. We've seen this is in
the last five days with all the
acts of kindness, with people
helping each other to get
through this time," Oden
said.
A mix of ages attended the
event, with many in the
CORRECTIONS
Errors appearing in
The Cullman Times
are never intentional.
If you believe there
has been a misstatement, we will investigate fully, and if any
error has been made,
a correction will be
published promptly.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Regular Rate
In Cullman
County
Senior Rate
In Cullman
County
Outside
Cullman
County
60.00 120.00
13 Weeks 33.00
30.00
69.00
4 Weeks
10.00
23.00
11.00
LOCAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT
City and county law enforcement officials report that following the countywide devastation
last week, there has been no discernible increase in criminal
activity, despite widespread
power outages.
I want to assure the public
that that they are not without
law enforcement, said Sheriff
Mike Rainey. There is still an
increased presence of officers in
all parts of the county.
In the City of Cullman officials did note a considerable
COURTS
WEATHER
n Summer Tennis Lessons: Adult an d Junior tennis lessons will be offered in 3 - two week sessions at the Cullman
High School Tennis Courts. Monday - Thursday, $50 per session. Register NOW at Cullman Civic Center.
n Register NOW for Summer Camps!!! We are now taking registration for Camp Cullman and Archery Camp. Both
camps are $100 per child/per week. Register at the Civic
Center. Hurry! Space is limited! 256-734-9157
n Archery Classes: There is nothing like archery for getting a kid excited about recreation. This youth archery program combines proven teaching techniques with lesson
plans, instructor training, and easy equipment access. This
six weeks course will teach effective shooting form, explore
archery styles, and use scoring games to test form and accuracy. Saturday classes. $45.00 for kids ages 5 17.All equipment, educational materials, and merits are provided.
Register now at Cullman Civic Center!
n Parent/Child Swim Classes at Cullman Wellness and
Aquatic Center: Water safety skills are taught through repetition of songs and aquatic activities. Session begins April
26th - every Tuesday. TURTLE CLASS: ages 1-3, time 9:3010:00 am. CATFISH CLASSES: ages 3-5, time 10:15-10:45
am. Cost is $60 and each child must be accompanied by a
parent/guardian. Call 256-775-7946 for more information.
n Relax and get in SHAPE with Yoga! Classes are held
every Tuesday at 6 pm. $40 for any six classes. $30 for seniors. Sign up daily at the Civic Center. Classes are taught by
Fabian Holland.
n Tae Kwon Do/Karate Classes: Cullman Tae Kwon Do is
GROWING! Thats Right! Out classes are now located at
Ingle Park near the Aquatic Center. come be a Part of the
Worlds Most Popular Martial Art at Cullman Tae Kwon Do!
Half Year and Full Year Programs Available. For more information visit CullmanTKD.com or - call Jim Turner 256636-2926.
LOCAL
NEED TO KNOW
CONTACTS
* Cullman County EMA:
256-739-5410.
* City of Cullman: 256739-5410.
* Cullman County
Commission: 256-7754878.
* City of Cullman Police
Dept: 256-775-7160.
256-775-7130.
* Cullman Power Board:
256-734-2343.
* Cullman Electric
Cooperative: 256-7343200.
* Cullman Jefferson Gas:
256-734-1911.
* To report gas leaks: 256-
734-0565.
NEWS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Crowds celebrate on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House in Washington, early Monday, May 2,
2011, after President Barack Obama announced that Osama bin Laden had been killed.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this image released by the White House and digitally altered by the source to diffuse the paper in front of
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, along with
with members of the national security team, receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in
the Situation Room of the White House, Sunday, May 1, 2011, in Washington.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This is a 1998 file photo shows Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect
behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, in a
meeting at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, according to the
source.
about Pakistan's role in bin
Laden's years in hiding. Both
Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Rodham Clinton said
cooperation from the Pakistani
government had helped lead
U.S. forces to the compound
where he died.
But John Brennan, White
House counter-terrorism advis-
er, told reporters it was inconceivable that the terrorist fugitive didn't have some support
in Pakistan, where his hideout
had been custom built six years
ago in a city with a heavy military presence. "I am not going
to speculate about what type of
support he might have had on
an official basis," he added.
NEWS
STATE
Eye clinics,
federal aid all
part of Ala. relief
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
In the tornado-shattered
South, survivors are getting what they need
sometimes more than
they ever expected. And it
is coming from everywhere.
Volunteers in golf carts
ferry sausage biscuits and
bottled water to them.
Federal workers are interviewing them so they can
get emergency cash. And
neighbors with chain
saws roam devastated
streets,
cutting
up
downed trees.
Residents and elected
officials praised churches, charities, volunteers
and even the much
maligned
Federal
Emergency Management
Agency.
The second-deadliest
tornado outbreak in U.S.
history and a record
226 in one day killed
342 people and left
stretches of the South in
ruin. In a region that is all
too familiar with fumbled
emergency
responses,
residents from hardesthit Alabama to Tennessee
have seen a steady flow of
aid.
By Monday, survivors
could find a place to
charge a dead cell phone
or get a free haircut or
restock on prescription
medicine.
"I'm getting everything, probably even
more than I expected,"
said Amy Hall, 23, who
limped through the shelter set up at a community
center in Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
with a broken foot,
cradling her 11-monthold daughter.
Her 2-year-old son
broke his nose and
bruised a lung when a
twister tossed their home
a block away. He spent
two days in the hospital.
Hall said the family was
getting excellent care at
the shelter where 240
were sleeping and scores
more sought other services.
In Tennessee, where 34
people died, Marvin
Quinn, 79, collected broken jars of home-canned
peaches and pickles from
the rubble. He said relief
workers had been keeping him and his wife well
fed.
"I've been eating more
in the last four days than I
ever have," he said.
"Every time I turn around
there's someone with
food, water, Gatorade."
Unlike
Hurricane
Katrina in 2005, the
response to the latest natural disaster has worked
because agencies at different levels of government are working togeth-
LOCAL
COURTS
FILE
NATION
WASHINGTON
WORLD
LIBYA
TRIPOLI, Libya
Libyans shouting for
revenge
buried
Moammar Gadhafi's second youngest son to the
thundering sound of
anti-aircraft fire Monday,
as South Africa warned
that the NATO bombing
that killed him would
only bring more violence.
Libya's leader did not
attend the tumultuous
funeral of 29-year-old
Seif al-Arab, but older
brothers Seif al-Islam
and Mohammed paid
their respects, thronged
by a crowd of several
thousand. Jostling to get
closer to the coffin,
draped with a green
Libyan flag, mourners
flashed victory signs and
chanted
"Revenge,
revenge for you, Libya."
Three of Gadhafi's
grandchildren, an infant
and two toddlers, also
died in Saturday's attack,
which NATO says targeted one of the regime's
command and control
centers. Gadhafi and his
wife were in the compound at the time, but
escaped
unharmed,
Libyan officials said,
accusing the alliance of
trying to assassinate the
Libyan leader.
NATO officials have
denied they are hunting
Gadhafi to break the battlefield
stalemate
between Gadhafi's troops
and rebels trying for the
past 10 weeks to depose
him. Rebels largely control eastern Libya, while
Gadhafi has clung to
much of the west, including the capital, Tripoli.
Fierce battles have
raged in Misrata, a
besieged rebel-held city
in western Libya, which
has been shelled by
In Misrata, residents
are struggling with growing
hardships,
said
Aiman, the hospital doctor.
He said most residents
are hosting other families
who have fled the
shelling. The doctor said
he and his brother are
hosting a total of five
families with more than
45 people, including 25
children. Nearly half the
city has no electricity, he
said. People have resorted to underground water
wells.
The
unrest
has
prompted the U.N. to
withdraw its international staff from Tripoli.
Vandals
burned
the
British
and
Italian
embassies and a U.N.
office on Sunday.
Turkey a NATO
WORLD
PAKISTAN
ABBOTTABAD,
Pakistan Osama bin
Laden made his final
stand in a small Pakistani
city where three army regiments with thousands of
soldiers are based not far
from the capital a location that is increasing suspicions in Washington
that Islamabad may have
been sheltering him.
The U.S. acted alone in
Monday's helicopter raid,
did not inform Pakistan
until it was over and
pointedly did not thank
Pakistan at the end of a
wildly successful operation. All this suggests
more strain ahead in a
relationship that was
already suffering because
of U.S. accusations that
the Pakistanis are supporting Afghan militants
and Pakistani anger over
American drone attacks
and spy activity.
Pakistani intelligence
agencies are normally
very sharp in sniffing out
the presence of foreigners
in small cities.
For years, Western
intelligence had said bin
Laden was most likely
holed up in a cave along
the Pakistan-Afghan border, a remote region of
soaring mountains and
thick forests where the
Pakistan army has little
presence. But the 10-year
hunt for the world's mostwanted man ended in a
whitewashed, three-story
house in a middle-class
area of Abbottabad, a
leafy resort city of 400,000
people nestled in pineforested hills less than 35
miles from the national
capital, Islamabad.
Sen. Carl Levin, the
chairman of the Senate
Armed
Services
Committee, said bin
Laden's location meant
Pakistan had "a lot of
explaining to do."
"I think this tells us
once again that unfortunately Pakistan at times is
playing a double game,"
said Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine, a member of the
Armed
Services
Committee.
A senior Pakistan intelligence official dismissed
speculation that bin
Laden was being protected.
"We don't explain it.
We just did not know
period," he said, on condition his name not be
released to the media.
Extra security forces
swarmed the city on
Monday,
adding
to
Abbottabad's
already
massive military presence. Heavily armed
trucks rumbled through,
and police shooed children away from around
the fortress-like compound.
Associated
Press
reporters saw the wreckage of one of the
American helicopters that
malfunctioned and had to
be destroyed during the
operation.
Residents
described the sounds of
bullets, the clatter of
chopper blades and two
large explosions as the
raid went down.
Hours after the operation, a soldier armed with
a gun could be seen walking on the compound's
roof, as tense crowds of
onlookers
suddenly
swelled in the narrow
street leading away from
the site.
It was unclear how
long bin Laden had been
holed up in the house
with members of his family. From the outside, the
house resembled many
others in Pakistan and
even had a flag flying
from a pole in the garden,
apparently a Pakistani
one. It had high, barbed-
EDUCATION
Both area school systems hope to reopen Monday, May 9, after being shut
down for about a week and a half due to
tornado damage and power outages.
Officials expect electrical service at
most, if not all, Cullman County Board of
Education and Cullman City Schools
campuses by next week and most
damage should be repaired and debris
cleared by that time.
Three county schools Hanceville,
Cold Springs and Garden City are currently without power, and officials say if
those campuses are still off-line next
week, they'll resume classes at as many
schools as possible. The Hanceville campus sustained some heavy roof damage at
the gymnasium, though officials say
East Elementary is one of many area schools damaged by last Wednesdays storms.
Please see SCHOOLS Page 4A Officials hope to have schools open Monday.
FAITH
ASSISTANCE
FEMA
office
opens in
Cullman
By David Palmer
EDITOR
A concert goer responds during a prayer from Casting Crowns during a free concert Sunday night at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.
INDEX
DEATHS
Local....................4A
National ..............8A
World...................9A
Sports ..................1B
Local briefs .........4B
Lifestyle...............4B
Sizemore
Tilithia Elizabeth
Dutton
SEE PAGE 4A
The
Federal
Emergency
Management Agency's mobile disaster
assistance center is now open in
Cullman.
Located at 1701 2nd Ave. SW,
Cullman, the center is in the Sav-A-lot
parking lot off U.S. 31. The office will
be open seven days a week from 7 a.m
until 7 p.m. until further notice.
"We have a tent outside the mobile
center and it's doing its job. It's dry,"
said Nate Custer, a public information
officer for FEMA.
FEMA actually opened the office
quietly Monday, electing not to promote the facility so that the computer
connections and other equipment
could be tested. Nonetheless, the
appearance of the FEMA mobile unit
began drawing residents seeking assistance almost immediately.
"Yes, we had people stopping in the
first day," Custer said. "We feel like it's
a good location and it's open to people
from other counties as well. I believe
this time we have eight units set up
across the state."
The outbreak of tornadoes and violent storms a week ago left thousands
of residents without power, destroyed
or damaged numerous homes and
commercial buildings, claimed two
lives, and left at least 100 people
injured.
Several FEMA employees are stationed at the mobile office to assist residents. Business owners may also visit
with a representative of the Small
Business Administration. The SBA and
other agencies partner with FEMA
during disasters to meet a wider range
of needs in affected communities,
Custer said.
Custer and other FEMA officials are
encouraging people to come forward
with claims. Anyone with insurance
needs to file that claim in addition to
WORLD
BIN LADEN
Terrorist was unarmed when
SEALs stormed room. 9A
LOCAL
FAITH
FROM PAGE 1A
resolve of believers to try to get
things back to normal as quickly as possible.
Our building was a total
loss, but there has been an outpouring of support and most
churches have offered their
facilities to us, Eastside pastor
Ken Allen said. We had a great
time of worship this weekend at
Christ Covenant, and most of
our congregation was there.
Were a church on the move
right now, and we may have to
do some things like Bible studies in homes, but we have an
opportunity now to be the
church, not just to go to
church.
Though some of the buildings may be nothing more than
rubble now, leaders say the
churches
themselves
are
stronger than ever.
We have a fresh vision of
what church should be about,
because we're not brick and
mortar, we're the body of
Christ, Allen said, while still
sorting through debris. The
community now is like a broken
bone, and when you have to set
the bone its painful. But, when
everything heals and its set, the
bone is stronger and youre
stronger for it in the end. We'll
be stronger for it, and come
together and be a better church
than what we were before.
Allen said Eastside is trying
to view the challenge ahead as
an opportunity, one he hopes
the community will take advantage of to rebuild and become
even better than before.
We have a lot of questions
ahead of us, but our congregation is really forward looking,
and anticipating the future with
a lot of excitement in what can
happen with us, he said. It was
good for everyone to get together and worship the Lord, and get
their minds off the debris
Concert goers bow their heads in prayer during the free Casting
Crowns concert Sunday night at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.
CORRECTIONS
Errors appearing in
The Cullman Times
are never intentional.
If you believe there
has been a misstatement, we will investigate fully, and if any
error has been made,
a correction will be
published promptly.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Regular Rate
In Cullman
County
Senior Rate
In Cullman
County
Outside
Cullman
County
60.00 120.00
13 Weeks 33.00
30.00
69.00
4 Weeks
10.00
23.00
11.00
LOCAL
HANCEVILLE
HANCEVILLE A week
after vicious straight-line
winds and possible tornadoes damaged nearly half
the residential buildings in
Hanceville, the city is still
largely without power
south
of
Johnson's
Crossing.
But city officials and
civic-minded
residents
have seen to it that those
displaced
from
their
homes by the storm have
access to services they've
lost until power is restored,
and if you're stuck with
nothing to do and are
handy with some tools
they'll even put you to
work.
The city's recreation
center, located on East
Commercial Street, has
become the heart of relief
activity for those seeking
daytime shelter, three
meals a day, a haircut,
activities and a hot shower.
Mayor Kenneth Nail said
the rec center has even
established a free laundry
service for those whose
clothing has been piling
up.
"You don't even wash
the clothes they'll do it
for you," said Nail. Weve
really made an effort to get
things here in one place
that people need, and having the laundry service
come in was a big help.
Because
Cullman
County and its affected
municipalities have been
declared disaster areas by
President Obama, rounding out the array of emergency services is a lot easier than it otherwise would
be in terms of funding,
said Nail.
"That really helped us a
bunch," he said. "These
things are here because I
asked for it. It's as simple
as that. Being recognized
as a disaster area makes
the whole process a lot
more streamlined and
that's a good thing,
because there are a lot of
people here who need the
help."
Since opening last week
as a day shelter, the rec
center has already served
thousands of meals provided through a combination of donated items and
the volunteer efforts of residents and business owners. On Monday alone, the
center served 900 free
meals.
Outside the rec center's
walls, the city is still dealing with massive damage
on a broad scale. Unlike
downtown
Cullman,
which had a more defined
path of damage as an EF4category tornado tore
through town, there is no
real dividing line that
demarcates where storm
damage begins and ends.
Upended trees, shattered
windows
and
stripped
roofs
and
awnings span from just
south of the City of
Cullman well to the south
of Hanceville, and cover a
wide swath of ground both
east and west of the city, as
well as denser areas inside
the city limits.
The city's designated
debris removal area off Ala.
91 East, where tree debris
can be offloaded from 6:30
a.m. until 7 p.m., began as
a small pile of tattered
limbs last week, but has
now grown into something
resembling a small mountain range of oak trunks,
stumps and branches.
Hanceville, already a
low-lying town that routinely must contend with
flooding threats if its single
drainage basin Mud
Creek is not vigilantly
maintained,
narrowly
escaped a secondary
catastrophe last week, Nail
said.
"If we hadn't caught the
debris that was collecting
in culverts and stopping
up the creek when we did,
and cleaned all that stuff
out so the water could
flow, Hanceville would be
completely flooded by
now," he said.
The creek, which in past
The Hanceville recreation center is serving as a community hub for residents in and around the city affected by the interruption in basic services caused
by last Wednesdays rash of strong storms.
flood events has been polluted with overflow runoff
from the nearby waste
water treatment plant, fortunately has been spared
from taking on sewage
during the latest bout of
rains, including Tuesday's
steady downpour, noted
water department manager Chris Freeman.
"On the water side, it's
doing
good,"
said
Freeman. "The plant wasn't actually even scheduled to run when the city
lost power, so we had generators in place by the time
it was scheduled to come
back on. We never missed
a beat on the water treatment side."
Construction work to
renovate the treatment
plant was not adversely
affected by the storms,
Freeman added.
"They didn't have a
delay; when it [the storm]
came through Wednesday,
they weren't doing a lot of
work down at the plant at
the time, and the contractors actually sent crews to
help the city clear the
roads from the storm damage. So we've been pretty
SCHOOLS
OBITUARIES
Martha Juanita
Sizemore
her residence.
Tilithia Elizabeth
Dutton
Funeral services for
Tilithia Elizabeth Dutton,
79, of Cullman will be at 1
p.m. Thursday, May 5,
2011, at Cullman Heritage
Funeral Home Chapel,
Kent Persall and Michael
Jones officiating, with
interment in Emeus
Cemetery in Logan.
Cullman Heritage
Funeral Home is in
charge of arrangements.
Mrs. Dutton died
Monday, May 2, at
Cullman Regional
Medical Center. She was
born Dec. 3, 1931, in
Randolph County, Ala., to
O.B. Griffin and Era Ezell
White Hanvey. She was a
homemaker.
She was preceded in
death by her husband,
Earnest Dutton Jr.; a son,
Cary Blane Dutton; her
mother; and a grandson,
Joshua Heath Dutton.
Survivors include two
sons, Rickey Dewayne
(Melinda) Dutton and
Terry Wade Dutton; a
daughter, Sherry Jeanine
(Tommy) Day; eight
grandchildren; three
great-grandchildren; two
brothers, Les Buster
Griffin and Wayne
FUNERALS TODAY
Barbara BurrowSinyard
Funeral services for
Barbara Burrow-Sinyard,
74, of Cullman, will be at
3 p.m. Wednesday, May 4,
2011, at Cullman Funeral
Home Chapel, Dr. Edwin
Hays officiating, with
interment in Cullman
Memory Gardens
Mausoleum.
FROM PAGE 1A
Elementary is expected to be an issue, as repair crews
are still working the nearby damaged downtown
areas.
All traffic will have to be redirected, probably
through the Old Hanceville Highway, she said. We
need to start thinking about traffic plans, and have
some detailed maps showing traffic flow prepared for
parents.
Harris also gave an update on the odds the state
legislature will approve
a waiver to excuse the
city and county systems
from making up days
missed the past two
weeks.
The legislature has
been hard at work, and
they met with the governor, and he told them
he wanted to have
those days waived, she said. The bill was scheduled
to be introduced [Tuesday] asking for forgiveness of
days missed. From how I understand it, if approved, it
will allow local superintendents to write a letter to the
state superintendent requesting a waiver, and we
believe there's a good chance it'll pass.
At Wallace State in Hanceville, college officials say
it could still be a while until classes resume.
Were continuing to clean-up and repair, and
weve put together an FAQ for students on our website
(http://www.wallacestate.edu),
college
spokesperson Kristen Holmes said. As soon as power
is restored and buildings have been checked to make
sure theyre safe, we plan to re-open. But, were just
not sure when thatll happen.
The college is offering students a chance to take
the grades they had as of April 27, though optional
finals will be given on May 9 for students who wish to
take the exams.
Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at
trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 7342131, ext. 220.
Document, Whom to
Contact for Replacement
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(334) 242-4371 or visit online at
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Tax Returns
Internal Revenue Service (800) 829-1040
or Download the Request for Copy of Tax
Return at www.irs.gov/pub/irs
pdf/f4506.pdf
Military Records
National Archives and Records
Administration (1-866-272-6272 or visit
online at www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/
The Federal Emergency Management Agency established a mobile operations unit along
U.S. Highway 31 in South Cullman Tuesday. The FEMA unit offers qualifying residents
and agencies in need of disaster relief assistance a local
base where they can provide the agency information about
their needs and inititate the process of receiving federal aid.
FEMA
FROM PAGE 1A
seeking assistance from
the federal agency. FEMA,
depending on the claim,
can provide assistance
beyond what some insurance policies pay.
"It's all on a case by
case basis. But you have
to file with FEMA to know
if you qualify. We have
people here to assist with
the applications or just to
have someone to talk to
for guidance," Custer
said. "These programs are
designed to get people on
their feet again."
Anyone seeking to
apply for assistance may
go
online
at
www.DisasterAssistance.
gov, or call 1-800-6213362. At the temporary
office in Cullman, residents may also check on
the status of their claims.
Custer said a FEMA
representative will contact a resident to schedule an inspection after a
claim is filed.
"It's a recovery effort
that will go on for a long
time. The priority is for
the citizens, to help them
recover," Custer said.
be reached by e-mail at
dpalmer@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext.
213
Water Valley
Flea Market
Cullman, AL
OPEN
90 LARGE BOOTHS
Over 100 Dealers
Two Buildings Open
I-65 To Hwy. 278 West
14 Miles On The Right
256-747-4498
www.firstfederalcullman.com
LOCAL
NEED TO KNOW
Volunteers and those needing a hot meal gathered at St. Johns Evangelical Protestant Church for lunch Tuesday afternoon. Area churches have been a main source of food, clothing and household items in the wake of last weeks tornadoes.
NATION
IMMIGRATION
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this July 29, 2010 file photo, Maricopa County Sheriffs deputies process a man who was arrested during
a crime suppression sweep in Phoenix that were to coincide with Arizonas SB1070 immigration law taking
effect. Illegal immigration fell to secondary status for lawmakers against the wishes of some a year after
Arizona enacted its controversial law known as SB107.
north Phoenix.
"If you have dark skin, then
you have dark skin," the letter
said. "Unfortunately, that is the
look of the Mexican illegals who
are here illegally." Young said
Arpaio sent the letter to a top
manager and instructed him to
"Have someone handle this."
Young said considerations of
race have infected the sweeps
and that Arpaio has in effect
endorsed calls for racial profiling.
Most of the letters don't
WASHINGTON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON The
top Democrat in the
Senate on budget matters
said Tuesday that he's
preparing a fiscal blueprint to slash the deficit
by $4 trillion over the
upcoming decade a
plan built on the bipartisan findings of President
Barack Obama's deficit
commission.
Budget
Committee
Chairman Kent Conrad,
D-N.D., said the plan
calls for a complete overhaul of the tax code
stripping out numerous
tax write-offs while lowering income tax rates
but would leave Social
Security untouched. The
tax reform idea would
generate an overall revenue increase in the
range of perhaps $1 trillion over the coming
decade.
Conrad briefed his
Democratic colleagues
on the draft plan, which
under
Capitol
Hill's
arcane budget process is
a blueprint setting a nonbinding framework for
future legislation. The
measure could come up
for a committee vote next
week, Conrad said.
The
Senate
Democratic plan would
offer a counterpoint to a
House GOP budget plan
that passed last month.
The GOP measure calls
for a dramatic overhaul
of Medicare that, for
future retirees now 54
years old or younger,
would turn the popular
elderly health care program into a voucher-like
system in which beneficiaries would purchase
health insurance.
Conrad is also part of a
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This combination image from file photos shows the sixmember bipartisan group of U.S. senators, referred to as
the Gang of Six, who are closing in on what could represent the best chance for tackling a national deficit crisis. Still
a work in progress, their plan would reduce borrowing by
up to $4 trillion over the next decade by putting the two
parties sacred cows on the chopping block.
so-called Gang of Six senators working on a separate track to devise a
stronger plan that would
seek to force Congress to
pass deficit-slashing legislation. The group is
struggling to reach agreement on a complicated
measure that set targets
for spending cuts and tax
increases that would be
enforced by automatic
spending cuts and tax
increases if Congress is
unable to meet them.
NATION
FINANCIAL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this May 2, 2011 photo, Trader Christopher Forbes works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.
Global stocks eased lower Tuesday as investors turned their attention toward a raft of economic news over
the coming days and Indias central bank lifted interest rates to keep a lid on inflation.
"Investors are going to sit back
a little bit and say, 'How much
more good news is out there?'"
Pfizer Inc. fared worst in the
Dow Jones industrial average
Tuesday, losing nearly 3 percent
after the company reduced its
ARKANSAS
LANGLEY, Ark. In
the same remote valley
where 20 people died in a
flash flood last summer,
six Louisiana Boy Scouts
trapped by a rising river
built a campfire and ate
jambalaya and grits, confident rescuers would
eventually arrive.
The boys' two adult
leaders had them set up
camp near a mountain
they could climb if their
trail flooded one of a
series of decisions that
allowed the group to
emerge unharmed from
the Albert Pike Recreation
Area
in
southwest
Arkansas. Rescuers also
praised them for good
planning, leaving a map of
their planned trek and
avoiding the valley floor
when they realized how
deep and fast the river had
grown.
"They did exactly what
they needed to do,"
Montgomery
County
Sheriff David White said.
"As long as they stayed on
high ground, we figured
they were going to be in
good shape."
While the weekend's
conditions weren't as bad
as the deadly flood that
struck last year while people were sleeping, they
were dangerous. The boys
crossed the Little Missouri
River at the start of their
trip Thursday but by the
time they went to leave
Sunday morning, it had
grown to 70 yards wide
and up to 5 feet deep.
Scoutmaster
Jeff
Robinson tested it and
ordered the troop to
retreat.
"I realized the water
was too strong to cross the
river with the boys,"
Robinson said. A National
Guard helicopter eventually plucked the group to
safety
after
sunrise
Tuesday.
The boys said they
passed the time in
between talking and
sleeping in. With no cell
phone service available,
several said their biggest
concern was what their
parents were thinking.
"I was worried that my
parents would freak out,"
said Ian Fuselier, 13.
After eating jambalaya,
eggs and grits Sunday, the
boys had only one meal of
jambalaya Monday. But
Robinson said they had
enough food to last several days, a water filter and a
dry camp.
"If we had to stay three,
four, five days, we had the
resources to do so," he
said.
Troop 162 was reported
missing when it didn't
return home Monday as
planned, and anxious parents and relatives drove
up from Lafayette, La.
Search teams on the
ground couldn't find the
boys, and rain and fog
prevented a helicopter
from doing a flyover.
With no news about
their children, the parents
gathered Monday night at
a local church in a scene
eerily similar to a vigil
nearly a year before.
Pastor Graig Cowart led
them in prayer, calling out
the names of the stranded
boys and asking for their
safe return. Relatives
joined hands. Some cried.
"These people are really hurting," Cowart said
during the wait Monday
night. "They felt really
alone and isolated."
The Scouts themselves
said there was no reason
to worry.
The troop had filed a
detailed schedule and
map for its hike with a
Scout leader who didn't
make the trip, and they
WORLD
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
LOCAL
HANCEVILLE
CONTRIBUTED
CONTRIBUTED
Members of the Cold Springs National Honor Society visited the Joe Lee Griffin Hope Lodge April 10,
to grill hamburgers and hot dogs for the residents undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments
at local hospitals. Members of the CSHS NHS who attended are, from left, front row: Jessi Wood and
Crystal Rollo; middle row: Kelsey Swann, Chelsea Rollo, Breanna Barnes, Hayden West and Haven
Watson; back row: Casey Capps, Hannah Maxfield, Loren Bookout, Maegan DiLoreto, Grace
Willoughby and Peyton Parker.
PASQUALES DONATES
Pasquales presented a check
to Sacred
Heart School
for Pizza
Nights
Participation.
Dax Olszowka
and Anthony
Natarella
received gift
certificates for
highest participation. Shown
are Dax
Olszowka, in
front, and
Principal
Ernest Hauk
and Donna
Shikle.
CONTRIBUTED
Student foundation
grant award to
school library
CONTRIBUTED
LOCAL
EDUCATION
CONTRIBUTED
Leadership scholarship recipients are, from left, front row: Alison Gwen Moore, Cullman, Clarissa Aline Wilbanks,
Lawrence County, Kalin Jade Rittenberry, Lawrence County, Shay Ann Johnson, Fairview, Morgan LeaAnn Roberts,
Fairview, Lindsey Megan Chapman, Fairview, Casey Lashae Williams, Addison, Christy Machae Hightower, JB
Pennington, Tia Nall, Hanceville, Krista Payne, Holly Pond; back row: Adam Tyler Hale, Vinemont, Justin Trevor Aby, Cold
Springs, Mathew Shayne Rush, Cleveland, Tristan Kyle Hulsey, West Point, Justin Allen Clowdus, Hanceville, Andrew
James Jankens, Hanceville. Not shown is Stephen Avery Morrow, Cullman.
CONTRIBUTED
CONTRIBUTED
Career Technical 2 scholarship recipients are, from left, front row: LeTia Fuerste, Danville, Brittany Hooper, Holly Pond,
Lesli Nelson, Holly Pond, Racheal Nephew, Hanceville, Kimberly Hathcock, JB Pennington, Carrie Beavers, Cleveland,
Jamie Lively, West Point, Kelly Wilson, West Point; back row: Charles Holbrook, Holly Pond, Tyler Butler, West Point,
Dustin Sivley, JB Pennington, Casey Noojin, JB Pennington, Tanner Burdette, Fairview, Justin Pattillo, Cullman, Aaron Hill,
Cold Springs, Lucas McElroy, Fairview.
CONTRIBUTED
256/352-8236 or 866/350-WSCC.
(Note: Scholarship recipients
at the ceremony are listed by
award type. The list includes
only those scholarship recipients who attended the awards
ceremony and remained afterward for pictures. Recipients
who did not stay for pictures, did
not attend the ceremony, or who
received subsequent notification of their awards are not
included in the listing.)
LOCAL
CONTRIBUTED
Career Technical 1 scholarship recipients are, from left, front row: Matthew Dudley, Susan
Moore, Jordan Yates, Brindlee Mountain, Ariana McCaskey, Linden, Karina Hernandez,
Arab, Whitney Lamont, Hayden, Katisse McGee, S.R. Butler, Devin Jackson, Hatton,
Rodney Byrd, Danville; back row: William Isbell, Arab, Jacob Holmes, Brewer, Chris Pearl,
Brindlee Mountain, Matthew Whisenant, Brindlee Mountain, Ryan Holloway, Arab,
Christopher Irmen, Arab.
CONTRIBUTED
Scholarship recipients in the Performing Arts 2 category are, from left, front row: Maggie
Warren, Cullman, Krista Rae McCaig, Hartselle, Shelby OBrien, Boaz, Antoinette
Billingsley, Tuscaloosa, Tessa Knight, Good Hope, Janessa Bryan, West Point, Alicia
Leigeber, Cullman; back row: Will Olson, Lee, Ethan Harris, Cullman, Cape Sandlin,
Hartselle, Taylor Martin, Austin.
CONTRIBUTED
Presidential scholarship recipients are, from left, front row: Hannah Brianne Johnson,
Scholarship recipients for Allied Health are, from left, front row: Jordan Davis, Hanceville,
Susan Rae Christensen, Plainfield High School, Britany Nicole Odom, South Pontotoc,
April Thornton, Cold Springs, Mckinzie Bradford, JB Pennington, Adela Suarez, West Point, Madison Sheree Goodwin, Cullman, Brittany Nicole ODriscoll, Brewer, Mallory Grace
Crystal Cornelius, Skyline, Hannah Hjelm, Lawrence County; back row: Sarah Mooney,
Fowler, Vinemont, Ashley Nicole Madaris, Holly Pond; back row: Roger Keith Clements,
Hanceville, Kimberly Riggins, Bearden, Emily Sadler, New Hope, Mary Cole, Boaz,
Gardendale, Andrew Michael Knop, Fairview, Robert Auston Hood, Cullman, Charles
Stephanie Blankenship, Mt. Hope, not pictured, Amanda Shelton, Rogers.
Randal Nelson, Cullman.
CONTRIBUTED
CONTRIBUTED
Performing Arts 1 scholarship recipients are, from left, front row: Sydney Garmon, Cold Springs, Lauryn Sheffield,
Mortimer Jordan, Taylor Ragsdale, Mortimer Jordan, Andraya Frydendahl, Mortimer Jordan, Emily Michelle Rhoades,
Gardendale, Morgan LeighAnne Johnson, Haleyville, Grace Howard, Good Hope, Samantha Olinger, Good Hope,
Maeleigha Basenburg, Holly Pond, Kelsey Grayson, Hazel Green, Katie Butler, Cullman; back row: Justin Marcelo Aguilar,
Gardendale, Preston McKee, Hanceville, Nathan Melton, Hanceville, Benjamin Daniel Rosen, Cullman, Dyer Wesley
Jones, Gordo, Adam Wayne Wright, Danville, Zachary Tyler Baldwin, Gardendale, John Douglas Hill, Mortimer Jordan.
CONTRIBUTED
Wallace State scholarship recipients for Academic Excellence are, from left, front row: Bree Anna Harbison, Cold Springs,
Adrienne Marie Mechaw, West Point, Peyton Alexis Smith, Curry, Lisa Marie Roberson, Vinemont, Micha Ann Hightower,
J.B. Pennington, Courtney Marquis James, Fairview, Kaylen Michelle Kennedy, Cullman, Miranda LeAnne Thomas,
Cullman, Kristine Wesley, Mortimer Jordan, Katie Suzanne Harris, Cold Springs, Kaylee Nicole Culwell, West Point; back
row: Michael Austin Hazelrig, Cleveland, Statan Tye Daugherty, Holly Pond, Weston Grant Laney, West Point, Jonathan
Lee Slatton, Hayden, Robert Daniel Thornton, Fairview, Emily Katherine Roland, Grissom, Tyler Jacob Jackson, Vinemont,
Kasey Alan Douthit, Good Hope, Kiah Clay Crider, Cold Springs, Andrew Scott Adams, Holly Pond, Brandon James
Goode, Holly Pond, Casey Aaron Lange, Cullman.
LOCAL
AUTISM WALK
BLOOMIN FESTIVAL
CONTRIBUTED
Led by Jordon Davis and Walker Huddleston, the 7th annual walk for Autism begins at
Wallace State
CONTRIBUTED
Father Joel Martin, OSB Headmaster at St. Bernard Preparatory School presents Mr.
Leonard Palumbo and his son with the keys to the 2011 Jeep Patriot as part of the
grand prize giveaway at the 27th annual Bloomin Festival in Cullman.
CONTRIBUTED
Local Autism support members walk along with Jerry the Autism Society mascot during
the 7th annual walk for Autism at Wallace state track
CONTRIBUTED
While not billed as an Autism race, Walker Huddleston made sure that he was the first to
finish.
TO KNOW
WSCC REOPENED NEED
Emergency numbers, information. 8A
STORM AFTERMATH
County
closing
satellite
offices
Wednesdays tornado ripped the facade and heavily damaged the 100year-old Little Bit of Everything business downtown.
'WHAT AN
AMAZING TOWN'
Alabama
Attorney
General Luther Strange
arrived in Cullman County
Wednesday to survey
storm damage and work
with local law enforcement leaders in protecting
citizens against scams
related to cleanup work.
"My main mission is to
make the laws are being
enforced and respected.
I'm working with district
attorneys, sheriffs, police
chiefs and others who are
involved in law enforcement to offer assistance
from our office," Strange
said.
Strange, noting that the
damage
throughout
Cullman County is startling, said he would report
his observations to Gov.
Robert Bentley, who made
his first stop after the
statewide disaster in
Cullman. Strange was
planning to visit the hardhit towns of Hackleburg
and Phil Campbell after
leaving Cullman.
Strange said he is focusing on four areas of concern during disaster aftermath and recovery:
Looting, which local
law enforcement reports
has not been an issue in
Cullman County. "The
National Guard has played
a tremendous and effective role in working with
local law enforcement
across the state to prevent
widespread problems,"
Strange said.
Price gouging. "We're
working with retailers and
other business owners to
make sure they know the
rules. There will be some
price increases at times
that are necessary because
By Benjamin Bullard
STAFF WRITER
By David Palmer
EDITOR
Officials
concerned
about
potential
revenue loss
The Cullman County
Commission gave revenue
commissioner
Barry
Willingham the okay to
temporarily pull the plug
on the two satellite offices
that housed some services
provided by both the revenue and the probate
judge's office Wednesday.
Citing the recent storm
damage to both areas, as
well as the strapped
finances
the
county
expects if post-storm tax
revenues dwindle as the
rest of the fiscal year procommission
gresses,
chairman James Graves
said the move would last,
at least, several months
and possibly longer.
"It's a financial decision; it's not necessarily a
permanent one," said
Graves. "We already know
that the county will be taking a sales tax hit; so many
businesses have closed
down either indefinitely or
altogether. And we're
going to step back for several months and assess
our financial situation,
and make a decision at a
later time on whether to
re-open them.
Also, said Graves, the
two satellite offices served
areas of the county that
State
attorney
general
visits area
Brannon Ray, left, and Patrick Ray, right, stand where Doyle Real Estate once stood. Theyre looking forward to
rebuilding and establishing a stronger downtown business district.
INDEX
DEATHS
Weather...............2A
Police Reports ....4A
Local briefs .........4A
Obituaries...........4A
Engagements......4A
Opinion...............6A
Nation ...............10A
Sports ................11A
Newt Pruett
Carolyn York Bean
Randall Lee Randy Lawrence
Loree Polly Waters
Richard B. McCarty
Henry Layton Bice
SEE PAGE 4A
LOCAL
FEMA
Official details eligibility
for relief funds. 7A
LOCAL
TOWN
FROM PAGE 1A
"We're still in business,"
Brannon Ray said. "We would
love to have a two-story building on this block, perhaps with
lofts above in a New Orleans or
Mobile style. That's just some of
the thoughts that have been
expressed so far."
Doyle Real Estate employees
were not injured in the tornado.
Brannon Ray said the last
employee left the building with
10 minutes to spare before the
EF-4 touched down on their
block.
"We're fortunate no one in
the building was injured. I know
there were two deaths in the
county and a lot of injuries
around the area. I think four
people in this area along suffered injuries, but a lot of people
were able to escape harm and
we're grateful," said Patrick Ray.
The Rays also said their company is helping families find
rental homes. FEMA is offering
assistance for residents that
may need temporary housing.
"We love Cullman and we
want to make it better than
ever," Brannon Ray. "We know
this is difficult for everyone, but
Downtown businessmen Wes Warren, left, and Lee Powell discuss the
future amid the rubble of one the areas most devastated blocks.
severe weather remain all too
clear in her mind.
"That was the first time in 30
years that we locked the doors
and went home. The tornado
just missed our house by three
blocks when it veered slightly in
another direction," Grey said. "I
just know that something didn't
feel right that day. The air was
just so eerie. It's like God got me
OFFICES
FROM PAGE 1A
suffered heavily from the
April 27 tornadoes, potentially diminishing the
amount of traffic those
offices should be seeing
over the next several
weeks.
"The revenue commissioner talked to me and
the other commissioners
on it, and with the shape
those places are in, Dodge
City
and
especially
Baileyton it's a war
zone right now with the
storm damage people
don't need to be encouraged to be out and about
in those areas if they possibly can avoid it," said
Graves.
Willingham, who said
his departmental budget
ultimately accounts for
the majority of cost associated with running the
offices, did not rule out
the possibility of revisiting
the satellite office idea at a
later time, and acknowledged that the decision
may not be a popular one.
"I'm the one who's
going to take the stripes
for this, if it bothers some
people, and I told the
mayors in both towns that
I would come to their
council meetings and discuss this with them. The
satellite office was kind of
a trend there for a while,
but we ran the numbers
and it's costing us about
$60,000 a year, on the low
side. That may not sound
like a lot of money, but the
satellite offices are purely
a luxury and not a necessity, so we are hoping to
anticipate some savings
for the county at a time
when we're really going to
need it. I've already gotten
some flak just from some
friends who heard about it
OPINION
THE CULLMAN TIMES | THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2011 PAGE 6A
CULLMANTIMES.COM
(256) 734-2131
Bill Morgan: Publisher
publisher@cullmantimes.com
David Palmer: Editor
editor@cullmantimes.com
Kathy McLeroy: Director of Advertising
kathym@cullmantimes.com
Debbie Miller: Classified Manager
dmiller@cullmantimes.com
Sam Mazzara: Circulation Manager
smazzara@cullmantimes.com
Pete Lewter: Business Manager
plewter@cullmantimes.com
Jessica Wells: Graphics Supervisor
jwells@cullmantimes.com
Johnny Wilson: Press Foreman
jwwilson@cullmantimes.com
Travis Prince: Mail Room Supervisor
travisp@cullmantimes.com
OUR VIEWS
Were
coming back
regular basis.
For additional information regarding
lost/found/displaced pets
individuals may contact me
at (256)347-7884 or send
emails to
christy_brett@att.net Any
photos individuals can provide of the pet they have
found or lost would be
extremely helpful. I am hoping this information could
be printed in the Cullman
Times in order to better
help our residents and our
shelter during this difficult
time. Thank you for any
help you may be able to
provide.
Christy Patterson
Foster and Adoption
Liason
Cullman County Animal
Shelter
11 S. Union Street
Room 537-B
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7722
Work : (256) 734-4236
Fax: (256) 739-9119
District office: (256) 2602146
District fax: (256) 260-2144
Email: info@mocold.com
Ed Henry (R-Vinemont)
11 S. Union Street
Room 524-A
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7736 District
Address:
2128 6th Avenue SE
Suite 504
Decatur, AL. 35601
District Phone: (256) 2602146
Fax Number: (256) 260-2144
LETTERS POLICY
The Cullman Times welcomes and
encourages readers to submit Letters
to the Editor. Please limit letters to 300
words and focus on local issues and
other topics that may be debated at the
state and national levels. Letters that
are longer than 300 words may be considered for a guest column. Those who
would like to submit a guest column
on a timely local issue may contact
Editor David Palmer at 734-2131,
extension 213.
Tone of letters
Letters or columns that attack
another persons character or claim
unverifiable information will not be
published.
Please keep your letters focused on
definable issues. You may discuss such
matters with the editor. The Cullman
Times offers a wide range of opinions
from readers, syndicated columnists
and cartoonists Opinion pages are
published Tuesday-Sunday.
Our views
The opinions of The Cullman Times
will always include a header entitled
Our Views, typically found on the left
side of this page.
Letters may be mailed, brought by
our office or emailed to editor@cullmantimes.com.
Be sure to include your address and
a telephone number for verification.
Only the author of a letter should sign
the document submitted for publication.
LOCAL
NEED TO KNOW
Federal Emergency
Management
Agency
(FEMA):
Mobile Disaster
Relief Center is set up in
the parking lot near
Walgreens
on
U.S.
Highway 31 South below
King
Edward
Street
(Market Platz) for storm
victims to register with
the Federal Agency.
Disaster
Relief
Center workers are canvassing Cullman County
FEMA representatives wear FEMA shirts
and carrying photo IDs.
Every individual
with damage or any kind
of loss should call
1.800.621.3362 or register
at
www.disasterassistance.gov (includes physical damage, loss wages,
injuries, repair materials,
purchases,
anything
storm related).
Businesses should
call the Small Business
Administration (SBA) at
800.659.2955 for assistance. SBA can assist
businesses, individuals,
and non-profits (including churches).
For Disaster Unemployment Assistance,
call 866.234.5382 or visit
their
website
at
www.dir.alabama.gov.
All individuals and
businesses must register
with FEMA within 60 days
of Disaster Declaration.
FEMA assistance
includes insured, underinsured and non-insured
situations.
Keep all receipts
associated
with
any
repairs or purchases.
Damaged properties
should take photos to
help document loses for
FEMA and Insurance.
Shelters & Help:
The
Volunteer
Registration Center is at
the Cullman Fair Grounds
located at Sportsman Lake
Road, NW. If you have any
questions you can contact
United
Way
at
256.739.2948 or Donnie
Riley at 256.734.5190.
Sign up for Volunteer
Assistance
and
to
Volunteer. This is for City
and County residents
If you need trees
removed from private
property, you must go to
the
Cullman
County
Fairgrounds and sign a
waiver which will allow
volunteers to access your
property.
American Red Cross
is moving to the Cullman
County Fair Ground,
Building
#1
on
Wednesday. They will be
providing shelter and food
Non-perishable
donations items are being
accepted at Building #4 at
the
Cullman
County
Fairgrounds.
Cullman Caring for
Kids (402 Arnold Street) is
accepting Baby items
(diapers, food, formula,
etc.).
They also have
water available.
DayStar Church at
Good Hope is accepting
all forms of donations
(including clothing, furniture, food, etc.)
256.737.7560
Cullman City Street Dept:
256.775.8441
Cullman City Water Dept:
256.772.7210
Cullman City Risk Mgr: 256.775.7130
Cullman Power Board: 256.734.2343
Cullman Electric Cooperative:
256.737.3200
Cullman Jefferson Gas: 256.734.1911
Gas leak: 256.734.0565
City of Cullman Dispatch:
256.775.7145
Red Cross: 800.733.2767
St.
Andrews
Methodist Church on
West Main has food for
distribution into County
through Volunteer Fire
Departments. Contact:
256.339.8532.
Open 9
a.m. 6 p.m. daily. Also
accepting food donations.
NARCOG has Meals
Ready to Eat (MRE) for
distribution
through
Sheriff Deputies. If you
know of someone who is
in need contact the
Sheriffs
Office
at
256.734.0342.
Cullman Regional
Medical Center continues
to provide quality care for
area residents and is open
24/7 for emergencies. The
hospital has returned to
normal business operations. To contact the medical center please call 256737-2000.
If you need boxes,
pick up at MidSouth
Packaging Warehouse at
419 3rd Avenue West
Cullman,
AL
on
Wednesday, May 04, 2011.
Property
Tax
Department is open.
Delinquent Tax
Auction has been postponed
until
further
notice.
All other offices are
closed
until
further
notice.
City Hall:
City Hall hours are
7:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
through Friday, May 6,
2011.
All departments are
open.
Water is safe to consume & supply is adequate to meet needs.
NO CURFEW in
downtown Cullman, only
place this applies is in
barricaded areas from
dusk to dawn.
Cullman County
DOES have a curfew from
dusk to dawn. However,
essential travel is allowed
(this includes reporting to
work).
City of Cullman is
currently under a NO
BURN ORDER.
For the General
Public needing to dispose
of spoiled refrigerated
items, there will be roll-off
dumpsters set up on the
north side of Depot Park,
West Elementary, and
Civic Center.
Cullman City and
Cullman County Schools
are scheduled to reopen
on Monday, May 9, 2011.
Street names and
numbers have been painted on pavement at intersections.
Permits are required
to enter affected areas in
downtown Cullman. Can
be obtained at city hall.
LOCAL/STATE
A sign for a demolition derby rests on its side as the campus of Wallace State Community College in
Hanceville is shown in the background Wednesday, April 27, 2011.
the storm. Much of the power generators on some areas of the
has been restored either by con- campus,
according
to
ventional commercial power, Cleveland.
which is being supplemented by
Some of the roofs on cam-
STATE BRIEFS
PHIL CAMPBELL
Towns' repair
bills mounting up
Tornado damage estimates
from some small Alabama
towns are beginning to show
the impact of the storm.
Phil Campbell Mayor Jerry
Mays says preliminary reports
show that about one-third of
the town's 1,200 buildings were
destroyed and the estimated
property damage is $119 million.
The mayor says it will be a
long time before the Franklin
County town gets back to normal.
The numbers are looking
even worse in nearby
Hackleburg. Police Chief Kenny
Hallmark said only one of the
town's 32 businesses is still
operational. It's a company that
makes manufactured homes.
TUSCALOOSA
MONTGOMERY
39 counties now
approved for
disaster aid
Chambers County has been
approved for federal disaster
aid, which brings the total
number of Alabama counties
covered to 39.
Gov. Robert Bentley says
assistance is available to households and businesses as part of
Alabama's federal disaster declaration. Those affected can call
the Federal Emergency
Management Agency at 1-800621-3362 or apply at a government website (http://www.disasterassistance.gov ).
Counties approved earlier
for aid were Autauga, Bibb,
Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee,
Chilton, Choctaw, Colbert,
Coosa, Cullman, DeKalb,
Elmore, Etowah, Fayette,
Franklin, Greene, Hale, Jackson,
Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale,
Lawrence, Limestone, Madison,
NATION
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON The
dramatic raid on Osama
bin Laden's compound in
a Pakistani suburb this
week capped a decadelong manhunt, but it also
revealed just how wrong
the U.S. had been about
where the world's most
wanted terrorist was hiding.
Time and again, the
nation's top national
security officials told
each other and the world
that their best intelligence suggested that bin
Laden was living along
the
mountainous,
ungoverned border of
Pakistan
and
Afghanistan.
"I have an excellent
idea of where he is," CIA
Director Porter Goss said
in 2005.
"I believe he is in the
tribal region of Pakistan,"
Director of National
Intelligence
Mike
McConnell said in July
2007.
"This is a man on the
run from a cave," White
House homeland security
adviser
Frances
Townsend
said
two
months later.
"All I can tell you is
that it's in the tribal areas.
That's all we know, that
he's located in that vicinity. The terrain is very difficult. He obviously has
tremendous
security
around
him,"
CIA
Director Leon Panetta
said in June 2010.
In reality, bin Laden
was living comfortably in
the bustling town of
Abbottabad, known for its
good schools and relative
affluence. He was living
in a walled compound in
a military town, hundreds
of miles from the mountainous, lawless tribal
regions. There were no
heavily armed security
guards, as some intelli-
EDUCATION
MILITARY
possibility.
Despite the fact that classes
havent been in session for more
than week, Coleman said he
believes area students have
picked up more than enough life
lessons in the days since four
tornadoes ripped through the
county.
I know the kids have missed
class time, but the lessons
theyve learned this past week,
helping each other, transcends
the classroom, he said. These
kids have not had a week off,
Please see SCHOOL Page 4A
COURTS
Courts to remain
closed through
next week
No failure to appear
warrants will be issued
By Sam Rolley
STAFF WRITER
VOLUNTEER
AMANDA SHAVERS-DAVIS/THE CULLMAN TIMES
National Guardsman John Wright, left, was on duty in storm-ravaged Hackleburg before arriving in Cullman. He
described Hackleburg as the worst devastation he has ever seen, but hes impressed with Cullmans go-forward attitude.
Guardsman, Russell Smalley, right, said people often stop to ask about his own welfare in Cullman.
INDEX
Local....................3A
Obituaries...........4A
Local briefs .........4A
Opinion...............5A
State.....................8A
National ..............9A
World.................11A
Sports ..................1B
HAVE AN
OPINION ON
THIS STORY?
DEATHS
Robert Henry
Cook I
Mary Grace
Buchanan
Jerry Wayne
Thomas, Sr.
SEE PAGE 4A
Scout Troop 31
committed to service,
community
By David Palmer
EDITOR
LOCAL
NEED TO KNOW
The latest on assistance
and emergency numbers. 7A
LOCAL
FUNDRAISER
Connie Pirkey leans out the window as she takes an order in a downtown food booth
sponsored by Boy Scouts of America Troop 31, which is a countywide Scout troop. The
boys were clearing debris in Walter throughout Thursday.
SCOUT
FROM PAGE 1A
service business in Hanceville, which
is shut down for now due to storm
damage.
"I'm very proud of the boys in this
troop," Jeff Pirkey said. "They're real
troopers, they get right in when something is needed in the community.
This is the same troop that set up flags
after 9/11 in the park downtown."
Behind the food counter, Pirkey's
wife and Cindy Mann were busily
serving hot meals, cold drinks and
fruit for anyone who stopped all at
no cost.
"We are proud of all the boys," said
Cindy Mann, whose son Christopher
is an Eagle Scout. Her husband,
Myron, is also the Scout master.
The Pirkeys' son Bryan, now 23, is
also an Eagle Scout.
National Guardsman Mychal Boyd, a veteran of the first Gulf War and other deployments
to war zones, said his heart has been warmed by the people of Cullman. He believes the
community will make a strong comeback because of the togetherness of people here.
HEART
FROM PAGE 1A
helping out our people at
Franks
said.
home,"
"Everybody
pulling
together like this ... that
takes my heart. I believe
out of this disaster that
people will rebuild and lot
of people who have been
hurt by the economy will
go back to work."
Franks said the difference in working a devastated area in the Middle
East and a community
such as Cullman is the
willingness of people here
to work together for a
common cause.
"In Iraq, you have so
many variations of beliefs
that when you get four or
five people together, you
have a conflict. When you
bring people together
here they stay together.
They work together and
continue to help each
other," Franks said.
John Wright, of the
ALABAMA GARMENT
RESTORATION
Fire and Water Specialists
Serving all Residents of Cullman County
and available to clean garments affected by
the tornado.
We will gladly bill your insurance company.
You may drop off your damaged clothing at
Newmans Cleaners or call Ray Smith,
Owner - Alabama Garment Restoration for
service at your residence (205-910-3750).
LOCAL BRIEFS
OBITUARIES
nephews.
The family would like
to thank the staff of
Hospice of Cullman
County, Dr. Hall and Dr.
Snyder for the care given
to Mr. Cook. In lieu of
flowers, the family
requests donations be
made to Hospice of
Cullman County.
Visitation was
Thursday.
Mrs. Mary
Grace Buchanan
Funeral Services for
Mrs. Mary Grace
Buchanan, 77, of
Tuscaloosa, will be held
on Saturday, May 7, 2011
at 2 p.m. at the Bethsadia
Church. Interment will
follow in the adjoining
cemetery, with Bro Donny
Yarbrough and Bro. Frank
Ellis officiating. She will
lie-in-State at the church
for one hour prior to the
service.
Moss-Service Funeral
Home of Cullman directing.
Mrs. Buchanan passed
away on Wednesday, May
4, 2011 at her residence.
She was born January 24,
1934 in Cullman to the
late Snowda Parks Lowery
and Florence Esther
Bradford Lowery. She
served her church at
Bethsadia Baptist as the
clerk for over 20 years,
served her community as
a LPN at Woodland
Village Nursing Home
and retired from Cullman
Regional Medical Center;
Jerry Wayne
Thomas, Sr.
survived by 3 brothers,
Mickey Thomas (Shirley),
Kenneth Thomas
(Shirley), Chalmers
Thomas and numerous
nieces and nephews.
Mr. Thomas was preceded in death by his parents, Luther and Gertrude
Thomas; two brothers,
Buddy Thomas and Jack
Thomas.
Big Jerry, as he was
known to so many, was
living in Cold Springs at
the time of his death
where he had lived for the
past 20 years. He enjoyed
his time working, but
cherished the time he
could spend on the bank
fishing with his grandchildren. He was a beloved
husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend.
His funeral service will
be held at Cold Springs
Missionary Baptist
Church on Saturday, May
7, 2011 beginning at 2
p.m. with Bro. Ed Couey
officiating. Burial will follow in Cold Springs
Cemetery in Bremen, Ala.
His visitation will be held
prior to the service
between the hours of
12:30 to 2 p.m.
Kenya Relief
Kenyarelief.org. has been unable to send or
receive emails since the power was interrupted last
Wednesday. A new temporary email account has
been created until power is restored in the Cullman
office. Kindly resend any emails sent since last
Thursday to stevejameskenya@gmail.com. This
account will remain open until power is restored
some time in the next week.
Benefit concert
A benefit concert for tornado victims in Cullman
County will be held from noon to 9 p.m. June 11,
2011, at the Cullman County Fairgrounds.
Admission: donation; talent: To be announced.
Guest singer
Gospel singer/songwriter Kyla Rowland will be
the featured guest at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at Mt.
Olive Bible Based Fellowship, at 3838 Co Rd 747,
Cullman 35055. Free.
SCHOOL
FROM PAGE 1A
theyve been out working, and have
really been a part of the relief effort.
Cullman
City
Schools
Superintendent Dr. Jan Harris said
she was relieved to hear the bill was
approved, noting administrators are
now considering options on exactly
how to respond.
We will be applying for a waiver,
and I had an administrators meeting this morning, and we discussed
our options, she said. We plan to
work together to come up with our
COURTS
FROM PAGE 1A
our court files and information are
logged on an internet-based system that is networked with
Montgomery, which will take some
time to get up and running normally."
The judge said that because all
court dates are to be rescheduled
for the next week, no failure to
appear warrants will be issued for
that period of time.
Food drive
The National Association of Letter Carriers food
drive will be May 14. Leave cans and dry goods in
your mailbox for your letter carrier to pick up. A
portion of the food will be given to the United Way
Food Bank - Cullman Caring For Kids.
OPINION
THE CULLMAN TIMES | FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011 PAGE 5A
CULLMANTIMES.COM
(256) 734-2131
Bill Morgan: Publisher
publisher@cullmantimes.com
David Palmer: Editor
editor@cullmantimes.com
Kathy McLeroy: Director of Advertising
kathym@cullmantimes.com
Debbie Miller: Classified Manager
dmiller@cullmantimes.com
Sam Mazzara: Circulation Manager
smazzara@cullmantimes.com
Pete Lewter: Business Manager
plewter@cullmantimes.com
Jessica Wells: Graphics Supervisor
jwells@cullmantimes.com
Johnny Wilson: Press Foreman
jwwilson@cullmantimes.com
Travis Prince: Mail Room Supervisor
travisp@cullmantimes.com
OUR VIEWS
Warming
hearts
Is this the face of evil?
COMMENTARY
MONA CHAREN
COLUMNIST
reported: "Two mentally
retarded women strapped
with remote-control explosives -- and possibly used as
unwitting homicide
bombers -- brought carnage
Friday to two pet bazaars,
killing at least 91 people..."
When mentally impaired
women were not available,
al-Qaida had other tactics.
According to C. Christine
Fair of Georgetown
University, who authored a
U.N. report on terrorism, alQaida terrorists in Iraq
would rape women and
then hand them off to
Samira Jassim, known as the
Mother of Believers. Until
her arrest in 2009, her job
was to convince the shattered victims that the only
way to redeem their honor
was to die in a suicide mission. Paul Kix in the Daily
Beast reports that 28
women did so.
Political theorist Hannah
Arendt ignited decades of
debate when she coined the
expression "the banality of
evil," in reference to the
architect of the Holocaust,
Adolf Eichmann. He wasn't
extraordinary at all, she
wrote, just a clerk doing his
11 S. Union Street
Room 537-B
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7722
Work : (256) 734-4236
Fax: (256) 739-9119
District office: (256) 2602146
District fax: (256) 260-2144
Email: info@mocold.com
Ed Henry (R-Vinemont)
11 S. Union Street
Room 524-A
Montgomery, AL 36130
(334) 242-7736 District
Address:
2128 6th Avenue SE
Suite 504
Decatur, AL. 35601
District Phone: (256) 2602146
Fax Number: (256) 260-2144
LETTERS POLICY
The Cullman Times welcomes and
encourages readers to submit Letters
to the Editor. Please limit letters to 300
words and focus on local issues and
other topics that may be debated at the
state and national levels. Letters that
are longer than 300 words may be considered for a guest column. Those who
would like to submit a guest column
on a timely local issue may contact
Editor David Palmer at 734-2131,
extension 213.
Tone of letters
Letters or columns that attack
another persons character or claim
unverifiable information will not be
published.
Please keep your letters focused on
definable issues. You may discuss such
matters with the editor. The Cullman
Times offers a wide range of opinions
from readers, syndicated columnists
and cartoonists Opinion pages are
published Tuesday-Sunday.
Our views
The opinions of The Cullman Times
will always include a header entitled
Our Views, typically found on the left
side of this page.
Letters may be mailed, brought by
our office or emailed to editor@cullmantimes.com.
Be sure to include your address and
a telephone number for verification.
Only the author of a letter should sign
the document submitted for publication.
LOCAL
NEED TO KNOW
The Volunteer
Registration Center is at
the
Cullman
Fair
Grounds
located
at
Sportsman Lake Road,
NW. If you have any
questions you can contact United Way at
256.739.2948 or Donnie
Riley at 256.734.5190.
Sign up for Volunteer
Assistance
and
to
Volunteer. This is for
City and County residents
If you need trees
removed from private
property, you must go to
the Cullman County
Fairgrounds and sign a
waiver which will allow
volunteers to access your
property.
American
Red
Cross has moved to the
Cullman County Fair
Ground, Building #1.
They will be providing
shelter and food.
Non-perishable
donations items are
being
accepted
at
Building #4 at the
Cullman
County
Fairgrounds.
Cullman Caring for
Kids (402 Arnold Street)
is accepting baby items
(diapers, food, formula,
256.737.7560
Cullman City Street Dept:
256.775.8441
Cullman City Water Dept:
256.772.7210
Cullman City Risk Mgr: 256.775.7130
Cullman Power Board: 256.734.2343
Cullman Electric Cooperative:
256.737.3200
Cullman Jefferson Gas: 256.734.1911
Gas leak: 256.734.0565
City of Cullman Dispatch:
256.775.7145
Red Cross: 800.733.2767
St.
Andrews
Methodist Church on
West Main has food for
distribution into County
through Volunteer Fire
Departments. Contact:
256.339.8532. Open 9
a.m. 6 p.m. daily. Also
accepting food donations.
NARCOG has Meals
Ready to Eat (MRE) for
distribution
through
Sheriff Deputies. If you
know of someone who is
in need contact the
Sheriff s
Office
at
256.734.0342.
Cullman Regional
Medical Center continues to provide quality
care for area residents
and is open 24/7 for
emergencies. The hospital has returned to normal business operations.
To contact the medical
center please call 256737-2000.
If you need boxes,
pick up at MidSouth
Packaging Warehouse at
419 3rd Avenue West
Cullman,
AL
on
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Property
Tax
Department is open.
Delinquent Tax
Auction has been postponed
until
further
notice.
All other offices are
closed until further
notice.
City Hall:
City Hall hours are
7:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
through Friday, May 6,
2011.
All departments are
open.
Water is safe to consume & supply is adequate to meet needs.
No curfew in downtown Cullman, only
place this applies is in
barricaded areas from
dusk to dawn.
Cullman County
does have a curfew from
dusk to dawn. However,
essential travel is allowed
(this includes reporting
to work).
City of Cullman is
currently under a no
burn order.
For the General
Public needing to dispose of spoiled refrigerated items, there will be
roll-off dumpsters set up
on the north side of
Depot
Park,
West
Elementary, and Civic
Center.
Cullman City and
Cullman County Schools
are scheduled to reopen
on Monday, May 9, 2011.
Street names and
numbers have been
painted on pavement at
intersections.
Permits
are
required to enter affected areas in downtown
Cullman.
Can be
obtained at city hall.
STATE
AFTERMATH
ASSOCIATED PRESS
K9 Search and Rescue Specialists Inc., Tracy Sargent works with her cadaver dog Chance
during a search for survivors in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Wednesday, May 4, 2011. Authorities
have said they expect the search will continue for at least another week.
an indication of the difficulty searchers have even
knowing where to look.
It's uncertain when the
last survivor was pulled
from the rubble in
Tuscaloosa, where officials
say 41 people were killed
when an EF-4 tornado
with winds up to 190 mph
mowed down some of the
city's most densely populated neighborhoods. But
the work for searchers is
far from over.
On Thursday, about
two-dozen rescue workers
combed through the rubble of an apartment building. They have been using
heavy machinery to clear
debris and search dogs to
look for remains. Nearby
sit an overturned SUV, a
dented air-conditioning
unit and pieces of walls.
Sometimes the dogs
check an area because residents or workers report a
foul smell; other times
they zero in on a debris
pile near where someone
was last seen. They also
sweep through entire sections of town quickly to
eliminate the possibility
that a body is nearby, said
Sargent, who works for
Georgia's homeland security agency and is participating in the Alabama
search as a volunteer during her vacation.
Mayor Walt Maddox
fears there aren't many
survivors left to rescue.
Officials say 25 people are
listed as missing in the city,
a number that had
decreased from the previ-
STATE BRIEFS
BIRMINGHAM
Ala. TV station
holds tornado
relief telethon
Television station
WVTM in Birmingham
hosted a 22-hour telethon
that raised nearly
$700,000 for tornado
relief.
The station and its
website, along with
United Way, Blue CrossBlue Shield of Alabama
and numerous other
sponsors were involved
with the telethon, which
ended Wednesday.
The station says more
than 200 TV stations, website, and media outlets
carried the broadcast
throughout 48 states, raising $697,706.
The telethon collected
donations for the United
Way of Central Alabama's
fund to aid victims and
help with cleanup efforts.
The telethon was held at
the Corporate
Headquarters of Blue
Cross-Blue Shield in
Birmingham and will was
staffed by United Way
Hands On Birmingham
volunteers.
MONTGOMERY
ous day.
Still,
Maddox
said
authorities are thinking in
terms of people and not
statistics.
"Sometimes, making it
right may mean telling
someone that their relative
or friend is deceased," he
said Thursday.
Fire Chief Alan Martin
said that despite multiple
sweeps, not a single neighborhood or community
hammered by the storm
had been searched thor-
NATON
NEW YORK
ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Barack Obama pauses after laying a wreath at the National Sept. 11 Memorial at Ground Zero in New York, Thursday, May 5, 2011.
the children who lost parents and adults who lost
spouses. As Obama bowed
his head, a jetliner
screamed by far overhead
on a blue-sky day.
Former New York Mayor
Rudy Giuliani, who led the
city in dark days after the
attacks, joined Obama
during the day.
At the Pentagon, meanwhile, Vice President Joe
Biden led a similar wreathlaying ceremony at the site
where another hijacked
plane crashed into the
nation's military headquarters. Among those
present
was
Donald
Rumsfeld, who was George
W. Bush's defense secretary at the time of the
attacks.
Obama invited Bush to
join him Thursday in New
York, but the former president declined.
Obama's visit came as
new details emerged of the
daring raid on bin Laden's
Pakistan compound. A
senior defense official said
Thursday that only one of
the five people killed in the
raid was armed and fired a
shot an account that
differs
from
original
administration portrayals
of an intense firefight. The
White House also now says
bin Laden was unarmed
when he was shot, after
officials initially said the
terrorist was holding a gun
or even firing.
Such details perhaps
mattered little to New
Yorkers who suffered most
grievously in the attacks
and are now deeply gratified to see bin Laden's
demise.
Ahead of Obama's
arrival, Deanne McDonald
stood at the northeast corner of the World Trade
Center site waving an
American flag in each
hand
and
shouting
"Obama
got
Osama!
Obama got Osama!"
"God bless the Navy
SEALS," said McDonald,
38, from Brooklyn. She
took work off on Thursday
to wait for the president,
saying she was prouder
than ever to be an
American.
Obama's New York visit
was intended to have a
measured tone not a
bookend to Bush's visit
after the attacks when
Bush took a bullhorn and
called out his defiance to
the terrorists. Obama
spokesman Jay Carney told
reporters traveling with
the president on Air Force
president on Thursday.
"I just want to thank
him, hug him and thank
him and shake his hand,"
Riches said. "Father to
father. Thank you for doing
this for me."
Obama arrived in New
York City Thursday after
rejecting calls to release
photos of a slain bin Laden
so the world could see
some proof of death. The
president said he would
not risk giving propaganda
to extremists or gloat by
publicizing
grotesque
photos of a terrorist leader
shot in the head.
To those who keep on
doubting, Obama said,
"You will not see bin Laden
walking on this earth
again."
The president sought to
Cullman Cleaners
Serving Cullman for 52 Years
Has been temporarily relocated to
Newmans Cleaners. Cullman Cleaners
will re-open in a new facility once one
can be located. We will announce the
new location as soon as possible.
Please come see your loyal staff of
Johnnie, Patrick, and Debbie at
Newmans counter.
We are open for business.
WORLD
PAKISTAN
ISLAMABAD
H&R BLOCK
HERE TO HELP ALL TAXPAYERS
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affacted by the
recent widespread storms across the Southeast.
as more of a danger to
Pakistan than bin Laden
even though al-Qaida and
its associates have carried
out scores of suicide
bombings in recent years,
many in public places or
mosques and shrines.
"If another country's
aircraft intrudes on your
territory, you should shoot
it down instead of turning
a blind eye," said Fateh
Ullah, a 38-year-old breadmaker in Abbottabad, the
town where bin Laden was
hiding. "What we should
WORLD
LIBYA
proposal. Congressional
approval
could
take
weeks.
The United States has
not determined how the
money will be directed,
but the official said it will
go for humanitarian assistance.
Meanwhile, 22 nations
and organizations meeting in Rome agreed to
establish an internationally monitored fund the
rebels can access to provide basic things like food
and medicine. Italian
Foreign Minister Franco
Frattini, co-host of the
Contact Group conference, said nations have
already pledged $250 million in humanitarian aid.
It will be "an international fund in which
nations can make their
contributions in a transparent
way,"
British
Foreign Secretary William
Hague said.
Britain has already provided $21.5 million (13
million pounds) and does
not plan to offer direct
funding to the rebels
beyond that aid and nonlethal equipment satellite phones and body
armor it has already
offered.
Clinton said the U.S.
supported the fund but it
was not immediately clear
if the unfrozen money
would be put into that pot
or be spent directly by
Washington.
Mahmoud Jibril, head
of
the
opposition's
Transitional
National
Council, welcomed the
financial pledges.
"We are more than satisfied," he told reporters.
Jibril said he briefed the
conference for the first
time on a "road map" for
the future of Libya, including plans for an interim
government, the drafting
TORNADO RECOVERY
here, I said weve got to do something, he said. I thought about putting on a big stadium show, but that
would only raise about $200,000. In
Tuscaloosa where we were, they were
feeding people that $200,000
would have only lasted maybe a couple of hours.
The telethon, which will broadcast on CMT network at 8 p.m.
Thursday, is reportedly going to feature the likes of Alabama, Lady
Antebellum, Keith Urban, Kid Rock
and several other noteworthy musicians. Williams said that he is still
getting calls from performers and
Please see SURVIVE Page 11A
UTILITIES
GOVERNMENT
VIRTUALLY ALL
POWER RESTORED
Curfew lifted
for county
By Benjamin Bullard
STAFF WRITER
Officials:
Report downed
transformers
By Trent Moore
STAFF WRITER
INDEX
Local briefs .........4A
Obituaries...........4A
State.....................4A
Opinion...............5A
National ............11A
Agriculture..........8A
Comics ..............12A
Sports ..................1B
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dential electricity customers since the April 27 storms interrupted power in nearly all of
Cullman County.
DEATHS
Jimmie Ray
Rogers
Louise Sharp
Grund
Terry Smith
June George
SEE PAGE 4A
Page 6A
By Trent Moore
STAFF WRITER
ASSISTANCE
COUNTY COMMISSION
Red Cross
establishes
help line
By Benjamin Bullard
By David Palmer
STAFF WRITER
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greater.
Sales tax revenue enforcement director Chris King said interest on late filings is set by state law and cannot be
suspended by local resolution.
State law says we cannot waive
interest, but we are able to waive the
late payment penalties, said King
Wednesday. And of course we want to
do that; this is to help businesses that
may have been hurt by the storms.
King said the sales tax revenue
enforcement office can supply local
businesses that may have lost their
sales records in the storm with that
Please see TAX Page 9A
BUSINESS
A fresh start
EDITOR
TORNADO CLEAN-UP
City signs
with FEMA,
Army Corps.
By Trent Moore
STAFF WRITER
Busy Bee Cafe owner Kitty Spears, seen Wednesday at the site of her business, said she hopes everyone involved in the rebuilding
of downtown will remember and honor the history that was destroyed. Id like to keep the historical look, but still be a place
where people will say wow, just not in a modern style way, but a historical way, she said. Spears was in the cafe when it was
destroyed by the April 27th tornado
INDEX
Police Reports ....3A
Business..............3A
Obituaries...........4A
Opinion...............5A
State.....................6A
National ..............7A
Comics ..............10A
Sports ..................1B
years to come.
Despite the hardship, city council
president Garlan Gudger, Jr., owner of
the damaged downtown shop Southern
Accents, said business and property
owners should look at the situation as
an opportunity to change things for the
better.
Downtown Cullman has been
around since 1880, and we have a
chance to change things now, but we
have to do it right, he said at an organizational meeting earlier this week. It
will probably be another 100 years until
LOCAL
DEATHS
Richard B. McCarty
Jimmie Edward Kilgo
Jimmy Ray Rogers
Kristin LaTain Hughes-
Wilson
Cecila Kaye Davis
Robert Bob Wheeler
Grund
SEE PAGE 4A
ROYAL
TECH
Pres. impressed
by areas spirit. 3A
EDUCATION
State Superintendent of
Education Joe Morton has given
more than 50 of Alabamas 132
school systems permission not
to make up the days missed
because of the deadly tornadoes
that hit the state April 27.
Normally, students have to be
in class for 180 days, but a new
law enacted by the Legislature
last week gives Morton authority
to excuse missed days when the
governor declares a state of
emergency.
Morton
said
Thursday that he has approved
skipping the missed days
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because so little time is left in
the school year and he doesnt
want to extend it into June.
Its pretty hard to add days
when youve only got 12 to 15
FOOD BANK
HANCEVILLE
RELIEF EFFORT
Officials praise
employees,
volunteers for
cleanup efforts
By Benjamin Bullard
STAFF WRITER
Food Bank volunteer Phillip Jester of the Bethel Community places sports drinks into the back of a truck Friday afternoon.
INDEX
DEATHS
UTILITIES
Alabama Power
reducing Smith
Lake levels
STAFF REPORTS
POLITICS
AP-GFK POLL
Republicans shrug at
GOPs 2012 field. 8A
EDUCATION
Church.
In the Cullman City Schools
system, Cullman High School
graduation is set for the next
week, with commencement at 7
p.m. on Friday, May 27 at
Wallace State.
Nearby Addison High will also
host graduation on May 27, at 8
p.m. at the high school football
stadium.
County schools superintendent Billy Coleman said gradua-
TORNADO AFTERMATH
CRIME
2 arrested for
burglary after
tornadoes hit
Evidence leads to another
arrest in different case
By Trent Moore
STAFF WRITER
State Department of Senior Services Commissioner Irene Collins, left, along with U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy
Greenlee listen Monday as local leaders discuss how the April 27 storms have affected senior citizens throughout North
Alabama.
INDEX
Calendar .............3A
Local briefs .........3A
Police Reports ....4A
Obituaries...........4A
National ..............6A
Agriculture..........7A
Sports ..................1B
Comics ................3B
Watts
Addison
Hagl
EVENT
By Benjamin Bullard
Local officials grappling with problems the
April 27 storms created for the areas senior residents got the chance Tuesday to take some federal and state administrators through the wreckage
in downtown Cullman, using the visual impact of
the devastation as a punctuation mark to emphasize the need for assistance in providing robust,
long-term care for senior citizens in the storms
aftermath.
A small crowd of leaders from county government, along with several municipal officials,
hosted an information session and bus tour for
U.S. Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee
and Alabama Department of Senior Services
Commissioner Irene Collins.
While marveling at the destruction she witnessed through the window of a Cullman County
CARTS bus on the half-hour tour of downtown
and east Cullman, Greenlee concluded at its end
that, while the government will continue to assist
local seniors recover from the storm through a
variety of programs, the best source of help residents have is each other.
By Sam Rolley
STAFF WRITER
DEATHS
Edward Huston
Stephans
Beatrice Lawrence
Graves
Jean W. McElroy
Rev. Donald Ray Day
SEE PAGE 4A
Cullman officials hope that despite recent catastrophic damages throughout the area, this
Saturdays Wings Over Cullman air show at Folsom
Field will have attendees spirits flying high.
"We began planning this show last year, and it is
still full fling ahead," said Cullman mayor Max
Townson. "We want to show people what Cullman is
made of, that we are moving forward and I think
this is a good opportunity for area residents to come
out and enjoy an afternoon to help take there minds
off of all of the damage to the community for a little
while."
An attendance of over 8,000 for the inaugural
installment of the county's professional air show will
give officials ample opportunity to showcase the area
and the perseverance of its residents through recent
hard times.
Admission to the air show will be free and airport
NATION
FLOODING
Coast Guard closes part
of Mississippi River. 13A
COUNTY SCHOOLS
Insurance should cover damage caused by late April tornadoes, though Cullman County
school officials are worried
about paying for building and
roof repairs in the interim.
A large portion of the gymnasium roof at Hanceville High
School was peeled off the build-
carry it.
Coleman said a decision has
yet to be made about the
Hanceville gym, which will
either be replaced or repaired
over the summer.
Thats still up in the air, and
were waiting on the assessment, he said.
The systems overall financial
situation has improved slightly,
though finance director Randy
WARNING SIRENS
WATER
TEST PLANNED
Book closes
on saga of
utility boards
Repair work
continues
on system
By Benjamin Bullard
STAFF WRITER
By Sam Rolley
STAFF WRITER
INDEX
Calendar .............4A
Police Reports ....4A
Obituaries...........4A
Local briefs .........4A
Opinion...............6A
Business..............7A
Comics ..............10A
Sports ................11A
CITY SCHOOLS
Officials prep
insurance
claims, approve
tornado repairs
By Trent Moore
STAFF WRITER
The warning siren behind First Baptist Church of Cullman was left twisted and crumpled
from the April 27 tornadoes.
the vendor last week and
we should have the parts
to have those sirens up
and running within a
week or two.
An audible siren test to
be performed by EMA
officials on June 4, weather permitting, will allow
officials to determine if
the warning system is
DEATHS
Evelyn Rudy
Robertson
Jimmie W. Harris
SEE PAGE 4A
NATION
BUDGET CUTS
Student loans, govt pensions
eyed by budgeteers. 5A
EDWARDS
MIDWEST TORNADOES JOHN
Could be indicted within days. 8A
CRIME
DEBRIS
care.
We launched a search for Hanson
Monday night using
dogs and the helicopter, but werent
able to locate him,
Bartlett said. We
believe the suspect
is on foot and is likely to be reaching out
to friends in the area
for assistance.
But anyone who takes Hanson in
BUSINESS
LEGAL
DOWNTOWN
COMEBACK
Smoke,
ash
bother
residents
By Justin Graves
STAFF WRITER
DODGE
CITY
Maurice
Drummond
pointed to a tilled patch of
dirt at the corner of his
property and rattled off a
to-do list.
On that list? Tending to
a freshly planted garden.
A garden Drummond
has neglected for almost a
week because of the
stench of smoke and ash
thats descending from a
hilltop near his Dodge City
home on County Road
122.
The source of the
smoke is a burn pit located
at an old landfill on
County Road 122 approximately a half-mile off Ala.
69 one of the four
dumpsites in Cullman
County for debris created
by the April 27 tornado
outbreak.
The county also has
dumpsites set up in
Goldridge, Walter and
Trimble.
Theyre smoking us
out, Drummond said. Its
been going on for days. Its
so bad, I cant even get out
and work in my garden.
Our
neighbors
were
sweeping piles of ash their
front porch yesterday.
A mild stench was present in the air and some ash
could be seen floating
downwind from the burn
pit which sits on top of a
hill, but no smoke plumes
Please see SMOKE Page 3A
Free legal
clinic
today for
tornado
victims
By Benjamin Bullard
STAFF WRITER
Two people enter Southern Accents Wednesday afternoon. City Council president Garlan Gudger Jr. owns the
downtown business
Members
of
the
Cullman County Bar
Association are sponsoring a legal clinic today for
people affected by the tornado disaster who cant
otherwise afford legal
assistance.
The clinic is being held
from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. in
the Depot Room of
Professional
Office
Building #2 at Cullman
Regional Medical Center.
According to one of the
clinic's organizers, Sister
Lynn McKenzie of local
law firm Knight Griffith,
LLP, there are no income
qualifications for individuals who wish to attend
the event is intended to
accommodate local residents who may face a variety of legal issues as a
result of problems that
have arisen as a result of
the April 27 storms.
"Basically, it's wide
open," said McKenzie
Wednesday. "Any legal
issue that may have arisen
since that time can be
addressed. We have probably 15 or so lawyers from
Cullman who will be available for one-on-one consultations. This clinic is
open to anyone who's
been affected who wants
to come; we don't have
any income requirements
Please see LEGAL Page 3A
EDUCATION
INDEX
Calendar .............4A
Obituaries...........4A
Local briefs .........4A
Opinion...............5A
Business..............6A
Stocks ..................6A
Comics ..............10A
Sports ................11A
DEATHS
Ruby Ettlean
Quick
Gilbert Eddy
Bruce Colvin
Moody
SEE PAGE 4A
NATION
SENATE
BUDGET
Senate votes down controversial House budget. 8A