(HAMPTON, Ga.) Sammie Robinson, 78, of Hampton, Ga., died July 10, 2010.He was born in Wedowee to the late Robert and Mary Hester Robinson. He was preceded in death by 10 siblings and a daughter, Jeannette Yancey. He operated Robinson Welding for 40 years, was a member of Lovejoy Baptist Church and attended Lake Cindy…

(ROANOKE) Funeral services for Justin Aydon Sheppard, infant son of Justin Miles Sheppard and Jessica Staples, were Sunday, July 11, 2010, at 1 p.m. at Quattlebaum Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Tim Craft officiating. Burial will follow at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Cemetery, Roanoke. The infant died Friday, July 9, at Lanier Memorial Hospital, Valley.…

(ROCK MILLS) James Edward Hester, 53, of Rock Mills died at his residence on Friday evening, July 9, 2010. “Fast Eddie,” as he was known by his family and friends, was the son of the late Arvin Edward Hester and was born Nov. 14, 1956, in Pinehurst, N.C. He served in the U.S. Navy and…

WEDOWEE—A two-vehicle accident Wednesday evening on Pate’s Curve in Wedowee has claimed the life of a Carrollton High School coach. According to the Jacksonville post of the Alabama State Troopers, the crash was reported at 7:15 p.m. and resulted in the death of Anthony Glen Barge, 46, of Carrollton, Ga. The initial investigation indicates Barge…

(DECATUR, Ga.) Willie Louis “Taterhead” Houston, 58, of Decatur, Ga., died Monday, July 5, 2010, at Altus House Hospice in Atlanta. The funeral will be Saturday, July 10, at noon at Friendship Baptist Church, County Road 26, Wadley. The Rev. Calvin Trammell, pastor, will officiate, along with the Revs. Elijah Jackson Jr., A.J. Sims and…

Beginning next Monday and continuing through Friday of next week, Roanoke veterinarian Paul McMurray will be conducting the annual traveling rabies clinic throughout Randolph County. A schedule of his stops is in an advertisement on page 3A. Check the schedule and see when he will be near you. This is a convenient and inexpensive way…

7 p.m. Alcoholics Anonymous meets at Woodland Volunteer Fire Department. THURSDAY, July 8 8:30 a.m. Randolph County Commission will have an agenda workshop meeting at Randolph County Courthouse Annex. Those wishing to address the commission should call (256) 357-4980 by 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. noon Roanoke Rotary Club meets at The Galley Restaurant. 2 p.m.…

Public Safety Day 2010 will begin Friday at 8 a.m. and end when the crowd thins, probably around 2 p.m., according to Police Chief Adam Melton. It is being held on Lamar Davis’s property adjacent to Walmart, in conjunction with the store’s grand re-opening. “We hope since it is the grand re-opening day they will…

Some black leaders are calling Bob Riley an “economic racist” for his attack on jobs at legal gaming facilities in two of Alabama’s poorest and blackest counties. I wouldn’t go so far as to call Riley a racist, but I would say that his actions are adding greatly to the economic depression that looks Alabama…

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On top of our already terrible economy, more devastation is sweeping across Alabama as oil begins to harm our beautiful beaches and coastal wildlife. April 20 marks the day the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster began after the explosion on the BP rig, killing 11 workers. Now after over two months, the oil is still…

Penny L. Pool Voters will go to the polls Tuesday, July 13, to choose nominees for the November general election, including the sheriff’s race. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Identification is required in order to vote. You must vote either Republican or Democrat during the primary. Officials believe much of…

Alabama running back Mark Ingram won the hearts of the nation with his emotional Heisman Trophy acceptance speech in December. But he probably won the trophy with a gritty Saturday night performance on Oct. 17 against South Carolina. Late in the game with Alabama’s undefeated season hanging in the balance, Ingram proved that determination and…

The people in the rest of my family better watch out. My brother, Billy, had some trouble with his water heater just before the July Fourth weekend. My floor all the sudden started bumping up in the kitchen and I was trying to figure that out. But, what I was primarily concerned about was how…

I’m sure there are a lot of things I could talk about in this space this week. After all, it’s been quite a busy summer in the world of sports. I could talk about: Lebron’s free agency, really long tennis matches, the Netherlands soccer team, college football conference expansion, Stephen Strasburg, Georgia AD’s arrest, Tiger…

Chambers County Sheriff’s Office is seeking the public’s assistance regarding several church burglaries that have taken place over the last week and a half. Eight rural churches in Chambers County have been broken into and various musical items have been taken. Anyone having information about these crimes is asked to call Chambers County investigators Shannon…

Typically, voter turnout for primary run-off elections is down from the initial primary vote. If that trend holds next week, relatively few people will have a disproportionate voice in how we are governed and by whom in the next few years. In the first round of voting on June 1, just 32 percent of Randolph…

SEAGROVE BEACH, Florida—I was in a foul mood driving down. Even listening to Carol King and James Taylor didn’t help. Jimmy Buffett was no better. All they did was flash back memories to days when the coast was really clear, when “the air was so clean and the water so green” (identify the song and…