The Jacksonville City Council, by unanimous vote, on Monday night made that city the first in Alabama to ban text messaging while driving. Yes, any ban on texting should be imposed statewide by the legislature, but in Alabama the legislature has been slow to act on issues like this. So why should Jacksonville care? Here…

1936 Woodson Tatum leaned on the barn latch warming in the morning sun at his Milltown home. Something he smelled recalled a memory. It seemed it had to do with his childhood days, but it wasn’t clear just yet. As he finished burning the trash, the embers floated into the still air and then disappeared.…

(IRONDALE) Ruby Morris Gunn, 74, died peacefully in her sleep Sunday, Jan. 3, 2010, in Cook Springs Nursing Home. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Thomas Gunn; two daughters, Tammy Gunn Hallmark of Clanton and Teresa Gunn Bishop of Irondale; her parents, Charlie and Pearl Kirby Morris; and a brother, Charlie Ray…

(OXFORD) The funeral for Sammy Miller, 65, of Oxford will be Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, at 10 a.m. at Miller Funeral Home & Crematory with Jim Harrington officiating. Burial will be at Oxford Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends Monday, Jan. 11, from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. Mr. Miller died Friday, Jan.…

(WEDOWEE) Douglas Neil Abercrombie, 51, of Wedowee, formerly of Douglasville, Ga., died Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010, at Wedowee Hospital. He was born Aug. 12, 1958, in Douglasville, son of Roy Abercrombie and Annie McDearis Abercrombie. Mr. Abercrombie enjoyed spending time networking on Facebook and was a Harley Davison motorcycle enthusiast. He was of the Baptist…

(ROANOKE) The funeral for Joyce Fallin Owens, 81, of Roanoke, was Sunday, Jan. 10, 2010, at 2 p.m. at Quattlebaum Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Keith Benefield officiating. Burial followed at Rock Springs Christian Church Cemetery. Mrs. Owens died Friday, Jan. 8, at Wedowee Hospital Survivors include two daughters, Sharon Vowell (husband, Dewey) and Susan…

(JACKSON) Services were Thursday, Jan. 7, at Peniel Baptist Church in Jackson for Juanita McDaniel Heard, 80, of Jackson. Interment was in the church cemetery. Mrs. Heard died Saturday, Jan. 2, at a Mobile hospital. Mrs. Heard was born Dec. 21, 1929, to Herman S. and Ethel Hunt McDaniel in Lineville. She moved to Jackson…

(WEDOWEE) The funeral for Inez W. Holloway, 94, of Wedowee will be Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church with Dr. Corky Addison officiating. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010. Mrs. Holloway…

(LaGRANGE, Ga.) Frances Erin Upchurch, 90, of LaGrange, Ga., died Friday, Jan. 8, 2010, at West Georgia Medical Center. Mrs. Upchurch was born Nov. 2, 1919 in Randolph County, Ala., daughter of the late Eulous Erin Mostellar and Edith Lorine Earnest Mostellar. She had lived in LaGrange most of her life and was a member…

(WEDOWEE) Services for John Lawrence Sheppard, 76, of Wedowee will be Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010, at 1 p.m. at Pine Flat Primitive Baptist Church with Elder Thomas Knight and Bro. Henry Nelson officiating. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. Mr. Sheppard died Thursday, Jan. 7, at University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham. Mr. Sheppard…

(MOUNTAIN BROOK) Cornelia Wright McDonald, 73, of Mountain Brook, passed away on Jan. 3, 2010. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 51 years, William White McDonald; sister, Mildred Wright Outten of Greenville, S.C.; two daughters, Susan McDonald Davis and Elizabeth McDonald Dunn; two sons, William White McDonald, Jr. (Argie) and Sterling…

Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain Real Estate Mortgage executed by Jeannie M. Allen, to the United States of America, United States Department of Agriculture, acting by and through the Farmers Home Administration, or its successor, dated October 22, 2003, recorded October 27, 2003 in the Office…

WEDOWEE—A county man was injured early Wednesday morning in a fire at his home. According to EMA director Donnie Knight, who is also a member of Corinth Volunteer Fire Department, the fire occurred at 274 County Road 892, which is off of County Road 15, southwest of Wedowee. Neighbors who got up early, around 4:40…

Both Randolph County Schools and Roanoke City Schools are altering their schedules due to the winter weather forecasts. Some snow flurries, sleet and rain was making its way into the area as temperatures were slightly higher than past days but those temperatures will drop rapidly over the next few days and weather forecasters are concerned…

Here we are not only starting a new year, but a new decade. Let us hope that the next ten years go better than the last couple of years have. Though, when we look back at the past decade we saw some amazing progress that everyone should hope is duplicated. The very structure of our…

Over the past three months, members of the Chambers County Multi-Jurisdictional Drug Task Force have conducted numerous investigations and executed search warrants throughout Chambers County that have resulted in the arrest of 34 adults and two juveniles on drug-related charges. Adults from this area who have been charged include: Patrick Phillips, 32, of Roanoke –…

We all appreciate the service our many volunteer fire departments provide in Randolph County and would like to support them in their efforts to protect us from disaster. With the major pre-Christmas fundraising efforts by so many groups now behind us, when our local fire department solicits funds it’s hard to refuse. That apparently was…

RANDOLPH COUNTY PROBATE COURT IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM HERBERT WALLER, DECEASED NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT TO BE PUBLISHED BY ADMINISTRATRIX Letters of Administration of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 30th day of December, 2009, by the Hon. George Diamond, Judge of the Probate Court of Randolph County,…

(LaFayette) Jean Butler Hill, 73, of LaFayette died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010 at her home. Mrs. Hill was born in Randolph County Nov. 13, 1936. She was a member of First Baptist Church of LaFayette. Services will be at First Baptist Church of LaFayette at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 7, with interment in Pleasant…