I arrived at the coast and learned right off that things were getting out of hand. A bit. Just down the road from us a guy was arrested for lewd and lascivious behavior plus indecent exposure. In Seagrove Beach. Seems he drove up to a couple of young women, called them over, and asked where…

Back-to-school shoppers in Roanoke can save 8.5 percent sales tax on items from shoes to computers during the annual sales tax holiday, and local stores are looking forward to the influx of shoppers. In Roanoke and Wedowee that breaks down to 4-percent state, 1-percent county, and 3.5-percent city tax. All are foregoing their sales taxes…

Questions arose last week in the bingo vote-buying trial in Montgomery on whether or not an FBI investigation had turned from a criminal probe of possible “vote buying” to illegal federal interference in the state’s legislative process. Was the FBI’s attempt to kill the bill to permit Alabama voters to decide whether or not electronic…

Two Wedowee men were arrested on Friday of last week, charged with an April burglary of a residence at Pineywoods Mobile Home Park. According to the reports from Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Sebastian Jordan Kilian, 18, of 405 Pam St. and Allen Michael Houston, 20, of 486 County Rd. 807 are charged with third-degree burglary…

Has there ever been more attention paid to an event where absolutely nothing of consequence is actually said than SEC Media Days? Every year, Media Days gathers the SEC coaches and about nine bajillion media members in Birmingham to talk about the upcoming season. Except nobody really divulges much useful information. It’s all positive spin,…

Three things are really annoying me: the Louina Street bridge that I travel multiple times daily has been closed for the foreseeable future, making my complicated life a little more complicated; Congress has not passed the debt ceiling limit, which it has done in all other administrations, often with one sentence; and it is not…

Three Roanoke teens were arrested on Sunday in connection with bicycle thefts in the area of Elizabeth, Davis and Lakeview drives. Andrew Joshua McGinnis, 18, of 381 Gilham Rd. is charged with third-degree theft of property. Charles Mathew McGinnis, 18, of 381 Gilham Rd. and a 15-year-old juvenile are charged with third-degree receiving stolen property.…

The Southeastern Conference Football Media Days last week were informative. I learned one thing for sure-everybody believes this will be a successful football season on individual and team levels. Everybody. Players, coaches and even the fans who packed the lobby at the Wynfrey Hotel hoping to catch a glimpse of one of their heroes. Although…

When Confederate General Robert E. Lee signed surrender documents at Appomatox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, disbanding Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, it was days and even weeks in some cases before word reached all of the combatants in other parts of the country. The last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas…

(LINDEN, N.J.) Services for Vesta Annie Stephens Winston, 75, of Linden, N.J., were Thursday, July 14, 2011, at 10 a.m. at Mt. Teman AME Church, Elizabeth, N.J., with the Rev. Dr. Larry E. Dixon, pastor, and Rev. Alford Brown officiating. Mrs. Winston died July 7. She was born April 27, 1936, in Newell to the…

(MILTON, Fla.) William Bryant “Bill” Birdsong, 79, died July 18, 2011, surrounded by his wife and two daughters. A celebration of life was held at First Baptist Church of Milton Thursday, July 21. Bill was the sixth of seven children born in Double Head, Ala., to Robert Grover and Amelia Inez Brown Birdsong on May…

(LaGRANGE, Ga.) A. Curtis Hester, 83, of LaGrange, Ga., died Friday, July 22, 2011, at Hospice LaGrange. Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Monday, July 25, 2 at Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, LaGrange Chapel with the Rev. Ronnie Jordan officiating. Burial followed in Shadowlawn Cemetery. Mr. Hester was born Dec. 12, 1927, in Roanoke, son of the…

(WEDOWEE) Funeral services for Mildred Sutton Triplett, 89, of Wedowee will be Tuesday, July 26, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Pinetucky Baptist Church with the Rev. Steve Dempsey officiating. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. Mrs. Triplett died Saturday, July 23, at her residence. Mrs. Triplett was born April 28, 1922, the daughter of…

(AUBURN) Mary Clois Cline Shoffeitt, 95, died July 20, 2011, at Bethany House. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 24, at Auburn First Baptist Church with Dr. Jim Evans, Rev. Dale Peterson, Dr. Paul Shoffeitt and Dr. Ryan Wilson officiating. The family will receive friends in…

(TALLADEGA) Funeral services for Mary Anne Knight Hamilton, 62, will be at noon Friday, July 22, 2011, at Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. Pastor A. G. McKinney will officiate. Burial will be at Pine Hill Memorial Park. Mrs. Hamilton died Friday, July 15, in Birmingham. She was a member of Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church;…

(RANBURNE) Lera Arrington Dalrymple of Ranburne died July 20, 2011. She was 72. Services for Mrs. Dalrymple will be Friday, July 22, at 11 a.m. EST at the Chapel of Rainwater Funeral Home in Bowdon, Ga. The Rev. J.W. Daniel will officiate. Music will be furnished by Pat and J.W. Daniel. Interment will follow at…