What is wrong with you people in Roanoke?Don’t you have anything better to do with your time?Thursday night I headed over to Wright Field to watch the Handley Tigers play Elmore County in a spring football jamboree.I was fully expecting a so-so crowd turnout. I was thinking it would be a dialed-in kind of performance…

Summer on Main is now over a week away and plans are taking shape for a major event. I want to urge people to be there. Some seem confused about the tri-level events but Summer on Main will be downtown as in previous years with some interesting new events, such as a quilt show, and…

The Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament is this week in Birmingham, and while there is considerable interest in the tournament, it’s still not the main thing on everybody’s mind. What else? College football is front and center for most fans. The SEC Football Media Days are just a little over a month away, but it is…

In the spring of 1971, Roanoke and Randolph County were reeling from the loss of jobs from both Handley Mills and the closure of Rolane Mfg. Co. Both had been major employers, and the impact on the local economy was staggering. But on May 24, 1971, Butte Knitting Mills, a division of Jonathan Logan Inc.,…

(VALLEY) Nella Ruth Smallwood Hicks, 95, of Valley, formerly of Daytona Beach, Fla., died Thursday, May 19, 2011, at Lanier Nursing Home. Graveside services were Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m. EDT at Crestview Cemetery with pastor Steve Garnett officiating. Born June 10, 1915, in Roanoke, Mrs. Hicks loved the Lord and loved telling everyone…

(CONYERS, Ga.) Conelia Qunnion Moore of Conyers, Ga., died Sunday, May 22, 2011, at Rockdale Rehab Center. He was born Dec. 11, 1932, in Randolph County, Ala., to Major Monroe and Ethel Daniel Moore. Mr. Moore was a communications sergeant in the U.S. Army and fought in the Korean War, serving in the 11th Airborne…

(ROANOKE) James Barsh, 55, of County Road 35, Roanoke, died Monday, May 16, 2011, at Wedowee Hospital. The funeral was Tuesday, May 24, at 2 p.m. at Rock Mills Missionary Baptist Church, County Road 2207, Roanoke. The Rev. Jerone Fannin, pastor, officiated, along with the Rev. L.B. Houston, who served as eulogist. Burial followed in…

(FLORENCE, S.C.) Sybil Benton Tanner, 87, died Saturday, May 7, 2011, in McLeod Hospice House after a long illness. She was born in North Carolina, daughter of the late John Heywood and Clara Russ Benton, but lived most of her life in Florence. She worked at McLeod Infirmary Hospital as the admitting officer for 22…

(WOODLAND) Funeral services for Losette Parmer Spratlin, 73, of Woodland will be Monday, May 23, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Bethel East Baptist Church with the Revs. Tim Whaley and Brad Horton officiating. The body will lie in state at the church 30 minutes before services. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. Mrs. Spratlin…

(PRATTVILLE) Services for Kathleen Kitchens, 87, of Prattville, formerly of Roanoke, were at 10:30 a.m., Monday, May 23, 2011, at First Baptist Church of Roanoke with Dr. J. Michael Ramage and the Rev. Larry Armstrong officiating. Burial was at Randolph Memory Gardens, Roanoke. Mrs. Kitchens died Friday, May 20, at Green Spring’s Assisted Living, Prattville.…

(HEFLIN) Eunice McMichael, 85, of Heflin died Friday, May 20, 2011, at Golden Living Center. The funeral was at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 22, at Dryden Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Randy Morris officiating. Burial followed at Pleasant Hill Cemetery. Mrs. McMichael was a native and lifelong resident of Cleburne County. She was a…

(CUMMING, Ga.) Jim French, 84, of Cumming, Ga., died Thursday, May 19, 2011. He was born in Wedowee to Jimmie Francis and Glema Leola French, who preceded him in death. Jim attended Jacksonville State College in Jacksonville, Ala., for one year, then Mercer University in Macon for two years and Georgia Tech in Atlanta for…

(LaGRANGE, Ga.) Addie Burch “Muchy” Cofield, 84, of LaGrange, Ga., died Wednesday, May 18, 2011, at her home. Mrs. Cofield was born Dec. 15, 1926, in Lineville, daughter of the late Wiley McCollum and Janie Nolan McCollum. She was a member of Unity Baptist Church and was retired from Duracell Company Survivors include two daughters…

(BARNESVILLE, Ga.) Leonard Hilton Patterson, 71, of Barnesville, Ga., died Tuesday, May 17, 2011, in an Upson County healthcare facility. Funeral services will be Friday, May 20, at 2 p.m. EDT in Milner Baptist Church with the Rev. Ben Taylor officiating. Interment will follow in Milner Baptist Cemetery. A native of Randolph County, Ala., he…

(WEDOWEE) Funeral services for Gregory Edward Brooks Sr., age 60, of Wedowee will be Saturday May 21, 2011, at 2 p.m. at Pine Grove Baptist Church, Heflin, with Bo Brooks officiating. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. Mr. Brooks died Thursday, May 19, at Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center in Anniston. Mr. Brooks was…

(TARRYTOWN, Ga.) Funeral services for Randy Orion Cash, 60, of Tarrytown, Ga., formerly of Wadley, will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, May 21, 2011, at Wadley Baptist Church with the Rev. Wayne Woods officiating. Burial will follow in Wadley City Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at The Oaks Church in Lyons, Ga., Sunday,…

(VALLEY) James Hugh Dewberry, 75, of Valley died Tuesday, May 17, 2011, at Bethany House in Auburn. The funeral will be Friday, May 20, at 3 p.m. EDT at Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home Chapel in Valley with the Rev. Milton Bethune officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery in Lanett. Mr. Dewberry is survived by…

(ROANOKE) Funeral services for Herbert Gene Sherman, 82, of Roanoke will be at 2 p.m., Friday, May 20, 2011, at New Hope Christian Church with the Revs. Zenus Windsor and W.F. Sheppard officiating. Mr. Sherman will lie in state from noon to 2 p.m. at the church. Burial will follow in Mt. Zion Christian Church…

(PIERRE, S.D.) Thomas B. Clack, 79, of Pierre, S.D., died Sunday, May 15, 2011, at St. Mary’s Healthcare Center. The funeral will take place at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 21, at Lutheran Memorial Church with interment following at Riverside Cemetery. Thomas was born Dec. 2, 1931, to William Bryan and Eura Maude Wilson Clack in…

Former University of Alabama and Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is back in Alabama this week for Saturday’s induction into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. As so many former Alabama players have done after hearing of the devastation in Tuscaloosa, he also plans to return to help with recovery efforts however he can.…