On Nov. 10, representatives from the Smoke Rise Homeowners Association addressed the Blount County Commission work session with a number of their concerns about progress on the widening of Ala 160. The presentation triggered some digging on the part of county and state officials to come up with responses to some of the major objections. Objection: The right-of-way is taking […]
Midyear personnel openings filled
The Blount County Board of Education was forced to fill midyear vacancies during last week’s meeting. The openings were the result of employees taking the early-retirement option to keep from paying increased cost of healthcare benefits, which would go into effect after legislation passed earlier this year. The legislation would drastically raise premiums and also increase the amount that teachers […]

Bell-ringer caught in Salvation Army theft
A Blount County man working as a Salvation Army Christmas bell-ringer was charged last week with theft of property third degree, a misdemeanor, when he was caught taking money contributed to a Salvation Army collection point at Walmart. A warrant has since been issued for his arrest. Connie Montgomery, director of the Blount County Service Center and Thrift Store, said […]
Community Arts Council solicits donations and ideas
If you have attended any of the events presented by the Community Arts Council of Blount County, you know that you enjoyed a top-notch performance by a talented artist or group, our own talented students, or our own talented adults. Perhaps your children or other members of your family have benefitted from some of our activities. If so, you know […]
Christmas Parade tomorrow night
The Blount County Christmas Parade gets underway tomorrow night, Dec. 1, at 7 p.m. with slight changes in the route announced last week. Themed “A Dickens Christmas,” the parade will begin promptly at 7 p.m., entering Ala 75 at the Olive Home and going south downtown. Marchers will enter the parade from Daniel Shopping Center (Sav-a-Lot). The parade will turn […]

Alabama Scene
Supreme Court on the verge of giving immunity to private hospitalsOur black-robed Alabama Supreme Court has turned its back on the people of Alabama who might be subjected to malpractice at medical facilities merely affiliated with stateowned hospitals such as those at UAB and South Alabama. In a decision this past January, the court in Health Care Authority for Baptist Health v. Kay E. Davis overturned a $3.2-million verdict by […]

Blount County Real Estate Network supports American Red Cross
The Blount County Real Estate Network Thursday presented American Red Cross a $1000 to be used for the Heroes Program. “We are thankful for their donation and it will be put to good use in the county,” said Mike Bates, Red Cross executive director for Blount, Cullman, and Winston counties. The network sponsored a blood drive in October and sold […]

Korean vet Fowler takes trip down Memorial lane
Don Fowler, a Korean war veteran now living on Straight Mountain, took a trip to visit the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. a couple of weeks ago. It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime – first of all because he’d never been to Washington D. C. before. But more than that because it prompted him to […]