The Greene County Democrat

Month: September 2025

  • Eutaw City Council holds regular meeting on September 9th

    The Eutaw City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Mayor Pro Temp, Tracey Hunter, presided in the absence of Mayor Latasha Johnson. All other councilmembers were present for the first meeting since the May 2nd certification of election results.
    Corey Cockrell was elected Mayor of Eutaw in the August 26th municipal elections defeating incumbent Mayor Johnson by 526 to 417 votes. Council members for Districts 1, 2 and 3 – Valerie Watkins, Jonathan Woodruff and Tracie Hunter, were re-elected. Carrie Logan was elected to the District 5 council position. The newly elected Mayor and City Council will take office on November 1, 2025.
    There is a run-off election in District 4 on next Tuesday, September 23, 2025, between Lorenzo French and Sarah Duncan Brewer. The polling place for District 4 is the Presbyterian Church, which will be open 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, for all eligible voters in District 4.
    In new business, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Approve Resolution No. 2025-12 appointing Johnnie M. Knott as Acting Absentee Manager, for the dates of September 16 for and 17, 2025, with a compensation of $125 a day.
    • Approved registration, travel, lodging and per diem for Councilmembers Valerie Watkins and Tracey Hunter to attend the Alabama Association of Regional Councils in Point Clear, Alabama on October 26-29, 2025. R
    • Approved registration and meals for Officer Tyler Johnson to attend Alabama Canine Law Enforcement Training in Northport, Alabama on September 9-15,2025.
    • Approved Restaurant Liquor License for Bayou Blue Cajun Bristo, LLC which was previously operated by the Cajun Café Restaurant,
    • Approved payment of bills.
    • Agreed to cancel the next regular meeting on September 23, due to the Run-off election and to schedule a meeting at Noon on September 30, 2025, to certify the results of the run-off election.

    Councilwoman Valerie Watkins reported standing water on Brown and Roebuck streets and in the 200 block of Chambers Court, this water may indicate a water leak for the city employees to repair.
    Joe Powell, Assistant Clerk, gave all the council members and newly elected members, an information sheet from the Alabama League of Municipalities about require training for municipal officials. Under Alabama Law 2024-194, all city officials are required to complete 10 hours of training annually for a total of 40 hours in their first term in office, starting January 1, 2025. Officials must complete a core curriculum of 20 hours comprised of twenty specific trainings from an approved list.

  • Newswire : African Union joins Group of 20

    By Blackmansstreet Today

     

    African Union joined the Group of 20, also known as the G20, which could have major implications for Africa’s role in global geopolitics.

    As the continent faces various challenges, ranging from climate change to political instability and economic inequality, experts disagree on how big an impact G20 membership will have as the AU joins 20 of the world’s largest economies.

    Seven African countries have experienced military-led coups since 2020, most recently Gabon and Niger, raising questions about political stability, the lack of which makes it harder to address pressing issues like terrorism and food shortages in many countries.

    Permanent G20 membership signals the rise of a continent whose young population of 1.3 billion is set to double by 2050 and make up a quarter of the planet’s people.

     

  • Newswire : Warning: HBCUs under credible threats

    Clark Atlanta University

    By April Ryan, NNPA Corespondent

     


    Multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities are on lockdown and or canceling classes due to what are called “credible threats.”
    Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Southern University A and M College, Bethune Cookman, Alabama State, Virginia State, and Hampton University are taking precautionary actions amid threats. Clarke University in Atlanta currently has a “shelter in place” order.  These threats came a day after the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
    Reverand William Barber of Repairer of the Breach, in a written statement, says, “We are facing a dangerous moment in our nation—violence should not be justified when we disagree with someone’s politics, nor should it be justified to use lethal force and military power to repress vulnerable communities.” Regarding the threat against the HBCU campuses, the schools listed in this article decided to lock down and cancel classes after receiving threats.
    North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams, Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan, Bicameral HBCU Caucus, expressed, “I am distressed to learn that colleges and universities across the country are being forced into lockdown due to credible threats of violence against their campuses. I am actively monitoring these situations and am praying for the safety of everyone.”
    Reverend Al Sharpton of the National Action Network says his organization is also monitoring the recent threats against these HBCUs, emphasizing, “We have seen too much violence on our campuses, whether it was the brazen murder of Charlie Kirk yesterday or the threats against these HBCUs today.”  The civil rights leader stressed, “Colleges and Universities should be a place of free expression and debate in a way that’s respectful, engaging, and productive.” He emphasized that “what we have seen in the last two days is anything but that.”

    In 2022, the FBI offered HBCU’s security training after a series of large-scale bomb threats against HBCUs during Black History Month that year.

  • Newswire : Columnist Karen Attiah fired at The Washington Post 

    Karen Attiah

    By Lauren Burke, NNPA Congressional Correspondent

     

    Washington Post opinion editor Karen Attiah posted on her Substack, The Golden Hour, that she was fired last week by The Washington Post. According to Attiah, she was the last full-time Black opinion columnist at The Post, where she was employed for 11 years
    Other Black Washington Post staffers in senior positions who have recently departed, via the recent buyout round, include Monica Norton and Krissah Thompson. “Once many Black reporters, editors, and columnists at the upper ranks of Washington Post, but now: Courtland Milloy, Krissah Thompson, Eugene Robinson, Joe Davidson, Vanessa Williams, Ovetta Wiggins, Darryl Fears, Monica Norton, Perry Bacon, Jonathan Capehart, gone ~ soon Colby King,” wrote Vincent Morris on July 23 on social media. Morris is a former spokesperson for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was also a media columnist.
    Though the Black population in Washington, DC, has decreased from 70 percent in 1980 to 40 percent in 2020, the District of Columbia has a substantial Black population at 40 percent as of 2020. The news regarding Attiah emerged on the morning of Sept. 15 after Attiah wrote a lengthy description of her side of the events.
    They included the disclosure that she was fired because of a social media post related to controversial conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah, during an appearance at Utah Valley University. “I was the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions,” Attiah wrote. “Washington D.C. no longer has a paper that reflects the people it serves. What happened to me is part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media — a historical pattern as dangerous as it is shameful — and tragic,” she added.
    Since the start of President Trump’s second term in January, there has been a forced exodus of Black federal officials and a push by Trump’s Administration to end any police related to “diversity” or “inclusion.” Prominent Black officials have been pushed out, including the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who was fired in May, and General Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was removed in February. Republicans have also moved to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — moving to less regulation. The departure of Attiah for The Post is yet another sign that a rightward shift is underway in legacy media.
    “The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah. The Washington Post wrongly fired Opinions columnist Karen Attiah over her social media posts. The Post not only flagrantly disregarded standard disciplinary processes, it also undermined its own mandate to be a champion of free speech. The right to speak freely is the ultimate personal liberty and the foundation of Karen’s 11-year career at The Post,” wrote The Washington Post Guild on social media.
    The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon, the retail on-line marketing giant. Bezos and other billionaires appeared on the platform at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration and their influence has expanded as their politics turned rightward.

  • Newswire : Remembering the Four Little Girls

    Four Spirits Sculpture in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, across the street from 16th. Baptist Church, the two boys killed on the same day, were added later.

    By April Ryan, NNPA White House Correspondent

     

    It is 62 years later after the death of the four little girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, just weeks after the August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
    Democratic, Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell said this anniversary reminds us to reflect on issues our forefathers fought for during the most powerful movement in this nation: civil rights, voting rights, and civil liberties. Twelve years ago, the four little girls received the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously: Addie Mae Collins, Dennis McNair, Cynthia Wesley, and Carol Robertson.

    Shavon Arline-Bradley of the National Council of Negro Women says we are commemorating one of the most gruesome acts of violence in our country’s history, where 4 Black Girls from Birmingham, AL lost their lives at the hands of White Supremacists.” Dr. Amos Brown, pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, says of the heinous, deadly bombing that there was “no respect for our humanity,” feeling the crime emphasizes “they don’t see us as being human.”

    Bradley also articulated,” Their sacrifice sparked the nation to come to grips with the harsh realities of what it meant to be Black in America.” The children were in church during the Sunday School hour when, “These innocent young girls sought to learn more about their faith and how to love thy neighbor as themselves,” when the deadly explosion occurred, adds Arline Bradley.

    She also said, “Today, as we celebrate their contribution to the freedoms we enjoy today, let us be reminded that we shall overcome and victory belongs to those of us that fight for liberty and justice for all.” Meanwhile, there is a fifth survivor, Sara Collins Rudolph,  Addie Mae’s sister, who lost her eyes and carries scars from the bombing.

    Two young boys Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson were also killed the same day in other parts of Birmingham and history has chosen to recognize them as part of the ‘hidden history’ of civil rights in the city.

     

  • Newswire : Federal cuts strip $350 Million from HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions

    Tuskegee University campus

    By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

     

    The U.S. Department of Education has announced the cancellation of $350 million in federal grants that had been designated for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.
    Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that the department will “no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas.” She added that the administration intends to redirect the money toward programs “that advance Administration priorities.” The funding has supported initiatives including laboratory equipment purchases, classroom improvements, student tutoring services, and endowment growth. The cuts immediately drew criticism from leaders of colleges and universities who said the loss would harm students and damage institutions that depend on the resources.
    “Without this funding, students will lose the critical support they need to succeed in the classroom, complete their degrees on time, and achieve social mobility for themselves and their families,” said Mildred García, chancellor of the California State University system. “These funds strengthen entire campuses, creating opportunities and resources that benefit all students, especially those pursuing STEM fields, as well as enhancing the communities where these colleges and universities are located,” said David Mendez, interim CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
    University of Hawaiʻi president Wendy Hensel added that the cuts will affect “all of our students, the programs that support them, and the dedicated staff who carry out this work.” The department’s announcement follows a lawsuit filed in June by the state of Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions, which argued the programs were discriminatory because of enrollment eligibility requirements. In July, the Department of Justice said it would not defend the grants, with Solicitor General D. John Sauer writing that they violated the constitutional right to equal protection.
    According to HBCU Buzz, the decision has sent shockwaves across campuses, with advocates warning that programs supporting mentorship, STEM pipelines, and scholarships are at risk. Lawmakers, including Senator Patty Murray, have said the Education Department acted unilaterally without consulting Congress.

    The debate over funding arrives as HBCUs continue to face historic underfunding. CNN fact-checkers reported that while the Biden-Harris administration had directed $16 billion to HBCUs from 2021 to 2024, Trump previously proposed more than $100 million in cuts to HBCU programs during his first term, despite later claiming he had been uniquely responsible for funding the schools. The Education Department confirmed that roughly $132 million in mandatory congressional allocations for fiscal 2025 will still be distributed, though officials said they are continuing to review the legal questions surrounding those funds.

  • Congresswoman Terri Sewell holds Rural Roundtable at Federation’s Training Center in Epes

    Terri Sewell holds Rural Roundtable at Federation’s RTRC in Epes.

    Special to the Democrat by John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    Congresswoman Terri Sewell held a Rural Roundtable, as part of her ‘Congress in your Community’ outreach program on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Federation Rural Training Center in Epes, Alabama. Over 200 people attended from Sumter, Greene and other counties in her Alabama Seventh Congressional District.
    Her Rural Roundtable included other speakers including Darren Beachem, ASAC State Coordinator; Loretta Webb Wilson, Administrator of Hill Hospital in York, and representatives of the West Alabama Regional Commission Council on Aging and a Representative of Sumter County DHR to speak on changes in the SNAP (Food Stamps) benefits program.
    Congresswoman Sewell opened the program with comments on the conditions in Washington, D.C. following passage of the budget reconciliation bill, which President Trump calls his ‘Big Beautiful Bil’ and the Congresswoman called “the Big Ugly Bill.” Sewell said “if there is one word to describe conditions in our nation’s Capital, it would be chaotic! Trump changes his tariffs on a daily basis, he is firing people for no reason, he is cutting Federal programs and contracts and then reinstating them when courts order him to do so.”
    Sewell said, “I want him to succeed, he is the President, but his policies are erratic, and he has cut Federal programs for the most vulnerable people while giving tax breaks to the very richest in our country. The tax cuts for the wealthy in the Big Ugly Bill increase the national debt by $4 Trillion dollars. In the bill, the average family gets a $200 tax cut but in exchange he is taking away healthcare, which will cost the same family, $2,000 a year in increased insurance payments, if they can afford these premiums, or be left with no health insurance at all.”
    Loretta Webb Wilson spoke on the impacts of the healthcare cuts, which she says will hurt rural hospitals, like hers in York, and may force many to close or reduce already strained services. Sewell pointed out that the $50 billion fund for rural hospitals, is a five-year program with $10 billion a year, to make up for $200 billion in annual health care cuts, some which start soon, and others are to go into effect after the 2026 mid-term elections.
    Darren Beachum, Federation staff member and State Coordinator of the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives spoke about technical assistance and support for Black farmers and other family scale farmers from the Federation and ASAC. Farmers can still get assistance in dealing with USDA agencies for credit, conservation, marketing and cooperative development from the Federation’s staff. He pointed out that the Federation had lost support for “climate smart agriculture” initiatives and a marketing program to foodbanks, where local farmers had been contracted to provide fresh and nutritious vegetables for food banks, serving low-income families, who are suffering from hunger and food deficiencies.
    The speaker from the Tuscaloosa Office on Aging talked about information and resources for elders, available from her office. The speakers from the Sumter DHR Office spoke on coming changes in the SNAP (food stamp) program. Work requirements will be imposed on those from 18 to 64, in place of the current 55-year age limit. Work and alternative community service requirements of 20 hours per week, will be more strictly enforced and regularly reported, despite reductions in DHR staffing to handle the additional paperwork. The State of Alabama will have to pay more of the administrative costs for SNAP from its already strained budget.
    Congresswoman Sewell then took about a half an hour of questions from the audience about the presentations. In answer to a question from Sumter County Commissioner, Drucilla Jackson, District 1 about cutbacks in funding for storm shelters and expansion of broadband to rural communities, Sewell said some of the direction and resources for these programs was still undecided but there would be cuts. “There is no way to dress-up these cutbacks in funding in Trump’s budget bill. We are going to have to fight back and try to restore these funding cuts now or after the 2026 midterms.
    In answer to questions about Black farmers, she said she would refer them to the Federation for assistance. She pointed out that she had voted for the Discrimination Farmers Assistance Program (DFAP) in the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided a claims process for farmers to receive $2.2 Billion for past discrimination in farm loans by USDA. $384 million was distributed to over 10,000 BIPOC farmers in Alabama, many in her district.
    Farmers in the audience pointed out that the Federation helped them file the 40-page application for DFAP assistance. Another farmer pointed out that the DFAP assistance was taxable, as opposed to the Pigford funding which was not considered taxable income by IRS. Recently one farmer, the Federation helped to receive the maximum $500,000 payment, had to pay IRS $127,000 of his award for Federal income taxes.
    Sewell went on to warn that voting rights were under attack by Trump and his Republican supporters. She pushed for passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that she is the major sponsor. She said there is a case from Louisiana to come before the U. S. Supreme Court this term, which could strike down “majority-minority Congressional districts” by invalidating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and move the voting rights progress in our nation back by decades. She urged that Alabama voters need to watch this case closely because it could end in redistricting our state and end any Congressional representation for Black people in the state.
    Sewell ended the Rural Roundtable by saying, “ Rural people are resilient and what goes around, comes around on Federal funding, so keep working, keep fighting and keep praying for better times.”

  • Newswire : Commission appoints 3 of 5 members of Greenethumb Improvement Board

    The Greene County Commission met for its regular second Monday of the month meeting. All members of the Commission were present. The meeting was opened by Garria Spencer, Chairperson, a prayer was given, the previous minutes and agenda were approved as submitted.
    The Commission voted to approve documents concerning the Purdue Pharmacy and Sacker Family Bankruptcy for a payment in litigation over opioid abuse by the company. The Commission voted to authorize the Chairperson to sign the documents.
    The Commission approved a recommendation from the County Engineer to zip up County Road 136, a short road south of Boligee, which is no longer in use. The paved road will be made into a gravel road to save on maintenance costs.
    The Commission agreed that its current lease agreement with Mr. Gomez of Iron Wolf Media LLC, for repairs and use of the former Greenetrack facility will stand as submitted to the company. The Commission owns the facility. They have held several meetings with Gomez, mostly in Executive Session, concerning amendments and changes to the 15-year lease, with 5-year renewals. Commission Chair Spencer said, ”We have negotiated a solid agreement with Iron Wolf. We and our attorney reached agreement with the company on certain changes, which they now want to revise again. Our position now is they accept the lease as negotiated or move on to another location.”
    The Commission appointed three of the five members of the “Greenethumb Farmers’ Initiative Improvement District Board, to help secure additional financing for a medical marijuana raising project, licensed to George Poindexter, a Black entrepreneur, who has begun operations in the northern part of the county. Sandra Walker was appointed for District 1, McDaniel Garner for District 4 and Kashaya Cockrell for District 5. The Commissioners for Districts 2 and 3 were not ready yet to make appointments. The new board will be installed and instructed by County Attorney, Mike Parnell, as to their duties and responsibilities in the near future.
    A financial report was submitted by Brenda Burke, which shows a total of $ 10,208,675 in funds in banks. In Citizens Trust Bank has $4,608,845 in restricted funds and $1,204,745 in unrestricted funds in the county’s General Fund. Merchants and Farmers Bank, has $2,726,113 in restricted funds and $1,768,971 in unrestricted funds, which are Bingo funds in a General Fund account. The County also has $1,901,066 in Certificates of Deposit in several banks as an investment reserve.
    During the month of August 2025, the County paid out $1,346,098 in claims plus $191,254 in electronic claims for a total of $1,537,352 for payroll, materials, ongoing road projects and a contract with Rebasco Decorators to repairs the flooring in the William M. Branch County Courthouse.

  • Newswire : Joseph McNeil, one of four college students who sparked sit-in protest movement, has died

     The participants after leaving the Woolworth’s by a side exit. (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and Joseph McNeil. (No photographers were allowed into the Woolworth’s during this first protest.) © Corbis

    Joseph McNeil, one of four college students who sparked sit-in protest movement, has died

    By Blackmansstreet Today

    Joseph McNeil, one of four North Carolina college students who sat in at the Whites-only Woolworth’s lunch counter 65 years ago, sparking a nonviolent civil rights movement across the South, died Thursday. He was 83.

    McNeil was just 17 years old at the time, but he participated in a simple act of defiance that helped ignite the sit-in movement across the country at Woolworth’s lunch counter back in 1960. 

    On the sit-in’s first day, the four young men stayed until the store closed. 
    The photo above captures them leaving the store.

    More protesters joined the next day and days following, leading to at least 1,000 by the fifth day. Within weeks, sit-ins were launched in more than 50 cities in nine states. The Woolworth’s counter in Greensboro — about 75 miles west of Raleigh — was desegregated within six months.

    McNeil was one of the final two living members of the A&T Four; Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.) is now the only survivor. David Richmond passed away in 1990, and Franklin McCain died in 2014. 

    McNeil was born in Wilmington, N.C. In 1963, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He served on active duty as a KC-135 navigator at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., until 1969. 

    He retired as a major general from the U.S. Air Force in 2000.

  • Newswire : NFL owners reap windfall from Trump-GOP Tax Plan while fans pay more for tickets

    By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

     

    As the 2025 NFL season kicks off, a new report from Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) shows the massive divide between billionaire team owners and the fans who pack stadiums and stream games from home. The study estimates that the average NFL franchise owner pulls in about $600 million annually, or 7,000 times the average fan’s income of $85,000.
    That divide will only grow under the Republican tax-and-spending plan enacted this summer. According to the Tax Policy Center, the wealthiest 0.1% of households, where every NFL owner resides, will enjoy average tax cuts exceeding $286,000 in 2026. Meanwhile, typical fans will see modest cuts erased by higher consumer costs driven by Donald Trump’s tariffs, leaving them about $700 poorer each year.
    “Economic inequality and price gouging are as much on display in the new NFL season as peak athleticism, acrobatic catches, and explosive runs,” said David Kass, ATF’s executive director. “The fans who loyally support their favorite teams through good years and bad, putting up with steadily rising ticket prices, streaming costs, and concession-stand gouging, have little in common with the billionaires who own their franchises. It’s the owners who will benefit from Trump-GOP economic policies in the form of huge tax cuts for billionaires and economic elites like themselves, while fans will lose money from a combination of cuts to vital public services like Medicaid and SNAP and Trump’s chaotic tariff regime”.
    Rising Costs for Fans

    The ATF study shows the growing financial burden for fans. Average ticket prices across the league now sit at $125, with some teams charging more than double that. In Detroit, the average ticket runs $254, while in Las Vegas it’s $243. Even basic stadium staples cost more: beers top $12 in San Francisco, hot dogs go for $8.49 in Los Angeles, and tariffs on Canadian pork and Mexican beer add another $2.23 and $2.29, respectively, to game-day concessions. Beyond stadium walls, costs to follow the sport from home have soared. Fans must now subscribe to multiple streaming services to watch every game, a bill that can exceed $1,000 annually.
    Billionaire Owners and Tax Breaks

    Billionaires dominate NFL ownership. The mean average wealth of team owners is $10.6 billion. Rob Walton of the Denver Broncos, heir to the Walmart fortune, holds an estimated $77.4 billion in net worth. ATF noted that 29 owners collectively stand to gain tax breaks large enough to buy more than 66,000 game-day tickets. The financial gulf also extends to players, who earn an average of $860,000 annually with careers lasting only about three years. Income players make is taxed at up to 37%, while owners’ investment income faces only a 20% top rate. IRS records reviewed by ProPublica previously showed that some billionaire NFL owners paid effective tax rates in the low teens, or even single digits, despite billions in income.
    A Different Model in Green Bay

    Billionaire owners are not essential to a team’s success. The Green Bay Packers, the NFL’s only publicly owned franchise, are operated by more than 500,000 fan-shareholders. No individual can own more than 4% of shares, and ownership yields no dividends. Yet the Packers are among the most profitable and competitive teams in the league, valued at $6.3 billion and ranking 12th in revenue in 2024.
    Policy Debate

    Democratic leaders have offered proposals aimed at narrowing the divide. Former President Joe Biden called for taxing investment income at the same rates as wages, while Vermont Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders has proposed lowering the estate-tax exemption to ensure massive family fortunes contribute more. Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden also has pushed for an annual tax on billionaires’ unrealized gains. “The contrast between billionaire owners and working-class fans couldn’t be clearer,” Kass stated. “The tax code should work for everyone, not just the wealthiest