Commissioner Garria Spencer was selected as Chairperson and Roshanda Summerville as Vice-Chair
At its monthly session held Tuesday, November 12, 2024, the Greene County Commission conducted its re-organization of officers, meeting schedule, bank depositories and signatures for checks. Commissioner Garria Spencer was selected as Chairperson and Roshanda Summerville as Vice-Chair. Commissioner Spencer noted that the commissioners appointments to various committees will likely remain the same, with the chairperson as head of the finance committee. The final committee selections will be announced at the next meeting. The commissioners approved the same meeting schedule as 2nd Monday of the month at 5:00 pm in the William M. Branch Courthouse. The bank depositories will also remain the same including in Eutaw Citizen Trust Bank and Merchant & Farmers Bank; Robertson Banking Company in Demopolis and Pinnicle Bank in Birmingham. The check and safety deposit box signatories will remain the same including, Commissioners Garria Spencer, Corey Cockrell, CFO Macaroy Underwood and Brenda Burke. CFO Macaroy Underwood presented the financial report for October, the first month of the 2024-2025 fiscal year. Accounts payable totaled $1.468,281.60; Payroll Transfer totaled $303.121.83; Fiduciary totaled $72,447.27. Total claims paid: $1,843,850.70. Electronic claims paid in July totaled $70,439.32. Funds in Citizen Trust Bank: unrestricted totaled $2,148,509.99; restricted totaled $3,960,857.94. Funds in Merchants & Farmers Bank: unrestricted $2,155,651.52; restricted totaled $1,883,575.14. Three CD accounts were established at Pinnicle Bank including two at $500,000 each and one at $125,000. Standing CD accounts include Merchants & Farmers – $128,111.58; $119,599.05; $406,375.69; Robertson Banking Company $117,792.63. Bank Investments totaled $1,896,878.95. The commission approved the minutes of the previous meeting, the finance report and payment of claims.
Mayor Latasha Johnson presents certificate to Mah’Kenzie Na Khole Jhordan Walker of Branch Heights in Eutaw, for being named Miss Black Alabama Talented Teen
The Eutaw City Council met on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, for its regular first meeting of the month. All members of the Council and Mayor Latasha Johnson were present.
The Council voted to extend the time for full time staff to five days and hours of 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Mayor Johnson argued that she was not sure she could do this under the City’s current financial position. Councilman Woodruff said the Council had adopted a budget that eliminated some positions so that the staff could return to full time operations. He also requested a rooster of staff positions and salaries that the city is paying.
Hodges Smith addressed the City Council on an Automatic Aid Agreement developed by the Association of Volunteer Fire Departments in Greene County. The agreement would allow the dispatch of the closest four fire departments when a fire is reported. The four fire departments that would come to Eutaw’s assistance would be Springfield, Lower Gainesville Road, Clinton and Dollarhide. The Eutaw Fire Department would automatically be dispatched to fires in these four rural communities. The motion for approval did not receive a second and was not considered. The members of the City Council seemed to need more time to study and understand the proposal. It can be considered again at a future meeting.
Mayor Johnson submitted a proposal that she received from the West Alabama Action Group to rent the Grubbs/E911 building for a period of December 1, 2024, to October 1, 2027, in exchange for making repairs to the building to make it usable as an office. The Council voted to table this request until more study could be made to the proposed lease agreement. Councilman Woodruff pointed out that $50,000 had been allocated to repairs to this building, for use by the Eutaw Police Department, in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 budget recently approved. “How will these monies be reallocated in the budget, if this lease proposal is adopted,” asked Woodruff.
David Ficken, Vice President for Business Development of the Alabama Fiber Network addressed the City Council and asked for an agreement to place a 50 by 50-foot building on land owned by the City of Eutaw. The building would be built on a cement slab, surrounded by a chain-link fence, house equipment to permit local ISP (broadband) providers to connect to the national fiber optic network. Alabama Fiber Network has been funded by the State of Alabama to be a “middle mile” provider for broadband. Other middle mile providers have also approached the city to provide similar services.
The Council voted to allow the Mayor and City Attorney to explore a location for the Alabama Fiber Network building and develop a 20-year renewable easement agreement for their building. The Council favored the Robert H. Young Community Center (former Carver School) as the site for the building. The proposed agreement would have to be presented to the Eutaw City Council for final approval.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mayor Johnson reported on progress on several infrastructure projects that the city has agreed to work on. These are: 1. Ditch between Edward’s Drive and Roebuck Avenue, 2. Street Repairs on 3rd Avenue, 3. House on O’Neal Street, next to Mollie Rowe’s resident. Work is continuing on all these projects and complying with legal requirements before the city is involved with work on private property.
In other business, the Eutaw City Council:
• Approved paying $75.00 membership dues to the Eutaw Area Chamber of Commerce.
• Approved reimbursement of Assistant Chief William Smith for $196.00 for city expenses.
• Approved purchase of a half page ad ($300) in the Greene County Democrat Progress Edition.
• Approved paying entry fee of $20 in Christmas Parade, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.
• Approved holiday schedule for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day.
• Approved payment of bills for the period.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Mayor Johnson awarded a certificate of completion to City Clerk Sha’Kelvia Spencer or her participation in the Municipal Revenue Officers Program provided by the University of Alabama. The Mayor also awarded a certificate of commendation to Mah’Kenzie Na Khole Jhordan Walker for being named Miss Black Alabama Talented Teen. Walker is a resident of Branch Heights and will represent the State of Alabama in the national completion in the Spring of 2025. The Mayor pledged to raised funds to help pay expenses for Ms. Walker to participate in the national completion. Chief of Police Tommy Johnson presented the ‘Officer of the Month Award’ to Officer J. Powell.
By Char Adams, Maya Eaglin and Zinhle Essamuah, NBC News
Dozens of Black people across the country said they have received text messages telling them they had been “selected” to pick cotton “at the nearest plantation.”
The messages came just hours after the polarized presidential election came to a close this week.
On Wednesday morning, Monèt Miller, a publicist from Atlanta, was reeling over Donald Trump winning the White House when she received a text message from an unknown phone number.
“Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van,” the message read, “be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter the plantation.”
Miller, 29, was shocked. She wondered how the person got her phone number, and questioned whether she was being watched. In a panic, she responded, “Who is this?! I’m going to find who you are” and shared a photo of the text on social media. She learned that some of her friends had received the same text.
“It’s a scare tactic,” Miller said in an interview. “I saw it and was like, ‘What in the world?’ Usually, in any other instance, someone is racist to the point where it’s funny, it’s a bad humor sort of funny. But that day, with the climate and everything going on, I genuinely felt scared.”
Black social media users across the country said they have received text messages similar to Miller’s. Many of the recipients are college students from a wide range of schools nationwide, including University of Alabama,Ohio State University, Clemson University in South Carolina, the University of Southern California and Missouri State University, NBC News has confirmed.
Domonique Valles, 23, who attends the University of Southern California, said he and some of his fellow Kappa Alpha Psi frat brothers who received the text messages and has since filed a complaint with the FBI. “I definitely feel kind of unsafe on campus,” Valles said. While he said he’s unclear what the campus can do to make people feel safe, “they definitely need to at least come in support of people who are suffering from this Black community.”
In a statement, the university called the messages “hateful and unacceptable,” and added that it was referring students who received them to the campus Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX. The FBI said in a statement Thursday that it is aware of the texts, has been in contact with the U.S. Department of Justice and encourages people who receive them to report the messages to local law enforcement authorities.
It is unclear who is behind the mass text messages, what motivated them or how they obtained phone numbers for swaths of Black people. But some of the anonymous numbers appear to be tied to TextNow, a text messaging service that allows users to obtain untraceable, “burner” phone numbers.
A TextNow spokesperson told NBC News in a statement that it is aware of the messages. “As soon as we became aware, our Trust & Safety team acted quickly, shutting down the accounts involved within the hour,” the statement said. “TextNow is proud to be an inclusive service offering free mobile text and data to millions of Americans. We do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future.”
The Attorney General’s Office in Virginia condemned the messages Wednesday and directed anyone who “believes themselves to be under threat” to contact law enforcement. Police departments and leaders in cities across the country have also addressed the situation. People as young as high school students, and some beyond college have also received these messages, which began rolling out the morning after Election Day. Some of the messages mention Donald Trump. Brian Hughes of the Trump campaign denounced the texts and said it is “absolute nonsense” to link the president to the messages. “If we can find the origin of these messages which promote this kind of ugliness in our name we will obviously take legal action to stop it,” Hughes said in a statement to NBC News.
Some recipients responded to the texts with anger and others with a sense of humor, but many agree that the messages seem to be a bleak foreshadowing. The NAACP condemned the messages, saying they believe the messages were a product of the president-elect’s rhetoric. “The unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes,” the statement read.
Although college students seem to be the most targeted with the texts, Black people of varying ages have reported receiving the messages. Corryn Freeman, 35, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, said she along with her friends’ high school-age students have received the messages. She said that if the texts are a mass spam operation, it may signal danger for the recipients, that, “our collective safety is potentially at risk.”
“I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that this is happening just a day after a Donald Trump election,” Freeman told NBC News. “I think that the election has reignited and inflamed people who have racist tendencies to show up and show out. I think that this is intentional to scare people of color, Black people, into a reality that we don’t want to go back to.”
.”The text messages seemed to have died down as of Thursday evening, but Miller said she’s afraid that they may only be the start of an onslaught of racist targeting.
“Now, people are testing the limits of how far they can go with playing with people,” she said. “I definitely see that this is just the beginning … I just feel like we’ll be attacked more in person in the future rather than behind phone screens.”
California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a special session of the California Legislature dedicated to defending core state values and rights under potential challenges from the incoming Trump administration. Set to convene on December 2, the session will prioritize legal strategies to protect civil rights, reproductive freedom, climate action, and immigrant rights, aiming to bolster California’s ability to resist federal policies that may threaten these areas.
The move is the first in a series of planned actions by Newsom’s administration to safeguard what he describes as “California values” against federal threats. With support from state lawmakers, Newsom emphasized California’s resilience and readiness to protect its residents, stating, “The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle.”
State Attorney General Rob Bonta reiterated the Governor’s stance, noting the state’s prior confrontations with Trump-era policies and emphasizing California’s commitment to continue defending rights under potential renewed federal challenges. “No matter what the incoming Administration has in store, California will keep moving forward,” Bonta said. “We’re working closely with the Governor and the Legislature to shore up our defenses and ensure we have the resources we need to take on each fight as it comes.”
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Senate President pro-Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) voiced their support for the special session, highlighting the importance of maintaining California’s progress and preparing for what they foresee as challenging times ahead. “We learned a lot about former President Trump in his first term,” McGuire remarked. “California has come too far and accomplished too much to simply surrender and accept his dystopian vision for America.”
Rivas emphasized the importance of standing up for Californians. “Voters sent a clear message this election, and we need to lean-in and listen,” he said. “But we also must be prepared to defend California values, no matter the challenges ahead, so it makes sense to consider the Governor’s proposal. I’m ready to fight harder than ever for opportunity, equality, and a Golden State that works for each and every resident.”
Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s words mirrored Shirley Chisholm’s groundbreaking observation decades ago: “Of the two handicaps, being Black is much less of a handicap than being a female.” Crockett’s reflection on Donald Trump’s resounding victory over Vice President Kamala Harris pointed to what many saw as a dissonance between the candidate and the country’s decision. Crockett highlighted Harris’s qualifications, intelligence, and kindness compared to Trump, yet acknowledged the public’s apparent preference for fear over progress. “As I said many times on the trail, this election was more about us and what it is that we wanted for our future… and well PROJECT 2025 is loading,” she warned, referencing the former president’s sweeping agenda.
For many African Americans, Trump’s victory felt like an isolating moment, a reaffirmation of what they’ve long suspected: their allies were never permanent. Bishop Talbert Swan put it bluntly on social media: “There is no Black/brown coalition…Latinos voted on the side of white supremacy. We’re in this by ourselves.” Swan’s words echo the sentiments of many Black voters who watched as Latino support for Trump surged, even as his platform targeted marginalized communities. Meanwhile, Black voters were again held to their high standard of loyalty to the Democratic Party, only to feel abandoned as alliances dissolved and communities prioritized their own survival.
“Black people are tired,” shared journalist Kathia Woods on Let It Be Known, the Black Press of America’s daily news broadcast. This sentiment of exhaustion has been echoed across social media, as Washington Informer journalist Anthony Tilghman tweeted an arresting graphic illustrating Black Americans’ sense of isolation: “This presidential race highlights the significant influence of race on the election outcome,” Tilghman wrote. “A majority of white women and men expressed reluctance towards having another Black president in office, regardless of the individual’s qualifications.”
Public figures sounded their own alarms on the social media landscape. Cardi B took to Instagram, bluntly posting: “I hate ya’ll bad,” in a pointed message to Trump voters. Justice correspondent Elie Mystal offered a sobering perspective: “Black people are relatively well prepared for what’s about to happen because it’s happened to us before. America has done this to us before.”
The stakes stretch further than any one individual’s leadership, with significant consequences predicted for American institutions. Actor Wendell Pierce, reflecting on Trump’s influence on the Supreme Court, tweeted, “The Supreme Court will be changed for a generation… I’ll never see a moderate court again in my lifetime.” For others, Yvette Nicole Brown captured the sentiment that the rest of the country may now begin to feel what Black communities have long endured. “The rest of you are about to be shocked by how America treats you when it doesn’t care about you… The find out phase has begun,” she posted.
Across demographics, voting trends highlighted a widening rift as each non-Black group increased their support for Trump. “When we say Black people have no permanent allies… we mean Black people have no permanent allies,” noted one commenter, underscoring a stark double standard: the willingness to elect a convicted felon, with seemingly little regard for qualifications or integrity.
The sense of betrayal was palpable in many reflections. Elie Mystal captured this frustration, stating, “Watching Latinos chase model minority status has never sat well with Black people, but this is a wound the Black community won’t soon forget.” The solidarity once hoped for among marginalized groups seems distant, fractured along lines of race, ideology, and self-interest.
Meanwhile, University of South Carolina Professor Sueanna Smith weighed in on the structural underpinnings of this political moment, explaining, “There is a reason why educated people vote blue. What we’re seeing is the uneducated population of America holding the rest of the country hostage. This is why there’s such a push to weaken education, ban books, and outlaw the teaching of Black history by the Republican Party.”
As Mystal aptly put it, “One thing I do worry about, is that the ‘solidarity’ between ‘people of color’ has been significantly damaged. Black people have learned that all we have is each other.”
VP Kamala Harris ends her campaign at Howard Univ.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
A diverse group of supporters, family members, and well-known allies, including D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, NAACP President Derrick Johnson, a host of other elected officials, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, looked on as Vice President Kamala Harris emerged onto the stage at Howard University to the stirring strains of Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” Jeezy’s song “My President,” which features the stirring line “My president is Black,” energized the crowd before her entrance, setting the scene for a moving farewell speech. The atmosphere was charged as Harris began, looking out at a sea of American flags and expectant faces at her alma mater.
“Every one of us, no matter who we are or where we start out, has certain fundamental rights and freedoms that must be respected and upheld,” she stated, pausing as applause swelled from the crowd. Harris made it clear that while her campaign had reached its end, the fight for justice and equity was only beginning. “We will continue to wage this fight in the voting booth, in the courts, and in the public square,” she affirmed, issuing a call to action that echoed her campaign’s spirit.
Harris addressed the emotions that many in the crowd were visibly grappling with. Speaking directly to the young people watching, she said, “It is OK to feel sad and disappointed, but please know it’s going to be OK… Sometimes the fight takes a while, that doesn’t mean we won’t win.” She reminded them, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars,” a line that drew a mix of cheers and solemn nods as the crowd took in her message of resilience.
Reflecting on the campaign, Harris shared her pride in the coalition they had built. “We have been intentional about building community… bringing people together from every walk of life,” she said, emphasizing the need to accept the election results but with an eye to the future. “This is not a time to throw up our hands,” she declared, urging her supporters to channel their emotions into continued efforts. “This is a time to roll up our sleeves.”
Harris acknowledged the fight ahead, framing it not as a loss but as a turning point. “While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign,” she said firmly. “That is a fight I will never give up.” She took a moment to express her gratitude to those who had stood by her side, including her husband, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and her vice presidential candidate, Tim Walz. “I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it,” she said. Her voice cracked slightly as she added, “We owe loyalty not to a president or to a party but to the Constitution of the United States.”
She acknowledged her call to President-elect Donald Trump, stating that she offered assistance to him in the upcoming transition. She urged her supporters not to give up, and to keep fighting for the Constitution and Democracy.
As she neared the end of her speech, Harris’s words took on an unmistakable urgency. “The fight for our freedom will take hard work, but like I always say, we like hard work,” she told the crowd. She urged them to continue engaging, reminding them that meaningful change requires sustained effort.
With a final, defiant wave, Harris walked off the stage arm in arm with Emhoff, her head held high as Beyoncé’s “Freedom” filled the air once more. Her last words: “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is collaborating with Tuskegee University to investigate a devastating shooting that unfolded in the early hours of Nov. 10, leaving one person dead and 16 others injured, according to NPR.
The shooting occurred early Sunday morning as students and alumni gathered on campus to celebrate the university’s 100th homecoming, a highly anticipated event for the historically Black institution in Macon County. ALEA agents were alerted to the scene at approximately 1:40 a.m., where they discovered that a non-university individual had been fatally shot. The victim’s family was notified.
Several others, including Tuskegee University students, sustained injuries and were rushed to East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery, the university announced in a press release.
Disturbing footage shared on social media Sunday depicted the chaotic aftermath of the shooting, showing students scrambling for cover as gunshots rang out. In one video posted by user @DukeofLight, bullets were heard ricocheting off a fence as a student sought shelter behind a car.
According to 12 WSFA, the shooting occurred at the West Commons on-campus apartments. Tuskegee University President Dr. Mark A. Brown stated that the event was not an official or approved university-sanctioned homecoming event.
“We did not nor could we have planned for security at an event that was not approved in advance or officially sanctioned by the university,” Brown told reporters. “Nonetheless, it happened on our campus, and we take full responsibility for allowing a thorough investigation and implementing corrective actions.”
In response to the tragedy, Tuskegee University canceled all classes on Monday (Nov. 11) and Tuesday (Nov. 12) to help ALEA with its investigation efforts. The university has also made grief counselors available to support students as they cope with the traumatic event.
“Students should not hesitate to reach out for help through the Student Health Center if they choose to do so privately,” officials from the HBCU said.
Jaquez Myrick, 25, of Montgomery, was arrested while leaving the scene of the campus shooting and was found in possession of a handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device, ALEA said, as reported by NPR. Myrick is facing a federal charge of possessing a machine gun, though ALEA has not indicated whether he used the weapon during the shooting or provided further details on the investigation. The agency also did not confirm whether Myrick was a student at Tuskegee University. ALEA has secured the campus and is now working in coordination with federal, state, and local law enforcement to continue the investigation.
According to 12 WSFA, the victim of Sunday’s tragic homecoming shooting was identified as 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson from Troy, Alabama. Johnson, who was not a student at Tuskegee University, had been enjoying the festivities with friends before the chaos erupted. His close friend, Janyla Avery, who was also injured in the shooting but survived, told the news outlet in an interview published on Nov. 11, “All we wanted to do was have fun. And one thing about us is we never leave each other. We all come together, everybody’s going to leave together. I just don’t understand.”
Johnson, who was described as a vibrant and outgoing young man by friends and family, was about to begin a new chapter in his life—he was set to start a job with the Alabama Department of Transportation the following week. Those who knew him remembered him as a “lively soul,” with his mother, Tamika, affectionately calling him a “mama’s boy.” However, she spoke with deep sorrow to the media, saying, “That was my baby.” His father, Larry, added while struggling to hold back tears, “He was a loving person. The life he had…”
Tuskegee University announced during Monday’s press conference that its campus would be closed to the public, effective immediately. All visitors will now be required to wear and display visitor badges while on campus. Additionally, starting immediately, everyone—students, faculty, and staff—will need to present a university-issued ID to access campus. The university emphasized that IDs must be worn at all times while on the premises. For those without an ID, the Public Safety office, located across from the main gate, will provide them with one.
Brown also announced that Tuskegee University had terminated its security chief and hired a new one, who will conduct a thorough review of the shooting incident.
Expanding on the details of the shooting, Brown explained that the unapproved homecoming event took place after all officially sanctioned events for the university’s 100th homecoming had concluded. While the campus remained open following the approved festivities, Brown noted that for the official events, the university had hired over 70 additional law enforcement officers from Alabama and Georgia to assist with crowd control. Tickets for all approved events were sold in advance to minimize ticket lines, although the university acknowledged that security checks would still cause delays and advised visitors to expect some inconvenience.
Brown stated that he has no intention of ending the university’s annual homecoming tradition, emphasizing its significance to both the university and its students. He highlighted the importance of the event to the HBCU community, reaffirming the university’s commitment to preserving the event’s rich legacy.
“We connect this generation of students with alumni who walked the same paths,” Brown stressed. “We reunite our students with old friends. We participate in a football game. We create elaborate step shows with links that go back as far back as our ancestors in West Africa. We sponsor concerts featuring popular entertainers. We celebrate our journey and how the university helped us along the way, and yes, we invest financially in the university that transformed our lives and that we all love dearly. Nothing we do in any way is associated with violence,” the university official added
Front Row: L to R: Farmer, Ben Burkett, Farmer, Calvin King, Cornelius Blanding, Shirley Sherrod, Dr. Dewayne Goldman (USDA), Cornelius Keys, Zack Duchenaux(USDA).
ATLANTA, Ga., Oct. 31, 2024 – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and partners announced the launch of the Southern Farmers Financial Association (SFFA), a new cooperatively-owned institution created to increase access to capital for its member-owners to begin farming or strengthen existing small farming operations and agriculture-based businesses in high poverty areas in the Southeast.
The organization is supported with $20 million in initial funding from President Biden and Vice President Harris’s Inflation Reduction Act, which will be used to leverage private sector capital, recruit full-time staff, and begin outreach and lending efforts. The proposed service area of the SFFA is 12 states I the Southeast.
The impetus for the creation of this new small farm financial institution grew out of a discussion on the use of the ‘ ci pres’ funds, remaining unused funds in the Pigford II Black Farmers Discrimination lawsuit. There is still $8 million left in these funds, which are subject to the decision of Judge Friedman, Federal District Judge who presided over this case.
A committee of Black and small farmer advocates continued pushing to use these and other funds to create a financial institution responsive to small and Black farmers. This committee was headed by Cornelius Blanding, current Executive Director of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund. Calvin King, President of the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corporation and Shirley Sherrod, leader of New Communities and the Southwest Georgia Project, worked with Cornelius to develop this new financial institution for small and Back farmers.
The Southern Farmers Financial Association will be managed by Cornelius Blanding, acting chief executive officer; Shirley Sherrod, acting secretary; and Calvin King, acting treasurer, until a board is formed, and initial hires are made. Each of these individuals brings lifelong expertise and personal experience with farming, farm finance, and helping rural, smallholder farmers maintain farm operations in the face of challenging financial situations.
“The launch of the Southern Farmers Financial Association furthers the Biden-Harris USDA’s vision to keep farmers farming, support rural economies by making it viable for small farms to stay in operation, and make USDA’s programs more accessible and inclusive for everyone who wants to participate in agriculture,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This new organization will provide a vital bridge to those who may benefit from a different model of outreach, support, and farm lending.”
Farming is a capital-intensive business. It can be difficult to begin or stay in farming without the financial foundation that comes with generational farm operations, and smaller farms are especially vulnerable to the financial blows that come with natural disasters, lost markets, or other sudden impacts. Under a cooperative agreement with USDA, the SFFA will improve land access by creating access to capital and technical assistance for farmers and other producers who have historically faced challenges getting the financing they need so their farms can grow and thrive.
On Thursday in Atlanta, at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, USDA representatives and SFFA interim leadership gathered with stakeholders and farmers who would potentially receive funding from their new financial institution.
Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency, who has spearheaded many changes at USDA to improve the farm lending process, applauded the organization’s launch. “As a child of the 1980’s farm crisis, I have seen firsthand the challenges farmers can have accessing capital, and the very difficult impacts that creates for individuals, families, and communities that stand to benefit from strong farming operations. I am excited to see these partners come together and reach farmers in a way that USDA recognizes we may not be able to.”
“Every farmer needs affordable financing. Farmers must have reliable and consistent access to capital to be successful,” said USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden. “For too long, access to capital has been out of reach for small farmers in the southeast region.”
Support from the USDA will help bring other partners to the table so that SFFA can obtain strategic certifications and raise additional sources of capital. Examples include working with organizations like the Farm Credit system and Co-Bank to obtain Other Financial Institution (OFI) status, or working with the US Department of Treasury, Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund to become a CDFI, and continued engagement with USDA so that the institution can become a guaranteed lender with the Farm Services Agency.
“Supporting southern farmers is essential to supporting rural economies in communities across the south,” added Shirley Sherrod, acting secretary of the SFFA. “The SFFA and USDA are building up the toolset southern farmers can use to support their family farms and pass them on to the next generations,” said Cornelius Blanding, acting Chief Executive Officer.
“This agreement will open up new opportunities for historically underserved southern farmers to sustain and grow their businesses,” said Calvin King, SFFA acting treasurer.
The SFFA will build on several steps USDA has taken under the Biden-Harris Administration to expand access to capital, keep farmers farming, and make its programs more accessible and equitable… This includes the work of the USDA Equity Commission, an Heirs Property Relending Program, to help families with heirs property issues, programs to help 1890 Land Grant Colleges and their students, and other measures.
For more information about these efforts and more, visit USDA.gov/equity. USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.
The Greene County Democrat will continue to follow progress toward the creation, operation and implementation of the programs of the SFFA financial institution going forward.
Racing Commission awards operating license for pari-mutual wagering and simulcast racing
The Greene County Racing Commission has awarded a six year operating license to Five Star Investment Company, LLC to conduct parimutuel wagering with authorization to conduct Greyhound Simulcasting and Historical Horse Racing Gaming. According to the Racing commission, only one application was submitted. The license is awarded for six years at a fee of $10,000 per year. The licensee will contribute 4% of revenues to the Racing Commission towards its operations and to distribute to designated entities as previously prescribed by Alabama Legislative Action. These entities include Greene County Hospital Board, Greene County Board of Education, Greene County Commission, incorporated municipalities, law enforcement, ambulance service and maintenance, other designated community organizations and programs. The new licensee will conduct simulcasting gaming at the Palace Gaming facility in Knoxville. Reportedly, the Racing Commission’s offices will also be located at the Palace. The previous license for Pare-Mutuel Wagering, Greyhound Simulcasting and Historical Horse Racing Gaming had been held by Greenetrack, Inc. and operated at its gaming facility. According to Mr. Luther Winn, former Greenetrack, Inc. CEO and President, the Greenetrack facilities on Greene County Road 208 and all properties, once in Greenetrack’s name, have been confiscated by the State of Alabama. The Greenetrack Gaming facility, previously co-owned by Greenetrack stockholders and the Greene County government is currently co-owned by the State of Alabama and Greene County government. It should be noted that the electronic bingo gaming which the State of Alabama deemed illegal at Greenetrack and precipitated its closing is the same electronic bingo gaming currently operating at other facilities in Greene County.
The Greene County Commission held its monthly meeting October 15, 2024, with all commissioners present. A key decision was the approval of the Budget Supplement Agreement between the Commission and Sheriff Jonathan Benison. The agreement establishes the terms under which the County will supplement the budget for the Sheriff’s Department and jail facility for additional employees not covered in the county’s 2024-2025 budget for the Sheriff’s Department.
The County’s approved budget for the Sheriff’s Department this fiscal year is $1,564,926. The salaries and benefits for the additional employees hired by the Sheriff, and not included in this approved budget, will be remitted in advance to the County. The Agreement states the following: “ As long as the Sheriff provides the funds…to supplement the (Sheriff’s) budget, the County is willing to add said personnel to the County’s payroll for salaries and other benefits and to process other expenditures as the Sheriff remits to the County as being necessary….”
The Agreement further states: “The Sheriff agrees to provide the County, in advance, a payment equal to three months of pay, benefits and other expenditures, as more particularly set forth for the additional employees.” The County agrees to add the additional employees for the Sheriff Department and pay them in the same manner and frequency as other county employees when the Base Amount Reserve of $47,979 is received from the Sheriff.
It is also noted in the Agreement that the County does not have a role in setting the salaries of the additional employees and if the Base Reserve is not maintained, the County will not be able to continue to employ the additional employees.
As an additional consideration of this Agreement, the Sheriff agrees to pay the County $75,000 per month for the County to use in any way the commissioners deem.
This Agreement is in effect October 1, 2024 through September 30, 2025.
In other business the commission acted on the following agenda items:
* Approved bids for the 2024-2025 as presented by the Engineer’s office.
* Approved the CDBG Grant for sum of $83,665.36.
* Approved purchasing three CD’s with Chemical Bank of Birmingham at the proposed rates: $500,000 and $125,000 for one yer at 4.13%; $500,000 for two years at 3.89%.
* Denied Water Authority Board’s request for pay increase.
* Approved resolution regarding December 2024 Recognition and Appreciation Program.
* Approved Commissioners joining and attending the Black County Officials Retreat October 24-27, 2024.
Approved travel for Assistant Engineer to Orange Beach.
Approved finance report and payment of claims.
The financial report, as of September 2024, presented by CFO Macaroy Underwood, indicated the following: Accounts payable – $420.168.06; Payroll transfer – $293,638.09; Fiduciary – $59,938.25; Electronic claims – $71,057.55. Bank balances are as follows: Citizen Trust unrestricted – $2,736,855.22, restricted -$3,766,262.51. Merchant & Farmers unrestricted –
$3,080,651.52. In vestments totaled $771,363.41.
