The Greene County Democrat

Category: Health

  • Greene County Health System chooses Rodgerick Williams as new CEO/Administrator

    The Greene County Health System (GCHS) Board of Directors has selected Rodgerick Williams (age 49) as the new CEO/Administrator of the hospital, nursing home, physicians’ clinic and all ancillary health care services. His starting date was November 17, 2025.
    Dr. Marcia Pugh, former GCHS CEO/Administrator had informed the board that she was retiring effective October 31, 2025, but would remain available to assist the board and orient the new Administrator, as needed after that date.
    Rodgerick Williams was born in Jackson, Mississippi but grew up in Eutaw, Greene County, Alabama, living in Branch Heights most of that time. He graduated from Eutaw High School and knows many of the people in Greene County.
    Most recently, Williams was System Director of Capital Procurement at Houston, Methodist Hospital, where he oversaw a $1 Billion annual budget and implemented strategies that achieve $1 Million in weekly cost savings. Previously, at Tenet Healthcare, he unified procurement strategies across 61 hospitals and 475 surgical centers, generating meaningful cost savings while preserving Joint Commission and CMS compliance.
    He also was, earlier in his career at Community Health Systems, leading a multi-division operation for over 200 hospitals and spearheaded cost reductions of more than $1 million dollars a week.
    He began his healthcare career as a U. S. Army Combat Medic/EMT, and he transferred to the Air Force to be a Biomedical Equipment Technician. He has a bachelor’s degree and Master’s of Science in Health Administration, from the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB).
    In addition to his operational and financial management expertise, Williams has a strong commitment to community health and equity. As a Professor of Strategic Management in Healthcare at UAB, he partnered with local governments to reduce healthcare disparities. He was honored with the UAB Alumni Services Award for revitalizing underserved communities.
    “Recently, I purchased 85 acres of land in Fosters to build a home and a farm near Greene County. I was attracted to this position, as CEO/Administrator of the Greene County Health System, because I can bring my vision and experience in healthcare management and finance to this opportunity in a rural setting,”  said Williams.
    He added, “I am confident in my ability to lead with integrity, innovation, and a deep commitment to patient centered care, while driving strategic growth and operational excellence.”
    John Zippert, GCHS Board Chair said, “ We are fortunate to find an experienced and dedicated leader to manage and operate our small rural hospital and nursing home into the uncertain future of healthcare in America and Alabama. We know that Rodgerick Williams came to us at a considerable sacrifice in compensation, but we wanted to offer locally grown talent a chance to lead our facility and serve our people and community.”
    Rodgerick Williams lives in Fosters, with his wife Leontyne Gulley Williams and two middle school children.

  • Newswire : A week later: a dire need in Jamaica

    Water rushing through the streets of Jamaican towns from Hurricane Melissa; Melissa ripped roofs off houses and buildings; “wooden houses in Negril, Jamaica”

    By April Ryan, NNPA

    The United Nations reports that Hurricane Melissa has scattered nearly 5 million tons of debris across Western Jamaica, hindering crews from delivering aid and restoring critical services promptly.
    According to reports, crews are still working to clear roads, attempting to reach 27 communities cut off by landslides and flooding. Many of those communities are still without power and Wi-Fi. The category five storm killed at least 32 people in Jamaica and another 43 in nearby Haiti, where 13 people remain missing. Here in the United States, the head of the Congressional Black Caucus, New York Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, is working feverishly with the State Department to ensure help is coming from the United States to the affected Caribbean nations, particularly Jamaica.
    Both of the New York Congresswoman’s parents immigrated to the United States from Jamaica. Clarke has been a strong advocate for Caribbean issues and serves as co-chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus. According to a State Department website, “Within hours, Secretary [Marco] Rubio deployed a regional Disaster Assistance Response Team, including urban search-and-rescue teams, to assess needs and provide search and recovery assistance.
    The State Department also indicates it “is collaborating with UN agencies, NGOs, and host governments to deliver food, water, medical supplies, hygiene kits, temporary shelter, and search and rescue support.”
    Iconic and award-winning actress, activist, and Jamaican native Sherly Lee Ralph said on The Tea with April, “It is exactly one week later, and there are some people who have not had anybody come to help them, nobody!”
    Ralph emoted,” It’s rough. We need help there now.” She is calling on all the people who have “enjoyed the beaches in Jamaica” to help by finding trusted places you know and making a donation, as the storm’s destruction has halted the normalcy of life on the island.” Ralph provided an update on some areas that hold personal significance for her. “The school that my parents helped build lost their roof.  They’re trying to figure out where we’re going to put these kids, how we’re gonna get them back into school, all of these things, and it’s like I can see where we’re going afterwards, but how do we start to get the help there now?”
    The actresses’ children have also started a donation center at their facility, Walk Good LA, to help address some of the dire needs in Jamaica. Her family used the same space for donations to help the victims of the L.A. fires earlier this year.
    Relief efforts coordinated by Jamaican government
    Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness vowed that his government would devote “all our energy” to a strong recovery. On Facebook, Holness said recently: “Yesterday, In Manchester, I met with residents whose lives were upended by Hurricane Melissa. Many have lost homes and belongings, yet their strength and faith remain unshaken. In every story shared, I saw courage, the kind that defines us as Jamaicans. We will not leave anyone behind. Recovery has already begun, and we will rebuild stronger.”
    Holness, who visited devastated areas to meet residents and assess the damage up close, declared the entire island a disaster area while noting that the destruction is particularly difficult on communities in Saint Elizabeth and elsewhere which rely significantly on farming.
    The prime minister announced that the government launched supportjamaica.gov.jm to coordinate relief which will accept for donations, allow for people to report emergencies, and help those in need locate shelters.

    Holness said Jamaica is resilient and will recover but Baker Brown said sometimes resilience comes at a cost.
    “Resilience is often celebrated as our superpower, but despite the resilience we are noted for, our souls are gone. This is beyond resilience. I must admit that this is emotional fatigue and exhaustion,” she said. “True resilience is not just about surviving adversity. It’s also about having access to resources, investment and psychological care, that will allow individuals and communities recover and thrive without having to carry the weight alone.”
    The United Nation’s World Food Program announced that it had received 2,000 boxes of emergency food assistance shipped from Barbados which will be distributed to shelters and in the most-affected communities in the St. Elizabeth area.
    And UNICEF said it is sending water, sanitation and hygiene kits for about 14,500 people and nutritional supplies for more than 4,000 children had been sent before the hurricane hit. Another $1 million was allocated to support immediate emergency response.
    The UN Population Fund has provided up to 5,000 reproductive health kits and 4,000 dignity kits alongside significant emergency relief support from the United Kingdom and Canada.  A further $4m from its Central Emergency Response Fund has also been allocated to affected people in Jamaica. Medical kits for about 11,000 people were provided by the Pan American Health Organization.

    NNPA reporting supplemented by Barrington M. Salmon, Trice Edney Newswire

  • Newswire : Dr. Benjamin Chavis celebrated as ‘Father of the Environmental Justice Movement’ – ‘Don’t cop out, cop in,’ Chavis calls for activists to use their power at the upcoming United Nations COP30 conference

    Dr. Ben Chavis, center, honored during the Mississippi Statewide Environmental Justice Climate Change Summit 2025 and  –Ben Chavis

     

    By: Siena Gleason,
     

    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), was celebrated as the father of the environmental justice movement at the Mississippi Statewide Environmental Climate Justice Summit organized by Jesus People Against Pollution (JPAP) October 24-26, 2025, headquartered at Tougaloo College. 
    Aaron Mair, the first African American president of the Sierra Club and an early environmental justice leader from Albany, NY, celebrated Chavis for his contribution to the movement, specifically citing his 1987 study, Toxic Waste and Race in the United States of America.
    “What really gave [the environmental justice movement] force was the Toxic Waste and Race study providing a foundational, as they say, evidence-based approach which could then be replicated by frontline communities,” said Mair.
    Mair described how Chavis bravely demanded that the environmental poisoning of Black and poor communities must be looked at through the lens of civil rights, creating the movement that is now known as the environmental justice movement.
    “During the 1980s, you couldn’t make just an allegation of discrimination; you had to prove it. You had to statistically show that it existed,” said Chavis. “Nobody ever asked, was there a correlation between the proximity of toxic waste facilities, toxic emissions, and climate emissions to public health?”
    Karenna Gore of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary traced back Chavis’ founding of the environmental justice movement even further.
    Gore praised Chavis for catalyzing the environmental justice movement when he organized and led a nonviolent sit-in protest in 1982 against the planned dumping of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls in Warren County, North Carolina. This sit-in is widely understood to be the launchpad for the modern-day environmental justice movement, said Gore.
    During the protest, Chavis was arrested and put into the Warren County Jail. While he was in his cell, he came up with the term “environmental racism”. It quickly became widely used by activists and later was replaced with the phrase “environmental justice” which also includes the way in which poor people of all colors are systematically poisoned by corporate and government polluters.
    Gore reminded people of the courage it took Chavis to get arrested that day given he had been a political prisoner in North Carolina just a few years before as part of a group of persecuted civil rights activists known as the Wilmington Ten.
    The Wilmington Ten were arrested in February 1972 during racial unrest over school desegregation in Wilmington, North Carolina. The group – Chavis, eight Black students, and one white female – were charged with arson and conspiracy after firebombs were set downtown and firefighters received sniper fire. All ten were convicted in October 1972 and sentenced to a combined 282 years in prison, with Chavis receiving 34 years. Amnesty International designated them as political prisoners in 1978. After key witnesses recanted their testimony in 1977, admitting police pressure and bribery, their convictions were overturned in December 1980 due to prosecutorial misconduct. In 2012, they received full Pardons of Innocence.
    However, his time in prison has never discouraged him from continuing his activism. Chavis has been arrested over 30 times and continues to fight for environmental justice.
    The summit took place at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, and was organized by Dr. Charlotte Keys, founder of Jesus People Against Pollution. Dr. Keys is one of Mississippi’s earliest leaders in the environmental justice movement. Like Chavis, she has never stopped. She is still fighting for change in Columbia, Mississippi, and throughout the state. Her community in Colombia became a notorious cancer cluster after a Reichold chemical plant explosion.
    On Oct. 25, Chavis added meaning to a panel hosted by Gore, a discussion intended to generate recommendations for the 30th United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP30) in Brazil, focusing on the Global Ethical Stock Take initiative. He was joined on the panel by his fellow, former national president and CEO of the NAACP Ben Jealous.
    During the panel, Chavis said he believes that acknowledging the struggle against climate change is essential for uniting and creating global solutions.
    “To COP30: don’t cop out, cop in,” said Chavis. “Cop in to lay the groundwork and the reaffirmation of a global struggle to prevent climate crisis, climate injustice, and to respond to the environmental injustices that are growing all over the world.”
    Chavis also said that COP30 offers an opportunity for younger generations to get involved and continue fighting for environmental justice.
    “It’s very important for each generation to rise to the occasion,” said Chavis. “Quite frankly, the first voices that came out against climate change and the climate injustice were young people because young people realized that they may not live to be old if we don’t solve this situation.”

  • Newswire : Senate passes deal to reopen government after Shutdown

    By Sahil Kapur, Frank Thorp V, Melanie Zanona 
    and Julie Tsirkin, HBCU News

    WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation Monday night to reopen the government and end the record-long shutdown after eight Democrats broke with their party and joined Republicans to break the logjam.
    The vote was 60-40, with every Republican except Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voting in favor of the measure.
    The measure now goes to the House, which could vote as early as Wednesday to pass the package and send it to President Donald Trump, who said Monday that he supports the bipartisan deal.
    Senate passage came after a long vote series to reject several amendments and package the components of a deal into one.
    The legislation includes a “minibus” of three full-year appropriations bills, including a full funding of SNAP benefits through the end of next September, and keeps much of the government open on a short-term basis through Jan. 30.
    But in a major concession for Democrats, the deal does not include an extension of expiring subsidies under Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, after Republicans held firm against continuing those funds. That means more than 20 million Americans could see their premiums spike next year.
    “The American people have now awoken to Trump’s health care crisis,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday before voting against the legislation. “Democrats demanded that we find a way to fix this crisis and quickly, but Republicans have refused to move an inch. So, I cannot support the Republican bill that’s on the floor because it fails to do anything of substance to fix America’s health care crisis.”
    The Senate deal with Republicans was struck by Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. Joining them to support the measure were Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada; Dick Durbin of Illinois; John Fetterman of Pennsylvania; Tim Kaine of Virginia.
    “This was the only deal on the table,” Shaheen told reporters before the vote. “It was our best chance to reopen the government and immediately begin negotiations to extend the ACA tax credits that tens of millions of Americans rely on to keep costs down.”
    Durbin said that while he shares other Democrats’ misgivings about the Trump administration, he “cannot accept a strategy that wages political battle” at the expense of paychecks for federal workers by keeping the government closed.
    Despite backing down on their main demand during the shutdown, the Democrats walked away with a promise by Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to vote on an ACA funding bill by the end of the second week of December. But there’s no guarantee that will achieve the 60 votes necessary to pass, which is why most Democrats voted against the negotiated bill.
    King said reopening the government boosts the prospects of an ACA funding extension to “maybe 50%,” but he added, “I can’t guarantee a result. Nobody can.”
    And in a bad omen for that cause, all 53 Senate Republicans voted Monday against including a simple one-year extension of the ACA funds, proposed by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in the funding bill. That vote came in the run-up to final passage.
    Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held a conference call with House Republicans on Monday morning and laid out a potential timetable for votes this week after the chamber has been out of session since Sept. 19, according to four sources on the call.
    Johnson said he’s hoping to vote as soon as Wednesday on the Senate’s deal to re-open the government. Still, even though the vote timing is fluid, members were encouraged on the call to start getting back to D.C. as soon as possible given the air travel delays.
    The speaker also vowed that, before the House votes, he will swear in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva, who won her special election on Sept. 23. The House has been out of session since Sept. 19 in an unusually long and unscheduled recess.
    Following her swearing-in, the House will then vote on a rule for the Senate deal, followed by final passage, and then the House will leave town again, Johnson told members on the call.
    While the House vote is expected to be tight and leadership is still in the process of doing a whip check, Johnson expressed confidence that they’d be able to pass the Senate’s government funding package, the sources said.
    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said House Democrats are “focused on dealing with the bill that’s coming over from the Senate to the House, and we’re going to fight hard to defeat it.”
    Asked if the shutdown was worth it, Jeffries said Democrats “waged a battle on behalf of the American people.” He added that “the fight lives on.”
    Jeffries deferred to House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., when asked if all Democrats will vote against the bill.

  • Newswire : Congressman Meeks chastises President Trump for possible invasion of Nigeria

    Congressman Gregory Meeks (D – NY)

    By April Ryan, NNPA

    “A complex reality” is being overlooked by President Donald Trump, with his Friday proposal to send the U.S. military into Nigeria over alleged anti-Christian behaviors, believes Congressman Greg Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
    The president said last week in a post to social media that if Nigeria does not halt the persecution of Christians, he may send U.S. troops “guns-a-blazing” to “completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”
    Trump has directed the Department of War “to prepare for possible action,” he wrote (https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115476385101120405). “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!” Congressman Meeks responded in a written statement with, “I know President Tinubu recognizes the importance of interfaith harmony and is working to address this challenge.”
    While chastising the president’s plans, Meeks said, “Providing security support is one thing; Trump’s threatening military intervention to ‘defend Christians’ is a reckless distortion of the facts. And Trump’s aid cuts have blocked much-needed emergency nutrition and livelihoods programs—the very tools essential to preventing the spread of insurgency.”
    “The Trump Administration’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern ignores the complex reality of violence there. Clashes between Christian farmers and Muslim herders are driven by resource scarcity and competition for land, not religion alone,” adds the New York federal lawmaker who went on to say, ” Terrorist groups have devastated communities, especially in the predominantly Muslim north, and all Nigerians deserve protection.” According to a 2019 Pew Research study, Nigeria ranked fifth among the world’s Christian populations and third among the world’s largest Muslim populations.
    Meeks also makes the distinction that Nigeria’s President Tinubu is Muslim while his wife is Christian. The last time President Trump met with a Nigerian president was in April 2018, when he hosted then-President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria at the White House. The bilateral meeting focused on enhancing partnerships between the two countries, promoting economic growth, and fighting terrorism, including Boko Haram and ISIS in West Africa.
    There is no chance of ironing out this issue at the end of the month at the G-20 Summit in South Africa, as President Trump has declined to attend the world leaders’ event on the African continent. Although not a formal member of the G20, Nigerian officials plan to participate in the summit and make presentations.

  • City Council of Eutaw holds Organizational Meeting; names new police chief

    The new City Council of Eutaw met at 5:00 PM on November 3, 2025, for its Organizational Meeting. The new Mayor, Corey Cockrell presided at the meeting which was attended by all five council members. Districts 1,2, and 3 (Valerie Watkins, Jonathan Woodruff Jr. and Tracey Hunter) were represented by persons who served on the previous council, while District 4 and 5 council members Lorenzo French and Carrie Logan were newly elected and had not previously served.
    The Organizational Meeting was to set the rules and procedures for Eutaw City Council meetings, make appointments and clarify the banking and financial roles of the Mayor and Council members.
    The Council adopted Resolution 2025-14 for the rules of procedure for meetings of the Eutaw City Council which included quorum requirements, use of Robert’s Rules of Order, reporting, minutes, adoption of resolutions , decorum, public comments and other regulations.
    The Council adopted Resolution 2025-15 specifying that there will be two regular meetings per month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month, at 5:00 PM at the Eutaw City Hall.
    The Council adopted Resolution 2025-16 on Banking stating that two signatures will be required on each check. Four persons are designated as signatories: Mayor Cockrell, Sha’Kelvia Spencer, City Clerk, Council members Tracey Hunter and Jonathon Woodruff.
    The Council adopted other resolutions naming Councilwoman Tracey Hunter as Mayor Pro Tempore, who will preside over meetings in the absence of the mayor; Sha’Kelvia Spencer as City Clerk; Joshua Swords as Municipal Judge; Zane Willingham as City Attorney and Municipal Prosecutor. These persons are currently serving in the same roles.
    The Council adopted Resolution 2025-20 naming Kendrick Howell as Chief of Police replacing current Chief Tommy Johnson. No information was given as the reason for the change. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 3 to 2, with new members , Lorenzo French and Carrie Logan, voting against the resolution. Bennie Abrams was re-named to his position as Fire Chief.
    Several other resolutions were adopted naming Mayor Cockrell as the Superintendent of the Water Department and a separate resolution authorizing the mayor to have a limit of up to $10,000 in discretionary spending. The resolution requires the mayor to report on discretionary spending at the next regular Council meeting.
    Due to Veterans Day falling on the second Tuesday, the next regular meeting of the Eutaw City Council will be held on Wednesday November 12, 2025, at 4:00 PM. A Eutaw Council work session will be held this Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 5:00 PM, to discuss pending issues and design the agenda for the November 12 meeting.

  • Greene County Commission holds special meeting to allocate funds for a waterpark, repairs to Eutaw Activity Center, Greene County Health System and employees

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher and Editor

    The Greene County Commission held a special called meeting on Saturday November 1, 2025, to obligate unrestricted funds at its disposal to various projects and commitments.
    The Commission allocated an unspecified amount of funding toward repairs to the front doors, floors and windows of the Eutaw Activity Center, which is owned by the county. The County Administrator was authorized to design specifications and solicit bids for this work, which was estimated to cost more than $100,000. The funds will come from funding provided to the County Commission from the Greene County Racing Commission, from simulcasting of dog and horse racing and historic horse racing gaming at the Palace Entertainment Center.
    The Commission earmarked $600,000 of funding in its Bingo Fund Account for development of a waterpark. The waterpark will be a leisure and recreation center for residents of Greene County. The park will consist of a splashpad, primarily for children, water slides and a swimming pool. It will be built in phases starting with the splashpad. Commission Allen Turner said, “ We have been studying what other counties and municipalities have done in building and improving their public parks for recreation. We want to build a waterpark in phases with our discretionary funds and grants we can raise from state, federal and private funding.”
    Turner indicated that the Commission was in the early stages of design of the waterpark but had not designated a specific location for the project yet. He pointed out that the County owned land on Highway 43 and was exploring other locations like the Rober H. Young Community Center, formerly Carver School, in cooperation with the City of Eutaw as a potential site.
    The Commission also approved additional support for the Greene County Health System (GCHS), which includes the Hospital, Nursing Home and Physicians Clinic, to ensure these vital facilities would be open and available to serve the residents of Greene County. The Commission authorized an additional $150,000 in advances to the GCHS of the 4 mil advalorem property tax, with an understanding that these funds would be repaid as the county collects these taxes for the healthcare system. In a prior meeting the Commission authorized $100,000 advance to GCHS, which has been already paid to and used by the healthcare system. The Commission also previously provided and paid $40,000 in opioid funds as a grant to the GCHS.
    At Saturday’s meeting the Commission also agreed to grant the GCHS an additional $100,000 in Bingo or other discretionary gaming funds for payment of outstanding debts. This grant was conditioned on the GCHS presenting a list of priority expenses to the Commission. The Commission previously granted $100,000 to GCHS, with half to be used for an audit and other half for necessary expenses. This means that the GCHS has $150,000 to draw against for critical expenses; $50,000 for an audit; and $150,000 for advances from the 4-mil tax, primarily for payroll expenses, on an as needed basis. These advances will be repaid as people pay their 2025 property taxes.
    The Commission also approved a net salary supplement to employees, with $1,100 for full time employees, $500 for part time employees and $300 for temporary employees. The total cost for these supplements will be $85,000.
    The Commission accepted the resignation of Sandra Walker (District 1) from the Greenthumb Development Board and appointed Lucy Spann as the District 1 representative.
    This was Commissioner Corey Cockrell’s last meeting. He resigned on the morning of November 3rd, when he was inaugurated as the new Mayor of Eutaw. The Commission is expecting Governor Ivey to name the replacement for Commissioner for District 3 in the near future.

  • New Eutaw Mayor Corey Cockrell and City Council inaugurated

    New Mayor Corey Cockrell take Oath of Office and Eutaw Council members sworn in

    On Monday, November 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM new City of Eutaw Mayor, Corey Cockrell and City Council members: Valerie Watkins (District 1), Jonathan O. Woodruff Jr.(District 2)., Tracey Hunter (District 3), Lorenzo French (District 4) and Carrie Logan (District 5) were sworn in to their positions. The ceremony was held on the lawn of the old Greene County Courthouse at the Thomas E. Gilmore Historic Square. More than 200 officials, city and county residents were present for the historic inaugural ceremonies.
    The program began with a welcome from Council member Tracey Hunter, a scripture reading by Councilman Woodruff, an invocation by Rev. Joe Webb, Pastor of New Generation Church, the Pledge of Allegiance by Carrie Logan and the National Anthem by the Greene County High School Band
    The oath of office was administered by District Judge Lillie Osborne to Council members Watkins, Woodruff and Hunter. City Judge Joshua Swords administered the oath to Council members French and Logan. Osborne administered the oath to new Mayor Corey Cockrell.
    Mayor Corey Cockrell gave a short address as new mayor setting his vision for progress and unity in the City of Eutaw. He said, “This victory is not just mine. It’s ours. It’s a victory for every neighborhood, every resident, every business owner loves this city and wants to see it thrive.”
    He continued saying, “ I pledge to you : I will work tirelessly. I will listen. I will lead with transparency, with integrity, with courage, and a heart for service. I will build partnerships – with our community, business, faith groups, neighboring cities, because no one person can do this alone.” We have provided a copy of his full remarks, below,  review and hold him accountable.
    Honored quests were recognized. County Commission Chair Garria Spencer made some congratulatory remarks as did Sheriff Joe Benison, who pledged his support to the new mayor. Lauren Smith gave a musical selection. Master of Ceremony, Joe Lee Powell closed out the program a reception in the City Hall and the scheduled Organizational Meeting of the City Council for 3:00 PM also in the City Hall council chamber.

    Inaugural Address by Corey Cockrell, Mayor, City of Eutaw
    November 3, 2025

    Good Morning, Thank You.
    First, I want to thank God who is the head of my life. Nothing is too big for God. Let me say how deeply humbled and honored I am to stand before you this morning as your newly elected mayor of Eutaw. I am grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me and our city council, also the mandate you’ve given us to move this city forward. Together we’ve shown what can happen when a community comes together with hope, determination, and a vision for a brighter future.
     To everyone who voted, who knocked on doors, who made phone calls, who volunteered their time, who believe in our vision and the possibility of change this is your victory too. Your commitment and your voice matter.
    I want to extend my deepest gratitude to my family, friends, campaign team and supporters- you  made this possible. I couldn’t have done it without you. You inspired and encouraged me every step of the way.
    To my opponents: thank you for running a vigorous campaign. I respect your service, and I look forward to working with you/ acknowledging your perspective as we strive to unite in service for our city.
    This victory is not just mine. It’s ours. It’s a victory for every neighborhood, every resident, every business owner who loves this city and wants to see it thrive. But, as we celebrate this moment, let us remember that this is just the beginning. Our journey forward begins now. The city is not defined by the buildings or streets; It’s defined by the people. And the people of this city are the ones who will continue to drive us forward, to build on the strengths, and to  create the community we all deserve. I know we face challenges, some expected and unexpected , but I have unwavering faith in us as  a whole. Together we will tackle these challenges with compassion, understanding, creativity and promptness.
    We are entering a new chapter in Eutaw – one where we build together, inclusively and boldly. A city where everyone has opportunity. A city where our children can grow up safe, confident, and excited about the future. A city where the promise of this place is fulfilled  in every corner.
    This morning, I pledge to you:  I will work tirelessly. I will listen. I will lead with transparency, with integrity and courage, and with a heart for service. I will build partnerships – with  our community, business, faith groups, neighboring cities because no one person can do this alone.
    Our challenges are real; whether it’s affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure, jobs, or our environment, but I believe our potential is greater. We can and we will make progress.
     Let’s get to work. Let’s roll up our sleeves. Let’s be brave, bold and compassionate. Let‘s show what this city can be.
    Thank you again to every resident of Eutaw, for placing your faith in this new administration.  Let’s move forward together.  Our best days are ahead. 
    The time  has come to  put our boots on the ground.

  • Newswire : Halloween Parade canceled in Chicago because ICE is still deploying tear gas and ‘running wild’

     Immigrants protest ICE in Chicago

    By Zack Linly, NewsOne

    Today’s report on the ongoing situation in Chicago — where Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents keep running wild  like rabid dogs off their leashes,’ and residents keep responding by, well, not having it at all — seems to be getting worse as clashes intensify between agents, protesters and, often, people who were just trying to get to work or school.
    As we’ve noted previously, while the Trump administration has claimed repeatedly that its immigration crackdown is about ridding America of the worst kinds of “criminal illegal aliens,” we’re not seeing evidence that hardened criminals represent the bulk of who is being accosted by agents, arrested, and disappeared to who knows where.
    Instead, immigration officers seem to be going after any and everyone who they think looks wrong, and subsequently arresting workers and people raising families, who may or may not have all their paperwork in order, and they seem to be dumbfounded by the lack of support they’re getting from the community, including the protesters they seem to be attacking first and vilifying as agitators later.
    For example, according to the Chicago Sun-Times,  a Halloween costume parade for children that was supposed to take place on a usually quiet residential block has been canceled because just hours before it was scheduled to begin, tear gas had been deployed by agents moved to detain Luis Villegas, a construction worker who agents chased down the 3700 block of North Kildare Avenue and tackled on a lawn. It was reportedly the first of two incidents in the same area where agents deployed tear gas, purportedly to defend themselves against enraged bystanders who took issue with ICE agents behaving more like criminals than the “criminal illegal aliens” they claim to be arresting.
    Of course, the Department of Homeland Security is claiming agents were “boxed in by agitators,” a claim the department has made about previous incidents, only for witnesses and video footage to contradict the narrative.
    “These weren’t activists, these weren’t paid protesters, these were literally my neighbors coming out of their homes at 10 o’clock in the morning because they saw lawless agents acting in violent ways,” Kolp said, claiming the people officers deployed tear gas on were mostly neighbors who had stepped out of their homes to film and shout at agents. “There are only so many ways we can hold these folks accountable. If the courts can’t do it, Congress can’t do it, then it’s up to the community to do it.”
    Erin Sarris, a resident who has lived in the neighborhood for eight years, said she was on her way to the Halloween parade with her two 8-year-old daughters and 6-year-old son when she saw the cloud of tear gas from down the street.
    “It’s impossible to explain the concept of this to school-age kids like that and make them feel OK about it, because it’s not OK,” Sarris said. “It shatters their worldview of what’s right, fair, and appropriate in witnessing this.”
    Again, this was only the first incident involving ICE agents seemingly ignoring a federal judge’s previous order limiting their use of tear gas near schools and residential areas. 
    These clashes between citizens and border cops are not limited to Chicago, of course. In large cities across the country, video footage of federal agents swarming citizens and non-citizens alike as angry onlookers heckle them and, sometimes, get themselves personally involved is being shared across social media on a daily basis

  • Newswire : ASU lands largest ever donation from philanthropist Mackenzie Scott

    Alabama State University and  MacKenzie Scott

    By Josh Moon, Alabama Political Reporter

     

    It’s been a good few days for Alabama State University. 
    After trouncing in-state rival Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic on Saturday, ASU president Quinton Ross announced in a letter to alumni on Monday that the school was the recipient of a $38 million donation from Mackenzie Scott. 

    Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has gifted billions of dollars in recent years to various organizations and universities, and she has been particularly generous to historically Black colleges and universities. The $38 million donation to ASU is the school’s single largest donation, according to Ross’s letter. 

    “Today marks a defining moment in the history of Alabama State University,” Ross wrote in his letter. “I am filled with immense gratitude and proud to announce that Alabama State University has received the largest single donation in its 158-year history.

    Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated an extraordinary $38 million gift to our great University. Ms. Scott’s generosity affirms Alabama State University’s reputation as a catalyst for excellence and innovation in higher education. This is truly a pivotal moment in ASU’s history.”

    Scott has given to a number of organizations and universities in Alabama and around the country. Last year, as part of more than $640 million in donations through her Yield Foundation, Scott donated to the First Light Foundation in Birmingham and the Alabama ACLU. She also previously donated $20 million to Tuskegee University. 

    Last week, Scott gave Morgan State University, another HBCU, $63 million, and earlier gave Maryland-Eastern Shore a donation of $38 million.