Greene County Democrat

Category: Health

  • Picket Line and Rally against Trump Administration to be held Saturday, April 5th at Eutaw Post Office, 10:00 AM to Noon

    You are invited to a Picket Line and Rally, this Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the Eutaw Post Office, 227 Prairie Avenue. This is a protest against the polices and actions of the Trump Administration, during its first 75 days in office.
    This public witness of dissatisfaction with Trump-Vance-Musk, at a Federal building in Eutaw, Alabama, is open to anyone who is angry, frustrated and feels betrayed by our national government.
    This Greene County demonstration is part of a larger national and international “Hands Off Our Democracy” protest going on in hundreds of places across America and the world this Saturday, April 5, 2025.
    This is a grassroots response to the power-grab by millionaires and billionaires, like Trump, Vance, Musk and their MAGA supporters, of our Constitutional rights, benefit programs and ultimately of our democracy.
    In recent weeks, the Trump-Vance-Musk regime has unfairly fired thousands of needed Federal workers; unlawfully closed whole agencies and departments, USAID, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Department of Education and others; suspended and questioned contracts with CBO’s because they are implementing policies of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

    Trump and his associates are also trying to cut Federal programs – Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, National Parks, Smithsonian Museums, SNAP (food stamps), WIC, Food Banks, school lunches and post offices serving working and poor people. Many of these actions have been taken to provide funding for tax cuts to the top 1% of wealthy people in our country, who do not need tax cuts and should be paying their fair share.

    Trump is also working to take your voting rights; women’s reproductive rights; deporting hundreds of immigrants, who are our neighbors; changing foreign policy to abandon Canada, Mexico and Europe for an alliance with Putin, the Russian dictator; abandoning climate change and environmental justice; and trying to eliminate our Constitution and end our Democracy.

    If you are affected and displeased with any of these policies and unlawful actions, come and join us on Saturday morning, at the Eutaw Post Office and let people see that we are resisting and protesting the Trump-Vance-Musk Administration. This is your chance to show your opposition to the things Trump and his MAGA supporters are doing to America. This is your chance to show that small rural communities, as well as big cities, do not support and want to reverse the policies, cutbacks and unjustifiable and unlawful policies of the Trump Administration.

    This protest is open to all that oppose and want to resist Trump-Vance-Musk. Bring your own handmade sign, protesting the parts of the Trump agenda you most disagree with. Sign up for future actions and protests.

    For more information, contact the Publishers of the Greene County Democrat at 205-372-3373 or by 205-657-0273.

  • Newswire : AARP pushes back as Social Security Administration slashes services and staff

    By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) is moving forward with a sweeping overhaul of its operations, including plans to slash its workforce by 12 percent, shut down six regional field offices, and eliminate key phone services—changes that have sparked fierce opposition from AARP and alarmed millions of older Americans.
    Beginning March 31, the SSA will require that individuals applying for or managing their Social Security benefits confirm their identity online or in person at a local office, effectively ending the ability to complete specific critical tasks by phone. The new rule impacts retirement, disability, and other benefit applications and alters how individuals change their direct deposit information. Acting SSA Commissioner Lee Dudek said the move is designed to combat a surge in fraud, stating, “Social Security is losing over $100 million a year to direct-deposit fraud.”
    However, the shift has drawn sharp criticism from AARP, which represents more than 100 million Americans over age 50. In a March 19 letter to Dudek, AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond wrote that requiring in-person verification or internet access will create “undue hardship” for millions, particularly those in rural areas, without reliable transportation, or who lack internet access.
    She called on the SSA to immediately reverse a “rash decision.” “It is outrageous that under this new policy, older Americans will have to call, wait on hold for possibly hours, make an appointment, or even take a day off work to claim the benefits they have earned,” LeaMond wrote. “There is nothing ‘efficient’ about creating more confusion and disrupting the lives of millions of hardworking American taxpayers with such short notice and no input from the public”.
    LeaMond and AARP argue that this change—announced only two weeks before implementation—compounds an existing customer service crisis. SSA is already plagued by long phone wait times, with more than half of callers reportedly hanging up before reaching a representative. Those who do get through often face callback delays of two hours or more. The SSA’s restructuring plan includes cutting its workforce from 57,000 to 50,000 and reducing its number of field offices from 10 to just four. AARP says these actions will worsen already deteriorating services. “Older Americans have paid into and earned their Social Security after a lifetime of hard work—not just their checks, but top-notch customer service as well,” LeaMond wrote.
    The organization has sent letters to both chambers of Congress, urging immediate oversight. In letters dated March 24 to the House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee, LeaMond asked lawmakers to hold hearings and intervene to stop the changes before they cause what she termed “serious harm”. “These abrupt changes, made with no public input or adequate notice, will force many Americans—especially those in rural areas or without internet access—to wait on hold for hours, make appointments, or take time off work simply to access their earned benefits,” she wrote. “This is unacceptable.”
    AARP has mobilized its vast membership in response, with over a million emails and calls to Congress in the past few weeks. The group has adopted what it describes as an “all-hands-on-deck” strategy, engaging directly with SSA leadership, educating lawmakers, and urging the public to act. John Hishta, AARP’s senior vice president of campaigns, said the organization is determined to protect Social Security for current and future generations. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that older Americans continue to see no disruption in their payments and receive the information they need to stay informed and take action on changes at SSA,” he said.
    AARP warned that the SSA’s abrupt changes could also heighten the risk of fraud. “While this was announced to combat fraud, we are concerned this will have the opposite effect,” LeaMond wrote in her letter to Dudek. Without a proper education campaign, scammers may exploit the confusion, using fake verification processes to steal personal data and drain bank accounts. The SSA has not publicly detailed how it plans to mitigate the risk of fraud or assist those unable to verify their identity online or reach a field office. AARP is calling on Congress to act before the March 31 implementation date, urging lawmakers to ensure that changes to Social Security service delivery come with transparency, sufficient notice, and public engagement. “We urge the agency to reverse this decision, or for Congress to step in and stand up for older Americans everywhere,” LeaMond said.

  • Newswire : Federal judge: Alabama can’t prosecute citizens who help women get out-of-state abortions

    By Jacob Holmes, Alabama Political Reporters
    U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson ruled Monday evening that the State of Alabama cannot prosecute groups or individuals who help Alabama women travel to get a legal abortion out of state.
    Attorney General Steve Marshall had threatened to prosecute such groups on the grounds that abortion is outlawed in the state, and that groups helping women to get abortions out of state were therefore complicit in a crime.
    In a declaration of summary judgment on behalf of the plaintiffs, Thompson said applying that same argument to other circumstances reveals its flaws. “For example, the Alabama Attorney General would have within his reach the authority to prosecute Alabamians planning a Las Vegas bachelor party, complete with casino-style gambling, since casino-style gambling is outlawed in Alabama,” Thompson wrote.
    Yellowhammer Fund, an Alabama abortion fund, alleged that the Attorney General’s threats of prosecution were preventing it from providing support to pregnant Alabamians who seek legal care across state lines and therefore sued the Attorney General in July 2023.
    “Today is a good day for pregnant Alabamians who need lawful out-of-state abortion care, “said Jenice Fountain, Executive Director of Yellowhammer Fund. “The efforts of Alabama’s attorney general to isolate pregnant people from their communities and support systems has failed.”
    Marshall had publicly considered the possibility of prosecuting individuals who provide assistance to women seeking abortions, but the state has not charged anybody with such a crime.

  • Newswire : Congressional Black Caucus sounds alarm to protect SNAP benefits

    CBC members hold press conference on Capitol steps to counter SNAP cuts

    By Lauren Burke, NNPA Newswire
    During a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol on March 25, members of the Congressional Black Caucus spoke out with concern about budgetary threats to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). CBC Chair Yvette Clarke spoke of “grave concerns” about the “Republican scheme to cut billions of dollars to cut SNAP benefits that help millions of American families.”
    “Twenty percent of Black households have faced food insecurity compared to 7 percent of their white counterparts. Forty-two percent of all SNAP recipients are children. In fact, 4 in 5 SNAP households include a child, an elder, or an individual with a disability,” the CBC Chair added. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program formerly known as the Food Stamp Program began during the Great Depression but has changed significantly over time. In 2008, the Food Stamp Program was renamed SNAP. The 1980s saw budget cuts and stricter eligibility requirements under President Ronald Reagan. In the 1990s, a welfare reform push under President Bill Clinton led to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996. That legislation mandated work requirements and restrictions on certain groups such as non-citizens.
    Today with a push towards billions in cuts by President Trump and continuous talk of cuts to social programs by Elon Musk, Republicans in the U.S. House have been positioning to cut programs to free the budget up for a tax cut focused on the top 1 percent in the U.S. “It is outrageous that Republicans have spent all their time working to dismantle the social safety net including SNAP,” Rep. Clarke said outside of the Capitol today. “SNAP is not a handout, it is a lifeline,” she added.
    One of the lead members of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA). “SNAP’s effects go beyond just the people in need — it’s also the farmers and the businesses that provide the food,” Rep. Bishop said standing in front of ten of his colleagues as tourists and school groups listened nearby. If there are big cuts to SNAP, “over 285,000 jobs would be at risk” Rep. Bishop pointed out. “Real people are going to be hurt if the $230 billion in SNAP cuts are forced upon the American people,”
    Rep. Bishop added. In 2023, approximately 36.8 million people in the U.S. were living in poverty, representing an official poverty rate of 11.1%. This figure reflects a slight decrease from the previous year’s rate of 11.5%, equating to about 37.9 million individuals in poverty in 2022.

  • Newswire : Nationwide protests against Tesla successful – reflect popular dissatisfaction with Trump,Vance and Musk

    Protest at Tesla dealership in San Francisco, CA and Tesla protestor in Jacksonville, Florida

    By Pat Bryant

    Nearly every Tesla dealership in the United States and the world had 100 to 500 peaceful protestors out front Saturday March 29. Elon Musk’s electric car company earned rebuke, a 6-week sales slump continued, stock values dropped by half, and large stockholders sold out. Telsa’s destruction is Elon Musk’s payback for his role in firing hundreds of thousands of federal workers and crippling and destroying federal agencies and programs illegally without Congressional approval.
    Federal judges ordered Musk and the Trump administration to stop wreckage of America’s institutions. But Trump and Musk continue. A constitutional crisis looms where Trump may be able to rewrite the U.S. Constitution with the help of six republican members of the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump’s control of the three branches of government would create a one-man rule—a dictatorship.
    Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are taking no action. Republican lawmakers are refusing to come to town hall gatherings to talk about Trump , Vance, and Musk’s institutional carnage. In many towns, Jacksonville included, citizens have organized “empty chair” town halls that Republican Congress persons refused to show.
    At Tesla in Jacksonville, Florida, this reporter talked with several protestors who are resolute to destroy Tesla and Musk to save American democracy. A few of their concerns are below:
    Cathy, a middle-aged woman, army retired, holding a homemade sign “Musk UnAmerican NAZI”. The retiree warned “our democracy is at risk in so many ways. What they have done to our top military brass to everything that is truly American. They are going after our museums. What they are doing is terribly insane”.
    Colonel Lynnette Kennison, U.S. Army retired called President Trump a bully. “He is allowing Musk to destroy our institutions. They are going to be terribly hard to rebuild. We are imploding from the inside. I am worried about losing Social Security and so many things”.
    Julie Spellman carried a sign that read “Tax the Rich, Musk and Trump = Putin’s Puppets Follow the $$$ Julie”. Of Trump she said “he wants to destroy our country so his oligarch friends can keep their tax relief and takeover our country as a corporatocracy” Spellman is related to the benefactors that founded Spellman College in Atlanta, an HBCU serving Black women.
    A retired nurse carried a sign, “Deport Musk, DeThrone Trump”. She said “they have done more to destroy our country than anyone I can think of. Friends are no longer friends. We can’t talk. Senior citizens depend on social security. This is crazy. They are short staffed at Social Security.”
    As this reporter was talking to a Musk/Tesla protestor and thirtyish man rode by angrily and close to demonstrators and yelled curse words. Cheryl an elderly woman remarked “he is an idiot. None of them have an idea of what’s going on. They have not talked to anyone who has lost a job or anything else. They are coming for my Social Security and I am not happy about that.”
    Tesla peaceful protests continue world-wide Saturday April 5th noon to 2 pm.
    *Pat Bryant is a long-time journalist, human rights organizer in the southern United States. He may be reached at pat46bryant@gmail.com.

  • Newswire : Trump orders purge of Black History from Smithsonian, targets African American Museum

    National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D. C.

    By Stacy M. Brown
    BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

    Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, the dog whistle has become a bullhorn. The whitewashing of American history is no longer implied—it’s spelled out in ink, signed into law, and backed by a government that is now openly in the grip of white supremacist power. In his latest executive order, President Trump has targeted the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, calling for the erasure of what he deems “divisive race-centered ideology.”
    He has directed Vice President JD Vance to eliminate these so-called “divisive” elements from the Smithsonian’s 21 museums, educational and research centers, and even the National Zoo. The executive order is chillingly titled “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History.” It declares that the Smithsonian, once a symbol of “American excellence,” has become tainted by narratives that portray “American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.” “Museums in our Nation’s capital should be places where individuals go to learn—not to be subjected to ideological indoctrination or divisive narratives that distort our shared history,” the order states.
    The directive goes further, instructing Vance, along with Vince Haley, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and Lindsey Halligan, Special Assistant to the President, to work with Congress to block all federal appropriations for Smithsonian exhibitions or programs that “degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.” The order also aims at the American Women’s History Museum, demanding that no future appropriations “recognize men as women in any respect,” and calls for new citizen members to be appointed to the Smithsonian Board of Regents—individuals committed to enforcing the president’s vision.
    This is not an isolated move. Since returning to office, Trump has issued a barrage of executive orders aimed at dismantling every vestige of diversity, equity, and inclusion across the federal government. He terminated all DEI programs, calling them “illegal and immoral discrimination.” The National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America initiative—long dedicated to uplifting historically underserved communities—has been gutted. The Pentagon’s website erased the stories of Navajo Code Talkers. A “Black Lives Matter” mural in the heart of Washington, D.C., was demolished. Perhaps most brazenly, the Department of Defense Education Activity banned Black History Month observances at military base schools and ordered the removal of any book or material that mentions slavery, the civil rights movement, or the treatment of Native Americans.
    Now, the National Museum of African American History and Culture—which opened to national fanfare in 2016—is in the crosshairs. “In an almost surprising fashion, the Smithsonian has been outside of the bounds of political wrangling,” said Samuel Redman, a history professor and director of the public history program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “It’s not as though there hasn’t been political influence … but just in terms of overall funding and support for the Smithsonian, it’s been remarkably consistent.” That consistency has now been shattered. Trump’s executive order doesn’t just attack the museum—it hints at restoring what many hoped America had buried: Confederate monuments, white supremacist names on federal buildings, and the reinstallation of statues that were taken down during the country’s reckoning after the murder of George Floyd.
    What the president calls “shared American values” is beginning to resemble a national doctrine rooted in erasure and oppression. The Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex—was founded on increasing and diffusing knowledge. Established by Congress with funds left by James Smithson, a British scientist, the institution spans 21 museums and the National Zoo, with 11 of the museums located along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Now, it faces its greatest threat yet—not from budget cuts or neglect, but from a government determined to rewrite history at the expense of truth. The stakes have never been clearer as the country watches these moves unfold. The battle over American history isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now, in plain sight, with executive orders, political enforcers, and the full weight of the federal government behind it. “This is about power,” said a Smithsonian staffer who asked not to be named out of fear of retribution. “They’re not hiding it anymore.”

  • Congresswoman Terri Sewell holds forum in Branch Heights to address local impact of Trump budget cut

    Pictured from left to right:  Rep. Terri Sewell,Dr. Corey Jones Superintendent of Greene Co. Board of Education, Jean Rykaczweski, CEO of West AL Food Bank, Dr. Marcia Pugh CEO of Greene County Hospital, and Dennis Stripling Executive Director of West AL Regional Commission


    On Thursday, March 20, 2025, Congresswoman. Terri Sewell held a community forum from 4:00 to 5:30 PM. at the Branch Heights Community Center Gymnasium in Eutaw. This session attended by 150 people was part of her “Congress in your Community” program.
    The forum featured a panel discussion where Rep. Sewell served as the moderator, addressing the impact of budget resolutions and decisions made by the current administration under President Donald Trump.
    During the discussion,  Sewell informed the audience that President Trump and the Republican members of Congress are planning to cut as much as  $4 trillion from the Federal budget to provide a tax cut to the wealthy and well connected. 93% of the benefits of this tax cut will go to the top 1% of the taxpayers. Sewell said, “Despite the Republican promises, we know that these tax savings rarely trickle down to us. We were not invited into the rooms to negotiate this deal, which is bad for our district and our nation.”
    Sewell continued, “Among the budget cuts that Trump, Vance and Musk want to make involve the wholesale firing of a quarter or more of the Federal workforce; $240 billion from food stamps; $880 billion from Medicaid, which provides for the health care of children and the aged in nursing homes; Title I and other education funds to provide equity to the poor, disabled and underserved children.”
    Sewell said she and Congressman Shomari Figures had to hold a press conference in Montgomery, the weekend of Blood Sunday, to push Musk to take the Greyhound Bus Station, now serving as the Freedom Riders Museum off the list of Federal properties to be sold. “Our history is not for sale” she said fearlessly.
    Sewell also blasted Trump, Vance and Musk’s attempts to reduce the staff and offices of Social Security, which will lead to cuts in benefits. “Social Security is not an entitlement program. It is an earned benefit paid for by people paying into the system over a lifetime,” said the Congresswoman.

    Rep. Sewell posed the question to the panel regarding how these budget cuts would affect their respective organizations.
    Dr. Corey Jones, Superintendent of Greene County Schools, expressed his concerns about education funding being placed entirely in the hands of the state government. He voiced skepticism about whether Governor Kay Ivey and future administrations would ensure that Greene County receives its fair share of funding. ‘Our Title I funds have gone to add teachers, lower class size and respond to children with special needs, will we get a fair and comparable share of the funds, when they are controlled by the state, with no oversight and accountability,” said Superintendent Jones.


    Dr. Marcia Pugh, representing the Greene County Health System, discussed the reality that currently Medicaid reimbursement rates are much lower that actual costs which is already a hardship. If these funds are cut, more it will make it difficult for our small rural hospital to survive. “Every one of the 37 patients in our Nursing Home today, Black and White, are covered by Medicaid. If Medicaid funding is reduced, how will we be able to take care of these elderly residents, where will they go, with other facilities having the same problem. We will not be funded to take care of them,” said Pugh.


    Dennis Stripling, Executive Director of the West Alabama Regional Commission, provided an update on senior services. He noted that, for now, the three senior centers in Eutaw, Forkland, and Boligee continue to provide food for seniors. However, he highlighted the upcoming reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA), which has been in place since 1965. Rep. Sewell assured attendees that she would advocate for the renewal of the OAA, ensuring continued support for senior nutrition programs.


    Jean Rykaczweski of the West Alabama Food Bank reaffirmed her commitment to working with local farmers to provide fresh vegetables to the food bank. USDA Federal funds for these programs have already been eliminated. “We have some funds from other sources, which we plan to use to purchase fresh food items from local farmers. These foods will be distributed to various locations throughout West Alabama, helping to support families in need,” she said.
    
Rep. Sewell pledged to fight for funding and continue working to protect the interests of her constituents, against the cruel and misconceived plans of the Trump, Vance, and Musk crowd.

    Debbie Duncan provided help in writing this article

  • Eutaw City Council approves supplemental request for water system and does not act on employee raises

    Eutaw Police Chief Tommy Johnson joined by Mayor and City Council awards March “Employee of the Month” to Officer Mandre Adams

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    This is a report of the meetings of the Eutaw City Council during the month of March. There were regular meetings on March 11 and 25 and a work session on March 24, 2025. The agenda for both regular meetings were similar, and some actions deferred or tabled at the first monthly meeting were completed at the second meeting. All three of the meetings were well attended with Mayor Latasha Johnson and all five council members present.
    At its March 25th meeting, the Eutaw City Council heard a progress report from Angela Henline, engineer with the Cassady Company in Northport. Henline reported that the four basic water improvement contracts had been completed for metering, monitoring and flush requirements. She reported that the Boligee Water Tank Rehabilitation was complete, which means Boligee will have a water reserve if problems occur in other parts of the system.
    She reported that the water backflow preventers had been installed for all system customers and that the 16-inch water main to connect Boligee to Brush Creek, as part of the Eutaw and Boligee water system was 80% complete. Improvements to the joint Eutaw-Boligee wastewater system are also underway starting with the pumping stations connecting Boligee and points in between with the lagoon in Eutaw.
    Engineer Henline asked the Eutaw City Council to approve submission of a supplemental request for $2.69 million dollars to replace the 16-inch water main from Lola Wallace Young Road to Brush Creek and install diesel generators for wells no. 4 and 5, in case of a power outage. She also requested a change order to use remaining funds in Wastewater contract B, to replace the Branch Heights Pumping Station. The Council approved requesting these supplemental funds and the change order.
    Henline said that ADEM would inform the City Council when other funds were available for the completion of other steps to improve the water and wastewater systems of Boligee and Eutaw.
    On items of Old Business, City Attorney, Zane Willingham explained that no action was needed on the right of way plans of Alabama Fiber Network, since the Eutaw City Council had passed an ordinance which included approval of these plans. The Council agreed to provide a streetlight near 415 Eatman Avenue at the request of Nicolas and Akira Spencer. The Mayor said that based on finances the city budget could not afford to respond to every request for additional street lighting. The Council voted to approve the request because a light on the street was damaged by last year’s storms and never replaced.
    Mayor Latasha Johnson said she had conducted an evaluation of each city employee as a requirement for providing them raises. She asked the Council to consider a raise between 50 cents and a dollar an hour. No one on the Council would make a motion for a raise for employees.
    In her report, later in the meeting, Mayor Johnson expressed disappointment that the council members would not consider a raise, since they raised the salaries of next incoming council from $300 to $800 a month. Councilwomen Tracey Hunter said that they were following the recommendation of City Financial Advisor, Ralph Liverman, who said not to raise salaries until later in the year when the fund balances were clearer.
    Mayor Johnson noted that Liverman also recommended against raising the next council’s salaries, but the council did it anyway. Councilman Wofford said that Liverman advised the Mayor to layoff city employees to meet budgetary goals and then consider raises. The Mayor said she would not lay employees off and found a way to modify the budget to keep existing employees employed. The disagreement over raises continues to divide the Mayor and Council.
    The Council approved the members of the City Zoning Board. Cynthia Cooper, John Zippert, Corey Cockrell and Shirley Edwards were re-appointed. Jacqueline Stewart, a former council member was added to the board. Four members of the Cemetery Committee were re-appointed including Sharon Trammel, Joseph Fricks, Linda Wheat, and Connie Tyree. They join Suzette Powell, who was recently appointed to a four-year term.
    Mayor Johnson named John Cashin to replace Reginald Cheatem for a two-year term on the Eutaw Airport Authority at the March 11 meeting. At the March 25th meeting, the Mayor reappointed John Darden, Danny Cooper and Jim Logan to the Airport Authority. They join Billy Mingles, Joe Powell and Collin McRae whose terms are not up for reappointment.
    In other actions, the Eutaw City Council:
    • Agreed to temporally close the Robert H. Young Community Center to assess repairs that are needed to improve the building and eliminate health hazards,
    • Approved travel for various officials and employees to attend training conferences,
    • Approved Mayor Johnson to accept bids for the repair of restrooms in the City Hall and to make them handicapped accessible.
    • Remove the Chief of Police from the signatories on the DARES account.
    • Approved amendment to the resolution and policies about police cars being used by officers to drive to their home addresses.
    • Approved use of the R. H. Young Community Center Gymnasium for Sam Marsonek (Baseball Country) on Sunday afternoons in April and May, for no charge.
    • Approve payment of bills.

  • Saluting Young Women Entrepreneurs during Women’s History Month

     

     

     

    Dr. Marleshia Hall, a native of Greene County, is an experienced educator and leader with over 16 years of teaching experience. She serves as the Division Chair of Natural Sciences and a Biology Instructor at Shelton State Community College, where she oversees faculty, manages academic programs, and supports student success.
    Dr. Hall earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Stillman College and holds a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, a Master’s in Biology, and a Master’s in General Human Environmental Sciences with a focus on Rural Community Health from The University of Alabama.
    Beyond academia, Dr. Hall is an entrepreneur and co-owner of Poppin’ Sisters Popcorn & Treats®️, a gourmet popcorn company, which began in November 2020 after years of providing treats along with her best friend (now business partner) for church events as a hobby. Poppin’ Sisters specializes in over 25 flavors of sweet and savory popcorn, along with other handcrafted treats, and shaved ice. Her business reflects her passion for quality, creativity, and bringing joy to others through food.
    The popcorn is currently sold in several store and hotel locations including six Piggly Wiggly locations and Hotel Indigo- Downtown Tuscaloosa. You can also find The Poppin’ Sisters in Bryant-Denny Stadium at Alabama football games and at Coleman Coliseum for Alabama basketball games. They were one of the official vendors at the 2022 World Games held in Birmingham, Alabama.
    Poppin’ Sisters has partnered with organizations and businesses like Visit Tuscaloosa, TTL (an engineering firm), and others to provide corporate gifts for their clients. Products are currently shipped nationwide to business clients and online customers.
    In her free time, Dr. Hall enjoys spending time with family, especially her nieces and nephews, who lovingly call her the “fun auntie”. She is also a devoted worship leader and Sunday school teacher at Miracle Deliverance Temple in Boligee, Alabama.
    Website: www.poppinsisterspopcorn.com

     

     

     

    Tannur Ali is a Greene County homesteader and founder of iLOGIC, the Institute for the Love of Genius in Community. By honoring the natural gifts of each member, iLOGIC connects dope individuals through deep interactions with the land and community. The cornerstones of iLOGIC’s work are regenerative agriculture and industries, artistic expression, self-reliance and collective governance. A Philadelphia native with family roots in Southwest Georgia, Tannur is grateful to have found fertile soil to plant the seeds of iLOGIC in Greene County, Alabama.

    Her business, iLOGIC Sustainable Industries, LLC is located at Solomon’s Garden, a 5-acre homestead and sustainability experimentation space. Tannur tells us, “We use the wisdom of our Ancestors, elders and children in the interest of our collective future. iLOGIC grows vegetables, fruits, herbs and chickens; conducts land steward training and builds collective enterprises utilizing the bounty of the land and the genius of our members.”
    Since 2017, iLOGIC at Solomon’s Garden has provided onsite training opportunities, connected with local farmers in search of work-trade opportunities and assisted local growers to install gardens on their land. Over 40 partners have participated in Homestead Incubation Trainings, with stays ranging from 4-hour work-trades to 12-month residential training programs. Several graduates of the program have purchased their own land and begun their homesteading journeys.
    Tannur’s lifelong connection with the land and true grit blossomed in Greene County. Following the adage of farmers from way back, she works from “cain’t see to cain’t see,” drawing the very best from the red clay in Alabama’s Black Belt. An avid knowledge-chaser, Tannur learned that the Black Belt is not only a region with a host of Black farmers, the term technically refers to the rich black soil beneath the surface that keeps our red clay fertile.
    No project is too small or too large, as Greene County’s enthusiastic young homesteader tackles tasks in every aspect of her business. Taking on the challenge of installing necessary infrastructure, she has single-handedly built two outdoor kitchens, two shower houses, a deluxe chicken coop and a village of dog houses, among other structures.
    Homestead Incubation Trainings provide an outlet for Tannur to share the immense knowledge and skills she has gained while cultivating deep connections in Greene County and throughout Alabama.
    In addition to learning how to construct large and small projects, homesteading trainees are introduced to legal procedures for deed searches, writing and transfers; procedures for installing roads and utilities; municipal, county and state regulations regarding zoning and utilities and how to interface with local, state and national farming support organizations–the full range of what one needs to know to establish a lifestyle of self-reliance, community engagement and sustainability that can last for many generations.

     

    Tannur Ali

  • Newswire :USDA starves Food Banks with more Trump Administration cuts

    People utilizing food bank

    By Stephen A. Crockett Jr., NewsOne

    The USDA has halted several million dollar’s worth of food deliveries to waiting food banks as a part of another cost-cutting measure by the overly aggressive cost-cutting Trump administration.  
    If I refuse to pay my phone, bill it doesn’t mean I’m saving money; it means I’m neglecting my responsibilities, and for months, Trump and his wayward band of sycophants have been cutting vital programs but always seem to have money for Trump’s golf outings. As it stands, Trump’s golf trips have cost U.S. taxpayers some $18 million since he was sworn into office. 
    Well now, Politico is reporting that the Agriculture Department has stopped “millions of dollars worth of deliveries to food banks without explanation, according to food bank leaders in six states.”
    According to the news site, the USDA had already allotted $500 million to six food banks for the Emergency  Food Assistance Program, and now, that money has been canceled. 

    From Politico:
    The halting of these deliveries, first reported by POLITICO, comes after the Agriculture Department separately axed two other food programs, ending more than $1 billion in planned federal spending for schools and food banks to purchase from local farmers.

    USDA did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
    The collective cuts are expected to make it more difficult for food banks to meet families’ needs, with food prices now 20 percent higher than they were in 2020, food bank leaders say.

    “I certainly look at our lines and look at our shelves and say we need some relief,” said Joree Novotny, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, which also reported canceled deliveries with no indication they would resume.
    A delivery of 500,000 pounds of food to the Central California Food Bank, which would have lasted from April through July and cost $850,000, has been stopped. 
    Jean Rykaczewski, Executive Director of the West Alabama Food Bank in Tuscaloosa, Alabama affirmed that several USDA programs providing food for her clients had been cancelled. She said, “we are raising funds from other sources so we can still buy produce from local farmers to distribute at our food bank.”
    Cathy Kanefsky, president of the Food Bank of Delaware, told Politico “that between 20 to 24 full truckloads of food were canceled for the next four months.”
    As usual, the Trump administration is simply taking money meant to feed people going through difficult times so they can spend it someplace else. The irony is that $148 million of the allotted $500 million was to be spent with farmers to buy “dairy products, eggs, blueberries and more.”
    “USDA has not yet announced plans to move forward with the canceled food orders,” the email from Feeding America sent to its food bank networks read, Politico reports. “We believe the best approach is for network members to work through state agencies to obtain clarification from USDA.”
    But if the states could afford to feed those in need, they wouldn’t need federal help. 
    “We can try to figure out how to make up the gaps, which is a hard lift, or ultimately there’s less food on the table,” Chad Morrison, president of West Virginia’s Mountaineer Food Bank, told Politico.