The Greene County Democrat

Category: history

  • Newswire: The GOP takes aim at D.C. Statehood and Home Rule as Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton fights back

    Longtime D.C. delegate Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton said that she would work with the NNPA and the NAHP to pressure Congress to demand greater federal adverting spending with minority-owned publishers. This photo was taken during a congressional panel discussion on judicial diversity on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Freddie Allen/AMG/NNPA)

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


    Longtime Democratic District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton has condemned attacks on her city by Republicans who now want to strip the nation’s capital of Home Rule.

    “Representative Clyde literally wants the federal government to resume running D.C. as a colony,” Rep. Norton said. Republican Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a member of the House Oversight Committee, counts among those leading a GOP contingent seeking to repeal the District of Columbia’s Home Rule Act.

    Clyde and others have been critical of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s administration, claiming that crime, homelessness, and open drug use are out of control in the nation’s capital. The GOP lawmakers also cited Mayor Bowser’s indoor vaccine mandate, which she’s since rolled back.
    “While I’m glad our intention of repealing D.C.’s Home Rule Act was heard loud and clear, the problems facing our nation’s capital city extend far beyond medical tyranny,” Rep. Clyde contended.

    “Make no mistake, this was not an empty threat; legislation is coming to restore Congress’ Article I Section 8 Constitutional duty ‘to exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District’ and to properly manage D.C.’s affairs.

    “In the near future, we will free Washington D.C. from the failed experiment of so-called ‘Home Rule,’ and we will return our nation’s capital to the American people after the Democrats’ almost 50-year reign of terror and failed leadership,” Rep. Clyde continued.

    With the midterm elections in November, Republicans are positioned to retake the U.S. House and Senate, and killing any hopes of D.C. statehood.

    “Rep. Clyde wants to take away the limited self-government the nearly 700,000 D.C. residents, a majority of whom are minorities, have had for the last 50 years and give absolute power over D.C. to Congress and, presumably, to congressionally or presidentially appointed administrators,” Rep. Norton stated.

    “At a time when we are having unprecedented success on our D.C. statehood bill, we will continue to move forward, not go back. We will defeat his anti-democratic efforts.”
    President Richard Nixon signed the Home Rule Act into law, and the measure gives D.C. an elected chief executive (mayor) and legislature (Council).

    Rep. Norton pointed out that, in signing the statement on Home Rule, Nixon wrote, “One of the major goals of this Administration is to place responsibility for local functions under local control and to provide local governments with the authority and resources they need to serve their communities effectively.”

    Nixon’s statement continued: “The measure I sign today represents a significant step in achieving this goal in the city of Washington. It will give the people of the District of Columbia the right to elect their own city officials and to govern themselves in local affairs.”

    “As the Nation approaches the 200th anniversary of its founding, it is particularly appropriate to assure those persons who live in our Capital City rights and privileges which have long been enjoyed by most of their countrymen. But the measure I sign today does more than create machinery for the election of local officials. It also broadens and strengthens the structure of the city government to enable it to deal more effectively with its responsibilities.”

    D.C. remains deprived of voting representation in Congress and full self-government, which Rep. Norton called undemocratic.

    “Statehood is the remedy,” she declared. “Congress has the constitutional authority to grant D.C. statehood. D.C. has a larger population than two states, pays more federal taxes than 21 states, pays more federal taxes per capita than any state, has a larger budget than 12 states, has a larger gross domestic product than 17 states, has a triple-A bond rating, and federal funds constitute a smaller percentage of its budget than the percentage of total state revenue.”

  • Newswire: Biden imposes new Russia sanctions,
    decries ‘beginning invasion’

    Map of Ukraine showing disputed areas

    From Aljazeera News Service

    US President Joe Biden has announced a new sanctions package against Russia, calling Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent the “beginning of a Russian invasion” of its neighbor.
    In a brief speech on Tuesday, Biden condemned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk and to authorize the deployment of Russian troops to “maintain peace” in the regions.
    “If Russia goes further with this invasion, we stand prepared to go further as with sanctions,” Biden said. “Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belongs to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community.”
    The sanctions target Russia’s sovereign debt as well as two large Russian financial institutions, including the country’s military bank, Biden said.
    “That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western financing. It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either,” the US president added.
    On Monday, Putin recognized the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) – areas that have seen fighting between Moscow-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government since 2014. Moscow then signed agreements with the territories that would allow it to establish a military presence in eastern Ukraine.
    The Biden administration initially responded with sanctions targeting trade in the two regions specifically, but Tuesday’s measures go after Russia itself. “We’ll also impose sanctions on Russia’s elites and their family members. They share the corrupt gains of the Kremlin policies and should share in the pain as well,” Biden said.
    “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, as he [Putin] indicated and asked permission to be able to do from his Duma.” US and European officials have said in recent weeks that they believe Russia is planning a large-scale incursion into Ukraine.
    “Every indication is that Russia is continuing to plan for a full-scale attack of Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. Biden echoed that assessment later in the day, saying that Russia “poised to go much further in launching a massive military attack against Ukraine”.
    The United States and its allies were quick to denounce Putin’s decision on Monday, with several European countries imposing sanctions on Russia.
    Germany halted the approval of Nord Stream 2, the Russian-owned $11bn gas pipeline across the Baltic Sea. The United Kingdom announced sanctions on three Russian billionaires and five banks, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia will have “pariah status” if it continues to invade Ukraine.
    Western powers have been warning for months that Russia, which they say has been amassing troops near the Ukrainian border, may be getting ready to invade its neighbor.
    Russia previously denied it is planning to invade, but it has vehemently opposed Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO. Moscow also wants security guarantees that the US-led alliance will stop its expansion into former Soviet republics, but Washington and NATO have rejected the demand as a “non-starter”.
    Several rounds of talks between Western and Russian leaders and diplomats have failed to resolve the crisis.
    Biden also said the door remains open for diplomacy. “There is still time to avert the worst-case scenario that will bring untold suffering to millions of people if they move as suggested,” the US president said. “The United States and our allies and partners remain open to diplomacy – if it is serious.

  • 57th annual Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma March 3 to 6

    The 57th Bridge Crossing Jubilee will be held next week in Selma, Alabama to commemorate “Bloody Sunday”, the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March and the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.

    The Bridge Crossing Jubilee is the largest continuing celebration of civil rights, voting rights and human rights in America.
    Parts of the Jubilee will be held in person and others will be virtual due to the lingering presence of the coronavirus.

    Faya Rose Toure, a major organizer of the Jubilee said, “Because of the mounting attacks on voting rights and the adoption of voter suppression legislation in many states, this year’s Jubilee takes on greater significance to defend the right to vote and fight-back against these attacks on Black, Brown, young and poor people’s rights. We invite you to attend the our many events and the march on Sunday.

    In addition to the commemorative march from Brown’s Chapel Church across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Sunday afternoon, there will be a recreation of the full march from Selma to Montgomery from March 7 to 11, coordinated by major civil rights organizations,
    including NAACP, SCLC, National Action Network, Black Voters Matter and others.

    Among the scheduled events are:

    Thursday, March 3
    7 p.m.-9 p.m. – Mass Meeting, Tabernacle Baptist Church, 1431 Broad St. Speakers: TBA
    Friday, March 4
    6:30 a.m. – Jubilee Golf Tournament, Valley Grande Golf Course, 1009 Warrior Dr., Valley Grande, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Dr. Leroy Maxwell, 334-412-8090, Fee: $50
    9 a.m.-12 p.m. – Education Summit: Theme: TBA, Dallas County Courthouse and Virtual Zoom Sessions Presenters: TBA
    9 a.m.-2 p.m. – Children’s Sojourn, Virtual Sessions. Fee: $7
    3 p.m.-4:00 p.m. – Induction in Legal Guardians and Women’s Hall of Fame, (NVRM) 6 Hwy 80 East, Inductees: TBA
    5 p.m.-7p.m. – Mock Trial, Dallas County Courthouse, 105 Lauderdale St. Expert Witnesses: Texas Southern Law School Students – Whether the ban on critical race theory (Black history) is in violation of the 14th Amendment
    7 p.m.-9 p.m. – Public Conversation, Dallas County Courthouse, 105 Lauderdale St. Speakers: TB
    Saturday, March 5
    8 a.m.-10 a.m. – Foot Soldiers Breakfast, Selma Amphitheater, Tickets: $5
    8 a.m.-10 a.m. – Jubilee Parade, Begins: Concordia College-2180 Broad St. to Edmund Pettus Bridge on Water Ave.
    9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. – Intergenerational Summit, Selma Amphitheater Guests: TBA
    9 a.m.-2 p.m. – Various workshops (see workshop schedule) Virtual Zoom Platform
    11 a.m.-7 p.m. – Jubilee Street Festival (Blues, Gospel, Hip Hop, R&B), Water Ave. Foot of the Pettus Bridge
    7 p.m.-10 p.m. – Freedom Flame Awards Gala, Selma Amphitheater Selma, AL Honorees: TBA, Tickets: $50 (per person) $450 (per table) Performance by: TBA
    Sunday, March 6
    7:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. – Martin Luther & Coretta Scott King Unity Breakfast, WCCS, 3000 Earl Goodwin Pkwy. Tickets: $25
    10 a.m.-1 p.m. – Sunday Morning Services, various churches in Selma – Tabernacle Baptist Church, Clinton Chapel, Brown Chapel Church, First Baptist Church
    1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. – Pre-march rally, Brown Chapel AME Church, 410 Martin Luther King St.
    2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. – Reenactment of “Bloody Sunday” march starting from Brown Chapel over Edmund Pettus Bridge
    3:30 p.m.-3:45 p.m. – Post-march rally, foot of Edmund Pettus Bridge
    4 p.m.-6:30 p.m. – Post-march gospel concert: Gospel tribute to foot soldiers, gospel: TBA, Foot of the Pettus Bridge, Tickets: $10 donation

  • School board presented detail plans for students’ success in reading; RBM School initiates Creative Girls Rock project

    The Greene County Board of Education met in regular session Monday, February 21, 2022. Dr. Corey Jones, as part of his superintendent’s report, presented Curriculum Coordinator, Mrs. Barbara Martin, who gave a detailed report on the school system’s intensive activities designed to equip students with effective reading skills. Ms. Martin elaborated on the various programs in place from the primary school level through high school. She emphasized the overall theme of ‘continuity and consistency’ of delivering and monitoring the daily reading engagements of students with one school level building on the previous.
    Martin explained that the schools have a system in place that quickly identifies students who need additional attention, noting that parents are also kept informed of their children’s progress. “Parents and guardians are significant partners in assuring that their students are getting the best and all that is needed for their children’s educational growth and success,” she said.
    The schools have enacted tiered levels of reading instruction with allows for intervention as needed for individual students. According to Ms. Martin, after school programs as well as summer programs are continuing opportunities for students to access extra time and attention needed for skill improvements and other academic and cultural enhancements. Portfolios are kept on all students.
    She noted that teachers at all schools are engaged in intensive training to accommodate these various approaches to teaching reading.
    Martin noted that it is crucial that students are engaged in participatory roles in reading classes, as well as other academic classes. “It is crucial to student’s success that their self esteem is lifted throughout the learning process,” she said.
    Superintendent Jones announced a recently funded program focusing on developing self esteem in young girls and preparing them for career choices. The Creative Girls Rock project is an after school program funded by Alabama Power Company, which can serve up to 100 girls at Robert Brown Middle School. The $2,500 grant award will be used to provide all materials and supplies needed for the project. The project will be presented through Zoom, engaging noted presenters.
    The superintendent also presented John Cole with American Fidelity Insurance, who described the detailed management approach his company could provide to school employees, regarding the section 125 Cafeteria Plan for Education Employees. His presentation at this time was for informational purposes only.
    Jones also introduced a key mentoring approach for school principals. “ All our current school principals are new to their positions, and I noted that we have central office personnel who have served in the role of principal at some point in their educational careers and can serve as mentors, therefore, I have assigned mentors to basically give support to our principals,” he explained.
    As part of his report, Dr Jones presented information on the following: the COVID positive update for the county; testing calendar for schools; current schools enrollment; summary of the Wellness Camp on Asthma held last summer (20021).
    The board approved the following personnel agenda items recommended by the superintendent.
    * Employment of Robin M. Campbell, First Grade Teacher, Eutaw Primary School, for 2021-2022 School Year.
    Supplemental Contract – Track Team – Ralph Marshall – Coach and Rodney Wesley – Assistant Coach.
    The board approved the following administrative service items.
    Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll.*
    Bank reconciliations as submitted by Ms. Marquita Lennon, CSFO.*
    Approval of Greene County High School Debate Team Travel to Mississippi State for Team Competition.
    Select Raymond James as the underwriter for the Bond refinancing.
    A Resolution Authorizing the Issuance, and Making Provision for the Payment, of a Public-School Warrant (Federally Taxable), Series 2022, to Refinance the Capital Outlay School Warrants, Series 2013, of the Board, and Approving Related Financing Documents.

  • COVID-19

    As of February 23, 2022, at 10:00 AM
    (according to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,275,355 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (7,448) more than last week with 18,007 deaths (258) more
    than last week)

    Greene County had 1,848 confirmed cases, (23) more cases than last week), with 48 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 2,526 cases with 45 deaths

    Hale Co. had 4,655 cases with 98 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142; ages 5 and up.

  • Newswire: Thousands of teachers suspended in
    Zimbabwe after rejecting low pay

    Teachers protesting in Zimbabwe

     

    Feb. 14, 2022 (GIN) – Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa suspended thousands of striking teachers for three months without pay after they rejected a 20 percent salary increase as insufficient.
     
    Teachers in Zimbabwe earn about $90 a month.
     
    Schools had opened this past week after a month-long delay due to a surge of Covid-19 cases, but many teachers did not report for work as they protested the poor salaries.
     
    Primary and Secondary Education Minister Evlyn Ndlovu said teachers not reporting for work were being suspended for three months to allow for “investigations”.
     
    Unions said the suspensions would affect as many as 135, 000 teachers and warned that schools would have to close if the threats are carried out.
     
    The government action angered parents.
     
    “The government should respect teachers,” one parent was quoted to say, “so that our children can learn at school. We are just coming out of lockdowns and now the schools are open but no learning is taking place. What kind of future are we building for our children?”
     
    Another parent, added: “At the end of the day, teachers expect to be paid. Unfortunately that pay is not forthcoming. Their salary is already eroded on a daily basis. They are parents too, they also have kids to take care of”.
     
    “Teachers have been reduced to paupers, they are living in poverty,” Obert Masaraure, president of Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe was reported to say. “We know there is an ongoing academic genocide, we are losing a whole generation, a generation that is now engaged in child marriages because they can’t be in school, a generation that is taking to drugs because they can’t be in school. 
     
    “Our call to government is to immediately resolve the value of teachers’ salaries”, Masaraure said.
     
    Ndlovu announced the action saying: “The ministry would like to inform the nation and its valued stakeholders that all officials from the ministry, who absented themselves from duty since the opening of schools on Monday, February 7, have been suspended without pay forthwith for a three-month period,” Ms Ndlovu said.
     
    “During this period, members are not to hinder or interfere with any investigations or evidence relating to the alleged misconduct.
     

  • Newswire : With her Speedskating Gold Medal, Erin Jackson hopes to inspire more Black girls in winter sports

    2022 Beijing Olympics – Speed Skating – Women’s 500m – National Speed Skating Oval, Beijing, China – February 13, 2022. Gold Medallist Erin Jackson of the United States celebrates on the podium during the flower ceremony. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

     

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

     

    While the Super Bowl expectedly received all the attention in the sports world on Sunday, February 13, the Winter Olympics provided a most historical moment. Erin Jackson became the first Black woman to win a speedskating medal when she took home the Gold during the 500 meters speedskating event.

    Jackson’s time of 37.04 seconds gave the American speedskating program its first medal at the Games in Beijing. It marked the first individual medal by an American in a dozen years.

    “Hopefully, this has an effect. Hopefully, we’ll see more minorities, especially in the USA, getting out and trying these winter sports,” Jackson, 29, declared.

    A day after her historic medal victory, Jackson reflected on how she received her golden opportunity. She noted that Team USA flag bearer Brittany Bowe, a childhood friend, surrendered her spot in the 500-meter so Jackson could take her place.

    “She was just saying she’s so proud of me,” Jackson said of Bowe during a nationally televised interview. “We did it,” she exclaimed. “Yeah, it was pretty wild.” Bowe declared that Jackson had earned the right to compete. “She’s ranked No. 1 in the world,” Bowe told NBC News.
    “No one is more deserving than [Jackson] to get an opportunity to bring Team USA home a medal.”

    Hailing from Ocala, Florida, Jackson said she’s roller skated for as long as she could remember. She pursued inline speedskating in 2002, roller derby in 2012, and long-track speedskating in 2017.

    A 2015 cum laude graduate of the University of Florida Honors Program, Jackson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science & Engineering.

    Just two years later, Jackson transitioned from inline skating to speedskating on ice, where she quickly qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

    She also earned an AS in Computer Science from Salt Lake Community College in 2020 and continues her work toward an AS in Exercise Science/Kinesiology.

    Jackson said she wants to inspire other African American girls. “I just hope [her gold medal win] sparks something,” Jackson stated. “Maybe a young Black girl saw my race or something, and she’s like, ‘Oh. Maybe I should try this.’ That would be amazing, even if it’s just one person.”

  • Newswire: ‘Paying ransom for freedom’: How cash bail is keeping Black mothers stuck in prison

    Three of JaCari Letchaw’s children meet her when she was released from the Birmingham Jail

     

    By Randi Richardson, NBC News

     
    In December, JaCari Letchaw’s dog wandered to a neighbor’s house, where it gave birth to puppies. Letchaw says when she tried to retrieve her dog and the puppies, a dispute broke out over who was the rightful owner of the puppies. She walked away, but later that night the Black single mother of five was arrested and eventually sent to Jefferson County’s jail in Birmingham, Alabama. 
    Her bail was set at $60,000 for a first-degree robbery charge. It was far more than she could afford; her most recent job had paid only $14 an hour. The monetary difference meant Letchaw would have to wait in jail until her trial started — which could be months away.
    “I absolutely had no idea how I was going to pay my bail. There was no way possible. Sitting in there, I even lost my job,” Letchaw told NBC News. 
    She also almost lost her house while awaiting trial in jail for two weeks. She was only able to return home after a local social justice organization, Faith and Works, posted her bail on Christmas Day through its fund, In Defense of Black Lives. The group has a relationship with Birmingham’s sheriff’s department, which referred her case. 
    Letchaw recalled that when representatives from In Defense of Black Lives first approached her and offered to bail her out, she immediately thought, “Bail who out?” 
    “That kind of thing just doesn’t happen very often,” she said. “There was nothing else that I could do, there was absolutely nothing else. And when I hear Faith and Works, they want to come and bail me out, I’m crying. I think I almost went into a panic attack.”

    Most women in jails are like Letchaw: Black, single mothers or only incarcerated because they can’t afford to post bail. Of the more than 115,000 women in jails in the U.S., more than 60 percent haven’t been convicted of a crime, but are incarcerated while awaiting trial because they can’t make bail, according to the Sentencing Project.  Forty-four percent of women in jail are Black, and 80 percent of women are single mothers or primary caregivers for their children, according to a 2016 report by Vera Institute of Justice. 
    These disparities are among the many reasons why advocates say the cash bail system is long overdue for reform, if not abolishment.

    ‘Paying ransom for freedom’

    Cara McClure founded Faith and Works in 2017 and its bail fund three years later, which is specifically dedicated to bailing out Black mothers. She said the cash bail system criminalizes poverty while rewarding wealth.
    “Paying ransom for freedom is something that goes way back, historically,” she said. “Let’s just say, for instance, me and you committed the same crime. You have money, I don’t have money. You get to go home and I have to sit there. And I just don’t understand me sitting there.”
    According to the Vera report, poverty is a key reason many people commit crimes. Sixty percent of women in jail didn’t have full-time jobs before being arrested, and the majority of women in jail are there for low-level, nonviolent crimes such as property, drug or public order offenses.
    While local, state and federal governments have been slow to overhaul the cash bail system, many organizations across the country, such as Faith and Works, are stepping up to bail people out for low-level, nonviolent offenses.

    How a bail fund works

    The National Bail Fund Network is an umbrella organization for more than 90 community bail funds, most of which are organized by local or state activists who’ve collected donations from community members or businesses and usually have partnerships with public defenders and sheriff’s departments to get referrals on potential candidates. After receiving a referral, the organizations typically evaluate defendants according to re-entry options, threat to society and other markers before deciding who to bail out. Most states have at least one bail fund.
    The organization fronts the money to post bail for defendants. If the case is dismissed, or the defendant returns for trial, the funds are returned and used for the next case. According to the Richmond Community Bail Fund, funds across the U.S. typically see a more than 90 percent rate of return for these funds. 

    The funds have freed thousands of people from jail in recent years. The Colorado Freedom Fund, for instance, has posted $2.4 million for more than 900 people in the five years it’s been around. The Memphis Community Bail Fund has spent $1 million over five years bailing out more than 400 people. And the Richmond Community Bail Fund spent $1.3 million in the second half of 2020 to bail out almost 400 people.
    The Liberty Fund in New York City formed in 2017 and has since bailed out 1,200 people. 
    David Long, executive director of the Liberty Fund, said that cash bail no longer operates the way it was designed. Cash bail was originally intended to ensure a defendant showed up to court, he said, but what’s developed instead is a system that disproportionately punishes the poor.
    Letchaw’s oldest son, who was with her during the neighborhood dispute, was also arrested and is currently in jail because the family can’t afford to post his $90,000 bail.

    Disproportionate impact on Black women

    The Bail Project, a national fund, has posted bonds for more than 20,000 people across the U.S. Seventy-six percent were women, and of that group, 1 in 3 were Black mothers.
    One of those bailouts was Taylor Bates, a Black single mother who was five months pregnant when she was arrested in Atlanta last June following a dispute with a family member. She couldn’t make her $1,000 bail, so she stayed in DeKalb County’s jail for almost a month until the Bail Project posted it on her behalf. Without that financial support, she would have delivered her baby in jail and would likely still be there, since her case is ongoing.
    Twyla Carter, the organization’s national director of legal and policy, said that “jail was a horrific experience” for Bates.
    “Because of the pandemic, she was kept in isolation 23 hours a day. She had experienced a miscarriage before and was worried she would lose this baby, too. Fortunately, we were able to assist and her baby was born healthy. Her dream is to open her own restaurant one day.”
    DeKalb County jail officials declined NBC News’ requests for comment.
    Carter said Black mothers are particularly vulnerable to the cash bail system.
    “The disproportionate impact on Black women in particular and Black mothers is great because their inability to post a cash bond is the result of a wide range of societal issues and barriers that come into play,” she said. “Black women, in particular, carrying on the brunt of this humanitarian crisis that we’re seeing, especially when you think in terms of Black women having to afford their own bail amount, which is typically set at a higher rate when they are charged with the same offenses as white women or other women, and they’re less likely to be able to afford it.”
    Meanwhile, Letchaw’s case is still ongoing. 
    “If I had not been blessed with Faith and Works, I would probably still be sitting in there,” she said. “The time there was very horrible. It is just like modern day slavery. They keep you in a cage. They treat you like animals.”
    Jefferson County Jail officials declined  NBC News’ requests for comment.

  • Greene County Commission agrees to
    settlement of lawsuits with Greenetrack

    By: John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    At its February 14 regular meeting, the Greene County Commission passed a resolution agreeing to settle two long-running lawsuits with Greenetrack, which had clouded the county’s financial position.

    The first lawsuit concerned the Commission’s lease payment for its undivided half of ownership of the Greenetrack property and facility. When Bear Bryant Jr.’s corporation left Greenetrack, he gave the ownership, half to the County Commission and half to the employees of Greenetrack.

    Greenetrack set up a lease agreement under which it was paying $150,000 a year to the Greene County Commission. Luther Winn, CEO of Greenetrack said, “Because the Commission was experiencing financial difficulties, we voluntarily increased our payment to $250,000 a year.”

    The lease agreement ended in 2012 and the Commission decided not to cash the 2013 lease payment check of $250,000 with Greenetrack, because Nick Underwood, Commission Chair at that time, wanted to renegotiate the lease and increase the amount. The 2013 check was never cashed and the dispute led to the Commission filling a lawsuit against Greenetrack.

    The settlement, which was negotiated by Allen Turner, Chair and the late Lester Brown, Vice-Chair, provided that the County would be paid $100,000 a year in back rent, for eight years 2013-2021. This $800,000 would be paid in five yearly installments of $160,000. A new lease for two years, beginning on March 1, 2022, with an automatic one-year extension, would be at $100,000 per year.

    If there are less than 5 gaming entities in the county, at the end of the lease period, the annual rental would increase to $175,000; if there are more than 5 gaming entities, the rental would decline to $50,000 annually; if there are 5 gaming entities the annual rent would remain at $100,000.

    The settlement stipulated that the joint property owned by Greene County Commission and Greenetrack was the total 53.128 acres where the racing, gaming and collateral facilities and land are located.

    The settlement also settled another lawsuit by Greenetrack against the Commission concerning operation and maintenance of the sewage lagoon on the property. The Commission had escrowed $160,000 in fees for the lagoon, which will be released to the Greene County Water and Sewage Authority on March 1, 2022.

    This lawsuit settlement was first presented to the Greene County Commission at a Special Call Meeting on January 24, 2022.
    The meeting was attended by three commissioners, Chair Allen Turner, Tennyson Smith and Corey Cockrell. Commissioner Brown had passed and Commissioner Summerville was absent. Smith moved approval of the settlement but Cockrell would not second the motion and said that he did not agree to the settlement because it favored Greenetrack.

    At the recent January 24th meeting, all four commissioners voted for the settlement, which will now go forward.

    The Commission agreed to reopen the Senior Citizens Feeding Program at sites at the Eutaw Activity Center and Forkland City Hall as of March 1. The centers had been closed due to COVID-19. The Commission also agreed to re-open the Eutaw Activity Center for other activities as of the same date.

    The Commission passed a resolution to be sent to the Governor, Legislative delegation and the family to name LaPorsha Brown, to fill out the remaining months of her father’s term, representing District 1 on the Greene County Commission.

    In other actions, the Greene County Commission:

    • Approved the 2022 AC County licenses levy and approved a license for Christopher Atkins.

    • Approved accepting low bid from West Alabama Fencing for $38,840 for fencing on roadways.

    • Approved the financial report and paid outstanding claims. The report showed $4.610,952 I Citizens Trust Bank, $4.895.174 in Merchants and Farmers Bank and $1,098,699 in bond sinking funds in the Bank of New York.

    • Approved advertising of available positions in the Highway Department; and travel for staff to training conferences.

    • Re-appointed Shirley Edwards to the Greene County Health System Board of Directors.

    The Commission tabled action on the use of American Rescue Act funds, action on a franchise agreement letter From Charter Communications concerning broadband in parts of the county; and appointment of two hospital board members from District 2.

  • Christopher “Chris” Armstead wants to serve District 4 as County Commissioner

    Residents of District 4, I desire to serve you as your next District 4 County Commissioner. If you give me 4, I will give you More. I have served on the Town of Forkland Council for the last five years and currently serve as Mayor Pro-tempore. I am employed with the Greene County Health Systems as Plant Operations & Information Technology (IT) Director. My wife, Denise, and I reside in Forkland, AL, and are the proud parents of 5 children.
    I believe progression is more than mere words; progression should be seen and not just heard. My work as a councilor serves as a foundation in governmental leadership and demonstrates my strategy of progression for District 4. I will continue working toward a better future for every community, every household, and every person that resides in this district.
    Collaboration, transparency, and accountability are the key attributes I will implement in moving our district to new heights. If you give me 4, I will give you More.
    In only four years, I was instrumental in securing the first Dollar General in our district, reactivating a police force in our district, establishing a municipal court system in our district, and later this year, the first Public Safety Building in District 4 will be erected.
    One of my most appreciated accomplishments involved opening the first Forkland Innovative Center, which was successfully comprised of computer and educational classes that focused on bridging the gap of technology with our senior citizens. Additionally, as chairperson of Forkland Parks & Recreation, the first Forkland Youth Center, a family-oriented amusement center featuring arcade games, virtual learning, and activities for the youth of our communities, will be opening in a few weeks. 
    Conceptional plans revealing a total renovation of the Forkland Park are forthcoming with elaborate new features. If you give me 4, I will give you More.
    I realize the need and understand the process of seeking and obtaining grant funds to improve infrastructure in our district. During the last four years, roads have been paved and water lines have been upgraded. Currently, collaborations are forth going for additional infrastructure projects.
    District 4 can become a prosperous area, where progression is conducive to every resident and the residents of our surrounding communities. Therefore, constituents of District 4, I asked for your prayers, your support, and your vote on May 24, 2022. Let’s work Together to move Greene County forward. “If you give me 4, I’ll give your More!”