Colbert County home invasion: Sign of the times?

Early last Tuesday morning, a man was murdered in his own home by three thugs looking for money.

41 year-old, Harry James Ricks Sr. was murdered in cold blood because he attempted to run away from his captors. This in front of his tied up family. In a house not too far from yours. The murder occurred on Gate Six Road in Muscle Shoals, just passed Wise Alloys.

Mr. Ricks leaves, through no fault of his own, a son that looked up to his father, a wife, friends, and co-workers.

Some have suggested this is just a sign of the times. I don't know, but, I do know the Shoals has suffered great loss this year, tragic losses.

Jennifer Lee Hampton, of Lauderdale County, was taken from us by a monster that just so happened to be an illegal alien.

Mason Scott, a young boy from Russellville, was allegedly burned alive by his mother in a house fire.

A man beaten to death in Florence.

A Sheffield man shot by his sister in a drunken brawl.

Colbert County District Attorney, Bryce U. Graham Jr., has made it clear that he aims to get the thugs that killed Ricks off of the street. Anyone that has talked to or seen Colbert Sheriff Ronnie May lately, know he is dead serious about apprehending these thugs too. We are lucky to have dedicated public officials in Colbert County that will pursue this.

Some people have suggested these deaths are just part of living in cities this size or sign of modern times or, amazingly, the economy. I have actually heard people say the economy is to blame for the sharp increase in crime. I think not. Shoplifting, yes, but not murder.

The Shoals is our home , for better or worse, and we would like to think all of these deaths are anything but ordinary. This is not D.C. This is not Birmingham or Memphis. This is our home.

We must show these people that this will not be tolerated.

When the murderers are caught and sitting in a Tuscumbia courtroom, I hope they are made to see the faces of Mr. Rick's family. I hope they see the hurt. The whole community is feeling it right now.

Dollar General Stores ordered to pay $2.2 million to an injured worker they fired

It is a sad day when an employee of a dollar store is fired for reporting an injury. And we wonder why people vote Democrat instead of big business Republican. This is a good case in point.

Ms. Burbank, the employee, worked for Dollar General in Florence, Alabama. She was injured on the job by a cash drawer that fell and hit her hand. The cut became infected and Ms. Burbank had to have her arm amputated.

Instead of approving workman's compensation, Dollar General fires Burbank. What in the world were these people thinking? It came out in court that Dollar General fines the managers $7,500 of their bonus for every injury they report. This policy is practiced in all 8,000 Dollar General stores throughout America.

I totally agree with the $2.2 million judgment against Dollar General.

Her attorney, Joey James, did an excellent job presenting the truth in this case.

I wonder how many people Dollar General has done this to in the past.

Our prayers are with Ms. Burbank in her fight for justice.

I hope this case will serve as a warning for others. Be careful how you treat the least of these.

The signs are gone but emotions still linger in local campaigns

The elections are all OVER. We are still a bit amazed at Deborah Bell Paseur for not conceding her defeat, but, I guess if people had spent millions of dollars trying to get me elected, I would hang in there like a long hair in a cold biscuit. The sad thing is Deborah Bell would have been good for our area, at least for the attorneys here in the Shoals. You can ask any local attorney. It is good to have a friend in Montgomery.

In my years in the Shoals, I can't remember a more heated race than this past Colbert County Supt. of Education race. The election between Goode and Hudson pitted family member against family member, friend against friend, etc. etc. It was like the Auburn vs. Alabama rivalry times 10.
In the past couple of months, I had two or three people ask me if I was for Obama or McCain. I had no less than 10 ask me about the Supt. race.

I wonder, now that it is over, where will all of that momentum go.