Thorsby School this year has instituted “parental involvement meetings” in place of the typical parent-teacher organization used at most schools—and at Thorsby in the past.

The idea is an interesting one: instead of requiring membership in a club, why not invite anyone interested in school affairs to an open meeting? It’s too early—this week’s meeting will be only the second of the year—to determine whether this format will better serve the school, but those involved with the meetings are off to a good start.

At the meeting this week, scheduled for 6 p.m. at the school auditorium, Thorsby community members will have the opportunity to hear from the three candidates for Chilton County superintendent of education: Democrat Jason Griffin, Republican Dave Hayden and Independent Louise Pitts.

The candidates will visit Thorsby’s parental involvement meeting to take part in a forum. Audience members will submit questions through a panel, which will make sure the question is legitimate.

The superintendent hopefuls won’t know which questions are coming, which should make their responses especially telling. According to people in tune with the community, Thorsby parents and teachers want to know what is planned for their school, which is bursting at the seams as the county’s largest single campus.

Sounds like the meeting will be productive, and we hope that continues to be the case.

“We’re just trying to educate the community a little more about how schools are funded and how decisions are made,” Thorsby Principal Russ Bryan said.

As long as people show up like they should, Bryan’s goal is being accomplished.

While being interviewed by a television station, I was presented with several questions about Tuesday’s wet/dry election in Thorsby.
I responded with some very strong feelings and conviction. The station made it appear as though I had a  “don’t care” attitude about the subject at hand, or that I even supported alcohol sales in Thorsby. The most important part of the interview was omitted.
I am supporting the “no” vote because of the increased accidents and, most importantly, my convictions as a Christian.

Chad Foshee, Thorsby

First let me offer my sympathy and condolences for the loss of a very young and sweet girl. Our thoughts and prayers are with the suffering family.
We are in no way being judgmental, for most of us have no idea the pain and pressure our youth of today are under.  We have no idea how many are dealing with depression.
Thus, it comes as a shock when a situation like this story makes the front page.
We are so busy trying to make ends meet, to meet the rigors of schedules of  employment or social responsibilities that we fail to notice that young child’s pain or depression, or at lest fail to recognize it as such, contributing it to a phase they are going through. If it is, it’s one that can be deadly for them.
We must take time to realize their needs and be prepared to recognize it for what it is, and as parents, deal with it in a supportive way—as friends as well as neighbors,to provide the parents with what we observe and as needed provide them with advice and guidance to successfully save a young child’s life.
As a parent, that was the one thing I feared more than life itself—that one of my children would develop depression and I would fail to recognize it for what it was.  As a young law enforcement officer, I had found myself dealing with a family who lost a child in such a manner and saw the trauma it forced on them.
As a parent, I saw the additional pressures on my child from when I was one, and as a grandparent and now a great grandparent, I see even more pressures applied to our children in each generation by our society and its way of life.  Please notice, pay attention, and give these children the benefit of your experience and knowledge of life by sharing and giving the ability to deal with these pressures, thus helping to save lives.
These are judgement calls, for their is no way for the layman to know exactly what is bothering a child—an illness or a phase.
Doctors can treat or refer patients, many pastors are trained to deal with this problem or can refer to one who is, but first a person with the knowledge and training to treat must be made aware.
If you suspect there may be a problem, take the time to follow through. Someone’s life may depend on it.

–Johnny Thacker, Jemison

Dear Editor,

I often pray for the leaders in this country, from the president to my local mayor and city council.

I ask God first to provide us good leaders who will seek Him first, and then to give them wisdom and good judgment in their leadership services.

With the blessing of the new city hall in Jemison, which was built in difficult economic times, ensuring employment for many and bolstering Jemison’s reputation in the county all the way up to the U.S. Congress (as represented by the gifts bestowed to the mayor), God has abundantly provided for our little city.

It is quite gratifying to see Jemison’s mayor and city council include thanksgiving to God in the grand opening ceremonies for the new municipal center and city hall. Their humility is appreciated.

During the ceremonies, I was reminded of Malachi 3:10, when God says, “Try me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

Thanks to God and our local leaders who have provided excellent leadership for our community so that we may prosper and be a blessing in return.

–Rex Bittle, Jemison

By Stephen Dawkins

Workers at Jemison City Hall are busy this week boxing up and moving to the new Jemison Municipal Complex.

By the looks of things on Tuesday, it’s going to be a process before the official dedication ceremony on May 2.

There was stuff everywhere and workers hauling out boxes right and left. You don’t occupy a building for many years without accumulating some stuff.

That’s the good part about a move, I guess: it’s a chance to decide what is worth keeping and what can be done away with. The other good part about this move is the new facility the city employees have waiting on them.

The Jemison Municipal Complex will be a first-rate facility, one that will provide everything the city needs now and well into the future. Though I haven’t invested nearly as much time and effort into the project, I am also anxious about the opening of the complex. As—what’s the word?—cozy as the current city hall is, I look forward to covering Jemison City Council meetings in a brand new council chambers.

Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed gave me a tour of the building last week, and, trust me, there will be plenty of leg space for councilmembers, residents and journalists alike in the city’s new digs.

By Scott Mims

Having grown up in Chilton County, Thorsby is no strange place to me. But recently I learned I would be covering the town of Thorsby for our newspaper, and I couldn’t be happier about that.
Now, anyone who has worked at a small community newspaper knows that our job titles aren’t very specific. Everyone has to do a little bit of everything in order for things to operate properly. For this reason, we find ourselves doing something different almost every day.
But there is a need for some sense of organization. Journalists typically follow “beats,” which can either refer to geographic areas or certain categories of news. My beats are basically Thorsby, local churches and the Chilton County Commission.
Thorsby is the beat I was most recently assigned to. This includes both news and sports.
I really enjoyed the few days of perfect weather we had during spring break. Covering the Thorsby versus Leeds baseball game was the most fun I’d had while working in a long time. It really didn’t feel like working at all.
I must admit, I have a lot to learn about sports. During a game, probably the most challenging thing is trying to take pictures and keep up with stats at the same time. For this reason, I must rely pretty heavily on coaches and other people who keep stats at games.
Ultimately, I just want to get to know people in Thorsby more—and to tell their stories. Our goal is to spend more time outside the office in the communities we serve.
Still, we need people to alert us of upcoming events and other important information we may not know about. This is how people can take ownership in their community newspaper. The more you help us, the more we can help you.
I look forward to getting to know my new “home.”

Scott Mims is the news editor for The North Chilton Advertiser.

Words can never express my appreciation of the great honor I received by the Citizen of the Year committee and The Clanton Advertiser. I will always cherish this award as being the greatest of all gifts I have received during my long career as an educator, political leader and civic worker, sharing my life with others.
I will continue to first give thanks to God for his guidance. Secondly, I thank the people that I have working around me. I have a really good team of people that work for the city of Jemison that really deserves a lot of credit for the hard work and dedication that contributes to the progress that the city has made in the last few years.
I would also like to express my gratitude to the many citizens that have called and written cards, and the ones who have stopped by to express thanks and support for me. It really means a lot to me to see our citizens in support of the award that I am honored to have received.
Again, I want to express my sincere appreciation to the Citizen of the Year committee and The Clanton Advertiser for their support.
– Mayor Eddie Reed, Jemison

By Stephen Dawkins

Plenty of Chilton County residents have said we need to clean up our streets, but Jemison Mayor Eddie Reed wants to take it one step further.
“Let’s make war on this litter,” Reed said after Monday’s Jemison City Council meeting.
Reed didn’t mean in the literal sense, of course, but I liked his idea. Reed said he wanted to get all officials in the county—county commission and city and town councils—and discuss ways to address the county’s obvious litter problem.
Reed’s comment came after a story in The Clanton Advertiser about Jemison officials’ efforts to get business owners at Interstate 65 Exit 205 to clean up their property, which in many cases has become home to years worth of stray hamburger wrappers and plastic bottles.
The problem isn’t isolated to the Jemison Interstate exit or even to Jemison. There’s trash all over the county, and it hurts the appearance of our county, which, in turn, makes our county less attractive to potential businesses and homeowners.
So, throwing that empty cigarette pack out the car window is like taking money away from the county. And we haven’t even mentioned what it takes to clean up the trash.
Ultimately, it’s about county residents taking pride in where they live and caring about what the county looks like.
But public officials can help with that process by organizing clean-ups and by making sure residents know that littering is a punishable offense.

By the North Chilton Advertiser staff

A Thorsby man’s recent ordeal is the latest reminder that we must stay cautious at all times to avoid scams.
Scams come in many different forms and look authentic. Gary Morris received a check bearing the official seal of Stanford University. Morris was instructed via e-mail to keep 10 percent of the check and forward the rest of the money to a London, England address.
Thankfully, Morris realized something was fishy and, instead of trying to cash in, he notified authorities.
Not everyone might be so observant and, thus, end up with a problem on their hands instead of simply a story to tell others about the dangers of scams.
Scammers often target the most susceptible—the elderly and those desperate to make a buck.
We must all remember that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Dear Editor,

What is the responsibility of an animal control person? I’ve had strays littering my yards for months. My daughter called the Thorsby Police Department about a month ago when a female dog had five puppies.
Someone from the police department came to my house and said, “I don’t see no dog. I’ll be back this afternoon to set a trap.”
He never came back. The female dog moved the puppies up under a trailer that is in my yard.
My other daughter went to the police department in Jemison and was advised that she would have to go to the Thorsby Police Department. She did go to the Thorsby Police Department several days ago, but no one has come to my house yet.
The female dog is now trying to leave the puppies. I am 90 years old and I cannot get out and chase the puppies out of the road to keep them from getting killed.
So what does an animal control person do?

—Floreine Beasley, Thorsby