It is probably a dicey affair to be talking about your boss when your boss is a state senator making news, but it is quite public that District 5 state Sen. Charles Bishop, R-Arley, also is behind the new radio talk show, "Voice of the People," that I joined recently on WIXI, 1360 AM, along with Bucky Rizzo. Bishop himself sometimes appears on the program as a host.
Of course, you would think if Bishop was going to announce that he was not going to run again, his resident news anchor would be the first to know. Well, you just have to know Bishop. He is unpredictable, but that's what makes him so interesting. He really got interesting just after lunch Thursday when I read on the Birmingham News Web site that he was not going to run again for the Senate in 2010.
"I've been giving you hints," he told Bucky on the phone before the show, confirming the news. (We must train the old man on the difference between hints and confirmation. I take it this could be useful in the future. As in, "We can't use hints.")
Having said that, I didn't know what Bishop would do. In fact, Bishop still hints he could run for another office or participate in someone else's campaign. At 71, I don't doubt he wouldn't do either. Time will tell.
The immediate impact, of course, is that we have an open seat in District 5. When Bishop came out of retirement to run for an open seat in 2006, that race became hotly contested in both the primary and the general elections. The primary season was fairly civil, but the general election became the stuff of legend. It was brutal and there was little area for gray. The Democrats and the Republicans both opened up the wallets wide for quite an ad campaign. The Daily Mountain Eagle, eager for revenue like all newspapers these days, is probably salivating at what is coming next year in revenue - and dreading the accusations that may make their way into proposed ads.
Suffice it to say we already have candidates on both sides. Steven Aderholt, who lost the District 4 Walker County Commission race last year, announced in the middle of the 2008 election cycle he was running for the seat. Minutes after I announced the news Thursday on WIXI, Walker County Republican Party Chairman Curtis Poe called the show to say that state GOP executive committee member Vicki Drummond of Jasper had told him she was running for the position. (Interestingly, Poe admitted on the air she didn't know he was going to announce this to the public. So much for party discipline.) Poe said Vicki ran for a seat on the national committee and lost by like two votes.
I expect the crowd will only get thicker with time. It would be interesting to see if some of the candidates from the last race, including Republican Ed Frazier and Democrats Byron McMath and Larry Cagle (the latter being the general election nominee last time), will enter the race.
Something else that should be fascinating is to watch the money trail. There can be no doubt that electronic bingo forces will filter money or advertising to some Democratic candidates. (Keep in mind the Senate will now lose both Bishop and Sen. Hank Erwin, two of the strongest opponents of electronic bingo. Erwin is running for lieutenant governor.) State Rep. Ken Guin's newspaper, the Corridor Messenger, practically became a party newspaper in 2008 with extra editions and full page ads paid for by the state Democratic organization. Between all that and an open seat, the money should flow like Niagara Falls after a rain.
Of course, Bishop will miss out on some of this. It would have been another bitter race probably, and we would have been sick of seeing Democratic TV and print ads reminding us of the punching incident Bishop had with Sen. Lowell Barron. Bishop may have been thinking of this, but I suspect his business interests, which continue to take up more time, and the changing climate of Montgomery had more to do with it. He also went down to help out Future Interstate 22 and instead found much of his time devoted to fighting electronic bingo.
At any rate, even if he runs for something else, it ends a chapter in the Senate that will have stretched for nearly three decades, as he previously served in 1983-90 -- a time that included George Wallace's last term as governor. No doubt he will be remembered for the punch -- something he has regretted to some extent -- but he's done much good for the county in that seat as well. Over the years he fought for agriculture and industry, including his time when he held posts in the cabinet over those areas. Certainly in his last term, he fought electronic bingo tooth and nail to help prevent the county from having a black eye for industrial development. Perhaps it was more of a draw at times, but he certainly prevented victories for the other side.
There is probably much more to be said, but I admit to being a little biased. Over the past few months, as my career has been trying to find itself after leaving the Daily Mountain Eagle, Bishop has been as helpful as anyone out there and has been a good friend -- a little unpredictable at times, yes, but in the end loyal and supportive. He has provided a means to keep bread on the table and give me a new lease on a local news career that I didn't expect to have. I don't know what I would have done without him. Many people don't see this side of him while he is in the public eye, but he has done many acts of kindness when you were not looking. I'm grateful that I'll still be working with him in the future.
And, of course, still trying to guess what the old fox will do next. If you find out first, let me know.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
race cars vs. tornadoes
I just had to point out that during tonight's tornado outbreak, Fox 6's exasperated weatherman wound up having to explain why they were having to give tornado warning coverage.
That was incredulous, except for the fact it was a split screen situation. The other screen was a live broadcast of the Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway, a NASCAR race carried by the Fox network.
With tornado warnings issued and the state map lit up with more colors than a Christmas tree on fire, the weatherman noted that the station had already gotten a number of nasty e-mails from race fans. It seems the fans were angry that the races were downsized to a small screen, while the weather was getting the big picture.
You could tell the weatherman was barely keeping it under control, not really wanting to tell off the rednecks. He said that there were Alabamians who were in danger of being wiped out by a tornado and that this was a prime function of the station.
He actually had to explain that, in the middle of a tornado outbreak. I'd be hot under the collar, too.
Now, it is true my county was one of those that was under attack by the tornadoes. It is also true I am not the world's biggest NASCAR fan, although I usually have a good feeling when Jeff Gordon wins. I think it is like when you move into the state and you have to pick Alabama or Auburn, lest someone decides to deport you for being a suspected terrorist or a carrier of swine flu from Mexico. At any rate, racing has its good points and is a fine thing to follow. There are many fine people who follow and participate in the races, and who set a good example.
However, when you are in the first row at Talladega, you almost ask for being in the line of danger. Someone standing at the a crawfish boil in downtown Birmingham and suddenly finding out they may be in the line of tornadoes, that is something else. All of us in this area being in the line of tornadoes or even high winds, that is something else.
One of the major functions of broadcasters and news personnel is to tell you when imminent danger is near, whether it is weather, a meteor, Martians, a terror attack, whatever. We live in an area where people routinely die from high winds, and many times there is not much time to prepare. It also has the characteristic of not booking a more convenient time.
It is amazing that 35 years after the fact, I remember I could not watch one of those NBC mystery movies (I recall it being the "Snoop Sisters") when the April 1974 tornadoes came through. There have been times when I missed seeing a TV show when storm coverage comes on for another part of the state. I was not happy, but I wasn't mad at the TV station.
NASCAR and its fans have grown up in many respects, but sometimes still have to work on the stereotypes that befall that sport. Unfortunately, some of the fans Saturday night -- and I would trust it was a small minority of them -- proved that the idea of a stupid redneck watching a car race on TV and complaining about the interruption for, oh, say, impending deadly weather shows us that we still have a few people left to give racing and Alabama a bad image.
I just hope that if the worst happens (which I wouldn't wish on them anyway) and they find their trailer and their 15 hunting dogs blown away, and that rusty 1976 Chevrolet truck topples off of its cinder blocks in the front yard...well, I just hope it was at a convenient time for them.
That was incredulous, except for the fact it was a split screen situation. The other screen was a live broadcast of the Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway, a NASCAR race carried by the Fox network.
With tornado warnings issued and the state map lit up with more colors than a Christmas tree on fire, the weatherman noted that the station had already gotten a number of nasty e-mails from race fans. It seems the fans were angry that the races were downsized to a small screen, while the weather was getting the big picture.
You could tell the weatherman was barely keeping it under control, not really wanting to tell off the rednecks. He said that there were Alabamians who were in danger of being wiped out by a tornado and that this was a prime function of the station.
He actually had to explain that, in the middle of a tornado outbreak. I'd be hot under the collar, too.
Now, it is true my county was one of those that was under attack by the tornadoes. It is also true I am not the world's biggest NASCAR fan, although I usually have a good feeling when Jeff Gordon wins. I think it is like when you move into the state and you have to pick Alabama or Auburn, lest someone decides to deport you for being a suspected terrorist or a carrier of swine flu from Mexico. At any rate, racing has its good points and is a fine thing to follow. There are many fine people who follow and participate in the races, and who set a good example.
However, when you are in the first row at Talladega, you almost ask for being in the line of danger. Someone standing at the a crawfish boil in downtown Birmingham and suddenly finding out they may be in the line of tornadoes, that is something else. All of us in this area being in the line of tornadoes or even high winds, that is something else.
One of the major functions of broadcasters and news personnel is to tell you when imminent danger is near, whether it is weather, a meteor, Martians, a terror attack, whatever. We live in an area where people routinely die from high winds, and many times there is not much time to prepare. It also has the characteristic of not booking a more convenient time.
It is amazing that 35 years after the fact, I remember I could not watch one of those NBC mystery movies (I recall it being the "Snoop Sisters") when the April 1974 tornadoes came through. There have been times when I missed seeing a TV show when storm coverage comes on for another part of the state. I was not happy, but I wasn't mad at the TV station.
NASCAR and its fans have grown up in many respects, but sometimes still have to work on the stereotypes that befall that sport. Unfortunately, some of the fans Saturday night -- and I would trust it was a small minority of them -- proved that the idea of a stupid redneck watching a car race on TV and complaining about the interruption for, oh, say, impending deadly weather shows us that we still have a few people left to give racing and Alabama a bad image.
I just hope that if the worst happens (which I wouldn't wish on them anyway) and they find their trailer and their 15 hunting dogs blown away, and that rusty 1976 Chevrolet truck topples off of its cinder blocks in the front yard...well, I just hope it was at a convenient time for them.
Friday, May 1, 2009
The death of Bruno's
If anything could get me to come out of my hybernation on the blog (sometimes life IS more important, thank you), it would certainly have to be the death of the Bruno's grocery chain, which seemed to finally come this week when it auctioned itself off. Southern Foods bought it; they purchased the Food World in Hamilton a while back and made a mess of it before it finally died as well. I am not terribly hopeful of what is coming.
It may be that Jasper and Dora will be spared anymore suffering. The Birmingham News reported today that it had the list of probable stores to be liquidated, and those two cities were on the list. Assuming that is true, it would mean that Jasper is down to two major chain stores, Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie, as well as Son's and another store at the Parkland area. East Walker County would now only have one major store (Wal-Mart, of course) and a local store. Dora would be deprived of a major generator of sales tax revenue and the shopping center would lose its big anchor. Jasper would have a big hole in that major quadrant where 78 and Airport collide, and it will be interesting to see in a lesser economy if anyone takes it over soon. (I would point out Goody's nearby is still vacant.)
This is personally sad for me, because Bruno's is responsible for funding my childhood upbringing. Dad was employed there for something like three decades, ironically starting in Jasper. Although he lived in Winfield, he commuted seemingly everywhere, including Haleyville, Jasper, many stores in the Birmingham area, Russellville and finally Hamilton, where he retired. He was a meat cutter and eventually a meat department head in a number of stores.
It was during his time in Birmingham in particular that he got to know many of the people in the company, even those at the top. His conversations have always included tales of the patriarch, Joe Bruno, known as "Mr. Joe." It was a family operation, and they family stayed connected to the business. It always impressed me that the family, devout Catholics, would have a cross set up in the store around the business office, and the stores would be blessed upon opening.
As many of you know, they were community minded and funded a number of institutions, particularly in the Birmingham area. They also loved to hold an open house at the warehouse, and considering they knew all the vendors, it was quite an affair indeed. Of course, the warehouse was something to behold, and they took great pride in showing it off.
Now, those days are over. I've heard many inside and outside the company reflect back to the plane crash that killed several executives, including family members. "The company was never the same after that plane crash," they say, shaking their heads. That is correct. Not only was the management not the same, but Bruno's faced a tide of change in the supermarket industry. The change was Wal-Mart, which stomped in on the scene like a giant, undercutting everyone and swamping with volume. There had been a half-hearted attempt between Bruno's and K-mart to do something like what Wal-Mart does now, but it went nowhere. Moreover, Dad still maintains that the company lost its way in customer service in the end, which is the only thing it could really compete with.
Even if the Jasper and Dora stores survive, it will not be the Bruno's we knew. It will not be the Bruno's bear smiling at us from the grocery ads. It will not be the Bruno's that started a world class golf tournament and funded educational and spiritual institutions. It will not be the Bruno's that introduced Big B drugs when we didn't have mammoth national drug stores on every corner. It will not be the Bruno's that really introduced the big grocery store concept with Food World, with its amazing selections.
Perhaps most of all, it's not Mr. Joe. When the Bruno family left, so did the heart of the company. The reputation of the name is the only reason that the patient is only now dying of cardiac arrest.
It may be that Jasper and Dora will be spared anymore suffering. The Birmingham News reported today that it had the list of probable stores to be liquidated, and those two cities were on the list. Assuming that is true, it would mean that Jasper is down to two major chain stores, Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie, as well as Son's and another store at the Parkland area. East Walker County would now only have one major store (Wal-Mart, of course) and a local store. Dora would be deprived of a major generator of sales tax revenue and the shopping center would lose its big anchor. Jasper would have a big hole in that major quadrant where 78 and Airport collide, and it will be interesting to see in a lesser economy if anyone takes it over soon. (I would point out Goody's nearby is still vacant.)
This is personally sad for me, because Bruno's is responsible for funding my childhood upbringing. Dad was employed there for something like three decades, ironically starting in Jasper. Although he lived in Winfield, he commuted seemingly everywhere, including Haleyville, Jasper, many stores in the Birmingham area, Russellville and finally Hamilton, where he retired. He was a meat cutter and eventually a meat department head in a number of stores.
It was during his time in Birmingham in particular that he got to know many of the people in the company, even those at the top. His conversations have always included tales of the patriarch, Joe Bruno, known as "Mr. Joe." It was a family operation, and they family stayed connected to the business. It always impressed me that the family, devout Catholics, would have a cross set up in the store around the business office, and the stores would be blessed upon opening.
As many of you know, they were community minded and funded a number of institutions, particularly in the Birmingham area. They also loved to hold an open house at the warehouse, and considering they knew all the vendors, it was quite an affair indeed. Of course, the warehouse was something to behold, and they took great pride in showing it off.
Now, those days are over. I've heard many inside and outside the company reflect back to the plane crash that killed several executives, including family members. "The company was never the same after that plane crash," they say, shaking their heads. That is correct. Not only was the management not the same, but Bruno's faced a tide of change in the supermarket industry. The change was Wal-Mart, which stomped in on the scene like a giant, undercutting everyone and swamping with volume. There had been a half-hearted attempt between Bruno's and K-mart to do something like what Wal-Mart does now, but it went nowhere. Moreover, Dad still maintains that the company lost its way in customer service in the end, which is the only thing it could really compete with.
Even if the Jasper and Dora stores survive, it will not be the Bruno's we knew. It will not be the Bruno's bear smiling at us from the grocery ads. It will not be the Bruno's that started a world class golf tournament and funded educational and spiritual institutions. It will not be the Bruno's that introduced Big B drugs when we didn't have mammoth national drug stores on every corner. It will not be the Bruno's that really introduced the big grocery store concept with Food World, with its amazing selections.
Perhaps most of all, it's not Mr. Joe. When the Bruno family left, so did the heart of the company. The reputation of the name is the only reason that the patient is only now dying of cardiac arrest.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Jasper City Council - called work session
E-mail from Jasper City Clerk Kathy Chambless: "The Jasper City Council will hold a work session Friday, April 17, 2009, at 12:00 noon in the Council Chamber located at Jasper City Hall. This work session is being held to discuss procedures concerning garbage collections, drainage matters, update on the construction of a pool for Southside, and amendment to the business license ordinance for peddlers, and other matters."
Talk of the Town cancelled; Shelby will not be broadcast
I would have gotten this word out earlier (AT&T's DSL went out yesterday afternoon), but we WJLX will not broadcast Sen. Richard Shelby's town hall meeting today, and, perhaps just as importantly, I won't be on the air myself, as "Talk of the Town" is no more. I will be moving to WIXI, 1360 AM, effective Monday, April 20, to be a co-host on "The People's Viewpoint" with Bucky Rizzo and (occasionally) Charles Bishop from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
I have enjoyed my show and the crew at WJLX, and I would have done it for a long time. I wish them well, and they have done the same for me; we part on good terms. However, the ad revenue just wasn't there at this time to support the show. I depended on that revenue for my revenue, and the bad economy never gave it a chance. With the economy getting somewhat of a break recently, and after some discussions with those involved with "The People's Viewpoint," there may be a way this new show can work out. I think we will be blending some elements from my show and Bucky Rizzo's show, which was also formerly on WJLX. I will still be bringing the local and state news on this show. I should also point out the time slot and the signal strength should amount to an improvement.
At any rate, thank you to everyone who supported "Talk of the Town." I think it was a journalistic success and proved that we can have another way to bring newsmakers into your homes, offices and cars. I hope you'll follow me to 1360 AM.
I have enjoyed my show and the crew at WJLX, and I would have done it for a long time. I wish them well, and they have done the same for me; we part on good terms. However, the ad revenue just wasn't there at this time to support the show. I depended on that revenue for my revenue, and the bad economy never gave it a chance. With the economy getting somewhat of a break recently, and after some discussions with those involved with "The People's Viewpoint," there may be a way this new show can work out. I think we will be blending some elements from my show and Bucky Rizzo's show, which was also formerly on WJLX. I will still be bringing the local and state news on this show. I should also point out the time slot and the signal strength should amount to an improvement.
At any rate, thank you to everyone who supported "Talk of the Town." I think it was a journalistic success and proved that we can have another way to bring newsmakers into your homes, offices and cars. I hope you'll follow me to 1360 AM.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
ComeUnity cancelled tonight
Jim Odom said the ComeUnity Christian group that meets on Thursday nights has cancelled tonight due to the weather.
School closings in Walker, area start at 1 p.m.
This is Ed Howell at noon. The following school systems will close at 1 p.m. today because of storms: Walker Co., Sumition Christian, Cullman Co., Fayette County, Winfield City, Marion County. Winston County and Jasper City will close at 2 p.m.
Bevill State is still holding classes, as of noon. The Carbon Hill City Council will still meet at 6 p.m. as of this hour.
Jason Simpson of ABC 33/40 says a moderate risk of severe risk of thunderstorms, tornadoes and such will likely hit most of Walker County between 4 and 9 p.m.
Bevill State is still holding classes, as of noon. The Carbon Hill City Council will still meet at 6 p.m. as of this hour.
Jason Simpson of ABC 33/40 says a moderate risk of severe risk of thunderstorms, tornadoes and such will likely hit most of Walker County between 4 and 9 p.m.
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