Stolen Truck Found In Lake Wedowee
May 30, 2008 
From http://www.therandolphleader.com/articles/2008/05/29/news/385-rcso.txt
Stolen truck pulled from Lake Wedowee
According to investigator Jimmy Holmes, someone spotted the truck, which had its windows rolled down with the keys inside.
About the same time, an Alabama State Trooper helicopter had been sent up to search for country singer Doug Stone, who had been reported missing while floating the river but who later was located.
For a time, it was thought this vehicle might have been left for Stone and his friends to ride in when they completed their float on the river, but the two things turned out not to be related.
Needed Improvements To Clinton Nature Preserve
May 30, 2008 
I’m not sure why the children’s playground has been neglected so, but I decided to take some pictures and tell you about some of the things that needed to be fixed or improved. You can find the pictures at http://good-times.webshots.com/album/563634483LnJzUt
Some things aren’t absolutely needed, but would most likely be appreciated by citizens who visit this park. Such as having the Douglas County Master Gardeners plant flowers in the two flower beds in which there are pretty much no flowers, only a couple of shrubs. Maybe a fenced-in compost pile could be something to consider because it would create excellent nutrients for the plants already in the children’s playgarden.
Something desperately needed, I’m sure, is a vending machine for bottled water and another for healthy snacks, because there isn’t a water fountain in the entire park. This would also give the park needed income for improvements. Another picnic area near the children’s playground would also be appreciated–sometimes that picnic area is full of people on busy days and there isn’t another one near the playground.
But what is really needed are improvements to safety. For example, there are open trash cans in the children’s play area. These trash cans need to be covered, or animals will get into them–much like I found a trashcan on the day I took these pictures. Two spinning poles are missing–one has a hollow tube sticking up out of the ground and the other is covered by an orange traffic cone. Also, there is a sand/erosion problem. Sand is somehow coming out of the sandbox and covering the walkway next to it and also getting into the wood chips in the next play area. Sand is also piling up in the circular driveway in front of the playground. I found two swear words traced in the sand in this location last week–and one of them began with an f.
Down on the trails, there is a large bridge going over a creek that has a slanted incline that is difficult to step onto and there are loose boards in the middle of the bridge. I’ll add pictures of the bridge later. Also, the metal poles holding the bridge up are rusted.
The driveway into the gravel parking lot has a sinkhole as well, so if you hit it at a certain point, well, watch out. The gravel parking lot should also be expanded–I’ve seen it full and I’ve had to park in the field across the drive, and the field there is very uneven because the sand and dirt covering it has caused erosion and there are deep ruts in the dirt.
Also, the fence around the playground needs to be replaced. Part of it is due to shoddy construction–boards don’t meet other boards evenly, metal screws holding the fence together are missing, some fence slats (bearing people’s names, people who helped build this playground) have fallen off (or been kicked off, possibly) or have split in two (I’ll add a picture later). It just seems like, to me, if the Junior League helped build the playground, they should help with the upkeep or the county should. They might also include a map to the park for people who have never been there before. A lot of people don’t know there are several trails or that there is an old log cabin at the end of one of these trails.
I’ll be adding more pictures to Webshots.com as time allows. I intend on going to the Hydrangea Festival next weekend (June 7-8) so I’ll have pictures of it.
Anyone have any other suggestions for improvements to Clinton Nature Preserve?
ATTN Clinton Nature Preserve Walkers!
May 28, 2008
Filed under Fitness News
Tags: Clinton Farms, Clinton Nature Preserve, Winston
I’ve created an online team on the State Farm-sponsored website 50MillionPounds.com for Clinton Nature Preserve’s walkers. You can find it here: http://www.50millionpounds.com/challenge_teams/teamprofile.aspx?id=885dc21d-0159-475c-9a29-fa1f338256b5
There’s no set day for the team to walk–maybe in the future. I plan on going at least twice a week.
For those of you who walk at other parks in Douglas County, you can join for free and create your own team. I noticed there aren’t any other teams for Douglas County. I know people walk at Hunter Park and Deerlick Park.
DC For Sale/Lease
Two spaces are available for sale in historic downtown Douglasville–one of them is where the beanie baby/doll shop was. Asking price is $493,000. Looks like this is also available to be leased as well.
CVS on Fairburn Road is for sale. Asking price is $5,286,696. There is a 25 year lease on the building that expires January 31, 2033. I thought the shopping center behind this was going to be bulldozed for the Bright Star Connector?? Wonder if that’s why it’s being sold.
There is a one acre tract at the Super Wal-Mart on Concourse Parkway for sale. Asking price is $775,000.
8.216 acres on Strawn Road in Winston is for sale. The ad says it is “surrounded by light industrial zoning.”
Looks like the location where Sassafrass Bistro was is for sale. No price listed–it just says negotiable.
Former Smoky Bones location is for lease. $20.91 per square foot.
The strip mall across from Bill Arp Park is leasing. They’re going to call it Live Oak Village. There are nine spaces for lease, ranging from $15-$20 per square foot. The largest spaces (four of them) are 1,200 square feet. It says the strip mall was supposed to be complete in April. One of the selling highlights is “visually appealing facility utilizing Old Growth Oak Trees on Site”. One tenant already announced is Subway. They did a traffic count (not sure when) and they estimated that 12,000 cars travel past the strip mall every day. I think there are probably more than that. They are advertising this as administrative office/mixed use.
899 Students Fail CRCT
Staff Writer
“We have 899 students eligible for summer school,” said Dr. David Whitfield, chief of staff of middle school, high school and vocational instruction. He said this is about twice the size of the normal summer class.
“In past years, middle schools paired up and shared a site,” Whitfield said. “This year every middle school will have its own site.”
Although students can retake the CRCT test a second time without attending summer school, Whitfield said attendance is preferred.
“It helps us to identify their weaknesses, so they can pass the test on the second try,” he said.
The state has promised $1.4 million extra to help school districts offset the extra summer school costs, but Whitfield said so far he’s not received any information on this from the state.
State School Superintendent Kathy Cox threw out social studies CRCT scores for sixth- and seventh-graders after announcing that 70 to 80 percent failed that portion of the test. Social studies scores are not used for promotion. Cox has said the math scores will stand.
State officials said they expected more students to fail because the test was more difficult this year. The scores reported are preliminary, with final statewide scores due to be released in June.
–The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Teen Shot In Douglasville
I have very little info on this due to the fact that Fox5 decided to post this as a video instead of an article, and I’m currently on dial-up so I can’t watch the video. If anyone would like to watch the video (located at http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6623266&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1 ) and post a comment as to what the video said, please feel free.
This was the only details about it on Fox5’s website, other than the video:
“Police said a 19-year-old man was shot by his roommate in Douglasville and the shooting happened in front of several witnesses, including children.”
McDade Outraged With State’s Commutation Decision
Staff Writer
The board announced its vote about 4:45 p.m. Thursday to commute Crowe’s sentence to life without parole. The announcement came just a little over two hours before Crowe was due to die by lethal injection at the Jackson state prison.
Crowe, 47, had already eaten what was to be his last meal and was on suicide watch in the holding cell next to the death chamber.
“I was thoroughly disgusted and disappointed in the decision,” McDade said Friday morning; “not for me, but for the victim’s family. His wife and daughter had waited 20 years for justice, and it was snatched away from them at the last minute by the board’s decision.”
McDade said he and Miller had testified earlier before the Pardons and Paroles Board and were on their way to Jackson to witness the execution when they received notification of the decision.
“They were devastated,” he said. “The only cruel and unusual thing about the death penalty in this case is to the victim’s family and how they were denied justice. This is a case where Mr. Crowe’s guilt had been unequivocally established over 20 years. He confessed and pled guilty to murder. The victim’s family was entitled to justice, not this charade.”
Miller, who supervised the Sheriff’s Office Detective Division when the March 2, 1988, murder was committed, said Friday he was also upset over the board’s decision. He called the crime a “horrible, terrible murder.”
“Capt. Eddie Price lived diagonally across the road from Crowe’s house,” Miller said. “We sat in his (Price’s) yard and waited until he (Crowe) came home. I told him he was under arrest and advised him of his rights. He admitted to the murder and told me where the gun was. He took me upstairs and showed me the gun.”
Miller said Sheriff Earl Lee arrived a few minutes later with a search warrant and authorities seized the gun, paint cans and other evidence from Crowe’s Pontiac.
Crowe, 27 at the time he committed the crime, went to Wickes Lumber Co. as manager Joseph Pala was closing the store. Crowe was a former Wickes employee and associate of Pala’s. Crowe admitted to shooting Pala in the back with a .44-caliber handgun, then beating him on the head with a paint can and a crowbar. He took about $1,100 in the robbery.
At the Thursday Pardons and Paroles Board hearing, Crowe’s attorney, Ann Fort, said Crowe had stopped using cocaine and was in severe withdrawal the night of the murder. She said Crowe had no prior convictions before the murder and had been a model prisoner. She said he has always been very remorseful for his actions. Fort presented a box of testimonial letters to the board, including one from a retired corrections officer.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
Douglas County Animal Shelter Closed; Animals Euthanized
The Carroll County shelter was closed last week, and the Douglas County shelter was closed Thursday night, according to Wes Tallon, county communications and community relations director.
“Canine distemper is a contagious, incurable, viral disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems,” Tallon said. “It is preventable in dogs via vaccinations. However, the virus occurs among, and is fairly common, in canine species including raccoons, skunks, coyotes and foxes.”
“Officials surmise that an infected wild animal came in contact with a domesticated dog somewhere in West Georgia, and that the virus then began to quickly spread,” Tallon said. “This is not a virus that has occurred due to kennel conditions.”
Tallon said it’s somewhat difficult to identify canine distemper at first due to its mimic of kennel cough, a common and non-threatening occurrence of animals in a close-environment shelter. More advanced symptoms include heavier respiratory symptoms and may include seizures.
Unfortunately, very young puppies and the sick and injured dogs in the Shelter had to be euthanized on the advice and counsel of the kennel veterinarian due to their low immune system, Tallon said. The remainder of the animals are being segregated inside and outside in sanitized kennels with permission by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
The sanitized outside runs at the Douglas County Animal Shelter will be used on Sunday, May 25, with state approval, for segregation of the stray dogs picked up by animal shelter staff.
“Veterinarians in both Carroll and Douglas counties said that they had not seen an outbreak of distemper in about 18 years due to the vaccination program,” Tallon said.
During the quarantine period, the Douglas County Animal Shelter will replace some of the ductwork in the building — a renovation planned for later this year, but which has been moved up on the schedule due to this occurrence.
No visitors will be allowed in the shelter during the quarantine. Humans most likely cannot be infected, but can be a carrier of the virus and then can pass it along to their personal pets. Dogs that are pets of animal shelter employees and volunteers were all previously vaccinated against the virus, but employees are taking precautions of washing clothes and personal items immediately after leaving the shelter, Tallon said.
Blog On Hiatus
I’ve got a bad sinus infection so I probably won’t be updating the blog for another week or so. I’ll post if I feel like it.
Petition Against Bill Arp Grocery Store
I live in the Bill Arp area–I have for over twenty years. I’ve always thought that it included Alexander Parkway, Mason Creek, Pool Road, Banks Mill, Dorsett Shoals, Big A, and Kilroy Lane, and all the back roads that intertwine these roads.
Mike Hughes, in his comment to the other post about this, brought up a good point. Those who moved here moved here because it was a small town community and because it had very few businesses and very little traffic and it was a safe community. For the most part, it is still a safe community.
This post is a petition against the grocery store. To sign it, simply post a comment. If you’re opposed to a grocery store coming into the Bill Arp Community because you moved here to live in a small town, post a comment. If you’re opposed to it because you live in a subdivision and it will be yards away from you, post a comment. If you’re opposed to it because it will increase traffic and/or crime, post a comment. Full names will be appreciated, but if you don’t want to post your full name, just put your first name and your last initial. Also post why you do not want a grocery store in Bill Arp. You also might suggest what could be put on the property instead of a grocery store. Perhaps a library? A farmer’s market? A feed/garden supply store? This is still a rural area, after all, especially down Pool Road, and I know of several people who have large vegetable gardens and many have horses, cows, or even goats. At the end of the month I’ll email the BOC and the P&Z Board and direct them to this petition.
