Police officers shot and killed a 48-year-old Louisiana man Friday morning off the grassy shoulder of eastbound Interstate 10, less than a half hour after he allegedly used a handgun to rob the Regions Bank across from the Eastern Shore Centre in Spanish Fort, authorities said.

“The officers were forced to shoot him,” said Maj. Anthony Lowery, Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

About 25 minutes later, four Loxley patrol cars surrounded then stopped the suspect’s white Chevrolet C1500 truck in the fast lane of I-10, nearly a mile east of Wilcox exit. The suspect bolted from the truck and ran down the grassy wall of a drainage ditch.

Lowery said the suspect refused the officers’ commands and then pulled out his handgun. It was unclear whether the suspect fired a shot before officers fired on him, Lowery said. The suspect was struck by more than one bullet, he said. The handgun and other weapons later were recovered from the suspect’s body, he said.

Baldwin County, Ala., bank robbery suspect killed

He is a red/brown labrador mix. He has tags with owner and veterinarian information and is microchipped.

He was last seen at the Interstate 10 Loxley exit. He is shy, so he may not come to you right away if you try to approach him. But he is very sweet, and will eventually approach you.

$1,000 Reward offered for missing dog

The Town of Loxley will soon have two new pieces of fire apparatus. At the Town Council meeting Monday night, councilors approved Ferrara Fire Apparatus’ bid for a 2,500 gallon tanker and a 1,000 gallon pumper. The Holden, La., company was the low bidder, asking a total of $625,299 for both trucks. The Council also approved a lease-purchase agreement with Sovereign Bank for the new fire apparatus. All members of the Council were present for the meeting.

Council purchases fire equipment

Despite good care, the centerpiece of the the school’s play yard for the youngest students, the “Pre-K to 2” playground, has problems. The “fort,” a combination of slide, swings and climbing area, was getting splintery right where the kids touched it. Ouch.

The solution came when Ramey got some help from the Loxley Public Works Department. The town sent Crew Boss Herman Hudson, and workers Darrell Hayes and Kerr Williams to refurbish the equipment with “Trex” synthetic boards in areas where the kids touch.

Loxley playground gets facelift

It doesn’t look like much, but these days Baldwin County Solid Waste Manager Jim Ransom, says these piles are really case piles. “You’ve seen it on the news, I know you guys have reported it,” Ransom said. “Copper these days has a lot of value now.”

He says over the last few months, Baldwin County ’s landfills have been hit by thieves, looking to turn trash in treasure. Loxley Police Chief Chip Cason says they get at least one call a week on the McBride Landfill. “We’ve arrested five people in the last two months, and at least that many have run from us and we have not been able to catch up with them,” Cason said. So far, Loxley has been the only city to make arrests on the crimes, investigations say they’ve recovered up $10,000 worth of discarded metal.

Thieves Stealing From Landfills

Developer Terry Chapman touts the “million-dollar views” from the porches and decks of his new townhouses in Steelwood off Alabama 59 in Loxley, and in fact, almost every window has a great view - even the laundry room.

The Point at Steelwood overlooks the 200-acre bass-stocked lake and the 18-hole Jerry Pate golf course in the private, gated community tucked in the woods not far from Interstate 10.

Two of the four townhouses have just been completed and are listed for $1 million each, according to Chapman. The 2,800-square-foot, two-story units also have 1,400 square feet of outdoor decks, as well as an outdoor kitchen and fireplace.

Million-dollar views’ touted at Steelwood

Governor Bob Riley today announced that 107 new classrooms, serving 1,926 children, will receive funding to become First Class Pre-K sites. Six of these sites are Baldwin County Public Schools, while three are private Baldwin County sites. These additions bring the total number of children being served by the program up to 3,384.

BCPS First Class Pre-K Sites 2008-09

Elsanor Elem. School Pre-K Program
Loxley Elementary School–Pre-K State Supported Slots
Foley Elem School–Pre-K State Supported Slots
Rosinton Elem School–Pre-K State Supported Slots
Bay Minette Elem School–Pre-K State Supported Slots
Swift Elementary School–Pre-K State Supported Slots

Other Baldwin County First Class Pre-K Sites 2008-09

Kid Plus Child Development Center–Pre-K State Supported Slots
Weinacker’s Montessori School
Weinacker’s Montessori School #2–Pre-K State Supported Slots

GOV. RILEY ANNOUNCES NEW ‘FIRST CLASS’ PRE-K CLASSES

Nothing on the Eastern Shore or down at the beach?

• David and Bess Marx of La- Z-Boy Furniture Gallery in Mobile paid $1.27 million for almost 2 acres in Spanish Fort Town Center near the intersection of Interstate 10 and U.S. 90/98 in Spanish Fort, according to court records. They plan to build a 17,500-square-foot La-Z-Boy store and open in December
• A local investor paid $95,000 for a 1.6-acre lot on Alabama 59 in Loxley just north of Interstate 10 near Penske Truck Leasing

Real estate news

We are in the middle of the dog days of summer, and school is the furthest thing from most kids’ (and let’s face, it parents’) minds.

But for about 45 youngsters who will attend Loxley Elementary School, next month’s first day of school will be nothing special — they are attending classes now. The program is called “Jump Start,” and count Loxley Elementary Principal De Ann Ramey as a fan.

“The program reinforces skills the children in grades 1-6 have learned during the year,” said Vickie Bailey, a literacy coordinator for Voyager Expanded Learning. The former Baldwin County principal now works for the company that makes the materials students use in this summer program. Bailey was on hand to instruct the teachers teaching the summer classes in the use of the program.

Summer classes give students a ‘Jump Start’

The article doesn’t mention how this program is funded.

Elections in Robertsdale and Loxley are over before the campaign season even started. In both communities, the incumbent does not have opposition, or a newcomer qualified for the election and does not have an opponent.

The community of Silverhill, however, is another matter. People looking for small-town election fireworks, if the signs appearing along Highway 59 is any indication, should look there.

Mayor, three councilmen face opposition in Silverhill

Baldwin County has three towns — Magnolia Springs, Loxley and Robertsdale — that will not hold municipal elections because candidate are running unopposed.

Towns: Politics without a vote

Sandra Scott’s tale of woe and deception begins the way so many do in the era of modern communication: She met a man on the Internet. The 64-year-old Baldwin County woman said the man convinced her he was a road builder from Michigan who worked part time with UNICEF. She agreed to help his efforts to aid orphans in Africa.

Scott’s friend sent her pre-paid postal labels, and she began repackaging the clothing, shoes, electronics and other items that arrived directly from some of America’s largest retailers. When Scott tried to mail them to Nigeria, however, a postal clerk in Loxley halted the shipments, and the scam unraveled.

Postal inspectors confirmed the prepaid postage was counterfeit and informed Scott that she had unwittingly participated in a scheme that used stolen credit card numbers of people all over the country to buy the items that she was supposed to ship to Nigeria.

Postal worker derails reshipping scam

Members of the Loxley Volunteer Fire Department were out in force to see the Town Council open bids for new fire apparatus.

Mayor Billy Middleton opened bids for a new pair of fire tanker-pumpers during Monday’s Town Council meeting. “We want two tanker-pumpers,” said Fire Chief Tim Curry after the meeting.

Council mulls fire truck purchase

A Florida man was jailed on $1 million bail Thursday after his arrest on a drug-trafficking charge in Loxley.

Silvio Teodora Sosa, 42, of Doral, Fla., was being held Thursday evening in the Baldwin County Corrections Center in Bay Minette, a jail spokeswoman said.

$1M bail set in drug case