Baldwin County, Alabama News and Discussion
August 12th, 2009 — Crime, Spanish Fort
A Baldwin County business man brutally beaten and robbed is being remembered on the 2 year anniversary of the attack.
Bobby Wilson was at his service station in Spanish Fort when the crime happened back on August 11th 2007. He died 4 months later from his injuries. Eric Buzbee is facing capital murder charges for robbing and assaulting Wilson. Buzbee will face trial for the second time next week. Family and friends hope justice will finally be served.
August 12th, 2009 — Crime, Spanish Fort
Baldwin County Deputies are investigating a woman’s death. Authorities say a car ran over a woman on Stagecoach Road in Spanish Fort, that’s just off Highway 31. It happened near a street corner around 9:00 p.m Tuesday night.
Deputies are not releasing the woman’s name or who was driving the car.
Authorities are questioning victim’s boyfriend. Investigators believe it all started as a domestic argument. The preliminary investigation appears that the woman got out of the car and was hit. The man drove back to their apartment complex down the road and parked the car. He walked back to check on the victim. Investigators also say an 8 year old child was in the car when it happened. No arrests have been made in the case.
August 10th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
The flattened shards of metal and rubber were once gas-guzzling clunkers. Over 128 vehicles which were picked up in the “Cash for Clunkers” program got flattened into steel pancakes.
Counselman’s Automotive Recycling hired a company to crush the vehicles turned in for cash.
August 6th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
With some residents backing a sewer moratorium and city leaders preferring face-to-face talks, this week’s City Council meeting was flush with ideas on a topic that wasn’t even on the agenda.
Residents of the Wakefield and Wilson Heights subdivisions voiced their concerns about sewer installation in the city and the franchise agreement between the city and the privately owned Baldwin County Sewer Service.
Wakefield resident Dwain Kinard said the franchise agreement, which was enacted in 2004 and amended in 2008, seemed to cater to the interests of the sewer company more than the city
August 4th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
Twelve homes remain on the unstable bluffs of Patrician Drive, just west of U.S. 90 and north of Interstate 10.
The city has been working since 2003 on a federal grant to repair and stabilize the steep hillside, but now, less than three months before the grant expires and the money disappears, the project seems to be at a standstill.
According to Mayor Joe Bonner, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is waiting for the city to confirm funding and a maintenance agreement before the agency can move forward with the stabilization project.
Unstable Spanish Fort bluffs home to 12 homes; is time running out?
August 4th, 2009 — Other News, Spanish Fort
Baldwin County teacher Gene Ponder on Monday became the second Republican to declare his candidacy for the 2010 Alabama lieutenant governor’s race.
Ponder, who teaches history at Spanish Fort High School, joins state Sen. Hank Erwin, R-Montevallo, who launched his campaign in April. The winner of the GOP primary is expected to face Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom, a Democrat who is seeking re-election next year.
Ponder has never held public office and lost two campaigns for the state House of Representatives, running as a Libertarian and a Democrat
Baldwin County teacher seeks GOP nomination for lieutenant governor
July 29th, 2009 — Daphne, Spanish Fort
For the past decade, scientists have suggested that the U.S. 90-U.S. 98 Causeway is hurting Mobile Bay and the vast and swampy Mobile-Tensaw Delta to the north by artificially splitting one of the nation’s largest coastal estuaries in two.
Short of removing the Causeway entirely, the best fix anyone has proposed involves putting in bridges to allow water to flow more freely from the bay to the delta.
Now, after years of study and a number of related scientific papers, a team of scientists led by John Valentine of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab says it is time to “experiment” with a small bridge near Meaher Park
July 28th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
Every day, 14,000 children around the world die from hunger and malnutrition, according to the Christian charitable organization World Vision.
Church youth groups from Baldwin County came together Friday and Saturday to participate in the “30-hour Famine” and community service in hopes that their efforts will raise awareness of world hunger and reduce the number of hunger-related child deaths per year.
“This is the first time youths from St. Andrew by the Sea Community Church in Gulf Shores, Providence United Methodist Church in Spanish Fort and Christ Presbyterian Church in Daphne have teamed up to participate in the 30-hour Famine,” said Sharla Berry, director of Youth Ministries at Christ Presbyterian Church
July 26th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
The Spanish Fort City Council rejected a proposal last week to stop sewer installation until the city develops design specifications for the expanding system.
District One Councilman Dennis Dismuke, who worked for years as a licensed master plumber and electrician in Ohio, proposed delaying the installation of any new sewer mains for six months or longer until the city could adopt design standards for sewer construction and installation.
After the vote, Dismuke presented a petition signed by 111 of the 115 residents of Wakefield stating that they “do not want Baldwin County Sewer Service” to provide services to the subdivision. Mayor Joe Bonner stood by the franchise agreement and its amendment
Spanish Fort rejects sewer moratorium; councilman claims customers at risk
July 26th, 2009 — Fairhope, Orange Beach, Real estate, Spanish Fort
April 10th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
The City Council covered a tremendous amount of ground during its two-hour work session prior to Monday’s regular meeting, discussing everything from a potential smoking ban and lodging tax to regional cooperation for future grant requests and the potential creation of regional transportation hubs
Regarding adoption of a lodging tax, City Attorney David Conner presented a draft proposal to council members based primarily on the policies in place in Daphne and Fairhope. He said Fairhope, Daphne, Robertsdale and Foley each levy a 4 percent lodging tax; Loxley’s tax is 3 percent; Silverhill does not impose one; and Mobile’s is 8 percent.
Smoke ‘em if got ‘em and tax ‘em if you can.
April 8th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
After years of sporadic discussion about a citywide tobacco smoking ban, the City Council, for the first time, parsed out the details of an “air quality” ordinance during Monday’s pre-meeting work session.
Council members expressed support of an ordinance that would be largely based on the one approved by the Daphne City Council early last year.
That measure, which became effective last May, prohibits smoking in public or public-access facilities, but exempts bars
Spanish Fort considers smoking ban
‘Cause we don’t want you to die of lung cancer unless you’re a drinker. Sorry, Tom.
April 8th, 2009 — Spanish Fort
It was a busy Tuesday morning at the Prodisee Pantry in Spanish Fort. That’s because Prodisee Pantry has seen an increase in the number of families that need assistance with food products.
Two families from the Baldwin County area were featured in a recent article of the Wall Street Journal. It was part of the paper’s coverage on the growing need for assistance by families all across America who are struggling to make ends meet.
April 7th, 2009 — Orange Beach, Spanish Fort
Managers and employees the Logan’s Roadhouse are typically always pleasant and always prepared. However, the last time we checked in on the Spanish Fort restaurant we were exposing quite a few unsanitary conditions. They also earned a score of 76. State health officials draw the line at 85 out of 100 possible points.
While it’s our obligation to point out the bad, we also celebrate the opportunity to fill you in on the good. Logan’s was given another chance to get it right recently and they stepped up to the plate. This time, the Steakhouse is rustling up an improved rating of 97.
There’s only one below average score to tell you about this week. Inspectors found violations, including employees eating in the kitchen, gumbo held out of temperature. This week Fish Camp Restaurant in Orange Beach has a score of 82.
April 3rd, 2009 — Spanish Fort
The City Council will begin a dialogue during Monday’s 4 p.m. work session regarding the possible adoption of both a smoking ordinance and lodging tax
Because neither measure exists on the Spanish Fort books, Mayor Joe Bonner said City Attorney David Conner has been collecting comparable information from the cities of both Daphne and Fairhope to distribute to council members.
“We want to be fair to businesses, but we also want to be fair to those who don’t smoke, and that’s why we’ve got so much to talk about,” he said. “It’s really not meant to be an issue of smokers vs. not smokers. It’s an issue of courtesy, and we have to decide where to draw that line.”
Proposed smoking ban, lodging tax on agenda
People can decide if they want to go to a business without government help. If a place is smokey and you don’t like it, then don’t go there. If smoking is so bad, then why just ban the use? Shouldn’t they ban the sale of cigarettes, too?
