The Talladega National Forest – Shoal Creek Ranger District is planning to burn 600 acres today, at Coleman Horse Camp. FSR 553,500, and 553D form portions of the burn unit boundary, also the Talladega Ranger District is planning to burn 980 acres today, 5 miles east of Sylacauga, AL. Forest Service roads 601, 601B, 601D, 601E and 601K should be traveled with caution. Please read press release issued below for more information.

(Heflin, Al)  March 20, 2017—- The Talladega National Forest – Shoal Creek Ranger District is planning to burn 600 acres today, at Coleman Horse Camp. FSR 553,500, and 553D form portions of the burn unit boundary.  Please use caution while traveling in this area due to crews and vehicles present.

The wind is expected to be out of the south and carry the smoke to the north toward the middle of the forest.  Smoke will be visible from Hwy. 78, forest service roads 553, 500.

As the temperatures cool later today, the smoke may begin to settle down Shoal Creek Drainage and some settling may occur down.   Some settling may also occur around the general area of the burn. Signs will be posted if needed.  If encountering smoke on roadways, please slow down, turn on your low-beam headlights and use caution when encountering prescribed burning operations and smoke.

Remember, a prescribed burn is a controlled fire ignited by professionally trained and experienced Forest Service personnel.  A prescribed burn is carefully planned to improve the health of your national forest.  If you have any questions, please contact the Talladega Fire Dispatch at 256-362-7000.

(Heflin, Al)  March 17, 2017—- The Talladega National Forest – Shoal Creek Ranger District is planning to burn 300 acres today, approximately 3 miles north of Delta. FSR 512 form portions of the burn unit boundary.  Please use caution while traveling in this area due to crews and vehicles present.

The wind is expected to be out of the southwest and carry the smoke to the north toward County road 3, 24 and 49 in the Abel area.  Smoke will be visible from Hwy. 9, Hwy. 281 County roads 49 and 3.  As the temperatures cool later today, the smoke may begin to settle down Chulafinnee Drainage and some settling may occur down Armstrong creek towards Hwy. 9.   Some settling may also occur around the general area of the burn. Signs will be posted if needed.  If encountering smoke on roadways, please slow down, turn on your low-beam headlights and use caution when encountering prescribed burning operations and smoke.

(Talladega, Al)  March 17, 2017—- The Talladega National Forest – Talladega Ranger District is planning to burn 1805 acres today, 9 miles south of Talladega, AL in the Horn Valley area.  Forest Service Roads 600-1 and 662 form portions of this burn boundary and will be closed for today. During today’s burn, the public will also notice Forest Service fire crews and equipment along County Road 308 (Horn Valley).  Smoke will be visible from Hwy 77 and County Rd 7.

The wind is expected to be out of the southwest and carry the smoke to the northeast towards Chandler Springs and Cheaha State Park. As the temperatures cool later today, the smoke may begin to settle down in Horn Valley and the Hatchet Creek drainage . Some settling may also occur around the general area of the burn. Signs will be posted along roads if needed.  If encountering smoke on roadways, please slow down, turn on your low-beam headlights, and use caution when encountering prescribed burning operations and smoke.

Remember, a prescribed burn is a controlled fire ignited by professionally trained and experienced Forest Service personnel.  A prescribed burn is carefully planned to improve the health of your national forest.  If you have any questions, please contact the Talladega office at 256-362-2909.

According to a 911 call that went out earlier this Sunday morning, March 12,  a deceased male, approximately 60 years of age, was found by a passerby near the intersection of Providence Rd and Canady Rd in the Bluff Springs/Mellow Valley area. The body was just outside of the deceased’s vehicle that appeared to have gotten stuck in the mud.

According to sources, the deceased has been identified as Donald Campbell, of Alexander City, who was reported missing by family on Saturday, March 11. Campbell suffered from dementia and was last seen around 3:00 pm on this day.

This information has not yet been confirmed by Clay County Sheriff’s Office, but rather information I have gathered on my own.

My heart goes out to this family for the loss of their loved one.

ASHLAND, ALABAMA (March 3, 2017) – Tru Cabinetry, an Alabama-based cabinet manufacturer, announces its donation of $17,610.85 to the American Red Cross Louisiana Flood Relief efforts.

Tru Cabinetry donated a portion of all sales in Louisiana from September 2016 through December 2016 to help lessen the burden created by the catastrophic flooding that overtook a large portion of the state in August 2016.

“It was devastating to watch the news of this prolonged rainfall event unfold late last summer,” said Tru Cabinetry President Butch Reimer. “We knew that we needed to do something to show our support and commitment to the communities of Southern Louisiana..”

The flooding has been called the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in 2012, and it resulted in 20 Louisiana parishes being designated federal disaster areas by FEMA. It took the lives of 13 individuals and destroyed more than 140,000 homes.

“These homes and buildings in ruins are the places where families and friends usually gather to celebrate, to live, and simply be in the company of one another. We wanted to help contribute to their revival,” said Reimer. “We know that disaster recovery can take a long time, but it’s our hope that the members of these devastated communities will be able to find some relief in our effort. Tru Cabinetry is driven by small town pride, just like most of these communities.”

The mission of the Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. During its time providing assistance after the Louisiana floods, the Red Cross has used donated funds to provide shelter until families could return home, serve water and hot meals, provide first aid, give comfort and emotional support, ensure people with disabilities receive the help they need, distribute cleanup supplies, meet with families to prepare recovery plans, and assess damage in impacted neighborhoods.

For more information, please contact Eric Reed at 256-354-3378.

Tru Cabinetry, a brand of Tru-wood Cabinet Company, LLC is a rapidly-growing manufacturer of high-quality semi-custom cabinetry. Tru Cabinetry is headquartered in Ashland, Ala. and currently employs 190 employees and operates in over 370,000 square feet in manufacturing and distribution space.

Below is a press release issued by CCRS Operations Officer Brian Andrews regarding Search and Rescue Mission, Saturday, March 4, 2017: 

4 Mar 2017 SAR Mission- Saturday evening at appx. 5:30 PM, Clay County Rescue Squad was contacted by Clay County E-911 for two lost female hikers in the Talladega National Forest. Due to their location and proximity to cell towers, the call was routed through Talladega County 911 and back to Clay County. It was immediately paged out as Operations Officer Brian Andrews continued to gather information. A text was sent to the hikers to stay put and that we were on the way. Always important. They were in the process of responding when their phone battery died.

In the early evening hours of February 5, 2017, Sheriff’s Deputies were called to an area around the 3400 block of Glades Road in the Millerville area involving a drive by shooting.

Sheriff’s Deputies began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged shooting. Deputies found that in fact a residence had been shot into. Deputies were able to recover evidence to identify the caliber of the weapon used.

Following almost a month long investigation, Sheriff’s Investigators were able to execute 4 arrests warrants on Monday, February 27th, 2017 directly related to the drive by shooting. Three arrests were executed without incident.

While searching the whereabouts of one of the suspects, Sheriff’s Deputies were patrolling on Highway 77 south of Mellow Valley near the county line. A vehicle driven by one of the suspects was observed traveling south on Alabama 77. The suspect fled as deputies attempted a traffic stop. Knowing the identity of the driver, related weather and road conditions at that time, the pursuit was minimized.

Sheriff’s Deputies quickly saturated the area with enforcement units, where a short time later the vehicle was again observed on Highway 77, traveling north just inside the  Clay County line. The driver of the vehicle offered no resistance when multiple deputies affected the traffic stop.

At press time, Sheriff Latham states that this is currently an ongoing investigation, and with the possibility of other arrests, the identity of those arrested are being withheld at this time. Sheriff Latham would like to express thanks to the officers of the Lineville Police Department for their assistance on the night of the shooting and their continued effort in assisting investigators throughout this investigation.

Sheriff’s Investigators also have arrested Arron Farrow, age 20 of Lineville, with charges of attempting to introduce prison contraband into the Clay County Detention Center. Additionally Detention Officers discovered illegal drugs on a person being booked into the Detention Center. Amanda Sue Campbell, age 33 of Ashland was arrested by Sheriff’s Deputies for Unlawful possession of controlled substance.

An incident occurring on 5th Avenue around 8:30 am involving a slight mishap with a motorcycle caused some confusion with law enforcement until the details were ironed out.

When the male and female who were riding the motorcycle lost control of it at the Hwy 9/5th Ave intersection, the bike ran through the intersection, coming to a rest in front of Clay Service & Electronics, with no injuries.

The suspicion began when the couple ran from the scene back towards Piggly Wiggly and up 5th Avenue. After a brief search, it was discovered that the couple had went back to the house of the owner of the bike, whom they had received permission from to test drive, to let him know what had happened, but at the time following up to the new details, LPD wasn’t sure if this was an attempt to steal the motorcycle. In light of this new information, no charges were filed.

Meanwhile, another disturbance was taking place in the apartments on Oak Grove Rd, where a domestic disturbance was taking place. One female had taken a baseball bat to the vehicle belonging to her significant other, causing major damage. The female in question busted the windshields, all the windows, and headlights of the vehicle. She was taken into custody.

Later this afternoon, CCSO was involved in a search for suspects driving a silver Nissan Altima relating to a previous incident. This search area ranged from Hwy 77 South to the County Line area. The suspects were finally apprehended and taken into custody. Details on this arrest will be released tomorrow.

February 7, 2017- On Saturday, February 4, 2017, The Ashland Police Department received a call over in the Pine View/Clark Road area about someone egging a car. Officer Franklin Few responded and found the victim that had called in. In following up on his investigation he was able to find several more cars in the area that had egg on the car.

According to the victims the incidents had to have occurred between the hours of eight o’clock and ten o’clock p.m. the night before.

Officer Few then responded to another victim on 3^rd Ave. N that also had egg on her car. Officer Few left the scene and continued his investigation into the crimes. He stopped at the Dollar General and spoke with a manager that provided video of several juveniles purchasing eggs from the Dollar General. Officer Few was able to identify the juvenile suspects, and followed up by contacting each of them, and their parents to let them know what had taken place.

On Monday, Chief Joseph Stanford pursued issuing juvenile petitions for each of the five (5) juvenile suspects. In total, there were 11 cars that were hit by eggs the night of the incident. Because of it being a juvenile related event, no suspects can be named.

February 7, 2017- Ashland Fun Days, a committee that has put on events such as the Trunk or Treat and part of the Christmas Parade, is proud to announce the upcoming event to kick off 2017’s year of Ashland Fun Days. Starting on February 11, 2017, and running each month on the second Saturday, there will be fun and exciting events that we will host either on the square, or at the City Park. We have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ashlandfundays/ where you can be kept updated on the happenings, and when and where.

For February 11, we will be having our event on the square, in Ashland, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. We will have the Ashland Elementary, and Central Junior High School archery teams doing a Cupid Shoot on the square. The cost of this game will be $5 for 3 shots at targets at a designated distance. This will be located in the alley way between old City Hall, and the Old Post Office. On the West side of the square the Clay County Extension Services will be having a bike rodeo for kids to go through a bicycle course and try their skills in it. There will be no charge for this.

Inside the Courthouse the Clay County Health Authority will be conducting Health Screenings, since it is Heart Health month. At the Court Square Café, the Ashland Nursing Home will be hosting bingo, and will be charging $1 per card to play. We will have other people on the square, like Girl Scouts selling their cookies, another group doing a bake sale, and Stephanie Freeman, the Ashland Little League Sports Coordinator, will be taking baseball/softball/t-ball registrations.

The restaurants on the square will be offering specials during the event, and other businesses will be open for shopping. Finally, every hour on the East Side of the Square there will be people dancing in the streets to the Cupid shuffle. We invite everyone to come out and attend, and follow us on Facebook, so that you can see the exciting events we have planned for the rest of the year.