News Digest for July 2019 (Click on each link to open) Chronic Pain, Part 1: The Crisis - Journal Record Slim majority gives Colagross vote of 'no confidence' - Journal Record Career Center to hold training information seminar - Journal Record Winkler is crowned Miss Hamilton 2020 - Journal Record Hamilton senior attends leadership congress in nation's Capitol - Journal Record BSCC recognizes nurse educator in Sumiton - Daily Mountain Eagle Bevill State decision a win for public access - Daily Mountain Eagle Shattering barriers - Daily Mountain Eagle Hardison-Carter is BSCC oustanding faculty member - Times Record Our Views - Optics is everything - Journal Record First Fridays returns Aug. 2 - Journal Record Students receive credentials from Winston Career Academy - Journal Record BSCC gets largest performance-based increase - Journal Record Delta Kappa Gamma hold tri-county meeting - Journal Record Whisnant named Outstanding Faculty Member - Journal Record 'This is what community looks like' - Daily Mountain Eagle UA student develops life skills course for area students - Daily Mountain Eagle Walker College Foundation announces scholarship recipients - Daily Mountain Eagle 15 students sign with Career Pathways Academy - Daily Mountain Eagle Byrne makes quick stop in Walker County - Daily Mountain Eagle Many scholarships awarded - Northwest Alabamian Region sees uptick in unemployment numbers - Journal Record Hall of Fame set to welcome 26th class - Journal Record The Only Way To Study - Daily Mountain Eagle The BSCC News Digest is a sampling of news articles and information regarding Bevill State Community College that appears in local media. If you see an article that is not listed please contact [email protected] media. If you see an article that is not listed please contact [email protected] BT nB\Q :KHQLWFRPHVWRUHWLUHPHQW ank with you. LW VDOODERXWWKHQXPEHUV QY*Q=>Y KRZPXFKPRQH\\RX OOQHHG Taking the =Y' \NZ DQGKRZPXFK\RX UHVDYLQJ Free Mobile App WRJHWWKHUH bank with you. 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PALMER/STAFF confidence’ New Northfork bridge opens By SCOTT JOHNSON The new bridge over Northfork Creek between Hackleburg and Hamilton is now open to traffic, rendering travel somewhat News Editor safer. The original bridge was built in 1931 and reconstructed in 1982. Over the years a number of deaths resulted from the traffic accidents that officials attributed to the terrain and design of the old bridge. The new bridge is wider and straighter. MUSCLE SHOALS - In For a comlete story see page 6A. a tight vote, Northwest- Shoals Community Col- lege (NW-SCC) faculty and staff have indicated Marion County Roads By The Numbers... they are not confident in their president’s leader- ship. COMMISSION TOTAL ROADS % OF TOTAL ROADS TOTAL PAVED ROADS Accord- DISTRICTS 944.32 COUNTY MILES (100%) ~ 729 ~ ing to the DISTRICT 1 254.81 0.272722408% 198.02 TimesDaily, DISTRICT 2 210.45 0.225244028% 147.31 on Wednes- day, June 27, DISTRICT 3 185.34 0.198368867% 148.71 NW-SCC DISTRICT 4 118.55 0.126883723% 103.91 employees DISTRICT 5 165.17 0.176780974% 131.05 on both Colagross campuses— Muscle Shoals and Phil * SOURCE: Marion County Engineer Mike Shaw, from a study of Marion County roads approximately 5 years ago. Campbell—gave NW- SCC President Dr. Glenda MARION COUNTY COMMISSION Colagross a vote of “no confidence” with a 87-79 Frustrations arise amid new gas tax setup vote. ■ The vote of “no confi- New gas tax reallocation approved amid heated debate dence” came only a week By LOUIS MELLINI receive 22% and Districts 4 and 5 will road mileage in each district. after a Montgomery Staff Writer receive 17%. Nichols is the commissioner for Dis- judge ordered Alabama Commissioners Tim Estes (District trict 1, which requires maintenance of Community College Sys- HAMILTON - The Marion County 4) and Bobby Burleson (District 5) both 254 road miles. tem (ACCS) Chancellor Commission voted 3-2 in favor of real- voiced their displeasure in the new Estes continued by asking when was Jimmy Baker and Bevill locating funds received from gas taxes proposal, as both of their districts will the last time a survey was taken to de- State Community Col- after a heated debate during its regular lose 3% of the revenue they have been termine the exact road mileage of each lege (BSCC) President Dr. session meeting on Monday, June 24, at receiving from gasoline sales. of the five districts. Kim Ennis to produce the commission office in Hamilton. “What justifies this?,” asked Estes. County engineer Mike Shaw was not data sought by the BSCC- Before the reallocation was ap- Commissioner Keith Nichols, who entirely certain on a specific date, but Hamilton Campus Leg- proved, each of the five districts were presented the proposal to the commis- stated that the last survey was taken receiving an even 20% each, a motion sion, expressed that he believed that around five years ago. See COLAGROSS approved in 1971. The new reallocation the allocation of funds from the gas on page 9A. changes that — Districts 1, 2 and 3 will tax should be based on the amount of See FRUSTRATIONS on page 7A. OPIOID CRISIS Chronic Pain, Part 1: The Crisis ■ History The Statistics up only 4.5% of the world’s Over 700,000 people in the population, it consumes 80% of the U.S. died of a drug overdose of global prescription opioids. between 1999 and 2017, ac- According to CDC data opioid crisis cording to the Center for Dis- from 2017, Alabama’s rate of ease Control (CDC), which is opioid prescriptions per 100 By LUKE BRANTLEY based in Atlanta, Georgia. people was 107.2, the highest Summer Intern In 2017, 68% of overdose rate of any state in the coun- Troy University deaths involved an opioid of try. some kind. In Marion County, the rate HAMILTON - America is in Over 70,200 people died of is even higher: 162.1 per 100 the middle of an epidemic. drug-related causes in 2017. people. That’s an average of 1.6 The disease? Opioid addic- 68% of 70,200 is around per person. tion. 47,736. Dr. Brent Boyett And Alabama is in the hot- Although the U.S. makes zone. See CHRONIC on page 3A. Wednesday, July 3, 2019 Journal Record Page 7A CWD are not accomplishing could be established ei- Controlled testing continued from page 2A. much,” Armstrong said. ther at the University of could take place to see if Armstrong said that Alabama or Auburn Uni- the infected deer react to here,” Armstrong said. with the discovery of versity. certain antibiotics, Arm- Going forward into CWD in Tennessee and “We know it’s coming, strong said. the upcoming season, Mississippi, he feels that but what are we going to the two deer farmers say CWD will eventually be do when they find it? “Let's do the research. they would like to see the discovered within the What’s the protocol? Are When they do find what- State of Alabama con- borders of Alabama. But we going to kill every- ever causes CWD, we can duct more research into before it gets here, he thing or are we going to stop it in the wild and we the underlying causes of would like to see money say ‘Hey, we are going to can stop it in the deer CWD. generated by the multi- be the first ones to set pens. They can find a “We should conduct billion dollar hunting in- the bar and make a stand cure for it, but killing more studies because by dustry funneled into a right here by doing some everything is not the an- killing everything, you research facility that live testing.’” swer.” Frustrations trict?” replied Estes. about the political na- tration with the com- continued from front page. Nichols stated that ture of the reallocation, missioners, stating that because of the miles in Burleson suggested that he believes an accurate Burleson asked Shaw his district, he is forced the current proposal and current road if there was a possibility to work double the being made could be re- mileage survey should that the numbers for amount of road miles versed in a similar fash- have been taken before road mileage have than Districts 4 and 5, ion. the commission changed since the last respectively. “What it all boils brought it to a vote. survey was taken. Nichols attempted to down to is this; If I can Although the meet- “I don’t think there’s calm Estes and get enough political ing featured passionate a 150-mile discrepancy Burleson by stating that clout to change one of debate from each of the in these (road num- the amount being taken your votes, we can commissioners, com- bers),” said Cochran. was not very substan- change this back next missioner Dale Holt re- “I’ve got 80 miles of tial, to which both week,” he said. mained silent gravel and (Estes) has Burleson and Estes ap- In response to throughout the discus- 15.