Friday, November 28, 2008

Talk amongst yourselves: Greatest Iron Bowl upsets

Weigh in here.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thursday in The Anniston Star

You can find these stories in Thursday's Anniston Star:

It's Thanksgiving and Laura Tutor has a story about the mood around this year's holiday. With bad economic news swirling around and crashing into people's lives through lost jobs, lost homes and a creeping sense of dread, what do we have to be thankful for today? It's still an opportunity to give simple thanks.

George Smith also has his annual Thanksgiving column.

Judge Joel Laird on Wednesday told Calhoun County officials that he is pleased with their progress after taking on McClellan in August. Megan Nichols has this story.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Wednesday in The Star

These are some of the stories you can find in Wednesday's Anniston Star:

The Anniston and Oxford city council meet. We'll be there to cover what is discussed and voted on. Anniston councilmen are expected to name their list of appointees a a McClellan development board.

The Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative is seeking a $24 million improvement loan. Mike Faulk looks into the grant proposal.

Are volunteer organizations that will cook and provide Thanksgiving dinners hurting in this time of economic troubles? Can they provide as much this year? Are they expecting more mouths to feed? Michael A. Bell has this story.

Coming Friday: Top 5 Iron Bowl upsets

The Star's Friday front page will feature the top five greatest upsets in Iron Bowl history.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Countdown To The Iron Bowl

This Tuesday in The Star

You can find these stories in Wednesday's Anniston Star:

BAE Systems will lay off 230 workers at its Anniston facilities. Nick Cenegy will have this story.

The Jacksonville City Council will hold two public hearings, one on the proposed vacation of Cole Drive, a needed step in building Jacksonville State University's planned new dorm and stadium expansion. Nick will attend the hearings and will report what is discussed or decided.

Megan Nichols checks in the with clean-up of McClellan. Does the county have the money from the Army? Are they up-to-date with payment and work?

Calhoun County leaders and employees this week are breaking away from their typical dress code - opting for gear that advertises their Iron Bowl allegiances.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Wednesday in The Star

You can find these stories in Wednesday's Anniston Star:

By the end of its second meeting on Nov. 4, it was clear the Oxford City Council had changed after recent city elections. But what kind of change is anyone’s guess, council members say. Dan Whisenhunt takes a look at the new makeup, and possible future, of the Oxford City Council.

The Anniston City Council met Tuesday and councilmen decided to have ready their list of appointees to a joint McClellan development board with Calhoun County in one week. Megan Nichols has this story.

Clay County has applied for a hardship grant from the state Department of Education to combine Clay County and Lineville high schools into one at a new facility between Lineville and Ashland, a project estimated to cost between $17 million and $20 million. Mike Faulk has this story.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Tuesday in The Star

Check out these stories in Tuesday's Anniston Star:

McClellan has been without a development board for nearly three months, and Anniston and Calhoun County have until Dec. 1 to start planning a new one. Megan Nichols looks at the progress and planning toward forming a new development board.

It's getting cold out there. Mike Faulk checks in with the weather experts to see what's in store for temperatures this week.....the verdict? It's going to be chilly.

Michael A. Bell profiles Angela Walker, the new director of the Anniston Community Education Foundation.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Tuesday in The Star

You can find these stories in Tuesday's Anniston Star:

Anniston Army Depot officials signed a "community covenant" with local elected leaders, then sent folks out to clean up military cemeteries at McClellan. Nick Cenegy has this story.

Oxford Library is having a special event for Veterans Day and will have a special display on hand with historical memorabilia. Bill Edwards has this story.

Anniston Waterworks announces a rate increase. There's a public hearing about it Thursday.

Jacksonville City Council meets.

The Stop the Violence organization holds a meeting. We'll have stories on both meetings.

Friday, November 07, 2008

This weekend in The Anniston Star

You can find these stories over the weekend in The Star:

On Saturday:

Retired Lt. Col. Karl Harrison was the featured speaker at a veteran's day assembly at Pleasant Valley High. Dan Whisenhunt attended and will bring you this story.

Anniston on Thursday received the final bill from a law firm handling its now-defunct McClellan suit, but the city may have to hire another lawyer to completely dismiss it. Megan Nichols has this story.

Mike Faulk has a story about Robert Gibbs, the man likely to be President-elect Barack Obama's press secretary. Guess what? Gibbs has Alabama roots, and even some Calhoun County connections.

On Sunday:

We will have a special section on the historic election of Barack Obama as president, including reactions from local residents.

Nick Cenegy takes a look at the battle of Tallasehatchee, a critical encounter in the Creek War/War of 1812 which took place in Calhoun County. Very little has been done to mark the site or commemorate the events that took place there.

The Randolph County Commission has a Republican majority for the first time in its 176 year history. Mike Faulk has this story.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Projected surplus

A caller takes issue with a line in one of today's editorials.

Specifically, the caller did not like this passage:
Combine this with government spending that took Bill Clinton's $5 trillion surplus and turned it into a $10 trillion deficit and the financial and human costs of Iraq, and we can see how voters rejected Republican claims to be wise stewards over government dollars.

His claim is that the edit confused budget deficit and national debt. Not really, though we could have been more precise in labelling Clinton's surplus as merely projected. Our point was that Clinton handed George W. Bush a potential budget surplus in late 2000. President Bush's fiscal decisions -- big tax cuts, deficit spending on war and other matters -- erased said surplus. Without it, the nation was forced to borrow money it did not have, hence the deficit.

This is how the New York Times reported the story almost eight years ago:
The Clinton administration handed a parting gift to President-elect George W. Bush today, projecting that the federal budget surplus would swell substantially, to nearly $5 trillion, over the next decade.
Administration officials said they expected the surplus to total $4.996 trillion in the 10 years beginning with the start of the next fiscal year, on Oct. 1, 2001. That amounts to an increase of just over $800 billion from the administration's previous projection, of $4.193 trillion for the 10 years that started this October.