• Unidentified Body Found at Natural Bridge

    The body of a badly decomposed male approximately in his mid-twenties to early-thirties was discovered late Thursday afternoon, December 29. in a ravine next to Highway 278 just east of Natural Bridge. A death investigation is being conducted by the Lynn Police Department and the Winston County Sheriff’s Department. The body was sent to the Alabama Department of Forensics to establish identification and determine the cause of death. Sheriff Tommy Moore stated there should be more on this story in a couple of days.

  • Jody is Safe at Home

     

    jodyThe story of Joseph Tarbutton continues. Mr. Tarbutton lost his way as he went to the store from his home in PA last weekend found himself Monday morning at the Galley Restaurant in Haleyville and told two police officers he did not know where he was. He did know who he was. His family was notified and his daughter and son flew down Monday night to take him home. By Tuesday night, he was safe at home.

    His truck? As a gesture of appreciation to the City of Haleyville, the family of Joseph Tarbutton decided to donate his pickup to the City. Mayor Sunseri said the use or sale of the vehicle will be decided later. Below is the letter Cindy Gotti wrote to the Mayor.

    vehicle-donation-letter

  • Tis The Season For Utility Scams

    phone-scam

    The local Alabama Power Company office has received several calls from local businesses reporting scam calls. Alabama Power wants you to know the following:  The holiday season should be a time of joy and celebration. Unfortunately, it is also a time for scam artists to prey on the unsuspecting.

    Scammers hope to profit this time of year as people become preoccupied with gift-buying, festivities, family and travel.

    Scams seem obvious after the fact, but scammers are smart and know they don’t always need to make sense; they just need to scare the intended victim. They want to make the target believe they are in trouble and that they are the only ones who can help. This type of emotional manipulation is easy when it comes to utilities. Electricity, for example, is a vital service, and everyone wants to keep their lights on, their homes warm and their businesses running.

    Let’s be clear

    Alabama Power will never call you on the phone to tell you your power is being shut off. And don’t be fooled by your caller ID. A scammer can “spoof” the phone number to make it falsely appear it is coming from your area. Scammers can even make it show “Alabama Power” on the caller ID, even if their calls are coming from another part of the country or even abroad.

    But don’t lose your holiday spirit. It’s easy to avoid these scams. If someone calls and says your electricity or another vital service is being turned off unless you make an immediate payment, hang up and call your local authorities. This is a crime that should be reported to law enforcement. The next call should be to your utility company’s billing department to confirm your account status and alert them of the scam.

    And if someone comes to your door claiming to be from Alabama Power or another utility and demands immediate payment, do not let them in your home. Call the local authorities right away and then call the utility. If an Alabama Power employee does come to your door for another reason, he or she should be able to provide official identification and will have no issue with you calling the company to confirm the visit is related to legitimate Alabama Power business.

    The best way to squash these scams is to let others know they are taking place, and to not be fooled. So this holiday season, as you go about spreading cheer, think about those near and dear to you who might be vulnerable to scam artists and spread the word.

    Tips to remember

    To avoid being scammed this holiday season, Alabama Power customers should remember:

    • Alabama Power employees will never come to your door and demand an immediate payment.
    •  No employee will ever call and ask you for bank information or a credit card
    • Any Alabama Power employee who comes to your door for any reason will have company identification that he or she will gladly show. If you have any questions about whether a person works for Alabama Power, call 1-888-430-5787 and do not let the employee inside your home until you receive proper verification.
    • Scammers sometimes claim they represent a public agency or government office offering grants that can pay your Alabama Power or other utility bills. Never provide anyone making this claim your credit card information, your Alabama Power Company bill information or account number, or any personal banking information. If someone makes this claim, call Alabama Power or your local police department to report it.
    •  If you ever have any question about the status of your Alabama Power account, do not hesitate to call the company. You can reach Alabama Power Customer Service day or night, seven days a week, at 1-888-430-5787.
  • BOE Accepts Coach Bo Culver’s Resignation

    boe

    The Haleyville Board of Education met Tuesday evening and approved the financial statements and board expenditures for November, in the amount of $1,467,476.36. The Board approved an amendment to the Haleyville High School athletic supplement list. The use of the HES lunchroom was approved for the HHS Senior Play February 16-18. One field trip and 5 fund raisers were approved. Under personnel, the Board approved the resignation request of Stephan (Bo) Culver as Head Football Coach and Athletic Director effective January 23. Todd McNutt was approved as interim Head Coach and Athletic Director. Coach Culver will become the Head Football Coach at Deshler High School. Tiffany Smith was granted family medical leave in January and February. The resignation request from Emile Aiton, as Special Education Teacher at HHS as approved. The next meeting of the Haleyville Board of Education will be Tuesday, January 24. 

  • Fire Destroys Church Building

    fire1 fire2

    The New Bethel Baptist Church located on Marion County Highway 167, (just off County Highway 48) was totally destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning. Haleyville, Bear Creek, and Hackleburg fireman responded just before 6 a.m. but the building was fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. The cause of the fire is unknown but is being investigated by an Alabama State Fire Marshall.

  • Long Trip to Walmart

    jody

    An 89-year-old Pennsylvania man, Joseph (Jody) Tarbutton went into the Galley Restaurant early Monday morning and stated he did not know where he was. Haleyville police ran a check and found the man had been reported missing from Boothwyn, Pennsylvania for two days. He had apparently driven to Haleyville in his pickup.

    His step son and step daughter flew to Birmingham and then driven to Haleyville by Frankie Hicks, the father of Haleyville policeman Steve Hicks.  Tarbutton spent the night at Lakeland Hospital recovering from dehydration and fatigue. A World War II vet, Tarbutton had left to do some shopping Friday afternoon and apparently became disoriented and continued to drive through the weekend until arriving in Haleyville. He appeared to be in good spirits Tuesday morning when he was discharged from the hospital. He was taken to the Birmingham airport where he took his first airplane ride since WWII. His daughter, Cindy Gotta, reported the was back home and safe. She expressed her thanks to the kind people of this area who took care of her father.
    granddaughter

    After arriving safely back in Pennsylvania, Mr. Tarbutton’s granddaughter shows him a map of how far he had driven to arrive in Haleyville.

  • Haleyville City Council

    The Haleyville City Council met Monday evening with George Russell absent. The Council approved the general operation bills and purchase orders for November in the amount of $462,948.22.

    A change order was approved for the construction of concrete sidewalks at the Haleyville Sports Complex in the amount of $8,337.80.

    Another change order was approved for the Sports Complex to construct a Rip Rap Flume and Dam with overflow pipes to handle storm water drainage. The total for the change order is $3,800.00.

    Work to improve the flooring in the Old Elementary School on 14th Avenue in use by Haleyville Head Start was approved to the low bidder Barry’s Carpets. Specifically, new flooring will be installed in the entrance hall and front office at a cost of $6,400. Work will be done over the holidays.

    sunseriMayor Sunseri announced a grant had been approved for the Haleyville Rescue Squad. The grant for over $2,000 will be used to purchase needed equipment.

    The Alabama League of Municipals officially designated Mayor Sunseri as an Advanced Certified Municipal Official. To achieve Advanced Certified status many hours of classroom training, workshops and educational conferences were attended, in addition to the many hours every day spent as mayor of the city.

    Dates for the next two council meetings have both been moved by one day.

    The first meeting would fall on Monday, January 2. Considered a holiday (New Year) the meeting was moved to Tuesday, January 3, still 5:30 at City Hall. The meeting on January 16, (Martin Luther King Day) was moved to Tuesday, January 17.

  • David Cox Retiring

    davidTuesday evening a special called meeting of the Haleyville Water and Sewer Board was held for the purpose of hiring a General Manager to replace David Cox who will be retiring in January. The Board selected Lane Bates from 3 applicants. Bates is presently the Water Superintendent with over 30 years experience in the field.

    Cox has been the General Manager of the Haleyville Water and Sewer Departments for 34 years. His retirement is January 11. He and his wife Bebe plan to move to Fairhope following his retirement.