The Daily Siftings

03/20/2012

So, what other names and mascots were considered for the new east side high school? Find out here and look for more in Sunday's paper.

Montgomery’s new east side high school is one more step closer to reality with its proposed identity hammered out, but what school names and mascots didn’t make the cut?

03/20/2012

Lee High is being restructured but what about the system's other under performing schools?

As more details about the restructuring of Robert E. Lee High make their way through the community there’s a natural question: who’s next?

02/24/2012

I'm still here I promise. See what's been going on.

So you may have noticed there’s been sparseness in this space of ours and that’s because a) my dear counterpart a one Ms. Jillian Nolin has left for greener pastures (tear) and b) I’ve been on a furlough-vaycay emphasis on the furlough.

02/14/2012

For more than four years, I have covered the haps and mishaps of the city of Montgomery and Montgomery County (and later, the town of Pike Road). I oft enjoy waxing sentimental about my time in Montgomery because not only have I met some incredible people and not only have I learned more about this...

01/25/2012

The governor and legislative leaders lay out their agenda for public education in 2012:

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange talked education priorities yesterday and today Gov. Robert Bentley, along with other legislative leaders, outlined their education agenda for the 2012 legislative session.

01/24/2012

New blog post:

It’s no secret that Mayor Todd Strange has – perhaps more so than any other mayor in Montgomery – taken an active role in public education. You also may have noticed that Strange has developed a close working relationship with Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson, especially ove...

01/23/2012

New blog post:

Aimee Cobb Smith’s name found its way on a list of steering committee members for a republican gubernatorial candidate’s campaign more than two years ago, and now that list has found its way into the race for Montgomery County District Court Judge Place 3.

01/23/2012

Check out the original "blueprints" of Montgomery City Hall (circa 1936):

01/14/2012

New blog post (with copies of the campaign finance reports):

So far, a considerable amount of money is being funneled into the race for Montgomery County Probate Judge, which probably means the advertisements, robocalls and mail-outs are not far behind.

01/12/2012

Curious to know what reaction has been to her decision? Click here.

So by now you’ve probably read that Montgomery County Board of Education President Charlotte Meadows does not intend to seek reelection, a decision that caught some (including this education reporter) off guard.

01/12/2012

The Montgomery City Council's committee on committees will freshen up the council's seven standing committees today with new committee members. Meeting is at 2 p.m.

Brace yourself. This will sound so bureaucratic that you will think it must be satire, but no, really — the Montgomery City Council’s committee on committees will meet today.

01/11/2012

How will you remember Lloyd Yongblood? See what others are saying about the beloved educator who died Sunday.

It’s pretty tough to cover the life and career of a beloved educator that spanned decades and touched countless lives in a single newspaper story.

01/11/2012

As you may recall, it was thought that an appeal before the Supreme Court could possibly affect the outcome of Patricia Warner’s case before the Alabama Court of the Judiciary (COG). But even if that is so, the effect would not likely be a positive one for Warner.

12/27/2011

Mary, Joseph, the Three Wise Men and a newborn Jesus, who are all eternally frozen in their plastic poses (and protected from theft by chicken wire), have just enjoyed an uneventful and tranquil Christmas in downtown Montgomery.

12/22/2011

Parking, by the numbers:

A parking meter is shown here with the Coosa Street parking deck in the background. The Coosa Street deck opened in 2009.

12/21/2011

Just in time for the holidays -- a little light reading for our readers out in Pike Road:

If you follow Pike Road happenings, then you probably know that the evolving town is in the process of adopting its first ever annual budget. This is yet another significant milestone for the town that has only been around since 1997.

12/20/2011

Here's a little pre-City Council meeting blog post to whet your appetite:

If you thought Mayor Todd Strange’s veto was the be-all and end-all of the city-run school discussion, you were mistaken. It’s on today’s City Council agenda for a thumbs up or thumbs down from the body that passed the controversial resolution two weeks ago with a fragile 5-to-4 vote.

12/16/2011

Danny Smith of the Johnstown Neighborhood (in the Dalraida area) became the second person of late to receive the go-ahead to keep a pot belly pig at his Montgomery home.

12/15/2011

A Montgomery resident is requesting a special exception so he can keep a pot belly pig as a pet... But will the Board of Adjustment stand for it? Follow the excitement on Twitter at 5 p.m. tonight.

12/15/2011

Time to recap:

In case you haven’t heard by now, Mayor Todd Strange used his veto powers to kill Councilman Glen Pruitt’s resolution. Of course, the issue is by no means a dead one — the City Council could vote to override the mayor’s veto next Tuesday.

12/14/2011

We tried our best to pry loose Mayor Todd Strange‘s decision on the possible veto, but that man knows how to keep a secret. Still, what he said (or better, what he didn’t say) has left us with heightened senses.

12/09/2011

A resident of the Woodley Road area in south Montgomery gave the Planning Commission an earful last night (with audio):

A proposed cemetery for a sparsely populated area in south Montgomery was unanimously defeated at Thursday’s meeting. And although it’s a serious (dare I even say grave) matter, a bright spot of the night was resident Sheila Jackson, who thoroughly entertained both the commission and those in attend...

12/08/2011

If the city of Montgomery were to charge admission to public meetings, it could make enough off tonight’s Planning Commission meeting to buy a snowmaker for every city block in downtown. The agenda is ladened with items that have met controversy in the past.

12/08/2011

It's time for a new sifting...

At the Advertiser we are officially on veto watch. Could Mayor Todd Strange potentially use his first veto EVER to quash a potential study of a city-run school system? We’ll just have to see.

12/05/2011

Barring an unforeseen delay, the Montgomery City Council will finally take a vote on District 8 Councilman Glen Pruitt’s controversial idea of the city possibly taking over the public schools within the city limits and building its own system.

12/02/2011

As the aged, out-dated Lister Hill Health Center lives out its finally days on Adam Avenue, we thought it would be fitting to reflect on the center’s namesake. Once the newly constructed $13.7 million River Region Health Center opens in January, the Lister Hill clinic will shut its doors after nearl...

12/01/2011

Current mayor of Montgomery, Todd Strange, has been compared to a predecessor, Emory Folmar. But today, Strange was actually introduced as him.

11/30/2011

Richard “Dick” Emmet, who died in September at the age of 82, was known for many things during his time in Montgomery.

11/29/2011

As members of the Montgomery City Council consider whether to consider a city-run school system, Alabama Rep. Alvin Holmes is offering another bit of sod to chew (just in case the City Councilmen have forgotten).

11/23/2011

Just in time for Thanksgiving... a story with a happy ending.

Remember the old scrapbook we found several months ago? You know, the one that had been separated from its owner? Well, call off the search because the owner has turned up.

11/21/2011

Meet Nyles Davis, a 16-year-old junior at Brew Tech. This guy may be young, but he believes he already knows what he wants to do with this life — and that vision for his future includes Montgomery.

11/19/2011

The first time I ever talked to Emory Folmar was in February of 2008 when I had the unlucky task of questioning Folmar about an issue that he had been quizzed on since the ’80s — his decision to use public dollars to pay for his personal security.

11/17/2011

Oh yes, indeed. Apparently, Emory Folmar was quite an avid reader. As it turns out, his insatiable reading habit was to the benefit of the Montgomery City-County Public Library System.

11/17/2011

Your latest helping of Folmar history is brought to you by Advertiser editor Rick Harmon:

Editor Rick Harmon, who started at the Advertiser as a reporter in 1984, will share one of the mayor’s most memorable moments for today’s installment of Folmar trivia.

11/16/2011

The latest in Emory Folmar trivia. We'll continue to dig up more Folmar factoids throughout the rest of this week. (Feel free to chime in with your own).

Believe it or not, the man that former Gov. Bob Riley has tagged as “Mr. Republican” batted for the other team earlier in life.