There were a lot of things going on in the area and the newspaper covered several stories in November of 2004.
Edward Russell Dubose, a local man convicted of murder in 1988, was denied parole and would not be eligible again for the next five years. He has been denied at other hearings since 2004 and is, to this day, still incarcerated. He was convicted of killing teenager Stephanie King. This was one of the most shocking crimes in our area’s history.
There was a story about the Brewton Elementary School fourth graders who were getting lessons in the importance of voting and supporting the system that lets them live in a democratic society.
During a time of campaigning and voting for those we hope will run the country the way it should be run, we should remember that voting is a privilege that none of us should take lightly. I remember my dad saying that “if you don’t vote, you have a right to complain later on.” So if you don’t like the way things are done, do something about it. I hope that you all exercised your right by turning out at the polls. If you didn’t, don‘t let me hear you complain.
The T.R. Miller Tigers had the week off before heading to the playoffs, while the W.S. Neal Eagles last game of the season was to be against the Southern Choctaw Indians. By the way, the Eagles won 27-24. Also that issue had almost two whole pages filled with pics from the Neal Homecoming.
Not everyone was behaving themselves as one of the issues of the time carried the story of a pregnant female who faked an injury so that she could be taken to the hospital, where she made an escape from officials. But, once again, crime does not pay. She was caught later in Monroe County.
Another couple of bad guys decided it would be wise to rob a gas station out on the four-lane south of town. Two armed men were blamed for the crime.
It blows my mind to think just how stupid some of these crooks act. If they put just a little constructive thought into it, their “smarts” could be used in other ways.
The flu vaccination was again in the news. After a slow start, it was announced that there was plenty of the vaccine available. It seems as if this happens quite a bit. I asked for my flu shot a couple of weeks ago at the doctor’s office and they were out of my strength shot. (I fit in the elderly group, who receive a hyped-up version of what the young folks get).
And in yet another school related story, Zeke Johnson, manager of the T.R. Miller football team, was honored for his faithful 30 years of service to the school, as well as the team. Anybody that is familiar with T.R. Miller High School knows Zeke.