Make Holt a City - multimedia

Video done for one year anniversary of Tuscaloosa tornado special The Crimson White publication.

Videographer: Kevin Ross
Interviewer: Jasmine Cannon

4/27/12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzj8c8GTuQM

Storm prompts campaign to make Holt a city

A parade of 50 people marched through Holt last month in favor of making the community something it’s never been before: a city.

Residents and supporters held up signs and chanted, “What do we want? Holt incorporated! When do we want it? Right now!” The town has about 4,000 residents and was one of the areas hit hardest by the tornado one year ago.

Holt sits no more than two miles away from the Tuscaloosa city limits, though it is often ignored at city council meetings. A voice is what Holt is looking for, and becoming a city is how they can have their voices heard.

Discussions began last July, when FEMA officials spoke with residents. Supporters and residents of Holt formed a group called Holt Forging Ahead. Each time they do work, they are called Holt in Action. The group has worked with Jerry Tingle, a Republican candidate for the Tuscaloosa County Commission.

Tingle has posted signs around the area saying “Make Holt a City.” He looks to fill a seat vacated by former commissioner Gary Youngblood.

Tingle said one of the main reasons Holt should move toward becoming a city is to have more financial assistance opportunities.

“Holt doesn’t have a voice right now,” he said. “The only way to get things done is becoming a city. A positive [of becoming a city] would be Holt would fall in the category to apply for grants. It can’t do that right now.”

If Holt were to become a city, it would be eligible for more grants from entities such as FEMA that would assist with rebuilding and other projects.

Some residents disagree with the change, mostly out of fear that the change would increase taxes. However, Holt in Action said it is unknown if taxes would increase or not.

Cindy Dixon, a teacher at Holt High School, said the benefits of becoming a city include the financial possibilities that derive from present taxes. Holt residents currently pay taxes on cell phones and landline telephones.

The taxes associated with these go to Tuscaloosa, not necessarily Holt. This also goes for property taxes, business license fees and other fees.

“All of that money would be based on the population of the residents of Holt, and it would stay in Holt for Holt to use,” Dixon said.

Dixon has gotten one of her former students, UA freshman Alvin Lockett, involved with the initiative as well.

“Even if we had to pay more taxes, it would still be great for Holt to become a city simply because many of the resources would come back towards Holt itself that would benefit us,” Lockett, a lifelong Holt resident, said. “Having a voice is the main thing. Many of the taxes we do pay don’t really come back to benefit us. Our school and different things like that are in need of some type of funds.”

Neither Dixon nor Lockett suffered property damage in the tornado, but they said they still feel the sadness and emotions of such a tragedy and loss.

Some residents are open to the idea of Holt becoming a city because of the possible opportunities that can be afforded to everyone.

“I say ‘Yes’ for making the town a city if it means more funding for the community in areas like education,” said LaToya Jones, a 14-year resident. “Perks like surveys [to express our opinions] and county officials coming into town to speak with us would be helpful, too.”

Many areas in the community look the same way they did a year ago. Houses are still vacated and heavily damaged without repair. Uprooted trees lie in open spaces in the community as if the tornado traveled through the town yesterday.

“I absolutely deplore that [Holt] is being left in the state that it’s in,” Dixon said. “One of the things that we have asked for is please light the area up. It’s distressing and depressing for the residents to live in such darkness.”

Former residents are trying to find their way back to the place they call home. Carol Roddy, leasing agent at C.W. Development, has had an office in Holt for the past four years.

“People are wanting to move back from Northport back this way,” Roddy said. “People are fighting over places. Holt as a city makes it easier and is more convenient. I think it’s a wonderful idea, and I feel like eventually it will be a city.”

Some places are being rebuilt with the help of Project Team-Up and Habitat for Humanity and some residents who have gotten insurance assistance to help rebuild. A park is a priority in the Holt rebuilding plan.

“Another thing as part of our long term disaster relief is that we want to put in a park,” Dixon said. “We would have the ability to that [as a city]. There’s a push to create a historic park district.”

Tingle said making Holt a city begins with deciding which parts of the community would be zoned into the city. Next, residents would have to start a petition and enough of the population would have to sign it in order to have a strong case before the probate judge. There would then be a vote, and the probate judge would the decision to respect the vote or turn it over.

“[Officials] have to be careful because within two years you’re going to be responsible for maintaining the area and you need income to do that,” Tingle said. “Residents would like to see Holt become a city because they know they don’t have a voice right now. They’ve suffered a great deal of devastation from the storms and had little impact on what’s being planned for Holt.”

Holt attempted to become a city the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Tingle said. The ruling was passed in the Alabama Supreme Court, but progress stopped and did not go forward. Tingle said talks about making Holt a city took root again after the tornado.

These plans are not likely to move forward until after the election in November. Residents say it will be helpful if officials came into the town to express their knowledge on issues and plans involving Holt.

“The people who might be a little concerned they just need to come ask questions, and we’ll do our best to supply those answers,” Dixon said. “But they’ll have a voice. If more people say no, we don’t want then so be it. But, at least they would have had a chance of what they wanted.”

Lockett stressed the importance of the community’s involvement in the plans.

“It’s just so many types of positives that could benefit the whole community from us becoming a city that it just outweighs not being able to become a city,” Lockett said. “The word needs to get out so that people will know. I think more people coming to the meetings and more people getting to know about Holt becoming a city will answer so many questions that aren’t answered right now.”

print/web 4.27.12

http://cw.ua.edu/2012/04/27/a-community-left-behind-turns-to-an-old-idea/

Bragg to present Last Lecture tonight

CW | Mitchell Hughes

Students have cast their votes, and the 2012 Last Lecture speaker will be journalism professor Rick Bragg. Monday, April 23 at 6 p.m. in 118 Graves Hall, Bragg will present his lecture titled, “So People Won’t Forget.”

Bragg teaches a magazine writing course in the journalism department. He has authored several books, along with published articles, and he won the Pulitzer Prize in Feature Writing in 1996. Bragg has worked at The Anniston Star and The New York Times and was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University.

“I think one thing that stands out with him, mostly in the classroom and when he gives talks any place, is what a compelling speaker he is,” Jennifer Greer, Department of Journalism chair, said. “He’s so captivating in his stories, and he streams together stories you laugh or cry about, but then in the end, they make such a compelling point.”

The basis of Bragg’s lecture was encouraged by an encounter he had with a woman in New Orleans soon after Hurricane Katrina. He recalled being apologetic for talking with the lady after she had lost her son. Bragg remembered the lady saying, “That’s all right. People forgets if it ain’t written down.”

“I would not miss the last lecture for Rick Bragg,” Brittney Knox, a senior majoring in journalism, said. “As a former student [of Bragg’s], I feel that I not only should support, but having heard him speak, I know the quality of the lecture will be outstanding.”

Bragg said being this year’s award recipient meant a lot because it was determined by student votes. As a mentor and reliable source of help and reassurance, Greer said Bragg helps students “find their voice.”

“He’s a treasure,” Greer said. “We’re so lucky that we have him here. All of our students [and] all of our faculty know how lucky we are to have somebody with his talent and his success and his passion as part of the Department of Journalism.”

“I think having Bragg as a professor here is really exciting,” said Bethany Blair, journalism student. “He’s not only an accomplished journalist but a best-selling author, and I think we can learn a lot from him as journalism students.”

UA’s graduate school presents the lecture award each year. Bragg was chosen out of more than 250 applicants. Students look forward to hearing him speak.

“Students should definitely come out to support this event because they can expect to learn priceless life lessons as they are wrapped in a joke to hear,” Knox said. “I think this is the opportunity to hear from a talented and amazing UA instructor.”

Bragg said he is nervous about speaking. However, Greer and students look forward to his entertainment and the lessons he will teach.

“[Students] will be touched by this,” Greer said. “It will be funny. It will be entertaining. But, they will go away with feeling the passion that he feels for his subject.”

“We have to save stories and tell what’s happened in government or society to prevent it from happening again,” Bragg said.

print/web 4/23/12
http://cw.ua.edu/2012/04/23/bragg-to-present-last-lecture-tonight/

Forensics Council takes home top-ten finish at nationals

UA’s speech team has returned from nationals with a top-10 finish for the 11th year in a row. The Alabama Forensics Council finished seventh place out of the top-90 forensics teams in the country. Thad Fitzpatrick and Dexter Strong also won championships for individual awards in prose and impromptu.

Alabama Forensics has been around for 70 years and has won 19 championships since then, said director Robert Imbody. This is the first year the forensics team has not been under the direction of Frank Thompson in 30 years. Coming to the team from Kansas State University, Imbody is in his first year as the director of forensics at UA.

“When the opportunity became available, I said, ‘[Alabama] is a good place to go. I’d like to go to UA and see what’s happening.’ So, I came here, and we just started trying to do the things that [Dr. Thompson had] been doing for so long … It’s been a fairly easy transition in some regards because the students are fantastic.”

Many students may not be aware of one of the best speech team’s in the country, but they are unlike any group of students on campus.

“We teach so many wonderful things,” Imbody said. “Aside from just the competitive nature of it and the winning of the trophies, I really do think of this as a co-curricular activity … our students learn to be better researchers. They learn to be better writers. They learn to be better peers and to be more collegial with the people around them. Not only are we making good competitors, we’re trying to make good people here, too.”

The team is composed of 24 students ranging from freshmen to seniors. Katerina Pena is in her first year with the team.

“I got on the team with Frank Thompson, and it has literally changed my college years,” said Pena, a sophomore majoring in advertising and public relations. “I cannot express enough how much forensics has changed everyone that has been on it, especially [with their] speaking skills.”

Erika Wade, a junior majoring in English and African American studies, said the team members are close and like a family.

“We rely heavily on supportive, constructive criticism,” Wade said. “Between constant competition and endless hours of coaching, tensions get high. But I wouldn’t make this journey with any other group of people.”

Team members put in countless hours of research, writing and practice throughout the school year. The team participates in four or five tournaments a semester and nationals in April.

Imbody credits much of the team’s success to support from university officials and faculty — interim president Judy Bonner, Dean Loy Singleton, Department chair Beth Bennett and former speech coach Mark Nelson.

“The reason that we can be so successful is because we’ve got fantastic support from the top, down,” Imbody said. “I can’t say enough about the support that they give us in every way imaginable to do the things that we do.”

Much like the athletic teams on campus, the forensics team recruits and awards students scholarships. Imbody said much of the recruiting goes on at high school competitions and student services helps with coordinating internships. However, there are students, such as Strong, who have discovered the team through word of mouth and have been great additions.

Imbody and team members have confidence that they will continue to “get better everyday” before heading to nationals again next April.

“One of my goals next is to broaden in all areas,” Pena said.

“As far as getting our faces into the public, that would be ideal, but we don’t do this for notoriety or fame,” Wade said. “We do what we do everyday for the love and passion of the activity, and we would love to share that passion with others.”

UA Forensics Council can be found on Twitter (@bamaforensics), and their website will be uploaded in the fall.

print/web on 4/19/12

http://cw.ua.edu/2012/04/18/forensics-council-takes-home-top-ten-finish-at-nationals/

Study: Melanoma linked to tanning

The number of melanoma cases in young adults has risen over the years, and health professionals say tanning-bed use is one of the main contributing factors. USA Today recently reported on this issue with the latest findings from the Mayo Clinic.

“The incidence of cutaneous melanoma among young adults is rapidly increasing, especially among women,” the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings concluded. The results also said those at high risk for obtaining the disease should be monitored.

“I’m not surprised about the increasing melanoma rates,” said Mallory Mitchell, a junior majoring in secondary education. “It seems like there are more people going to the tanning bed now than ever. Even a lot of guys are going. So, it does not surprise me that more people are receiving harmful effects from it.”

While much of the blame for the rise in skin cancer is being directed toward tanning bed companies, they maintain the jury is still out.

“There is no consensus among researchers regarding the relationship between melanoma skin cancer and UV exposure either from the sun or a sunbed,” John Overstreet, the executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, told USA Today. “I expect more from the Mayo Clinic. There is no direct link from their report to tanning beds.”

“I don’t think that tanning beds should be regulated or reprimanded for their product,” said Molly Mitchell, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film. “There are clear warnings about what can happen to your health, and girls can look up info on all risks. We live in America, where one has choices to do what’s good for you or not.”

Institutions such as the U.S. National Library of Medicine recommend avoiding sun lamps, tanning beds and tanning salons to avoid too much sun exposure.

Excess exposure to ultraviolet light increases the risk of getting melanoma and all other skin cancers. UV light can be exposed through the sun, sunlamps and tanning beds.

Ann-Braxton Mann, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film, related tanning bed use to smoking cigarettes.

“It has been proven how dangerous the tanning bed is for our skin and our health, yet millions of girls still go get in one every day,” she said. “It makes no sense at all. Why would you use something you know is only harming you every single time you use it?”

Students believe there are ways to decrease the number of melanoma cases in young females.

“Some possible ways to decrease melanoma cases could be to make it illegal to use the tanning bed with or without a parent’s permission until a certain age, like 18, or decrease the amount of time someone can lay in the tanning bed per appointment,” Mallory Mitchell said.

Melanoma is considered to be the worst form of skin cancer with death as a potential result. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, symptoms of melanoma include having a mole, sore, lump or growth on the skin. A key to treating the cancer is to recognize symptoms early.

“When I hear the numbers and ratios of young girls getting aggressive cancers it makes me sad to think it could have been prevented. I believe young women or young people in general have the mentality that bad things happen to others and never them,” Molly Mitchell said.

print/web on 4/17/12

http://cw.ua.edu/2012/04/17/study-melanoma-linked-to-tanning/