Walker County’s top 10 stories of 2020 – Daily Mountain Eagle

The majority of headlines in 2020 were about the COVID-19 pandemic, but progress was made in Walker County regarding a number of issues. Communities came together in times of tragedy, and we celebrated the lives of those lost. Here's a look back at the year we will never forget.

Since this time last year, nearly 140 people lost their lives in Walker County due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The disease, caused by a coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, was initially reported at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, and started to spread across the world. Walker County's first case of COVID-19 wasn't reported until March 19.

The year brought a number of struggles as the world learned more about the disease and grappled in responding to it. Businesses closed temporarily around the country in an effort to mitigate the spread; some specialty medical clinics closed for a few weeks and elective procedures were delayed; occupancy limits were set in stores; sports were delayed; local schools went virtual in March to finish out the remainder of the 2019-20 school year; court hearings were delayed; Walker Baptist and area senior living facilities prohibited visitors; a mandatory face mask ordinance was eventually issued by the state; and many other changes impacted daily living for all.

At the close of 2020, over 5,000 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Walker County and over 100 deaths had occurred. Statewide, over 350,000 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed, resulting in nearly 5,000 deaths.

A number of people were elected to office for the first time in 2020, while others will continue their years of serving Walker Countians.

Steve Miller defeated incumbent Jerry Bishop to be the new chairman of the Walker County Commission, while James Borden was elected to serve residents in District 3. All other commission seats faced no opposition.

David O'Mary remained mayor of Jasper. Petey Ellis was elected to an eighth term as mayor of Sumiton, and Randy Stephens will go on to serve a third term as mayor of Dora.

Other elected mayors include Jeremy Pate (Cordova), April Herron (Carbon Hill), Bubba Cagle (Parrish), and Sonya Smith (Sipsey). Cory Franks was elected to remain mayor of Oakman, and Eldridge Mayor Bobbie Jean Dodd and Kansas Mayor Earnie Darty also remained in office. Dodd, however, passed away this month.

Brad Ingle defeated Teia Harris to remain chairman of the Walker County Board of Education. Dr. Joel Hagood resigned as superintendent of the board in December to take a new position as president of Bevill State Community College. Dennis Willingham was named interim superintendent of the school board.

Henry Allred was again elected as district judge for Walker County.

Despite pleas from area agencies and leaders, Walker County ranked below the state and national average in responding to the 2020 Census.

According to data last reported on Oct. 28, the self-response rate in Walker County for the 2020 Census was 59.2 percent, compared to the state's self-response rate of 63.6 percent.

Jasper's self-response rate was higher than the state average at 65.4 percent. Other self-response rates are as follows: Dora, 59.5 percent; Sumiton, 61.8 percent; Parrish, 44.2 percent; Oakman, 50 percent; Carbon Hill, 43.4 percent; Kansas, 37.7 percent; Nauvoo, 48 percent; Sipsey 30.1 percent; and Eldridge, 50.8 percent.

The national self-response rate is 67 percent.

Ultra-fast Internet is now a reality in Jasper.

Technology company C Spire worked all year in Jasper to make fiber Internet available in the city, and some of the first customers in Jasper began receiving the Internet service this month.

Jasper is the first area in the state where customers are using C Spire services. Trussville, Helena and Tuscaloosa will also be getting C Spire.

The need for fast, reliable Internet became more evident this year as the COVID-19 pandemic forced some to work from home.

Having fiber Internet offered in the city is said to increase home values and make Jasper more competitive in recruiting business and industry.

Other areas in the state and in Walker County may have Internet access in the future thanks to The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act which provided funding to states a portion of which can be used for decision-making related to broadband access.

Storms and tornadoes swept through Walker County on Easter Sunday, destroying homes and causing other damage.

Two EF-1 tornadoes were reported in Walker County one in Carbon Hill and another in the Copeland Ferry community of south Walker.

A Carbon Hill resident described the winds as "horrific," and many homes were destroyed or damaged around the city. The Nauvoo Mobile Home Village sustained significant damage, as well as residences along Nauvoo Road.

Dugouts, netting and fencing were heavily damaged at Carbon Hill High School as a result of the tornado. Some of the school's roofing was also damaged.

Significant damage occurred to homes on Rainwood Lodge Road in the Copeland Ferry area of Quinton, blocking access to the road for some time. It took days to restore power to residents in the community.

Other areas dealt with flooding and some damage from the Easter storms. Flooding destroyed a home in Cordova, washed away a road in District 4, and other homes across the county were damaged from downed trees.

No fatalities were reported as a result of the severe weather in Walker County, but more than 30 people died in the Southeast as a result of the storms.

The Walker County Commission responded to the concerns of citizens about deteriorating roads around the county and had several paving projects completed in 2020.

Local resources and the Rebuild Alabama Act provided funding for the paving projects.

In District 1, a number of roads were resurfaced, and other projects were completed on Bird Farm Road, Whittemore Road, and Lamon Chapel Road. Paving was also done on Fall City Road.

In October, the Alabama Department of Transportation announced that Carbon Hill/Nauvoo Road will be widened and resurfaced in District 2 a $1.16 million project that will take three months.

District 4 saw work on Bryan Road, and Mandy Williams Road was paved and repaired after flood damage in early 2020.

Repaving occurred on Old Birmingham Highway in District 3, but few road improvements occurred elsewhere in the district.

The commission has announced a number of road projects that will occur in 2021 at a cost of approximately $300,000 in each district.

Carbon Hill's now-former mayor Mark Chambers topped the Daily Mountain Eagle's year in review in 2019 for his anti-LGBTQ rant, and Chambers again made headlines for his views in 2020 that eventually resulted in his resignation.

Chambers resigned as Carbon Hill's mayor on June 27, following comments he made on Facebook that quickly circulated. In a conversation on the social media website, Chambers said he was selling Alabama Crimson Tide photographs and voiced his disdain for the team's political views. He said, "(W)hen you put Black lives before all lives they can kiss my ***."

Alabama football coach Nick Saban and team members had recently shared a video to promote the Black Lives Matter movement prior to Chambers' remarks.

Following the resignation of Chambers, council member April Herron was appointed as the city's new mayor a seat she continues to hold.

In addition to losing Chambers, the Carbon Hill council also lost a council member.

Robert Warren was taken into custody in March and faced manslaughter charges in the disappearance of Lisa Benton Clements. She was reported missing on Feb. 24 and her body was later found when Warren led authorities to her body in Greene County in March.

Warren's charges were later upgraded to murder and abuse of a corpse. Clements reportedly died due to head trauma.

The Walker County Commission, in partnership with the Walker County Sheriff's Office, made a concerted effort to clean up the county in 2020.

Correction officers had inmates picking up litter in all parts of Walker County, with Sheriff Nick Smith saying that people would be held responsible if their names were found on documents in littered trash.

In February, District 1 Commissioner Keith Davis put the litter problem into perspective, saying that since October 2019, 1,400 large bags of litter had been collected in his district alone.

"I'm glad to have people out here picking up litter," Smith said, "but the only way to make it better is for people to take responsibility and stop throwing their trash out."

The threat of contracting COVID-19 did not stop people from protesting around the country for justice and equal rights.

George Floyd, a Black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25, after a white police officer held a knee to Floyd's neck during an arrest for nearly nine minutes an act that killed 46-year-old Floyd. Following Floyd's death, protests (many of which turned violent) were held around the country.

The protests were in response to police brutality toward the Black community and were centered around general inequality that still plagues the nation.

In early June, a protest of about 50 people occurred in downtown Jasper. It remained civil, and members of the Walker County Sheriff's Office and Jasper Police Department attended.

Protests were also made around the country to remove Confederate monuments, viewed by some as a blatant display of the terrible past that African Americans have had to endure, according to text from a petition to remove the Confederate monuments in Jasper.

The monuments remain in the city, and gun and pistol permit sales increased in the county as a result of the protests.

As 2020 comes to a close, many around the world have had to say goodbye to loved ones, friends, and community leaders, and Walker County was no exception.

Many deaths this year occurred due to COVID-19 over 100 in Walker County alone. Others battled cancer or other illnesses, and some passed away suddenly.

Most recently, Eldridge mayor Bobbie Jean Dodd passed away shortly after the death of her husband, Hoyt "Booty" Dodd. Gene McDaniel, well-known as "Mr. Nauvoo" in Walker County and for his work in the mining industry, passed away in October.

Martha Tittle, a longtime member of the Eldridge Town Council, passed away in October.

Longtime Cordova dispatcher Pete Eustice passed away in November; Saragossa firefighter Donald Downs died this month; WWII veteran Doris Banks died in late September; and veteran and former assistant Walker County District Attorney Jay Snow passed away this month.

Following the death of local 16-year-old Tuff Coleman, a fund was established in his name to help people in the community, and area 4-year-old Wyatt Spann passed away in January following a battle with brain cancer.

Former Carbon Hill Mayor James William Pee Wee Richardson passed away in November.

Cordova native Lewis Manderson, who pledged $500,000 in rebuilding efforts following the April 2011 tornadoes in Cordova, passed away in May.

Longtime Sumiton firefighter Rickey Lee Woods passed away in October from COVID-19.

A number of the aforementioned appeared in the "Sweet Memories" column of the Daily Mountain Eagle that began mid-year as an opportunity for people to share stories of their loved ones and celebrate their lives.

So many dearly loved in Walker County passed away this year more than we can list here. Tributes to some and their obituaries can be found in the Daily Mountain Eaglearchives.

The Daily Mountain Eagle said goodbye to one of our own this year, the beloved columnist and reporter Rick Watson, who passed away unexpectedly on July 16 at the age of 69. Most well-known as a writer and advocate for East Walker, Watson was also a veteran, songwriter and beekeeper.

In a year that has been filled with heartache, it is in Watson's honor that we encourage everyone to appreciate each chapter in life and always value every day as "living the dream."

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Walker County's top 10 stories of 2020 - Daily Mountain Eagle