Man charged with manslaughter in Sunday crash

Andrew Kidd

Authorities in Etowah County have charged A Jackson, Ga., man with manslaughter in connection with a Sunday morning wreck  that killed a Jacksonville, Fla., woman.  31 year old Andrew Kidd,  was booked Sunday into the Etowah County Detention Center and released Monday on $50,000 bond.  He was driving a Nissan Altima on U.S. Highway 278 about 9:50 a.m. Sunday when it collided with a GMC Acadia. 75 year old Belvia Joan King,  was a passenger in the back seat of the vehicle. She, the driver and his wife, both of Jacksonville, Fla., also, all were injured. King was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Etowah County Coroner Michael Head.The crash occurred about a mile from Mountaintop Flea Market on U.S. Highway 278, Head said, when Kidd’s Nissan swerved to avoid a vehicle in front of it and collided with the Acadia, which was traveling in the opposite direction.

manslaughter charges in connection with a Sunday morning

The Alabama State Troopers continue to investigate.

Worlds Longest Yard Sale begins Thursday

The World’s Longest Yard Sale is getting longer. The official website for the sale says it begins just north of Addison, Mich., and ends in Gadsden.  The sale begins Thursday and continues through Sunday.  It’s the 28th year for the event, which started out in Kentucky and has expanded in both directions, bringing it to 690 miles. Tourism officials say the event easily brings 20,000 people to the Gadsden area during the four-day event. The traffic concerns have prompted the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office to have a presence in the area for several years. Sheriff Todd Entrekin said he has expanded the number of officers dedicated to working specifically in that area and wants to make sure the public knows assistance is available if needed.

Former Alabama player dies

Joe King

Former Alabama football player Joe King died Monday, a little more than a year after a car accident left him paralyzed.  An offensive lineman under coaches Ray Perkins and Bill Curry, King was 47.  On June 22, 2014, King was seriously injured in a car accident when he lost control of his truck and left the roadway, striking a culvert and a tree. The accident left him paralyzed.  A native of Gadsden, King stood 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighed more than 300 pounds, playing from 1985 to 1988. He had a troubled career at Alabama, struggling with substance abuse problems off the field and legal trouble after his dismissal. In recent years, he had worked as a counselor in drug and rehabilitation programs and with law enforcement.

King's funeral will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Gadsden's Collier-Butler Funeral Home.

Florida woman killed in Etowah Crash

A Jacksonville, Fla. woman was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Etowah County Sunday as she and family members were returning home after a visit.  Etowah County Coroner Michael Head said 75 year old Belvia Joan King,  was a passenger in a 2008 GMC Acadia that collided with a 2010 Nissan Altima about 9:50 a.m. Sunday morning.  The accident occurred at mile marker 119 about one mile from the 278 Trade Day.  Head said the Altima, heading west on 278, apparently swerved into the oncoming lane of traffic to avoid hitting a vehicle and collided with the Acadia, which was traveling east. King, who was a passenger in the backseat, was wearing a seat belt at the time of impact.  King was taken to a hospital with two family members and pronounced dead there. The driver of the other vehicle was also transported to the hospital.

Blue Bell producting ice cream at Sylacauga facility

Blue Bell’s production facility in Sylacauga is producing and stocking ice cream for eventual distribution.

Jenny Van Dorf, Blue Bell’s public relations market specialist, says the production is part of an ongoing test of operations at the Sylacauga facility. Should no issues be found in the product, it will be used to build up the facility’s inventory.

There is no timeline for when the product will be distributed, though Van Dorf said Blue Bell has been pleased with the progress made at the Sylacauga plant.

She did not provide specific details or reports from the FDA or Alabama Department of Public Health, nor could she confirm how much ice cream has been produced to this point, as production varies on a day-to-day basis.

She added that Blue Bell is committed to working with both entities and will not release any product from the inventory until all parties are comfortable with its safety and quality.

The Sylacauga facility is operating with about 150 employees, half the workforce it had before Blue Bell furloughed 180 employees and laid off another 40 in May.

Van Dorf said Blue Bell expects the local facility to have 250 employees once the plant reaches full production capabilities. The remaining employees will need to be brought in stages.

Etowah Sheriffs Dept. Website Hacked

Someone appearing to be Kurdish sympathizers hacked the Etowah County Sheriff's Office's website.  Public Information Officer Natalie Barton says the sheriff's office is aware of the issue and working on it.  Hackers used the website to send an anti-ISIS message. The hacked website displays a flag of Kurdistan with the words "Long Live to peshmerga" above it. Peshmerga is the military force of Iraqi Kurdistan that has been battling ISIS.  The words "Hacked by Muhamad Emad" are at the top of the hacked site. The words "Kurdish hackers was here" appear between the flag and the anti-ISIS message. In a press release, the department said the website was hacked, August 1, 2015.  They were made aware of the inappropriate message that was placed on our homepage and quickly began working to correct it. They learned that a server, belonging to the company who hosts the website, was  hacked by this outside party and the Sheriffs Department website was one of many effected. The Sheriff's Office website has been taken down and is being restored. 

The website of the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts also fell victim to the hackers.