Forbes ranks Anniston area as among worst places for business and careers

Forbes magazine recently ranked the Anniston, Oxford, Jacksonville metropolitan  area’s business environment six spots from the bottom among the 184 smallest metropolitan areas in the U.S. The ranking was part of Forbes' annual Best Places for Business and Careers.
Forbes had a separate list for the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., which ranged from the size of New York to Birmingham. Forbes' determination of large metropolitan areas and small metropolitan areas was based on U.S. Census Bureau designations.
The metro areas’ boundaries follow county lines, but tend to be named for their largest cities. Thus, the Anniston-Oxford-Jacksonville metro area and Calhoun County are essentially the same thing.
To determine the rankings, Forbes considered 12 metrics related to job growth, costs of living and doing business, income growth over the past five years, college and high school educational attainment and projected economic growth through 2016. Forbes also factored in net migration patterns in the last five years and cultural and recreational opportunities. The number of highly ranked colleges in an area was also factored into the rankings.
According to the ranking, Calhoun County was 179th out of 184, with Madera, Calif., being the next-worst place for business on the list.
Calhoun County also ranked last among the seven small metro areas in Alabama. Auburn fared the best among Alabama's small metros, ranking 10th on the list. Gadsden also did poorly, ranking 152nd out of all the small metros in the U.S.

Riverside adopts new pet ordinance

The Riverside City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday night that prohibits dogs from running at large in the city, while promoting responsible pet ownership.
For the past five months, the mayor and council have discussed a possible animal control ordinance which would require animals to remain under control of their owners.
The ordinance states that when a dog is off or outside the premises of the owner’s property, the owner must have “voice control” of the animal. The owner is not required to have the dog on a leash.
“Any dog found roaming or running at large shall be deemed to be a nuisance to the health and safety of the citizens, and shall be subject to being picked up and impounded as provided in this article, and the owner or person in charge thereof shall be subject to the penalties herein provided,” the proposed ordinance states.
The mayor and council began discussing a possible leash law after 5-year-old John Harvard died from injuries suffered in a pit bull attack.
“It shall be unlawful for any dog to cause action(s) that precipitate into a dangerous circumstance that threatens the safety of those nearby,” the ordinance states.
The ordinance defines a “dangerous circumstance” as “a time or place that a dog is engaging in or threatening to engage in possible injury, harm or death to a human being or another animal.”
The ordinance goes on to state that, “Any dog, regardless of breed, which has a disposition to bite humans and any animal, which has bitten or attempted to bite any person within six months immediately past shall be deemed to be a vicious dog. …”
The ordinance states it is unlawful for a person to keep any vicious dog in the city, unless the animal is confined to a pen.
The ordinance sets fines ranging from $25 to $100 for any violations of the new city ordinance.

Start of school traffic concerns

Motorists in Etowah county are likely to face traffic snarls tomorrow at  the first day of school coincides with the beginning of the worlds longest yard sale.

.The yard sale takes place each year from the first Thursday in August to the following Sunday. It begins in Gadsden at Noccalula Falls Park and continues on Lookout Mountain Parkway toward Chattanooga. That route is Tabor Road in Etowah County.

The yard sale is free and takes place in all types of weather. Vendors set up in yards, churches — anywhere there is open space along the route. It ends near the Michigan and Ohio border.

Its route will go past at least two schools — Mitchell Elementary and Highland Elementary — on their busiest day, and local law enforcement already is planning for the extra traffic from both events.

Chief Deputy Michael Barton said the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office command post will be set up from Thursday to Sunday on property at Highland School, and the sheriff’s motor and bike patrols and the mounted unit will be working in the area.

Barton said extra deputies will be stationed all along Tabor Road and especially in the school zone.

He said the command center will be available for those on the sale route also who need assistance or have questions.

Gadsden man arrested on sex charges

James Ward

Authorities in Gadsden have arrested and charged a man they say tried to communicate with an undercover police officer he thought to be a 15-year-old girl.
29-year-old James Ward is being held in the Etowah County Jail.
Members of the department's Special Projects Team said Ward contacted someone through social media believing that person was a 15-year-old girl, but it was actually a false identity set up by investigators, including a photo of a female police officer from when she was in her teens.
Police say Ward swapped messages for a day then asked to meet her at a Gadsden apartment complex. When he showed up, he was arrested.
Police have charged Ward with traveling to meet a child under 18. He's being held without bond.

Anniston considering increase in Gas Tax

The city of Anniston is considering raising taxes on local gasoline stations to fund street projects. The City Council is considering  imposing a 2 cents-per-gallon-sold tax on city gasoline retailers. City officials say the tax would bring Anniston in line with taxes imposed by most cities in Calhoun County. The tax would also generate additional money for more street repair and maintenance work.  City Manager Brian Johnson said the council will likely vote on the tax at their next meeting Monday.  Johnson said the tax has actually been part of the city's ordinances for decades. However, at some point in the 1980s, the city decided to wave the tax for gas retailers in Anniston. In lieu of the annual tax, retailers instead were required to pay a one-time business license fee based on their number of gasoline pumps. The license fee is $40 for the first pump and about $18 for each additional pump.

Lower bond sought for Gadsden man charged with sex crimes

Roy Dean Pruett

The attorney for a Gadsden man charged with five sex-related offenses argued during a hearing Monday that the man is entitled to a reasonable bond. Prosecutors, said Roy Dean Pruett’s release would have a “chilling effect” on their ongoing investigation.  After hearing from both sides, District Court Judge William Russell said he will issue a written ruling.  The 61 year old Pruett,  is charged with three counts of first-degree sexual abuse and two counts of first-degree sodomy. He is in the Etowah County Detention Center on cash bonds totaling $375,000.  He has a 40-year history of working with young people at various facilities, and at the time of his arrest worked at a boys ranch in Attalla.  Assistant District Attorney Carol Griffith said Monday that the state expects one additional charge to be brought against Pruett, and there could be others. She said investigators have information suggesting there could be incidents dating back to the 1970s, when Pruett worked with the Gulf Steel YMCA. She said there is evidence he continued to have contact with some of these boys after he knew the investigation was underway.

Griffith said this case involves a “defendant who had constant contact with a number of young men through his employment.”She said he faces five charges involving three boys, and the investigation is ongoing.