JAMES MADISON QUOTE - 1822

"A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives."

SCOTTSBORO WEATHER - SUN & MOON RISE

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Scottsboro City Council Meeting - Dual Session, B.B. Comer Bridge Foundation Presentation January 26, 2014

Scottsboro city Hall photo by G. Morgan


AGENDA

  1. BB Comer Bridge Authority-Justin Lackey, Marie Bostick, & Julie Bowers


Below issues were approved in the regular council meeting.
  1. Public Hearing: Consider Agreement with Second Street Plaza Developers for K-Mart Building

  1. Public Works Director Job Description

  1. Vehicle Maintenance Director Job Description

  1. IT Job Description

  1. Resolution 2015-01-03: Award Bid for Fire Dept Protective Clothing

  1. Resolution 2015-01-04: Award Bid for Fire Dept Helmets

  1. Resolution 2015-01-05: Award Bid for Fire Dept Boot


Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Jackson County Commission Meeting, Regular Session and Park Renovation Master Plan January 26, 2015

Jackson County Courthouse, South Side photo by G. Morgan

AGENDA
     I.        NEW BUSINESS –

1)   MOTION TO APPROVE AND SIGN A RESOLUTION IN REGARDS TO THE COUNTY PROPERTY TAX LEVY (MILLAGE RATES).   

2)   MOTION TO APPROVE THE USE OF COMMISSIONER LEDWELL AND MILLER’S FUNDS FOR AQUATIC WEEDS SPRAYING.

3)   MOTION TO APPROVE A SPONSORSHIP WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE TO PROMOTE A PUBLIC PURPOSE.

4)   MOTION TO APPROVE AND SIGN A RESOLUTION REGARDING COUNTY ROAD 412.

5)   MOTION TO APPROVE AND FILL THE VACANT SEAT ON THE NORTHEAST ALABAMA WATER, SEWER, AND FIRE BOARD.

6)   MOTION TO APPROVE CONTRACT UPDATED WITH JANE STUMP IN THE EMA OFFICE. 

     
VIDEOS



Jackson County Park Renovation Master Plan

Monday, January 26, 2015

7 Wonders of Jackson County by Judge John Graham (4 Part Series), Jackson County Historical Association 40th Anniversary Celebration

Scottsboro, Alabama, January 25, 2015 at Jesse Sue Bynum Auditorium, Board of Education - Page Administration Building; meeting of the Jackson County Historical Association, 40th Anniversary celebration. Presentation of "The 7 Wonders of Jackson County" by Judge John Graham in 4 parts, There will also be a short version soon.






 



Other History Videos of Jackson County 
The Jackson County Heritage Center

Web site of the Scottsboro - Jackson County Heritage Center: http://www.sjhc.us/

Jackson County, Scottsboro, Alabama "Someplace Special"

The Scottsboro Depot Museum Video 


Scottsboro Depot Museum - http://www.scottsborodepotmuseum.com/

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Monday, January 12, 2015

Scottsboro City Council Regular Session, January 12, 2015 Updated - 1-18-15 Redevelopment Authority, Violation of Open Meetings Law

Scottsboro City Hall photo by G. Morgan

AGENDA
(click on image for an expanded view)

Scottsboro Redevelopment Authority is scheduled to meet on Thursday,  January 15, 2015 at 5PM.  Update - Jan. 18, 2015 For the second month in a row the Redevelopment Authority has not met. December a sickness excuse was utilized, this month the weather excuse was utilized. Scheduling a meeting, then not meeting with the excuses given indicates a decision was made outside of the required open meeting process. The Open Meetings Law was violated. Once the meeting was scheduled it should have been held. Whether a quorum was present would have been determined at the time of the scheduled meeting. Secret decisions and secret meetings are forbidden by state law. 
Code of Alabama  Section 36-25A-3

 The "faux front" building on Laurel Street, which was transfered to the City of Scottsboro, former Derrick Real Estate Office destroyed by fire, has subsequently been transferred to the Redevelopment Authority by the city. Unfortunately, there is a question of who is carrying the insurance on the structure. The new authority is a separate corporate entity responsible for all actions. Downtown Redevelopment Authorities are governed under the Code of Alabama, Legislative intent, Section 11-54A-1 describes its purpose .

WHNT-TV Huntsville, Al. story about the building and deal: http://whnt.com/2014/11/24/vacant-property-could-see-new-life-in-downtown-scottsboro/
This is how it was suppose to look. The WHNT article contains a picture of how it looks today.
(photo by G. Morgan)

Several important issues were passed at tonights City Council Meeting: 1) Surplus equipment was authorized for sale. 2) Pawn Shop Ordinance was passed, Orginance #585. 2) A Public works Department was approved; this position will manage the Street Department and the Solid Waste Department. 3) Vehicle Maintenance Director position was created. 4) Information Technology position was created. 

Mrs Debbie Taylor, long term Scottsboro employee and the Mayors Secretary passed away this past week after a long bout with cancer. 

Dr. James Williams, long time Scottsboro Veterinarian passed away this past week. Dr Williams will be missed. Dr Williams had been practicing in Scottsboro since 1973 according to the Williams Animal clinic web site.

Picture of former Williams Animal Clinic staff, Dr. Williams is front left in blue smock. (photo Williams Animal Clinic web site - Fair Use for non-profit news reporting)


VIDEO

Jackson County Commission Regular Session January 12, 2015

Jackson County Courthouse 1910, from period Post Card.

AGENDA

VIDEO

Sunday, January 11, 2015

TVA's Browns Ferry Continues Leaking Radioactive Tritium - TVA OIG Report on Ground Water Protection

TVA image, Fair Use for Non-profit News Reporting

photo by G. Morgan

Full Report on Ground Water Protection and regulatory failures at Browns Ferry Alabama relating to radioactive substances leaks.

Tritium Leaks at Browns Ferry, January 15, 2015 Chattanooga Times Free Press article - http://www.timesfreepress.com/…/tvreports-tritium-l…/282080/

Recent Tritium Leak History
September 2013: http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturd…/…/060903/leak.shtml
April 2010: http://www.timesfreepress.com/…/tva-reports-tritium-…/12541/
June 2010 Report, this report covers other radionuclide releases including tritium into the environment: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1100/ML110050287.pdf

TVA OIG, Office of the Inspector General, Report
September 2014 TVA-OIG Report 15056, TVA's Ground Water Protection Program:  https://oig.tva.gov/reports/PDF/14rpts/2014-15056.pdf
What the OIG found - 1) TVA does monitor groundwater and actions were taken to correct the leaks or spills; 2) the Office of the Inspector General could not verify that "Standard Programs and Processes were followed." 3) Weaknesses of the past 5 years were not corrected. 4) "...External assessments of the program were downgraded or excluded when the NPG, Nuclear Power Group, performed its' fleet assessments." 5) When external assessments were provided to the TVA (e.g. INPO, WANO, EPRI) it was discovered there is no process in place to implement recommendations and action items brought forth by the external consultants.

TVA Claims = False Statements - (current Times Free Press article) "But TVA officials said radiation occurs naturally in the environment and its own sampling has not shown levels above EPA standards." TVA's comment is contradicted by the NRC Event Report as indicated below.

NRC Event Report - The tritium leaked was in excess of 20,000 pCu/l. Quote from NRC Event report 50725 dated 01/08/2015 - http://www.nrc.gov/…/event-stat…/event/2015/20150109en.html… : "On January 7, 2015, at approximately 0700 CST, a leak to the environment was identified. Tritium was present at a concentration of 7.52E-3 uCi/mL, which is above the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standard of 20,000 picocuries per liter. No other radioactive isotopes were identified. The leak rate was estimated at approximately 0.5 gpm and determined to be from the condensate head tank. Water was accumulating on the concrete-lined reactor/refuel air zone air intake plenum with some accumulation of water on the ground in the area. The intake plenum contains three floor drains. Actions were immediately taken to terminate the leak once the flowpath was identified. The flowpath was terminated two hours and 45 minutes after identification. Based on system review and analysis, any tritiated water that would have made it to the floor drains would then be mixed with incoming raw water at two million gallons per minute. This mixed volume of water would then be circulated through the plant and discharged to the river with a resultant tritium concentration that is much less than detectable levels and well below US EPA drinking water standards. The station has established increased monitoring of groundwater at designated sample wells."

My Comments in Today's Times Free Press Article:
"But a representative of an anti-nuclear group said any radiation release is potentially dangerous.
Garry Morgan, a retired U.S. Army medical officer who has monitored radiation around Browns Ferry for Mothers Against Tennessee River Radiation, said the release was similar to one reported at Browns Ferry in April 2010. Other tritium leaks have occurred at the Sequoyah and Watts Bar plants in Tennessee."

"Any leak of a radionuclide contaminant into the environment indicates a failure of oversight and/or attention to detail, maybe both, on the part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Tennessee Valley Authority," Morgan said Saturday."

"He said health surveys by his group show that the increase in cancer mortality rates in the Tennessee River valley grew to 20 percent above the U.S. average since Browns Ferry began generating power in 1974. Morgan has sampled radiation levels around TVA nuclear plants for six years and claims the elevated cancer rate in the region "is attributable to chemical and radionuclide contamination." Again, the link: http://www.timesfreepress.com/…/tvreports-tritium-l…/282080/

SUMMARY
This is a continuation of an old story - TVA leadership failing to identify problems and following through with corrective actions. Unfortunately, the NRC is failing to protect the people by not requiring strict adherence to Nuclear Regulations regarding the operations of nuclear power facilities. Strict attention to detail, identification of all problems and the resolution of those problems must be accomplished to insure the safety of citizens surrounding nuclear power and nuclear fuel facilities.

GARRY MORGAN, U.S. Army Medical Department, Retired
BREDL/BEST/MATRR
http://www.matrr.org

TVA photo, Fair Use for Non-profit News Reporting


Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Jackson County Commission Work Session January 5, 2015

Jackson County Courthouse Snow, Face Book photo posting by J.Holt;
 Fair Use Rights for news reporting.

AGENDA
(click on image for an expanded view) 

VIDEO

Scottsboro City Council Work Session, January 5, 2014 (B.B. Comer Bridge Issue)


Street Department and Solid Waste Department to be combined into City Public Works Department, City Council to decide on issue at the January 26 meeting.

Tourism Development Authority proposal brought forward, connected to Save B.B. Comer Bridge Foundation. 

AGENDA
(click on image for an expanded view)

VIDEO