January 25, 2007
Making good on their campaign promises, newly-elected County Commissioners Fairest Cureton and Clarence Black are hoping to make other commissioners take another look at the controversial Uniontown landfill.
Cureton, whose District Four includes the area of Uniontown north of Highway 80, made a motion at the commission’s meeting Tuesday, Jan. 23 to place the topic on the next meeting’s agenda. Black represents District Five which includes Uniontown and the rest of Perry County located south of Highway 80. He seconded Cureton’s motion Tuesday.
Cureton’s motion, which passes unanimously by roll call vote, would ask commissioners to discuss the possibility of holding a public hearing with citizens to understand their concerns about the landfill. After the hearing, Cureton suggested, the commission should hold another vote on whether to grant the facility host government approval.
Without approval of the county commission, the landfill’s permit becomes void.
The landfill, which is owned by Georgia-based limited liability company Perry-Uniontown Ventures, has been the subject of controversy since its inception.
Former District Four Commissioner and Commission Chairman Johnny Flowers remained an ardent supporter of the project, which he said would reinvigorate the region’s economy. Ronald Miller, who formerly represented District Five, abstained from voting on the matter when it came before the commission in 2005.
Both commissioners lost in their bids for re-election last year, with many observers citing opposition to the landfill as the chief reason.
In a ceremony that took place on Tuesday January 16th Judge Don McMillan became the second District Judge of Perry County. He is following in the footsteps of Judge Richard Avery, Jr., who has served in that office since it was created 30 years ago in 1977. Though McMillan may not be the youngest judge in the state, he has achieved this honorable position at the age of 37.
This new position is a far cry from his childhood aspirations. As a boy growing up in Wilcox County McMillan said that he wanted to be a garbage man or a preacher to the moon, though who he would have been preaching to is uncertain.
Instead McMillan worked hard and became the first in his family to finish college and the first to attend law school. After graduating in 1996 he worked for a federal judge and the governor and served as a prosecutor for 7 years, working mostly with violent crime.
He notes that his time as a prosecutor was good preparation for serving as a judge because it gave him experience in evaluating merits of a case. In spite of this experience, McMillan jokes that he has no idea how he got here. Of course, one step on his path to the bench was the campaign trail, a process which McMillan says he enjoyed very much.
Now after his first week as District Judge, McMillan can’t think of anything else he would rather be doing. “I feel blessed and proud to be where I am and I’m thankful for it,” he said.
After two consecutive road losses against Patrician Academy and Shelby Academy, Marion returned home to get back on track with an easy 61-31 win against Southern Academy Tuesday night.
The Cougars of Southern Academy came to Marion and were soundly defeated as the team played better offensively and defensively. Emily Easley led in scoring with 25. She was followed by Samantha Suttles with 10, Amy Boyle with 8, and Amy Parsons with 6 points and a big 8 steals and 6 rebounds to lead the team as well. To round out the scoring Adrienne Howze put in 6, Sarah Fowler added 3, and Hannah Blalock had 3 points as well.
This was Marion’s last area game which leaves them tied for first place with the Patrician Lady Saints. Therefore, seeding for the area tournament cannot be decided until the end of the season. This makes the next three games very important for Marion.
