(posted 1/12/03)
There were plenty of wild stories for Alabama in 2002
... but then again, that's nothing new.

Congressman Bob Riley and Governor-Elect Don Siegelman
gave Alabama it's Wildest Ride of the Year in 2002

2002 had an exciting start.

In early January, icy, winter weather touched parts of west and north Alabama. In south Alabama, the rare broad-billed hummingbird made its first ever known Alabama appearance. But there was still some unpleasantness spilling over from 2001 ... the 9-11 terrorists attacks were still fresh in people's minds ... former Transportation Director Jimmy Butts and two lobbyists were arrested and convicted on state ethics charges ... state agencies continued to struggle because of a poorly designed state tax system.

In February, the turmoil over football recruiting violations peaked in Tuscaloosa, when the University of Alabama program received heavy sanctions from the NCAA. Anniston residents were stuck with a more serious problem stirred by two major issues. One, the impending start-up of the Army's chemical weapons incinerator. And two, a lawsuit filed and won against Solutia Incorporated for causing widespread PCB pollution in the area.

But amongst the gloom, appeared a beacon of inspiration ... in the form of Helena-native Vonetta Flowers. Flowers won Olympic gold in the two-person bobsled, becoming the first African American to win gold in Winter Olympics history. Flowers and Alice Coachman Davis, the first black woman to win a gold in Olympic track and field, were both honored by the Alabama Legislature.

State lawmakers also approved several new state laws. The primary method of execution was switched to lethal injection. Criminal background checks were ordered for public school employees. The Women's Right to Know Act was passed, putting new restrictions and requirements on women's clinics that perform abortion surgeries. And since is was an election year. state employees got a very modest pay raise.

Things continued to look up in late Spring 2002. Alabama's booming auto industry continued to grow. Hyundai announced it would build a billion dollar facility in Montgomery County. Honda expanded its assembly plant in Lincoln plant. Mercedes also expanded in Vance. In May, the city of Birmingham saw a shade from its past lifted. Bobby Frank Cherry was convicted of murder in the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church.

But there were some old, lingering problems. Alabama's Education Trust Fund saw its second straight year of proration, and long standing funding instabilities caused fifteen of Alabama's sixteen public universities, including the University of Alabama and Auburn University, to raise tuition. Alabama's overcrowded prison system gained more negative national attention. One federal judge compared the incredibly cramped conditions to life on a slave ship. Environmental mistakes from the past continued to make trouble in the present. Birmingham remained in violation of federal clean air standards, and Alabama was named one of the top 10 states for illegal industrial water polluters.

In August, Chief Justice Roy Moore's Ten Commandments monument was challenged in a lawsuit from the Southern Poverty Law Center and two other groups. The monument has garnered praise and controversy since Moore secretly placed it in the state judicial building.

In September, Alabamians marked the one-year anniversary of the terror attacks. Winfield-native Johnny Michael Spann, the first combat casualty of the war on terrorism, was on the minds of many. September also saw the one-year anniversary of a deadly coal mine explosion in Tuscaloosa County that killed 13 people. On September 23rd, 2002, a black granite memorial was unveiled outside a small church next to the Blue Creek Number Five mine near Brookwood.

In October, the world was delivered some bad news from Marion, as the last known Alabama sturgeon died in captivity. The rare prehistoric looking fish hasn't been seen in its only known habitat in more than 5 years. It is thought be some to now be extinct due to the destruction of its habitat.

October brought Alabamians another shock as well, when they learned of a possible connection between the sniper rampage in Washington DC and a Montgomery murder. It was one of the strangest stories of the year. But none of the wild stories in 2002 could top the gubernatorial race between Governor Don Siegelman and challenger Congressman Bob Riley.

It was a near dead heat on a stormy election night. Siegelman declared an early victory as the totals still trickled in. But after a clerical error was discovered in Baldwin County, it was Riley who was claiming victory. The dispute was set aside about a week later, when widespread severe weather struck, causing fatalities, injuries and major damage. Much of the town of Carbon Hill was destroyed by the storms.

December marked the closing chapter for many of the state's top stories. After a series of Supreme Court interventions, Alabama put its first inmate to death by lethal injection when Anthony Keith Johnson was executed. Governor Siegelman conceded the Governorship.
Also, in December, Alabama football coach Dennis Franchione abruptly accepted a job at Texas A&M … his replacement, former Washington State Cougars coach Mike Price. The lawsuit against the Ten Commandments monument ended with a federal court order to remove the display. Chief Justice Moore has vowed to fight the order, a battle that will be one of the top stories in 2003.

In Tuscaloosa County, 2003 will bring new high schools and the continued growth of Mercedes-Benz. The Crimson Tide men’s basketball team will enjoy one of its greatest year. Local restaurants and nightclubs will oppose a plan to place a countywide ban on some late night alcohol sales.

2003 will also hopefully bring Tuscaloosa and Alabama a better sense of community, and new opportunities to work together to improve our lives. May we find the understanding, wisdom and patience to make that happen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! ... from the staff of Druid City Online

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