Calhoun County Commission honors Sheriff Wade for his service
Commissioner Lee Patterson thanked Wade for his dedication to the community.
"Being a servant is a calling and it has been the biggest privilege of my life to serve other people,' Wade said during the commission meeting. 'That's what makes the job very enjoyable. After 29 years — and everything has a season — my season has come to an end. One of the biggest things I will miss is being able to help people, but I will still be around and help people in a different way."
Wade began his public service in high school when he joined the Army Reserve. He completed basic training at Fort Sill, Okla., and trained as an aviation operations specialist at Fort Rucker.
In 1996, he started his law enforcement career as a correctional officer at the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. He advanced through the ranks as a deputy, investigator, emergency services team member and chief deputy, serving 12 years under Sheriff Larry Amerson.
Appointed sheriff in 2016, Wade made history as the first Calhoun County deputy to graduate from the FBI National Academy. He later became the first law enforcement executive to complete the Department of Homeland Security Leadership Academy, the FBI National Academy and the National Sheriffs' Institute.
Wade, recently named president of the Alabama Sheriffs Association, was honored by all five commissioners for his leadership and dedication.
Also during the meeting, the commissioners passed resolutions on several items, including repaving Bynum-Leatherwood Road between Alabama 202 up to a point north of Morrisville Road.
One visitor to the meeting, Audrey Maxwell, is the tourism director at the Calhoun County Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. She reminded those in attendance that sports tournaments are underway at the Choccolocco Park. Also, she mentioned several big events in Anniston that are coming up, including The Noble Street Festival and Sunny King Criterium on Saturday, April 5.
Visitor Kevin Chandler introduced himself as the new park ranger at the Freedom Riders National Monument. The rangers' job will include making small changes to the monument, which includes the old bus depot on Gurnee Avenue and the site of the bus burning on Alabama 202.
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Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
He chose to serve longer in the Army. Now he's saddled with $40,000 in moving costs.
Charles Levine was blindsided in February when he was about to retire from the Army and found out it would not cover more than $40,000 in final moving costs — an end-of-service benefit given to retirees. The lieutenant colonel had served for 30 years, deploying five times and leading an airborne infantry company in Iraq and Afghanistan. But because he chose to continue serving after he was eligible to retire in 2022, he was stripped of moving and storage perks promised to nearly every retired soldier. 'It was a broken promise,' Levine, 59, said. 'I was incredulous.' News of the noncoverage delivered a sharp emotional sting and a financial gut punch. Levine and his wife, Ginger, were relying on the benefit. They have been renting an apartment in Charlottesville, Virginia, for $2,800 a month, thinking the military would help them vacate their on-post housing at West Point, the military academy in New York. By the couple's estimates, it would cost at least $42,000 to pack, transport and store a lifetime of belongings themselves, so they feel stuck at West Point, paying another $4,400 a month for rent. 'We cannot afford to move and we cannot afford to stay,' Ginger said. To save money, Ginger, 53, has been driving around, scrounging up used cardboard boxes and paper from new neighbors, while 'feeling humiliated that this is how our service ends.' Levine said he had a fulfilling career. But when he thinks about the toll the last few months has taken on him and his wife of 18 years, he questions his choice to stay longer in the military. 'That's the one thing that rises to the level where perhaps I did make a mistake,' he said. Levine served in the National Guard from 1995 to 2001, when, three months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he started active duty in the Army. During the next 21 years, he crawled through enemy caves; participated in more than two dozen air assaults looking for Taliban-captured soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was in his battalion; rose to battalion executive officer; and earned several medals, including three Bronze Stars. In that time, back home, he missed the entirety of his first year of marriage, many holidays, the birth of his first grandchild, the death of his father-in-law, and all of his son's high school football games. "We've given everything we have," said Levine, who spent the last six years of his service teaching calculus to cadets at West Point. In fall 2022, Levine had served the maximum number of years in active duty and could retire. But, he said, senior Army Reserve leaders convinced him to transition to the Reserve and continue teaching at West Point instead. Levine officially separated from active duty and went on to teach for two more years as part of the Army Reserve. Just before he officially retired from the military in March, he learned he had lost the moving benefits. 'We were told, without warning, that our family would not receive any support for our final move,' Ginger said. 'No shipment of household goods, no storage, and no recognition of the circumstances.' In a statement, Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard, an Army spokesperson, said soldiers like Levine who choose to be released from active duty after at least 20 years of service, deferring retirement to continue working for the Reserve, have about six months to use their moving benefits. Those who elect to retire from active duty have three years. To guide their decision-making, Howard said the Army provides soldiers with 'significant resources, education and support,' including transition assistance programs across the country. 'Transitioning Soldiers must weigh their options, and associated advantages and disadvantages to make the best decision for their circumstances,' Howard said in his statement. Levine said he did not choose to be released from active duty and was instead involuntarily separated, which he said should have afforded him moving benefits for three years. Levine, a doctoral candidate at Northeastern University and a visiting scholar at the University of Virginia, also said a section of the regulation allows those who pursue advanced education four years to move. The Army said soldiers who leave active duty and join the Reserve are not considered involuntarily separated, but Levine said his separation papers show otherwise. After fighting their case for more than three months, the Levines have reached their breaking point. They've decided to dip into their savings to move themselves, fearing they were already wasting so much money paying two rents. 'I broke,' Ginger said. 'I was emotionally broken.' The couple crunched estimates from multiple moving and storage companies. On the low end, if they pack themselves, they'd pay about $42,000 out of pocket. Their regular income is the roughly $5,000 Levine gets each month from his pension, and the severance Ginger has until the end of September after resigning from her federal job. 'For the first time in our life, we have debt now,' Levine said. He thinks back to the sheer happiness and pride he felt in February during his retirement ceremony. A retired four-star general flew in from the Middle East to preside over the event, and Levine was celebrated for his feats while surrounded by loved ones and senior leaders. 'It was amazing. I was dreading leaving. I felt really fulfilled,' he said. 'All those things went away and evaporated.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
"Glimmers" Are the Basically Free Gems That Make Any Home a Sanctuary
This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. Even though I'm in my 40s, I never take having a safe and comfortable home for granted. As a teen, I ran away from my abusive mother's excessively cluttered house, experienced homelessness, and moved into queer punk houses — all to find freedom. And now as a queer, nonbinary adult in the United States, where gender nonconforming and trans people are under attack on every level, I worry about my future. But I know that I can't live a life defined by fear and unhappiness. One of the small ways I cope with uncertain times is by doing everything in my power to make my home a safe and welcoming space that is full of 'glimmers,' or small things that spark joy even on my hardest days. Most people are familiar with the concept of a 'trigger,' which is some kind of stimulus, like a sight or sound, that brings up the memory of an upsetting or traumatic experience. Triggers don't have to be 'rational' to affect you. These emotional landmines are a part of life for many people with a history of trauma. 'Glimmers' are sort of the opposite of triggers. Now widely understood in the mental health world, glimmers are small moments of pleasure that exist in everyday life. They cue to your brain and nervous system that you are safe. 'Glimmers aren't just about aesthetics or mood lighting — they're somatic reminders that safety is possible,' explains Chicago-based therapist Bonn Wade. Glimmers offer moments that help you feel better, regulate your emotions, and affirm who and what you are. In my life, glimmers are reminders that I am safe and that I worked hard to have the home and the life I have. They can be anything from a morning coffee ritual to, in my case, intentional, affirming decor around my home that reminds me that I am in a safe space that I built for myself. Glimmers are vital for the LGBTQ+ community because of the complicated relationship many have had with the homes they came from. 'Home hasn't always been safe for queer and trans people,' Wade says. 'For a lot of us, it's where we first learned to mask or shrink or make ourselves more acceptable or even palatable. So, it's a big deal — a quietly radical thing — to create a space that reflects who we really are. When we build in glimmers, we're not just rearranging furniture, hanging art, or placing a plant near a sun-lit window — we're actually sending a message to our bodies: You belong here. You don't have to hide anymore.' Glimmers are a key way to spark joy and hope around your home — something people in marginalized communities need especially right now. Ofelia Saba Ramírez, an associate marriage and family therapist who specializes in working with queer and trans people who have experienced trauma, explains that for 'queer and trans people, especially those navigating trauma and our hostile political climate, glimmers in the home aren't just pleasant to have — they're tools for survival.' They can help to remind your nervous system that you're safe, loved, and that you do belong — even when the world says otherwise. Glimmers generally aren't anything big or elaborate. My favorite ones seldom are. Glimmers might be stickers sent by a pen pal, stuffed animals instead of throw pillows, toys from a quarter machine arranged in a bowl, or smashed pennies from the zoo. On the windowsill in my kitchen, I have my own glimmers. Nestled among succulents, Kewpie dolls, and stained-glass ornaments my neighbor made, there is an empty PBR can with a pride flag sticking out of it. An odd glimmer for someone (me) who doesn't drink, but it makes me smile every time I stand at my sink to do dishes. The can is a souvenir from a long-distance partner's visit where we spent an afternoon grid-walking a now-gentrified neighborhood to find the punk houses of our youth where I found safety, community, and acceptance for the first time in my life. After finding the house, now as gentrified as the neighborhood, they bought PBR at the corner store where the hippies used to scoff at us punk kids. They gave the majority of the six-pack away, but I kept this one tin can, which is a vase in my kitchen; it's a glimmering reminder of where I come from, and the life I have made within — and because of — queer community. I got divorced last year, and one of the first things I did when my ex-partner left was start to redecorate my home with new wall art. This art is mostly 'worthless,' appraisal-wise, but to me it's invaluable. 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Despite our over 20-year estrangement, when she died I was court-appointed to clean out her home and in January I went back into my childhood home for the first time since I ran away as a teenager. It was a difficult ordeal, and surprisingly I found my childhood bedroom closet untouched. I had to clean and sanitize what I found, but brought home some glimmers from an otherwise turbulent childhood: some 1980s My Little Pony toys, Pound Puppies, and other small figurines, along with the molded dog-shaped switch plate from my childhood bedroom where I spent years praying to not really be gay. They walk the razor-sharp line between trigger and items, more than anything, are a tangible reminder of what I escaped, and how hard I have worked to have the life I have now. In the home I have built today, these 'glimmers' are bittersweet — and a reminder that even when things are hard, there's a whole world on the other side of the hard times. I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here's What They Said Sign up for Apartment Therapy's Daily email newsletter to receive our favorite posts, tours, products, and shopping guides in your inbox.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Giants DFA struggling Wade, Huff; Dom Smith signed to contract
Giants DFA struggling Wade, Huff; Dom Smith signed to contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SAN FRANCISCO — On Tuesday afternoon, Buster Posey stood against a wall in the home clubhouse at Oracle Park and said the Giants were examining both internal and external options to provide a spark for the historically-cold offense. On Wednesday, the shakeup arrived. Advertisement The Giants DFA'd struggling first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and backup catcher Sam Huff and also optioned backup infielder Christian Koss. The new first baseman will be veteran Dominic Smith, who was signed to a big-league deal a few days after opting out of his minor-league deal with the New York Yankees. Outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner were selected from Triple-A to fill out the roster. In one series of moves, Posey and general manager Zack Minasian cleared out nearly a quarter of their active position players. The most notable move was with Wade, who was one of Farhan Zaidi's greatest finds but has slumped for nearly a calendar year. Wade was hitting .167 with just one homer and had started to lose playing time against right-handed pitchers to Casey Schmitt. The Giants are coming off back-to-back brutal losses, both of which can be placed just about squarely on their lineup. They might have the best top-to-bottom pitching staff in baseball, but they lost 1-0 on Monday night and 3-2 on Tuesday. The lineup has gone 16 consecutive games without scoring more than four runs, the longest streak since 1965. Posey said Tuesday that the group is better than it has shown over the last two and a half weeks, but also indicated changes were coming. Advertisement 'We're not satisfied with the production,' he said. 'We're trying to exhaust all options.' The only external addition, at least for now, is Smith, who opted out over the weekend. The veteran had a .782 OPS and eight homers in Triple-A and was a little below league-average last year with the Red Sox and Reds, but right now, league-average might hit cleanup for this lineup. Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
