Heads and tales: Capable or culpable

dunce cap

Throw the bums around: Alabama loves its higher edumacation, specifically the two-year variety. Junior colleges litter the landscape, and it takes a strong leader to manage so many centers of learning. The Birmingham News has, in a series of articles, shown how Roy Johnson, the chancellor of the two-year college system, and his relatives have received $300,000 through patronage jobs, scholarships and new houses. The board of education fired Johnson Tuesday (and will likely receive an additional $300,000 plus in pay and retirement benefits) and replaced him with … another official with relatives on the payroll. Also, at least one other board member has relatives on the payroll. Why the heck didn’t we get into school administration?!
• 2-year college chancellor fired [Birmingham News]

Making excuses instead of arrests: Homicides are way up in Birmingham, 56 in the first half of 2006 compared to 42 in the first half of 2005 — a 33 percent jump. Police chief Annetta Nunn blames budget cuts and loss of cops to higher-paying suburbs as factors, while also arguing that the rate for other crime has dropped. Can’t have it both ways: Either you deserve credit for lowering crime with fewer resources, or you take responsibility for more bodies. A North Birmingham teenager found Tuesday night makes this year’s homicide count 57 … and rising.
• Mayor, chief defend city police force [Birmingham News]

The devil is in the dirt piles: Anniston residents, already sick from PCBs, are now sick with worry that a new dump site will cause more problems. Solutia, a Monsanto spinoff, is responsible for the cleanup and costs, but only after residents sued the corporation over injuries to health and property. The city council postponed discussion on blocking the dumping, at a site near … Monsanto Road. Wonder if they want to change the street name, too …
• New PCB dump site makes Anniston residents wary [Anniston Star]

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