Ozark’s former mayor, judge dies
A man who held several leadership posts, including mayor, judge and police chief in the Alabama City of Ozark, has died. Funeral services for Tom A. Goff will be at 11 a.m. Thursday in the Earl Bankston Memorial Chapel at the Fuqua (FEW-quay) Bankston Funeral Home in Ozark. Burial will follow in Westview Cemetery. WTVY-TV reports Goff died Saturday at his home in Panama City, Florida. He was 102.Goff served as mayor of Ozark for 12 years and also served as a city judge, city councilman, fire chief, police chief, constable and coroner for Dale County. Goff’s survivors include his wife, Renee Goff; a daughter, Serena Goff, both of Panama City, Florida; three grandchildren and several great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. Information from: WTVY-TV, https://www.wtvynews4.com/ Republished with the permission of the Associated Press.
Martha Roby Weekly Column: A productive week of travel in the Second District
For the last week of May, Congress was out of session for a district work period, and I had the opportunity to travel around the Second District. Throughout the week, I visited with constituents and local leaders, toured businesses and industries, and spent time with some of our servicemembers at Dannelly Field in Montgomery. During my week of district travel, I made several stops in Brundidge, Ozark, Montgomery, Eufaula, and Dothan. I cannot express enough how truly valuable it is for me to spend quality time with the people I represent here in Southeast Alabama. My candid conversations with constituents enable me to be a stronger representative for our shared views in Washington, and I am grateful for every opportunity I get to interact directly with you. In Brundidge, I paid a visit to City Hall where I talked with Mayor Isabell Boyd and a group of constituents. I really learned a lot during our time together, and I thank those who showed up to make our conversation productive. In Ozark, I stopped by Bell Helicopter to visit with leadership and employees and toured their impressive facility. Bell currently employs 76 people, and they perform incredibly important work supporting our military. I was glad to see their work firsthand, and I am eager to see the company continue to thrive and grow right here in the Second District. After visiting Bell Helicopter, I spoke to the Ozark Kiwanis Club during their weekly lunch meeting. I gave the group an update from Washington, perhaps most importantly about our efforts to deliver a disaster relief bill. Since the Senate recently passed their version of a bill, the House will act on this legislation very soon. I am optimistic we will send it to the President’s desk shortly. Farmers in the Wiregrass and throughout the country desperately need help recovering, and I remain committed to pushing this over the finish line. Next, I visited Chris and Monica Carroll, fifth-generation owners of a beautiful farm in Dale County. The Carrolls produce cattle, poultry, soybeans, and wheat, and I toured their extensive operation and was able to see firsthand the very hard work they do. I appreciate the Carrolls for graciously hosting me and sharing their insight and experience. Since agriculture is the backbone of our district’s economy, it is vitally important for me to spend time on the ground with our farmers to hear directly from them. I also spent a fantastic day in Eufaula. During my time there, I stopped by Humminbird Johnson Outdoors Marine Electronics where I was given a very engaging and informative site tour. I enjoyed visiting with employees, and I was especially glad to learn more about the innovative work they perform. Johnson Outdoors currently employs 240 people in Eufaula, and we are fortunate to have these job opportunities in our district. While in Eufaula, I also visited American Buildings Company for a meeting with company leadership to learn more about their legislative priorities. I enjoyed our time together and appreciated the conversation about ways we should improve our country’s infrastructure. For my last visit in Eufaula, I stopped by the airport with Mayor Jack Tibbs for a briefing on tornado recovery efforts. That area of town was badly damaged earlier this year when a tornado made landfall, and my office remains engaged and ready to assist where we are able. I am grateful for my strong relationship with Mayor Tibbs and for his dedication to keeping me informed about all developments in Eufaula. In Dothan, I attended a ceremony at Glasstream Powerboats celebrating their business’ expansion. I was glad to have the opportunity to give congratulatory remarks alongside local leaders, including Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba. I’m always thrilled any time I have the chance to celebrate the creation of new jobs here in our communities. Glasstream Powerboats’ hard work has delivered an additional 40 jobs for the Dothan area, and that is an accomplishment we should all be proud of. Next in Dothan, I attended the grand opening of a new Five Star Credit Union location. It was wonderful to meet employees and tour their brand new facility. This was another fantastic opportunity to celebrate new jobs in the Wiregrass, and I was glad to be involved in the festivities. Last, but certainly not least, in Montgomery, I spent time at the 187th Fighter Wing for Col. William Sparrow’s Change of Command ceremony. Col. Sparrow has led the 187th with distinction, and I am tremendously grateful for his service to our country and to the River Region. I congratulate the new commander, Col. Edward Casey, for his achievement and look forward to working with him as we strive to strengthen our district’s military footprint together. I share all this information to let you know that the May district work period was informative and very productive. I welcome every opportunity to engage with the people who live and work in Alabama’s Second District, and I extend my thanks to each person who made these meetings meaningful. It is a tremendous honor to serve you in Congress. Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama, with her husband Riley and their two children.
The results are in: 2018 Municipal Election Day
On Tuesday, several municipalities across the state of Alabama held elections for city seats, new mayors, and school board members. Several races resulted in a runoff, including the race for mayor in Auburn, city council seats in Montgomery, Bessemer and Huntsville. Ozark approved alcohol sales on Sunday, while Muscle Shoals denied a property tax increase. Municipal Election Results: Auburn According to the Auburn Villager, mayoral candidates Ron Anders and David Hill will head to a runoff election, as will Ward’s in place 2, 5 and 6. Race winners were: Ward 1: Connie Fitch Taylor with 328 votes Ward 7: Jay Hovey with 701 votes Ward 8: Tommy Dawson with 414 votes. Bessemer Incumbent mayor Kenneth E. Gulley won the mayor’s race with 68 percent of the votes on Tuesday, but almost all other races resulted in a runoff. According to the City of Bessemer, City Council District no. 1, 2, and 3, resulted in a runoff. As did, Board of Education District No. 1, 5 and 7. You can view the full results here. Gadsden Incumbent mayor Sherman Guyton faced four opponents in the Gadsden mayor’s race, but won with 47 percent of the votes. A runoff will be held for Gadsden city council seat 5 between Jason Wilson and incumbent Billy Billingsley Sr. Huntsville Only city council and school board seats were up for election in Huntsville Tuesday. Jennie Robinson won the District 3 city council seat with ease, garnering 73 percent of the votes. According to AL.com, the District 2 city council seat is headed to a runoff election. Muscle Shoals Muscle Shoals voters heavily denied the “5-Mill Tax Increase,” voting against the increase by 81 percent. The property tax increase, if approved, would have raised the existing 7.5 mills dedicated to education to 12.5 mills. “School officials said they would use the revenue generated by the additional 5 mills to seek a $20 million bond issue earmarked specifically for capital improvements,” the Times Daily reported. Ozark According to WTVY, Ozark voted to approve alcohol sales on Sunday by 73 percent, adding themselves to the growing number of Alabama cities willing to do so.
It’s Election Day in some cities in Alabama
It’s Election Day! In August? Yep. Some big municipal elections are happening in many cities in the Yellowhammer State today; Auburn and Bessemer are among those who will have a chance to elect a new mayor, and members of the Huntsville and Mountain Brook communities will be electing city council seats. Oneonta, Jacksonville and Opp are holding elections for their city school boards; and the city of Ozark will decided today whether or not they will allow alcohol sales on Sunday. According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office, the following elections will be held today: City of Huntsville – Regular Municipal Election – City Council Seats City of Opp – School Board Election – Districts 1, 2, and 4 City of Mountain Brook – Municipal Election – City Council Seats City of Oneonta School Board Election – Places 2 and 4 City of Ozark – Election for Sunday Sales of Alcohol City of Scottsboro – Municipal Election – City Council Seats City of Auburn – Regular Municipal Election City of Phenix City – Referendum for Elected City School Board City of Muscle Shoals – Ad Valorem Tax Election for Educational Purposes City of Bessemer – Regular Municipal Election City of Jacksonville – School Board Election – Places 1 and 2 Sample Ballots and full lists of candidates for some cities: City of Huntsville City of Mountain Brook City of Bessemer City of Auburn
Florida woman guilty of Alabama credit card skimming
A Florida woman was found guilty of helping to orchestrate a multi-state scheme to use skimming devices on gas pumps to steal credit and debit card numbers, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Tuesday. Eunises Llorca-Menses, 30, of Naples, Fla. was found guilty by a federal jury Friday on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in January. She faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. “This conviction should send a strong message to debit card skimmers seeking to target unsuspecting Alabamians: you will be caught and brought to justice,” Marshall said in a statement. On February 15, 2017, Llorca Menses and her co-defendant Reiner Perez-Rives were charged. Perez-Rives pled guilty in July to conspiracy and identity theft charges. As part of the scheme, Llorca-Menses and Perez-Rives, would rent vehicles and travel between Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia. During their travels, they would visit several gas stations and install a skimming device inside gas pumps. Through the skimming device, they collected gas station customers’ credit/debit card information and used that information to activate or reactivate credit, debit, or gift cards, and make unauthorized ATM cash withdrawals at gas stations and purchases at several places around the Southeast. Law enforcement officials uncovered the elaborate scheme following multiple reports from victims concerning the unauthorized use of their debit cards. Working with financial institutions, the Ozark Police Department, along with state and federal partners, discovered that many of the victims had used their cards at the same gas station in Ozark, Ala. At this station, they found a skimming device with Bluetooth capability installed on a gas pump. The Bluetooth technology allowed the defendants to collect a gas customer’s credit/debit information while sitting up to thirty-feet away from the gas pump. At the time of their arrest on December 21, 2016, Llorca-Meneses and Peres-Rives were found to be in possession of thirty-nine credit/debit cards that had been re-encoded with stolen credit/debit card numbers, along with an additional 317 gift cards. A Wal-Mart gift card that contained the stolen account information from a victim’s Capital One credit card and a key used to gain access to the inside of a gas pump was found in Llorca-Meneses’ purse. Law enforcement also found a homemade device with connectors that matched the connections on the skimming device found in the gas pump in Ozark in their luggage. “It is incredibly difficult for the average person to determine if a gas pump has a skimmer,” stated Acting U.S for the Middle District of Alabama A. Clark Morris. “This is because many are placed inside the gas pump with no visible evidence of tampering. While the crooks may be getting smarter, law enforcement continues to work hard to stay a step ahead. This conviction shows that our office will continue to work with our partners to identify criminals that seek to victimize our citizens.” To avoid becoming a victim of this type of fraud, customers should pay inside the store or use pumps that are visible to store employees and video surveillance cameras. Criminals commonly target pumps that allow them to install skimming devices undetected. This case was a joint investigation involving the Ozark Police Department, the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the United States Secret Service, and the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Denise O. Simpson and Assistant United States Attorney Steven Lee prosecuted this case.
