July 15, 2009

Sheriff to monitor bingo hall hours

After a late Friday afternoon ruling, several bingo halls in Walker County are going to be forced to cut their hours of operation.

Jefferson County Circuit Judge Robert Vance filed an order electronically on Friday afternoon with the Walker County Circuit Court. That order will force eight local bingo establishments to cease operating 24 hours a day, six days a week due to their lack of charities. Walker County Sheriff John Mark Tirey had filed a motion with Vance to clarify if his office could close bingo halls not meeting certain requirements in regards to their number of charities.

Tirey says the sheriff's department has received numerous complaints from people about some of the smaller bingo halls staying open all the time despite the fact they have only a few charities and wanted the judge to let sheriff's office personnel know what can be done to control those situations.

Vance’s order effectively reduced hours on the following bingo halls:

T M Charity Bingo, limited to two five-hour sessions per week, totaling 10 hours.
Shadowbrook Charity Bingo, limited to four five-hour sessions per week, totaling 20 hours.
Magic Touch Charity Bingo, limited to four five-hour sessions per week, totaling 20 hours.
Southern Charity Bingo, limited to six five-hour sessions per week, totaling 30 hours.
Blackwater 69 Charity Bingo, limited to 20 five-hour sessions per week, totaling 100 hours.
Carbon Hill Charity Bingo, limited to 24 five-hour sessions per week, totaling 120 hours.
Dreams Come True Charity Bingo, limited to 26 five-hour sessions per week, totaling 130 hours.
Helping Hands Charity Bingo, limited to four five-hour sessions per week, totaling 20 hours.

According to the 1992 Walker County bingo amendment, charities with bingo permits cannot conduct more than two bingo sessions per week and sessions cannot exceed five hours. Tirey said he thought the law was clear and the judge ruled based on that law. Tirey added that the ruling gives his department some rules to go by as it pertains to policing the hours the bingo halls are staying open.

The order also said the operators of the bingo halls have until Wednesday to notify Tirey what hours they will operate in order to comply with the ruling, and that those hours are to become effective by Friday. Bingo operators must also provide Tirey two days’ advance, written notice if they change those hours of operation.

Man fires shots at deputies, into home

A Jasper man was arrested early Saturday morning after he allegedly fired shots into a neighbor’s mobile home and then fired shots at local law enforcement personnel who responded to the 911 call regarding the shooting.

Walker County Sheriff John Mark Tirey says that David Leroy Waid, 54, of 4111 Holly Grove Road in Jasper, was arrested and booked into the Walker County Jail at around 7:30 Saturday morning on charges of firing into an occupied dwelling.

According to Sheriff Tirey, Waid had fired several shots into the mobile home, waking the family, who then called 911. A patrol deputy, who had been dispatched to the scene, was inside the mobile home talking with the family when more shots were fired. The deputy immediately called for backup.

Tirey said drug agents with the Walker County Narcotics Enforcement Team and patrol officers with the Jasper Police Department were on patrol in the area when they heard the deputy’s call for help and responded. Tirey said, as they arrived, Waid began firing shots at the responding officers as well.

Tirey said Mr. Waid then barricaded himself inside his home and refused to come out. According to Tirey, the officers then talked Waid into coming out onto the porch where he was distracted and was taken down by two of the officers.

Tirey said the deputies, NET agents and Jasper police officers showed amazing restraint.

It was fairly quickly determined that Mr. Waid was either suffering from a mental condition or was under the influence of something.

Tirey said Waid was taken into custody without further incident and booked into the Walker County Jail. He was later transported to Walker Baptist Medical Center to be evaluated and then transferred to UAB Medical Center in Birmingham.

Tirey went on to say that Mr. Waid apparently has several medical problems and was taking blood thinners at the time of his arrest.

Argo Community Center a total loss after fire

Yellow crime scene tape and a gutted building is all that is left of the Helen Albert Community Center in Argo which was destroyed by a fire Monday morning.

Around 7 a.m. on Monday (7/13/2009), a 911 call was made to dispatch the Argo Area Volunteer Fire Department to the building where a fire was already raging when fire officials arrived on the scene at 7:12 a.m. The building was fully involved when fire personnel arrived.

Left behind to sort through the ashes of what once was his home was Lawrence L. Black, minister of the “In The Midst Ministries” and director of the community youth group. As he looked over the charred remains of his home and ministry building, Black said that it went up and it was gone in just four minutes.

The Argo Community Center is known as a historic landmark to many people in the Argo community. The community center not only served as a historic marker, but it was also the home of “In The Midst Ministries,” a community youth center and contained two apartments.

Black’s son, who was currently living in one of the apartments in the house, was the first to notice the fire and smoke taking over the building. Black, who is wheelchair bound, was rescued by his son out of the burning building.

The land where the center was located, is owned by Helen L. Albert who currently lives in Warren, Ohio. Albert made Black the landlord and overseer of the property during her absence. Black has been living in one of the apartments and serving as pastor since 1998.

Black said he has hope for a bright future.

Residents of the community and members of the church are left behind without answers, as a cause for the morning fire is still undetermined.

Anyone interested in donating items to the community center or to the families who lost their homes may contact Mary Henderson at 746-5995.