My Word

There is nothing routine about people who save lives. We call them "heroes." Whitney M. Young Job Corps students and staff give on a regular basis the gift of life via their Red Cross Blood Drive, hosted by the Student Government Association.  If you, a family member or friend ever needed a blood transfusion, then you understand every pint of blood counts. The students enjoy giving blood and helping their neighbor. 

The Supreme Court struck down much of Arizona's attempts to control illegal immigration but left a major part. Police still can check for documentation related to citizenship. I want to quote one sentence from Antonin Scalia's dissent – "Are the sovereign States at the mercy of the federal Executive’s refusal to enforce the Nation’s immigration laws?" – as questioning President Obama's decision not to enforce federal immigration law against 1.4 million illegals.

My name is Andrea Cottrell, the wife of the late George Cottrell, Jr.

Our family would like to thank everyone for all their love and support throughout our entire journey with George’s ALS diagnosis.

We were blessed and highly favored by our Lord and savior! George and I often talked about our blessings and how much we appreciated them all.

So, one day, George says to me, “Dot, read this.”

I did, and it was one of the most sincere letters I have ever read. This letter is addressed to everyone in the community. It reads:

I was first paid for my writing when I was 13 years old. The Shelby Newsadvertised for "correspondents" to cover activities at the eight local junior high schools. Because the major activities were sports-related, a phone call and my immediate hiring became an introduction to the world of print journalism.

It was the best call I ever made, not only because I would be paid the princely sum of 10 cents for every column inch of information I contributed, but it set me off on a career path that continues a half-century to this day.