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Hometown newspaper of Joel Ellis - since 1933
Hartselle Enquirer
50 CENTS
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 2024
VOLUME 91, NO. 18
Council hears complaints about Hartselle business owner By Jean Cole For the Enquirer Three downtown Hartselle business owners have asked City Council members to help them deal with a fellow business owner they say has been repeatedly hostile toward them, their employees and sometimes their customers. During the council meeting Tuesday, the owners said Mei Huei Lai, who owns Sunflowers at 223 Main St. W., routinely bangs on their store windows and enters their businesses and behaves in an antagonistic manner. Due to a language barrier — they say the
owner speaks Chinese — they do not understand her grievances. Beth Kershner, who owns the gift shop Zoey’s Downtown at 225 Main St. W., asked the council what could be done, including revoking the owner’s business license. City Clerk Rita Lee confirmed Wednesday that Huei Lai holds a current business license. The council took no action, but the city attorney agreed to investigate the matter. Kershner also gave the council a list of rules she would like the business owner to abide by in the future. “There’s really nothing we can do unless a crime is committed and
Hartselle High seniors get early acceptance into phamacy school
even then, it’s debatable,” Council President Kenny Thompson told The Daily on Thursday. “We are in a no-win situation.” Huei Lai did not attend the meeting. When contacted by The Daily by telephone she seemed to understand some of her neighbors are unhappy. She acknowledged she had an issue with parking but the language barrier prevented her from elaborating. Kershner submitted a list asking the Sunflowers owner to do the following if she is to remain in downtown Hartselle: • Refrain from entering neighboring stores or banging on store
windows. “I don’t know what she’s mad about — I don’t speak Mandarin Chinese — but I don’t need her in there raising that kind of ruckus in my store,” Kershner said. • Refrain from parking on Main Street with her car “draped with red fabric of any kind.” Refrain from “outlining her vehicle with flowers, rulers, tape or taping signs on her car while it’s parked on Main Street.” “Customers come in and wonder what is going on … is it safe?” Kershner said. • Refrain from accosting the staff of other shopkeepers by banging
on their cars, trying to open their car doors or yelling at them. “This has happened to my staff on more than one occasion. I have even made police reports about it,” Kershner said. • Refrain from “cussing and yelling” at other shop owners or their personnel as well as shoppers and visitors. “I don’t know what upsets her, but our belief is it has something to do with parking on Main Street,” Kershner said. Kershner asked that Huei Lai have a translator available, and
See COUNCIL, page 5
Priceville students design art for SRO’s police car
By Rebekah Yancey rebekah.yancey @hartselleenquirer.com Two Hartselle seniors were recently accepted into pharmacy school before their graduation that will be held May 20. Their early acceptance was made possible through their participation in the high school’s Medical Academy. Lakelen Crider and Jett Johnson have participated in the academy since their freshman years and are certified pharmacy technicians at Gilchrest Pharmacy. Crider’s offer was from the Harrison College of Pharmacy at Auburn University while Johnson’s was from the McWhorter School of Pharmacy at Samford University. Having already accumulated 40 college credits, Jett will not attend Samford for his bachelor’s degree – he said he plans to attend Calhoun for a year to save money and go straight into pharmacy school. Crider will attend Auburn University this fall to pursue a degree in biomedical science. She said the peace of mind knowing she has a spot waiting for her at the Harrison College of Pharmacy is a relief. “It’s just so competitive, to get into these advanced programs,” Shelton said. “It’s like they’re saving them a spot.” For both Jett and Crider, their choice in pursuing careers in the healthcare industry is about the connections made with people. “I have compassion for people and an empathy for helping others,” Johnson said. “I actually didn’t know what I wanted to do before I started working in a pharmacy. I got into the job, and I love what I do.” “Any time someone has a question about their health, they pick up their medicine and they ask a pharmacist,” Crider added. “You have to know so much and I want to be like that. I love the connection they have with their communities and how they
know their names. It’s very special.” Jett and Crider attribute their early acceptance into pharmacy school to their years in the medical academy and, specifically, their instructors, Lynne Shelton, Kim Goins and Jan Langston. “It set us up for success not just with knowledge, but there’s a work ethic that you build and professional development,” Johnson said. “You work on yourself over time, and it makes you grow up and set some goals. “All this is really because of Mrs. Shelton, she’s worked on me for four years,” he added. “I came into my freshman year not even knowing what I wanted to do, and I had no motivation – I didn’t even get good grades,” Crider said. “Then Mrs. Shelton instilled motivation in me that I never had before and I’m genuinely so excited to see where it takes me.” It’s not for everyone, you have to want to work and work hard,” Shelton said.
Obituaries
For full obituaries, see page A-2
• West • Steel • Williams • England • Crow
• Cheatham • Traylor • Taylor • Swinford • Jolly
Crider COURTESY PHOTO
Students in Janet Cavender’s digital media design class at Priceville High School designed the yellow, black and gray bulldog wrap for this Priceville police vehicle. Pictured from left, Hayden Burke, Kody Lohrman, Aidan Flanagan, Elias Lokken, Addie Beth Walter, Alyssa Walldorf, Jameson Springer, Skye Pombert and Cavender.
By Jean Cole For the Enquirer
Johnson
There’s a police car running around Priceville right now wrapped in school spirit. The car features a yellow, black and gray background topped with the face of a rather ferocious bulldog, the school’s mascot. The idea to wrap the car in vinyl sprung from Priceville school resource officer Chris Champion. Over the years, Champion, who served as a game warden from 1993 to 2023, after which he became an SRO, said he had seen SRO vehicles owned by other cities and counties sporting vinyl vehicle wraps that pictured the school colors and sometime the school mascot. “There is nothing new under the sun,” he said, dismissing credit for the idea. “When I went to basic SRO school last summer in Pigeon Forge (Tennessee), a few schools and agencies who employ officers had wraps on their cars that had school colors and mascots. I got on the internet and pulled up other examples.” He said the wrap on the SRO car shows school pride and it shows involvement in the community and
how important the SRO program is to the high school and the city. “It’s just a tie between the community and the school through the police department,” Champion said. Champion took the idea to local high school art teacher Janet Cavender, who asked her digital media design class to put their heads together. Alyssa Walldorf, an 18-year-old student, did some of the designing, which was done on a computer program, she said. The design was then sent on to Shelton Sign Co. of Decatur, which created the wrap, Champion said. “The kids all collaborated, and Alyssa’s concept was adopted on both sides of the vehicle,” Cavender said. Students tried to match a commonly used typeface at Priceville High. Walldorf said she was happy to be a part of the creation. “I feel a lot of pride for being able to take part in this,” Walldorf said. “It is a lovely feeling to help people create something that is going to be on a cop car.” One of the aspects the teacher said she liked about the logo was it appeared a little shredded, presumably by either the scrappy mascot’s paw or teeth.
“I’ve been proud of this group all year,” Cavender said. “They do lots of projects and do video editing.” Priceville Town Council members also played a role in the process. They recently agreed to have the city pay for the $2,400 wrap. SROs are specially trained and armed law-enforcement officers who are posted at schools throughout the nation. They are trained in crisis response and are assigned by local law enforcement agencies to work collaboratively with schools using community-oriented policing concepts, according to the National Association of School Resource Officers. Walldorf said she likes having an SRO officer around and believes most other students do as well. “He doesn’t make you nervous. He seems like a friend, a helpful adult you can go to for support,” Walldorf said of Champion. “He’s also a form of safety at the school.” NASRO says the three main roles of school resource officers are as educator, informal counselor/mentor and law enforcement officer. “You maintain the security of the facility and at ballgames, but just as important is being a trusted adult in some of these kids’ lives,” Champion said. “Nothing is off the table — I talk to them.”
$15k raised for community task force at annual banquet By Staff Reports The annual banquet and fundraiser for the Hartselle-Morgan County Community Task Force was held April 20 at the Hartselle Tabernacle. The event is the sole fundraiser for the organization that tutors children in Hartselle and Morgan County at Hartselle Junior High
School three days a week free of charge. Hartselle City Schools’ superintendent Dr. Brian Clayton was the keynote speaker of the evening that included a catered meal by Fuqua’s Southern Soul Food and a silent auction and raffle. Kenny Thompson was the winner of a Toro zero-turn lawnmower. Taskforce president
George Hearring said between 75 and 100 people attended the 11th annual event that raised nearly $15,000 that will go to support the organization. Three tutors and one administrator make up the taskforce founded in 2012 by Hearring. The organization currently tutors 15 Morgan County children.
Hearring