Columnists

By Craig Ford One of the biggest arguments against charter schools is that they have been hotbeds of waste, fraud and corruption. Nationally, charter schools have cost the taxpayers over $100 million dollars in fraud and corruption. Now, Alabama has become the new victim of corruption and waste at the hands of charter schools. Nicole

By Andy Bedwell Southern Taco Soup 2 pounds ground chuck 1 large onion, chopped 1 can Rotel tomatoes 2 large cans of tomatoes 1 can white shoe peg corn, drained 1 can yellow whole corn, drained 1 can chili beans 1 can pinto beans 1 package taco mix 1 package Hidden Valley ranch dressing 3

By Danny Crownover The Tunnel Block was an old deep drainage ditch that crossed Broad Street in downtown Gadsden and has since been built up and covered. Today, there are tunnels hidden underground where the tunnel once went. Many of the downtown buildings have huge basements at the site. The early buildings built in 1868

By Pious Bob “I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. “

By Vicki Scott This past Saturday was a day of goofing off and playing around with my old articles that my mom had put in a scrapbook. Several ideas for book No. 2 have been swimming around in my head, and I was brainstorming which approach to take. In these old articles, I found one

By Toni Ford I would not say that I am the best with plants, but over my years of trying to grow plants, I have learned a few things that plants need in order to grow and be healthy. The first thing is that plants grow best when we pay attention to them. This means

By Rosie Preston During my lifetime, I’ve attended many parties, all involving friends making plans to celebrate different types of events. So you can imagine when I tell you that I’ve recently attended the two wildest parties ever! It seemed everyone was arriving at the correct time. Cars were being parked and re-parked as drivers decided

By Andy Bedwell I have always enjoyed a brunch, both as a hostess and a guest. One reason I particularly enjoy having a brunch is that you can serve almost any food you prefer, from an egg and cheese dish to a tenderloin. When I begin thinking about which of my favorite dishes I usually

By Danny Crownover The Vagabond recently started researching a historic building located at 408 Broad Street for owner Michelle Head. This 1885 building was occupied by Cottle Drugs in 1901. It was found that Cottle Drugs was actually involved in getting the famous William Frederick Cody, aka Buffalo Bill, and Annie Oakley to Gadsden. In

By Toni Ford There is a story of a little boy who was overheard talking to himself as he strode through his backyard, baseball cap in place and toting ball and bat. “I’m the greatest baseball player in the world,” he said proudly. The boy then tossed the ball in the air, swung and missed.

By Robert Halsey Pine “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to

By Craig Ford There is a lot that has been said lately – both online and in the media – about the future of the Gadsden Goodyear plant. The families that rely on that plant for their jobs, insurance and retirement benefits are understandably very worried about the possibility of buyouts and what that means

By Vicki Scott My husband Alan and I escaped life this past weekend by running away to Sevierville in Tennessee. I am not a fan of the busy life of big cities, but we have enjoyed Sevierville before, and it became our destination plan. When some of the George Wallace Senior Center ladies’ memories of

By Rosie Preston I hold many dear memories of Noccalula Falls, the first being that I grew up on Lay Springs Road in Gadsden, about two miles from the falls. When I was barely able to walk, my dad and I would follow Black Creek until we reached the falls. It was quite a walk

By Andy Bedwell This week I am continuing some great apple desserts. About the best call to breakfast on Sunday morning, or any day, is the spicy aroma of an apple coffee cake drifting through the house. Cinnamon and nutmeg are two of my favorite spices especially during the fall. Apple Pudding Cake 3 1/2

By Danny Crownover Through the years, many people asked The Vagabond about how the late Jerry Jones, a former Etowah County Tax Assessor, first became interested in genealogy and history. His ancestor Edmond Jones had survived an Indian massacre in what is now Rainbow City, and Jerry was trying to find out which Indians did

By Robert Halsey Pine “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have

By Vicki Scott Last Saturday, my husband Alan and I backed out our driveway with plans to pick my mother up and take her to Auburn to find some shoes. She decided she is now an Alabama fan. I hope she can suffer through a trip to Auburn University, my alma mater, to buy shoes.

By Toni Ford Every person on this earth places his or her identity in someone or something. Depending on the stage of life we are in or the crisis at hand, what we place our identity in may change several times throughout our lives. And yet, who we believe we are and how we see

By Rosie Preston One wrong move on a certain morning caused a ripple effect on the rest of the day. May I explain? The alarm clock woke me at 5 a.m. and I jumped into the shower. After using my towel, I threw it over the shower rod. The towel hit the bathroom light, which

By Craig Ford In the military, we have a saying that a platoon is only as strong as its weakest soldier. That concept applies to a lot of things in life, and especially to how we as a society treat our public schools. Public schools are the backbone of any city or town. They train

By Danny Crownover Through the years many people have asked the Vagabond about how the late Jerry Jones, former Etowah County Tax Assessor, first became interested in genealogy and history. We continue the story from last week. Jerry Jones will never forget the story of the Indian massacres, and when he was grown, he began

Old-Fashioned Apple Sugar-Free Pie and Million Dollar Apple Bars There is so much to enjoy about the fall in Alabama. We go from lazy days of summer to busy days filled with my favorite activities and foods. Football games, craft festivals, picking up pecans, filling jars with muscadine jelly, the DeKalb County Fair in Fort

By Robert Halsey Pine “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…I will say

By Toni Ford Psalm 30 is a beautiful reminder for us as believers that no matter what trials come our way in life, if we choose to keep our eyes on our Lord, then joy will follow. This psalm opens and closes on a note of thanksgiving and yet, during the time David wrote this

By Vicki Scott I attended a high school football game last Friday night, and it took a bucket full of pride to swallow for me to be there. I had to do it to see my oldest grandchild, Ava, cheer with the little ones at halftime. I had not been back to this school since

When it’s least expected… It had been a while since I had used my steam mop, but this was a day I really needed it. I filled it with water but no steam came out. With a screwdriver, I took it apart where the water was supposed to go through a little tiny tube, and

By Rosie Preston Strange title for a column, you think? Even though I looked forward to my granddaughter beginning another school year, I find myself daydreaming as I watch her enter her school. I think back to my very first day of school. There was a special kind of electrical current in the air! Carrying

By Danny Crownover Through the years, many people ask The Vagabond about how the late Jerry Jones, a former Etowah County Tax Accessor, first became interested in genealogy and history. Several years ago, Jerry sent The Vagabond an article. When Jerry was eight years old, he went with his family to Old Harmony Cemetery in

By Andy Bedwell Do you want to start a conversation? Read a cookbook in public. That’s what happens to me all of the time. I always have a cookbook with me. “What are you cooking?” the young lady who sat beside me asked as she peeped over my shoulder. “Just checking out a recipe I