Join us in Rehobeth on Saturday, October 24, for our smoked meat fundraiser! We’ll be set up from daylight until 5:30 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 109 and Highway 605, across from the Breeze In gas station.
Every dollar raised will help support the Madrid United Methodist Church building fund and the purchase of a National Register of Historic Places monument honoring our church.
Come see us, pick up some smoked meat, and support a wonderful cause! Thank you for helping preserve Madrid UMC’s history and care for our church building.
HOUSTON COUNTY: On Thursday the Houston County Republican Women’s group had several guest speakers who are candidates. One was Houston County Commission Chairman Brandon Shoupe.
When introduced they asked Shoupe to address somethings Rickey Stokes has been talking about. Well, as a politician he never answered what Rickey Stokes has been saying. What he said was that when I was over Cottonwood Rescue “there was $ 800,000.00 that went missing, and that was not him saying that, it was the Alabama Department of Public Examineers. Well, again Brandon Shoupe is a LIAR!!! Shoupe said he had some people come to him with some very specific information within Cottonwood Rescue who had specific numbers and specific tactics that the money was going missing. And Shoupe said the county commission is not an investigatory body so they could not investigate it. So Shoupe talked to the Department of Examineers and they jumped on it and in about 4 to 5 months they had completed that audit and found out how much money was missing. And Rickey was out and they had to go through some transition period and he has had it out for me ever since.”
First, the Alabama Department of Public Examineers was trying to ask questions during the tornado that hit Cottonwood. And I did not have time to meet with them. Unlike Brandon Shoupe. I was in Cottonwood helping citizens when the tornado struck, and was boots on the ground. I did not take money from Cottonwood Rescue and the figure was not $ 800,000.00 but came down to around $ 150,000.00. And I did not steal any money, even the $ 150,000.00.
The audit was 2021 to 2024. I took over Cottonwood Rescue in 2017 with ZERO money to operate. And it operated because my personal businesses backed it up. To the tune of well over $ 100,000.00. I informed the auditors they had to go back to 2017, but that was not the witch hunt, which we know now was directed by Chairman Brandon Shoupe and I would assume backed by Ricky Herring. No secret they hate me and while I do not hate anyone, I do not care for anyone. Ricky Herring was even responsble for running me from my home church.
I kept Cottonwood Rescue open from 2017 forward, without money, kept the people a ambulance service operating, without Brandon Shoupe. Unlike Brandon Shoupe, I put the finances of my business where my mouth was and kept the ambulance service going. The only thing Brandon Shoupe has done is draw money from Houston County, retirement, health insurance. And while being paid six figures to be a full time commission chairman he is at Tri-State Graphics, a business he bought. Which is the second business he has bought while being the full time Commission Chairman.
I am not making light of the fact that Chairman Shoupe’s father died shortly after he took office and it took 26 minutes to get EMS on the scene UNLIKE Brandon Shoupe, I have worked to solve that and in some instances have solved that because I rolled my sleeves up and worked on it. All Brandon Shoupe has done is run his mouth. He was once placed on the 911 pages for Bay Springs ( where he lives ) and Wicksburg ( where he went to school ) and after a couple of weeks he had those removed from his phone. Rickey Stokes solves problems and Brandon Shoupe can not solve a puzzle!!
My attorney’s hired a very reputable accounting firm, of which I had no relationship, and I paid them $ 10,000.00 to conduct an audit from 2017 forward. So I am contacting attorneys about the lies told by Chairman Brandon Shoupe to see if any civil action because he has lied in figures he told.
I went to Brandon Shoupe’s office, with WDHN, to face to face him on camera. He kicked us out of his office because he is to much of a coward to face to face.
Whether you like or dislike Rickey Stokes, I am man enough to say what I have to say under my real name, and man enough to face to face you.
BUT HE DID NOT ANSWER QUESTION
Shoupe was asked specifically to address what Rickey Stokes has been saying. What he said was to cast credibility against Rickey Stokes and he never answered a question that Rickey Stokes has been talking about. All Brandon Shoupe and the current commission, D2 Tracy Adams, D3 Ricky Herring, D4 James Ivey, want is more money from your pocket. Rickey Stokes has said these guys have been talking to the local legislative delegation about raising sales tax. Shoupe never addressed that. Shoupe never addressed the $ 6.2 million dollars they wasted at Houston County Farm Center in the renovation. Shoupe never addressed that he and Ricky Herring voted to sell the Houston County Farm Center, but Rickey Stokes found that the City of Dothan owned part of it and stopped the sell. Brandon Shoupe never addressed that Houston County is under a hiring freeze, but, this commission ( Adams, Herring, Ivey and Shoupe ) did a contact for $ 60,000.00 plus 10% for everything over $ 60,000.00 brought in but refuse to allow Sheriff Donald Valenza to hire anyone when someone quits or gets fired.
Brandon Shoupe never answered that he, Tracy Adams, Curtis Harvey, Ricky Herring and James Ivey has, in four short years, placed Houston County over $ 13.4 MILLION DOLLARS upside down. And Brandon Shoupe never mentioned he HAS TO RAISE your taxes to fix this commission mismanagement. Brandon Shoupe never mentioned this commission raised your saniation fees because of their mismanagement and wild spending.
Brandon Shoupe got Houston County in a lawsuit over the Houston County Jail and not fixing doors. He asked Sheriff Valenza why he told the media he had asked Shoupe two years in a row to address the issue. Sheriff Valenza said because it was the truth and Shoupe replied but I am a politician. Sheriff Valenza said he was not a politician and he will tell the media the truth, then the Sheriff hit the END button. But in addition, two commissioners were deputies and one had been the Captain over the jail. And they alowed the matter to go without being addressed. And a inmate got critically injured and had to be FLOWN to UAB. There is a lawsuit that settled and the commission made sure it was a non disclousure amount. And the lawsuit is 100% the fault of Brandon Shoupe and the Houston County County Commission. I know it was a six figure settlement because I subscribe to the federal court records. The commission went into an Executive Session and came out and paid $ 80.000.00 in medicals on one case and $ 70,000.00 in another. Not positive, because they will not release documents, but feel pretty sure on the inmates that Brandon Shoupe and this commission were responsible for getting injured. And those amounts are not the lawsuit settlement, just the medicals. But again, Brandon Shoupe and this commission is not transparent and has hidden this from you. Noticed Brandon Shoupe did not mention those.
And Houston County Rescue funding. Brandon Shoupe lied on WDHN and two commissioners who are deputies, Herring and Ivey, lied to get the funding cut. And Rickey Stokes called them out.
Brandon Shoupe is the definition of a lying politican. If he tells you it is raining, you better feel the rain drops first.
FACT CHECK ME on what I have written.
CHRIS LOVE
He came within 27 votes of winning District Two. A wite in campaign has been launched. In the District 2 spot you must color in the bubble and write his name in ” CHRIS LOVE “. While I like Tracy Adams, he is an enabler to Brandon Shoupe and has no clue what is going on. He held projects for the people in Cowarts, that needed to be done for the people in Cowarts, only because he hated Cowarts Mayor Randy Rowland. After a new Mayor the county addressed some of those projects. But the projects were not for Randy Rowland, they were for the citizens So this commission, Brandon Shoupe, Tracy Adams, Ricky Herring and James Ivey, only does for people they like and not for citizens.
You have a choice and if you do not stop the enabler for Brandon Shoupe, then you will have more money stolen from your pockets by Brandon Shoupe!
THANKS TO CITY OF DOTHAN
The citizens in the county did not re-elect Brandon Shoupe. It was the voters inside the City Limits of Dothan that re-elected Brandon Shoupe as Chairman of the Houston County Commission. Shoupe lost the county because they have seen through him.
Houston County Sheriff Donald Valenza has made the statement that he would KISS MARK CULVER on TV if he would come back!!!
OZARK: RSN wrote a article about the pay of Ozark Police Department officers.Later I spoke with Ozark Mayor Charles Ward and we discussed the issue.
Ward has been a law enforcement officer all of his life going from a Trooper to Colonel over the entire Alabama Department of Public Safety, then to Chief of Police in Ozark and later Mayor of Ozark. Ward took office on November 3, so he has not been Mayor for a year yet.
The morale of the Ozark Police Officers is currently low because of the pay. Ward told me that he was working on he pay situation. Ward said that he thought he had ti worked out but ran into some problems. But if people will be patient and the officers will be patient, for a SHORT period of time, Mayor Ward hopefully will get satifactory solutions.
About the house being painted: that is a grant specifically for the house to be painted. The money has to be used specifically used for the house to be painted and any left over money has to be returned. Not from Mayor, but in less than a year he has to deal with cards left him when administrations changed. In fact, Alabama Legislature needs to change elections and when administrations take over. Budgets are approved in September and administrations change in November. So the first year a new administration has to live with the budge the prior administration passes. However, the current adminsitration did pass a budget in September. So they should have addressed the salaries then. But there might be some things they are left with handling from the prior administration. The Mayor and I did not talk about that but I know it just because of being around government.
HOWEVER, Mayor Charles Ward said he is working on the plan and will be getting it addressed shortly. The City of Ozark Council has a odd set up. In Dothan the Mayor votes, but in Ozark the Mayor acts more like a City Manager and can not vote. So some of this responsibility is on the council. RSN Words and not of Ward’s. A one time grant from Governor Kay Ivey could help. And you have one of the most powerful legislators in Alabama, Steve Clouse, which could be called on. And Kenneth Boswell, the former Enterprise Mayor who is over ADECA which could help with a one time grant. So there is some state help available for a possible one time grant. The answer is NO unless you ask.
Now, to the entire Ozark Council and Mayor, this needs solving SOON!!! And the Mayor has told me he is working on a solution.
DALE COUNTY
The Dale County Commission gave a life changing raise to the men and women in law enforcement with Dale County Sheriff Department. Dale County operates on property tax and SSUT Tax only, and all sales tax goes to the schools.Houston County, who is broke, gets property tax, sales tax and SSUT Tax. So the Dale County Commission does a good job in management of the funds available. And they addressed the pay with the Sheriff Department.
In fact, under the leadership pf Chairman Steve McKinnon and the Dale County Commission, they have upgraded the fleet of the Sheriff Department. Updated the Coroner Office with equipment and vehicles to make sure the deceased are treated with dignity and respect, and the Coroner, John Cawley, has the tools to treat the deceased with dignity and respect.
Thursday October 22,2026 the Gordon Police Department,aided by Alabama SBI, Alabama Department of Revenue and Houston County Sheriff’s Office, and Columbia Police Department executed a search warrant at M&P Auto located on Tifton Road. The operation yieldedstolen vehicles from as far away as Jacksonville Florida. Michael Peterson of Gordon was arrested and charged with multiple felony counts including Theft of Property, Receiving Stolen Property along with Dismantling Vehicles without a license. This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges are expected.
All persons are presumed innocent until a court declares otherwise.
HOUSTON COUNTY: Several people have sent me this video clip of some small town realtor, of which I do not know. He is referring to Sadie’s Flea Market.
In it this small town realtor mentions that whatever happens to the property of Sadie’s. “Sorry Rickey Stokes you won’t get the inside scoop either”. LOL !!!!
Here is the behind the scene story. Several – several months ago I heard that Sadie’s Flea Market was closing and selling. I contacted the husband of one of the three females and told him what I was hearing. Now we have been friends for several decades and our sons raced motorcycles together and hung out together when in school. He asked me not to do any story on it at this time but in the future would let me know. But he asked me to promise not to do a story. So I said and wrote nothing obeying the request !!!
I read in the other media that Sadie’s Flea Market was closing. I did make a comment in the article, after reading it in other places, that you honor a request and have to find out from others. The husband and I talked about it later and all was ok.
Then this small town realtor makes this Tik Tok and referes to me. First, I could care less about knowing before the sale. Not going to bother me. But I thought I was better friends with the three ladies, Mr. and Mrs. West daughters then this. And have always respect them and their parents. Even worked a drowning in the West pond when I was Coroner in the 1980’s.
I called this small town realtor to explain to him and he was a smart rear on the phone. Said one of the ladies attempted to call me after my article, and if she did I never got the message. He attempted to argue with me but I have learned there is a way to end arguements, and that is simply press the END button on the phone. Later he attempted to call me back and I have learned how to end that, and it is to press BLOCK. So that is what I did.
I am not mad at the West daughters. I showed them respect with the request. NO, I did not talk with them but thought talking to the husband and requesting their wishes was respect.
Still get along with the husband. Not spoke to the three West daughters. But I respected the wishes not to break the story they were closing months ago. And I am glad this small town realtor got my name right, because I could really care less what he says or thinks about me, just as long as he got my name right. And he must have because several people have sent me his Tik Tok clip.
And I wish the West daugthers great future in keeping the land, selling it for a Data Center, a truck stop, a poutry slaughter house, or whatever they want to do with the land their parents bought and paid for,
