Calhoun County Commission honors Sheriff Wade for his service
ANNISTON — Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade was honored Thursday for his nearly three decades of service. He is retiring, and his last day is Monday.
Commissioner Lee Patterson thanked Wade for his dedication to the community.
"Being a servant is a calling and it has been the biggest privilege of my life to serve other people,' Wade said during the commission meeting. 'That's what makes the job very enjoyable. After 29 years — and everything has a season — my season has come to an end. One of the biggest things I will miss is being able to help people, but I will still be around and help people in a different way."
Wade began his public service in high school when he joined the Army Reserve. He completed basic training at Fort Sill, Okla., and trained as an aviation operations specialist at Fort Rucker.
In 1996, he started his law enforcement career as a correctional officer at the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office. He advanced through the ranks as a deputy, investigator, emergency services team member and chief deputy, serving 12 years under Sheriff Larry Amerson.
Appointed sheriff in 2016, Wade made history as the first Calhoun County deputy to graduate from the FBI National Academy. He later became the first law enforcement executive to complete the Department of Homeland Security Leadership Academy, the FBI National Academy and the National Sheriffs' Institute.
Wade, recently named president of the Alabama Sheriffs Association, was honored by all five commissioners for his leadership and dedication.
Also during the meeting, the commissioners passed resolutions on several items, including repaving Bynum-Leatherwood Road between Alabama 202 up to a point north of Morrisville Road.
One visitor to the meeting, Audrey Maxwell, is the tourism director at the Calhoun County Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. She reminded those in attendance that sports tournaments are underway at the Choccolocco Park. Also, she mentioned several big events in Anniston that are coming up, including The Noble Street Festival and Sunny King Criterium on Saturday, April 5.
Visitor Kevin Chandler introduced himself as the new park ranger at the Freedom Riders National Monument. The rangers' job will include making small changes to the monument, which includes the old bus depot on Gurnee Avenue and the site of the bus burning on Alabama 202.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
"Glimmers" Are the Basically Free Gems That Make Any Home a Sanctuary
This article may contain affiliate links that Yahoo and/or the publisher may receive a commission from if you buy a product or service through those links. Even though I'm in my 40s, I never take having a safe and comfortable home for granted. As a teen, I ran away from my abusive mother's excessively cluttered house, experienced homelessness, and moved into queer punk houses — all to find freedom. And now as a queer, nonbinary adult in the United States, where gender nonconforming and trans people are under attack on every level, I worry about my future. But I know that I can't live a life defined by fear and unhappiness. One of the small ways I cope with uncertain times is by doing everything in my power to make my home a safe and welcoming space that is full of 'glimmers,' or small things that spark joy even on my hardest days. Most people are familiar with the concept of a 'trigger,' which is some kind of stimulus, like a sight or sound, that brings up the memory of an upsetting or traumatic experience. Triggers don't have to be 'rational' to affect you. These emotional landmines are a part of life for many people with a history of trauma. 'Glimmers' are sort of the opposite of triggers. Now widely understood in the mental health world, glimmers are small moments of pleasure that exist in everyday life. They cue to your brain and nervous system that you are safe. 'Glimmers aren't just about aesthetics or mood lighting — they're somatic reminders that safety is possible,' explains Chicago-based therapist Bonn Wade. Glimmers offer moments that help you feel better, regulate your emotions, and affirm who and what you are. In my life, glimmers are reminders that I am safe and that I worked hard to have the home and the life I have. They can be anything from a morning coffee ritual to, in my case, intentional, affirming decor around my home that reminds me that I am in a safe space that I built for myself. Glimmers are vital for the LGBTQ+ community because of the complicated relationship many have had with the homes they came from. 'Home hasn't always been safe for queer and trans people,' Wade says. 'For a lot of us, it's where we first learned to mask or shrink or make ourselves more acceptable or even palatable. So, it's a big deal — a quietly radical thing — to create a space that reflects who we really are. When we build in glimmers, we're not just rearranging furniture, hanging art, or placing a plant near a sun-lit window — we're actually sending a message to our bodies: You belong here. You don't have to hide anymore.' Glimmers are a key way to spark joy and hope around your home — something people in marginalized communities need especially right now. Ofelia Saba Ramírez, an associate marriage and family therapist who specializes in working with queer and trans people who have experienced trauma, explains that for 'queer and trans people, especially those navigating trauma and our hostile political climate, glimmers in the home aren't just pleasant to have — they're tools for survival.' They can help to remind your nervous system that you're safe, loved, and that you do belong — even when the world says otherwise. Glimmers generally aren't anything big or elaborate. My favorite ones seldom are. Glimmers might be stickers sent by a pen pal, stuffed animals instead of throw pillows, toys from a quarter machine arranged in a bowl, or smashed pennies from the zoo. On the windowsill in my kitchen, I have my own glimmers. Nestled among succulents, Kewpie dolls, and stained-glass ornaments my neighbor made, there is an empty PBR can with a pride flag sticking out of it. An odd glimmer for someone (me) who doesn't drink, but it makes me smile every time I stand at my sink to do dishes. The can is a souvenir from a long-distance partner's visit where we spent an afternoon grid-walking a now-gentrified neighborhood to find the punk houses of our youth where I found safety, community, and acceptance for the first time in my life. After finding the house, now as gentrified as the neighborhood, they bought PBR at the corner store where the hippies used to scoff at us punk kids. They gave the majority of the six-pack away, but I kept this one tin can, which is a vase in my kitchen; it's a glimmering reminder of where I come from, and the life I have made within — and because of — queer community. I got divorced last year, and one of the first things I did when my ex-partner left was start to redecorate my home with new wall art. This art is mostly 'worthless,' appraisal-wise, but to me it's invaluable. Everything I own reminds me that queer bodies, and specifically trans bodies, are magical and have always existed — no matter what the current government says. My living room is lined with bookshelves filled with all my favorite queer books that helped me form my sense of self and identity. The books signed by authors, many of whom are now friends and colleagues, are some of my most prized possessions. Even as queer book bans take hold at a terrifying pace across the country, these books remind me that our stories cannot and will not ever be silenced. 'Glimmers do more than offer small moments that keep us as queer and trans people afloat — they root us in the lives we're actually building, not just the ones we've survived,' Wade says. In the last few months, the glimmers I have in my home have grown to include a handful of items that I was able to rescue from my mother's house after her death. Despite our over 20-year estrangement, when she died I was court-appointed to clean out her home and in January I went back into my childhood home for the first time since I ran away as a teenager. It was a difficult ordeal, and surprisingly I found my childhood bedroom closet untouched. I had to clean and sanitize what I found, but brought home some glimmers from an otherwise turbulent childhood: some 1980s My Little Pony toys, Pound Puppies, and other small figurines, along with the molded dog-shaped switch plate from my childhood bedroom where I spent years praying to not really be gay. They walk the razor-sharp line between trigger and items, more than anything, are a tangible reminder of what I escaped, and how hard I have worked to have the life I have now. In the home I have built today, these 'glimmers' are bittersweet — and a reminder that even when things are hard, there's a whole world on the other side of the hard times. I Tried the 90/90 Rule and My Closet Is Now Fully Decluttered See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room We Asked 8 Pro Travelers What They Never Pack in Their Carry-On, and Here's What They Said Sign up for Apartment Therapy's Daily email newsletter to receive our favorite posts, tours, products, and shopping guides in your inbox.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Giants DFA struggling Wade, Huff; Dom Smith signed to contract
Giants DFA struggling Wade, Huff; Dom Smith signed to contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area SAN FRANCISCO — On Tuesday afternoon, Buster Posey stood against a wall in the home clubhouse at Oracle Park and said the Giants were examining both internal and external options to provide a spark for the historically-cold offense. On Wednesday, the shakeup arrived. Advertisement The Giants DFA'd struggling first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. and backup catcher Sam Huff and also optioned backup infielder Christian Koss. The new first baseman will be veteran Dominic Smith, who was signed to a big-league deal a few days after opting out of his minor-league deal with the New York Yankees. Outfielder Daniel Johnson and catcher Andrew Knizner were selected from Triple-A to fill out the roster. In one series of moves, Posey and general manager Zack Minasian cleared out nearly a quarter of their active position players. The most notable move was with Wade, who was one of Farhan Zaidi's greatest finds but has slumped for nearly a calendar year. Wade was hitting .167 with just one homer and had started to lose playing time against right-handed pitchers to Casey Schmitt. The Giants are coming off back-to-back brutal losses, both of which can be placed just about squarely on their lineup. They might have the best top-to-bottom pitching staff in baseball, but they lost 1-0 on Monday night and 3-2 on Tuesday. The lineup has gone 16 consecutive games without scoring more than four runs, the longest streak since 1965. Posey said Tuesday that the group is better than it has shown over the last two and a half weeks, but also indicated changes were coming. Advertisement 'We're not satisfied with the production,' he said. 'We're trying to exhaust all options.' The only external addition, at least for now, is Smith, who opted out over the weekend. The veteran had a .782 OPS and eight homers in Triple-A and was a little below league-average last year with the Red Sox and Reds, but right now, league-average might hit cleanup for this lineup. Download and follow the Giants Talk Podcast
Forbes
7 days ago
- Forbes
35-Carat Graff Diamond Could Fetch $3 Million At Sotheby's Auction
35.01-Carat Graff diamond ring with an estimate of $2 - $3 million Colorless and fancy colored diamonds are overwhelming among the premiere lots at Sotheby's New York High Jewelry auction on June 13. The sale of 110 lots includes important pieces from the Vanderbilt and Wade families, and from a private collection in which their jewels document a lifelong love affair. The top lot of the sale, based on estimates, is a 'highly important' 35.01-carat emerald cut diamond on a ring from Graff with D color and VVS2 clarity. Its estimate is $2 million - $3 million. The Graff gem is one 13 jewels from a private collection, 'Joie de Vivrea: Journey in Jewels,' a bejeweled documentation of a lifelong love affair. Each piece was a gift from a devoted husband to his wife over the course of a marriage spanning more than 60 years. Graff emerald and diamond earclips with an estimate of $1.5 - $2.5 million Other highlights among the 13 jewels includes a pair of diamond and emerald earclips by Graff featuring four sugarloaf cabochon emeralds weighing approximately 84 carats with an estimate of $800,000 – 1.5 million (the number six lot of the sale); an aquamarine and diamond bracelet with an estimate of $40,000 – $60,000; and a jade and diamond pendant-brooch, circa 1910s, adorned with five old European-cut diamonds, with an estimate of $25,000 – $35,000. 5.02 carat fancy pink diamond ring with an estimate of $1.5 million - $2 million FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder The number 2 lot of the sale is a 5.02-carat oval-shaped fancy pink diamond with VS2 clarity. Its estimate is $1.5 - $2.5 million. 2.02-carat fancy vivid blue diamond rin with an estimate of $1.4 million - 1.8 million Next is a 2.02-carat modified rectangular mixed-cut fancy vivid blue diamond on a ring with an estimate of $1.4 million - $1.8 million. The number four lot of the sale is a pair of flawless D-color pear-shaped diamonds weighing 10.32 carats and 10.11 carats. Both diamonds exhibit 'excellent polish and symmetry" based on their reports, the auction house said. Their estimate is $1.1 million - $1.5 million. Marcus and Co. ruby and diamond sautoir with an estimate of $1 million - $2 million This is followed by a 'superb' ruby and diamond sautoir by important American retailer, Marcus & Co. (1892 – 1962). The drop-shaped pendant features a 9.60-carat cushion-cut unheated Burmese ruby, within a surround of old European-cut diamonds, framed and topped by caliber-cut rubies. The chain is set at intervals with old European-cut diamonds, the openwork clasp set with pear-shaped, old European- and single-cut diamonds, circa 1915. Its estimate is $1 million - $2 million. The sautoir is one of four jewels from the collection of Emily Vanderbilt Wade, the daughter of William Henry Vanderbilt, III, former governor of Rhode Island, and the great-granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Wades and Vanderbilts are two storied American families credited with shaping the American industrial, cultural and philanthropic landscape. Cartier Art Deco diamond bracelet with an estimate of $60,000 - $80,000 The three other pieces are a Cartier Art Deco bracelet in a geometric pattern composed of articulated panels set with old European- and single-cut diamonds with an estimate of $60,000 - $80,000. Rene Lalique gold, enamel, emerald and pearl pendant with an estimate of $20,000 - $30,000 The second piece is a Rene Lalique Art Nouveau pendant made of gold, enamel, emerald and pearl, circa 1900. It's designed as a double-sided woman's face with long hair morphing into strands of seaweed, decorated with enamel in various shades of green and blue, her forehead is set with an oval-shaped emerald, surmounted by a baroque pearl. Its estimate is $20,000 - $30,000. Gold, emerald, ruby, pearl, sapphire, diamond and enamel necklace with an estimate of $40,000 - ... More $60,000 The third piece is a tassel sautoir boasting an intricate network of rubies, emeralds, pearls, and diamonds, circa 1900. The auction house says that based on provenance it is likely the work of Paulding Farnham, the famed late 19th and early 20th century jewelry designer for Tiffany & Co. Its estimate is $40,000 - $60,000. Highlights of the Sotheby's sale completed a world tour and will be shown next at Sotheby's New York headquarters from June 6 – 12.
