This Seems Kinda Wrong of the Day: For the second time in just over a year, the city of South Fulton, TN, has found itself having to respond to a flurry of criticism over a controversial fee it requires of residents outside city limits who wish to be protected from fire damage.
When Vicky Bell called 911, firefighters from South Fulton rushed to her mobile home just outside the city. But once it was determined that Bell and her boyfriend had not paid the $75 “pay for spray” fee, firefighters simply stood around and watched her home burn to the ground.
The scene was reminiscent of a similar incident which occurred in October of last year. In that instance, the home owner reportedly offered to pay whatever it took for firefighters to help, but was told it was “too late.”
Mayor David Crocker stood by the city’s policy, telling Local 6 that “there’s no way to go to every fire and keep up the manpower, the equipment, and just the funding for the fire department.”
Crocker believes that helping even one non-subscriber would result in a lack of incentive to pay the fee. “After the last situation, I would hope that everybody would be well aware of the rural fire fees, this time,” he said.
Indeed, Bell told the news station she was aware of the fee, but didn’t think this could happen to her.
No word on why the couple wasn’t given the option of paying a fine in exchange for the services of the firefighters who, according to bell, were already at the scene “sitting at a distance.”
[wpsd.]
Farmers for Christ raising produce for storm victims
Ken Meacham, founder of Farmers for Christ, has a 15-acre farm in Harvest where he and wife Shirley, nine paid workers, and other volunteers grow fresh vegetables to give to those in need — especially victims of the April 27 tornadoes.
In less than a month, a portion of the crop will be ready for harvest.
Meacham is reaching out to pastors of area churches to help him identify residents in need of fresh produce this summer, gardeners to grow fruits and vegetables to donate, as well as pickers to help him bring in the crop.
“I would like to challenge the people of North Alabama and south Tennessee to start or produce a larger garden than normal to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to storm victims,” Meacham compared the effort to wartime victory gardens. “I challenge the accomplished gardeners all over the state to step up. We need your help.”
Because Meacham and friends stagger the planting of the crops so they don’t all mature at once and go to waste, the harvest of watermelon, corn, beans, peas, butter beans, okra, squash, tomatoes and other vegetables continues through October. They grew 35 tons of produce last year and expect to produce 150 tons this year. This is where Farmers for Christ could use help.
“By the Fourth of July, we are going to have a tremendous amount of food coming off these fields,” he said.
The organization needs local church officials to tell Meacham how many residents need food donations so he can determine how much to deliver. He also needs volunteers to pick the crops once they mature.
He will provide sandwiches and water for pickers, unless there are church groups willing to help provide lunch.
Contact Meacham at 256-777-7793.
(Source: enewscourier.com)
Fortified: A home is seen protected from encroaching floodwaters by a levee near Yazoo City, Mississippi, on Wednesday, May 18. Weeks of heavy rains and runoff from an unusually snowy winter caused the Mississippi River to rise, flooding thousands of homes and 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of farmland in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas and evoking comparisons to historic floods in 1927 and 1937. (Eric Thayer)
