While we say hello to 2013, let’s also take a look back at the news of the last 12 months in South Baldwin.

Animals rescued from cruelty

January 2012 closed with a massive animal cruelty case when authorities closed down Purple Hearted Puppies Animal Rescue in Summerdale.

Upon responding to an E-911 call to the six-acre facility located at the intersection of County Roads 36 and 83, Summerdale Police found no one on the property. However, what they did find was more than 150 dogs and 50 cats, all severely malnourished. They also found, in the back of the facility, dogs had resorted to eating other animal remains to stay alive.

“It was the most horrific thing I’ve seen in my law-enforcement career,” Summerdale Police Officer Hugh Bohannan said. “The smell of death and feces was overwhelming, even from 200 yards back.”

Owner Roberta Dueitt and her daughter, Sharon, were arrested and charged with numerous counts of animal cruelty.

Surviving animals were rescued and distributed to area rescue and veterinarian facilities, with volunteers working to help care for them.

Elberta Police chief named

In February, Elberta Town Council selected Stanley DeVane to be the new Elberta Police chief.

The selection was made after an interim had served in the position since March 2010.

DeVane came to Elberta from Dothan, where he had served on the Dothan Police force, from which he retired in 2003.

Travel writer pedals through area

While having tourists is nothing new in the Forward City, South Baldwin was graced with the visit of a travel writer in March.

Cindy Ross and her family made their way through the area as part of a bicycle tour of Alabama’s Coastal Connection Scenic Byway. While here, they spent a night at the Hotel Magnolia in downtown Foley, after spending the day biking from Gulf State Park, to Elberta to see the Baldwin County Heritage Museum, then to Graham Creek Park Nature Preserve for a two-mile kayak paddle to Wolf Bay, before stopping for the day in the Forward City. The group has pedaled about 25 miles each day of the trip.

While in Foley, Ross toured the Foley Railroad Depot Museum, the Model Train exhibit, walked a section of the Heritage Rose Trail, visited the Performing Arts Center and had ice cream at Stacy’s Old Tyme Ice Cream Parlor. For dinner, the group enjoyed seafood dishes at Foley’s Magnolia Court Restaurant.

Ross has traveled the world, and written several travel books. Details of her journeys can be found on the travel writer’s blog, http://cindyrosstraveler.com/.

Drug raid made in Foley

The morning of April 16 started off with a bang in the Forward City as several Foley residents posted social-media messages in which they reported hearing what sounded like an explosion at approximately 7:45 a.m. But according to Federal Bureau of Investigations Special Agent Matt Chapman, that sound was a part of an elaborate plan that involved a collaboration of several law-enforcement entities to apprehend 18 people suspected of selling drugs.

According to U.S. Attorney Kenyen R. Brown, a year-long investigation resulted in indictments against 18 individuals suspected of drug possession or charges that included “attempt to distribute crack cocaine.”  He explained that in March a Federal Grand Jury issued two separate indictments for the apprehension of Douglas McArthur Watts Jr., William Reed II, Trevin Muhammad, Joseph Valinsky, Jesse Andre Heard aka “Gucci,” Otis Garland Jackson, Delgardo Mario Lacey, Earnest Holmes aka Charlie Brown, Clarence S. Buchanan, Clint Coydara Buchanan, Mylan Jamal Armstrong, Allison Deanna Frye Petracca aka “Ashley,” Willie Blanks, Clifton Fidele Heard, Maurice Vernon Moss, Henry Heard, Jessica Heard and Cedric D. Kennedy.

Brown explained that the April sting operation involved 100 federal and local agents and officers rounding up the suspects named in federal indictments, each of whom was subsequently prosecuted for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, as well as multiple counts against various of the individual defendants alleging possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

Two of those counts, Brown added, allege possession with an intent to distribute the drug within 1,000 feet of the Aaronville public housing community. In addition, three counts allege the same charge within 1,000 feet of a playground at Public Safety Memorial Park in Mobile.

Agents involved in the maneuver included members of the FBI, the Foley Police Department, the Baldwin County Drug task Force, ATF, DEA, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office, the Gulf Shores and Mobile and Fairhope Police departments, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and the Alabama Port Authority.

Magnolia Springs gives Gandy a send-off

Some 200 well-wishers descended on the Magnolia Springs Volunteer Fire Department in May to honor retiring Baldwin County Sheriff’s Officer Wayne “Jimmy” Gandy, who served as peace officer in Magnolia Springs since August 2008.

Joining members of the Magnolia Springs community at the farewell party were family members, as well as fellow law-enforcement officers Gandy served with in his 38-year career, including Cecil Rayborn and Jim Anderson, both of whom were instrumental in helping to start Gandy’s career almost four decades ago.

During the gathering, Rayborn recounted to the crowd the story of how as an officer with the Fairhope Police Department, he learned that a freshly-graduated Gandy was seeking employment. According to Rayborn, he asked his superiors about tapping Gandy to fill a vacancy on the force. City officials then asked him to hire Gandy. That action would lead Gandy to serve with the Fairhope Police Department for eight and a half years. From there, he would spend the rest of his career with the Baldwin Couny Sheriff’s Department.

In that time, the married father of four grown children worked on a variety of cases, with the most notable taking place 12 years ago when 21-year-old Adam Keith Waldman abducted a 5-year-old in Bay Minette in 2001. Malbis potted the vehicle the man was driving in Malbis and began pursuit.

 “The street went kind of into a dead-end, he got out and started shooting at me,” Gandy recalled at the retirement party.

But an exchange of gunfire led to Waldman’s capture and the child’s safe return.

For that and other deeds, Gandy received numerous accolades over the years, including Optimist Club of Perdido Bay Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, nominee for Alabama Legislative Medal of Honor for Law Enforcement and VFW Post 5600 Police Officer of the Year in 2006.

Lightning strike causes building fire

Lightning was named the cause of an early morning fire at Direct Furniture Outlet in Summerdale in June.

After a passerby made an E-911 call and reported seeing smoke, rescue workers extinguished a small fire in the store’s electrical-panel box of the business located at the intersection of Alabama Highway 59 and County Road 32. That was approximately 1:30 a.m.

But a second, bigger fire broke out at the building at approximately 3 a.m. It was so big, that rescue workers from Silverhill, Robertsdale and Foley joined Summerdale in battling the blaze.

 “On arrival, the fire had caused the roof on the southern warehouse portion of the building to collapse, and it was spreading into the northern wood frame building,”  Foley Fire Chief Joey Darby said. “I also responded, and due to fire conditions and structural collapse in the warehouse portion of the building, I dispatched our ladder truck and tanker to respond.”

That cooperative effort enabled the fire departments to control the blaze in about two hours “with crews working to put out hot spots thereafter,” Darby said.

But not before a lot of damage was done. The value of loss from the two fires was estimated at between $600,000 and $700,000 for just the building made of pine.

The lighting strike that caused that damage was part of a storm of heavy rains that left several Baldwin County areas flooded.

The incident spurred the business to relocate to Foley.

Robotic surgery comes to Baldwin

Medical innovation made its way into Baldwin County as South Baldwin Regional Medical Center has launched its DaVinci Robotic Surgery program in July.

It’s a technology that allows surgeons to use robotics to perform procedures in the operating room. And OBGYN Dr. deLacee Corbett performed her first operation with the system at South Baldwin in July.

 “It was fantastic,” she said in an interview at the Foley hospital. “It was amazing.”

What impressed Corbett was the apparent benefit to the patient who had a hysterectomy, as well as three subsequent patients also having the same operation.

“The patients have significantly less pain,” the physician said.

That’s because the robotic system allows for a smaller incision to be made, which also means patients can be brought back to consciousness sooner after surgery.

“Not as many narcotics are needed to manage the pain,” Corbett said.

South Baldwin RMC CEO Keith Newton added that the most advantageous benefit of the system is that it allows for a faster healing pace following an operation.

“Which is what our patients are looking for,” he said.

Newton gave an example of the typical hysterectomy patient, who could return to normal daily activity within two or three weeks of an operation, compared to the four to six weeks of recovery needed following  a traditional procedure.

“Plus, there’s less scarring,” the hospital CEO said.

Robotic surgery is not new along the Gulf Coast.

“They’ve been doing it in Mobile and Pensacola (, Fla.),” Corbett said.

However, the procedure had not been available in Baldwin County. But Newton said that South Baldwin RMC invested some seven figures to bring the technology to Foley.

“It’s the latest in terms of technology,” he said. “We felt like we need it here.”

What’s so different about robotic surgery is that it enables a doctor to sit at a console, look through a viewfinder at a three-dimensional image and use both hand and feet controls to manipulate surgical instruments that are connected to robotic arms.

According to Corbett, the system reduces the margin of error.

“When you pull your head from the viewfinder, the controls don’t work,” she said. “So you can’t accidentally move an instrument.”

Plus, Corbett said, the system actually helps to reduce surgeon fatigue.

“You’re sitting down, so you’re not standing up in the same position for hours,” she said.

Named for renowned 15th century artist and inventor Leonardo DaVinci, the DaVinci Robotic Surgery program is inspired by his 1495 robotic design rendered during his study of anatomy. The modern-day need for such a device was developed by the military project seeking a way to do surgery remotely.

Habitat celebrates 100^th house

August marked a milestone for Habitat for Humanity, as the organization celebrated the completion of its 100^th house on its 20th anniversary in Baldwin County.

That home was completed in Foley for Regina Gatlin and her two daughters. To celebrate, Habitat volunteers, beneficiaries and employees gathered at Foley Elementary School.

The celebration included Past Board Chair Sherry Weaver recalling the organization’s growth from those early days. She cited Habitat’s acquisition of an office as an initial achievement and from there, the organization grew to have its own staff and executive director and the acquisition of its non-profit service.

Weaver also talked about the introduction of Women Build, a project that enables Baldwin County women to erect the homes. The celebration also included an address by home recipient Vicki Mims, a mother of three who has since become a regular volunteer with Habitat.

Child neglect found in Summerdale

Three Summerdale children were removed from their mother’s custody in September after police discovered the squalid living conditions of their home.

According to Summerdale Police Sgt. Hugh Bohannon, on Thursday police learned of the alleged situation in which 41-year-old Charlotte Green and her three children, ages 8, 9 and 13, were living. He explained that police received a tip about the living conditions of the Harden Lane home and ionvestigated.

“As soon as the mother opened the door, we could smell human feces and other waste,” Bohannon said.

The sergeant said officers found the trailer in question to be infested with roaches, ants and fleas, and covered with waste. In addition, the dwelling had no running water and limited electricity, but police found cigarettes in the house and that Green told police that she and children had lived in the trailer for a year and that she cited her emotional health as reason for the state of the living conditions.

Upon seeing the conditions of Green’s mobile home, police arrested her and charged her with misdemeanor child neglect. According to Bohannon, this enabled them to quickly remove the children to a safer location. He explained that the children were placed in the custody of their adult brother, Marvin Green of Summerdale.

Foley Centennial Plaza plans unveiled

The city of Foley is planning to ring in its centennial anniversary on Jan. 8, 2015, with bells and all.

During a kick-off celebration in October at Foley Civic Center, the city unveiled its plans for a plaza that would mark the Forward City’s 100th anniversary. They include the addition of a 52-foot clock tower containing 32 brass bells, which have the ability to play 10,000 songs, to Heritage Park.

David Vosloh, who chaired the committee that coordinated the project to design the plaza, explained that the idea for the structure came about when the city acquired a bell tower for half price after it had been re-possessed. With that in mind, the plaza was designed with the idea that both large events, such as concerts, and smaller events, such as weddings, could be held at the stages. Those stages, along with the rest of the structure, will be situated at the mid-west side of the park, adjacent to the Rose Trail.

Vosloh pointed out that it will be complementary to the park’s Railroad Museum and train, which takes visitors on trips around the park, with the design allowing the train to travel beneath it.

With the tower portion on hand, the location selected and design plans in place, fundraising efforts are now under way. During the October celebration, Fundraising Committee Chair JaNay Dawson explained that several opportunities to fund the project are available at a variety of price points. They range from $10 purchases of songs for the tower or $50 for commemorative bricks to or and the purchase of more expensive features of the structure. Plus ornaments depicting the centennial tower and Foley’s centennial dates are available for purchase at $15 each.

Foley begins new government form

November marked a milestone in Forward City history, as the new format of Foley City government launched.

Under the new format, Foley Mayor John Koniar no longer moderates proceedings. Instead, that task fell to Foley City Councilman Wayne Trawick. He was unanimously elected to the position by fellow Council members during the organizational meeting of the Council earlier in the month.

Trawick’s new position is mandated by state law, which deems that a municipality exceeding a population of 12,000 must change to a governing format in which the mayor only has veto power, and the council has a president and vice president.

Foley gets $317.5K grant

The city of Foley could soon have a new farmer’s market, thanks to a $317,500 Gulf Tourism and Seafood Promotional Fund grant.

During its regular meeting in early December, the Foley City Council voted to accept the grant, which is funded by BP to, as the name indicates, promote tourism and seafood consumption in areas impacted by Deepwater Horizon.

“In early October, we applied for the grant,” Foley City Administrator Mike Thompson said in a phone interview after Monday’s meeting.

That application, which was subsequently approved, included the addition of a farmer’s market on city property located near Wolf Bay Lodge on County Road 20.

“Our plan is to place it at the pecan field,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a metal building there.”

While the property includes approximately 30 acres, the vision of the market is to fill five acres of it with the farmer’s market.

Thompson explained that it’s unclear whether the project will conflict with Foley’s current summer farmer’s market, which is located in Heritage Park in the early portion of the summer.

“We might continue that, too,” he said.

The plan for this new concept is to begin with a space that would provide year-round retail opportunities for South Baldwin farmers, a concept that was envisioned by Don Wombles of Alabama Farmer’s Authority.

“He’s been working with our local farmers to form a co-op,” Thompson said.

That work includes efforts to eventually provide an avenue for local foods to be available to area restaurants, schools and hospitals. It also includes providing educational-demonstration opportunities for culinary students at Faulkner State Community College, with the hopes of the facility becoming a tourist destination.

“Those are things we are looking at,” Thompson said.

But for the immediate future, the idea is simply to provide a space that allows local farmers to sell their produce and for area residents and tourists to purchase fresh, local produce.

As for now, the city of Foley has one year to spend the newly-acquired funds.

“We’ll be working with an engineer and designer to get this project started,” Thompson said.