Here’s a look at what we’re working on for the Saturday, May 16, 2009, edition of The North Jefferson News. For complete stories, please see Saturday’s paper or visit www.njeffersonnews.com throughout the day on Monday. Also, don’t forget to catch another episode of NJNtv Monday at 4:30 p.m.



Norwood to open clinic in F’dale



A new diagnostic medical facility should be open in Fultondale within 90 days.

Earlier this week, officials with Norwood Clinic signed a lease on the old Winn-Dixie building, located near the intersection of U.S. 31 and Walker Chapel Road.

The office will feature X-Ray, MRI, CT scan, mammogram and ultrasound capabilities. Other Norwood entities, including a pharmacy, may also open near the facility at a future date.

Joan Ballard, chief administrative officer for Norwood Clinic, Inc., said the project has been months in the making and will bring a needed service to north Jefferson County residents.

“Our patient base is primarily from north Jefferson County and we want to meet our patients where they are,” she said. “We’re going to have specialists rotating through the clinic on a daily basis, so patients won’t have to come to a hospital to see a specialist.”



‘Small town with a big heart’ wins Kimberly slogan contest



Kimberly councilman Lowell Holland handed out $400 in cash during Tuesday’s council meeting.

The recipients were students from North Jefferson Middle School and Bryan Elementary School who won, or were runners-up in, the town’s logo and slogan contest.

The winning entries were displayed at Doss Ferry May Days in Kimberly on May 2.

The winners and runners up were:

• Logo winner, Drayton Dobbs, 7th grade, $100

• Slogan winner, Kelsey Lyvers, 11th grade, $100

• Slogan, Seth Bowman, 8th grade, $50

• Logo, Blake Lawson, 11th grade, $50

• Slogan, Haley Price, 2nd grade, $50

• Logo, Bailey Powell, 5th grade, $50

The logo is a circle with a K inside, along with houses and trees. The new town slogan is “Small town with a big heart.”



Opera-singing beauty queen prepares for state contest



Some young girls have dreams of wearing ball gowns and sparkling tiaras. Hayden’s Colene Burns had similar dreams at an early age.

At age 4, Burns began competing in local pageants. Twenty years later, she’s preparing to compete in the Miss Alabama Pageant June 3-6 at Samford University’s Wright Center.

Burns, who is the reigning Miss North Jefferson County, will compete against 46 other young ladies from throughout the state for scholarship money and the chance to compete in the Miss America Pageant.



Maker of famous yeast rolls speaks locally



Thousands of Alabam-ians have enjoyed Sister Schubert’s dinner rolls. On Thursday, members of the Gardendale Chamber of Commerce had the chance to hear her speak.

Patricia Schubert-Barnes spoke about her company’s success and the struggles she endured in the early years of the company when she was a single mother of two. Today, her company manufactures 5 million rolls per day and employs 500 workers across three facilities.

She said she loved speaking to chambers of commerce, because she “loves to encourage others who are starting businesses.”

Schubert-Barnes was also pre-selling copies of her upcoming cookbook, “Cast Your Bread Upon the Water,” which includes recipes and devotional passages.



Hayden park competes in cereal contest



West Blount Park needs your vote.

The Hayden park is the only park in the State of Alabama to advance to the second round of the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Renew Our Fields contest.

According to the Frosted Flakes Web site, thousands of fields entered the contest.

One-hundred fields across the United States are competing to make it to the next round, which will be narrowed to 30 fields and parks.

The grand prize is a $15,000 renovation.

West Blount Park offers baseball, softball, soccer, cheerleading and football to children in west Blount County, according to Anita Harper, a member of the West Blount Park board of directors.

“Our park is operated strictly on a volunteer basis with no funding from any city or county governments,” said Harper. “In the past few years, the population in this area of the county has grown tremendously. Money from this contest would enable us to build a much-needed field.”



In sports



Check out the all the latest scores and highlights from the state softball playoffs in Montgomery.