2024 Year In Review: The Cullman Times shares the biggest local stories of 2024
Published 2:19 am Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Joey Duncan, center, is sworn in as Cullman Police Chief by mayor Woody Jacobs, left, Monday, Sept. 23. Patrick Camp | The Cullman Times
Hanceville Mayor Jimmy Sawyer, left, visits with new Hanceville Police Chief Jason Marlin Monday, Aug. 12, 2024 at Hanceville City Hall. Benjamin Bullard | The Cullman Times
Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry during a press conference Monday, Aug. 25, 2024. Patrick Camp | The Cullman Times
Medical cannabis patient and advocate Amanda Taylor speaks to Captain Ed Potter following a town hall meeting to discuss Local Amendment 1 Tuesday, Oct. 29. Patrick Camp | The Cullman Times
At the July 11, 2024 broadband connectivity announcement, from left, are Tim Culpepper, Cullman Electric Cooperative CEO, Rep. Randall Shedd and Dale Greer, Cullman Economic Agency Director. Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times
Dr. Shane Barnette is sworn in for the first time as Cullman County Schools’ elected superintendent by his wife, Kristi, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024. Patrick Camp | The Cullman Times
Founding Good Samaritan Clinic director Jerry Jacob, left, joins current director Jolanda Hutson April 22,2024, in celebrating the announcement of a new $2.8 million facility that will serve as the permanent new home for the no-cost health care provider. Jacob served as Good Samaritan’s first director, helping to open its doors to the Cullman community when the nonprofit first offered its services to financially constrained local patients in 2004. Benjamin Bullard | The Cullman Times
Dodge City councilman Ervin Chumley is seen during a May 15, 2023, council meeting. Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times
Dodge City Councilmember Inez Mcdonald during a May 15, 2023 council meeting. Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times
Cullman County Commissioner Garry Marchman at the Harvest to Home Dinner Thursday, Sept. 12. Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times
Kelley Little is sworn into her position on the Vinemont Town Council Monday, Nov. 29. Her husband, former Alabama Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little is at right. Patrick Camp | The Cullman Times
Senator Garlan Gudger speaks at Oktoberfest opening ceremonies. Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times
Emily Neizer Johnston stands next to Circuit Court Judge Martha Williams office while waiting for the final box of ballots for the Circuit Court Judge race between Neizer Johnston and Melvin Hasting. Amanda Shavers | The Cullman Times
Longtime Hanceville City Councilmember Jimmy Sawyer, left, takes his oath of office to become the city’s new full-time mayor, while wife Bonnie, center, and city administrator Kim Reburn, right, look on, Thursday, Jan. 11. Benjamin Bullard | The Cullman Times
Top local story of 2024: Law enforcement agencies see new leadership, more on horizon
Law enforcement in Cullman County saw turnover at its top positions in 2024, as new police police chiefs took over in both Hanceville and the city of Cullman. Current three-term Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry, meanwhile, announced in August that his current term as sheriff would be his last.
Hanceville leaders elevated officer Jason Marlin to the city’s chief of police job in August, replacing former chief Josh Howell, who served in the role for one year. In October, longtime CPD officer Joey Duncan began his current tenure as the city of Cullman’s new police chief, replacing retiring chief David Nassetta, who had served since December of 2022.
Gentry is set to finish out his current elected term as sheriff, which runs until the end of 2026. But for Cullman and Hanceville, the police chief changes that occurred in 2024 marked the second shuffle in local municipal law enforcement leadership in a span of two years’ time. Nassetta originally had replaced longtime Cullman police chief Kenny Culpepper, who retired in 2022; while Howell replaced former Hanceville chief Bob Long, who retired in early 2023.
No. 2: Voters reject proposal to increase taxes on local medical cannabis sales
Cullman County voters rejected a ballot referendum Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2024, which would have placed an additional 15 percent tax on local medical cannabis sales.
Local Amendment 1 — initiated by a bill carried through the Alabama Legislature by the Cullman County Delegation in 2023 — would have increased the total tax rate on medical cannabis products sold in Cullman County to more than 30 percent. Sixty-three percent of the revenue generated from the tax would have funded additional personnel Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said were needed to work through an extensive backlog of cases. The remaining 33 percent would be given to the Delegation in order to fund local mental health initiatives.
Residents expressed mostly discontent over the proposed amendment during a town hall meeting Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024.
Joey Robertson, head of operations and public relations for Wagon Trail Hemp Farm, said the prospect of levying such a heavy tax on medical products had made him, as well as the owner of a second dispensary site in the city of Cullman, consider opening the site elsewhere.
The majority of community members in attendance, expressed opposition to taxing medicine. “Is it really a fair deal to give these patients a new tool, have a doctor recommend it to them, and then have it be taxed at a heavier rate than alcohol,” Robertson said. “We’re giving them this tool, but making it inaccessible.”
No. 3: Cullman County Schools Superintendent, Shane Barnette wins election.
The race for superintendent of the Cullman County School system returned to voters for the first time since 2013, when the position was made an appointed one. Incumbent Dr. Shane Barnette and Holly Pond educator Morris Williams will face each other for the superintendent’s seat. Barnette walked away from the election with almost three-fourths of ballots (9,895) being cast in his favor. Williams received 3,511 votes accounting for 26 percent of the total ballots.
Barnette originally had no plans of running for the position when voters chose to revert back to electing the superintendent in 2022. Just after the race was called, he offered a similar take, only this time he said he will be taking the words of a friend and mentor to heart.
“Roy Drinkard just told me yesterday to ‘Never say never.’ So, I don’t intend to run again, but I will lean on the Lord for guidance to know what His plan is for my life,” Barnette said.
No. 4: Cullman County first to connect to Alabama Fiber Network
Alabama made a first major step toward its goal of achieving statewide broadband connectivity Wednesday, July 11, 2024, as the first hub in the Alabama Fiber Network went live near the Cullman Electric Cooperative substation in Fairview. The AFN is a public/private sector coalition which currently involves eight electric co-ops, their subsidiaries and key industry partners such as Ciena and Arista. Once completed, its Middle Mile network will span more than 5,000 miles and will deliver reliable high speed internet to each of the state’s 67 counties. Once completed, the network is predicted to generate more than 4,100 new jobs with a total economic impact of $657 million.
AFN CEO Terry Metze said AFN is anticipating to have the entire state connected by early 2026, but that the most significant section of the middle mile backbone would be online as early as February.
No. 5: Nonprofits, public amenities see major community investment
The past year saw a series of welcome expansion announcements for local nonprofits and public amenities.
The Cullman County Commission shared plans to extensively overhaul its sizable mixed-use event venue at the Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center, while both city and county governments revealed they will collaborate on major renovations to the main Cullman branch of the Cullman County Public Library.
Not far from the library, the Cullman Community Theatre announced plans to renovate and occupy a newly-renovated space that formerly housed the Clark Street Church of God and local indigent medical care outreach the Good Samaritan Clinic unveiled plans for a permanent new-construction facility on the city’s south end. The North Alabama Agriplex, meanwhile, consolidated donor funding through its capital campaign to begin 2025 construction on a new Community Hub building at its current campus in west Cullman.
No. 6: Dodge City loses two longtime councilmembers within a day of each other.
Dodge City lost two longtime councilmembers in September 2024. Inez McDonald, who served on the council since 2024, died Thursday, Sept. 12. The following day, Sept. 13, councilmember James “Ervin” Chumley died. Chumley had served on the council since 1996.
Mayor Jason Burney said that it was impossible to not respect McDonald’s work ethic and devotion to her community. He said she was known to be seen in her yard weedeating regularly up until a couple of years ago and even at 99, he said her favorite phrase had been; “My mind is as sharp as a tack.” Burney honored McDonald’s no-nonsense mentality at the top of the meeting with a simple yet resonating act of recognition.
In addition to his time on the Dodge City Council, Chumley served in the U.S. Army, volunteered with the Dodge City Fire Department for 12 years and served on the Cullman County Community for the Developmentally Disabled board for more than 30 years. One of the CCCDD’s residential group homes was recently named in his honor and family members said Chumley often described the development of the Margaret Jean Jones Center as one of his proudest achievements.
Chayton Grimmett and Robert South were appointed to council in November.
Baileyton also filled two seats on its council. Monday, Dec. 2, new councilmembers, Donna Kent and Jack McGee, were sworn in together at the start of the evening’s meeting, while in February, Kenneth Cornelius was appointed to fill a Hanceville Council seat left vacant after former member Jimmy Sawyer was sworn in as mayor.
No 7: Commissioner Marchman’s residency status questioned
Local officials were mostly in agreement over their concerns that Cullman County Commissioner Garry Marchman had violated state law by moving outside of the district he had been elected to represent during his most recent term in office, but no action has been taken despite the commission having received complaints from members of the public for more than a year.
In counties with defined district boundaries, Alabama law requires commissioners to reside within their respective district for the duration of their term. Local property records revealed that Marchman had purchased property roughly two miles south of Cullman’s District 2 boundary in July 2021 — more than a year before he was most recently elected as commissioner — and had used the address on a deed agreement between him and his son.
Marchman told The Times in July that he had been “temporarily” living outside of his district but declined to provide a timeline for when the move occurred and instead told The Times, “That’s not any of your business.”
Cullman County Commission Chairman Jeff Clemons said several people had come forward with complaints over Marchman’s residency status “for about the last year or so,” and other commissioners said there had been a number of conversations about the correct course of action the commission should take if those complaints proved to be accurate.
Recently elected Cullman County Circuit Judge Emily Johnson, who at the time served as the commission’s attorney, said that Marchman not residing in his district was “concerning” but did not believe that the responsibility to enforce the law fell on the commission’s shoulders. Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry also said in an email sent to The Times in July that, “this did not fall under the scope of the sheriff’s office.”
At the time, District Attorney Champ Crocker said his office had not received any complaints about Marchman’s residency.
Marchman told The Times that he would be placing a Winnebago RV on his previous property to serve as his residence until the end of his term in 2026.
“Did I stay away from that property for a little while? I sure did and I had a good reason as to why, but that doesn’t mean it was right. So I’m just going to move back over there [to District 2] because the state legislation says I have to reside at that address, so that’s what I”m gonna do,” Marchman said in July.
No. 8: Vinemont sees multiple changes in council.
A string of resignations from Vinemont councilmembers which began in April culminated in December 2024, with the appointment of Kelley Little and resulted in more than half the council seats receiving new members.
Former councilmember Charolette Cosper resigned her seat in April due to what she described as concerns for her safety. During her resignation she publicly suggested that she believed a neighbor, former councilmember and mayoral candidate Shirly Arnett, had some level of involvement in vandalizing her car. Arnett has denied any involvement in the incident and has also accused Cosper’s husband of pushing her as he left the meeting in April.
No charges have been filed against either individual.
Councilmember Ross Campbell was sworn in as Cosper’s replacement in June during the same meeting that mayor Radginal Dodson announced the resignation of former councilmember Sonya Copeland.
Copeland did not offer a reason for her resignation, but told The Times, “[Rapper] Kevin Gates said it best. ‘Go where you are celebrated, not tolerated.'”
The council nominated Grady Malone as Copeland’s replacement in July.
Cosper and Arnett faced off again in November as the only two candidates to apply to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of former councilmember Chris Thompson in October. Cosper received the nomination in a split majority vote, but later rejected the appointment.
Two weeks after Cosper’s rejected nomination, the council appointed Kelley Little, a local medical assistant and wife of former Alabama Senate Majority Leader Zeb Little.
No. 9: Senator Garlan Gudger injured in jet skiing accident on Smith Lake, selected as new Senate leader
Alabama Sen. Garlan Gudger was airlifted to UAB Hospital in Birmingham after sustaining significant injuries during a Fourth of July jet skiing accident on Smith Lake. The incident resulted in three fractured vertebrae, six fractured ribs, a punctured lung and internal bleeding.
“If it had not been for the bystanders at the dock, the first responders who treated me at lakeside, the emergency helipad that had been installed by Trident Marina, Alabama’s Air Evac Flight Team and an amazing group of UAB doctors, nurses and administrators, I am certain that the outcome of this accident would have been much different,” Gudger said in a statement while recovering in the hospital.
In October Gudger was in good spirits as he made a public appearance during Cullman’s annual Oktoberfest opening ceremonies.
In December, members of the Alabama Senate Republican Caucus selected Gudger as their official nominee to replace Greg Reed (R – Jasper) as the chamber’s president pro tempore. The full Senate will elect the new pro tempore when lawmakers convene the 2025 legislative session in February.
“I appreciate the trust and confidence my fellow Republican senators have offered and will ensure that everyone has a voice in how the Senate operates,” Gudger said in a press release. “If we bring everyone together, put teamwork first, and unite behind the conservative beliefs, traditional values, and bedrock morals that each of us share, we can make an already great state even greater.”
No. 10: Public servants take on new leadership roles
Cullman County voters elected Emily Niezer Johnston as their next circuit judge in March 2024, giving her the victory over fellow Republican and local attorney Melvin Hasting.
Niezer Johnston earned 8,797 votes to Hasting’s 7,349, giving her a winning margin of 54.48 percent to Hasting’s 45.52 percent. Both candidates appeared as Republicans in the party primary election. With no Democratic Party challenger in the race, Niezer Johnston faced no further opposition on her path to becoming the 32nd Judicial Circuit’s newest circuit judge.
“I’m overwhelmed. I’m very thankful, and grateful — and tired,” said Niezer Johnston said in March while watching the final of the county’s 50 voting precinct boxes was tallied inside the Cullman County Courthouse courtroom where she’ll soon take up her new role.
In Hanceville, councilmember Jimmy Sawyer shifted from his Place 5 council slot into his new full-time role as the city’s mayor.
With a crowd of family and well-wishers as witnesses at the Jan. 11, 2024, city council meeting, city staffer Kim Reburn swore in Sawyer as Bonnie, his wife, stood at his side. Longtime council colleague Jimmie Nuss gave voice to the council’s unanimity in seconding the motion that put Sawyer’s name up for approval: “I wish I had more than one vote” to give, he said, while fellow councilmember Kim Brown noted Sawyer’s conscientious approach to public service from the time that the pair first joined the council together during the election cycle of 2008.
The Times staff can be reached at editorial@cullmantimes.com.
