FROM STAFF REPORTS

June 2007 was a memorable month in Shelby County.

Columbiana’s police chief pled guilty to theft. A teen arsonist destroyed the Inverness Country club house. Hoover celebrated 40 years as a municipality.

With this Year in Review, the Shelby County Reporter looks back month-by-month on the news stories and images that defined the year.

Join us as we recall the triumphs and tragedies, successes and failures that were 2007.

This is part six of a 12-part series that will run online through Jan. 1

Former Columbiana police chief pleads guilty

A Shelby County judge sentenced former Columbiana Police Chief Johnny Brown to a 12-month suspended sentence for a misdemeanor theft. Chief Assistant District Attorney Bill Bostick said Brown will be on probation for 24 months during which time he will pay a fine, undergo drug and alcohol screenings and surrender his Alabama Police Officer Standards and Training Commission Certification. Columbiana Mayor Allan Lowe requested the county sheriff’s office investigate possible thefts from local merchants.

Former bank CEO maintains innocence

The last CEO of the former First National Bank of Shelby County maintains his innocence, nearly two months after paying $150,000 to settle a long-running investigation by federal regulators. Former FNB Chairman and CEO William T. Harrison said he agreed to pay the fine ordered by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to avoid higher legal costs relating to the case.

Shelby County speller makes semifinals in national bee

Fourteen-year-old Grace Pyo of Shelby County was eliminated in the first round of semi-finals at the 80th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. After asking the judges to use the word in a sentence and for the definition, Pyo was eliminated on the word “difficile.” She mistakenly spelled it “d-i-f-e-c-i-l-e.” Pyo said she had actually practiced the word at one point but did not have time to study it again before the competition.

Fire destroys country club

Residents and members watched from the parking lot and the nearby golf course as flames consumed Inverness Country Club Monday, June 11. Owner Bill Ochsenhirt said one of his employees first alerted him to the smell of smoke around 1:15 p.m. About that same time, fire alarms started blaring and Ochsenhirt evacuated the building. Fortunately, he said, the usually packed clubhouse contained only himself and five or six staff members; it is closed to club members on Mondays.

Hoover celebrates 40 years

The city of Hoover celebrated its 40th birthday at Veterans Park Saturday, June 16, complete with entertainment, activities and of course, cake and ice cream

Local women shine at Miss Alabama pageant

Three local women captured top spots in the Miss Alabama pageant June 9.

Elizabeth Cochran, Miss Chelsea Area, was named second runner-up. Cochran, 18, is a resident of Helena and a student at Birmingham-Southern College. Katie Boyd, 21, of Pelham took third runner-up after finishing as first runner-up last year. Boyd is majoring in dance and communicative disorders at the University of Alabama. Jenna Bryant, Miss Auburn University and a resident of Hoover, placed in the Top 10.

Calera slander suit dismissed

A former city councilwoman has settled her slander lawsuit against Mayor George Roy, according to court records. Tommie Lynn Morrison and Roy have filed documents in Shelby County Circuit Court asking the case be dismissed. In the settlement, Morrison will be awarded $28,750 and given a letter of apology from Roy, according to papers signed by her and her Alabaster-based attorney, James V. Green Jr. Both Roy and his insurer, Alabama Municipal Insurance Corporation, stress the settlement isn’t an admission of guilt, in court documents.

Bond goes toward new schools

A $1.07 billion bond issue signed by Gov. Bob Riley, the first education bond issue in almost a decade, allocates nearly $30 million for Shelby County area schools. Designed to provide funds for construction and repairs to all state-funded K-12 and higher education systems, it is the largest bond issue in state history. Shelby County Schools receives the state’s fifth largest amount, more than $20 million. Hoover City Schools gets almost $9 million. Funds were calculated from a $200,000 base rate for each system, plus its average attendance