Baldwin County's Imagination Library coordinator, Joanna Bailey, shares how Dolly Parton's book-gifting program has changed local children's lives and seen a surge of new signups since Dolly's passing.

What is it about a college campus that impacts our communities? This is not a political opinion, but a firsthand observation from my perspective as the director of development of the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama many years ago.

In looking over literacy rates by county in Alabama, Baldwin County’s is 4% higher than the state average (86%).

One of the things I enjoy most about writing these stories is discovering how connected our community really is.

The University of South Alabama campus in Mobile is close to my childhood home. I remember when the campus construction was first announced, in 1963. I was a young boy, and the implications didn’t really register at the time, but I did watch it grow in both size and stature over the years. My respect for South Alabama grew substantially when, early on, a close family friend, Dr. Neal Rowell, was hired as a professor in the physics department.

Growing up, my family spent summers in Point Clear. When I was nine years old, my parents purchased a home just north of Bailey’s Creek. Out front, there stood a cast iron bell with a long lanyard that reached back to the screen porch. It was rumored that it would ring at the first signs of a jubilee, alerting neighbors to come take part in the seafood harvest. Truth be told, our bell never rang for a jubilee. Instead, my mom would ring it to let us know it was time to get out of the water and come to supper. It worked every time. 

As I ride the roads and byways through Scenic 98 Coastal, I get a nice, warm feeling when I see a family stopped along the side of the road fishing next to a creek, pond, river, or in a boat in the bay. A great bonding experience occurs when families fish together.

I love stories about women who turn setbacks into opportunities, making lemonade out of lemons, if you will. In Sally Stringfellows case, she made a champagne crab bisque! A single mother with 2 young girls, she needed to figure out a way to make ends meet.