Look Back ... to Calhoun County running short of cash, 1998

Dec. 12—Dec. 12, 1948, in The Star: To help commemorate more than half a century of work by the Sacred Heart parish in Anniston, a Solemn High Mass will be held at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church today in connection with the Jubilee program. The Rev. L. A. Hargraves is pastor at Sacred Heart. The Jubilee sermon will be delivered by the Rev. Francis J. Foley of Birmingham and music for the Jubilee program will be furnished by the seminary choir of St. Bernard's Abbey of Cullman. Also this date: Two Calhoun County high schools will offer driving instruction classes to any student whose 16 or older and has obtained his or her driving permit.William Burke will teach the course at Oxford and Louie G. Scales will teach at Alexandria, both men having taken the drivers-ed instruction course at the University of Alabama.

Dec. 12, 1998, in The Star: Calhoun County officials said yesterday that a sales tax is needed to ease the county's budget constraints, and at least one member of the local legislative delegation agreed. Sen. Del Marsh, R-Anniston, said he'd support it. Increased needs by the Calhoun County Road Department and the county jail are wreaking havoc with the county budget, explained County Administrator Ken Joiner. "In the 26 years I've been here, I've never seen anything worse than it is now," Joiner said. The county has been dipping into its general fund to support the road department budget, whereas an additional $4.3 million in yearly income allocated to the road department would free up other sections of the budget to bring real improvements in county services.