Nestled in the heart of LaFayette, within a few minutes’ drive from every part of the city and no more than thirty minutes away from every Walker County home, lies a recreational facility with vast potential. Vast potential, yet unrealized, completely ignored by those with the power to make that potential into a reality.

That facility isn’t the golf course or a softball field, it’s a football field. Specifically, Patton Stadium on First St. behind the old LaFayette High School, original home of the Ramblers.

After more than three years on the job, LaFayette Police Chief Tommy Freeman finally admits the city might have a slight problem with arson.

In mid-March 101 addresses in Noble along Hwy. 27, West Reed Rd., Straightgut Rd. and in Emerald Acres subdivison received a letter from Walker County Planning & Development. That letter revealed the county’s intentions to rezone several hundred acres of property in the area for industrial use. Residents were invited to attend a meeting about the proposal on April 8th at the Walker Civic Center.

Last week a site reader e-mailed us with concerns about a local charity. The e-mail (with identifying details removed) and our reply are posted below.

From: [redacted]
To: underground@cityoflafayettega.com
Subject: odd
Date: May 19, 2010

I was reading your posts and I found them very interesting. I thought I would bring up something that you might find interesting…I read an article in the Walker County Messenger not too long ago about the Care Mission in LaFayette, asking for donations or better yet “money donations”. What upsets me about this is up until this article there was a sign on their door and I quote “NO DONATIONS PLEASE, WE ARE FULL”. Now I agree that their general goal is a great one to have. But, in the article they brought up that the owners were close to losing thier house before. What does that have to do with the mission unless they plan on secretly using donations help themselves seeing as how a month earlier they had a sign up refusing donations. It would seem to me that they should be grateful that the people of Walker are will to GIVE them items that they could pass on to needy families or sale and use it to help even more than they claim they already do.

I don’t know if you find it as odd as I do, but it generally upsets me that they seem so ungrateful 1 day refusing donations and asking for money the next.

Anonymous Reader is referring to this Messenger article profiling The Care Mission and its founders, Deon and Kendra Phillips. A second article about the Care Mission and a fundraiser held there ran several days later, probably written at the same time as the first.

To answer Anonymous’ questions and concerns, we did a bit of investigation and research about the organization and its directors.

The LaFayette Taco Bell caught fire this afternoon. Minimal damage done, appears to be the results of a cigarette in a garbage can. The store was smoked up so they’ll probably be closed the next few days to clean up smoke damage; the fire will also require a visit from the health inspector before the Bell can reopen.

No word yet when the city will apply for a FEMA grant to cover repairs.