Our Big Problem

Alabama has plenty of problems. There’s one problem, however, many of us can see every time we look in a mirror.

The below stories encompass an occasional series examining the spread of obesity and related health problems in Alabama, and the bigger questions facing our society as a result.
Bob Davis: Changing our health — and our lives
They marched around my hometown like a small army of security guards, walking an early morning beat as the sun rose. When I was growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it seemed the pattern was set for the older generations in my west Alabama hometown.
Jun 17, 2012 |  0 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
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Alabama high schoolers near top in obesity, soda consumption
Obesity rates in Alabama high schools are among the highest in the nation, according to a federal study released Friday. Alabama teens also outstrip almost all of their peers in consumption of soda, according to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a nationwide study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that monitors health behaviors of teens.
Jun 08, 2012 |  0 comments | 13 13 recommendations | email to a friend
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Star to host discussion group, film screening on Alabama's obesity problem
The Star will host a screening of the HBO documentary “Weight of the Nation” at 7 p.m. June 21, followed by a group discussion on what Anniston and surrounding communities can do about rising levels of obesity here and across the nation. Admission is free and everyone is encouraged to attend.
Jun 01, 2012 |  0 comments | 8 8 recommendations | email to a friend
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JSU’s slimmer 4: Take ’em on tour
That sound you heard is opportunity landing squarely in the laps of minders at Jacksonville State University. Let’s encourage them to make the most of it.
May 02, 2012 |  0 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
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JSU team takes second in state weight-loss contest
A Calhoun County team comprised of Jacksonville State University football coaches has won second place in a statewide weight-loss contest.
Apr 30, 2012 |  0 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
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Does church make you fat? Churchgoers tend to be overweight
Bishop Reinaldo Whyte lost 30 pounds after his wife, Jenniffer, became a Zumba instructor. But he’s had a hard time convincing people that staying in shape is his duty as a Christian — or that obesity is something churches should address.
Apr 21, 2012 |  0 comments | 10 10 recommendations | email to a friend
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Police recognize value of staying in shape, even if schedule makes it difficult
In Calhoun County, officials at the Anniston, Jacksonville and Oxford police departments estimated about 10 percent of the officers on their respective forces are overweight or obese.
Apr 15, 2012 | 12 12 recommendations | email to a friend
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Sweating to our health: An active lifestyle plays a huge role in trimming our waistlines
Calhoun County, our home, is a centerpiece to Alabama’s ecotourism movement. That brings certain advantages.
Apr 13, 2012 |  0 comments | 10 10 recommendations | email to a friend
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Liquid candy: Soda’s role in Alabama’s obesity epidemic
“Is sugar toxic?” 60 Minutes asked in a recent report. Three researchers, writing recently in Nature magazine, floated the idea that sugary sodas are so dangerous they should be treated like alcoholic beverages, meaning underage children shouldn’t be allowed to drink them.
Apr 11, 2012 |  0 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend
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A full plate of fat: The state’s obesity crisis has many causes
The reason for Alabama’s statewide health epidemic isn’t a rise in childhood obesity, or our passion for Southern cuisine, or our preference for driving instead of walking to work. It’s because Alabama doesn’t have enough skinny people. Follow that?
Apr 11, 2012 |  0 comments | 11 11 recommendations | email to a friend
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Today's Events
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Wednesday, 19, 2013
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Pond Spring- The Gener... 3:50 PM
Oxford Farmers market 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Join us for the kick-off of Oxford's first...
Oxford Farmers market 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
Join us for the kick-off of Oxford's first...
Hip Hop Hope Vacation ... 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM
$0 The Living by Faith Ministry will host Vac...
Man charged with robbing victims with sawed-off shotgun
by Rachael Brown
rgriffin@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 0 views |  0 comments | 1 1 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Kelly Tatum
Kelly Tatum
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Police charged a man this afternoon with robbing two people with a sawed-off shotgun Sunday night and charges for involvement in a separate shooting this afternoon could be pending, Anniston police wrote in a press release. Police were searching for Kelly Tatum, 53, of Anniston, this week as the robbery suspect, Anniston police Capt. Allen George wrote in the release. A 58-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman were visiting friends Sunday night at a home on the 1700 block of Cobb Avenue. The victims told police another man, with whom they were acquainted, opened the door holding the weapon, Anniston police Sgt. Chris Sparks told The Star this week. The suspect, Sparks said, told everyone he was going to rob them and fired shots into a window. The man was robbed of $400 and the woman had $600 taken, according to a police report. No one was injured during the incident. Sparks said the suspect fled in a car before police arrived. This afternoon, police were dispatched to 15th Street and Dooley Avenue after a home was shot into and gunfire was exchanged between two vehicles, the release said. George said no one was injured during the shootings. Tatum was discovered by a warrants investigator on the 2500 block of Paul Street standing outside a red Ford Explorer with a broken rear window, the release noted. Tatum was armed with a shotgun, according to the release, but he dropped the weapon when he was confronted by the investigator. Tatum was apprehended and charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, a felony, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor. Tatum could face additional felony charges for involvement in today’s shooting, the release said. Tatum was in the Anniston City Jail this afternoon. Bond and a court date have yet to be set. Staff Writer Rachael Brown: 256-235-3562. On Twitter @RBrown_Star.
Joe Medley's In My Opinion: So this is what an overexposed freshman looks like
by Joe Medley
jmedley@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 82 views |  0 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy last season as a redshirt freshman. (Associated Press photo)
Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy last season as a redshirt freshman. (Associated Press photo)
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It’s easy to trash Johnny Manziel after the off-season he’s had since becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Off-field headlines have many sizing him up as a one-hit wonder. With that in mind, he tweeted Sunday some unspecified “bull----” has him eager to leave College Station, Texas, where his school is based. Then he deleted the tweet and seemed to clarify. “Don’t forget that I love (Texas) A&M with all of my heart, but please please walk a day in my shoes,” he tweeted. The last year in his shoes has, appropriately, been more of a scramble than a walk. He went from not having played a collegiate down to winning the Heisman in less than four months and did it in the social-media era. The kid who could appear in public with little fanfare a year ago steps out and into twitpic hell, exposed flaws and all. No telling how many of his nearly 367,000 Twitter followers he walks by daily. Consider that Alabama’s AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb have 420,126 combined followers, and Manziel has more than twice McCarron’s 159,337. Alabama coach Nick Saban stands more validated than ever in limiting the public exposure of his freshmen. Contact Sports Columnist Joe Medley at jmedley@annistonstar.com. Read “In My Opinion” in every Anniston Star sports section, written by Star staff members.
HOT BLAST: Getting on track for bike tourism
Jun 19, 2013 | 78 views |  0 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Passengers board an Amtrak train during its stop at the Anniston station. (Anniston Star photo by Stephen Gross)
Passengers board an Amtrak train during its stop at the Anniston station. (Anniston Star photo by Stephen Gross)
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One of Anniston's big cycling dreams is for bicycle tourists to take advantage of the city's Amtrak stop, either to enjoy the Ladiga Trail or ride Coldwater Mountain.

The problem is only a few Amtrak routes allow passengers to bring their bicycles on board unless they are boxed up like luggage.

This report, however, finds "Amtrak is seeing increased demand for walk-on bike service across the United States."

The good news for Anniston and bike tourism is, "Steve Kulm, a spokesman for Amtrak, said the agency is looking for opportunities to retrofit train cars to allow more convenient bike transport."


Police: Fake check cashed at Anniston credit union
by Rachael Brown
rgriffin@annistonstar.com
Jun 19, 2013 | 1115 views |  0 comments | 10 10 recommendations | email to a friend | print
Anniston police were investigating this morning a forged check for more than $1,000 cashed at a local credit union Tuesday afternoon. Anniston police Capt. Allen George said a suspect cashed a check for $1,675 from a physician’s office in Gadsden at the Alabama Teachers Credit Union on U.S. 431. The check was cashed Tuesday between at around 3 p.m., according to a police report. George said the doctor’s office later called the credit union and told them the check was forged. The doctor’s office told police that a check was never written to the suspect, George said, and that the suspect does not work at the office. George said police were reviewing the credit union’s surveillance today. A suspect could be charged with felony second-degree possession of a forged instrument. Staff Writer Rachael Brown: 256-235-3562. On Twitter @RBrown_Star.
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