A LABAMA L EDGER
APRIL 2023
PAGE 2 www.AlabamaLedger.com
BOZ SCAGGS CONCERT - The Sand Mountain Amphitheater in Albertville will be hosting Platinum recording artist Boz Scaggs on June 3, 2023. Scaggs is known for his innovative white soul music during the 1970s. However, he has recorded many other styles of music as well, ranging from rhythm and blues and folk to slick urban pop and disco. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, before beginning his solo career in 1969. His 1976 album Silk Degrees peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 and produced the hit singles "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown". COUNTING CROWS - Sand Mountain Amphitheater is set to host the world renowned rock band Counting Crows with special guest Dashboard Confessional on Saturday, August 12, 2023. According to a news release the "Counting Crows have enchanted listeners worldwide for more than two decades with their intensely soulful and intricate take on timeless rock & roll. Exploding onto the music scene in 1993 with their multi-platinum breakout album, August and Everything After, the band has gone on to release seven studio albums, selling more than 20 million records worldwide." MASTER ACCORDIONIST - The Sand Mountain Amphitheater in Albertville will be hosting Ramón Ayala on September 9, 2023. Ramón Ayala is a master accordionist, vocalist, and songwriter with a career that spans over 40 years. He has defined norteño music with signature songs and definitive instrumental styling that have made him a superstar on both sides of the El Rio Grande. BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL - The 3rd Annual May on the Mountain Bluegrass Festival will be held at the Henagar City Park on Saturday, May 13, 2023. Artists will perform on the back porch of the cabin from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The entertainment schedule includes: The Tatum's, McBride Family, Keith Prater and Lacy Creek, The Baileys, Car Towns and Upward Road, Eric McKinney and Friends, Backwoods Revival, Deadwood Drive, Heritage, Southern Reign, and New Home. This festival is free admittance with vendors available for purchase of food, drinks, and crafts. Be sure to bring a lawn chair. ROD RUN - The 15th annual Cody Renfroe Rod Run will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Crossville City Park from 4-8 p.m. The event will include vintage cars, street rods, hot rods, motorcycles and tractors. There is no entry fee. The car show is in memory of Cody Renfroe, who was a volunteer firefighter that passed away in the line of duty in 2008. For more information call 256-302-3637 or 256-927-2404. FOREVER WILD BOARD MEETING - The Board of Trustees of the Alabama Forever Wild Land Trust will hold its second quarterly meeting of 2023 on Thursday, May 4, at the Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge at 10 a.m. At this meeting, updates on Forever Wild program activities and tract assessments will be presented. This meeting will also provide an opportunity for any individual who would like to make comments concerning the program to address the board. The public is invited to attend. Quarterly meetings of the Forever Wild Board are held to maximize public input into the program. Only through active public participation can the best places in Alabama be identified and conserved in order to remain forever wild. Learn more at www.outdooralabama.com. FOLEY HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL - The 19th Annual Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival will be held in Foley on May 4-6, 2023. The event will start on Thursday April 4 and run from 5-9 p.m. Times for Friday are 2 p.m.-10 p.m. and the times for Saturday are 11a.m.- 10 p.m. MISS POTATO FESTIVAL PAGEANT - The 2023 Miss Potato Festival Pageant will be held on Saturday May 20 at the Sylvania High School Lunchroom. The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. The pageant is open to girls residing in Jackson County or DeKalb County from ages birth to age 18. Entry fee is $40 with optional entries for $5 a piece. Forms can be picked up at Henagar City Hall. For more info call 256-657-6282. STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL - The Town of Cullman will host its annual strawberry festival on May 6, 2023. Now in its 84th year, the one-day event is Alabama’s longest- running strawberry festival. The event hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Festhalle Farmers Market and Depot Park located at 309 1st Avenue NE in downtown Cullman. The Festival's admission is free. Along with fresh strawberries, the Strawberry Festival offers a variety of food vendors, the Miss Strawberry Festival Pageant, a doggy “paw” pageant and after party, a baking competition, a kid’s area with games, small amusement rides and inflatables (fee to participate) and artisan vendors selling handcrafted collectibles and locally-sourced products. This year’s event welcomes chart-topping acts such as Blues Traveler, Parmalee, and up-and-coming artists like FilmoreMusic and Tim Montana. Anyone will be able to view this year’s Strawberry Festival Concert, but the best vantage point will require a ticket. General admission ticket is $25/person and VIP is $75/person. To purchase tickets visit www.cullmanstrawberryfest.com/entertainment. For more info call 256-734-9157. DECATUR HOT AIR BALLOON FESTIVAL - More than 50 hot-air balloons will fill the sky above Decatur the last weekend in May during the annual Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic. The festival is set for Memorial Day weekend, May 27-28, 2023, at Point Mallard Park. It features hot air balloons, live music, a balloon glow, antique cars and tractors, motorcycles, arts and crafts, fireworks and other family fun with activities on the ground and in the air. The celebration begins on Saturday, May 27, at 6:30 a.m., with the hound and hare balloon race: one balloon flies off the Jubilee field and the others try to follow to see which pilot can get closest to a target put down by the hare balloon. Additional activities on Saturday include an antique and classic auto expo from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. behind the Ice Complex and the Southland Flywheelers will host an antique tractor show, featuring some of the best restored and maintained tractors in the Southeast, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. A tractor parade follows at 10 a.m., and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be tractor games and a pedal tractor park opens for kids 6 years old and under. From 5:15 to 7:15 p.m., some balloons will lift off for an evening flight and festivalgoers can catch a free tethered ride with some of the ones remaining on the field, and at 8:15 p.m. the Balloon Glow is a must see as towering balloons of all colors light up Point Mallard Park. Admission to the Alabama Jubilee is free. For more information and a schedule of events, visit www.alabamajubilee.net. Announcements & Events
The Albertville High School culinary team took home the top prize at the 2023 Alabama ProStart Student Invitational, marking the fourth time in seven years for them to do so. The victory earned them a spot at the National ProStart Student Invitational coming up in May in Washington, D.C. Members of the Culinary team include (L-R) AHS Secondary ProStart Instructor Brittanee Johnson, team members Sara Bledsoe, Emma Rhoden, Jaxon Dendy, Yenifer Aguilar Perez, Hong Wa NG (Daisy), and AHS Lead ProStart Instructor Lauren Richards. Albertville Culinary Wins Top Prize Submitted Photo Man Arrested for Murder of Police Officer
apartment complex when Juan Robert Laws, age 24, shot and injured two Huntsville Police Officers. Huntsville Police Officer Garrett Crumby was fatally wounded in the incident. Fellow officer Albert Morin was injured and transported to Huntsville Hospital Laws was also injured during the course of the incident and was transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment. After receiving medical law-abiding taxpayers,” said James E. Dorsey, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. The Atlanta Field Office covers the states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The COVID-related crimes that the IRS- CI Atlanta Field Office investigated include: Leone Buchieri of Lawrenceville, GA, was sentenced on Feb. 6, 2023, to 19 months in prison, 24 months’ probation, and ordered to pay $472,248 in restitution. Buchieri falsified PPP loan applications by creating false bank statements and claiming he paid employee wages totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars when he did not have any employees. Buchieri used the fraudulent proceeds to purchase a luxury vehicle and other items. Janola Massaquoi of Shreveport, LA, plead guilty on September 1, 2022, to making false statements to a federal agency.
treatment Laws was booked into the Madison County Jail and charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer. One female victim was also injured and transported to a nearby medical facility for treatment. At the time of the press release, no additional information was available as the investigation is ongoing. Once complete, the findings will be turned over to Madison County District Attorney’s Office. Massaquoi used $250,000 of a COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan for her personal use. Massaquoi sentencing is scheduled for May 15. Jason Carl Pears of Fairhope, LA, was sentenced on Nov. 22, 2022, to 30 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay $1.2 million dollars in restitution. After successfully securing over $1.2 million in PPP loan funds, Pears spent the money items, including luxury goods and real estate. “IRS-CI is proud to lead the fight against COVID-related fraud. Any criminal looking to exploit the CARES Act should know that there are consequences for stealing from hardworking Americans.” said IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee. IRS-CI encourages the public to share information regarding known or suspected fraud attempts against any of the programs offered through the CARES Act. To report a suspected crime, taxpayers may visit IRS.gov.
On Tuesday, March 28, at the request of the Huntsville Police Department, Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) launched an investigation into an officer‐involved shooting which occurred at 4611 Governors House Drive in Huntsville. According to authorities, Huntsville Police Officers were responding to a call at the Three after the enactment of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) has investigated 975 tax and money laundering cases related to COVID fraud with alleged fraud in these cases totaling $3.2 billion. These cases include a broad range of criminal activity, including fraudulently years obtained loans, credits and payments meant for American workers, families, and small businesses. As a result of these cases, 458 individuals have been indicted for their alleged COVID-related crimes, and 236 individuals have been sentenced to an average of 37 months in federal prison. Throughout the three years, CI has a nearly 100% conviction rate in prosecuted cases. “The hundreds of convictions for CARES Act fraud sends a message to criminals that IRS-Criminal Investigation special agents will continue their pursuit for justice on behalf of
IRS Reports 975 COVID Related Fraud Cases Valued at $3.2B
How to contact The Sports Ledger, LLC & Alabama Ledger EMAILS Five County Service Area
The Sports Ledger, LLC Established in 2006 MAILING ADDRESS PO BOX 175 Albertville, AL 35950
Alabama Ledger - Established in 2020 Home Owned, Operated, and Published by The Sports Ledger, LLC.
TheSportsLedger@gmail.com AlabamaLedger@gmail.com READ FREE ONLINE AT www.thesportsledger.com www.alabamaledger.com God Bless America!
PUBLISHER Brandon K. Pierce MANAGING EDITOR Myra W. Pierce
TELEPHONE 256-506-7368
Not affiliated with any other sports or news publication.
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker