Hello Again!

It's been almost a year since I posted last. My apologies to those who were reading on a regular basis. My little girl has kept my wife and I very busy leaving little time for blogging. I do hope to get back to posting on a semi-regular basis though. Until then, I want to give you some quick hitters on some of the topics facing our city at this time:

- We have a rather important vote before us next Tuesday. As you are probably well aware, we go to the polls next week to decide if we want to sell alcohol within the city limits of Guin. I encourage you, no matter your viewpoint, to go vote. I also encourage you to read Saturday's Journal Record to get a rundown of the alcohol ordinance we put in place last week in the event of a yes vote.

- The Holiday Inn Express which was announced recently is finalizing paperwork for their financing. Their ground breaking should occur in the coming weeks.

- The Toyota plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi recently announced plans to ramp up and produce vehicles by the fall of 2011. The city of Guin and Marion County are working hard to bring spin off suppliers to our area. Statistics show that for every 1 job created by a auto manufacturer, 12 supplier jobs are also created. With 2000 jobs planned for Toyota, that's 12,000 supplier jobs that have to go somewhere. Why not here?

- We had another great July 4th celebration last weekend here in Guin. The fireworks show was probably the best I've seen since I've been in the area. The crowd was amazing. It's always nice to see those from surrounding communities and counties come to Guin for their Independence Day celebration. And thanks to all those who work hard to put this event on.

That's all for now. There will be more later as we move forward from this vote on Tuesday. Take care.

Bobby Bellew