Untitled Document

Monday, October 2, 2006

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Total Clips: 10

	Date	Outlet
Cities want say in how buildings look	10/02/2006	Birmingham News
PETA Accuses Auburn U. of Animal-Care Violations, citing Undercover Investigation	10/02/2006	Chronicle of Higher Education, The
Auburn group discovers elusive bird in Florida, Until last year, ivory-bill went unseen for 60 years	10/02/2006	Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Speaker famous among birders for woodpecker sighting	10/02/2006	Tallassee Democrat
National pumpkin shortage forecast; local growers report mixed harvests	10/02/2006	Athen News-Courier
Violation lands frat on social probation	10/02/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
High-tech analysis may rewrite space history	10/02/2006	Houston Chronicle
Bush makes his point on energy	10/01/2006	Birmingham News
Auburn alumni leader, Buddy Weaver of Brewton, dies at 67	09/29/2006	Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Brewton leader, Auburn supporter dies	09/29/2006	Press-Register


Cities want say in how buildings look 10/02/2006 Birmingham News Jeremy Gray		Return to Top
Dan Bennett, dean of AU's CADC was quoted in this story. After enjoying a few years of abundant growth, leaders in some Birmingham-area cities are taking a second look at some of their new buildings - and taking steps to ensure that future developments are more aesthetically pleasing. In the last two years, at least five metro-area cities - Trussville, Alabaster, Pelham, Calera and Columbiana - have created committees that can govern the design, landscaping, signs and building materials used in new commercial or residential developments. At least two others, Homewood and Chelsea, are considering them. Cities have long used zoning regulations to govern land use, but those regulations "can't zone for ugly," said Tom Wilkins, a senior planner for Shelby County. "That's what an architectural review committee looks at." Some area cities, including Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Birmingham, have had similar committees for years, but area planners said the concept is just now reaching much of the metro area, including Shelby County. When cities begin to experience commercial growth, their leaders sometimes hesitate to set requirements that might drive developers elsewhere, said Joey Hester, president of the Alabama chapter of the American Planning Association. "At some point, however, they realize the value of having development that is attractive," he said. "It's part aesthetics, but it's part economics as well," Hester said. "If you have a high-quality development that looks good, your city will look better and project a better image that will attract residents, make them want to stay, and - most importantly, in terms of economics - it'll attract other businesses that want to invest in the community." In June 2005, Trussville created a design review committee to make the city's booming commercial development more attractive, said City Councilman Wayne Taylor. "We just got tired of seeing buildings go up and then saying, "Why did they do that?'" Taylor said. "After you've seen enough, you realize there have to be ways to reach your goals." Among Trussville's goals is limiting what Taylor calls the "black swaths" created by large parking lots. Among the board's achievements, Taylor lists several developments, such as the new Pinnacle at Tutwiler Farm, where builders have agreed to use brick and stone siding and attractive landscaping. In March, Columbiana formed an ARC because merchants were concerned that a costly renovation of its downtown would be compromised if businesses were allowed to build with no restrictions on design, landscaping and choice of construction materials, Mayor Allan Lowe said. City Councilman Tom Seale tailored Columbiana's architectural review committee ordinance after one implemented a year earlier in Pelham, where Seale serves as finance director. Like Pelham's committee, the Columbiana ARC focuses solely on commercial development and is concerned only with how the buildings look. Metal siding isn't popular with the members of the Columbiana committee, but if a builder has an idea to make it aesthetically pleasing, they'll listen. In its two meetings, the committee has negotiated with builders, asking them to consider brick siding and shrubbery and even shift the direction a building would face to try to make the developments more appealing. "We don't want to slow down development or cast aspersions. ... We just want buildings that inspire others," Lowe said. Meanwhile, Calera in September created a different kind of ARC to consider plans for housing subdivisions rather than commercial development. Alabaster formed a committee two years ago to regulate design on the 111-acre site of a planned city center mixing municipal, retail and residential development. "After that's done, I could see us serving other purposes in the city," said City Councilman Tommy Ryals, a committee member. Chelsea and Homewood officials say they are considering committees of their own, although some in Homewood have expressed reservations. `Eye of the beholder': Homewood Mayor Barry McCulley said he favors having some protection against houses or businesses being built that don't mesh with their surroundings, but he said there must be a balance between aesthetics and personal freedom. "When you start telling people what they can do with their homes or their businesses, where does it stop?" McCulley asked. In the courtroom, sometimes. Dan Bennett, dean of Auburn University's College of Architecture, Design and Construction, said it's easier for subdivisions, many of which use covenants to regulate building design, to enforce such stipulations because home buyers sign deeds agreeing to abide by the measures. Some cities that created ARCs in other states have faced legal challenges to their actions, Bennett said. "It's really difficult to legislate aesthetics," he said. "So much of it is in the eye of the beholder." Others think it's well worth a try. Steve Higley, an associate professor of urban geography at the University of Montevallo, has asked the City of Montevallo to consider creating an ARC to oversee residential growth. Higley said committees that govern the style of commercial developments are long overdue in many cities. "You don't see any garish neon signs in Mountain Brook," Higley said. "Anything that gets built in Mountain Brook must meet their standards." The committees, Higley said, are a valuable tool that can keep thoroughfares from resembling the "rest of the commercial trash that litters the American landscape."
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PETA Accuses Auburn U. of Animal-Care Violations, citing Undercover Investigation 10/02/2006 Chronicle of Higher Education, The Jeffrey Brainard		Return to Top
Auburn University is the latest academic institution to become the target of a hidden-camera investigation of its research laboratories by the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The group said last week that Auburn had provided inadequate care, including ineffective pain medication, to dogs used in research experiments, in violation of federal regulations. A PETA operative was hired as a research assistant in one of the veterinary laboratories of the institution in Alabama and worked there undercover from February to October of 2005, surreptitiously videotaping the work there, said Kate Turlington, manager of investigations for the organization, which is based in Norfolk, Va. Based on the investigator's work, PETA alleges that the university broke the federal rules for the care of several dozen animals, some of which died unnecessarily as a result, she said. PETA sent its allegations to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has responsibility for enforcing the rules, in late August of this year, and has not yet heard anything back, Ms. Turlington said on Sunday. When the agency undertakes investigations, they can take months. "It's unfortunate that PETA has made unsubstantiated allegations" about Auburn's veterinary college, the university's director of public affairs, Brian C. Keeter, said in a written statement. The university's veterinary college and hospital "have a proven record of improving the quality of life for animals and a long history of compassionate care for dogs and cats," Mr. Keeter said. "We are proud that Auburn's College of Veterinary Medicine is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International." PETA has previously conducted hidden-camera investigations at other research labs, including at Columbia University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (The Chronicle, March 3.) In the Auburn case, PETA's allegations include that veterinarians solicited dog owners who paid the vets to perform kidney transplants on the animals without telling the owners that the technique was experimental and had never proven successful for the types of animals that underwent the procedure. The fee was $14,000 per animal, Ms. Turlington said. The group also alleged that university workers failed to provide exercise and socialization for dogs and to clean their cages. PETA chose to investigate Auburn after the group learned that the university received funds from the Iams Company, which manufactures premium dog and cat food, for a nutritional study of its products, Ms. Turlington said. In 2002 PETA had investigated a commercial animal-research lab in Missouri that did work under contract to Iams, and the group alleged that that laboratory, Sinclair Research Center, had violated federal animal-welfare rules. Ms. Turlington said that PETA wanted to see if similar violations existed in the Iams-sponsored study at Auburn, which has ended. (The U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated the allegations about Sinclair but has announced no findings, Ms. Turlington said. Iams ended its contract with Sinclair after PETA publicized its allegations about that facility.) PETA generally opposes all research on animals as a violation of their rights. The group also argues that researchers could successfully use other kinds of experimental methods. Most scientists reject both of those views.
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Auburn group discovers elusive bird in Florida, Until last year, ivory-bill went unseen for 60 years 10/02/2006 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Bryan Brasher		Return to Top
When it was announced in April 2005 that an ivory-billed woodpecker had been discovered in Arkansas, scads of birders from the southeastern United States packed up their spotting scopes and headed west. Auburn University professor Dr. Geoff Hill and his team went in another direction -- and made a discovery that may go down as one of the most important in birding history. It was revealed last week that Hill and students Brian Rolek and Tyler Hicks sighted an ivory-billed woodpecker -- a species recently believed to be extinct -- in the Florida Panhandle shortly after the historic Arkansas sighting was made public. They've sighted multiple ivory-bills since then -- and if their upcoming photo expedition is successful, they will get credit for documenting the first viable population of the birds in the United States since 1944. "I had little interest in running behind all of the birdwatchers in Arkansas," Hill said. "So we celebrated the 2005 sighting by going down south to explore places with suitable habitat for ivory-bills. Turns out, we found just what everyone else was looking for." As a 14-year Alabama resident, Hill said he desperately wanted to find an ivory-bill in his home state. So he began his exploration/celebration on the Pea River in southern Alabama. After spending an uneventful day kayaking on the Pea, the crew realized the river didn't have enough of the large cypress and tupelo trees that ivory-bills require. So they moved farther south to Florida's Choctawhatchee and hit paydirt almost immediately. "We just put our kayaks in the Choctawhatchee at a random point," Hill said. "Within an hour, we heard a strange knocking on one of the trees. Then Brian saw a bird. He described it to us, and what he gave was the perfect description of an ivory-bill." An hour later, the group heard the signature double knock of an ivory-bill and began noticing large, strangely shaped holes in trees. Some of the trees had scaled bark, a classic sign of ivory-bill feeding activity. "After one weekend trip, we knew the bird was there," Hill said. Working in private Like hunters who had located the territory of a trophy white-tailed deer or fishermen who had found the perfect ledge filled with big bass, Hill and his team kept their discovery quiet. They told only Dan Mennill, an Auburn Ph.D. and sound expert who is now an assistant professor at the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. Mennill recruited student Kyle Swiston to the project for assistance. The secrecy allowed them to have peace and quiet while much of the birding world was scrumming for elbow room on the bridges and overpasses of Arkansas. "I've never been big on so-called birding events," Hill said. "I prefer to do my birding in private, in places that people can't just drive right up to." While working in total privacy, Hill and his team had 14 encounters with the ivory-bill in a year's time. That's one for about every 15 days of work, but still quite good for a team seeking such a rare specimen. They had close-up encounters that allowed them to distinguish the bird from similar-looking pileated woodpeckers -- but none that allowed time for photography or video. A picture is worth... Word of the discovery was made public last week in "Avian Conservation and Ecology," an electronic scientific journal (www.ace-eco.org). Not surprisingly, the announcement turned the birding world on its beak. "It would be wonderful to confirm that a viable population of ivory-billed woodpeckers exists," said Greg Butcher, Director of Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society. "This announcement is a reminder of why it is so essential that we protect bottomland forests, wetlands and coastal habitats across the Southeast. These new sightings should reinvigorate efforts to find the bird in other portions of its historic range." Despite the rush of good tidings, Hill said he knows the scientific community will quickly lose interest if his group can't provide photographic proof of a bird soon. To get that proof, the veil of secrecy is coming off. "There are a lot of people who probably think we should already have a photo," Hill said. "But when you're wading or kayaking through a flooded area and you catch a glimpse of a bird, it's harder to get the camera on it than it seems like it would be. That's why we're going back with an entire crew of people who know what they're doing." Hill hopes to identify all of the viable nesting cavities in the area where the sightings were made and set up a stakeout. Some of the cavities will be monitored by actual human photographers, but most will be covered by automatic digital cameras programmed to take a photo every three seconds. Hill said the 24-hour cameras are the ones most likely to get the historic shot -- the one that makes Auburn University synonymous with yet another majestic bird. "I'd love to think that it would be some dramatic thing where a bird flies right in front of us and we get that perfect shot," Hill said. "But more than likely it will come from one of those thousands of photos shot by the automatic digitals." One way or another, Hill is confident his team will get the shot it needs. "This is not a belief that this bird is there," Hill said. "I know it. I've seen it. I believe it's just a matter of time before we'll be able to prove it."
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Speaker famous among birders for woodpecker sighting 10/02/2006 Tallassee Democrat Kati Schardl		Return to Top
Call it a case of ornithological serendipity. Bobby Harrison, one of the two researchers who rediscovered the ivory-billed woodpecker in the remote murk of an Arkansas swamp in 2004, will deliver the keynote address at this year's Florida Panhandle Birding and Wildflower Festival on Saturday. His fame in birding circles isn't the only thing to precede his appearance. Reports indicate that the bird that made Harrison famous may be alive and breeding on the Choctawhatchee River in the western Florida Panhandle. An Auburn University research team announced earlier this week that it has evidence that indicates ivory-billed woodpeckers are living in a remote region on the Choctawhatchee River in the Florida Panhandle. Ornithologist Geoff Hill of Auburn's College of Science and Mathematics and research assistants Tyler Hicks and Brian Rolek have reported 14 sightings of the presumed-extinct bird since an initial glimpse made on a kayaking expedition in May 2005. Recordings of the ivory-bill's distinctive "double knock" sound, the discovery of numerous large nest cavities and other evidence consistent with the large bird's behavior are documented in a report published in the online journal Avian Conservation & Ecology (www.ace-eco.org). "I personally think this will be the location where the definitive pictures and videos (of the bird) come from," Harrison said when contacted last week by the Democrat. Harrison said he believes the bird could be found in other Florida locations, including the Chipola and Apalachicola rivers in the Panhandle and Green Swamp in the central Gulf Coast region. The ivory-bill's preferred habitat is forested wetlands such as hardwood swamps and pine forests. The birding community has been in an uproar since Harrison and co-researcher Tim Gallagher revealed their Arkansas findings. Some experts refused to accept the pair's photos and videos as definitive evidence. In particular, David Sibley, author of "The Sibley Guide to Birds," expressed serious doubts. Sibley has been quoted as saying that he found the recent Florida reports "intriguing" but doubted that there's real evidence of ivory-bills existing in the Florida Panhandle. "Some critics will not believe the ivory-bill exists until they hold a dead one in their hands," Harrison said. Harrison said hard-to-obtain photographic evidence and even DNA samples would be necessary to convince the skeptics. "Why is it so hard to get photos of this bird?" he asked. "Well, it's typically seen flying away from you and it has a fast flight. The best chance of getting good photos is with remote cameras trained on feeding and roosting sites." Harrison has been in touch with Hill, who invited him to join the Auburn team's efforts to more completely document the ivory-billed woodpecker's presence in the Florida Panhandle. It's a mission Harrison gladly accepted. "This is a bird written off as early as 1900 as being extinct," he said. "It made a comeback in 1924, and again in 1935 (before being declared extinct). "The ivory-bill is a prime example of how man has mismanaged the forests since arriving on this continent. We've pushed the bird deeper and deeper into what little remnant is left of its habitat, and it has still hung on." Harrison sees the survival of the ivory-bill as a symbol of hope. "It's a symbol of what we need to do right now," he said. "Forest management has to change for all wildlife to benefit. "For so long, the ivory-bill was a symbol of what we had lost, what we had done wrong. When we're doing right for this bird, we're doing right for all creatures and for ourselves."
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National pumpkin shortage forecast; local growers report mixed harvests 10/02/2006 Athen News-Courier Keely Kazek		Return to Top
Joe Kemble, a horticulturist with the ACES at AU, is quoted in this story. — Local farmer Dickey Hobbs hasn' picked any pumpkins this year from his six-acre patch. So few of the fruits grew this year that he's not in a hurry to harvest. "We're not going to make a tenth as many" said Hobbs, who grows pumpkins as a sideline on the Hobbs farm in Elkmont. "I don’t think there will be three or four hundred." But Wes Isom, who planted 12 acres of pumpkins at Isom's Orchard this year, thinks the gourds will be plentiful in his patch. "They're a little thinner this year, but if they'll mature, I've got some that will actually be better than we had last year,' he said. "I'm not saying it's a good year, but we’'l have some good pumpkins." Rains from hurricanes caused some of the gourds to mildew last year, Isom said, and while the heat and drought have made this year's crop a little lighter, the fruits are fine. Limestone County seems to be faring better than Midwest farmers, said Joe Kemble, a horticulturist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service at Auburn University. "Despite the heat and everything this summer, I haven't heard any complaints of (produce buyers) not being able to find any," Kemble said. "One of the biggest problems we have is we don't plant enough pumpkins in Alabama to meet the demands of people here. We've been having to import them. It’s been a perennial problem." In the Midwest, it was too much rain rather than too little that caused a smaller pumpkin harvest, Kemble said, who added he is not sure what effect a shortage will have on prices. "If they're imported, prices could be higher," he said. He cautioned people to buy early. "If people wait too long to find a pumpkin, they may not find one," he said. Farmers in Alabama who were able to irrigate during dry weather will likely have a good yield, Kemble said, but the fruits may not be as large as they typically are. "We have an advantage in Alabama in that pumpkins grow much faster here and growers have good window," he said. A farmer who wants to harvest near the first of October will plant in July, whereas a farmer in the Midwest would plant much earlier. In Alabama, about 1,100 acres of pumpkins are planted annually, Kemble said. Hobbs said he would lose from $8,000 to $10,000. "Mine are not any good; it'l be a big loss," said Hobbs, who began pumpkin farming in 1995. Isom said he typically plants 20 acres, but something made him decide to plant only 12 this year. "We've started picking them," he said. The pumpkins that have been harvested are on sale at the family's produce stand on U.S. 72 East. The Isoms grow several varieties of pumpkins and gourds, including old-fashioned pumpkins; Fairy Tales, which are squat with deep ridges like Cinderella’s carriage pumpkin; French Heirlooms and more.
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Violation lands frat on social probation 10/02/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
Prohibiting fraternities or sororities from hosting social events may sound like a meager punishment for breaking the rules at Auburn University, but it’s not. "The social aspect is a big part of being in a fraternity," said Max Coblentz, acting president of the Interfraternity Council. Not being able to have social gatherings, "can hurt your brotherhood, your unity." But rules are rules. The Phi Kappa Tau fraternity was the first to break the rules this school year, after the IFC court found they violated university policy by having alcohol at a recruiting event. Paul Kittle, AU's director of Greek life, said the house was put on social probation for one month, which ends Sunday. They also were prohibited from participating in any intramurals. Attempts to reach members of Phi Kappa Tau for comment were unsuccessful. Kittle admitted his office likely never would have known about the violation had they not gone to the house over a litter complaint. When officials asked members about the event, they said it was for recruiting. The trash included alcohol containers. Kittle said all recruiting events have to be dry. The party, which included a band, was also open to the public, another no-no under university rules. "We don't want a student's first introduction (to the Greek system) to be alcohol, plus recruits are typically underage," he said. "BYOB (Bring your own booze) is the norm for social events. But if you have a recruiting event, alcohol should play no role there." Kittle said Phi Kappa Tau members completely admitted what happened, but claimed they didn't know it was wrong. Such a response surprises Coblentz, who belongs to a frat, because the university and IFC go to great lengths to make sure every member of the Greek system at AU is educated about acceptable and unacceptable practices, especially when it comes to recruiting. The university takes any violation seriously, but especially those involving student safety, Kittle said. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident. Both Kittle and Coblentz agree slapping a frat or a sorority with social probation is justified and effective. "When they lose their social privileges, it's a big deal," explained Kittle. "From the outside looking in, (social probation) looks pretty easy, but when it's a big part of what they do, it clamps down on them." "When you take it away from them, they really think about what they are doing, especially during the football season," added Coblentz. Phi Kappa Tau has missed having any social events on gamedays this year. The Oct. 7 game versus Arkansas will be its first of the year. Almost any time a frat or sorority breaks the rules, Kittle said the IFC court can issue social probation. Less than five cases warranted the punishment last year, the majority being violations of fire and life safety issues. "We've come a long way," said Coblentz. "We've gotten to where fraternity members are educated now. We are changing the culture."
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High-tech analysis may rewrite space history 10/02/2006 Houston Chronicle Mark Carreau		Return to Top
AU historian Jim Hansen, Armstrong's official biographer, is featured in this story. Astronaut Neil Armstrong's first words from the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969, now can be confidently recast, according to the research, as, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." It is the more dramatic and grammatically correct phrasing that Armstrong, now 76, has often said was the version he transmitted to NASA's Mission Control for broadcast to worldwide television. With the technology of the 1960s, however, his global audience heard his comment without the "a," making it "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" — a phrase that technically gave the same meaning of humankind to "man" and "mankind." The discrepancy has been widely debated for years by historians, academics and fans of space travel, with the "a" sometimes appearing in parentheses in government documents and Armstrong being listed on unofficial Web sites as being guilty of a momentous flub. The missing one-letter word was found this month in a software analysis of Armstrong's famous phrase by Peter Shann Ford, a Sydney, Australia-based computer programmer. Ford's company, Control Bionics, specializes in helping physically handicapped people use their nerve impulses to communicate through computers. On Thursday, Ford and Auburn University historian James R. Hansen, Armstrong's authorized biographer, presented the findings to Armstrong and others in a meeting at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. They repeated the presentation at NASA's Washington headquarters, which has long backed Armstrong's version of the phrasing. "I have reviewed the data and Peter Ford's analysis of it and I find the technology interesting and useful," Armstrong said in a statement. "I also find his conclusion persuasive. Persuasive is the appropriate word." According to Ford, Armstrong spoke, "One small step for a man ..." in a total of 35 milliseconds, 10 times too fast for the "a" to be audible. The "a" was transmitted, though, and can be verified in an analysis using a Canadian sound editing software called GoldWave , Ford said. Critics have suggested that Armstrong either botched a missive written for him by a government official ahead of his lunar step or that the poor wording was a sign of his lack of awareness of its significance. The Web site http://www.slipups.com notes, "Mr. Armstrong's quote left out that ever important letter "a". His quote, 'One small step for man; one giant leap for mankind' should have been 'One small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind,' Without it he basically said, 'One small step for mankind; one giant leap for mankind.' " Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia of sorts, states in an entry on Armstrong that "for some reason the 'a' was never spoken." However, Armstrong told biographer Hansen that he composed the phrase during the six hours and 40 minutes between his drama-tinged landing and the time he and Apollo 11 crewmate Buzz Aldrin emerged from their lander, Eagle, to walk on the moon. In the 2005 book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, Armstrong told Hansen that others have pointed out that he can often be heard dropping the vowels from his speech in his radio transmissions. "It doesn't sound like there was time for the word to be there," Armstrong said in the book. "On the other hand, I didn't intentionally make an inane statement, and . . . certainly the "a" was intended, because that's the only way the statement makes any sense. "So I would hope that history would grant me leeway for dropping the syllable and understand that it was certainly intended, even if it wasn't said -- although it might actually have been." Roger Launius ), who chairs the space history division at the Air and Space Museum, was among those who heard the experts' presentations this week. "In the overall scheme of world history, it's probably not that significant. But it's nice to know that what he thought he said, he actually did say, and that because of the nature of the electronic and the communications systems of the time, it just did not get through," said Launius, a former NASA historian. NASA spokesman David Mould said he has asked NASA's own audio analysts to review Ford's findings. Ford said he began his detective work two weeks ago after a bicycle ride in Ohio. As he rested, he reflected on a favorite topic from his days as a medical student: the Apollo 11 moon landing. "When they started in talking about the phrase . . . . I thought that was pretty stupid," Ford recalled. "They just put a man on the moon, why worry about an 'a'? Later, I thought Armstrong was such a good pilot, so precise, it's unlikely he would actually screw up a line." Ford's interest was fueled as well by his work as a Cable News Network anchorman more than two decades ago, when his duties included news coverage of NASA. He used his computer to download the audio recording of Armstrong's words from a NASA Web site and analyzed the speech pattern with the GoldWave software. In the graphic tracing, he found a signature for the missing "a," evidence it was spoken and transmitted. Ford then checked First Man and found Hansen's account of Armstrong's historic step off the lunar lander as well as the astronaut's explanation for the missing word. The account matched what he had found with the GoldWave analysis. Ford contacted Hansen and compiled his findings in the format of a scientific paper. "It was meant for all mankind, and it's important to have it correct," Hansen said of the phrase. "It's a concise, eloquent statement for the ages at a unique milestone for our species."
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Bush makes his point on energy 10/01/2006 Birmingham News Jerry Underwood, Business Editor		Return to Top
Bush makes his point on energy President George W. Bush used his trip to Hoover last week to stress a point - his administration is serious about alternative energy. Inside a room at the Hoover Public Safety Center, he sat down with five Alabamians for a private conversation on the topic. Phillip Wiedmeyer, who is associated with the Central Alabama Clean Cities group that promotes alternative energy sources, was one of them. The others were Gov. Bob Riley, Hoover Mayor Tony Petelos, Auburn University professor David Bransby and David Lindon, who manages Hoover's fleet of E85 vehicles. Wiedmeyer came away convinced that Bush is serious about his pledge to reduce the nation's appetite for foreign crude, which he has described as an 'addiction.' Topics discussed during the 0-minute meeting included new technologies for making ethanol, biodiesel and nuclear power, among other things. Climate change came up briefly. Conservation was not discussed. 'He views it, as he expressed it to us, as very important to lessen our dependence on foreign oil,' Wiedmeyer said. 'His commitment to it came across as strong.' A primary theme of the discussion was Bush's desire to diversify the nation's fuel mix to include more ethanol. In Hoover, Bush got a look at the city's fleet of Chevy Tahoes that run on a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 5 percent gasoline and a pumping station for those vehicles. Wiedmeyer said Bush believes E85 vehicles can help make a difference. 'He thinks it's a no-brainer for consumers to purchase vehicles that can burn both fuels because there is little or no price difference,' said Wiedmeyer, who works as director of the Applied Research Center of Alabama in Birmingham. During the private meeting, Bush heard from Auburn's Bransby on research being conducted at the university on making ethanol from switchgrass, a better source than corn or soybeans because it's clean and more plentiful. Bush later noted the point during the appearance at the Hoover E85 pumping station. After watching a city vehicle fueled up with the ethanol mix, he told a small crowd that using American-made fuels will lessen dependence on foreign oil. 'That's what we just witnessed,' he told them. The president heard from Wiedmeyer on the importance of pumping federal dollars and incentives into programs to increase the availability of alternatives such as E85, sold now at only a small number of stations. Wiedmeyer urged Bush to back policies that aim to push private capital into building an alternative-fuel infrastructure. Wiedmeyer left the meeting full of hope that talk of pursuing alternative energy strategies won't evaporate with falling gasoline prices. 'If the president of the United States is that committed to this, then I am more optimistic than ever that it will happen,' he said. Jerry Underwood is business editor of The News. His e-mail junderwood@bhamnews.com.
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Auburn alumni leader, Buddy Weaver of Brewton, dies at 67 09/29/2006 Columbus Ledger-Enquirer Associated Press		Return to Top
This AP story also appeared in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. BREWTON, Ala. - Brewton businessman Earl Hagood 'Buddy' Weaver, who served as president of the alumni association and chairman of the Auburn University Foundation Board, has died. He was 67. Weaver, who died Wednesday at his home in Brewton, recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Auburn University Alumni Association. 'Buddy will be missed as a friend and as an ardent Auburn supporter,' said Auburn President Ed Richardson. 'He never missed an opportunity to help this university.' A graduate of Auburn, he was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree for his service to the school. He also was remembered for his civic work in his hometown. 'His passing is a real loss to Brewton,' said Weaver's longtime friend Broox Garrett. 'He did so much for this area - so many things that most people never even knew about.' Survivors include his wife of 45 years, Sandra Huxford Weaver, two daughters and five grandchildren. Graveside services were Friday at Union Cemetery in Brewton. Information from Press-Register, http //www.al.com/mobileregister
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Brewton leader, Auburn supporter dies 09/29/2006 Press-Register Connie Baggett		Return to Top
This story also appeared in the Birmingham News. Brewton businessman and community leader Earl Hagood "Buddy" Weaver died Wednesday at his home in Brewton. He was 67. Weaver, a graduate of Auburn University, served as president of the alumni association and as chairman of the Auburn University Foundation Board. He worked as interim vice president for alumni and development at the university from 1994-95 and was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters degree for his service to the school. The Auburn University Alumni Association recently named Weaver as a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award. "Buddy will be missed as a friend and as an ardent Auburn supporter," said Auburn University President Ed Richardson. "He never missed an opportunity to help this university." Brewton-area residents said Weaver was dedicated to community service, conservation efforts and to his family. "His passing is a real loss to Brewton," said Weaver's longtime friend Broox Garrett. "He did so much for this area -- so many things that most people never even knew about." Garrett said Weaver never sought the spotlight, preferring to work quietly on a number of projects in his hometown. "He was deeply involved in Brewton's long-range planning and wrote the report, assembling information to submit for the Brewton Development Authority." In addition to his business interests, Weaver was active in more than a dozen civic groups and organizations. He was a member of Brewton First United Methodist Church. Weaver is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sandra Huxford Weaver; two daughters, Suzanne Weaver Zimmer of Montrose and Laura Weaver Grier of Aiken, S.C.; a sister, Anita Weaver Wall of Brewton; five grandchildren, Allen, Camilla and Caroline Grier, and Joshua and James Zimmer. Graveside services are set for 2 p.m. today at Union Cemetery in Brewton with the Rev. Ed Glaize officiating. The family requests that memorials be made to any charity of the donor's choosing. © 2006 The Mobile Register © 2006 al.com All Rights Reserved.
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