Scores of parents who have enrolled their children at The Little Tree preschool just outside of Jacksonville have learned how to appreciate the small things. For these parents, a smile or a hug or even a complaint like “my tummy hurts” from their child is often cause for celebration. That’s because many have children with special needs that turn routine milestones — like uttering the words “mommy” and “daddy” — into major life moments.

At a Monday meeting the Jacksonville City Council approved a resolution to accept a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant in the amount of $810,801 for a community storm shelter.

Four nonprofits are asking the city of Piedmont to reconsider recent changes in electricity rate policy, changes that at least doubled the typical bills those customers pay.

“They say God works in mysterious ways, but we know he has a plan,” said John Hodge, director of operations for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Officials at the conference said a 3.5-mill increase would generate roughly $7 million in revenue annually. Of that about $3.9 million would be used to shore up the communication’s system, $2.5 million would be used to pay school resource officers and about $700,000 would be allocated to the Calhoun and Talladega county commissions for public safety, said Kevin Jenkins, who heads the board that administers the radio system.

Back in the day — we'll call it the '60s — the fanciest devices available to teachers were filmstrip projectors and "reading machines" that were supposed to help little kids learn how to scan type quickly. Today's array of interconnected devices, on the other hand, is fundamentally altering the traditional roles of "teacher" and "student".

Mr. Barnwell worked for the city of Jacksonville and retired from the Utility Department. In retirement he made time for other simple things, like visiting with his old friend Rufus Carr.

Last year roughly 4,500 computers were dependent on the county’s system. That figure shot up to as many as 9,500 devices this year when the system began allowing students to bring their own smartphones, tablets and laptop computers to class.