Intent to kill should have same sentence as murder? Maybe

By Joe McAdory

Evidently the punishment for intentional murder or assault with a deadly weapon in Maryland is 35 years.

Arthur Bremer, 57, who shot Alabama Governor George Wallace in 1972 during a presidential campaign stop, will be released from prison Friday in Maryland. Wallace was paralyzed from the waist down and restricted to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Intent to kill and actually killing is a fine line. The controversial Wallace could have very easily died. At least that was Bremer’s desire. The fact that a gunshot victim survives a murder attempt changes a suspect’s sentence or time in jail raises my eyebrow. I wonder if the charges should be the same across the board. The intent was the same, live or die. Oh well, I’m not a judge so I guess it really doesn’t matter.

Ballard memorial service Friday

By Joe McAdory

Below is the Perry Ballard obituary from the Northwest Florida Daily News, sent to me from former Opelika-Auburn News staffer Jared Macarin.

William Perry Ballard, age 52, of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007, at his residence.

Perry was born in Selma, Ala., on July 26, 1955, the son of the late William Jackson “WJ” Ballard Jr. and Helen “Bebe” Perry Ballard.

He was a proud graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism, with minors in marketing, public relations and economics.

Perry was the sports editor at the Northwest Florida Daily News. He joined the newspaper in 1999 after a successful career in Alabama. Perry had more than 30 years of experience in the newspaper business.

Perry started his career in 1975 as sports editor at the Auburn Bulletin in Auburn, Ala. He later served as sports editor at the Opelika-Auburn News in Opelika, Ala. Perry served as that paper’s interim managing editor from 1998 to 1999. 

His specialty was covering professional and major college events. Perry had earned expert knowledge of the golf industry from working with the PGA and Champions tours. He was involved in all aspects of sports coverage including writing, design and reader satisfaction. Throughout his career, Perry won numerous journalism awards. In June 2007, he and his sports staff won first place in the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors contest for “Kickoff ’06,” a special football section perennially known as one of the best in the Southeast.

Perry also won a second-place FSNE award for his staff’s coverage of the 2006 Boeing Classic. Perry was a member of the Associated Press and Associated Press Sports Editors, the Florida Press Association, the Florida Sports Writers Association; Florida State Golf Association; charter member, Sigma Delta Chi Journalism Society-Auburn University; National Elector, Heisman Trophy; and member of the All Sports Association. He was a correspondent with MSNBC, Gannett News Service, Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New York Times Group and Golf World, Links
Magazine.

Perry’s many awards included the 2006 Associated Press Sports Editors Award for Deadline Writing; the 2003-2006 Florida Society of Newspaper Editors Award for Column Writing; the 1999-2006 Florida Sports Writer Association Award for Daily Design/Special Sections; the 1998 Associated Press sweepstakes Award for Column Writing; the 1997 Associated Press Sweepstakes Award for Deadline Writing; the 1995-1996 Associated Press First Place Award for Column Writing and First Place for Deadline Writing; the 1993 Associated Press Sweepstakes Award for Story of the Year; the 1992 Associated Press First Place Award for Column Writing, Deadline Writing and Feature Writing; the 1976-1998 Alabama Press Association Award for Best Column, Best Sports Feature, Best Sports Page and Deadline Writing.

Perry is survived by his wife, Jane Guillot Ballard of Fort Walton Beach; aunt, Pat Ballard Hartle of Albuquerque, N.M.; mother-in-law, Zelda Jane Carter; brother-in-law, Larry David Guillot; sister-in-law, Betty Burns Guillot, all of Navarre, Fla.; and numerous cousins residing in Charleston, S.C., Birmingham, Ala., Colorado and New Mexico.

A memorial service will be held at St. Simon’s-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on Friday at 1 p.m. with the Rev. William T. Richter Jr. officiating. Flowers will be accepted, or memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Davis Watkins Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Look out, Wes Byrum!!

By Joe McAdory

This is my 8-year-old, Joseph. I built a field goal out of PVC in the front yard and he boots 50 per day. We are accepting scholarship offers. So far, none have come in. Still working on eligibility and age requirements.

I can’t believe it: Perry Ballard found dead

By Joe McAdory

I can’t believe I’m about to write this, so here it goes ... former Opelika-Auburn News sports editor Perry Ballard was found dead in his Fort Walton Beach, Fla., home Tuesday afternoon. There it is. I said it. I still can’t believe it.

Perry was sports editor here from 1978 until September of 1999 when he accepted the same role at the Northwest Florida Daily News on the Gulf Coast. Perry hired me as this newspaper’s Prep Editor in 1995 and we worked together until he took his skills elsewhere. For the past two years, Perry has mentored former Opelika-Auburn News Prep Editor Jared Macarin, who has settled in at the Daily News covering the prep beat there.

I’m still kind of stunned about this whole deal. It’s hard to see someone you know and respect gone.

I’ll have much more on this somewhere in Thursday’s newspaper.

Dogs hunker down, but no flushing please

By Joe McAdory

Heading to Athens, Ga., on Saturday? If so, you might want to know what you could be getting into. It appears fans were prohibited from flushing the toilets at the stadium in an effort to save water. Granted, this probably saves a few thousand gallons, but when people pay top dollar for a ticket to an event, part of what they’re paying for should be proper facilities or at least full use of them. I understand the drought is horrendous, but I wonder if this would create an unsanitary situation.

Are fans encouraged to hunker down and relieve themselves behind trees outside the stadium before entering? Guess I will if I have to. Perhaps Depends will be on sale with other collegiate paraphernalia. Maybe I’ll just bring a pair of my own.

Also, since general patrons aren’t supposed to flush, I would expect that everyone inside the stadium follow the same set of rules. This includes the president’s box.

I’ll report more on this issue Saturday from the stadium. Below is a link to a story on the issue, which may be changed by Saturday.

http://www.macon.com/220/story/177033.html