POWERGRAMS

27 the family's location in Spanish Fort. Hare's sister, Brooke Richardson, is a nurse practitioner in Greenville who is also involved in the family business. Whether they're hungry for the $15.99 all-you-can- eat catfish, the low-country boil, the seafood plate or the rib-eye and shrimp special, patrons keep flocking to the country cabin atmosphere of David's Catfish House in Monroeville. "It is extremely busy every day," says Hare, who moved with her parents to Monroeville when she was 18 and has never le. "People come from all over the place to eat with us." Good News for the People As major U.S. printed publications have shut down in recent years aer a century or more in business, Monroeville's hometown weekly has pressed on. A quick look at the long newsroom wall, covered from floor to ceiling with awards, shows The Monroe Journal has also set itself apart in Alabama. "We are proud of being consistently in the top three in state awards," says Managing Editor Mike Qualls in his office filled with Crimson Tide memorabilia. "We had an unprecedented string of six straight General Excellence awards in the 1990s as the top newspaper in the large weekly division." Qualls' wife, Barbara, began working at the Journal soon aer they were married. He joined the print shop staff six months aerward and they've played a vital role in community news since that day in 1976. Qualls was writing sports when Kermit "Bo" Bolton bought the paper in 1997, and wasted lile time in promoting Qualls to lead the news team. "He knew I was born and lived in Monroe County and I wasn't going anywhere," Qualls says. "Two weeks later, I tried to give the job back to him." By then, newspaper ink had been coursing through the Qualls' veins too long for a step down the ladder. They kept riding to work together day aer day aer decade, doing different duties it takes to put the now- 151-year-old rag in the racks. They've sold ads, wrien stories, taken photos, run the press and thrown the papers … and so has Bolton and his family. "Everyone here wears more than one hat," Qualls says. "Everyone has at least two jobs and some of them more than that. We've been able to keep our staff (of 22 employees) where it's at with diversification." The paper incorporated by Harper Lee's father in 1929 has a circulation of about 8,000. Its printing press steadily churns out 13 unrelated area newspapers that no longer have presses or the staff to man them. The print shop's high-tech press also produces full-color glossy magazines, such as Discover Monroe County Living. The team put together by Bolton is one of the most honored by the Alabama Press Association, having won more than 200 awards in the past decade alone for news and advertising. The APA's Beer Newspaper Contest in recent years has judged the Journal the best in news and sports writing, editorials, page design and presswork, among other categories. As the Journal racks up honors each year, other Alabama small town papers have begun to mirror the look of Monroeville's. Qualls understands that a successful newspaper is much more than appearance, however, and he's ridden the roller coaster of reactions to his award-winning editorials, photos and coverage of local events. "The thing you have to be is consistent," he says, heading off to a school board meeting just down the street. "That's really all you can do and all your readers can ask." The Builders of Their Destiny Aer Julio Jones catches a game-winning touchdown or Freddie Freeman knocks a walk-off homer, fans will walk out of the Braves' new Suntrust Park and Atlanta Falcons Stadium through walls built in Monroeville. Architectural concrete panels in both buildings were made by Gate Precast Co. and delivered by Billy Barnes Enterprises, another major Monroe County employer. The opening of both professional sports arenas is among the latest efforts by Gate to "shape skylines" across the South, including the air traffic control tower at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Navy Federal Credit Union headquarters in Florida, Tiger Stadium in Louisiana and the Social Security Administration building in Birmingham. About 200 local employees working two daily eight- Cheese grits and catfish on state list of best dishes. Qualls is longtime editor of The Monroe Journal.

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