Truman Atkins, superintendent of the Walker County school system, has filed a $1.3 million libel lawsuit against Walker County Messenger in LaFayette, including Messenger publisher Don Stilwell, editor Andy Diffenderfer and staff writer Catherine Edgemon; Walker County residents Ralph Keith and Debbie Tindell and former Walker County resident Nathaniel Womble; and News Publishing Co. in Rome, parent company of the Messenger. David Archer, attorney for Atkins, filed the suit in Walker County Superior Court last Wednesday. Atkins is seeking a jury trial for each of the 13 counts named in the suit. The lawsuit alleges the Messenger "relied upon information from sources (Keith, Tindell and Womble) whom had personal animosity towards (Atkins)." The lawsuit stems from articles about a petition drive, spearheaded by Womble, to oust Atkins. Atkins has declined to comment on the petition drive. It also stems from letters to the editor, written by Keith and critical of the superintendent's tenure, as well as from a political cartoon drawn by Tindell of Atkins and the Walker Board of Education. For the rest of the story, pick up a copy of the Wednesday, Dec. 27, edition of the Walker County Messenger