Bill Raines always wore a cap with a locomotive rushing forward on the front. This was not only a symbol of his foray into publishing, but also a signifier of who he was: always moving forward. He died on May 24, 2024, at 49 years old, after a multi-year struggle with cancer.
He was a public servant of the first degree, receiving numerous awards for his community service. According to his obituary, in 2010, he won service awards from the Wal-Mart Foundation and Kroger Corporation for community service. He volunteered as firefighter serving the Indian Creek VFD, Perry VFD, and the former Williams VFD. He served as president of the Lawrence County Firefighter Association and was the American Red Cross Chapter chairman from 2008-10. While serving as the president of the Lawrence County Fire Association, he was able to get defibrillators placed in every fire station in Lawrence County; at the same time, he saved the life of a 10-month-old child, for which he received the Life-Saving Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
He was the pastor of the House of Prayer church in Fayetteville. Before turning to work in media, Raines worked at Walmart from 1990 to 1998, the Martin County Ambulance Service from 1998 to 2002, and then at Kroger until 2017. He went to work for the first time in journalism at WBIW, staying until 2021, when he started his own media company, the Lawrence County Zephyr. Having no training in journalism, he told fellow reporters before he died, “I'm all about accountability," and that’s what drove him to found his publication.
Of course, Raines wasn't solely motivated to try out journalism by wanting more information for his community. He also created the Zephyr to share his opinion on the news, something trained reporters are discouraged from doing.
Bob Ridge, a longtime local columnist, wrote in a Facebook post, "What Billy lacked in journalistic expertise often was overlooked or forgiven, because the guy with the contagious smile was obviously a tireless worker, and determined to provide news to his beloved community."
Numerous tributes echoed both online and in Lawrence County government offices when Raines died. The county council observed a moment of silence.
Lawrence County Commissioners President Wallace Branham said, "He was a public servant, and he had a way of disagreeing without being disagreeable."
Raines' drive to serve the public only continued into his final month, when he ran for a seat on the county council. In the GOP-sponsored event prior to the election, Raines was the only candidate to cite numbers related to the costs of infrastructure needs and the relationship with higher taxes.
“Sixty million will probably have to be spent for three of the bridges that are currently closed,” he said then. While he did not win in the May 7 primary, Raines said he ran “to put my money where my mouth is and put myself in a position of changing some of the things I talk about on my website.”
He died three weeks later. He is survived by two brothers and two sisters; six nieces and a nephew; and great nieces and nephews.
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