Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday, March 18 announced the Primary Runoff Election would be held on July 14 due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. “Exercising my extraordinary powers under the Emergency Management Act, I am setting Alabama’s Primary Runoff Election for July 14, 2020,” said Ivey. “The ability to hold free and fair elections is an inherent right as citizens of the United States and the great State of Alabama, but the safety and well-being of Alabama citizens is paramount.

The first case of Coronavirus (COVID - 19) was reported in Alabama in Montgomery on Friday, March 13. Like a bad horror movie, the aftermath of the virus has caused almost a total disruption in the lives of most people. As the cases and geographic areas where the virus has been located has increased, the toll on modern life has also escalated.

The Fayette County Commission approved a new cyber-security plan for its employees during its March 9 meeting. All commissioners were present at the meeting. The meeting also was the last meeting that County Administrator John Gordon would be attending as administrator. Gordon will take a couple of weeks vacation before his official retirement begins on April 1. He has served the county for the past 22 years as administrator.

The Fayette City Council set the dates and qualifying fees for the upcoming municipal elections during its March 10 meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. Mayor Ray Nelson announced that qualifying for the municipal election will occur from July 7 - 21. The municipal election will take place on Aug. 25, with the runoff election, if necessary on Oct. 6. The new mayor and council members will take office on the first Monday in November, which is Nov. 2.

The U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced that Dr. Jeffrey Anderson, University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) Professor of History in the College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, has received a prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to teach American History in Slovakia next fall and spring.

Hope’s Choice held its first-ever 5K charity run in Fayette on March 10, and according to Kasey Kennedy, executive director of Hope’s Choice, the event was an overwhelming success. “This was the biggest fundraiser for Hope’s Choice since we opened our doors five years ago,” Kennedy said. “We would like to thank all the sponsors, runners, volunteers and prize donors who made this possible. The 5K wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Nicole Miles and DCH-FMC. We had 58 runners, and all of the proceeds raised go to benefit Hope’s Choice Pregnancy Resource Center.”

The Berry softball team had a busy week of games with mixed results. On March 9, the Lady Wildcats defeated Pickens County 15 - 0. Brooke Blanton was the winning pitcher. She completed three innings with six strike outs. Blanton also contributed heavily at the plate, getting three hits in four at-bats with a double and four RBIs. Kyla Edmonson also had a big game offensively for Berry. Edmonson had three hits and three RBIs, which included a two-run homer.

The Hubbertville Lady Lions only played one softball game during the week, but they delivered with their best game of the year in defeating Phillips 13 - 0. Emma Nichols pitched a complete five innings shutout to claim the victory. Madison Cribb had two hits in four at-bats with a run scored and a RBI for Hubbertville. Brinley Burkett had a hit, scored two runs and drove in three runs.

Longtime Fayette Revenue Commissioner Ruby Porter defeated challenger Marion Dodson 2,808 to 1,641 votes to secure the Republican nomination for her current position during the March 3 primary. Since there is no Democratic opposition for the office, Porter is basically assured of her re-election to the position. The unofficial totals from the March 3 primary show that 5,436 votes were cast in Fayette County, with 4,633 votes (85.23 percent) cast on Republican ballots.

John Gordon was recognized during a reception on Sunday, March 8, for his 22 years of service as county administrator for the Fayette County Commission.

Note: This article is reprinted by permission of Consolidated Publishing’s News Journal: Serving Jacksonville, Piedmont and Northern Calhoun County. On Thursday, March 5, for the first time in Alabama history, two cities within the state became sister cities. On that day, the mayors of the cities of Piedmont and Fayette signed proclamations that declared their new status. The signing occurred at Zamora Shrine Center in Irondale.

The Berry Town Council approved its flood ordinance update during its March 2 meeting. Chris Rice was absent from the meeting with all other council members present. Town Clerk Marie McClusky said that the town has to have the ordinance approved before the citizens of Berry can obtain flood insurance for their properties. McClusky added that Cedar Creek and North River are the two most flood prone areas within the town.

The Glen Allen Town Council held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 3 at at the town hall. Following standard opening procedures, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant addressed the short agenda for the meeting. He stated that the Alabama PALS (People Against a Littered State) Board of Directors has recently announced that the annual 2020 “Don’t Drop it on Alabama” Spring Cleanup would be held during the entire month of April for the first time ever.