Hubbertville defeated Brilliant 17-16 and lost to Marion County by a score of 6-3 during the week.

The Berry softball team traveled to Holy Spirit on March 7 and was defeated by the Lady Saints 15-0. Brooke Blanton pitched 2 2/3 innings for the Lady Wildcats, surrendering two earned runs on four hits and striking out two batters.

Each year, Kindergarten - 12th grade students from across the country can enter their artwork in the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest. The contest requires student artists to depict a state fish. Prizes are awarded at the state and national levels in four categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, with students in grades 4-12 writing a one-page essay about the fish, its natural habitat and the importance of that habitat in addition to submitting the artwork. Complete contest rules and the entry form can be found on the Wildlife Forever website, www.wildlifeforever.org

The Fayette County High School softball team suffered through a tough week of losses, losing a single game on the road on Thursday before dropping a pair of games during a tournament at Hamilton on Friday. Fayette jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning against Curry on Thursday, March 7, but the Lady Yellow Jackets stormed back with five runs in the third to take the 9-3 victory over the Lady Tigers.

Bevill State played Lawson State Community College a pair of home-and-away doubleheaders last week, splitting each of the doubleheaders. On March 7, Lawson State traveled to Fayette, with Lawson winning the first game by a score of 3-2.

National Nutrition Month is an annual nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign, celebrated each year during the month of March, focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. In addition, National Nutrition Month promotes the Academy and its members to the public and the media as the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically-based food and nutrition information.

The West Alabama Mayors Association (WAMA) elected its 2019 officers during a regulary scheduled meeting held on Feb. 21 in Glen Allen. Millport Mayor Stanley Allred was chosen as president and Carrollton Mayor Mickey Walker was chosen as vice-president.  Each will serve a one-year term.

Bill Smith, a graduate of Russellville High School and former punter for the University of Alabama, has been named the new head football coach and athletic director for Fayette County High School. Smith was approved for the position at the Feb. 26 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education. Smith said that he decided to apply for the coaching position because he had always admired the sports programs at Fayette County High School.

If NBC’s Monday night telecast of “The Voice” is any indication, Dexter Roberts is ready for another chance at the big time. Roberts, a Fayette County native and 2010 Fayette County High School graduate, literally had the four judges on the talent show begging him to select them as his coach. Roberts’ near-perfect rendition of Randy Houser’s country song, “Like a Cowboy” had judges Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend pressing their buttons simultaneously early during the song, while judge Adam Levine joined the party later.

The highly-anticipated reopening of the Fayette County Public Lake will occur at sunrise on Thursday, March 28. The 60-acre lake closed on April 2, 2015, and has remained closed for almost four years. Matthew Marshall, state lake coordinator for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, said that prior to the closure of the lake, “The fishing was poor and the catch rate was low. Something had to be done.”

The Fayette County Board of Education honored its selections for Teachers of the Year in the county during its Feb. 26 meeting. Board members Waldon Tucker and John Stowe were absent from the meeting. Winning the honor at their schools were the following people: Kerri Smith, Berry High; Veronica White, Berry Elementary; Laura Lee Cochrane , Fayette Elementary; Jackie Dodd, Fayette Middle; Susan Ingle, Fayette County High School; and Darla Brantley, Hubbertville School.

The Fayette County Commission toured the new jail facility that is under construction prior to its Feb. 25 meeting. All commissioners were present for the tour and the subsequent meeting.
Work on the site preparation for the new jail began on April 2, 2018 and has proceeded at a fairly rapid pace despite a lot of rainy weather. The new jail is scheduled to be completed by mid-August.

The Fayette City Council heard an appeal from the Forestry Commission concerning a proposed three mil property tax increase to benefit the fire departments in the county during its Feb. 26 meeting. Council member Jason Cowart was absent from the meeting with all other council members present.

Bevill State Community College received an Alabama Power “Good Roots” grants totaling $4,900 this year for each of its five locations - Fayette, Jasper, Hamilton, Sumiton, and the Pickens County Educational Center. These funds will be used to plant trees and for various landscaping projects on each of the campuses. The Good Roots Grants were created to encourage projects that improve the quality of the environment in our communities, towns and cities by planting more trees.

During the month of February, designated as Career Technical Education Month, the Fayette County High School FBLA worked hard to raise money to implement its most recent community service project entitled “Messy Masterpieces.” Messy Masterpieces is an outreach project for schools that have after-school programs and is designed to provide a free activity for the children involved in the program.

Bevill hit the road for its first road trip of the season last week, winning two games and losing four. The Bears traveled to Itawamba Community College in Mississippi for a Monday doubleheader, losing the first gane 8-0 before winning a pitchers’ duel in the second game by the score of 2-1.

The West Alabama Juniors’ Club Volleyball team (Purple Storm) took first place in the Eighteens Division at the Cupids Battle Tournament in Moulton on Saturday, Feb. 2.

The Fayette County High School Lady Tigers opened its 2019 softball season with two impressive road victories. On Feb. 26, Fayette traveled to South Lamar to face the Lady Stallions and were victorious by a score of 8-6. Brandy Johnson pitched 6 2/3 innings to record the victory for the Lady Tigers. She allowed 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out four and walking three. The game was tied at six each entering the final inning, when Fayette scored two runs in the top of the seventh to seal the win.

The Berry Lady Wildcats’s softball season is off to a fantastic start, with two more impressive wins during the past week. For the season , Berry’s record is 4-1. The Lady Wildcats traveled to Brilliant on Feb. 25 and defeated the Lady Tigers by a score of 18-2. Blanton pitched six innings to record the win for Berry. She allowed only three hits and one earned run while striking out 13 batters. Lydia Young pitched 1/3 inning in relief and Allie Taylor pitched 2/3 inning, striking out one batter.

The Fayette County Cattlemen’s Association installed its officers for 2019 during its annual Steak Supper and Banquet, held on Feb. 23 at the Boy Scout Building in Fayette. New officers for the year will be Charlie Dale Jones, president;  Jimmy Trice, vice-president; Laura Rainey, treasurer; and Brad Cox, secretary. Ali Cantrell, director of education and outreach for the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, spoke briefly during the banquet, urging members to keep up with proposed legislation that might affect cattle producers.