Fayette Middle School has an unusual situation in the halls of the school this year. Although they are not identical, there are nine sets of twins from grades five - eight: one set in the fifth grade, two sets in the sixth grade, four sets in the seventh grade and two sets of twins in the eighth grade. The FMS yearbook is doing a feature page on this rare group of twins, highlighting each set of twins.

The Fayette Tigers baseball team swept Cordova last week to head into the area championships on a winning streak. Fayette defeated the Blue Devils 3-1 in a pitchers’ duel at home on Tuesday, April 4. Cordova scored first in the top of the fourth inning, but that would be the only score that Cordova would notch in the game.

Hubbertville baseball started out the week by falling to Berry by a score of 12-4. Gage Key started the game for Hubbertville, pitching five innings and allowing only one hit and one run. Key struck out six batters. Ethan Nichols and Brodie Porter pitched in relief for Hubbertville.

The Sipsey Arts Alliance (SAA), a nonprofit organization, was formed in 2014 and is dedicated to the purpose of promoting the arts in both the community and in the local schools. Volunteer artists/members of the group present art classes in the Fayette County schools without any cost to the schools or the students.

Hubbertville’s softball team traveled to Brilliant on April 1 and defeated the Lady Tigers 16-9. Dixie Moye was the winning pitcher in relief for Hubbertville.

The Bevill State Bears had its easiest win since the revival of the program in 2018, traveling to Tuscaloosa and defeating Stillman College 25-1. Davis Vails pitched three perfect innings for the Bears to earn the victory.

Berry’s softball team traveled to Fayette on April 1 and was defeated by the Lady Tigers 10-3.
Brooke Blanton started the game and pitched 4 1/3 innings before being relieved by Kyla Edmonson.

After being closed for the past four years, the Fayette County Public Lake had a successful reopening on Thursday, March 28, much to the delight of numerous anglers in the area.
The 60-acre lake had been restocked with bluegill, shellcracker, bass and catfish, and the fish were eagerly awaiting the hooks and baits being thrown into the water by the patrons who had waited so long for the lake’s reopening.

The return an old Cessna airplane to Fayette brought back fond memories for a few men who remember taking numerous rides with Bud Carroll, the former pilot and owner of the aircraft. Earnie Duckworth is an aircraft painter stationed at Richard Arthur Field in Fayette. He said that a few months ago, he was contacted by the current owner of the plane, Blackstone Aviation in Hartselle, to do a total repaint of the aircraft. Duckworth said that he knew immediately when he heard the plane’s call letters that this was the plane that had started him on his love of airplanes.

A local resident addressed the Fayette City Council at its March 26 meeting concerning the condition of the streets on Martin Luther King Drive and the speed of vehicles traveling the streets. Councilman Jerry Nichols and Councilman Eddy Campbell were absent from the meeting.

The Fayette County Commission voted to hire a part-time aging director during its March 25 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. The commissioners approved a motion to enter an executive session at the beginning of the meeting to discuss personnel issues at the request of Commission Chairman Mike Freeman.
Following the executive session, Freeman announced that the county road supervisor, Tim Whitson, had resigned from his position effective immediately.

The Fayette Medical Center (FMC) and the FMC Long-Term Care facility have been recognized as among the top healthcare facilities in the nation. FMC achieved a five-star rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administrates Medicare. FMC is one of only five hospitals in Alabama and one of 293 nationwide to receive this rating, placing FMC in the top 6.5 percent of the nation’s 4,500 hospitals.

The issue of substance abuse goes far beyond just addiction. A meeting of the minds between local, area, state and federal officials was held Wednesday, March 20, to seek solutions to bridge the gap between recovery from drug abuse and the successful placement of those who find themselves facing addiction back into society.

The Fayette Medical Center Foundation recently announced this year’s recipients of its “Nutrition Fuels Fitness” scholarships. Selected as this year’s recipients were Bevill students Cade Harris, Madison Dunn and Hunter Reynolds. Each received a $1,000 scholarship that can be used at any college that they choose to attend.

On Feb. 16, a day that he will never forget, Nolen Dean Sanders of Fayette received an “Ambassador of Peace” medal for his service in the Korean War. The medal was issued by the government of the Republic of Korea and presented to Sanders by two members of the local VFW Post, Post Commander Jerry Fulmer and Skip Hocutt. The certificate from the Korean government stated: “We cherish in our hearts the memory of your boundless sacrifices in helping us reestablish our Free Nation.

Sometimes in both boxing and real life, you have to get knocked down before you can succeed.
Local professional boxer Anthony Stewart’s life took a sharp detour a few years ago after a promising career in amateur boxing. Now he has a second chance in life and as a boxer, and he plans to make the most of this opportunity.

A fire on Tuesday, March 19 at 71 Davis Drive in Fayette caused extensive damage to the single structure residence. Fayette Fire Chief Shannon Taylor said that upon the arrival of the Fayette Fire Department at the residence, the structure was approximately one-half involved in flames, with fire throughout the attic and carport.

Bevill State Community College announced the donation of a 2019 Startran PS/2 bus by the Bevill State Foundation to the Fayette campus. On Friday, March 22, the passenger bus was delivered to the Fayette campus of the college, where the keys were presented by board members of the Bevill Foundation.

Fayette Mini-Mart, located on the south side of Fayette at the intersection of Highway 171 and Highway 159, celebrated its Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting on March 21. The store is under new management and is operated by new owner Yonas Getachew.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved the retirement of two employees and revised the 2019-20 school calendar during its March 19 meeting. Board member Tim Fields was absent, with all other members present for the meeting. The board accepted the retirement of Jeanie Hindman as Fayette Elementary School teacher and Shirley Dailey as a lunchroom worker at Fayette Middle School. Their retirements will be effective on June 1.