Fayette County High School’s Hollis Strawbridge and Hubbertville’s T.J. Keeton were each selected as second team All-State football players by the Alabama Sportswriters Association following the 2023 season. Strawbridge, a senior,  was selected as a Class 3A second team defensive back. He was one of the senior leaders on the Tigers’ football team, and contributed heavily not only on defense, but also as an offensive receiver and blocker. T.J. Keeton, a junior, was selected as a Class 1A second team running back.

The Berry Town Council awarded the bid on its sewer replacement project during its Dec. 4 meeting. All council members, along with Berry Mayor Jimmy Madison and Town Clerk Marie McCluskey, were present for the meeting. The low bid on the sewer replacement project was from Price Civil Services of Vance at a cost of $750,000.

Following last week’s announcement concerning the Alabama High School Athletic Associations (AHSAA) reclassifications for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, the association issued a correction that will affect the realignment in Fayette’s football region. “Due to an error in the holdback/promotion portion of the ADM data reported from the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE),  the Alabama High School  Athletic Association (AHSAA) has made some adjustments to the classification data announced earlier this week,” the correction stated.

The Fayette County Board of Education toured Hubbertville School prior to its Dec. 12 meeting in the Hubbertville School library. All board members were present for the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Gracie Lucas was announced as the Hubbertville “Teacher-of-the-Year” by Deputy Superintendent Mary Raines.

The Alabama High School Athletic Association released its classification realignments for the 2024 - 2025 and 2025 – 2026 school years on Monday, Dec.18. Fayette County High School will move up to the 4A classification for the next two school years, with Berry and Hubbertville remaining in the 1A classification.

The Fayette County High School Tigers competed in the West Alabama Conference (WAC) Basketball Tournament, with the JV team winning the tournament. The varsity girls and boys teams each placed  second in the tournament. The Fayette JV boys’ team defeated Sulligent 59-37 in its opening game, then defeated South Lamar  50-48 to win the tournament championship on Monday, Dec. 18.

The Fayette City Council held its regular council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12. All council members were present for the meeting, with the exception of Councilwoman Aliska Hughes-Monroe. Councilman Tommy Williams opened the meeting with prayer, and also led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Santa and Mrs. Claus visited Fayette last week during “An Old Fashion Christmas” to get updates from a few of the good boys and girls in the area. Shown is Peyton Mansfield with the jolly couple from the North Pole. For more “An Old Fashion Christmas” pictures, see page 10. (Note: Fayette Christmas Parade pictures will be in next week’s The Times-Record.)

The Fayette County Commission held its regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 11 at the Fayette Courthouse Annex building. Commissioner Brad Cox was not present at the meeting, with all other commissioners in attendance. Fayette County resident Nolan Maddox led the commission in prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

A hydraulic fluid leak that occurred on Highway 107 on Thursday, Dec. 7 caused no damage or harm, thanks to the quick action of first responders and the operators of the equipment. Fayette County EMA Director Michael Stoker said the spill occurred at approximately 5:30 p.m. near the 12-mile marker on Highway 107.

The Glen Allen Town Council met on Tuesday,  Dec. 5 at the town’s community center for the regular monthly meeting. All council members were present with the exception of Councilman Robert Aldridge. Following standard opening procedures, Glen Allen Mayor Allen Dunavant presented a proclamation to former town clerk Shirley Stewart, honoring  her for 18 1/2 years service serving as the town clerk and also the water department clerk.

The Hubbertville girls started the week off strong against South Lamar, then finished the week as North Alabama Conference (NAC) tournament runner-up. On Tuesday, Dec. 5, the Lady Lions defeated South Lamar 66-18. Hubbertville was led in scoring by Kylee Dunn with 20 points, followed by Georgia Gardner with 17 and Layla Fredrick with 14 points.

The FCHS Future Teachers of Alabama chapter has been busy the past few months.

The Fayette County Board of Education held its annual organizational meeting at the Fayette County Middle School gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 28. All board members were present for the meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, Superintendent Jim Burkhalter and the board members toured the facilities at Fayette Elementary School and Fayette Middle School.

The Fayette City Council held its regular council meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 28. All council members were present for the meeting. Fayette resident Chuck Ellenberg opened the meeting with prayer. Councilman Eddy Campbell led the Pledge of Allegiance. City Engineering Consultant Luke Porter gave an update on city projects to the council.

Two longtime employees at the Fayette County Courthouse retired recently, each with approximately 29 years of service in their respective jobs. Ann Barnes retired from the Fayette County Tag office on Nov. 29, after serving as a tag office clerk for the probate judge’s office. Delorous Gilpin retired recently from the Revenue Commissioner's Office. She was hired in Oct. 1994, and had served as the Chief Revenue Clerk since 2002.

The Fayette County Commission held its regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 27 at the Fayette Courthouse Annex building. Commissioner John Underwood was not present at the beginning of the meeting, but arrived shortly after the start of the meeting. All other commissioners were present.

The Hubbertville boys’ basketball team won two-of-three basketball games for the week.
The Lion boys defeated Vina on Nov. 28 by the score of 61-22. Hubbertville was led in scoring by Cole Brand with 14 points, followed by Kane Rushing with 13 and Kade Watkins with 11 points.

Stewart McGill, manager of Tate Farms in Madison County, was the guest speaker at the 2023 Fayette County Farm - City Dinner, held on Nov. 16 at the Boy Scout Building in Fayette.

Born during the midst of the COVID pandemic in 2020, “An Old Fashion Christmas” returns this year to downtown Fayette for its fourth season on Thursday, Dec. 7. Myra Nichols was instrumental in starting the new tradition in Fayette, which keeps building upon its foundation to get better each year.