The Valedictorians and Salutatorians from the Fayette County Schools posed for a picture last week in front of the Fayette County Courthouse.

The Alabama State Troopers reported that a single vehicle accident that occurred on County Road 12 in Fayette County at approximately 4:23 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18 claimed the life of a Northport man.

Fayette County High School held its annual “Awards Night” on Tuesday, May 3, with the senior class receiving approximately $1.7 million dollars in total scholarship awards. One of the highlights of the night is always the announcement of the top 10 seniors by academic scores.

The Fayette County Board of Education honored the valedictorians and salutatorians at each of the county schools, and also the "Teachers of the Year" prior to the start of its May 17 meeting, All board members were present for the meeting.

Fayette’s 24th “March for Jesus” celebration and prayer rally will be held Saturday, May 21, beginning at the Fayette Depot Museum and concluding at the First Baptist Church on Temple Avenue. The march and rally has been held in Fayette each year since 1997, with the exception of 2003, and also 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Karen Strickland made history on Tuesday, May 10 by becoming the first female mayor of a municipality in Fayette County.

A fire on the morning of May 10 severely damaged this home on 9th St. NW in Fayette. The Fayette Fire Department responded to the fire, and reported that no one was at home at the time the fire started, and that the fire appears to be accidental. No additional information about the fire was available from the fire department.

With the primary elections approaching fast, several races, are expected to bring voters to the polls in near-record numbers for a non-presidential election year. In Fayette County, the races for Sheriff and Superintendent of Education each have several viable candidates who have campaigned hard for their respective positions. There are also contested Commissioner seats and Board of Education positions on the ballots in certain districts within the county.

Former Fayette County Commissioner Ray Clark passed away on Wednesday, May 11 at the age of 81. Clark was well-known throughout the area for  being a successful businessman, having owned and operated logging and trucking businesses for years. In 1989, Clark received the prestigious honor of being named the “Alabama Logger of the Year.”

The Fayette City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 10. All council members, with the exception of Councilwoman Aliska Hughes-Monroe were present for the meeting. Sean White, student at Fayette Middle School, led the council in prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Zoe Smyth, a senior at Fayette County High School, is the recipient of the Fayette Garden Club’s 2022 college scholarship. The $600 scholarship is available for use at the college of the recipient’s choice.

The Fayette County Commission announced the issuance of a resolution commemorating the retirement of Margaret Brown from the Fayette County Soil and Conservation office during its May 9 meeting. All of the commissioners were present for the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Commission Chairman Mike Freeman called Brown to the front of the room as he read aloud a resolution from the Fayette County Commission, congratulating Brown for her 39 years of dedicated service to the Soil and Conservation district office.

Editor’s Note: Jeffrey Anderson is currently serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Košice, Slovakia, where he teaches courses on American history and culture at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. He arrived in the country in January, and will leave in July. He is joined there by his wife, Lynn, and sons, Michael and David. Slovakia joins the Ukrainian border, and Košice is located only 60 miles from the Ukrainian border.

The Fayette County High School 2022 golf season came to a close on  May 22 at Sub-State in Dothan on the Robert Trent Jones Highland Oaks Golf Course. Head Golf Coach Ray Trull said that this event was one step short of completing the team’s goal for another trip to the state championship.

The Berry Town Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, May 2. All council members were present for the meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, Councilman Russell Madison led those in attendance in prayer. Councilwoman Mary Sue Lollar led the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Glen Allen Town Council met on Tuesday, May 3 at the town’s community center. All council members were in attendance for the monthly meeting. Following standard opening procedures, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant stated that an item of old business needed to be addressed prior to conducting business on the new agenda.

The Fayette County Education Retiree’s Association (FCERA) met on April 5 at the Fayette Civic Center.  President Frances Bulter welcomed all in attendance. Elizabeth Driver, a senior at Fayette County High School, was the recipient of the FCERA Scholarship. She will continue her education at Bevill State Community College in the fall.  

Two Bevill State Community College (BSCC) - Fayette Campus students have been selected to the 2022 All-Alabama Academic Team. Harley Anne Lawrence (GPA: 4.0), of Kennedy, and Lindsie Jo Moseley (GPA: 4.0), of Vernon,  were honored for their accomplishments during the Annual All-Alabama Community College Academic Team Recognition Ceremony on Friday, April 22, in Birmingham.

For the first time since the athletic programs were reinstated at Bevill State Community College, the Bevill Bears baseball team will be going to the postseason playoffs. The Bears wrapped up the regular season this past weekend, clinching a spot in the Region 22 tournament.

The Berry Wildcats baseball team made it through the first two rounds of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s playoffs before losing a game and falling to Bayshore Christian in Fairhope by the scores of 10-0 and 17-0.