The Berry City Council voted to update its community shelter operation plan during its regular meeting on March 5. Berry police chief Gerald Dedeaux told the council that Berry’s shelter plan had not been updated in “six or seven years” and that he recently met with Berry town clerk Marie McClusky to update the plan. Dedeaux said the purpose of the update was to ensure that everyone knew their responsibilities when a weather situation occurred.

WAR Construction of Tuscaloosa, the construction manager for the proposed new jail, updated the Fayette County Commission on the bid tabulations for the jail during the commission’s March 9 work session. Andrew Jackson, vice-president of WAR, said that the bids for seven tray packages were recently received and that the bids were under the budgeted amount for the jail. Bids were received for the following tray package components of the jail: general, detention and security, plumbing, HVAC, electrical, concrete and masonry.

The Fayette Family Council and Fayette Garden Club members provided food on Feb. 21 for the Fayette Medical Center Long-Term Care staff in appreciation for the services they provide to the patients under their care. This is an annual event that is hosted on the first Wednesday after Valentine’s Day by the two organizations.

Horace Moore, publisher of The Times-Record, is proud to announce the promotion of Dean Maddox to the position of news editor. Maddox will replace Michael Palmer, who has returned to The Times-Record’s sister paper, The Journal Record, in Hamilton. “Michael did a good job for us, and I wish him well,” Moore said. “Dean has been around for a long time, and he will do a good job as your news editor. He has worked for us for many years and will provide the news that our readers have come to expect."

The West Central Alabama Technology Fair was held in Fayette on the Bevill State Community College Campus on Feb. 22. Competitions were held in several technological categories for students in the third through 12th grade. Students from Fayette, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston Counties competed in the competition. The competitions were divided into five levels: Level I - Grades third and fourth, Level II - Grades fifth and sixth, Level III - Grades seventh and eighth, Level IV - grades ninth and 10th, and Level V - Grades 11th and 12th.