Steven Nolen received the oath of office as Fayette's new municipal judge during the Feb. 12 meeting of the Fayette City Council.

In 2018, the Alabama Public Service Commission approved a new area code overlay for parts of west and central Alabama, including Fayette County, The area code 659 will soon be used in conjunction with area code 205. AT&T announced the new area code change, according to local telephone service provider CenturyLink.  The addition of the 659 area code does not mean customers will have to change phone numbers, and officials have made plans for a smooth transition.

The Fayette Medical Center Family Council and Fayette Garden Club members provided food on Feb. 20 for the Fayette Medical Center Long-Term Care and Hospital 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.

Fayette County High School held its annual Coronation on Saturday, Feb. 23. Campus King is Blake Wallace, son of Rick and Stella Wallace, and Campus Queen is Lindy Hindman, daughter of Dale and Jeanie Hindman. Capebearers for the King and Queen were Camden Tucker, son of Luke and Lori Tucker, and Riley May Hindman, daughter of Dustin and Donita Hindman. The Royal Court was introduced, and 24 ladies and 24 men competed for the titles of Most Beautiful and Most Handsome.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of blacks in U.S. History. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans. Since 1976, each U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Fayette Middle School annually celebrates Black History month by hosting an assembly.

The Ms. Bevill State Pageant 2019 will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 12 in the Rowland Auditorium  on the Jasper Campus of Bevill State Community College. The following Bevill State Scholarships will be awarded: Winner: - $500 Scholarship, First Runner-up - $350 Scholarship, Second Runner-up - $150 Scholarship.

February is National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month.  Fayette County has nine CTE programs countywide and two of those nine programs are located at Fayette Middle School: Business Management Administration and Family and Consumer Sciences.  CTE prepares both youths and adults for a wide range of careers and further educational opportunities. These careers may require varying levels of education—including industry-recognized credentials, postsecondary certificates, and two or four-year degrees.  

A “BEAR Tracks - The Path to Your Future” event will be held from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 at Bevill State Community College, Hamilton Campus. It is never too late to get on track for your Education and Career! Come to the Hamilton Campus during the event (you choose when you want to attend) and get on track.

The Berry Lady Wildcats opened the 2019 softball season by playing a three-game series in a “Umpires Tournament" in Vernon on Feb. 16. The games were limited to a strict one-hour time limit. Berry defeated Sulligent in its first game by a score of 9-5. Brooke Blanton pitched 2 2/3 innings for the Lady Wildcats in securing the victory.

The Fayette County High School Baseball Boosters held its annual Banquet and Steak Supper on Friday, Feb. 15 at Bevill State Community College in the Earl McDonald Auditorium. The keynote speaker for the event was Rick Karle, former sports director at WBRC/Fox 6 in Birmingham. Karle worked 30 years as the sports director for WBRC/ FOX 6 in Birmingham. During those years, he won numerous state and regional awards for sportscasting, including 23 Emmy Awards from the Atlanta Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science. Additionally, Karle won six prestigious Edward R.

The Fayette City Council awarded checks in the amount of $20,000 during its Feb. 12 meeting.
Councilmen Jason Cowart and Jerry Nichols were absent from the meeting with all other council members present. Fayette Elementary, Fayette Middle and Fayette County High School each received a check for $5,000 from the council. The Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce was also awarded a $5,000 appropriations check during the meeting.

The Fayette County Commission made additional board appointments during its Feb. 11 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Commission Chairman Mike Freeman opened the meeting with a moment of silence in memory of Edwin “Punk” Turner, who died on Feb. 10. Fayette County EMA Director Russ Taylor told the commissioners that FEMA has given its final approval for the Fayette County storm shelters, and has also closed the grant application for the shelters. Paperwork concerning the shelters has to be kept on file for an additional three years.

Alabama Pawn and Cash in Fayette has donated a limited edition, commemorative Alabama Bicentennial Henry 22 Rifle to be given away on April 19. Tickets are $10 each and all proceeds from the raffle will benefit the Fayette County Animal Shelter. Only 300 tickets for the rifle will be sold. Tickets are available at Alabama Pawn and Cash.

The Alabama Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit had its grand opening at Hubbertville School on Saturday, Feb. 16. Many historical exhibits pertaining to the state’s history, in addition to displays of a local nature were on display. Herb Hollingsworth was the keynote speaker for the event. The exhibit will remain on display at Hubbertville School until Friday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m.

The Fayette Exchange Club honors the “Student of the Month” at Fayette County High School throughout the school year by presenting them with plaques at an Exchange Club meeting. These awards are presented to students who achieve academic success in the classroom, and are also very involved in extracurricular activities both at school and in their communities. The club presented the awards for December, January and February at its meeting on Feb. 4.

The Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (EDA) honored Congressman Robert Aderholt, John Riley of Bolzoni Auramo and current and former board chairmen as the EDA held its eighth annual “State of the Region” meeting at the Vernon City Complex on Thursday, Jan. 31.

The eighth annual Alabama Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday will be observed Feb. 22-24. The tax holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday Feb. 22 and continue until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24. The towns of Berry and Fayette are participating in the tax holiday, and Fayette County is also participating, which means that no sales tax will be charged on covered items in those areas during the holiday. Glen Allen has chosen not to participate in the sales tax holiday this year.

The Bevill State Bears split a doubleheader with Motlow State of Tennessee, losing the early game 11-2 and winning the second game by a score of 11-1. Jared Barnes led Bevill in hitting with two hits, including a solo home run. Parker Hubbard suffered the loss for Bevill, allowing four hits and six runs in 4 1/3 innings.

The Berry Lady Wildcats finished its basketball season on Feb. 11 by losing in the sub-regional tournament to Falkville by a score of 72-39. Brooke Hill led Berry with 15 points, five steals and five rebounds. Bailey Thomas added seven points for the Lady Wildcats, while Tyner Bowling and Zoe Mauldin each scored six points.

Corey Savage, youth pastor and associate minister at Plum Grove Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, gave the keynote speech at Bevill State Community College on Feb. 6 during the college’s Black History Month program. Savage, a Fayette native and graduate of Fayette County High School, Bevill State Community College and Auburn University, told the audience that many people equate Black History with the freeing of slaves in this country and the subsequent civil rights battles. He said there is a much deeper, richer history of achievement among blacks that he wanted to emphasize.

The Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual “State of the Community” luncheon on Feb. 5 at the Fayette Civic Center. Josh Musgrove, pastor of Pisgah Baptist Church in Fayette, led the opening prayer to begin the meeting. Several community leaders addressed the state of their departments at the luncheon, with the general consensus being that Fayette County is a good place to live with a viable economic and business base.

The Fayette City Council held a special called meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6 to address the fees due from the dumping of industrial wastewater into the Fayette Wastewater System. All council members were present at the meeting. Councilman Eddy Campbell said at the beginning of last week’s meeting, it appeared that Georgia Pacific was supposed to be paying $75 per load to dump its industrial wastewater in the Fayette Wastewater System.

Former three-term tax assessor and revenue commissioner for Fayette County, Edwin “Punk” Turner, died Sunday at the age of 81. Turner served as tax assessor and revenue commissioner from Oct. 1984 until his retirement in Nov. 2002.

The Berry Town Council approved the financing for its three new police cars during its Feb. 4 meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. Berry Police Chief Gerald DeDeaux said that the new police cars are in and have been shipped to a facility in Georgia to be equipped. He said that the cars should be ready for use by the department in approximately in month.

Three high school football players in Fayette County signed scholarship offers last week to continue their football and academic careers in college. Cannon Alexander of Hubbertville signed to play for Faulkner College, while Tre’Darion Walker of Fayette County High School signed to play at the University of West Alabama and Zack Ingle of Fayette County High School will be playing for Huntington College.

The Miss Fayette Middle School Pageant was held Jan. 26 at Bevill State Community College. Winners of the Fayette Middle School Pageant, Senior Division, were: Abby Berthoud, Most Photogenic; Claire Holliman, Miss Congeniality and First Alternate; Emma Claire Kummer, Miss Fayette Middle School; and Allie Long, Second Alternate. Winners of the Fayette Middle School Pageant, Junior Division, were: Haven Magouirk, First Alternate; Bailey Unger, Most Photogenic and Miss Junior Fayette Middle School; Caylen Williams, Second Alternate; and Victoria Allison, Miss Congeniality.

The Bevill State Bears opened its 2019 baseball season by hosting Mineral Area Community College of Park Hills, Mo. on Friday Feb. 8 for a single game and for a double-header on Saturday, Feb. 9. Unfortunately for the Bears, the 2019 baseball campaign did not get off to a good start as the Cardinals of Mineral Area swept the three-game series.

The Berry Lady Wildcats advanced to sub regional play by finishing second in the area tournament played last week at Guin. On Feb. 6, Berry faced its cross-county rival Hubbertville and was victorious by a score of 50-22. Leading the scoring for Berry was Zoe Mauldin with 13 points and six rebounds. Iannah Fields scored 12 points and pulled down six rebounds, while Bailey Thomas added 10 points and six rebounds. Brooke Hill scored eight points, followed by Tyner Bowling with five points.

The “Making Alabama: A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit,” will be in Fayette County at Hubbertville School from Feb. 15-22. The schedule for the exhibit at Hubbertville School is: Friday, Feb. 15 from 3:30-7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 (Grand Opening) noon-5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 from noon-5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. - 5 pm., Tuesday, Feb. 19 - Friday, Feb. 22 from 3:30-7 p.m.

The AARP Tax Aide volunteers are again offering free tax return assistance this year in Fayette County. This is a service that the volunteers have offered to citizens in the area for the past 15 years. The service is free to the public and there are no income or age restrictions. You do not have to be a member of AARP to take advantage of this service.

The Fayette County High School Baseball Boosters will host its annual Banquet and Steak Supper on Friday, Feb. 15 at Bevill State Community College in the Earl McDonald Auditorium. The keynote speaker for the event will be Rick Karle, former sports director at WBRC/ Fox 6 in Birmingham. Tickets for the banquet are $25 each. The banquet starts at 6 p.m., but people purchasing plates to go may begin picking up the plates at 4:30 p.m. and continue until the start of the banquet.

The Fayette City Council met in a special called meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 30 to address the pumping issue at the Fayette Wastewater Treatment Plant. All council members were present for the meeting. Wastewater Treatment Plant Manager John Dill told the council that the new pump that was installed at the facility in June 2018 had burned out in December 2018.

The Fayette County Commission voted on Jan. 28 to “move forward” with plans to hire a part-time aging director for Fayette County. Commissioner Joe Acker, Commissioner Billy Rodgers and Commissioner Barry Corkren had been on a committee to explore options concerning the direction that the aging program needs to take following the retirement of former director Faye Meharg in Oct. 2018.

Making Alabama: A Bicentennial Traveling Exhibit presented by Alabama Humanities Foundation, will include an exhibition in Fayette County at Hubbertville School from Feb. 15-22. The schedule for the exhibit in Fayette County is: Friday, Feb. 15 from 3:30-7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 16 (Grand Opening) noon-5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 17 from noon-5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. - 5 pm., Tuesday, Feb. 19 - Friday, Feb. 22 from 3:30-7 p.m.

The annual Pinewood Derby Race for Fayette Cub Scouts, Pack 45, was held at the Fayette Scout Building on Friday night, January 25. There were 32 Cub Scouts ages seven - 11 participating in the race. Each Scout with the help of his parents was responsible for designing and making his car from a kit which consisted of a block of wood and four wheels. The car could not weigh more than five ounces.

Both the Fayette boys and girls basketball teams faced Cordova at home on Jan. 28 and both teams were victorious. The girls’ team led for most of the game, but only took a slim 21-20 lead into the locker room at halftime. Fayette increased the lead in the second half, winning by a score of 46-33. Jada Savage led the Lady Tigers with 16 points, followed by Samantha Cox with eight, while Iteria Walker and Ayana Poe each scored seven points. Mackenzie Nelson added four points for Fayette, while Zana Smith and Kiera Savage scored two points each.

The Hubbertville boys basketball team traveled to Bear Creek on Jan. 31 and lost a heartbreaker in overtime by a score of 83-80. The Lions led by three points before a desperation shot at the buzzer in regulation for Phillips tied the score and sent the game to overtime.

The Berry Lady Wildcats closed out a successful regular season and head into the playoffs with momentum as they won all three games during the week. Berry defeated South Lamar on Jan. 28 by a score of 54-29. Leading the scoring for the Lady Wildcats was Zoe Mauldin with 14 points and eight rebounds. Bailey Thomas had 13 points, followed by Brooke Hill with eight points and Tyner Bowling with seven.

The path to fill more than 10,000 automotive manufacturing jobs within two years will be even more affordable in 2019 for 50 students in Alabama. The Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and Alabama Community College System (ACCS) have partnered to provide a total $180,000 in scholarships, as well as mentors, to 50 students who want to pursue a technical education certificate or associate degree in the automotive manufacturing industry. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28.

A historic first march and rally in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was held in downtown Fayette on Monday, Jan. 21. The event was organized by the Fayette County Ministerial Alliance. The celebration began at the Fayette County Courthouse and continued through the streets of Fayette to the First Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Drive. An estimated crowd of more than 200 people participated in the celebration.

Lance Tucker has accepted a job to be the head football coach at Bartlett High School in Tennessee, effective June 1. Tucker resignation as head football coach at Fayette County High School was accepted by the Fayette County Board of Education at its meeting on Jan. 15. The effective date of the resignation is May 31. At Fayette County High School, Tucker compiled a 76-31 record in eight seasons, including finishing as runner-up for the state championship three times during those seasons.

Kenneth Dawayne Elliott, 20, of Decatur pled guilty in Fayette Circuit Court to a second degree burglary charge on Jan. 10 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. The plea deal was the result of a failed robbery and burglary attempt at the Fayette County branch of West Alabama Bank on Jan. 27, 2017. The original charges against Elliott were second degree burglary of a banking institution by force, first degree robbery, and attempting to elude a police officer.

The Fayette City Council addressed a speeding concern in a residential area of Temple Avenue during its Jan. 22 meeting. At the beginning of the regular meeting, Mayor Ray Nelson asked for an executive session to discuss “the good name and character of one or more individual.” A motion to enter executive session was made by Councilman Cedric Wilson and seconded by Councilman Jason Cowart. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote.

Forrest Deal, 16, of Fayette will be guest-starring in an upcoming episode of the TV comedy show “Young Sheldon.” The episode is entitled “David, Goliath, and a Yoo-Hoo from the Back,” and will air on the CBS network at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 31. Deal filmed the episode of “Young Sheldon” at Warner Brothers Studio in Dec. 2018.

Headland High School Head Football Coach Danny Raines (center) was named the Alabama Class 4A Head Football Coach of the Year for the 2018 season by the Alabama Football Coaches Association. The former Berry High School coach led his team to a 10-2 record last season.The award was presented during a banquet on Jan. 26 in Montgomery.

The Hubbertville boys basketball team traveled to Vina on Jan. 22 and won a thriller by the score of 49-48. The game was close throughout, with Hubbertville leading at the half by a score of 21-17. Zach Hubbert led the Lions with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brady Tucker had 11 points, followed by Tanner Upton with nine points and nine rebounds.

The Fayette boys hosted Curry in an area matchup for its only game of the week, losing by a score of 52-36. Leading the scoring for the Fayette Tigers was Harrison Whitley with 17 points. Landon Hamlett had 13 points and T’Marvic Smith scored four points for Fayette. Curry was led by Colton Aaron with 14 points, followed by Hunter Wilson with nine points on three three-point baskets.

The Berry High School girls basketball team played Lynn on Jan. 21 and dominated the court for a 45-19 win. The Lady Wildcats were led in scoring by Brooke Hill with 14 points, followed by Iannah Fields with 10 points. Tyner Bowling  had eight points, while Bailey Thomas scored six points and hit the boards for nine rebounds.

Lance Tucker has resigned as head football coach at Fayette County High School, effective May 31. His resignation was accepted at the Jan. 15 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education. Board member Keith Madison made a motion to accept Tucker’s resignation and the motion was seconded by Tim Fields. Madison, Fields, Hubbert and Sullivan voted to accept the resignation, while board member John Stowe voted against the motion. Board member Waldon Tucker abstained from voting on the motion.

A rare total eclipse of the moon occurred on Sunday, Jan. 20. The total eclipse, also known as a “Super Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse," was visible in Fayette County from approximately 10:45 - 11:40 p.m.