The Fayette City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Oct. 9 and passed its budget for the 2019 fiscal year. Councilman Jason Cowart and Councilman Jerry Nichols were absent from the meeting. Prior to the start of the business session of the meeting, Fayette County Baptist Association Director John Killian introduced Jim Zeigler, state auditor, as a guest speaker for the meeting. He was allowed five minutes to address the council before the meeting started.

Danny Raines, former coach at Berry High School, is having a remarkable season at a school that was known for its sub-par football teams prior to his arrival. Raines became the head football coach at Headland High School in 2017, following his controversial dismissal as the head football coach at Berry after the 2016 season. When Raines arrived at Berry in 2003, he inherited a football program that had not had a winning season during the previous five years, nor had Berry been to the playoffs during that period of time.

The Fayette County Commission hired two new employees for the county road crew during its Oct. 8 meeting. Billy Rodgers was absent from the meeting with all other commissioners present. County Engineer Chris Howell requested that the commissioners approve the hiring of the two new employees, as was discussed in previous meetings. The employees would fill vacancies on the road crew staff, and the money for the employees was allocated in the recently passed budget for fiscal year 2019.

A few of the staff members at the Fayette Medical Center’s 2018 “Staying Alive Pink Party” posed for this picture at the event. The party honored the survivors of breast cancer and remembered the ones who lost their battle with the dreaded disease. The party raises funds to help fight breast cancer and this year’s theme was, “It takes a team to battle breast cancer.”

The Fayette Lady Tigers volleyball team defeated Cordova in straight sets: 25-22, 25-10 and 25-23, to win a key area matchup as the volleyball regular season winds down. Fayette currently leads the area four matches to one.

“Community” is a word often used to describe the area around Hubbertville School and the people in it. Yet to the individuals who have helped Hubbertville School grow throughout the years, community means much more. It was through the dedicated members of this community that the current Hubbertville School has its beginnings. The school is deeply rooted in its rich history, from the growth of the school to the tribulations it faced in its early years as the four previous schools came together to form the school that we know today.

The Glen Allen Town Council held its regular scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 2 at the town’s community center. Councilwoman Willie Rose McClinton was not in attendance. Following standard opening procedures, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant welcomed political candidates whom were in attendance, allowing them an opportunity to address the council during the meeting. Each candidate presented their platforms and following their presentations, the council asked questions and discussed concerns with each candidate.

The Berry Wildcats traveled to Brilliant to take on the Tigers for Brilliant’s Homecoming. The Wildcats started the game hot and never cooled off, scoring on offense, defense, and special teams as they rolled to a 42–6 victory. Brilliant won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. The Tigers returned the kickoff to the Brilliant 35-yard line. After three plays, Brilliant faced fourth and 11 on the Tigers’ 34-yard line. Brilliant elected to punt and the Wildcats’ offense got the ball for the first time on the Berry 36-yard line.

The Hubbertville Lions ventured into Winston County Friday night to face-off against the Lynn Bears. The Bears won the coin toss and elected to defer, holding the Lions to four-and-out on its opening possession. Following the punt from Ethan Nichols, Noah Jackson called his own number on the first three plays, advancing the ball to the 42-yard line to keep the Bears’ opening possession alive.

Jens Konig, a German journalist working for Stern Magazine, visited Fayette last week to get a view of the political climate of this country “from the heartland of America.” Konig works out of Stern Magazine’s New York office and covers the American political scene for the weekly German news publication. Stern magazine has a weekly circulation of approximately 750,000 issues and is one of the largest news publications in the country.

Jose Perry, representing U.S. Senator Doug Jones’ office, spoke at the Oct. 2 Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce First Tuesday Luncheon concerning Jones’ actions in Congress.
Perry said that Jones has a deep-rooted love of God and country similar to most of the citizens of Fayette County. “Doug Jones has the issues of Fayette County at-heart,” Perry told the audience.

The Fayette Frog Level Festival, held in Fayette on Oct. 5-6, was a tremendous success. The weather was good, and the festival offered lots of entertainment for people of all ages.

Berry High School celebrated its homecoming last week, which included a homecoming football game against Lynn High School.

The Fayette County Fair begins Tuesday, Oct. 16 and goes through Saturday, Oct. 20. The gates open Monday through Friday at 6 p.m. and at 4 p.m. on Saturday.  Archway Amusements is the ride contractor on the Midway. Fun family entertainment is monitored by the Fayette County Fair Board.

The Berry Town Council held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Oct.1, with Councilman Wesley Jacobs and Councilman Christopher Rice being absent from the meeting. All other council members were present for the meeting. Councilman Russell Madison made a motgion to appoint Michael Frost to fill the unexpired term of Corey Kizzire on the Berry Park and Recreation Board. Councilman Troyce Townsel seconded the motion and the motion was approved unanimously. Frost’s term on the board will expire on March 1, 2019.

Blake Wallace ran for two first quarter touchdowns as Fayette notched a decisive 27-7 victory over the winless Oak Grove Tigers. Fayette played its reserves for most of the second quarter and the entire second half, as a running clock was utilized during the third and fourth periods of the game.

The Lions welcomed the Red Raiders of Marion County to Wiley Hollingsworth Stadium seeking revenge from last year’s overtime loss along with hopes of forging ahead of the Raiders in the Region 6 standings. Hubbertville won the coin toss, electing to receive the opening kick with Gage Key advancing the ball from the 18-yard line to the Lions' 26-yard line. Ethan Nichols led the offense to the field, choosing to utilize the ground game to slowly advance the ball downfield. Runs by G.

Homecoming is always a special time to welcome friends and family back to their alma mater, and Friday was no exception at Fred Webster Stadium. The Wildcats faced the Lynn Bears in front of a packed house. Unfortunately for the Berry faithful, big offensive plays by the Bears would be too much for the Wildcats to overcome as Lynn won the game 44-20.

Fayette County High School has a long-standing tradition of having more Crimsonettes annually at the University of Alabama than any other school. That tradition continues this season.

The 2018 Fayette Frog Level Festival promises to have something for just about everybody this year - from jumping frogs, to antique and vintage vehicles, lots of live musical entertainment, a large variety of arts and crafts, and food vendors cooking up a variety of tasteful creations. The festival will be held in downtown Fayette beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday Oct. 5 and will continue at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 with a full slate of activities scheduled.

The Fayette County Board of Education held a brief meeting on Sept. 27 to approve personnel items and contracts. Board Member Tim Fields was absent from the meeting with all other members present. The board began its meeting by unanimously approving the agenda for the meeting and the financial statement.

Fayette County High School recognized its “A+ College-Ready Students” during an academic celebration held at the school’s library on Thursday, Sept. 20. The students and their teachers were also recognized during the Fayette-Curry Homecoming football game on Friday, Sept. 21. Fayette County High School is proud to be a participant in the Advanced Placement (AP) program and has implemented eight advanced placement courses that are offered to its highest achieving students.

The Fayette County Commission approved its fiscal year 2019 budget and bid requests at its Sept. 24 meeting. Commissioners Barry Corkren and John Underwood were absent from the meeting. County Engineer Chris Howell asked the commissioners to re-classify Max Miller from a Flagman to Equipment Operator 1. He said that Miller would remain a part-time employee, but his pay would increase from $9 per hour to $10.50 per hour.

Macedonia Baptist Church in Fayette celebrated its 125th anniversary on Sunday, Sept. 30, with more than 120 people in attendance. Many former pastors were in attendance and each of them spoke about their memories of the church.

The Tigers traded touchdowns with Sipsey Valley for most of the game before scoring its go-ahead points in the fourth quarter and controlling the tempo in the final period to take a 31-27 victory. Fayette led 12-7 until late in the second quarter, when a muffed punt attempt by Blake Wallace was returned by Sipsey Valley for a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining in the half. Missed extra points by the Tigers had Fayette on the short end of the touchdown swap until the fourth quarter.

The Lions traveled to Hackleburg on Friday night to face the Panthers in a non-region game. Receiving the opening kick, the Lions utilized the ground game with runs by Zack Hubbert, Gage Key and Tanner Upton advancing quickly to the Panthers’ two-yard line in just five plays. Facing first and goal, Z. Hubbert took the ball into the endzone for the score with 9:30 remaining in the opening quarter. The PAT kick by Z. Hubbert was perfect, giving the Lions the early lead 7-0.

The musical group Grateful Dead once sang about what a long, strange journey this has been. The Berry faithful who made the long trek to Calhoun County to see the Wildcats take on the Donoho Falcons could identify with that. The game saw problems with the field, controversial calls, and contention between players from both teams. The Wildcats hoped to upset the Falcons on their homecoming, but ultimately Donoho walked away with a 42 – 14 win.

Berry Elementary School received a $20,000 check from the Alabama Department of Education in recognition of its outstanding success in reading achievement during a ceremony in Montgomery on Sept. 13. The state education department honored 50 of the top schools in the state for reading achievement, and each school received a $20,000 check at the ceremony. Berry Elementary School was the only school in Fayette County to receive this special reading recognition.

Macedonia Baptist Church, located on County Road 35 south of Fayette, will celebrate its 125th anniversary of Christian service on Sunday, Sept. 30. The church was founded on Nov. 19, 1893 when five men and six women assembled at Sulphur Springs School House to organize a new Missionary Baptist Church. Those individuals that gathered on that day were J.A. South, J.B. Kemp, Ira Griffin, G.W. Newton, J.M. Lindsey, F.A. South, Sara E. Kemp, Susan A. Griffin, T.O. Newton, Nora Lindsey and Ethel Kelley.

Fayette County High School celebrated its Homecoming on Sept. 21 with a 24-0 win over the Curry Yellow Jackets.

John Gordon (left) received a plaque from Fayette County High School Principal Jeremy Madden during the FCHS homecoming game recognizing his 42 years of service as the public address announcer at John Morgan Brown Stadium. Gordon officially retired from announcing this season after taking a leave-of-absence during the previous year.

The 24 Judicial Circuit honored Nancy Reeves with a retirement party on Aug. 23, in recognition for her 16 1/2 years of service to the district attorney’s office. Reeves was hired on Feb. 11, 2002 and will officially retire on Nov. 30.

The Glen Allen town council unanimously decided at its Sept. 4 meeting to refrain from submitting an application to seek funding for assistance in upgrading the town's water infrastructure. All council members were present for the meeting.
Mayor Allen J. Dunavant informed the council that The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development is presently making available a historic level of funding for water and waste disposal infrastructure in rural towns and communities. The funding could be obtained by way of grants or long-term, low-interest rate loans.

The Berry Town Council held its regular monthly meeting on Sept. 10. All council members were present for the meeting. Town Clerk Marie McClusky presented the budget for fiscal year 2019 to the council. She said that the only significant change in the budget was the inclusion of a provision to purchase three new police cars, as detailed during discussions at the August meeting with Berry Police Chief Gerald DeDeaux.

Fayette used a solid passing attack and a dominating defensive effort to register a 24-0 homecoming victory over the Curry Yellow Jackets. Curry managed only two net yards rushing and less than 100 yards in total offense during the game. The swarming Tigers’ defense also forced Curry to lose four fumbles that were recovered by Fayette.

The Berry Wildcats faced the Meek Tigers with both teams looking to pick up their first regional win. The Tigers led early in the game, but the Wildcats took control in the second half to win 33–15. The Tigers won the toss and elected to take the opening kickoff. Meek started its opening possession on the Tigers’ 32-yard line. Nine plays later, Meek faced fourth and two on the Berry 28-yard line and decided to try to convert the down. The Wildcat defense stopped the Tigers for no gain and forced a turnover on downs.

The battle between the undefeated South Lamar Stallions and the Hubbertville Lions got off to a quick start on Friday night. The Stallions won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick, wasting little time advancing the ball to the endzone for a quick score. Beginning the first offensive possession at its own 46 yard line, Jack Dawson dropped back and connected on a pass with Keidarris Griffin, who raced down the right sideline for the touchdown. The two-point conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score 6-0 with only 11 seconds erased off the clock.

In partnership with the Alabama Career Center System / Alabama Department of Labor, the City of Huntsville, United Ability, the Alabama Department of Rehab Services, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, the Governor’s Office on Disability, and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, Governor Kay Ivey announced plans to host the second annual Governor’s Job Fair for People with Disabilities.

“We don’t tear down old buildings, we renovate and restore them,” said Fayette Mayor Ray Nelson. “We are proud of our historical past and want to preserve that heritage while preparing for business in the future.” With only a couple of noticeable exceptions, those being the McNease-Robertson Hospital/Clinic and Richard’s Theater, the buildings occupying present-day downtown Fayette have a very familiar look to the landscape of 50-100 years ago. The names on the buildings may have changed, but the buildings have been renovated and reborn into new vibrant businesses.

The Fayette County Commission voted to post a new accounts payable position and two road crew operator positions during its Sept. 10 meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Commissioner Barry Corkren asked that the agenda for the meeting be amended to include the addition of “open and re-alignment positions.” The commissioners unanimously approved the agenda with the requested change added. Corkren said that the road crew has been understaffed and needs two equipment operators hired to fill the needs of the department.

The Fayette City Council approved the renewal of the one-half cent sales tax that is earmarked for Fayette Medical center during its Sept. 11 meeting. Prior to the beginning of the meeting, Lee Auman, candidate for then United States House of Representatives, Fourth Congressional District, was introduced by Bobby Avant. Auman was allowed five minutes to speak and used that time to thank the council for their foresight in protecting the health and well-being of the citizens of the Fayette.

The Fayette Fire Department displayed a giant flag on Sept. 11, remembering the nearly 3,000 innocent victims and the heroic first responders who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved its budget for fiscal year 2019 during its Sept. 11 meeting. All members of the board were present for the meeting. Prior to the meeting, a budget hearing was held to present proposed revenues and expenditures for the upcoming year. Revenues were listed at $22,516,659 and expenditures were listed at $23,376,396. These are projected numbers and are subject to change within the year.

The 49th annual Fayette Arts Festival, held on Sept. 8 at Guthrie Smith Park, announced its prize winners from this years festival. The winners are as follows: Jimmy Pierce, Cottondale – First Place, Fine Art Division; Cindy S. Vance, Bankston – Display Award; Marinda Michael, Baldwin, Miss. – Third Place, Craft Division; Ashleigh McCool, Gordo – Second Place, Fine Art Division; and She-She, B’ham – First Place, Folk Art Division. Middle: Dianne Wurtele, Birmingham – Patron’s Choice Award; Laura S.

The Fayette County High School Lady Tigers volleyball team won the West Alabama Conference (WAC) championship, played in Fayette on Sept. 15.

Fayette traveled to the sweltering hot football pit of the Blue Devils on Friday night and used a 29-point second quarter to easily defeat Cordova 35-12. The second quarter was so dominating that Fayette scored on each of its three offensive possessions in the period, accumulating 156 yards in the process. The Tigers also returned a punt 69-yards for a touchdown and then recovered the ensuing kickoff. The Blue Devils ran 12 plays in the second quarter, failing to gain a first down and with a net loss of six yards in the period.

Hubbertville traveled to Arley Friday night to face-off against the Meek Tigers in Region 6 play. Quick scoring drives by both teams brought fans to their feet early in the opening minutes of the game. Starting its opening possession at the 29-yard line, Hubbertville's offensive front led by quarterback Ethan Nichols wasted little time taking the ball to the endzone. Zach Hubbert ran for a four-yard gain on first down, then Nichols called his own number and raced 50 yards moving the ball inside the Tigers red zone.

The Berry Wildcats were looking to pick up its first win of the season as they hosted the South Lamar Stallions. The game was riddled with penalties for both teams, but a big second quarter by the Stallions led them to a 56–20 victory. The Wildcats received the opening kickoff and returned it to the Berry 23-yard line. The Wildcats put together a six-play drive and faced fourth and 11. Berry elected to punt, and the South Lamar offense took the field for the first time in the game.

The Fayette Medical Center will celebrate its 60th anniversary on Friday, Sept. 21 and is still a vibrant, continually growing healthcare facility in the county. The hospital is a testament to the pioneers of healthcare in Fayette County and its roots started many years before, when the McNease-Robertson hospital/clinic was built. The McNease-Robertson facility came into existence because of a vision and care that Dr. B.W. McNease and Dr. John Banks Robertson had for the county.

The 49th annual Fayette Arts Festival, held on Sept. 8 at Guthrie Smith Park, was a huge success. Many visitors to the festival enjoyed the arts, crafts, vendors and entertainment throughout the day. The event was endorsed by the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, and featured the band “Three on a String” as the headlining musical entertainment.