The Fayette County Commission voted to hire a part-time aging director during its March 25 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. The commissioners approved a motion to enter an executive session at the beginning of the meeting to discuss personnel issues at the request of Commission Chairman Mike Freeman.
Following the executive session, Freeman announced that the county road supervisor, Tim Whitson, had resigned from his position effective immediately.

The Fayette Medical Center (FMC) and the FMC Long-Term Care facility have been recognized as among the top healthcare facilities in the nation. FMC achieved a five-star rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that administrates Medicare. FMC is one of only five hospitals in Alabama and one of 293 nationwide to receive this rating, placing FMC in the top 6.5 percent of the nation’s 4,500 hospitals.

The issue of substance abuse goes far beyond just addiction. A meeting of the minds between local, area, state and federal officials was held Wednesday, March 20, to seek solutions to bridge the gap between recovery from drug abuse and the successful placement of those who find themselves facing addiction back into society.

The Fayette Medical Center Foundation recently announced this year’s recipients of its “Nutrition Fuels Fitness” scholarships. Selected as this year’s recipients were Bevill students Cade Harris, Madison Dunn and Hunter Reynolds. Each received a $1,000 scholarship that can be used at any college that they choose to attend.

On Feb. 16, a day that he will never forget, Nolen Dean Sanders of Fayette received an “Ambassador of Peace” medal for his service in the Korean War. The medal was issued by the government of the Republic of Korea and presented to Sanders by two members of the local VFW Post, Post Commander Jerry Fulmer and Skip Hocutt. The certificate from the Korean government stated: “We cherish in our hearts the memory of your boundless sacrifices in helping us reestablish our Free Nation.

Sometimes in both boxing and real life, you have to get knocked down before you can succeed.
Local professional boxer Anthony Stewart’s life took a sharp detour a few years ago after a promising career in amateur boxing. Now he has a second chance in life and as a boxer, and he plans to make the most of this opportunity.

A fire on Tuesday, March 19 at 71 Davis Drive in Fayette caused extensive damage to the single structure residence. Fayette Fire Chief Shannon Taylor said that upon the arrival of the Fayette Fire Department at the residence, the structure was approximately one-half involved in flames, with fire throughout the attic and carport.

Bevill State Community College announced the donation of a 2019 Startran PS/2 bus by the Bevill State Foundation to the Fayette campus. On Friday, March 22, the passenger bus was delivered to the Fayette campus of the college, where the keys were presented by board members of the Bevill Foundation.

Fayette Mini-Mart, located on the south side of Fayette at the intersection of Highway 171 and Highway 159, celebrated its Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting on March 21. The store is under new management and is operated by new owner Yonas Getachew.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved the retirement of two employees and revised the 2019-20 school calendar during its March 19 meeting. Board member Tim Fields was absent, with all other members present for the meeting. The board accepted the retirement of Jeanie Hindman as Fayette Elementary School teacher and Shirley Dailey as a lunchroom worker at Fayette Middle School. Their retirements will be effective on June 1.

The Glen Allen town council met in regular session on Tuesday, March 5 at the town hall. All councilors were present for the monthly meeting. Mayor Allen J. Dunavant presented before the council with a sketch-drawing of a proposed mural which had been submitted from Artist Missy Miles of Organic Vessels Studio and Art Gallery of Hamilton.

The Hubbertville Lady Lions traveled to Hackleburg on March 21 and won by a score of 10-0.
Emma Nichols pitched a complete game, two-hit shutout for Hubbertville to claim the victory.
Chelsea Porter and Madison Cribb each had two hits and scored a run during the game, while Cribb also had a RBI. Gracie Dodd and Kayla Tidwell each had a double, scored a run and had two RBIs. Laikyn Wright had a double, scored two runs and had a RBI.

The Fayette County High School Tigers defeated Hubbertville and Brilliant during the Hubbertville Softball Tournament, but lost the remainder of its games during the past week.
Fayette hosted Carbon Hill on March 18 and lost a close one to the Lady Bulldogs by a score of 8-7.

Berry softball completed a successful tournament at Hubbertville on Saturday, winning three games and losing a 1-0 heartbreaker in the other game. The Lady Wildcats, ranked number 10 in the latest Alabama Sportswriters Association Class 1A poll, opened the tournament with an 8-1 win over Brilliant. Brooke Blanton pitched a complete five-inning game, striking out 10 batters to earn the victory.

The Fayette Tigers traveled to Curry on March 19 and won by a score of 3-0. Carter Sanford had two hits and two RBIs in the game. Langston Strawbridge also had two hits for the Tigers. Colton McCaleb pitched a complete seven inning shutout for Fayette, scattering four hits and striking out six batters.

The Hubbertville Lions finished strong to take a 9-4 victory over Hackleburg in baseball.
The Lions scored in the first inning when Gage Key doubled in a run. The big inning for the Lions was the sixth, when Hubbertville scored four runs. Gage Alexander, Key and Zach Hubbert each had RBIs during the inning.

A brief but powerful thunderstorm in Fayette County cused some minor damage to trees and one residence in the county, according to Fayette County Emergency Management Director Russ Taylor. Taylor said that Fayette was never under a tornado warning, but much of the county was under a severe thunderstorm warning and a tornado watch for much of the afternoon and early evening on Thursday. March 14.

Christopher Lee Price is scheduled to be executed by the Alabama Department of Corrections on April 11. Price, 46, was convicted in the 1991robbery and murder of Bill Lynn. According to court documents, Lynn, a minister at Natural Springs Church of Christ, was fatally stabbed by Price outside of Lynn’s home on Dec. 22, 1991.

The Fayette County Sheriff Department made a major drug bust this month, removing several grams of illegal drugs from the streets. While in the course of a routine investigation, Deputy Justin Watkins and Deputy Chris Hubbert arrived at the home of James Sherman Jones, located at 1507 2nd Ave. SW in Fayette.

The Fayette County Commission held a brief regular meeting on Monday, March 11. All commissioners were present for the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, only one item of business was on the agenda. The item of business was discussion about the aging program director and at the beginning of the meeting, the commissioners agreed to remove that item of business from the agenda.

The Fayette City Council received a monthly report from the fire and police chiefs in addition to hearing an update on the former Cotton Mill property litigation during its March 12 meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. Prior to the beginning of the meeting, local resident Bobby Avant offered prayer. Avant also spoke breifly to the council concerning his experience as a visitor to a recent Fayette Municipal Court proceeding.

The Fayette County High School baseball team defeated Bibb County and South Lamar in games played at Fayette on Saturday, March 16. In the first game of the day for the Tigers, senior Austin McCaleb pitched an outstanding game for Fayette to win a pitchers’ duel for the Tigers by a score of 2-1.

The Hubbertville girls’ softball team played two games last week, losing 16-0 to Lynn on the road and defeating Phillips 4-3 at home. During the 16-0 loss to Lynn on March 11, Hubbertville managed only two hits during the game. Chelsea Porter and Cayla Tidwell were each one-for-two at the plate for the Lady lions.

The Fayette County High School Lady Tigers sandwich three impressive wins between two losses last week in softball. Fayette played its first game of the week on Wednesday, March 13, losing to the Haleyville Lady Lions 3-1.

Berry played two softball games last week, defeating Pickens County at home before losing the next day at home to Vernon. On March 12, Berry defeated Pickens County by a score of 11-1.

The Hubbertville baseball team traveled to South Lamar on Tuesday, March 12 and was defeated by the Stallions 10-2. Despite the score, the game was tied at two going into the sixth inning.

Berry’s baseball team traveled to Guin on March 11 to face Marion County and was defeated by a score of 12-1. Hunter Harrison was two-for-two at the plate for Berry, with a single and a double.Isaiah Kizzire was one-for-two with a RBI and was also hit by a pitch. Johnathan Locke had a double in the game, and Gabe Jones scored Berry’s only run.

Bevill State Community College suffered through a tough stretch of games during the past week, winning only one out of six games played against Itawamba (Miss.) and Central Alabama. Itawamba traveled to Fayette on March 12 for two games and defeated the Bears 4-1 in the first game.

The Alabama Cattlemen’s Association membership elected Randy Slay of Fayette as regional vice-president at its annual membership meeting, held in conjunction with the 76th annual convention and trade show in Birmingham on Feb. 16.

The Fayette Two, 12 and Under, Fayette Park and Recreation basketball team had a very successful 2018-19 season. The team was 7-3 during the regular season, finishing the year 8-4 after the season-ending tournament. Madden said he enjoyed coaching the young players and commented that the team improved throughout the year. He  added that he is anxious to see the players compete next year at Fayette Middle School.

The Sipsey Arts Alliance Artists’ Collective held its Grand Opening and Ribbon-Cutting on March 14. The new facility will have studio space for the alliance’s artists, and will also have local art available for purchase. The new business is located at 117 East Columbus Street in Fayette.

By a 28-6 vote, the Alabama Senate approved Governor Kay Ivey’s Rebuild Alabama Plan (House Bill 2) for increased infrastructure funding. Alabama Senate Majority Leader Greg Reed (R-Jasper) said it was a major step toward modernizing Alabama’s crumbling infrastructure.

Governor Kay Ivey has awarded a $700,000 grant for a new way to help victims of sexual abuse and violent crime better cope with the fallout and the anxieties that can come with criminal justice proceedings. The Office of Prosecution Services is using grant funds to place Certified Facility Dogs throughout the state. Four facilities in Chilton, Houston, Montgomery and Madison counties will house, train, transport and care for the service dogs, which can be deployed to any of the 67 counties in Alabama.

Dr. Richard O. Rutland was honored by a reception and dedication ceremony on March 10 at Fayette Medical Center, honoring his lifetime of medical achievements in the Fayette community and naming the new medical library in his honor. Sandy Nolen, chairperson of the Fayette Medical Center Board, opened the ceremony by thanking Rutland and the other “forward thinking leaders” who helped lead Fayette into the future.

Fayette County High School held a “Meet and Greet’” at the school on Sunday, March 10 for new FCHS football coach Bill Smith and his wife, Ann Smith. Many people attended the two-hour event to speak with the coach and his wife. The Smiths said that they were very encouraged by the support of the community and Bill Smith said that he is eagerly looking forward to a successful football season with the Tigers.

The Fayette County Commission held a special called meeting at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 7 to consider adopting a resolution in support of the “Rebuild Alabama Act” that is being considered by state legislators. All commissioners were present with the exception of Commissioner Barry Corkren and Commissioner John Underwood.

As part of Sheriff Byron Yerby’s pledge when running for office, he stated that the sheriff department vehicles that had formerly been unmarked would be identified.

The Berry Town Council approved the hosting of a September car show in Berry during its March 4 meeting. Councilman Russell Madison and Councilman Troyce Townsel were absent from the meeting.

Hubbertville traveled to Marion County for its first baseball game of the 2019 season and defeated the Red Raiders by a score of 5-4. The game was tied at four until Cannon Alexander had a RBI single in the seventh inning to give the Lions the victory.

Hubbertville defeated Brilliant 17-16 and lost to Marion County by a score of 6-3 during the week.

The Berry softball team traveled to Holy Spirit on March 7 and was defeated by the Lady Saints 15-0. Brooke Blanton pitched 2 2/3 innings for the Lady Wildcats, surrendering two earned runs on four hits and striking out two batters.

Each year, Kindergarten - 12th grade students from across the country can enter their artwork in the Wildlife Forever State-Fish Art Contest. The contest requires student artists to depict a state fish. Prizes are awarded at the state and national levels in four categories: K-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12, with students in grades 4-12 writing a one-page essay about the fish, its natural habitat and the importance of that habitat in addition to submitting the artwork. Complete contest rules and the entry form can be found on the Wildlife Forever website, www.wildlifeforever.org

The Fayette County High School softball team suffered through a tough week of losses, losing a single game on the road on Thursday before dropping a pair of games during a tournament at Hamilton on Friday. Fayette jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first inning against Curry on Thursday, March 7, but the Lady Yellow Jackets stormed back with five runs in the third to take the 9-3 victory over the Lady Tigers.

Bevill State played Lawson State Community College a pair of home-and-away doubleheaders last week, splitting each of the doubleheaders. On March 7, Lawson State traveled to Fayette, with Lawson winning the first game by a score of 3-2.

National Nutrition Month is an annual nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign, celebrated each year during the month of March, focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. In addition, National Nutrition Month promotes the Academy and its members to the public and the media as the most valuable and credible source of timely, scientifically-based food and nutrition information.

The West Alabama Mayors Association (WAMA) elected its 2019 officers during a regulary scheduled meeting held on Feb. 21 in Glen Allen. Millport Mayor Stanley Allred was chosen as president and Carrollton Mayor Mickey Walker was chosen as vice-president.  Each will serve a one-year term.

Bill Smith, a graduate of Russellville High School and former punter for the University of Alabama, has been named the new head football coach and athletic director for Fayette County High School. Smith was approved for the position at the Feb. 26 meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education. Smith said that he decided to apply for the coaching position because he had always admired the sports programs at Fayette County High School.

If NBC’s Monday night telecast of “The Voice” is any indication, Dexter Roberts is ready for another chance at the big time. Roberts, a Fayette County native and 2010 Fayette County High School graduate, literally had the four judges on the talent show begging him to select them as his coach. Roberts’ near-perfect rendition of Randy Houser’s country song, “Like a Cowboy” had judges Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and John Legend pressing their buttons simultaneously early during the song, while judge Adam Levine joined the party later.

The highly-anticipated reopening of the Fayette County Public Lake will occur at sunrise on Thursday, March 28. The 60-acre lake closed on April 2, 2015, and has remained closed for almost four years. Matthew Marshall, state lake coordinator for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, said that prior to the closure of the lake, “The fishing was poor and the catch rate was low. Something had to be done.”

The Fayette County Board of Education honored its selections for Teachers of the Year in the county during its Feb. 26 meeting. Board members Waldon Tucker and John Stowe were absent from the meeting. Winning the honor at their schools were the following people: Kerri Smith, Berry High; Veronica White, Berry Elementary; Laura Lee Cochrane , Fayette Elementary; Jackie Dodd, Fayette Middle; Susan Ingle, Fayette County High School; and Darla Brantley, Hubbertville School.