An accident, occurring on Friday, June 10 at approximately 9:05 a.m., looked really bad but fortunately, the occupants of the vehicles were uninjured. The accident happened on Highway 43 North, between the intersections of 19th St. NW and 20th St. NW. According to the police report, a 2007 GMC Envoy van, driven by Clara A. Gilliam of Bankston, was entering the roadway from the parking lot of a nearby business and struck a 2017 Honda Accord, driven by Cheryl Denise Terrell of Guin, causing the Accord to flip upside down.

The Fayette County Board of Education failed to approve the coaching and athletic director’s supplement for Waldon Tucker, Fayette County High School head football coach, during its June 7 meeting. Board Member Keith Madison was not in attendance at the beginning of the meeting due to a conflict with his work schedule.

The grand opening of the 2022 Fayette Farmers Market in the downtown area was a huge success, with local vendors selling out of produce quickly. Each week, additional vendors are expected to participate in the market, and the variety of fresh produce will also increase during the summer.  Jim Carlo is busy selling fresh vegetables and herbs to customers.

The primary ballots for the Tuesday, June 21 runoff elections may be short, but some of the races on the ballots should generate plenty of voting interest, both locally and on the state and national level.

The Glen Allen Town Council met in regular session on Tuesday, June 7 at the town’s community center. All council members were in attendance for the meeting. Allen Grocholski, who serves as the town’s attorney, informed the council members of options available for the removal of a used mobile home located on property owned by the town at 11th street west.

The 3M company facility located in Guin has partnered with the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science to fund young learners from its area attending the school’s STEM leadership summer program. Ten students in the sixth through eighth grades from Fayette, Lamar and Marion counties in northwest Alabama will attend the ASMS STEM Leadership Academy summer camp as a result of a $4,300 grant.

The University of Alabama awarded 5,907 degrees during its spring commencement ceremonies on May 6-8, including several degrees to local students

Bevill State Community College’s TRIO program - Upward Bound (UB) — has been renewed. The total award for all programs combined is a little more than $1.2 million a year from the Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education. This grant assures the programs’ continuation for the next five years, through 2027.

There will be a regularly scheduled meeting of the West Alabama Regional Commission’s Board of Directors on June 23 at 11:45 a.m. Presiding at the meeting will be Tuscaloosa County Commission Chairman, Tuscaloosa County Probate Judge and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the West Alabama Regional Commission, the Honorable Rob Robertson.

A one-vehicle accident on County Road 12 near Concord Baptist Church at approximately 12:45 p.m. on Friday, June 3 severely injured Daniel Smith, age 76, of Bankston. Smith was traveling west with a load of lumber for Lawrence Farm and Lumber when the truck he was driving left the roadway and overturned, scattering the lumber along the roadside.

The Fayette Memorial Library celebrated its 100th anniversary on May 31, with lots of children’s activities, cake, ice cream, popcorn and other treats. Toni Robertson, a member of the Fayette Progress Club, said last year during a presentation at the library that the Progress Club was established in 1921 “for the sole purpose of helping to establish a permanent library in the City of Fayette.” Robertson said that in 1922, the first library in town “opened in a portion of Dr. Branyon’s office and contained 68 books.”

Note: The following are sentences released by the Fayette County Circuit Court for the month of May.

The Board of Directors for Marion County Bancshares, Inc., doing business as First National Bank, Hamilton, made the decision to close its branches in Berry and Parrish, effective May 27.
The bank will continue to operate all other branches located in Hamilton, Sulligent, Haleyville, Carbon Hill and Double Springs. A recommendation to close the Berry and Parrish branches was made during the Board’s January 2021 meeting, following a review of the 2020 branch performance reports.

Fayette County Administrator Brooke Nichols-Slatton was named the 2022 John Ray Gordon County Administrator of the Year by the Association of County Administrators of Alabama (ACAA) in recognition of her service to her profession. Nichols-Slatton was selected by a committee of her peers from around the state to receive the ACAA’s highest honor at its annual conference in May.

Fayette County Sheriff Byron Yerby defeated four challengers to win the May 24 Republican Primary for sheriff without a runoff. Since there were no Democratic challengers for the office, and no independent candidates have announced, Yerby is virtually assured of a second term as Fayette County’s sheriff.

Opening day at the Fayette Aquatic Park proved to be a big success. Although the temperature of the water was a little cool when the park opened for the day, the weather warmed up nicely and the low humidity made the day a pleasant experience for park attendees. Lifeguards kept a careful eye on the water at the Fayette Aquatic Park to ensure everyone was safe.

The new Fayette Farmers’ Market will have the Grand Opening of its 2002 market season on Tuesday, June 7, from 4 - 6 p.m. This year’s market will be held outside the former Train Depot (Fayette Historical Museum), located at 202 South Temple Avenue in downtown Fayette.

The Fayette City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 24. All council members, with the exception of Councilwoman Virettia Whiteside were present for the meeting. In the absence of Fayette Mayor Rod Northam, Mayor Pro Tem Eddy Campbell presided over the meeting. Caleb Hall led the council in prayer and his daughter Macy Hall led the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Fayette County Commission unanimously approved the acceptance of a bid from ST Bunn in the amount of $393,593 for the patching of County Road 2 and the scrub-sealing of County Road 36. This was the only bid received on the project. All commissioners with the exception of Commissioner Shane Hughes were present for the meeting.

Four individuals were arrested on May 6 on charges related to the trespassing and tampering with a water tower owned and operated by the Fayette Water Board. Mason Garrett Mitchell, 19, of Berry Circle NW, Fayette; Skyler Layne Barrett, 19, of 14th Street NE, Fayette; Caelan Oneal Killingsworth, 23, of Co. Rd. 106, Fayette; and Skylar Sheree Hill, 21, of Gross Road, Guntersville, were arrested by the Fayette Police Department and each charged with three felony offenses: Burglary non-residence force, Damaged Property - Criminal Mischief, and Property Crime – Criminal Tampering.