The quick action of the Fayette Police department resulted in a burglar being captured at the scene of the crime. Gregory Shane Fortner, 39, of 531 11th St. SW, Fayette, was caught hiding in the ceiling at Shop & Save Supermarket in Fayette at approximately 4:30 a.m. on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 1. The police department responded to the scene when Fortner activated the security alarm at the store.
Two Fayette County residents pled guilty to felony drug charges last week after reaching plea agreements with the 24th Judicial Circuit’s District Attorney’s Office. Tracy Lynn Brashier, 30, of Berry agreed to serve 15 years in prison for distribution of a controlled substance. She was arrested on March 20 with a quantity of methamphetamine intended for sale. Eric Parker, 49, of Fayette, was arrested in January for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Parker will serve 11 years in prison.
The Fayette City Council met in a special called meeting at noon on Tuesday Sept. 1 to add the legitimate provisional ballots cast during the Aug. 25 primary and to certify the election results. All council members and Mayor Ray Nelson were present for the meeting. There were 11 provisional ballots counted in the final results of the Fayette municipal election, and four provisional ballots cast were ruled ineligible to be counted. Sherry Settle represented the Fayette County Board of Registrars at the meeting.
The Glen Allen Town Council passed resolutions 3-20 through 8-20, certifying the municipal election results at its Tuesday, Sept. 1 council meeting. Since there was only one candidate qualifying for each position on the town’s governing board, an election was not required for this election cycle. Mayor Allen J. Dunavant presented and read aloud the resolutions which were specified for each position of the governing body.
The Lions traveled to Reform on Friday night, opening regional play by facing-off against the Pickens County Tornadoes. Skylar Benton’s opening kick was fielded at the 39-yard line and advanced to the Lions’ 48-yard line. Three plays later, Xerrance Washington took the handoff 41-yards around the right end to the end zone for a quick score. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 6-0 with only 24 seconds off the game clock.
The Berry Wildcats traveled to Millport looking to break a four-game losing streak against its Region 6 foe, the South Lamar Stallions. Both teams got off to a fast start, but eventually the Wildcats’ running game would wear down the Stallions. This allowed Berry to walk away with a 40–12 win.
Rod Northam won the Aug. 25 Fayette mayoral race over three opponents, collecting 781 votes and winning the position without a runoff. Current Fayette City Councilman Cedric Wilson finished second in the race, gathering 451 votes. Max Weaver received 149 votes and Kevin Bass collected 140 votes for mayor. Northam, a former engineer and plant manager at the 3M plant in Guin, earned the victory in his first attempt at political office.
The Fayette County Commission approved its transportation plan for fiscal year 2021 as required under the “Rebuild Alabama Act,” which was enacted last year by the state legislature. The plan was approved during a special called meeting on Aug. 28 that followed the commission’s regular meeting on Aug. 24. The special meeting was called for the expressed purpose of approving the transportation plan, since the plan is required to be approved prior to Sept. 1 each year, and since the plan was not approved in the last regular commission meeting of the month.
On Monday, Aug. 31, Dr. Kim Ennis announced to the faculty and staff of Bevill State Community College that she will be retiring as president effective Sept. 30 following a career at the college spanning over three decades. After a year-long appointment as Interim President, Dr. Ennis was officially named president of the college in April of 2018. During Dr. Ennis’ 35-year tenure with Bevill State, she has served in a number of roles, including two terms as Interim President, Executive Vice-President, and Dean of Students.
The Fayette County Board of Education approved a few personnel items and contracts during a brief special called meeting on Aug. 24. Board Member Tom Hubbert, Board Member Sam Sullivan, Board Member John Stowe and Board Member John Aaron were present for the meeting, with Board Member Tim Fields and Board Member Keith Madison absent during the special called meeting.
The Bibb County Choctaws, ranked second in the state in Class 4A, used a strong running game to overwhelm the young Fayette Tigers by the score of 39-0. Deshun Murrell, Bibb County’s senior running back who has committed to play college football for UCLA, demonstrated why he is considered one of the top offensive backs in the state.
Hubbertville welcomed the Waterloo Cougars to Wiley Hollingsworth Stadium on Thursday night to open its regular season. Winning the coin toss, the Lions elected to receive the opening kick. The opening kick ricocheted off a Cougars kicking team member, with the Lions recovering at the Waterloo 48-yard line. Following a four-yard gain by quarterback Gage Key on first down, the opening possession stalled, forcing Key to punt the ball away.
According to Superintendent Jim Burkhalter, school got off to as normal a start as possible in a year that has been dominated everywhere by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are off to a great start,” said Burkhalter. “Teachers, students, and staff are practicing the guidelines provided by the CDC and Governor Kay Ivey. Masks are being worn by everyone in grades two - 12. Social distancing is being practiced to the best extent possible. The schools are doing an excellent job in teaching our students in the safety protocols that are being implemented.
Alex Chaffin, 34, of the Hubbertville Community, passed away at UAB Hospital in Birmingham on Aug. 22. The young man, who was born with Down’s Syndrome, had overcome numerous obstacles throughout his life before reportedly losing his struggle with the COVID-19 virus. Alex Chaffin was born along with his twin brother Eric on Aug. 6, 1986 to David and Stachie Chaffin. He graduated from Hubbertville School in 2004, and although he did not play competitive sports in school, he was the undisputed champion “Number One Fan” for his beloved alma mater.
The Fayette County Board of Education approved several personnel changes and contracts for the 2020-21 school year during its Aug. 18 meeting. All board members were present for the meeting. Judy Baker was hired by the school board as a nurse for Berry High School, upon successful background clearance. The position will be for one-year only, and will be paid for with CARES Act funding.
Fayette County High School honored the memory of two former players who died earlier this year prior to the start of the Fayette - Winfield football game. Number 65 Will Kizzire graduated in 2018, and Kaleb Owens, number 9, would have been a member of this year’s football team.
Fayette County saw a slight decline in the number of new cases of the COVID-19 virus during the past week, registering 24 new cases for the seven-day period from Monday, Aug. 17 – Monday, Aug. 24. For each of the past two weeks, Fayette County had registered more than 30 new cases of the coronavirus each week. The total number of coronavirus cases in the county totaled 270 at press time, with the county also reporting one additional death within the past week to bring the total number of deaths to six.
Waldon Tucker returned to coaching Fayette football against Winfield last week, but the Pirates spoiled his return debut by defeating the Tigers 26-6. Fayette appeared to be hitting on all cylinders early, as they took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for the first touchdown of the 2020 season. However, Winfield shutout the Tigers for the remainder of the game to claim the victory.
Sometimes in football, the final score does not truly represent what happened in the game. The Wildcat faithful who saw Berry host the Northside Rams at Fred Webster Stadium would agree with this. The Rams and the Wildcats kicked off their 2020 campaigns by facing each other for the first time since 2015. The Wildcats led 7-6 at halftime, but three scores by the Rams in the second half proved to be the difference as Northside took the win 27-7.
Hubbertville traveled north to Franklin County to open its season with a fall jamboree against the Class 3A Phil Campbell Bobcats. Just as the coin toss ended, the rain began and umbrellas opened up throughout the stadium. Grayson Key advanced the opening kick to the Lions 40-yard line, setting up the Lions offense, led by senior quarterback Gage Key.
