The Fayette County Board of Education hired Hunter Mims as the new football coach at Berry High School during its June 29 meeting. All board members were present for the meeting. A large group of personnel items were approved under a consent vote by the board, with three items removed from the group for individual consideration. One of the items considered separately was the Berry High School football coaching vacancy.
The Fayette City Council held a work session on Tuesday, June 29 to discuss the hospital tax renewal and other items prior to its next meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. Fayette Mayor Rod Northam said that the tax is set to expire in October if it is not renewed by the council. He said that the proposed renewal would be for three years and would expire in Oct. 2024.
Tom Wisemiller, President and CEO of the Northwest Alabama Economic Alliance (commonly known as C3) spoke to the Fayette County Commission at the beginning of its June 28 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Wisemiller said that he has been on the job in his position at C3 for approximately two months and is trying to talk to business and community leaders to build solid relationships for economic growth. He said that it is important for businesses and communities within the C3 region to collaborate with each other to facilitate growth within the region.
The Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (also commonly known as C3) held its 10th annual “State of the Region” meeting on Friday, June 25 at Bevill State Community College in Fayette. C3 consists of the Fayette, Marion and Lamar counties region, and was formed to help promote and recruit economic development in the area.
Members of the Fayette Medical Center Board and administration addressed the Fayette City Council during its June 22 meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, Floyd Rogers led the prayer and JaShanti Enis led the council in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Several local churches combined to host a “Community Vacation Bible School” in Fayette on June 28-29. The event was a huge success, as a large number of children participated in the Vacation Bible School.
After months of fighting for his life and survival, Larry Hindman returned to his home in Fayette on Friday, June 18 to a hero’s welcome. Approximately 50 family members and friends lined the long winding road leading to the Hindman’s home, waving signs and balloons to welcome him back.
The Fayette County Cattlemen’s Association held its annual Steak Supper and Banquet on Thursday, June 10 at the Scout Building in Fayette. Outgoing President Charlie Dale Jones welcomed the crowd of approximately 100 members to the event. Local resident Randy Slay, a regional vice-president of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association, gave the keynote address.
The Fayette County Commission voted to hire Tammy Denise Tidwell as the new Fayette County Aging Program coordinator during its June 14 meeting. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Commissioner John Underwood said that after the applicants for the Aging Program position were screened and candidates were interviewed for the position, Tidwell was the person that the committee recommended to hire. He made a motion to hire Tidwell, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Joe Acker. The motion to hire Tidwell was approved by a unanimous vote.
A historic event occurred at the Fayette Civic Center on Friday, June 11, an event that will transform how many people in the area will be able to transact business and school-work in the near-future. Tombigbee Electric announced a partnership with Alabama Power that will bring affordable, high-speed internet to the area through Tombigbee’s subsidiary company, freedom FIBER. Fayette Mayor Rod Northam opened the event by proclaiming, “This is a big day for not only the City of Fayette, but also for Fayette County.”
A football coaching legend has retired in the Hubbertville community. Lamar Harris decided earlier this month that the time had arrived for him to hang up his headphones and turn the football coaching duties at Hubbertville over to someone else. The decision was not easy, but Harris said after coaching the Lions for 44 years, it was time to step away from his coaching duties. “The timing was right,” Harris said. “I’ve had a wonderful career. If I had to start all over, I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”
Members of the Restoration Springs Board and public officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on June 12 for the expansion of Restoration Springs. The expansion is being funded by a federal grant awarded to the Will Bright Foundation to fight the ongoing opioid crisis. The facility serves as a transition home for men recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.
The Fayette City Council formed a committee during its June 8 meeting to pursue ideas concerning the renewal of the contract for the city shop property. All council members were present for the meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, U.S. Congressman Mo Brooks, who is a candidate for the 2022 U.S. Senate seat that will be vacant when Senator Richard Shelby retires, spoke briefly. Brooks commended the council concerning how clean Fayette is, saying that the cleanliness shows the people have pride in their town.
The Fayette County Board of Education approved several personnel items and contracts during its June 10 meeting. Board members Julie Stough and John Aaron were absent from the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Board President Tom Hubbert asked for a motion that all personnel items be approved or disapproved by one vote. He said that if any board member had an objection to one of the personnel items being considered as a group, it would be removed from the remainder of the items and considered separately.
Interfor, a forest product company based in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, announced on May 27 the acquisition of the Belk Georgia Pacific sawmill facility. Also acquired during the purchase were three additional Georgia Pacific operations, facilities located in Bay Springs, Miss.; DeQuincy, Louis. and Philomath, Ore. Interfor announced a total purchase price of $375 million for the four facilities.
The Berry Town Council held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Monday, June 7. All council members were present for the meeting. During the absence of acting Police Chief Bart Norris, Berry mayor Jimmy Madison gave the police report covering May 1 – June 6. Mayor Madison said that 36 arrests were made by the department, with many of the arrests coming as the result of serving warrants. The Berry Police Department also issued 27 traffic citations and filed 15 reports.
The Fayette City Council met in a work session on June 3 to discuss several topics prior to its next meeting. All council members were present for the meeting. The first topic of discussion was the direction that the council prefers to follow concerning the city shop and property lease.
The 10th annual meeting of C3 of Northwest Alabama Economic Develop- ment Alliance, Inc. will be held on Friday, June 25 at the Earl McDonald Auditorium on the Fayette campus of Bevill State Community College. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. Plan to enjoy brunch, catered by Fannie’s, and networking with friends and business associates from 9 – 10 a.m. The program will begin at 10 a.m.
