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.