Two fire trucks from the Fayette Police Department responded to a vehicle and shed fire that occurred on Friday, June 24 at approximately 10:11 a.m. on Highway 159, approximately eight miles south of Fayette. According to the fire report, the fire started as a camper fire and quickly spread to a nearby shed and boat. The firemen were able to contain the fire, and there were no injuries. The cause of the fire was ruled unintentional and of an undetermined origin.

College Instructor David Wages is the 2022 recipient of the Bevill State “Outstanding Faculty Award” on the Fayette  Campus. Wages’ education roots run deep at Bevill State Community College. As a student at Fayette County High School, he took four dual enrollment courses beginning in the 11th grade.  

Summer is starting out hot this year. On June 22, the official temperature for the day was 101. With the heat index added in, the temperature felt like 108.

Alabama District 16 Representative Kyle South posted a series of images on Facebook on Feb. 25, showing details of a proposed interstate bypass project that would widen Highways 171 and 129. The bypass would start from 171 in Fayette County and meet Highway 129 in Winfield at an intersection on Highway 118. There has been no word from the governor or the Alabama Department of Transportation regarding a date and time for a public meeting to discuss the proposal.

Berry High School senior pitcher Kyla Edmonson finished the season for the second consecutive year as an Alabama High School second-team All-State softball player, as selected by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

In a special-called meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education on Monday, June 20, the board unanimously voted to hire Jared Porter as the next football coach at Fayette County High School. All board members were in attendance for the special meeting. The head football coach and athletic director’s position became available following the June 7 board meeting, when the board failed to approve the coaching supplement for Coach Waldon Tucker. The coaching position was posted on June 13 as an internal system transfer only.

The Fayette City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, June 14. All council members, with the exception of Councilwoman Virettia Whiteside and Councilwoman Aliska Hughes-Monroe, were present for the meeting. Councilman Tommy Williams opened the meeting with prayer and also led the Pledge of Allegiance. Tom Wisemiller, president and CEO of the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (C3), spoke to the council concerning sales, usage and property tax abatements for a possible new industry.

The Fayette County Commission held a very brief meeting on June 13 at the Fayette County Courthouse. Commissioner Brad Cox and Commissioner John Underwood were absent from the meeting, with all other commissioners present. Commissioner Barry Corkren made a motion to allow the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department to be added to the “Brinks supports first responders donation program wait list.”

The Berry Town Council voted at its June 6 meeting to seek bids for three new raw water pumps for the Berry Water System. All council members were in attendance for the meeting with the exception of Councilwoman Mary Sue Lollar. Berry Water Plant Chief Operator Walter Taylor appeared before the council during the meeting to explain to the council the urgent need for the new pumps. He also explained that there is at least a six-month wait to receive new pumps once they are ordered.

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.”