A single vehicle accident, that occurred at approximately 7:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 20 in Fayette County on Highway 107 near the four-mile marker, claimed the life of the driver of a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree before catching on fire. After initially releasing an identity based on the vehicle’s identification, the Alabama State Troopers now say a positive identification of the deceased is pending the result of forensic tests. Fayette County Coroner Tim Kimbrell said the driver of the vehicle apparently died upon impact.

Growing up in Fayette, Mason Aldridge witnessed the challenges to accessing health care that people living in rural communities face. He also experienced firsthand the difference one person can make.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved several personnel items and contracts during its April 19 meeting. All board members were present for the meeting. At the start of the meeting, board member John Aaron made a motion to enter executive session to discuss possible litigation. The motion was seconded by board member Keith Madison and was approved unanimously. After an executive session of approximately 20 minutes, the board reconvened its open meeting.

Fayette Police Officer Zakeith Wilson successfully completed his training and graduated from the Tuscaloosa Law Enforcement Academy on April 14.

The annual Berry Heritage Festival was a huge success, with a large number of patrons enjoying the musical entertainment, carnival rides, car show, food, and arts and craft vendors.

The City of Fayette was busy Saturday with activities from the Market-on-Main.

The Berry Wildcats and Fayette County High School Tigers each made the first round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s playoffs, with Berry advancing to the second round and Fayette’s season ending after dropping two-of-three games to Westminster Christian.

Bevill State Community College won its baseball series against Southern Union two weeks ago by taking three of the four games. Last week, Calhoun won three-of-four games against the Bears.

Following the death of her beloved husband, Bill Robertson, Toni Robertson began to think about downsizing her home and moving to a new location. She also wanted to do something to help preserve the former bank building that is located next to the current Citizens Bank, and she had an idea that allowed her to accomplish both tasks. Robertson decided to partner with Luke and Amanda Porter to buy the former bank building. The upstairs area of the building would be transformed into her new home, and the downstairs area would become office space for the Porters and their businesses.

The Fayette City Council presented its annual appropriation of funds at the beginning of its April 12 meeting to the three public schools located within the city limits and also to the Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce. Councilwoman Aliska Hughes-Monroe and Councilman Eddy Campbell were absent from the meeting, with all other council members present.

The Fayette County Commission voted during its April 11 meeting to purchase more road equipment with funds provided through the COVID American Rescue Act funds. All commissioners were present for the meeting.

The annual PCA Fayette County Cattlemen’s Association rodeo was held on April 8 - 9 at the Fayette County Multipurpose Complex and was enjoyed by a large group of patrons each night.

The Glen Allen Town Council held its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 5. All council members were in attendance for the monthly scheduled meeting. During the meeting, the council voted to conduct the town’s annual spring cleanup on Saturday, April 30. The cleanup is being held in conjunction with the People Against a Littered State (PALS) “Don’t Drop it on Alabama” Statewide Spring Cleanup.

Gardening can be very satisfying and rewarding, but many homeowners do not have the space to plant a traditional garden. When space is limited, many people choose to do container gardening as a means to raise a few fresh vegetables for their kitchen tables. Container gardening can be successful on a small scale in almost any location; however, gardening in this manner presents its own unique challenges.

The Hubbertville Lions defeated Meek High School by the score of 11-8 in a game played on April 11. Jagger Youngblood pitched six innings to record the victory, allowing eight hits and two earned runs while striking out seven. Brodie Porter pitched the final inning in relief for Hubbertville.

The Berry Lady Wildcats played only two softball games last week, losing a 10-inning, 1-0 heartbreaker to area foe South Lamar before suffering a shutout the next day at Holy Spirit.
Kyla Edmonson pitched a magnificent game against South Lamar on April 11, scattering five hits and allowing no runs entering the 10th inning of the game. She also tied a school record set by Taylor Thomas in 2012 with 20 strikeouts in the game. Thomas set the record by striking out 20 of the 21 batters she faced.

Tyler Galloway, the newest member of the Fayette Fire Department, graduated from the Alabama Fire College on Friday, April 9.

The annual reception was held for the recipients of awards from the Fayette Community Foundation on Tuesday, April 5 at the Fayette Civic Center. Fayette Community Foundation Chairman William Oswalt told the recipients that the foundation has awarded $7.2 million in grants to organizations during the 17 years since the start of the foundation in 2005, including approximately $600,000 in grants for the current year.

The Berry Town Council held its regular monthly meeting on Monday, April 4. All council members were present for the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting, Berry Police Chief Gerald Dedeaux  gave the police report for March 7 through April 3.

Lindsey Yerby of Fayette, Alabama’s Cherry Blossom Princess, was named as the runner-up U.S. Cherry Blossom Queen during the week-long U.S. Cherry Blossom Program that took place in Washington D.C. on April 3 - 10.