Joseph Gatlin Peltz, 31, of Glen Allen, was arrested on July 21 by the Fayette County Sheriff’s office and charged with second degree aggravated assault and attempted murder.

A Fayette County man convicted of attempted murder has been sentenced to serve life in prison, 24th Judicial Circuit District Attorney Andy Hamlin announced. Jerry Martin Honeycutt, 80, was convicted of attempted murder, two counts of first-degree burglary and for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm after a trial in 24th Judicial Circuit Court in April. The sentence was pronounced at the conclusion of a sentencing hearing held Aug. 3 before Circuit Judge Sam Junkin.

The Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame held its 2023 induction ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 5 at Bevill State Community College in Fayette. Tom Roberts, a Fayette County High School graduate and the retired director of sports broadcasting at The University of Alabama, emceed the event. He introduced each inductee and gave a brief biography of their accomplishments before the inductees addressed the crowd. Following are the 2023 Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame inductees.

High summer temperatures continue to generate strong thunderstorms and winds, causing tree damage and power outages throughout the county this past weekend.
Fayette County EMA Director Michael Stoker said that it has been an unusually active summer, with numerous thunderstorms and strong straight line winds causing tree damage within the county.

Bevill State Community College is poised to benefit from the legislative support of the historic Education Trust Fund Budget passed during the 2023 legislative session. Notable points of this ETF budget include:
• $551,286,557 allocated to the Alabama Community College System;
• $280,000 specifically earmarked for all the Bevill State Community College campuses;
• $350,000 designated for the Alabama Mine Safety Training Program located on the Bevill State Sumiton Campus;

The Fayette seven and eight year old All-Star team traveled to Hattiesburg, Miss. to compete as the Alabama representative in the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series. The team represented its city and state well, returning home with the third place trophy in the Division II Tournament.

Party qualifying has ended, and the candidates for the Republican and Democratic parties in the special election primaries to fill the remainder of the term for Alabama House of Representatives, District 16, have been determined.

The Fayette City Council recognized and congratulated the Fayette seven and eight year old All-Star team for winning the state tournament and being the first team ever from Fayette to participate in the Dixie Youth World Series. All council members were present for the July 25 meeting, with the exception of Councilman Eddy Campbell.

This is the third of three articles highlighting inductees for the 2023 class of the Fayette Co. Sports Hall of Fame. The ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5 in the Earl McDonald Auditorium on the Fayette Campus of Bevill State Community College. FCHS graduate and University of Alabama broadcasting legend Tom Roberts will once again emcee the event. Tickets for the banquet and induction ceremony are $20 each, and the banquet meal will consist of a smoked chicken plate.

Berry High School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) Chapter was represented at the 2023 FCCLA National Leadership Conference, held at the Colorado Convention Center on July 2 - 6. Berry FCCLA students, Danni Kate Naramore and Alex Wilson, competed in STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events and each was awarded with gold medals.

The Fayette County Board of Education approved personnel items and contracts during its July 27 meeting. All board members were present for the meeting.

Strong winds and thunderstorms hit Fayette County just after dark on Tuesday, July 18, causing considerable tree damage and knocking out power to some areas for several hours. According to Fayette County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Michael Stoker, high winds and heavy rains from the thunderstorm began at approximately 8:15 - 8:30 that night. He said that the winds generated by the thunderstorms contained gusts of approximately 50-60 MPH, as reported by the National Weather Service.

Hubbertville School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA),     represented the school and its community well at the FCCLA National Leadership Conference (NLC), held at the Colorado Convention Center on July 2 - 6. Maci McCaleb and Zoe Whitson of Hubbertville’s FCCLA placed first in the nation in the FCCLA Chapter Website, Level Two, STAR Event, and also achieved well-deserved gold medals in recognition of their outstanding performances.

The Fayette County Commission held its July 24 meeting at the courthouse annex building. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Prior to the beginning of the meeting, Mount Joy Pastor Kelcey Hale led the commission in prayer. Fayette County Engineer Jarrod Milligan presented the commission with a FY 2024 “Rebuild Alabama” transportation plan that had been discussed by the commissioners in a previous work session. The transportation plan is funded through the county’s share of Rebuild Alabama funds and is required by law. The plan must be submitted by the commission by Sept. 1.

The Berry Town Council voted to approve the transfer of its economic development funds and the industrial park land  to the Berry Industrial Development Authority during its July 10 meeting. Councilman Charles Tidwell and Councilman  Troyce Townsel were absent, with all other council members present.

The Glen Allen Town Council met on Tuesday, July 11 at the town’s community center. All council members were in attendance, with the exception of Councilman Joel Isham.

Entrepreneurs and small business owners are encouraged to take advantage of the new “HUB” – Small Business Plan Workstation locations that were recently launched at the following three locations in Northwest Alabama: Vernon City Hall Library, Bevill State Community College - Hamilton Campus, Bevill State Community College – Fayette Campus.

The municipalities of Fayette and Berry, in conjunction with the State of Alabama, will participate in the annual school sales tax holiday on July 21-23. This is the 18th year that Alabama has held the tax holiday, and the seventh time that the event has been held in July. The sales tax holiday will begin on Friday, July 21 at 12:01 a.m. and end on Sunday, July 23 at 11:59 p.m.

The Fayette County Commission held its July 10 meeting at the courthouse annex building. All commissioners were present for the meeting. The commissioners approved the agenda, minutes of the last meeting and the financial claims for the past two weeks at the beginning of the meeting.

The Fayette City Council held its regular meeting on July 11. Aliska Hughes-Monroe was absent, with the remainder of the council members present. Prior to the start of the meeting, Andrew Self, pastor of Davis Chapel Freewill Baptist Church opened the meeting in prayer, and his son, Eli Self, led the Pledge of Allegiance.