The Fayette County Commission held its Feb. 28 regularly scheduled meeting at the Newtonville Community Center. Commissioner Barry Corkren was absent, with all other commissioners present for the meeting. There were 32 people present for the meeting, and the commissioners thanked everyone for their attendance.

Strange circumstances occurred the first time Ben Logan met his future wife, Loretta Logan, during the early 1950s. He was attending a birthday party accompanied by Loretta’s aunt when he spotted someone that he had never met before. That first casual meeting led to a love story that has stood the test of time for more than 67 years.

Years ago, people traditionally got married either one of two ways. They either opted to have a traditional wedding in a church, or they chose to go to the probate judge’s office at the courthouse to have a simple and quick ceremony to solemnize their vows of marriage after they purchased a marriage license.

Prior to Aug. 2019, Alabama law required the issuance of  a marriage license for two consenting parties uniting in matrimony. Upon issuance of the marriage license, the parties were also required to solemnize the wedding, whether by a minister, preacher, probate judge or other official duly authorized  to perform wedding ceremonies. On Aug. 29, 2019, the law drastically changed the way individuals are united in marriage in Alabama.

The Berry Lady Wildcats finished second in the eight-team Fayette County High School “Tiger Slam” Softball Invitational, held last Friday and Saturday at FCHS. In Berry’s first game of the tournament on Friday night, Cordova beat the Lady Wildcats by the score of 2-1. Kyla Edmonson pitched the entire game for Berry, surrendering five hits and two earned runs with eight strikeouts. She also led Berry at the plate, delivering a single and a double in two at-bats.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey made a special appearance at the Fayette Civic Center on Friday, Feb. 28 to announce the construction of a four-lane access highway that will give Fayette direct access to Interstate 22. The $250 million, 16-mile project is being totally funded through “Rebuild Alabama” funds.

Fayette’s most famous actor, Forrest Deal, is again playing a significant role in a feature film entitled, “Tyson’s Run.” The movie revolves around an autistic boy who decides to train to run a marathon. It is as an uplifting story that shows how sheer determination and hard work can overcome physical obstacles and also change the perception of others.

The Fayette Police Department hosted a “Crisis Intervention Training” exercise last week to prepare law enforcement officers and medical first responders to better deal with mental health issues. Fayette Police Chief Danny Jenkins said that he has seen a sharp increase in the number of mental health related calls over the past several months. He said that many times, neither the health professionals nor the law officers are totally prepared to deal with certain situations when they arise.

The Fayette City Council approved paving/resurfacing projects for the city during its Feb 22 meeting. All council members were present for the meeting, with the exception of Councilman Jerry Nichols. Prior to the start of the meeting, Bill Sullivan, director of Fayette Christian Academy, led the council in prayer. Councilman Eddy Campbell led the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is proud to announce the launch of “Move Alabama,” a collaboration between SNAP-Ed and EFNEP at Auburn University. Beginning on March 1, from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., participant logs can be picked up from the Fayette County Extension office, located at 650 McConnell Loop. Logs must be returned to the extension office by April 30. Those who have completed at least 15 of the 20 challenges will be entered into a drawing for a variety of prizes.

Lots of rain forced the postponement or cancellation of several games for local high school baseball and softball teams last week. The Berry Invitational Softball Tournament was cancelled last week, with the Lady Wildcats participating in the Lynn Invitational Tournament.

The Bevill State Bears hosted Mineral Area College of Park Hill, Mo. for three games on Feb. 19-20. The Bears lost a pitchers’ duel in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader by the score of 3-1.

A fire on Friday, Feb. 18 completely destroyed the home of Brandon and Jocelyn Stocks.
A call was received at the Fayette Fire Department to dispatch trucks to the home on County Road 38 West at approximately 3:19 p.m., according to Fayette Fire Chief Shannon Taylor.

The Fayette County Commission voted unanimously during its Feb. 14 meeting to use some of its American Rescue Act (COVID) funds to purchase road equipment. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Commission Chairman Mile Freeman told the commission that new guidance concerning the expenditure of funds from the American Rescue Act appears to allow counties to spend some of the funds for the purchase of new road equipment, with some stipulations.

Fayette Middle School held its annual “Black History Month” program on Friday, Feb. 18 in the school’s gymnasium. The program was led by Fayette Middle School students. The audience was welcomed to the program by Makiyah Hannah. The opening prayer was led by Sofi Gant. Next, several students sang an inspiring rendition of the song, “We are the World.”

The Fayette County Board of Education held it regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in the central office boardroom. All board members were present for the meeting. February is recognized as Career Technical Education (CTE) Month, and the board invited local CTE teachers and several students representing schools throughout the county to the meeting to be recognized.

The 11th annual Alabama Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday will be observed Feb. 25 - 27. The tax holiday will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 25 and continue until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 27.

The “Kids and Kin” Program, a service offered by the Family Guidance Center of Alabama and funded by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, will be offering a series of classes continuing through June in the Fayette area.

Fayette opened its 2022 baseball season at home, playing Bibb County in the first game of a doubleheader and facing cross-county rival Hubbertville in the second game of the twin-bill.
Fayette defeated Hubbertville in the second game by a score of 14-0. Cooper Sanford started the game on the mound for the Tigers, and Brodie Porter was the starting pitcher for Hubbertville.

The Fayette County Sheriff Department recently received an unused medicine depository from Northwest Mental Health, where people can safely return unused prescription medicines that are no longer needed or out-of-date.