A concerned parent addressed the Fayette County Board of Education prior to its Dec. 8 meeting concerning recent events and issues within the Fayette County School System. Bryan Afshar, a 2000 graduate of Hubbertville School, introduced himself to the board and read a prepared statement. He began the statement by saying that his wife teaches at Hubbertville School and that they have three children attending Hubbertville.
The Fayette City Council made its annual appropriation to the Fayette Medical Center (FMC) Board from the one-half cent hospital sales tax during its Dec. 8 meeting. Councilwoman Virettia Whiteside was absent, with all other council members present. Prior to the beginning of the meeting, Caleb Hall led the attendees in prayer, followed by Macy Hall leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Fayette Medical Center Administrator Donald Jones was present at the meeting, along with several members of the local hospital board, to accept the check from the city council.
The Fayette County Board of Education approved several personnel items and changes during its Dec. 8 meeting. Board member John Aaron was absent from the meeting, with all other board members present. Prior to the beginning of the meeting, local parent Bryan Afshar addressed the board by reading a prepared statement concerning the recent security issue – bomb threat that occurred within the school system. His statement and the response of the school system and law enforcement officials is addressed in a separate article in this week’s paper.
The Berry High School basketball team matched one of the accomplishments of the football team when they captured the Northwest Alabama Conference (NAC) title with a 77-43 win over Brilliant on Dec. 11. Tyler Lollar led Berry with 24 points, followed by Colton Abernathy with 21 points. Noah Darty scored nine points, Johnathan Locke had eight points, Blake Johnson added five points, with Deon Mayfield and Isaiah Kizzire scoring four points each. Colton Cunningham scored two points for the Wildcats against Brilliant.
The Hubbertville boys and girls basketball teams each fell to both Hackleburg and Lynn during the week. On Dec. 8, Hackleburg defeated the boys’ team by a score of 51-47. Gage Key led Hubbertville with 17 points, followed by Austin Berryhill and Brady Porter with eight each.
A Belk woman who had been missing since Saturday, Dec. 5, was found safe in the City of Tuscaloosa on Monday, Dec. 7. According to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Marilyn Watkins, 70, was last seen at approximately 11 a.m. at her home in Belk. She had reportedly left her home driving a 2012 Infinity G37. Law enforcement authorities issued an alert because Watkins was thought to have a medical condition that might impair her judgment while traveling alone. Fayette County Sheriff Byron Yerby said that there were reports of her being seen in the Tuscaloosa area on Sunday, Dec. 6.
Fayette and Berry recently held their annual Christmas parades, which were enjoyed by many people throughout the towns.
Fayette’s “An Old Fashioned Christmas,” held downtown on Dec. 3, was a huge success. A large crowd attended the event and enjoyed the various festivities.
After leading the state for the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic with the fewest number of cases in the state, Fayette County now leads the state in a more negative area. For the past two weeks, Fayette County has totaled the highest positivity rate for Coronavirus testing in the state. According to data compiled by the Alabama Department of Public Health, from Nov. 23 – Dec. 7, 377 COVID-19 tests had been administered to Fayette County residents. An alarming 212 of the tests were positive, resulting in a positivity rate of 56 percent.
The Loft, a community Christ-centered outreach ministry located in Fayette, served fresh cooked Thanksgiving meals to citizens of the surrounding area on Thanksgiving Day. Dana Beavers, owner of the Loft, said that she wanted to serve people who might not otherwise have a Thanksgiving meal. The meal consisted of ham, dressing, green beans, sweet potato casserole, rolls, dessert and a drink. Beavers said that approximately 135 plates were served to members of the community.
The Hubbertville Lions suffered a tough week of basketball, as the boys lost their first two games of the season and the girls lost to Marion County. The Lady Red Raiders defeated the homestanding Hubbertville girls on Dec. 4 by a score of 77-34. Hubbertville was led in scoring by Haylee Pollard, who scored 17 points including five three-point baskets. Laikyn Wright scored 12 points with seven rebounds, while McKenna Fisher and Kylee Dunn each scored two points. Krissa Comer rounded out the scoring for the Lady Lions with one point.
An email alleging a bomb threat to the Fayette County School System on Monday, Nov. 30 has caused a complete shutdown of the school system pending further investigation of the incident. Fayette County Superintendent of Education Jim Burkhalter issued the following statement on Tuesday, Dec. 1. “I received an email Monday morning concerning a threat to the schools. After consultation with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s office, we decided to dismiss the schools. The buses were back and ready to transport the students home at 10 a.m.
At the start of the season, no one was sure that football would even happen, much less make it to the playoffs. But after 15 weeks of play, the two best teams in the North, the Berry Wildcats and the Pickens County Tornadoes, faced-off in the semifinals. The two teams had already faced-off in the regular season in a close game won by the Wildcats. This game would prove to be just as close, with the teams going back and forth and fighting to the end. Unfortunately for the Berry faithful, this time the Wildcats would come up a little short, with the Tornadoes taking the win 24-18.
The Fayette City Council approved board appointments during its November 24 meeting. Councilman Eddy Campbell was absent from the meeting, with all other council members present. At the beginning of the meeting, Wade Jackson, a fifth grade student at Fayette Middle School, led those in attendance in prayer. Eady Porter, a fourth grade student at Fayette Elementary School, led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Prior to the board appointments, Mayor Rod Northam addressed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its current impact on Fayette County.
The Fayette County Commission voted during its Nov. 23 meeting to close Hell’s Creek Road, and to seek bids for solid waste removal within the county. All commissioners were present for the meeting. Dr. John Turner, a physician currently residing in Tennessee, addressed the closure of the Hell’s Creek Road during a public hearing prior to the meeting. Turner said that he is a former resident of Fayette County and an adjoining landowner to the Hell’s Creek Road property.
The Hubbertville girls basketball team opened the 2020-21 season on Monday, Nov. 23 with a 53-40 home win over the Brilliant Lady Tigers. Brilliant led by three points at the close of the first quarter, but the Lady Lions held a four point lead at halftime and pulled away in the second half to secure the win. Laikyn Wright led Hubbertville in scoring with 17 points and tied for the lead in rebounds with seven. Kaylee Dunn scored 13 points and also had seven rebounds.
A Fayette County woman is facing charges of first-degree assault and attempted murder in relation to an incident that was reported Friday, Nov. 13. Mary Jennifer Edwards is accused of stabbing another woman while at a location on Fayette County Road 49. The victim was hospitalized with multiple injuries from being struck in the head with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument on Nov. 12.
The Fayette Zoning Board of Adjustments failed to overturn a building permit decision made by Fayette Building Inspection Officer Shannon Taylor that will allow a manufactured home to be permanently affixed in a R-2 neighborhood during the board’s Nov. 19 meeting. The Zoning Board of Adjustments consists of five members: Bruce Perry (chairman), Larry Pinkerton, Scott Walker, Bobby Avant and Michael Newman.
This year, a group of local citizens are organizing “An Old Fashioned Christmas” in Fayette to help brighten up the holidays during the midst of a nearly year-long COVID-19 pandemic.
Myra Nichols said that she and her husband Ned were talking to John and Karen Gordon a few years ago about possibly starting a downtown tradition in Fayette at Christmastime, especially since the ceasing of the annual “The Gospel According to Scrooge” productions that were so popular for so many years.
The Fayette County Board of Education held its annual organizational meeting on Nov. 10. Board member Keith Madison was absent with all other board members present. Prior to the beginning of the meeting, newly-elected board members Brenda Webb of District 4 and Julie Stough of District 5 were given the oath of office by Fayette County Probate Judge Mike Freeman. This was their first meeting to participate in as board members.
