Dodson named Director of Development


Jeff Dodson is the new Director of Development for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences for the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation.

Jeff Dodson, native of Fayette and former baseball coach at Bevill State Community College, has been named the new Director of Development for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences for the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation.

 

Fayette defeats Corner in thriller, loses to Winfield


T’Marvic Smith (1) sails in for a basket for Fayette against Corner as Trevor Billups (4) watches.

The Fayette County High School boys basketball team hosted Corner High School on Tuesday, Dec. 4 and won a come-from-behind thriller by a score of 67-63. Fayette had a lead for the first few seconds of the game and never led again until Trevor Billups hit a shot with 2.1 seconds left to give Fayette a 65-63 lead. After Corner threw the ball away on a full-court inbounds pass, Corner fouled Billups as Fayette inbounded the ball. Billups made the two free throws to give Fayette a hard-earned 67-63 victory.

 

Hubbertville girls finish second in tournament


Madison Cribb (20) looks for an opening to shoot the ball.

The Hubbertville Lady Lions finished second in the NAC Basketball Tournament, held Dec. 6-8 at Guin. The girls team received a first round bye and defeated Lynn in the semifinals on Dec. 7 by a score of 39-35. Leading the way for the Lady Lions was Gracie Dodd with 11 points, followed by Kendall Dunavant with nine points. Haylee Pollard had eight points for Hubbertville, Laikyn Wright scored seven points and Chelsea Porter added four points.

 

Berry Girls win NAC Championship

The Berry Lady Wildcats competed on Dec. 7-8 at the NAC Tournament in Guin and brought the championship trophy back to Berry. In the semifinals on Dec. 7, the Lady Wildcats played Marion County and won by a score of 51-40. The leading scorer for Berry was Brooke Hill with 22 points, five steals and two assists. She was followed by Zoe Mauldin with 12 points, and Tyner Beth Bowling with 10 points and two assists. Bailey Thomas also contributed five big assists during the game.

Fayette holds annual Christmas parade


The joy of Christmas is shown on these youngsters faces as they anxiously await the start of the Fayette Christmas parade on Dec. 3. Shown is Zendaya Kemp and Urijah Kemp, who attended the parade with their grandparents Edward Driver and Bobbie Kemp-Driver.

The Fayette Christmas parade was held in downtown Fayette on Monday, Dec. 3. The Fayette County High School band performed and their were many festive and spiritual entries in the parade.

Madison receives David M. Cochrane Award


Berry Mayor Jimmy Madison received the prestigious 2018 David M. Cochrane Award during the recent West Alabama Regional Commission. Shown front, from left, are: Hope Reed and Lavonne Madison. Back row: Skylar Reed, Jimmy Madison, Jeff Madison and Will Madison.

The West Alabama Regional Commission held their Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony Thursday, Nov. 8 at Cypress Inn Pavilion. Candi Williams, State Director of AARP for Alabama, was the guest speaker for the evening. The highlight of the program was the presentation of the 2018 David M. Cochrane Award to the Honorable Jimmy Madison, Mayor of Berry. Members of the West Alabama Regional Commission’s board of directors were also recognized at the ceremony.

 

Commissioners donate to Joey Day


The Fayette County Commissioners donated $250 out of their personal funds to the Joey Day program in Fayette County. Shown from left are: Commissioner John Underwood, Commissioner James Knight, Joey Day Chairman Chuck Langley, Commission Chairman Joe Acker, Commissioner Shane Hughes and Commissioner Barry Corkren.

The Fayette County Commissioners donated $250 out of their personal funds to the Joey Day program in Fayette to buy Christmas presents for children in Fayette County.

Fayette County Commission discusses aging program


Shown are Dennis Stripling, executive dirctor of the West Alabama Regional Commission, and Pam McDaniel, director of the Area Agency on Aging, as they spoke to the Fayette County Commission.

The Fayette County Commission discussed its plans for the future of the aging program in the county, following the retirement in November of its long-time program director, Fay Meharg. All commissioners were present for the Nov. 26 meeting. Commissioner Barry Corkren said that he is certainly not against having an aging program in the county, but added that now by be the appropriate time to evaluate the way the program is funded and staffed to ensure that the program runs more efficiently and economically.

 

Fayette City Council discusses street situation


Luke Porter is shown adressing the Fayette City Council concerning options for possible street paving in Fayette.

The Fayette City Council discussed options for street paving at its regularly scheduled Nov. 27 meeting. Councilman Jerry Nichols was absent from the meeting, with the remainder of the council members and Fayette Mayor Ray Nelson in attendance.

 

Berry opens with win over Brilliant


Isaac Darty scores two points for the Wildcats.

The Berry Wildcats boys basketball team opened its 2018-19 basketball season on Nov. 29 at Brilliant and started the season off with a road win against the Tigers by the score of 67-48.
Berry was led in scoring by Isaac Darty with 20 points, followed by Levi Cannon with 16 points. Also scoring in double-digits were Sam Franklin with 13 points and Tyler Lollar with 10 points. Johnathan Locke scored six points and Isaiah Kizzire rounded out the scoring with two points.

 

Hubbertville defeats Brilliant in first game of year



The Hubbertville Lions boys team won its first game of the season on Nov. 27 at Brilliant by a score of 48-33. The Lions’ Aaron Cribb scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds, with Brady Tucker scoring 12 points and nine rebounds. Others scoring for Hubbertville were Zach Hubbert with nine points, Ethan Nichols with five points, Tanner Upton with four points and Cannon Alexander with two points. Brilliant’s Kevin Bryant scored 20 points to lead the Tigers.

 

Ennis sees bright future for Bevill State College


Shown is Dr. Kim Ennis, president of Bevill State Community College.

Dr. Kim Ennis, president of the Bevill State Community College system, said that despite a few temporary setbacks, the college is still strong and looking ahead to a bright future. “We’re positive about the future of our institution and we want other people to feel the same,” Ennis said. “Bevill has impacted the lives of so many individuals during the last almost 60 years and we think the college will continue to be a vital part of its service communities in the future.”

 

Christmas at the Park celebrates 14th anniversary


Shown is a sign that greets visitors to "Christmas at the Park."

This year marks the 14 anniversary of “Christmas at the Park” and according to organizers John and Doris Brasher, the lights and exhibits this year are better than ever. Doris Brasher said many new lights and two new scenes were added to the numerous exhibits that were already on display at Guthrie Smith Park. The two new scenes are “The 12 Days of Christmas” and a dinosaur Christmas display.

 

Fayette, Berry announce Christmas parade dates

The City of Fayette will hold its annual Christmas parade this year on Monday, Dec. 3, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Participants in the parade are asked to be at the vacant lot of the former Fayette Square Shopping Center at 4:30 p.m. to line-up for the parade. The parade will follow the usual parade route, traveling south on Temple Avenue and proceeding to Second Avenue heading north before disbanding back at the starting location.

Glen Allen Council holds November meeting

The Glen Allen Town Council held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, Nov 6 at the town hall with all council members in attendance. Following standard opening procedures, Mayor Allen J. Dunavant stated the meeting would likely be very brief since the agenda consisted of only two items along with the monthly reports. The first item addressed from the agenda was the consideration of finding a date that would be best suitable for holding the annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony.

Alabama monitoring Mississippi CWD cases

While Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) officials continue to do all they can to keep chronic wasting disease (CWD) out of Alabama, unfortunately the latest news from our neighbors in Mississippi is not good. Another deer in the lower Mississippi Delta in Issaquena County, a 2½-year-old doe, tested positive for CWD last week. The initial CWD case in Mississippi last January was also in Issaquena County, confirmed in a 4½-year-old buck.

Acker assumes chairmanship of commission


Commissioner Joe Acker (seated) assumed the chairmanship of the commission at the Nov. 14 meeting. Shown standing, from left are commissioners John Underwood, Billy Joe Rodgers, James Knight, Shane Hughes and Barry Corkren.

The Fayette County commission held its annual organizational meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 14. All commissioners were present for the meeting and commissioner Joe Acker assumed the chairmanship of the commission until January 2019, when newly-elected probate Judge, Mike Freeman, will serve as chairman. Commissioner Acker asked Freeman to sit with the commissioners at the meeting table since he would soon be chairman of the commission.

 

BOE holds organizational meeting


The Fayette County Board of Education held its Nov. 13 meeting in the gymnasium at Fayette Middle School. Shown from left are: Superintendent Jim Burkhalter, and board members Tom Hubbert, Keith Madison, Tim Fields and Waldon Tucker. Not present at the meeting were board members Sam Sullivan and John Stowe.

The Fayette County Board of Education held its yearly organizational meeting on Nov. 13 at the Fayette Middle School gymnasium. Prior to the meeting the local school board toured the facilities at Fayette Elementary School and Fayette Middle School. The meeting also offered the general public an opportunity to address the board concerning any topic relevant to the local schools or the school board. No one took this opportunity to address the board.