Cooking in the Black Belt
Admittedly, I haven’t always been a salad person. Well, unless it’s one of the mayonnaise-dressed cold salads that live in our fridge when the temperature goes up. Those salads are more of a coping mechanism, when I can’t be bothered to heat up the kitchen. Sure, you can make them healthy, but is that really... Read More
Perry teams advance in state basketball playoffs
Bobcats Defeat Rams in Montgomery on Monday The R.C. Hatch Bobcats advanced to the semifinals after beating Francis Marion by a score of 55-42. Isiah Thomas of the Bobcats scored 11 points and made 14 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 4 steals. Desarion Lewis shot 4 for 6 from behind the three-point line and... Read More
Pettaway steps down after 13 years as circuit judge, Bryan Jones appointed
Circuit Judge Collins Pettaway Jr., who serves the 4th Judicial Circuit and Dallas County, has stepped down from the bench. Pettaway Jr. had served for thirteen years and was one year into his third 6-year term. The 4th Judicial Circuit includes Perry County, Hale County, Dallas County, Wilcox County, and Bibb County. Pettaway cites health... Read More
Holmes named to Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor
Perry County farmer Charles Holmes has been recognized with one of Alabama agriculture’s top honors. Holmes, owner of Holmestead Farms near Marion, was named the Production Industry honoree in this year’s Alabama Agricultural Hall of Honor class at a banquet hosted last week by the Auburn University Agricultural Alumni Association. A Six-Generation Legacy Holmestead Farms... Read More
Perry to receive $6.05 million in disaster recovery funds
Perry County will receive more than $6 million in federal disaster recovery funding as part of a $28 million grant package announced Feb. 11 by Gov. Kay Ivey. The grants, funded through the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program, will support two projects in the county: $1.05 million for drainage improvements along County Road... Read More
Classifieds Week of Feb 26, 2026
Classified Ad Rates — MINIMUM RATE (In Hale or Perry County) — $20.00 per insertion, 20 words or less. All words in excess of 20, 75¢ per word. Payable in advance of publication. — MINIMUM RATE (Outside Hale or Perry County) — $20.00 per insertion, 20 words or less. All words in excess of 20,... Read More
Legal Notices Week of Feb 26, 2026
LEGAL NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURTOF HALE COUNTY, ALABAMACASE NO.: 36-CV-2026-000003 NOTICE OF PETITION FOR GUARDIANSHIP AND CONSERVATORSHIP TO: Noah Whoolbright, whose whereabouts are unknown, the adult child of Mr. Jonas Whoolbright Sr. Notice is hereby given that a petition for guardianship and conservatorship has been filed by the Hale County Department of Human Resources... Read More
Perry students named to Dean’s, President’s Lists at Univ. of Ala.
A total of 15,388 students enrolled during Fall Semester 2025 at The University of Alabama were named to the dean’s list with an academic record of 3.5 (or above) or the president’s list with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s). These driven students are making waves across UA’s more than 70 undergraduate programs and... Read More
Weekend of Special ‘Night Skies’ Programs Starts Friday
A weekend of programs titled “Night Skies” will bring art, prairie ecology, and astronomy together in the Black Belt of Alabama on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 20–21. The events will feature astronomers Kathryn Williamson, PhD, and Michelle Wooten, PhD. On Friday, Feb. 20, “Paint the Night” will invite participants to explore what watercolor can teach... Read More
Luverne Chandler-Harris
Sister Luverne Chandler-Harris, 48, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was born December 12, 1977, and died February 6, 2026, in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. She was a native of Uniontown. Funeral services will be held Saturday, February 21, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, 12024 U.S. Highway 80, Gallion. Burial will follow Saturday, February... Read More