— The West Alabama Highway Project has found its new headquarters in Demopolis a move that state officials say will benefit the entire state The construction of the headquarters alone is expected to create approximately 700 jobs in the area Tony Harris from the Alabama Department of Transportation said "That is significant for Alabama's economy especially in an area like West Alabama." The headquarters will be located on the site of a former grocery store and will serve as the command center for the major infrastructure project The project however aims to build a four-lane divided highway from Thomasville to Moundville along US Highway 43 and State Route 69 Demopolis resident Robbie Flowers expressed optimism about the development "I think it's going to bring a lot more people through Demopolis looking for commerce it's going to bring a lot of business through here because you're going to have a lot more traffic flow through the area," Flowers said Alabama State Senator Bobby Singleton highlighted the project's potential to enhance the state's commercial appeal "To be able to say to companies that if you move here we can move your goods and services back and forth because we have the vein to be able to do that," Singleton said the project is expected to ease traffic flow and provide a direct route connecting western communities to Mobile "They said we can get to work here and there Now I'm open to go to work in certain areas of the state that wasn't able to get there because that transportation vein took so long." While there is no set date for the project's completion state officials anticipate additional phases of construction to begin by the end of summer You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience The Demopolis boys and girls track teams are sending 21 athletes to state after having great success at the Class 5A The boys finished in first place while the girls were the runners-up in the section it is the first time they won a sectional meet Fred Aldridge took first place in the 200-meter dash and second in the 110-meter hurdles The 4×100-meter relay team of Aldridge Emonte Charleston and Floyd Charleston also won gold Jacorri Johnson won the discus throw while Bo Davis took third place in the event Carlow James was second in the 110-meter hurdles and third in the 300-meter hurdles Sha’marrion Johnson was third in the 3,200 meters Ambraysa Howard and Mariah James took second place in the 4×100-meter relay Howard and Aniyah Tensley also took second in the 4×400-meter relay Freeman was second in the 100-meter hurdles and third in the 300-meter hurdles The Class 5A state meet will be held at Gulf Shores Thursday through Saturday The Memphis Grizzlies (38-22) hit the court against the Atlanta Hawks (27-33) as 8.5-point favorites on Monday The Brooklyn Nets (21-39) clash with the Atlanta Hawks (27-33) at 6 p.m The SWAC college basketball lineup on Monday which includes the Southern Jaguars versus the Florida A&M Rattlers There are several strong matchups on Monday in college basketball action including the McNeese Cowboys playing the Stephen… Top-25 teams will be in action across two games on Monday’s college basketball schedule The West Alabama Highway won’t run through the city of Demopolis — but the city will still benefit greatly from the project The West Alabama Highway is a north-south corridor through west Alabama — from Mobile to Tuscaloosa “This is going to spur economic development in this area This is going to give us in west Alabama the opportunity to grow our region to be able to sell this region,” said Sen It’ll come through the Demopolis area about 7 miles east of the city limits when we realized that the highway wasn’t coming through Demopolis,” said Mayor Woody Collins But that letdown was replaced with excitement after Demopolis was chosen for the location of the project headquarters “The decision to place the field office in Demopolis makes perfect sense,” said Tony Harris with AL-DOT “It provides a central location for the corridor It repurposes available infrastructure.” Crews are now renovating a 40,000 square foot section of Demopolis Gateway Plaza — in space that had been sitting vacant for years “Having this field office here in Demopolis means tremendous economic opportunity for us And we are so proud to be the home base for this infrastructure,” said Collins 8 On Your Side i-Team Saving Selma Pay It Forward What the Tech Mugshots All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty Driving Under the Influence-Alcohol South Cedar 35 Warrant Service other Jurdisdiction US Hwy 80 E Parr’s Gas Station 36 Drug Paraphernalia-2nd Offense Vowell’s 60 X2 Shoplifting Demopolis Police Department 52 Possession of Marijuana; Use or Possession with Intent to Use Drug Paraphernalia 31 Use or Possession with Intent to Use Drug Paraphernalia New Birth Church 30 Making a Terrorist Threat 1st Degree DPD 31 X2 Endangering Welfare of Child Red Barn 30 Possession of Marijuana Second degree Pure Gas Station 36 Warrant Service other Jurisdiction (Drug Court) Raceway Heroin-Possess Use or Possession with Intent to Use Drug Paraphernalia Possession of Dangerous Drugs Orange Drive Interrupting Court Proceeding Marengo County Detention Center Driving Under the Influence Any Substance X2 Opium or Derivative-Possess Orange Drive 47 Criminal Trespass Third Degree County Road 19 23 Interrupting Court Proceeding Myspace Apt 41 Warrant Service other Jurisdiction Hwy 80 E Homeplace B22 60 Interrupting Court Proceeding E Decatur If you like outdoor festivals and hand-made arts and crafts — you won’t want to miss the annual Rooster Day celebration Saturday in Demopolis The event celebrates the strange but true history — of how the Rooster Bridge near Demopolis came to be “And it’s all to commemorate the Great 1919 Rooster Auction that took place right here in public square where they auctioned off roosters to build a bridge over the Tombigbee River,” said event coordinator Kirk Brooker Rooster Day features hand-made arts and crafts — food — live music — games — and a whole lot of roosters “We’ve got 8-foot roosters that pop up along businesses that sponsor the event,” said Brooker “Even got a new mural that’s going up down here by Banks Compton of roosters as well “This is a big cultural symbol here in Demopolis But it’s also on the Chanticleer Center which is a business center here which has office space for lease And chanticleer is old French for rooster,” said mural artist Banks Compton it’s kind of tongue in cheek playing off the building that it’s actually on and then working with the local events that are happening here in Demopolis.” Brooker says this year’s Rooster Dat celebration could be the biggest one yet “Over 55 vendors and it’s all hand-made officially our 9th year and each year it grows.” The festivities kick-off at 8 in the morning with a 5-K run — followed by a 1-K Fun Run The outdoor festival on the public square downtown — gets underway at 9 — and wraps up around 4 Demopolis got some great news that will help alleviate any heartburn that was caused by not getting the West Alabama Highway to come through town The city is getting an investment from the Alabama Department of Transportation and Brasfield & Gorrie that will bring at least 120 jobs to the area for the duration of the highway construction They are converting the vacant parts of the shopping center where Marvin’s currently sits and turning into offices and meeting spaces for the two entities to focus solely on coordinating the construction of the highway There will be engineers from both ALDOT and the contractor which was selected to do the progressive design build project working at this 40,000 square-foot field office five days a week for as many as seven years but a peak of 700 construction workers will be assigned to this project and the field office will serve as a home base for those workers as well it was disappointing for city leaders and business leaders who would have loved to see more traffic come downtown Mayor Woody Collins understood that while it would have been nice to have the highway closer to town it likely would not have come downtown at all it would have bypassed us anyway,” Collins said at the big announcement Monday “I think we got the best end of the deal because we are having over 100 new people moving to Demopolis to live here for the next three And the highway is still only about five to six miles away from us here “We still have to figure out a way to get people off the highway to visit us and we would have still had that problem even if it was only a mile away from us.” the city is going to get an injection of good-paying engineering and construction jobs that will bring more people and more families to the area the city will have a renovated complex that could be marketed to future businesses Kay Ivey for keeping Demopolis in mind with the highway and the field office The Demopolis High School girls tennis team took seventh place in the Class 4A/5A state tournament last week after clinching the top seed in the section tournament Highlights from the state tournament included Hillary Harrison and Millie Hill taking third place in the No Emery Wideman also won third place in the No The event was held at the Mobile Tennis Center As part of the Enhanced Learning program that helps students prepare to face the realities of existing in society seniors at DHS took part in a series of “mock interviews” on Friday Interviewers were invited from various businesses and organizations around the community to test the students’ abilities in prospective job interviews Interviewers were given a list of common interview questions they could choose from to ask the students interviewers also rated the students on various aspects of the interviews “We do mock interviews with our seniors to help them build confidence DHS Senior Advisor and Foreign Language Department Head said “It’s a great way for students to practice presenting themselves professionally and receive feedback to strengthen their future opportunities.” Students work on these skills throughout the year in an Enhanced Learning period weekly They create resumes and work on professional dress In April of each year the school holds what’s called “Adulting Day” DHS held its annual “Adulting 101” day on April 10th at the Demopolis Civic Center The goal is for it to be a fun way for the seniors to learn about the real world and some of the skills they may need along the way The Demopolis Lady Tigers took full advantage of its home field in the Class 5A Area 7 tournament as they swept through the area easily defeating Jemison twice The Tigers advanced to the Class 5A Central Regional Tournament in Montgomery where they will take on Holtville the winner of Area 5 who defeated Brewbaker Tech 14-6 in the area finals The Lady Tigers got an opening round bye due to a forfeit by Selma automatically advancing them to the winner bracket final On Monday after the Lady Panthers won the elimination game In the Friday game that was moved up due to the threat of rain Jemison scored the first two runs in the first inning but Demopolis put up 14 runs in the bottom half of the inning Demopolis then added three more runs before the game was called after three innings Allie Hughes led the way with a 3-for-3 outing with four RBIs and two runs scored Maddie Grace Teel had a pair of doubles with two RBIs and three runs scored Annagayle Aultman and Caroline Hathcock had the other hits Lily Turberville scored twice despite not having a hit Hughes got the win allowing two runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts The Lady Tigers turned a 2-1 deficits into a 12-2 advantage Jemison scored three runs in the top of the fifth to force the bottom of the fifth inning but Demopolis matched it with three runs of their own Hasty walked in the final run of Hughes to end it on the walk-off Maddie Grace Teel was 3-for-3 on the day with a double Hathcock had a double with three RBIs and three runs scored on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in five innings When Mayor Woody Collins found out Demopolis was not going to be served by the new West Alabama Highway and others at the Alabama Department of Transportation one time While the highway will pass about five or six miles east of Demopolis the city will serve as an important hub for the duration of the project as ALDOT announced Monday that it will be acquiring almost all of the former Piggly Wiggly shopping center and converting it into the West Alabama Highway Construction Headquarters The only retail space remaining will be the Marvin’s The remaining 40,000 square feet will be used by Brasfield & Gorie the highway will employ about 700 workers on this over 70-mile segment of road including the Linden bypass that is already under construction “The highway wasn’t going to come through downtown anyway so we were going to have to find a way to get them off the highway anyway,” Collins said This wonderful facility is going to be for Brasfield & Gorie and ALDOT We’re going to have 140 people moving to this community for three we got the best end of this deal in my opinion.” said there will be as many as 150 employees between the two entities that will be working at the facility meeting rooms and an auditorium that will seat over 100 persons And this will also be the home base for the hundreds of construction workers on this project The goal of opening this office space is to help expedite the construction of the highway “(The West Alabama Highway) is just actually a progressive design build,” Ogle said we’ll price that and then go to work on that while we continue designing the rest of it The advantage of that is it allows construction to be done faster and to finish construction faster Instead of waiting for the whole thing to be designed you’re able to design it a segment at a time and then you can start on it as soon as the design is ready.” Bobby Singleton said not only was the highway a win for Marengo County but also having the headquarters in Demopolis (Kay) Ivey for her vision and belief in this region,” Singleton said “This is going to spur economic development Will we win every time just because we have the highway We will have some shiny objects that we can put in the game “This is going to give us in West Alabama the opportunity to grow our region Harris thanked the vision of Brasfield & Gorie for selecting this location as their field office for their role as contractor of the West Alabama Highway “This project represents bold leadership in finally keeping a promise of our four-lane highway between Mobile and Tuscaloosa with multiple points of connectivity to interstate highways,” Harris said “The decision to place the field office in Demopolis makes sense It provides a central location for the corridor It’s just one more way the West Alabama Highway is already providing new benefits to the counties along this highway corridor.” Collins said Demopolis will have a renovated facility to offer “I don’t know what the state will do with it (when the highway is completed) but this is going to be a beautiful property,” Collins said “You take a property like this and put several million dollars in it Traveling east on Highway 80 out of Demopolis the other day I looked over to my right at the vacated old highway which looked like nothing much more than a pig trail but that little two lane road was an important route from coast to coast passing through every little town as it went Tom Boggs is acolumnist for the Demopolis Times and a native of Marengo County Not many moons ago that was a major trip on two lane roads including having to traverse straight through downtown Tuscaloosa and finally through all those traffic lights in Bessemer you’d get to see some of the folks living in the United States as you motored along through small towns with maybe no red lights atall and you’d see farming folks in fields beside the road and run into the local drugstore to get an aspirin or a milkshake without having to figure out where the exit off the road was or where the drugstore was located Motels right there on the side of the road as you traveled and even though most did not have air conditioners or Televisions Any of y’all left on top of the ground who remember those Indian Tepee motel units going into Birmingham The granddaddy of the modern sport utility vehicle folks are buying today would be the 1946 Chevrolet Suburban along with that sleek lined Ford Crown Victoria and that rip roaring V8 Oldsmobile Super 88 You talking about an elegant landmark of American automotive design:  that would be the 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk It looked like a daggum bullet shotting down the road but you know I still get the tingles remembering that high finned 1957 Chevy How could I forget that Pontiac daddy had when I got my license The one with the lit up Indian head on the front so everybody could recognize us Linden boys when we rode into Demopolis on a Saturday night or else we’d be in Jerry Kirkham’s daddy’s pink DeSoto which Jerry drove from Demopolis to Linden one late summer’s night in seven minutes flat Glad the statute of limitations has expired on that speeding ticket I was just thinking about sitting around listening to my Ma and some of her cousins talking about stuff laughed as she told about seeing folks sitting on their porch as she drove by in a strange area we’ll be back for supper!”  She said she always wondered  how many of those ladies sitting on the porch swing really got up to be sure they had plenty of food for company that night They’re liable to wave right back to you as everybody used to do….and they might even be prepared to have you for supper Tom Boggs is a columnist for the Demopolis Times and a native of Marengo County A memorial service will take place on Monday at the First United Methodist Church of Demopolis she was the only daughter of Robert Edward Lindbergh and Ada Vesta Rawls Lindbergh She was a graduate of Woodlawn High School in Birmingham and received her degrees in biology and nursing at University of West Alabama in Livingston Alabama and BSN at Southern Mississippi University She received a graduate degree in nursing from Auburn University of Montgomery she worked as a professor of nursing at the University of West Alabama until 2012 and later received her Emeritus Professor award in 2013 She was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Demopolis for nearly 65 years She enjoyed educating many of the fine nurses in the State of Alabama Her greatest love was enjoying her children and Melissa Ann Ketcham Beach (Todd); grandchildren Ann Lilburn Turnbull; and great grandchildren Memorial donations may be made to the First United Methodist Chancel Choir Arrangements by O’Bryant Chapel Funeral Home and Crematory A Demopolis woman who was charged with the February 2022 death of her boyfriend in Tuscaloosa County has been sentenced to life with the chance for parole chief assistant district attorney for Sixth Circuit District of Alabama of Demopolis was found guilty of murder after a lengthy jury trial on Feb She was sentenced in circuit court on Tuesday police were called to investigate the report of a man being trapped under a vehicle near Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa First responders took Melton from the scene to DCH Regional Medical Center where he later died Quintana was charged with murder and later released on $500,000 bond Whitley said they had testimony from the victim’s sister The jury was also presented with a video showing where Melton was under the vehicle and the suspect did nothing to help him and she did not show remorse again on Tuesday during the sentencing hearing I believe the judge took that into account when he delivered his verdict We believe that the jury weighed the evidence and came back with an appropriate verdict.” Quintana has been in custody ever since her conviction in February Whitley said the suspect will be transferred to the Department of Corrections at a future date once paperwork has been completed by the courts A health care focused high school set to open in 2026 in Demopolis has hired a veteran educator for its top leadership role will serve as president of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences 28 during a meeting of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences board of trustees Martin said he is anticipating the opportunity to make a difference and change lives as president at ASHS The goal of the school is to solve Alabama's health care staffing shortage by training high school students for careers in the medical field “Every person who goes into education wants to make a difference for young people and in their communities,” Martin said in a news release “The potential for this school to change lives in so many ways is what attracted me to it.” Martin said he views the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences as a source of hope for youth and that the school has the real ability to make an impact by improving rural health care throughout the state Martin also said he welcomes the opportunity to build a school from the ground up and understands the immense work ahead before the first students are welcomed next year said he is confident that Martin will lead ASHS to success “We are delighted to find someone who not only understands the complexity of ASHS but who is so willing to commit to its development and to attracting the students faculty and staff who will fulfill its mission from the outset,” Warren said More: How Buhl Elementary boosted reading proficiency for third-graders Martin has led Pell City Schools for six years He also served as superintendent of the Harris County and Chattahoochee County school districts in Georgia for 10 years and led those districts to receiving honors for academic achievement he received the Georgia School Superintendents Association President’s Award His resume also includes stints as a school improvement specialist Martin earned his bachelor’s degree in music education and a doctorate in educational leadership from Auburn University He also earned a master of science degree in educational administration from Troy State University He was part of the Alabama State Department of Education Superintendents Academy through the University of Alabama from 2003-04 The Alabama School of Healthcare Science is scheduled to welcome its first freshman class of up to 100 to 110 students in rural Demopolis in the fall of 2026 The school's $80 million campus will include a five-story dormitory according to a December 2024 story by the Alabama Reflector More: Looking for spring break activities for your kids? We've got you covered The school will partner with Whitfield Regional Hospital The school will be one of 10 health care-focused high schools nationwide funded partially through the Bloomberg Philanthropies and affiliated with established healthcare systems Martin said the school will provide an experience students can't get anywhere else in Alabama “We will be offering something far beyond a traditional high school and that kind of engagement and the experiences at our school will be what attract and retain students "The pathways and curriculum that are being developed right now are what will inspire students and their families to commit and what will ultimately get the health care pipeline flowing into rural communities in a way that will transform the quality of life," Martin said ASHS will become the fourth in a network of tuition-free residential specialty high schools in the Alabama public school system Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com A two-vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 2:50 p.m has claimed the life of a Tuscaloosa woman according to the Alabama Law Enforcement agency was critically injured when the 2009 Toyota Camry she was driving collided head-on with the 2011 Ford Edge driven by Adam Hernandez The report indicted that Myers was not using a seat belt at the time of the crash and was transported to Whitfield Regional Hospital “where she succumbed to injuries and was pronounced deceased.” Hernandez was injured and transported to Whitfield Regional Hospital for treatment was injured and transported to DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa for treatment ALEA’s Highway Patrol Division continue to investigate Head shot of Scott Huffman (Executive Director of Development; Development he laid the financial foundation for Alabama’s embryonic residential STEM high school and in a powerhouse career in the decades since has raised more than $100 million to support advancing healthcare and education in the state Huffman will build on his first major success at the Alabama School of Math and Science and become the inaugural president and CEO of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Foundation in Demopolis The Foundation is the support system for creation of the fourth state specialty high school scheduled to open in fall of 2026 with a 100-student freshman class “His successful fundraising career in Alabama may be unparalleled,” said Foundation Board Chairman Kirk Stephens who noted Huffman’s reputation for strategic planning and executive leadership Foundation trustees had conducted a nationwide search He has served the past 21 years as Executive Director of Development and Strategic Planning for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and as executive director of the School of Dentistry’s Alumni Association As Foundation trustees work to fund construction and operational costs of the school Huffman’s reputation and track record were a staggering lure including playing integral roles in steering mega capital campaigns of $375 million and $1 billion “By leading two different organizations in the state to their greatest fundraising achievements Scott truly grasps Alabama’s philanthropic landscape,” said Stephens “I am looking forward to helping address some of Alabama’s greatest challenges as we educate our future health care providers,” said Huffman “Considerable progress has been made on forging partnerships across the state and nation We have to be successful because our state’s future depends on it.” Huffman said he will immediately tackle “robust” board development and training expanding the number of Foundation trustees from 6 to 25 “highly committed” members and creating an active fundraising development committee with expertise and connections to explore private and public sources of support for the school “The Foundation is poised to help address Alabama’s healthcare needs by training the next generation of healthcare professionals and transforming healthcare access in Alabama’s rural communities,” Huffman said “I am eager to collaborate with the Foundation Board superintendent of the Pell City School System In addition to being part of the four-school Alabama network and 10-school Bloomberg national healthcare high school project the campus will be affiliated with professional partners including Whitfield Regional Hospital in Demopolis The goal of the school is to offer work-based training to help alleviate Alabama’s crisis in rural healthcare providing students with in-demand careers they can begin with their diploma or that can lead to advanced medical training in community college and four-year college and university programs He earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Alabama a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Mississippi State University and for 27 years has held the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation His roots in West Alabama also include volunteer positions with the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences Leadership Board who has been instrumental in the early development of ASHS — garnering support in Demopolis and in the state legislature and helping to secure the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ $26.4 million commitment to the school — will continue building those relationships as the Foundation’s Vice President of Strategic Partnerships A former Demopolis pharmacist was sentenced today to three years of probation and fined $1,000.00 for fraudulently obtaining promethazine-codeine syrup of Gallion was formerly employed as a licensed pharmacist at a privately-owned pharmacy in Demopolis This pharmacy received prescriptions in one of three ways: the only record held by the pharmacy showing that a doctor had issued the prescription were the notes input by the pharmacist who received the doctor’s call Speed’s primary care physician legitimately issued her two prescriptions for promethazine-codeine syrup These valid prescriptions were filled at Speed’s pharmacy Speed input information into the pharmacy’s database that made it appear as if her doctor regularly called in prescriptions for promethazine-codeine syrup for her Speed filled nearly 200 prescriptions for herself in this manner These prescriptions were not valid and had not been issued by any doctor DEA discovered a large amount of promethazine-codeine syrup was unaccounted for during a routine audit of Speed’s pharmacy The pharmacy owner installed a hidden camera and Speed was recorded taking promethazine-codeine syrup from her pharmacy Speed admitted she did not have a valid prescription for the promethazine-codeine syrup and voluntarily relinquished her pharmacy license Chief Judge Jeffrey Beaverstock noted that general deterrence was very important in this case While Speed has lost her license and can no longer fill prescriptions he recognized that this case should be viewed as a cautionary tale for other pharmacists who might consider abusing their position of trust by fraudulently filling controlled substance prescriptions “This defendant’s actions not only compromised the integrity of the pharmacy profession but also undermined the efforts to combat the opioid epidemic DEA is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and dismantle illegal drug trafficking networks including those involving healthcare professionals,” said Steven Hofer DEA special agent in charge of the New Orleans Division DEA division investigator Dexter Young out of Birmingham investigated this case along with assistance from the Alabama Board of Pharmacy Attorney Christopher Bodnar prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States A historic building in Demopolis is at the center of a growing controversy — over a development project under consideration by city leaders The old Demopolis High School building is in need of a lot of repairs But renovating old historic buildings is costly The city of Demopolis owns the building and is considering a plan that would turn the building into apartments However the residents who live near the old school are strongly opposed to the plan “You look at putting 150-something people in a half a block That is going to be a major traffic issue,” said Andy Renner “And there are just so many changes that would come in when you introduce that many people all at once,” said John Hughes And quite frankly had there been an apartment building a block away from where we live we wouldn’t have bought this house.” Residents are also concerned about a potential increase in misconduct But Mayor Woody Collins says there are four very good reasons the project is worth considering very historical building that we get to save,” he said they get to utilize the basement of that building and the auditorium free of charge for 99 years this community is begging for apartments right now.” The issue is set to go before the city council — before the project can move forward A long Board of Education meeting at the Demopolis City Schools Central Office began with the announcement of board member Bobby Armstead being ill and unable to attend After quickly approving the agenda and previous meeting minutes Chief School Financial Officer Morgan Nelson presented a summary of the financials for February and March to the board for approval The board also approved the personnel report On the report: the retirements of teacher Andrea Dunn of Westside Elementary and special education aide Darnell (Ricky) Richardson of DHS; the resignations of science teacher Nicole Phillips of DMS and math teacher Carrie Goodman of DHS; new hires of special education teacher Allie Cramer for Westside and science teacher Anna Kate Golden for DMS (pending certification following graduation in May) Also on the personnel report were new licensed substitute teachers and lists of teachers and aides that will make up the Summer Literacy Camp at Westside and the Summer Numeracy Camp at U.S One new hire not yet made came to light as a state requirement two new kindergarten students will be in attendance with “unique medical needs.” According to state law the school system must accommodate the students by way of the constant presence of a school nurse to administer needed medications Superintendent Adam Pugh said they intend to hire one registered nurse and keep the two children grouped together This arrangement will persist for two years The board approved the job description of the new school nurse position Pugh requested the board approve inventory dispositions to remove a list of items from the books “We have several technological things we need to dispose of,” Pugh said The list also included items that were stolen and listed on a police report The board acknowledged a first reading of a new amendment to the tobacco use policy which would prohibit financial contributions to the school system from any business or entity in the tobacco industry Also as a first reading was a new testing policy but it hasn’t been a policy,” Pugh acknowledged as they discussed the item Approval of the practice would make it a policy that any student scoring below a 50 on a test would be allowed to be “re-taught” the subject material and then take the test again “It’s really hard for students to recover from a test below a 50,” Pugh added The board quickly approved the adoption of a local use textbook for Science and Career Technical Education and moved on to yet another policy issue brought up in the previous meeting the board will review and if necessary revise each system policy section before posting policies on a public and searchable website database After much discussion they decided that some minor changes were needed in wording to Chapter 3 specifically addressing the word “shall” in regards to including a one minute moment of “quiet reflection” daily Board member Olen Kerby suggested the word “may” be used instead to give each school the option on any given day and prevent an inadvertent policy violation Board member Aliquippa Allen also suggested a change to the format of the opening pages for readability and comprehension and asked that she be allowed to make these changes to present to the board A decision was made to vote on the policies at the meeting in May Circling back to another item from the last meeting Pugh reminded everyone that he had asked for a quote to expand the cut areas of grass on campuses the quote received was “too high” at $45,500 and his request was now to hire an additional person to cut and trim the extra areas who could also help with basic landscaping and unskilled maintenance tasks A salary for the proposed position was not mentioned but the idea appeared to be that this new role could be filled for less than the $45,500 quote The board approved the newly created position After quickly approving travel for DHS Tennis and Softball teams for upcoming tournaments in Mobile and Montgomery Curriculum and Instruction Coordinator Derrick Hester gave a brief summary of the results of state testing commenting on the effort of teachers and staff in the large task The next regular board meeting will be held May 19 DHS Graduation will be May 16 at Tiger Stadium Alabama’s hospitals contribute more than $25 billion annually to the state’s economy serving as a critical lifeline for communities large and small With 114 hospitals operating around the clock these healthcare facilities including Demopolis’ Whitfield Regional Hospital deliver essential medical services and act as economic anchors often representing the largest employer in their communities Alabama’s hospitals support more than 143,000 jobs with 77,557 employees directly working in hospitals hospitals across the state cared for Alabamians through 564,939 inpatient stays and 2,193,297 emergency room visits—providing life-saving care 24 hours a day “Our hospitals are vital not only to the state’s healthcare system but also to the economic health of Alabama,” said Laura Grill President and CEO of East Alabama Health and Chairman of the Alabama Hospital Association Board of Trustees “They are crucial drivers of economic development – supporting job creation A thriving hospital network is essential for attracting and retaining businesses ensuring that Alabama remains a competitive and sustainable place to live and work Our hospitals are dedicated to improving the lives of all Alabamians and strengthening the state’s economy.” Hospitals also serve a critical role beyond providing direct care and driving economic growth They provide critical support to their communities through workforce training hospitals remain at the heart of efforts to create healthier “Alabama hospitals are the backbone of our communities ensuring access to high-quality care while also driving economic growth,” said Donald E president of the Alabama Hospital Association hospitals are committed to enhancing the health and well-being of the communities they serve and investing in the overall quality of life for all residents.” The economic impact data in this release was derived using IMPLAN’s Economic Impact Analysis, based on 2023 hospital data. For more information on how Alabama’s hospitals support and serve their communities, visit wearealabamahospitals.org The Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce has recognized Woodhaven Manor Nursing Home as the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Month Woodhaven Manor provides exceptional long-term care physical rehabilitation services and skilled nursing care to the community licensed facility is dedicated to creating a warm welcoming environment that truly feels like home As a Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing home Woodhaven Manor offers care options that include private or self-pay as well as most private insurance policies—ensuring accessible “What truly sets Woodhaven Manor apart is their dedicated caring staff,” King said in a social media post “Their commitment to quality care and personal attention makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve and our community every single day.” They are located at 105 West Windsor Street in Demopolis A Demopolis man died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle collision with a tractor-trailer outside Linden in Marengo County a spokesperson for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Troopers Freeman was driving a 2016 GMC Sierra pickup truck on Alabama Highway 28 when he was struck by a 2019 Mack truck Alabama was driving the tractor-trailer was killed in the wreck and was pronounced deceased at the scene  King said the crash took place on Alabama 28 about four miles west of Linden No other information was released Friday afternoon Gallery Credit: (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread) A Demopolis man died Thursday morning in a two-vehicle collision with a tractor-trailer outside Linden in Marengo County.\nRead More Another low-key Thursday evening in Rooster Hall passed as the Demopolis City Council mostly discussed items they decided to discuss at later dates With all council members present except Nathan Hardy the council had a very short work session at 4:45 p.m. followed by an almost as short open meeting at 5:15 p.m Mayor Woody Collins brought the re-worded burn ordinance and fireworks stands ordinance including fireworks stands now being added to temporary usage lists The council decided to table these issues with a second reading and possible vote on all three modified ordinances next meeting They also decided to table discussion of modifications to the city personnel policies manual as well as — yet again — Broadway Street resurfacing discussion of impaired properties brought up a demolition and removal project on First Avenue behind the elementary school which city workers believe has halted progress They concluded that the city “may take action” if work doesn’t resume on the property soon Approval for entertainment zones for the crawfish boil and an “adult” easter egg hunt both passed unanimously The biggest news of the night came in the form of an announcement by Collins as he passed on word from the Alabama Department of Transportation “Don’t call us” seemed to be the word from the state saying that only one point of contact per community is allowed Apparently citizens in the area have been calling ALDOT directly to complain about road conditions Collins said they would like residents to stop doing that and to call Demopolis City Hall instead ALDOT said the city would relay the message on residents’ behalf The Demopolis Tiger track teams took second place in both the boys and girls divisions of the Selma Catch Me If You Can track meet Jakorhi Johnson won the boys shot put while Jokeith Means was second Sha’Marrion Johnson and Kaleb Branch finished first and second in the boys 800 meters Johnson also won the 1,600 meters while Lamarcus Barnes was third Markell Eldridge and Jaborri Washington finished first through fourth respectively in the discus while Davis took first in the Javelin followed by Johnson Means and Eldridge were third through fifth The boys 4×100-and 4×400-meter relays took first place Emonte Charleston and Fred Aldridge finished second and third in the boys 100 meters Arri Freeman won the girls 100-meter hurdles Mariah James was first in the girls 300-meter hurdles Haley Stacey and Ana Dominguez finished first and second in the girls javelin Tamoria Hutton took fourth in the girls 200 meters Aniya Tensley and Mary Hall finished second The girls 4×400-meter and 4×800-meter relays won first place while the 4×100-meter relay took second place Haley Stacey was second in the girls shot put Ana Dominguez was third in the girls 1,600 meters Demopolis got off to a great start in the Class 5A playoffs sweeping Beauregard 9-1 and 10-0 on Friday in the first round of the playoffs The Tigers improved to 22-9 overall and will travel to Elberta (22-7) for the second round of the playoffs while game 3 if necessary will be played at noon on Saturday Elberta defeated Eufaula 15-5 and 8-0 in the opening round the Tigers responded after Beauregard got a run in the top of the first inning without a hit In the bottom of the inning inning Jake Powell hit a double to score Reed Schumacher Bryant Deas hit a sacrifice ground ball to bring Powell home Jake Bumgarner had a solo homer in the second inning to increase the advantage to 3-1 The Tigers took added another run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Roper Houldhitch to score Braxton Vice who reached on a double Bumgarner reached on a error and later scored on a passed ball Schumacher reached on a walk and stole second base to get into scoring position Murphy then drove in another run on a sacrifice fly to score Powell A pair of walks drawn by Colton Colgrove and Schumacher set up Powell’s two-run double to round out the scoring in the fifth inning Houldhitch did his job on the mound after rough first inning He didn’t allow another run on five hits with seven strikeouts in six innings of work Josiah Colgrove did the rest with a scoreless seventh inning of work Bumgarner and Colton Colgrove did a good job of scattering six hits in and one walk to get the shutout win Bumgarner had six strikeouts in three innings of work Colton Colgrove had four strikeouts in two innings Powell continued his hot hitting with a home run and a single Powell finished 5-for7 with four runs scored and four RBIs for both games Deas had a double and single in the second game Schumacher and Bryce McElroy had doubles while Vice Houldhitch and Jack Pritchett all had singles The Demopolis City Council will be deciding if a developer will be allowed to redevelop the old school on Main Street to restore the building that will keep Canebrake Players in the school but adding 19 high-efficiency apartments in the old school and to build a new complex with up to 20 condominiums During the last two planning commission meetings Mayor Woody Collins introduced developer TJ Maloney who presented the plan with a PowerPoint presentation to show what they were planning to do with the building Collins said the project checked three boxes on his list: it would save the facility protect Canebrake Players and provide additional housing options for people moving to Demopolis “The time is quickly coming that (Canebrake Players) won’t have a home,” Collins said of the current condition of the building said they have been working on the plan over the year He said the proposed agreement with the city would force the owners to keep up all facets of the building or the city would have the option to buy back the building at a “reasonable” price He showed several projects where they had redeveloped other properties around the state and then unveiled plans to install 19-single family market rate apartments Eighth will be efficiency units with 250 to 350 square feet of space with no bathrooms in the apartments one-bathroom units will also be available between 250-450 square feet The remaining seven units will be the size of a classroom that will have one-bedroom one-bathroom apartments with laundry hookups with a size of 450 to 750 square feet They would sign a 99-year lease with the City of Demopolis to allow the city to have public use of the auditorium The access to the housing units would be separate from the auditorium area The second phase of the project would build up to 20 additional condominiums on the rear of the property The new building would have to complement the existing school that is currently being proposed as three-bedroom There is no timeline yet for the second phase or what the final version would look like That second phase has been what has caused issues with some residents several residents voiced concerns about the traffic and other issues with the additional development The request was to zone the property located at 601 South Main Street from R-2 single family to R-4 multifamily The discussion from that meeting resulted in a 4-4 tie vote from the planning commission Jennifer Roeman with the Canebrake Players said she was grateful for the city allowing them to use the building but she is concerned that the second phase might cause issues for them holding performances at the auditorium “We have tried to take care and be a good steward of the building as we’ve been allowed to use it,” Roeman said “I’m afraid that our patrons might not be able to come if they have to park way down the street They might not be able to come back up here “I feel like maybe this is an opportunity for our city to embrace the arts and help bring it up to a next level — much like the Sportsplex is — to help the arts department.” Another resident was concerned about how the parking situation would be affected by having this development The plans call for around 20 apartments to be housed in the old school building He was concerned that the parking would spill onto South Main Street The city council will be decide that during its regular meeting Thursday at 5:15 p.m The council’s work session starts at 4 p.m Maloney said he is aware that he’d need a subdivision permit to develop the condominiums but they would be ready to move forward with the redevelopment The Demopolis City Council convened Thursday night with all in attendance Mayor Woody Collins began the evening with announcements explaining that this was simply a stop on a tour Ivey is taking with ALDOT “to places that she has donated money,” adding that it is “a very very small crowd.” The governor will be giving a short presentation to the council at Rooster Hall at 10 a.m This will be her first stop in Demopolis since she attended the signing ceremony at the Demopolis Civic Center for the new Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences Demopolis Chamber of Commerce will hold its open house and after hours celebration on Tuesday and asked everyone who can to attend the event at their new office Councilman Nathan Hardy presented the council with substantial data on the Broadway Street renovation which the council agreed they would like to look over in detail before making any decisions After looking over the updated ordinances that were presented last meeting the council unanimously approved all three in one swoop This updated the city’s policies on burning The Mayor asked the council to pass the new personnel policy amendment drawn with consultation of Chief Flowers regarding paid leave for police officers The chamber of commerce asked for two entertainment districts for upcoming events An Editorial Opinion of The Demopolis Times Saturday was another successful Rooster Day in downtown Demopolis one of Alabama’s oldest green spaces created a perfect backdrop for this celebration The event kicked off with the Cock’s Crow 5K and 1K Fun Run There was a good supply of unique and different vendors Each of them seemed like they stayed busy most of the day And there was plenty of good home-grown entertainment We know that probably brought a few more visitors to our downtown One other bonus is that the downtown businesses stayed open for the event That added on to the success of bringing more business Rooster Day had everything you want to have at a good festival As the Marengo County Historical Society pointed out recently Rooster Day is more than just a festival; it’s a tribute to the 1919 Rooster Auction that raised funds to build a bridge connecting Marengo and Sumter Counties the festival is one of the biggest fundraisers for the Marengo County Historical Society While we hope it was a very successful event for them we also love to see events like this happen more often in our community It helps improve the quality of life for everyone the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is one of my favorite events to watch I love seeing upsets and watching players I fall in love with over the course of three weeks Some players earn their spot of immortality when they hit a buzzer beater that lifts their team to a win over an underdog Brent Maze is the publisher of The Selma Times-Journal and The Demopolis Times I always love to see UAB make the NCAA Tournament I always remember watching them beat Kentucky and I love to see UAB get back in when they can I know it’s really hard with the conference they are in but I always dreamed of a time when Auburn could get to a Final Four and play for a national championship That was just a pipe dream for most of my life until around eight years ago That’s when Bruce Pearl’s squad that year outlived the expectations of a team left for dead but Auburn got hot winning the SEC Tournament and then went on to make the Final Four by beating Kentucky as an underdog in the Elite Eight that year but they finally got back to the Final Four as the overall top seed in the Big Dance While that means Auburn should have made it to the Final Four Some suffered the fate as I mentioned above not getting out of the first weekend Others have lost in the Sweet 16 or the Elite Eight it’s not as easy as you’d think it would be Even rival Alabama fell in the Sweet 16 with a team that I thought had no chance of losing before the Final Four We love the upsets and seeing the best teams get knocked out This was the fewest upsets I think we’ve ever had arguably the strongest 3-seed in the tournament Lots of people are worried we won’t see upsets again I do have to admit the tournament committee got the seeding right I saw overall top seeds getting terrible draws that led to early upsets they faced the ultimate thorn in their side Florida took control in the second half thanks to their most outstanding player it took an all-time great tournament performance by Clayton to knock Auburn out it took Clayton’s back-to-back 30-point games to end the dream for Auburn And that’s again what we love about sports and I doubt this is the last time Clayton does this I have a feeling we will be watching him for many years in the NBA but I am proud of what Auburn did and Alabama took considering they got to the Elite Eight This was a year for the ages in the SEC and the state of Alabama Brent Maze is the publisher of The Demopolis Times. He can be reached at brent.maze@demopolistimes.com of Linden | Courtesy of the Demopolis Police Department of Demopolis | Courtesy of the Demopolis Police Department Two people have been charged after an apparent shooting on East Pettus Street in Demopolis on Tuesday Demopolis Police Chief Rex Flowers said officers were called to the 800 block of East Pettus Street Tuesday they located a person who had multiple gunshot wounds and began administering first aid until paramedics arrived The victim was transported to Whitfield Regional Hospital before being sent on to another hospital Demopolis Police officers identified Joseph Anthony Robertson He was arrested and charged with attempted murder of Linden was also arrested and charged with hindering prosecution in the first degree and tampering with evidence Both suspects were transported to the Marengo County Detention Facility Flowers said in a statement that the case is still under investigation at this time “Chief Flowers would like to commend the officers and investigators from his department especially the officers that were off duty that heard the initial call and responded to assist,” according to the statement “Chief Flowers would also like to thank the deputies from the Marengo County Sheriff’s Department and the 17th Judicial Drug Task Force for their assistance.” Major Walker II attended elementary and junior high school in Faunsdale He participated in basketball and football while lettering in both sports for the Blue Devils His coach used him in a motivation speech to get the team to play hard “Coming to a new school was very challenging especially for the ones that wanted to play sports He feels blessed to have been able to play with good athletes through his high school career He and his fellow teammates like the late Sam Williams (Class of 2024) (Class of 2023) (that’s just to name a few) dominated teams in their area and across the state of Alabama Jones Blue Devils were well known among the basketball elites in the state Major talks with pride about when his team won the basketball game breaking Druid City High School 33-game winning streak and playing in the state tournament championship game in 1969 finishing as the runner-up that year After high school he enrolled in Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and found out he just couldn’t afford the financial requirement so he came back home to find a job Whitfield Memorial Hospital for about a year where he worked at JCPenney’s for 2 years before entering the Army After completing basic training his orders came down to go to Jump School at Fort Benning as he had hardly flown in an Airplane let alone Jump out of one it was time to actually jump from the C130 airplane and on his third jump he experienced a “MAYWEST” which means the parachute did not open up properly and he came down faster than everyone else to the 82nd Airborne Division and was placed in a Headquarters Company His first jump was a night maneuver he didn’t train for in jump school He decided to end my army career after three yrs because he wanted to get off jump status He came back home in July 1976 and immediately secured a job at Graves Distribution Company for 37 years while the company changed hands two times during my tenure before he retired in 2013 he was hired by Marengo County Board of Education as a bus driver When Demopolis started their own transportation he started driving for the Demopolis City Schools and became a substitute teacher He got involved in the community and school sports activities such as the city’s pee-wee football league and volunteer basketball coach for the high school and junior high Major coached in the Demopolis City Pee Wee Football League for 17 years from 1978 to 1994 he helped the Demopolis High School girls basketball team make their first ever appearance in the State Finals Tournament in 1999 with Coach Carlean Hooper He coached Middle School Girls Basketball for three years which included an undefeated season for Demopolis Middle School from 1994-1996 Major served on the board to build the Theo Ratliff Center to help develop and promote athletics in Demopolis He is currently the President of the Friends of Theo Ratliff Center he was appointed to the Demopolis City Board of Education and serve for 10 years He is married to the love of his life Geraldine McClain Walker They have five children and 15 grandchildren He is a member of the Christian Chapel Baptist Church in Demopolis where he serves on the Deacon board and sings in the choir The Demopolis baseball team has once again captured the Class 5A Area 7 championship after sweeping Jemison in a three game series last week and will host Area 6 runner-up Beauregard in the first round of the state playoffs Game 3 if necessary will be Saturday at noon Jake Powell’s RBI single to drive in Jake Bumgarner proved to be the difference in the pitcher’s duel Bryant Deas also had two hits including a triple and Jack Pritchett also had two hits in the win Bumgarner scored thanks to reaching on one of his two walks Roper Houldhitch pitched a complete game gem with 11 strikeouts He scattered four hits and didn’t have a walk The Tigers scored 14 runs on 13 hits to clinch the area championship Jake Powell had a big the Tigers with a home run a double and a single with four runs scored and three RBIs Bryant Deas topped Powell with a 4-for-4 day including a double Braxton Vice and Roper Houldhitch each had two hits while Jack Pritchett and Tucker Capps also had hits Jake Bumgarner got the win on the mound with five strikeouts in five innings of work He allowed one run on two hits and one walk In what would have been the tiebreaker game Demopolis held on after racing out to a 5-0 lead through four innings Jemison scored two runs in the final three innings but Josiah Colgrove got the strikeout to end the game Colton Colgrove got the win with 10 strikeouts in five innings of work He allowed one run on four hits and three walks Josiah Colgrove pitched the final two innings allowing one run on one walk with three strikeouts Bryce McElroy had a double with two RBIs while Jack Pritchett Josiah Colgrove and Jake Bumgarner all had hits The Tigers closed out the regular season with a win on the road Saturday Roper Houldhitch also had an RBI double while Reed Schumacher Tucker Capps and D’Quarius Banks all had hits JW McAlpine got the win allowing just a hit and two walks with two strikeouts through four innings Pritchett pitched the final three innings with four strikeouts The COTR Nautical Parade is one of the highlights of the annual Christmas celebration Floats are paraded down the Tombigbee river for spectators watching on shore Bryant is a well-known face in Demopolis and was a popular choice this year The Demopolis High School River City Blue Marching Band showed off their Demopolis pride in the Day Parade this past Saturday The East Mississippi Community College marching band was a guest in this year’s COTR Day Parade They played loud and proud as they marched through the streets The Grand Marshal for COTR was Richard Scott a well-known meteorologist for WVUA 23 in Tuscaloosa waves to the crowd as the Day Parade rolls through downtown Demopolis The Noel Trail was a new addition to COTR and was created by the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce The trail consisted of Christmas trees decorated by local businesses The Papier Mache heads are a big part of COTR and have been a staple in the parade for many years Ricki Ann Gandy poses for a picture with her son after the lighting of the Love Lights Tree at Whitfield Regional Hospital Jeremy Sullivan takes a moment to take a phot with his son Oliver in front of the Love Lights Tree at Whitfield Regional Hospital The Crown Jewel of the Black Belt is going to be ready for Christmas The 53rd annual Christmas on the River in Demopolis sponsored by the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce is underway and there’s holiday fun for everyone planned now through this weekend Chamber Executive Director Monica King said this year’s event might be one of the biggest celebrations of the season “We are excited for the 53rd annual Christmas on the River,” King said “There has been a lot of work put in by the chamber members and volunteers to make this year’s event be a big success.” The annual holiday festival began last Thursday when the switch was flipped on Christmas Tree Tower by the Black Warrior EMC and it continues until midnight on Saturday Whitfield Regional Medical Center will be hosting the annual introduction of the Special Child and the lighting of the Love Light Tree at 5:30 p.m This is one of the favorite events of the festivalgoers Oliver Sullivan of Demopolis was recognized as the 2023 Christmas on the River Special Child the chamber will have the lighting of the public square Nick will be introduced along with the reading of the Christmas story and photo with Santa at the Demopolis Public Library the Alabama State Championship BBQ Cook-Off will be held at George Franks Field beginning at 5 p.m Christmas in the Canebrake will be from 5:30 p.m They are also offering their Parlors & Trees tour which includes a tour of Lyon Hall along with an exclusive tour of four private homes for $20 the Gaineswood Candlelight Tour will also be going on for just $5 or they can purchase a combined tour of Gaineswood Glitter & Glow at the Cedars and a tour of the Whitfield farmhouse at the Cedars for $20 the public fair at the square begins at 7:30 a.m King said they will have wide array of vendors that will have all kinds of Christmas gifts food and other items available for purchase the Jingle Bell 5k Run/Walk will begin at Rooster Hall and continue through downtown Demopolis the day parade will travel down Walnut and Strawberry avenues north of Pettus Street All of the Christmas on the River queens will be riding in the parade Numerous businesses and organizations will have floats for the parade and several marching bands including the Demopolis High School band will be performing for the crowds tours of Bluff Hall will be available for $5 for adults and $3 for children 6-18 Guided tours of Gaineswood will also be available for $10 for adults or $5 for students The winners of the BBQ Cook-Off will be announced at 2 p.m the event culminates with the Nautical Parade & Fireworks Show on the Tombigbee River and Lake Demopolis the Christmas on the River Gala kicks off at the Demopolis Civic Center with a great view of the nautical parade and fireworks show General admission for the entire night is $75 per person Ages 20 and under will be allowed to attend the event from 6 to 9 p.m Those ages 21 and older who want to attend the event from 9 p.m to midnight can purchase tickets for $45 per ticket log on to https://www.christmasontheriverdemopolis.com/ The Demopolis City School Board held a special called work session on Thursday night to discuss the applications for the superintendent position had one item on the agenda for the discussion of the candidates the board voted to go into executive session to discuss the candidates for the position the board came back to open session and adjourned the meeting School board attorney Alexander Braswell said all that occurred was discussion “They took no action today,” Braswell said in a text message “They just had general conversations about the candidates They’ve got a basic panel they want to interview but I would not say it’s a finalist list yet.” The school board’s January meeting was postponed to Monday There is a good chance the board could make a decision on its finalists list at that time most districts will have open interviews with the candidates during special called meetings The school board is looking to hire a new superintendent after the former superintendent Tony Willis resigned in July to take the same position with Calhoun County Schools Bobby Hathcock has been serving as the interim superintendent since Aug Braswell compiled notebooks for the board members containing the candidates’ applications Braswell said previously that a possible timeline for interviews would be in late January or early February the board could enter into negotiations with a candidate for compensation the base salary for the Demopolis school superintendent is $150,000 and is negotiable based on “experience and a proven track record.” The board is looking for a superintendent will move inside the school district and enroll their children A master’s degree was required for the position but they preferred a person with a doctorate at least three to five years of experience Once the board and the candidate come to an agreement Braswell said the board would like to introduce the new superintendent in mid to late February so that they could begin by a target date of March 1 Two Rivers Arts Council is welcoming Jeff Bianchi back to Demopolis to present a concert of classical guitar works in the Parish Hall of Trinity Episcopal Church The program will consist of compositions spanning the 18th through 20th centuries Bianchi began performing at weddings and cafes while still in his teens The uniqueness of the classical guitar coupled with his professionalism enabled him to stay working over the years he gave full concerts throughout Western New York His hard work earned him performances at the Rantucci International Guitar Festival as well as the nationally recognized Ithaca Guitar Festival His concerts continued with his move to Atlanta in 2002 From 2005-2007 Jeff took a hiatus to tour nationally with Country acts Young Guns (Nashville Bianchi toured much of North America; playing clubs and dance halls with capacity crowds Jeff resumed his solo performances and since that time he has performed at venues throughout the country where his time is devoted solely to his music This is the second of three scheduled events by Two Rivers Arts Council In June author Jennifer Horne will be speaking about her recent book “Odyssey of a Wandering Mind: The Strange Tale of Sara Mayfield.” Also in the works is a mural on the side of 100 N Walnut Avenue designed and executed by Selma artist Anne Smith Reeves featuring important historic sites For more information email:tworiversartsdemopolis@yahoo.com The Demopolis Lady Tigers got an area win over Montevallo by the score of 13-7 on April 15 to clinch the Class 5A They earned the right to host the area tournament on Friday and Monday They will play Selma in the opening round on Friday at 11 a.m with Jemison-Montevallo following at 1 p.m with the winners of the opening round games The losers will face off in an elimination game at 3 p.m The tournament resumes Monday at noon with a game against winner of the elimination game and the loser of the winner’s bracket final with an if necessary game immediately following Lily Turberville got a leadoff double against Montevallo and scored on Caroline Hathcock’s single Allie Hughes and Olivia Lindsay had back-to-back RBI singles to give Demopolis a 3-0 lead Montevallo answered in the bottom of the first with two runs but Jady Hasty immediately got one run back in the top of the second on a de-facto in-the-park home rum She tripled and then scored on the throw home Then Hathcock hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Turberville again Montevallo got a run back in the third inning Demopolis answered again with four in the fourth inning Maddie Grace Teel hit a triple to score Hathcock Lizzie Thornton drove in Hughes on a single Montevallo got two runs back in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 9-5 Hathcock doubled in Hasty to give Demopolis a 10-5 lead in the fifth inning Montevallo got their last two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Demopoiis added three insurance runs in the seventh inning Teel then grounded into a fielder’s choice and Turberville scored on the errant throw Annagayle Aultman closed out the game pitching the final three innings allowing only two runs on two hits with a walk Hughes got the win allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts Demopolis fell to Northside 14-2 on Thursday Lizzie Thornton singled in Caroline Hathcock for one run Allie Hughes singled in Elleigh Dossett for the other run Lizzie Thornton and Dossett had the other hits Hughes took the loss despite two strikeouts Annagayle Aultman also had a pair of strikeouts Teel got two outs and didn’t give up a run Olivia Lindsay scored on an error while Hathcock doubled in Ellieigh Dossett Lindsay and Lizzie Thornton had the other hits Aultman and Teel both appeared in the game Demopolis annual festival benefits historical society The Rooster greets festival goers on the Public Square as people mingle among the vendor booths The Marengo County Historical Society conducted the annual Rooster Day on Saturday in the Public Square of downtown Demopolis Rooster Day kicked off with the Cock’s Crow 5K and 1K Fun Run Then the Rooster Fair was held in Public Square where festival goers could peruse the handmade and handcrafted items from talented artists and crafters across the region The items included everything from striking photography Numerous food vendors packed into the food court while children had fun making crafts petting animals in the petting zoo and playing in the inflatables Children pile onto the merry-go-round in the Public Square as their parents watch “This marks the 100th anniversary of the original Rooster Bridge six years after the 1919 Rooster Auction,”  MCHS Operations Manager The Marengo County Historical Society thanked everyone for helping to celebrate the city’s unique heritage Funds raised during Rooster Day help support the Marengo County Historical Society’s ongoing preservation efforts For more information, visit RoosterDayDemopolis.com check us out on Facebook at RoosterDayDemopolis