You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience The former Lanett Panther and Florida Gator was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers as the 40th pick in the final round of the 2025 NFL draft on April 26 It is telling that the defensive back chose to spend his draft night in his hometown of Lanett “It was a blessing to have the people that I had with me The final night of the draft was an anxious and drawn-out one as Bridges was the second-to-last pick “I got a phone call and everybody just went from partying to I don’t know whatever word is bigger than partying We just really enjoy each other and it was a special moment with my family,” he said “All day I was going back-and-forth pacing,” Bridges said most of the day was spent trying to predict when the question if they would even get picked But Bridges settled and focused on what he could control put that phone down and just really enjoy family “I knew the Chargers were down the line somewhere Bridges said he hopes the transition to a professional football player won’t be drastic as he has approached football as a career since his high school days “I’ve kind of been preparing myself [for] a long time for when I have a chance to go to the NFL I just started training like a professional doing things that I thought the guys in the league were doing and kind of help me prepare for this day,” he said He got business done both on and off the field He holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from the University of Oregon and a certificate in Sports Management from Florida he played at Oregon before transferring to the University of Florida for his final year of eligibility and I do know a lot of people that I play with [at] Oregon and then some of the coaches that was [recruiting] during my college and high school careers The former Panther was a standout defensive back in college he just wants to get on the field in any capacity “Special teams is going to be very important for me me being able to use my attributes…so first thing will be the quickest way for me to go on the field and contribute to a team goal,” Bridges added he will also be hitting the books once again in order to know the team’s playbook off the bat “It’s like in college when you first come in unless you’re a five-star [recruit]…As a freshman they’re going to start you on special teams to just get you out there to get you adapted to the environment,” explained Bridges While Bridges is not the first Lanett player to go to the NFL Kristian Story signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons over the weekend he makes it clear that young players coming up can not expect the title of professional football player without putting in the work start focusing on things you wanna do after you leave high school.” Bridges got to see all of his planning pay off on Saturday the Brooklyn Nets (21-39) square off against the Atlanta Hawks (27-33) at 6… Ranked squads are on Monday’s college basketball schedule in two games including the Kansas Jayhawks squaring off against… The Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Florida Panthers is a game to see on a Monday NHL schedule… Ranked squads will be on Monday’s college basketball schedule for two games including the Kansas Jayhawks playing the… There is no shortage of excitement on Monday in college basketball play including the McNeese Cowboys playing the… and Opelika areas.City of Lanett Councilman for District One Tony Malone commented “We are alI concerned After hearing the chatter about the possible closing of Piggly Wiggly I made contact with the corporate office in Phenix City today and was told that the store wasn’t going to close I was told there’s a few factors that’s weighing on the side of closing the store Some factors the city has no control of and others…. I think the City could possibly help in some way on keeping Piggly Wiggly in Lanett but we must hear from the owners of their intentions first if there’s anything we can do to avoid the closing I’m pretty sure we will step up and do whatever we have to do to keep the Piggly Wiggly open in Lanett.”He went on to continue “The Piggly Wiggly store has been in Lanett for many many many years The store recently did some improvement by making the aisles wider floors clean and shining and not to mention their low prices especially if you have the PigApp!”Concerns over the potential of Lanett becoming what is known as a “food desert” seemed to weigh heavily upon many residents’ minds According to a definition on the official website for the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service an area meets the standards of a food desert when it is a “low-income tract with at least 500 people living more than one-half mile (urban areas) or more than 10 miles (rural areas) from the nearest supermarket or large grocery store.”That same article goes on to note “Limited access to supermarkets or other sources of healthy and affordable food may make it harder for some people to eat a healthy diet in this country.”Reflecting these concerns one user commented “How sad for the Lanett community Breaks my heart to see businesses like this that are the heart of a small community go out of business I wondered why I was seeing so many open positions at that location I guess people were forced to jump ship before it fully sank They have some of the best deals around too I really hate it for the Lanett residents that are completely dependent on shopping there due to lack of transportation or the ability to drive further out.”      With a heart full of service and a legacy of boundless courage passed away peacefully at his residence in Lanett Johnny lived a life that exemplified kindness      Johnny dedicated his career to protecting others Through his unwavering commitment and admirable work ethic he ascended to the rank of Captain and Paramedic with the City of Lanett Fire Department His exceptional leadership and passion for service led to his appointment as Fire Chief in 2009 Johnny was responsible for spearheading various projects for the City of Lanett and shared his expertise by serving on several boards including the Chattahoochee Valley Water District and Chambers County 911 Johnny also left his mark on young lives as the Athletic trainer for the Lanett High School and Springwood School football teams for many years      Chief Allen was a pillar of warmth and friendliness in his community his presence a testament to his generous spirit which shone brightly in both his professional and personal life earned him the admiration and respect of all who knew him      Family was the cornerstone of Johnny's life and he relished in the joys of being a devoted and loving father and Corey Allen (Emily); and his adored grandchildren Johnny found great joy in his relationships with his sisters Cindy Brooks (Steve) and Nancy Hamilton (Mitchell); and he held a special place in his heart for his nieces and nephews as well as his great-nieces and great-nephews Johnny was preceded in death by his father and his maternal and paternal grandparents      Outside of his life-saving work Johnny cherished every moment spent with his grandchildren ensuring laughter and love were never in short supply He was known for his enthusiasm for beach visits capturing the essence of relaxation with every shore he graced with his presence he took immeasurable pleasure in giving Santa a ride on the fire truck a tradition dear to his heart and the community      Chief Johnny Allen's passing leaves a void that echoes the fullness of his life's impact and heroic spirit will be profoundly missed yet forever remembered and celebrated by all who were fortunate enough to have crossed paths with him      Funeral services for Johnny will be held on Friday at 3:00 PM (EDT) at the First Baptist Church of Lanett Interment will follow in Hillcrest Cemetery Johnny’s family will receive friends at the church Friday afternoon from 1:00 PM (EDT) until the service hour Johnny’s family asks that donations be made to the Lanett Fire Safety Association at South State Bank in his memory      Please visit Johnny’s Memorial Tribute page at www.johnsonbrownservicefh.com to leave a kind word for his family or to light a Remembrance Candle in his memory      Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home of Valley directing LANETT — The Lanett City Council has tabled a request for a retail liquor license over concerns if there’s adequate parking outside the requesting restaurant on Gilmer Avenue The request was made by Taqueria 2 Gallos de Oro LLC (which is Spanish for Taco Shop 2 Golden Roosters) The restaurant is located across from Kroger on one of the busiest stretches of Highway 29 in the local area The building has been painted a bright orange color and often has a food trailer parked outside The request for a liquor license was an item of business at Tuesday’s 6 p.m The normal Monday meeting was switched to Tuesday due to the Easter weekend holiday Police Chief Denise McCain told the council that under state law the request had been reviewed and approved by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) It is in the name of Mexican native Angelina Ortiz de Lucio A resolution to approve the request was motioned and seconded and in the discussion period that followed Council Member Tony Malone brought up the parking issue “There could be a problem with parking outside the building We may need to put a hold on this until we can get that cleared up.” noting a possibility some people going to the restaurant could park in the Kroger parking lot and walk across the very busy highway to get there There could be a problem in getting back to the car after they have consumed alcoholic beverages in the restaurant A better solution would be to park across lightly-traveled South 14th Street near the strip mall including Pawn City but it needs to be known the restaurant has the property owner’s permission for its customers to park there McCain did say the police department has yet to receive a single complaint about parking at the restaurant but there is a potential safety concern “There has to be adequate parking before we can approve this,” Malone said Council Member Tifton Dobbs said that’s all well and good but that it should have come up before the business owner had gone to the expense of seeking an alcohol license Malone’s motion to table the request was unanimously approved In other action the council approved a proclamation in support of the Saturday May 3rd Hike/Bike/Run for Valley Haven School and declared three city-owned vehicles surplus property Council Member Tamalita Autry read aloud the proclamation in support of the 49th annual Hike/Bike/Run This is the most important fundraiser of the year for Valley Haven School The money that’s raised in it serves as the local match for the state and federal funding needed to operate the school “We hereby proclaim the week of April 27th through May 3rd 2025 Hike/Bike/Run Week in the City of Lanett,” the proclamation reads “and we call upon the citizens of our city to join with thousands of other individuals in generously helping to provide the funds to support Valley Haven School.” “It’s a wonderful thing that we get together every year to do this for Valley Haven School,” Autry said to much applause from the crowd gathered inside the council chamber at city hall Council Member Angelia Thomas read aloud the resolution declaring three vehicles surplus property a white 2006 Ford F350 truck and a white 2012 Freightliner Sierra These vehicles will be sold with the money staying within the city’s Public Works department The council met in an executive session to discuss purchasing some property but no decision was made following the closed-door session Mayor Jamie Heard and several members of the council thanked the Lanett Police Department the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project and the Berean Church for the work they did in having a community wide Easter egg hunt this past Saturday in the West Shawmut neighborhood “We really appreciate this,” the mayor said Harold Henson and the Lanett Nazarene Church for their hosting Neighborhood Watch meetings at the church They are planning their next meeting for 6 p.m They will be discussing plans for a community wide event they will be hosting on the W.O Members of the District 4 Guardians chapter will be talking about what Neighborhood Watch chapters can do to promote safe neighborhoods Council Member Dobbs thanked volunteers with the Love Our Lanett Restoration Committee for having a litter pickup effort on Phillips Road on Thursday He also thanked them for their continuing efforts to pick up litter from roadsides in the city and having it properly disposed of Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application to Bert Brailsford and Augusta Percinda Hill Brailsford in Springville brother William Hill Brailsford and brother James Vernard Brailsford She loved working outside as a child picking fruits She was given money and she used it to buy books and clothes for school She graduated from Springville Senior High in May of 1945 She worked for Eddington Cannery in Springville during the summer and after graduation at the Troy Laundry in Provo She started Roller skating in Spanish Fork where she met the love of her life She worked at Kentucky Fried Chicken there for 9 years before working and retiring at Naugles a fast-food Mexican-American restaurant.  She raised her children and they both moved back to their home state of Utah to retire in 1986 They had a lovely garden and gave away many fruits and vegetables to their neighbors and friends after canning peaches and juicing grapes as well She was a friend to everyone and always saw the good in all people She never forgot a birthday and you could always count on a card being sent your way and bingo and volunteered for many years at the Orem Senior Center 3 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandchild She taught us all the old ways of gardening She loved being outside taking care of her grapes A viewing for family and friends will be held on Tuesday from 12:00-1:15 pm at Wheeler-Sundberg Funeral Home 495 South State Street A graveside service will immediately follow at 2:00 pm at Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery Condolences for the family may be expressed on this page For those unable to attend the services in person, they can be viewed via YouTube Live, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXqqewCtSiQ Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors officers with the Lanett Police Department and emergency medical personnel responded to the 200 block of South 8th Street following a report of a motor vehicle collision involving a child first responders determined that a vehicle had struck an 11-year-old child who was reportedly riding a bicycle in the roadway The child received immediate medical attention on the scene and was subsequently transported to East Alabama Medical Center for further evaluation and treatment the incident remains under investigation by the Lanett Police Department Additional details will be released as they become available please contact Lanett Police Department  (334) 644-2146 There’s been a Piggly Wiggly in Lanett as long as there has been shopping centers in the city The first one was located in the Valley Plaza Shopping Center between Gilmer and Lanier avenues It moved to its present location in the Cherry Valley Shopping Center when a Big Star grocery store closed in the 1980s The shelves inside the store are fast emptying out and the doors will close for good at the end of the day on Friday Piggly Wiggly has embraced the motto “Down Home Down the Street,” appealing to small-town values Piggly Wiggly was the first self-service grocery store in the United States Saunders had long noticed that having clerks fill orders was inefficient and expensive People liked taking items off the shelves themselves and carrying it to the counter His ideas had massive influence on the development of the modern supermarket Dominique Thompson seems to have cracked the code and has well calculated her success as this year’s valedictorian for Lanett High School She will soon be off to study computer information systems in college “But I was happy that I was valedictorian.” The good news is a confirmation of the hard work that Thompson has put into every day she’s been at LHS Her philosophy when it comes to school is to keep yourself on track even on days when you don’t want to “Always make sure you’re monitoring yourself and keeping on track,” Thompson said you want to take a whole mile and your grades will start slipping Thompson has maintained active leadership roles in FCCLA after her valedictorian speech at the end of this year she plans to go to Alabama State University and major in computer information systems Thompson hopes to find her niche in technology whether it’s helping develop technology for the new generation or as simple as helping people start their own businesses help build towards the future,” Thompson said Thompson has learned that granting technology too much power can be dangerous She encouraged incoming seniors not to rely too heavily on technology that’s one thing and you can get information,” Thompson said “Having AI just give you your answer straight out the book Thompson said one thing she will miss is the pep rallies on the field at LHS even though it’s sad now because you might not see them but you’re starting a whole new chapter,” Thompson said Though she is excited to start that next chapter of independence Thompson said that her time at LHS has helped her grow She will remember many of her teachers and mentors who have encouraged her including and it really builds character,” Thompson said “Like you might feel like a small fish in a small pond then the hustle and buzz of the whole big world.” Her parting advice for fellow LHS students is simple: “Always try to improve yourself and build on what you know if you can Even though you might feel a little tired and lazy VALLEY — This year’s Valleywide Christmas Parade will be taking place on the evening of Thursday It will be held in honor of former Lanett Fire & EMS Chief Johnny Allen who died in August after a long career of service to the city Three local law enforcement officers who are now retired after exemplary service to the local community will serve as the grand marshals They include former Chambers County Sheriff Sid Lockhart former Valley Chief of Police Tommy Weldon and former Lanett Chief of Police Johnny Wood Signing up is continuing for anyone who wants to be in the parade There’s usually a last-minute rush of schools churches and businesses o enter floats into the parade The number of entries usually gets up to around 75 or 80 units on the day of the parade the Valley High is the only local high school band to have made a commitment to be in the parade Entry forms are available at Valley Community Center Any street legal vehicle is eligible to take part There’s a $35 entry fee that drops to $30 with the donation of five cans of food the food will be divided equally between the Christian Service Center and the Interfaith Food Closet There’s a fee of $10 per horse that takes part in the parade the Valleywide Parade Committee will select the first second and third-place winning floats in the Community Local Christmas parades have been taking place for many years Up until the early 1980s they were sponsored by the West Point Merchants Association and took place in downtown West Point The holiday parade eventually expanded to take in all three local cities Lining up for this year’s parade will take place between the lower level of the Cherry Valley Shopping Center and Valley Point Funeral Services in Lanett The parade will roll out on North 12th Street turn left onto West 4th Avenue in front of the Corner Store in West Point and proceed three blocks north to the Point University campus where the route turns right for one block to West 3rd Avenue where it takes another right and continues through the heart of downtown West Point and recrosses the state line into Lanett on Highway 29 The parade then continues over a long stretch of highway into Valley where it will disband on the parking lot outside Walmart Lanett and Valley will be providing traffic control all along the route As part of an ongoing investigation into multiple burglaries at a local business the Lanett Police Department’s Investigations Division executed a search warrant on March 24 The search of this property resulted in the recovery of multiple items believed to have been stolen from the business  The investigation also led to the arrest of Justin Royster of Lanett AL for receiving stolen property 1st degree Any individuals with information pertaining to this matter or others in Lanett Alabama you are urged to contact the Lanett Police Department at 334-644-5326 On 03/02/2025 at approximately 6 PM the Lanett Police Department responded to the 600 block of North 14th Ave in reference to a child being struck by a vehicle Upon arrival officers found a 17 month old male child with serious injures The child was transported from the scene by Lanett EMS to Lanier Hospital where he was pronounced deceased This incident is under investigation by the Lanett Police Department Any persons with information pertaining to this incident are encouraged to contact the Lanett Police Department at 334-644-5236 LANETT — Some City of Lanett employees will be getting a break on the cost of their health insurance thanks to action by the Lanett City Council on Monday Employees who have single coverage will be paying slightly more but those with family coverage will be paying less Those with single coverage will pay $4.84 more per week than what they have been paying Those on family plans will save $54.02 per week over what they have been paying The city will be paying 93 percent of the total cost for single coverage and 70 percent for family plans “We just wanted to be in line with what other surrounding cities are paying,” said Mayor Jamie Heard the council renewed an agreement with Avenu Insights & Analytics on its administration of business licenses and approved an agreement with Local Government Services LLC for a cable TV franchise management advisory service Council Member Tony Malone asked the mayor if business licenses can be purchased at city hall as well as online “That’s good,” said Council Member Angelia Thomas “It an be confusing for some people to get them online.” Malone asked Heard if the agreement with Local Government Services would apply to the city as well as city residents The meeting began with a public hearing to discuss three public nuisances and to authorize action to clean them up Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Wood told the council that one property is owned by Dorothy Cowart and located on South 15th Street behind CVS Pharmacy A second property is on South 8th Avenue and owned by the New Beginning Gospel Church and a third site is on South 5th Avenue and owned by Red Door Property Investments In the regular session that followed the public hearing the council approved resolutions to abate the properties The city can now clear these lots and attach liens on the properties to get back the cost of doing it Wood said that someone had offered to pay the cost of abating the church property The council named Mayor Heard as the city’s voting delegate to an upcoming meeting of the Alabama League of Municipalities Council Members Tifton Dobbs and Ronnie Tucker are the alternates The Lanett Panthers were on the big stage Tuesday afternoon The girls basketball team faced off against Highland in the state tournament game hosted at Alabama State University But they struggled to score and get second chances Led by Senior MaKiah White Lanett to pull away from Highland early in the third and Highland closed the gap to make it 22-21 going into the final frame A free throw and quick layup a couple of minutes into the fourth quarter put Highland up for the first time since the first A couple of steals by 2 put the Squadron up nine followed by Christina Brock and Makayla Davis with five apiece Lanett ends their season with an area championship and an impressive 19-7 record LANETT — It’s not unusual for Friday night lights to be taking place in Lanett at two different locations on the same evening this time of year It’s usually when the Lanett High Panthers and the Springwood Wildcats are at home This took place again in Lanett this past week but with a different twist The Lanett Panthers were at home with a football game versus Handley High of Roanoke Springwood’s Friday game was on the road and got delayed to Monday due to the possibility of Hurricane Helene coming to east Alabama So where was the second version of Friday night lights It wasn’t an actual game but a walk down memory lane of the LHS football season of some 50 years ago Chambers County Attorney Skip McCoy was a member of that team and hosted a get together in a superbly remodeled ground floor space of the law office He plans to add a finishing touch to the big new meeting place: a big black and gold L and call it the L Room “Friday night lights were shining brightly in downtown Lanett last Friday,” McCoy told The Valley Times-News on Monday It was so good to be with all the guys again and especially good to be with our coach My wife Cathy and my daughter Mallorie did a great job of having the room all decorated in black and gold Everyone liked that.We had such a good time reminiscing about the good old days Coach Washburn was like a second father to all of us.” Friday night lights is a term that refers to what high school football means to small town America The spirit of this was popularized in a TV show of that name that ran between 2006 and 2011 The team in the fictional show was known as the Dillon Panthers Last Friday was all about the Lanett Panthers Members of the 1974 Panthers who were present for the reunion were Randall Aikens but both grew up in the Lanett Nazarene Church After graduating from Lanett High in the spring of 1975 both went on to attend the Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville “Jimmy was one of our captains and our team chaplain,” McCoy said “He’s now the pastor of a large church in Oklahoma He’s very good at counseling people with grievance issues.” Jimmy Hill once met former Alabama head coach Gene Stallings while in Oklahoma He told him he had grown up and played high school football in Alabama Stallings asked him where in Alabama and Hill told him Lanett “You must have been one of Dan Washburn’s boys,” Stallings told him “I was back then and still am,” Hill told him Two former Panther teammates who were at the reunion are retired military Doug Bonner retired as a lieutenant colonel and now lives in the Huntsville Freddie Williams served with the Army for many years in Europe He also worked for IBM as an IT specialist He now owns a photography business in Atlanta He’s had a very successful career in the insurance business he started out in that field in the same office that’s now the L Room which had a ground-floor office on North Lanier Avenue Byrd Worthy worked a number of years for the Georgia-Alabama Wholesale Company He’s now retired and lives in Panama City Beach Larue Overton owns his own glass business in Cocoa Beach He started out at a Lanett glass company owned by his dad is retired after being widely known in the local area for the great-tasting stew he made at Papa’s Que & Stew He recently retired from Batson-Cook after a 40-year career as a construction superintendent He’s also worked on construction projects for P.F “Randall is great with construction work,” McCoy said “He did a great job in renovating a downstairs office into the L Room To look at it now you’d never know there were two offices there divided by a brick wall He did such a good job in making it look like the big conference room was built that way from the start.” “Everyone in our group had successful careers,” McCoy said “They are terrific gentlemen and good people We all owe a lot to our mentor and second dad In the VT-N’s pre-season football magazine McCoy took our an ad featuring a photo of the senior players on the 1974 team and thanking Coach Washburn for building a team that has stood together for 50 years,” the ad reads “and teaching us how to be winners both on the field and in life itself McCoy had lots of items from the 1974 season on display at last Friday’s reunion Coach Washburn had one made for every member of the team McCoy said he became emotional when he read what Coach Washburn had written on the first page of the playbook It was something he wanted each player to read and remember: “Quitting comes easy for most people,” it reads “Many do not want to pay the price to be a winner It requires little effort to be a loser – and anyone who tries will be most successful The boy who sets his mind to do what is required of him in order to be a winner is not only the type of boy we are looking for Those who stay will be champions and will become winners not only on the football field but in life itself.” Washburn gets around well for his age and still has a sharp mind He very much enjoyed being around players from that 1974 season and asked them all kinds of questions when they gathered for a 6 p.m ‘We showed films of some of the games we played that year.” McCoy said “He amazed us telling us what the play was called and why we used it in that situation It brought back to us how he could get us hyped up for our next game He had us eating and sleeping that game long before it was played.” Lanett opened the season that year against heavily favored Auburn High the three-time defending Border Conference champion “Four of the six members of the Valley Times-News guesspert panel had us losing to Auburn Tom Walls and Brad Jones were the only ones to pick us to win,” McCoy recalled The previous year Washburn had coached at Prattville High and Auburn had beaten them 55-0 He wanted to have a different outcome now that he was back in Lanett Later on that year they were underdogs to Opelika High and won 18-7 “It meant a lot to us to see Coach Washburn and to tell him how much he meant to us to thank him for the impact he had on our lives.” McCoy said “It was Friday Night Lights for each one of us.” a moment of silence was held for a teammate the group took the short trip over to Morgan-Washburn Stadium to see the first half of Lanett High’s homecoming game versus Handley Members of the team and Coach Washburn were recognized in an on-field ceremony prior to the kickoff “It was so good to stand next to that big L at the center of the field,” McCoy said “I couldn’t help but remember the great job Richard Ballard always did in getting the field ready for the next home game He would always have that big football with an L in it at midfield and did a great job having the black-and-gold checkerboards in the end zones.” McCoy handled Ballard’s estate when he passed away a few years ago gave him some scrapbooks he’d put together over the years featuring Lanett kids he’d coached in rec league sports “Richard loved Lanett and had so many old photographs and clippings from the Valley Times-News He coached us in midget football,” McCoy said “I think we will long remember how much members of our 1974 team enjoyed being together on Friday,” McCoy added “The camaraderie we built up back then is still going strong It meant a lot to us when Coach Washburn told us that the get together was really special to him What he had instilled in us 50 years ago is still strong in us today.” McCoy’s playbook from the 1974 season includes a poem by Walter D It’s entitled “It’s All in a State of Mind.” Coach Washburn wanted them to remember the words and keep them close to heart you won’t; If you’d like to win but don’t think you can you’re lost; For out in the world you’ll find Success begins with a fellow’s will; It’s all in state of mind For many a game is lost Ere even a play is run And many a coward fails Ere even his work is begun Think small and you’ll fall behind; Think that you can and you will; It’s all in a state of mind you are; You’ve got to think high to rise; You’ve got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize Life’s battles don’t always go To the stronger and faster man; But sooner or later the man who wins Is the fellow who thinks he can the Lanett City Council announced the 2024 audit increased the salaries for the mayor and council members who are sworn into office following this year’s municipal elections and tabled for further consideration two items of business relating to the Lanett Regional Airport The audit was prepared for the city by the Birmingham area company Phillip Morgan and Company which has been doing audits for the city for a number of years now They rendered a favorable opinion of the city’s financial reporting finding it in compliance with relevant laws the monthly salary for the mayor who wins this year’s election will be $1,916.66 each month The incoming council members will each receive $1,375 each month the mayor makes $1,500 a month and the council members $700 The two resolutions dealing with the airport dealt with a contract for a company to install a 12,000-gallon jet fuel tank at the airport and an additional monthly amount charged to a flight school that is offering flight training at the airport Council members did not express any opposition to the proposals Council Members Tony Malone and Tifton Dobbs both said it was something that needed to be discussed in a work session before acting on it A resolution on increasing the monthly rent by $100 for the flight school was also tabled for further discussion Malone wondered if an extra $100 a month to permit more space in the terminal for instruction was enough This would be in addition to $550 a month the flight school is already paying for office space in the terminal and tie-down spaces outside “Some people who rent from the city are already paying $300 to $400 a month,” Malone said Dobbs said the lease needed to be clarified to define the common area use that it would allow “Pilots use the common area when they come in after landing,” he said “What if a class is in session there when they come in?” The two resolutions had been recommended by the airport’s consulting engineer The proposed contract for het fuel is with Rebel Services LLC of Ripley equipment and material and would do all the work needed for jet fuel to be sold at the airport Airport Manager Craig Stapleton told the council that the sale of jet fuel is a critical step forward that needs to be made “Jets will not land here if it’s not available,” he said “It’s a big source of revenue for the city when this is taking place I’ve been told that the airport in LaGrange is bringing in $80,000 every month on jet fuel sales.” Stapleton said the city did not need to have a lengthy delay on this it will take at least 10 to 12 months to have jet fuel out there,” he said Jets will need to land regularly for clients to want to build hangars on the site The council did approve a list of unused items that needs to be gotten rid of at the airport Also declared surplus were some items that were recently replaced at the Lanett Senior Center Code Enforcement Officer Johnny Wood reported to the council on some recent abatements in the city one of which was for a long-abandoned church in the city The city should be getting $10,000 for work that was done in bringing it down and removing debris from the site Another $7,000 will be coming from the removal of a commercial building Head coach RJ McDonald said Lanett had tried to fight above their weight class over the summer This preparation paid off against Bullock County Lanett bested Bullock County in its season opener playing all four quarters for a 14-13 win but the Panthers answered with four minutes left in the first The second quarter was a defensive stalemate with LHS stopping Bullock County on the 3rd-yard line to end the half The meat of the game came in the fourth quarter The Panthers couldn’t have drawn the early drive up any better It started with a long run by Fred Broughton who may have made a case for the starting spot with his performance on Friday night The play of the game goes to running back Rankenzia Tucker who followed Broughton with a 40-yard carry to get the ball to the four something that plagued the Hornets all night Eddie Mitchell punched it in to make it 14-7 The game seemed over with less than eight minutes left The Hornets had gone from the Lanett’s five to their own 26-yard line in one play Bullock County’s quarterback ran 40 yards only for holding and personal foul calls to bring the ball back across the field The ball was intercepted by Lanett’s Alajawon Whitfield Bullock County had a pick of their own running it back for a TD with six minutes to go The Hornet’s quarterback fumbled the snap keeping the score at 14-13 Lanett had to run out the clock for the remaining couple of minutes Perhaps the energy high of the night is when Christopher King came up with a big hit and fumble recovery to give the Panthers possession and see the game out Lanett will be away next week to play area rival Beulah on Aug Da Grub Spot is having a homecoming to Lanett The local family-owned business has opened a second location in the Shawmut community replacing Newt’s Fried Chicken The current location of the restaurant in LaFayette has been open since 2020 Da Grub Spot was a food truck based in Lanett brothers Clarence and Marcus Heard are excited to be returning to their home base The Lanett location of Da Grub Spot opened last week on Friday Heard said the opening day was a success with lots of visitors keeping them busy throughout the day “It was blown out the first day,” Heard said “I’m happy with how we’ve gotten everything down so far and everybody’s excited to serve the community,” he added Heard said they decided to do a soft opening last week instead of delaying so that the team could get into the groove at the new location The menu will be the same as the one in LaFayette None of Newt’s menu items will make the transition Heard encouraged the community to come get a batch of the grub fries The two recently decided it was time to bring Da Grub Spot back to that part of the county Though the news was only announced last week the response from the community has been very positive so far “It was a very positive response,” Heard said “A lot of people have been looking forward to us to come back and down here the LaFayette location will continue to serve that part of the county the family-owned business seems to be here in Chambers County to stay “We’re happy to be serving the Lanett community again,” Heard said “… And we look forward to bringing a well-run establishment to the Shawmut community.” This time the cats prevailed as the Lanett Panthers dominated the LaFayette Bulldogs in a cross-county rivalry game Keondae Huguley was the spark early in the game for the Panthers The running back punched in Lanett’s first He would score again on a long pass from quarterback Fred Broughton to put Lanett up 14-0 early doing what they were taught to do,” said Huguley Broughton put an exclamation mark on the first quarter with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Staples with 2:50 minutes left in the first The Bulldogs started the second quarter with a fumble recovery by 5 Alajawon Whitfield then broke it open with a 65-yard punt return with 6:28 minutes left in the half to put the Panthers up The rest of the quarter would be Lanett running down the clock They had a chance for another touchdown but with 1.8 seconds left they decided to settle for a field goal An almost 40-yard kick by Yonatan Morales Cobon “I thought special teams was phenomenal,” said RJ McDonald another passing touchdown from Broughton extended the lead to 38-0 to receiver Ashton Autry The Bulldogs were able to stop them when a fake punt from Lanett went sideways LaFayette got the ball on the home team’s five-yard line A screen pass to Jordan Johnson would finally get the Bulldogs on the board It was not a long celebration for LaFayette A punt return would get Lanett into Bulldog territory Then with less than two minutes left in the quarter a spectacular 35-yard sideline run by Rakenzia Tucker put the lead to 45-6 Ziegler sent a 30-yard bomb downfield to spur another drive The quarterback would keep it for a one-yard rushing touchdown with five minutes to go Quarterback Kemare Harrington outran the defense around the outside for a 30-yard running touchdown to make it 52-12 That would be the final touchdown in another entertainment edition of the Lanett and Bulldog rivalry And we just got to continue to build off of this.”      Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 2:30 PM (EST) at the Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home Chapel in Valley Jim’s family will receive friends Wednesday afternoon at the funeral home from 1:30 PM (EST) until the service hour Young (Barbara) and Daughter in law Mary Young; six grandchildren and Daniel Young (Jen); six great grandchildren He was a member of the West Point First United Methodist Church entered the National Guard and was at West Point Academy on special duty Fourth Division as a Staff Sergeant during the Cold War in Europe and was a Korean War Veteran      In 1952 he married Barbara Beard of Lanett There he was a tailor and owned his own business His achievements and awards over the years include Past President of the Businessmen’s Association He was a District Commissioner of Scouting for 18 years received the God and Service Award from his church and scouting He was a member of the Boy Scouts of America for 75 years His three sons and one grandson are Eagle Scouts He was trained in leadership at the Philmont      In 1989 he and his wife moved back to Lanett He was employed by Citizens National Bank for 10 years seeing all 50 States and Canada from East to West coasts Young's Memorial Tribute page at www.johnsonbrownservicefh.com to leave a kind word for his family Johnson Brown-Service Funeral Home of Valley directing Excellent defense and hot shooting helped the Lanett girls basketball team dominate host Glenwood en route to a 54 to 33 victory The Lady Panthers started the game with a bang Lanett went up 11-0 four minutes into the contest Glenwood’s defense could not keep sharpshooter Armani Langdon in check as she hit a corner 3-point shot and had a layup early on Speedy point guard Nakeriona Heard was a problem for Glenwood She was breaking down Glenwood’s defense and keeping it off balance by penetrating for shots and creating opportunities for her teammates It was not until late in the first quarter that the home Gators even made a bucket The second quarter did include Glenwood’s press creating havoc and cutting the lead to two as Clara Crisco knocked down a 3-point shot but the home team’s momentum was short-lived Lanett’s defense began creating turnovers of their own with center MaKiah White blocking shots and the overall team defense creating several turnovers White also found a streaking Langdon for a layup to place the Panthers up 21 to 15 with 3:45 remaining in the first half As Lanett gained confidence with beating the press The third quarter saw Lanett destroy Glenwood by outscoring its host 13 to 4 Langdon found open shots and the Gators paid for not keeping her under wraps She connected on two 3-point shots and a layup in the first three minutes of the quarter as the end of the third stanza saw Lanett up 41 to 24 The Panthers were not done making a statement The fourth quarter saw Heard have a stretch of four layups before leaving the game and several of her teammates during the final quarter stemmed from the defense continuing to force turnovers and getting easy transition buckets the three leading scorers for Lanett were Langdon with 20 LANETT —In its first meeting of the new year the Lanett City Council on Monday approved resolutions to purchase a new ambulance for Lanett Fire & EMS to upgrade the traffic signal at the junction of Highway 29 and First Street and to remove the one at Highway 29 and South 10th Street to participate in the February 21-23 Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday and announced a proclamation in support of January being Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month The new ambulance will be purchased from Southern Emergency Consultants of Roanoke It will replace a 2017 model that has close to 250,000 miles on it The box where the ambulance crew works will be taken off and mounted on a new Ford F-450 The present ambulance would need at least $15,000 in engine repair to remain in full-time service It can be reconditioned and used as a part-time city vehicle The city will be working with the Alabama Department of Transportion (ALDOT) in putting up new traffic signals at Highway 29 and First Street The new signals will be a significant upgrade over what’s there now It should take about two weeks to get it done Portable message boards will be placed in both directions one week before the work begins to let motorists know what will be taking place Some new steel poles will be going up along with the three-color signals The city’s portion of the total cost will come to $58,300 ALDOT will not fund its portion to put up new traffic signals at the intersection of Highway 29 and South 10th Street Traffic studies have shown that there’s just not enough traffic entering 29 from South 10th to justify new traffic signals New signals could be going up there if the city would pay the entire cost which is estimated at $250,000 It’s likely new signals will be going back up on South 10th and South 4th if commercial development comes to the mill site Council Member Tony Malone said he had a problem with the traffic signal coming down on South 10th “There’s new business coming to the area,” he said Alabama has had a Severe Weather Preparedness Holiday since 2012 State sales taxes are suspended for one weekend on the purchases of storm-related items Cities and counties have the option of suspending their sales taxes that weekend as well February 21st and end at 12 midnight on Sunday Adrian Carpenter of the Chambers County Circle of Care Center for Families was present to receive a copy of the mayor’s proclamation on human trafficking awareness and prevention The proclamation notes that human trafficking harms the health and well-being of individuals It’s estimated that 27.6 million people worldwide are subjected to this “Human trafficking can happen to anyone,” the proclamation reads “but certain populations are at greater risk including people affected by abuse unstable living situations or social disconnect (It) is connected to many other forms of violence and exploitation and often shares common risk and protective factors such as lack of resources and unsafe environments.” The proclamation goes on to state that strengthening communities requires collective action to reduce the conditions that contribute to the exploitation and the environments where people are protected from human trafficking and other forms of violence “A successful response to human trafficking requires a coordinated community-wide response that includes collaboration across sectors and with those who have experienced human trafficking firsthand to ensure that services and programs are effective and meets the needs of all survivors,” the proclamation continues community and organization can help raise awareness prevent trafficking firsthand and support survivors by learning how to take action The City of Lanett supports partnerships to comprehensively address the issues of human trafficking and to create Trafficking Free Zones do hereby proclaim January 2025 as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month reaffirming our commitment to strengthening communities preventing trafficking by increasing awareness making resources available for individuals and communities impacted by human trafficking public-private partnerships to support a more coordinated comprehensive response to combat and prevent human trafficking.” WEST POINT — The new manager of the Lanett Regional Airport was the guest speaker at Thursday’s noon hour meeting of the West Point Rotary Club held in the banquet room at Johnny’s Pizza in downtown West Point Craig Stapleton has been on the job since the first of the year Florida and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Auburn University Navy through the Auburn ROTC program and was in that branch of service for 24 years he earned an MBA from City University in Seattle Washington and a Masters in Education from Fort Hays State University in Hays he flew Navy EA-6B Prowler jets on electronic jamming missions He retired from the Navy in 2011 and taught Navy ROTC courses in New Mexico for 13 years before relocating to Lanett earlier this year Being in the local area has been a homecoming for his wife who graduated from Lanett High School in 1980 She was a member of the Golden Panther Band while in high school and has lots of relatives in the local area Stapleton has been into flying since his youth and met Laura when she was working at the Auburn airport but marrying her was the best thing I ever did,” he said an area Stapleton calls “a truly gorgeous part of the country,” and in the Land of Enchantment – New Mexico Stapleton has done deployments on carriers both U.S “I got to see much of the world and loved it,” he said “Most places you go to in the service makes you really appreciate living in the United States.” Dubai and Singapore as especially great places to be He had around 140 students in his JROTC classes in New Mexico He said there are highs and lows in dealing with that many kids in a day On some days you want to hug each and every one of them but then there are days when it’s the last thing in the world you wanted to do One of Stapleton’s specialties as a teacher was marksmanship He’s proud of what some of his students have accomplished and keeps up with them He will soon be flying to Ohio to see one of his former students take part in the national finals Stapleton said he likes the ground-floor opportunity to be at Lanett Regional It’s a chance to see a small airport grow into a busy place He’s confident that will happen once Lanett gets a jet fuel farm an expanded taxiway and apron and hangars start to go up “We are working on getting our infrastructure in good shape so we can grow,” he said The one we have now is one-third of what it needs to be.” The taxiway could cost between two and three million dollars but there’s abundant grant money available from the FAA to help with such projects A side benefit to such a project is that nearby land can be graded and ready to go for hangar projects Stapleton has been talking to people who want to build hangars at Lanett Regional and to people who want to lease them it takes about one full year to build a hangar I think we can be selling jet fuel out there within the next year.” The sale of jet fuel is where the money is for an airport like Lanett propeller-driven plane will use between 12 and 15 gallons of fuel in an hour a private jet will use between 100 and 250 gallons in an hour One thing Lanett Regional has going for it is the fact that the airport in Auburn is becoming way too busy and backup options are needed Auburn University has a burgeoning flight training program Just a few years go there were only five planes based there for this Auburn student pilots are now using the Lanett airport for touch and go maneuvers With its new runway that’s more than a mile in length Lanett is the ideal location for a backup airport for Auburn Lanett will be starting off Chambers County football at home on Friday The Panthers open their season against Bullock County The Panthers enter the season with a new head coach and an experienced team has taken over head coaching duties this year He hopes to use his mature team to improve on last season’s 4-6 record you kind of tell the intensity level is going up a little bit Just trying to keep it business as usual and trying to be 1-0 each week.” Lanett’s last two seasons have seen young teams the field will have many returning starters McDonald has spent previous seasons as the Offensive Coordinator The O-line will be one of the panther’s strengths this year “I really want to see what they look like on a Friday night and they can play to that upper echelon of 2A football.” A question mark going into this season was who will be the starting quarterback Riontae Zeigler will start on Friday night as QB1 Fred Broughton will also be getting some snaps this season “Riontae [Zigler] has had a really good Fall He’s kind of led the troops and done a really good job leading the offense just making sure we’re all lined up in the right spots,” McDonald said “The keys are gonna be his for the start now He’s got to go show it and we all have full faith that he’s gonna do that.” Lanett has won both games played against Bullock County however the last time the two met was in 1995 Bullock County is also coming off of a 4-6 year but as a larger 4A school “[Bullock County is] a super athletic football team…They’re real big so they’re gonna present a lot of good challenges for us and we’re gonna come ready to play.” McDonald said he learned from longtime Lanett coach and mentor that you have to “practice like you play.” The new skipper is emphasizing how important it is to grind during practice so that come game time the players are ready “I wanna see the guys compete like they’ve been doing all summer long McDonald and the rest of the coaching staff found games and scrimmages throughout the summer to prepare the team for tough competition and boost their confidence “That was something I wanted to do with them this summer We got to compete against them and it’s only going to help us get ready for our schedule,” McDonald said The coach said the team did not disappoint “I really wanted to make it an emphasis to take them out and show them [they] can really do this stuff on a high level and they really did And I’m hoping that’s what I see on Friday night.”  Lanett kicks off at Panthers Stadium at 8:00 p.m They’ve really been working their butts off and getting after it And I just hope that the Panther faithful comes out and supports these kids,” McDonald said Locals saw a few familiar faces during the Kentucky-Florida game over the weekend Valley fans may have recognized the former Rams star Cam Dooly playing defensive back for the Wildcats or Lanett native Mark Hill on the sidelines But it was two Lanett Panthers who made a unique mark on the game The last time Trikweze Bridges and Kristian Story played against each other was in rec ball rising to state and national recognition on the Lanett High School football team Football in 2019 and the Gatorade Player of the Year He later went on to get a national championship ring with the University of Alabama during his first year in college before transferring to Florida He was a part of the 2017 and 2019 Lanett state championship teams Bridges still holds the state record for interceptions in Alabama was an All-American for the Panthers and went on to be a four-star recruit at Oregon Now starters for two Division I programs the pair got a chance to meet on the gridiron once more both of the high school teammates got an interception during the game only a couple of plays apart from each other Kentucky’s QB Brock Vandagriff tries for a third-down pass His high throw tips off the fingers of two receivers and hangs in the air who has swapped his black and gold for Florida’s blue and orange he holds out the ball in front of him running down the field “I remember telling one of my teammates like I gotta go get one now’,” said Story of Bridges’ interception that the game day was his mom’s birthday and he wanted to get an interception as a present for her but it is always great to see him do good,” Story said The celebration was short-lived for the Gators using his momentum to run 60 yards allowing Kentucky to get the ball on Florida’s 10-yard line “I just remember making a break on the ball all that was going through my head was get it and try to get to the end zone,” Story said seeing Kristian run 60-plus yards,” Bridges said laughing “Then with such a quick turn around it was back to work and [Kentucky] went four and out.” back to being friends instead of opponents Krisitan and [Hill]…friends and family there it was something you don’t ever wanna miss out on,” Bridges said The Panthers expressed pride in their hometown “Both of us coming from small town Lanett Alabama all we want to do is put it on the map,” Bridges said “We just encouraged each other to keep going and [told each other] how proud we were…Just seeing how far we came together to finally get the face off against each other