New Gadsden State president shares vision for college and local community
By Katie Bohannon, News Editor As students and faculty return to Gadsden State Community College’s campuses for the spring semester, they will find themselves becoming acquainted with a soon-to-be familiar face – Gadsden State’s new president, Dr. Kathy Murphy. Following former president Dr. Martha Lavender’s retirement in August, Murphy went to work in January with excitement, […]
County faces potential lack of reimbursement for COVID-19 expenses
By Katie Bohannon, News Editor Counties statewide reside in limbo following the news that COVID-19 expenditures may not be reimbursed. While Etowah County commissioners and local officials await further response from the state, they continue to strive and advocate for a solution. The news resulted from the decision of Alabama Department of Finance Director Kelly […]
AHSAA approves revised guidelines for spring sports, modifies winter playoff formats
On Wednesday, January 21, the Alabama High School Athletic Association Central Board of Control approved the AHSAA’s Return to Play ‘Best Practices’ recommended guidelines for spring sports while approving winter sports championship health and safety modifications due to COVID restrictions. The Spring Sports ‘Return to Play ‘Best Practices’ follow the most recent Alabama Department of Public […]
Gadsden State spikers springing into action
Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor COVID-19 or no COVID-19, the Gadsden State volleyball team is ready to defend its 2019 state championship starting this Wednesday (Jan. 25) at Beck Field House. The Lady Cardinals’ 2020 season was moved to this spring due to coronavirus concerns. The Alabama Community College Conference recently […]
Area athletes compete at MLK Invitational
Photo: Westbrook Christian’s Asher Curp (foreground) and Jackson Martin posted top 10 finishes at the MLK Track & Field Invitational on Monday, Jan. 18, at the Birmingham CrossPlex. (Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy) Twelve local athletes posted top 10 performances and several others finished in the top 15 at the MLK Track & […]
Lady Cardinal gunners loaded for 2021
Photo courtesy of al.com By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor If nothing else, the 2021 Gadsden State womens basketball team won’t be boring to watch. Head coach Bryan Phillips set a goal of 40 three-point shot attempts per game this season, which translates into a heavy workload for the Lady Cardinals’ many sharpshooters. “If we shoot the ball […]
Gadsden State cagers raring to go
Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor After nearly a month of inactivity, the Gadsden State mens basketball team is rounding into game shape, both physically and mentally. Due to COVID-19 concerns, the Alabama Community College Conference postponed the 2020 schedule of games and packed the men and women’s basketball regular seasons into […]
Keep Smiling with Rosie Preston – Nana gets called out
By Rosie Preston A certain kind of behavior recently came back to haunt me. It first occurred when my children were in school. Looking back, I realize that it happened over a period of years. But I can’t forget, oh, no! Back then, my son “forgot” to bring his spelling book home. At first, he […]
The Vagabond: An early local journalist
By Danny Crownover Alfred Gregory Lee helped established one of the first newspapers in Etowah County. He was a printer, a newspaper editor, a Washington, D.C. news correspondent, a reporter and one of the most prolific writers of letters and postal cards in the United States. A member of an old pioneer family of Etowah […]