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By Vicki Scott Pastor Appreciation Day was held last Sunday, Oct. 13, at Lake Martin Baptist, the church that my mom attends. The church members presented their pastor with an envelope. Baptist pastors I have known will not grow rich in a worldly fashion, and whatever amount of money contained in that envelope is not

Leaving my mother after visiting her at the nursing home where she has resided for several years is never easy. In 2010 her health declined, and I could no longer care for her in my home. As I filled out the paperwork at the nursing home, tears ran down my face. It was one of the

Messenger file photo by Colin Edwards Several local football players were recognized in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Prep Spotlight for the week of Oct. 11. Westbrook Christian had a trio of 100-yard rushers in the Warriors’ 42-0 win over Gaston. Karmichael Cattling (pictured above) gained 126 yards on 16 carries, John Reese Bellew

Photo courtesy of Becky Staples The Ashville High girls finished second and the Ashville boys placed third at the Creekbank Invitational 5K last Saturday (Oct. 12) at Choccolocco Park in Oxford. The Lady Bulldogs posted a runner-up average time of 23:00, with Taylor Knight (pictured above) taking fourth place with a time of 20:56.23. Gadsden

Messenger file photo by C his McCarthy The Southside High girls and boys’ cross country teams placed second and third, respectively, at the Pleasant Valley Twilight 5K on Oct. 10. With an average time of 23:31.05, the Lady Panthers finished only eight seconds behind event winner Pleasant Valley. Camryn Davis (pictured above) posted the Southside’s

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s cade Phillips (12) catches the ball between a pair of Gaston defenders during the Warriors’ 42-0 victory last Friday (Oct. 11). (Gary Wells) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Westbrook Christian bolstered its postseason hopes with a 42-0 shutout over Etowah County neighbor and Class 2A, Region 6 rival Gaston last Friday (Oct. 11) at

By Taylor Beck/Sand Mountain Reporter With potential state playoff positions hanging in the balance, the Sardis Lions hung on late to defeat its Class 5A, Region 6 rival Pirates at L.F. Corley Jr. Stadium in Boaz, 31-28. With the victory, the Lions improve to 4-3 overall and 3-2 in region play and clinched a playoff

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Southside struggled to contain Class 5A, No. 9 Alexandria’s potent rushing attack, and the Panthers left Lou Scales Stadium with a 41-20 defeat last Friday (Oct. 11). The Panthers’ promising opening drive ended with a 47-yard missed field goal, and the Valley Cubs (6-0, 4-0) were on the board just two

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Jaylen Robinson catches a pass over Cleburne County’s Samuel Groce during the Eagles’ 43-0 victory last Friday (Oct. 11) in Heflin. (Alex Chaney) Darrian Meads rushed for over 200 yards and Ashton Gulledge scored three touchdown passes in Hokes Bluff’s 43-0 Class 4A, Region 6 victory over Cleburne County last Friday (Oct.

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor At the Attalla City Council meeting on Monday, October 7, Attalla Mayor Larry Means presented Jack’s employee Cory Gilliam with a proclamation. Gilliam was working at Jack’s when Jessica Battles ran into the restaurant with her baby, E.J. Kilgro. Only a month old, baby E.J.’s skin had turned blue and

By Kaitlin Fleming, Staff Correspondent Michelle Gattis was just 47 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer. After a routine mammogram, Gattis was diagnosed on June 25, 2012. With Stage 1 Breast Cancer there are multiple treatment options, such as a lumpectomy, a single mastectomy, double (bilateral) mastectomy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy Gadsden State went 3-1 at the Showdown on the Wabash Tournament last weekend in Vincennes, Ind. The Lady Cardinals (18-7) opened the tournament on Oct. 4 with a 22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-13 win over St. Louis (Mo.) Community College, followed by a 25-15, 19-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-7 victory over

Messenger file photo by Alex Chaney Several local football players were recognized in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Prep Spotlight for the week of Oct. 4. In Hokes Bluff’s 35-14 win over Ashville, senior quarterback Ashton Gulledge (pictured above) finished with 315 total yards. He completed 8 of 12 passes for 195 yards and

Photo: The Southside High volleyball teams gathers for a photo after winning the Etowah County Schools Tournament last Saturday (Oct. 5) in Southside. Pictured, front row from left: Ziniah Hardy, Macey Herren, Bliss Brown, Samantha Hathcock, Hannah Rogers. Back row, from left: head coach Courtney Brothers, Makayla Moore, Maggie Bell, Macie Williams, Keelan Vice, Sydney

Photo: The Ashville High girls and boys cross country teams finished first and second, respectively, in the Class 1A-4A division at the Lake Guntersville Invitational 5K last Saturday (Oct. 5). Pictured, kneeling, from left: Meghan McCarthy, Emma Drinkard, Grace Staples, Taylor Knight, Emma Thompson, Kathleen McCarthy, Callie Stewart. Standing, from left: coach Michele Rogers, Walker

Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy A pair of Southside High runners finished in the top 10 and a Westbrook Christian runner made the top 25 last Saturday (Oct. 5) at the Jesse Owens Classic 5K at Indian Mounds Park in Oakville. Ryan Maudsley (pictured above) came in second out of 530 runners in the

Photo: Southside High’s Darryamce Wofford (left) is pursued by Douglas’ Alex Smalley during the Panthers’ 42-7 homecoming victory last Friday (Oct. 4). (Blake Habyan) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Southside jumped out to a quick 14-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 42-7 homecoming victory over Class 5A, Region 6 rival Douglas last

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Austin Elder (55) and Darrian Meads (left) converge on Ashville quarterback Dylan Harris during the Eagles’ 35-14 Class 4A Region 6 victory on Oct. 4 at Ashville. (Alex Chaney) Hokes Bluff amassed 535 total yards, including 340 on the ground, on the way to a 35-14 victory over Class 4A Region 6

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s Karmichael Cattling looks for running room during the Warriors’ 33-13 loss to Ranburne on Oct. 4 in Rainbow City. (Colin Edwards) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor After racing out to a 4-0 start this year, Westbrook Christian has hit a mid-season speed bump. A week after suffering a 35-point loss to Class 2A, Region

By Taylor Beck/Sand Mountain Reporter Head coach Gene Hill and the Sardis Lions gave Class 5A, No. 10 Alexandria all it could handle last Friday (Oct. 4), but fell short of pulling what would have been a historic upset. It took two overtime periods for the visiting Valley Cubs to escape its Class 5A, Region

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Darrian Meads scores one of his four rushing touchdowns during the Eagles’ 35-6 victory over Glencoe in high school football last Saturday (Sept. 28) at GHS. (Alex Chaney)  A pair of area football players were recognized in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Prep Spotlight for the week of Sept. 27. Hokes

Photo: The Ashville High School girls cross country team gathers for a photo after winning the Scottsboro Invitational 5K in the Class 1A-4A division last Saturday (Sept. 28). Pictured, from left: Callie Stewart, Kathleen McCarthy, Emma Drinkard, Meghan McCarthy, Taylor Knight, Grace Staples, Molly Northam. (Courtesy of Becky Staples) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Several area high

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Trent Dooley (15) attempts to bring down Glencoe’s Justin Dove during the Eagles’ 35-6 victory in high school football last Saturday (Sept. 28) at GHS. (Alex Chaney) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor A 16-hour delay and near triple digit temperatures could not prevent Hokes Bluff from winning its fourth straight game against its ancient

Photo: Etowah High’s Brady Troup (left) hands off to Ethan Foster during the Blue Devils’ 26-20 victory over Fort Payne last Friday (Sept. 27) in Attalla. (Travis Greene) By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Class 5A No. 4 Etowah battled through weather, injuries and a late Fort Payne rally to remain unbeaten on the year with a

File photo by Shannon J. Allen/Sand Mountain Reporter By Gary Hanner/St. Clair Times West End entered its game against Ragland last Friday (Sept. 27) 0-4 on the season while having given up 245 points. The Patriots, however, flexed their muscles in the first half in gaining 226 total yards and building a 34-0 lead. By

Messenger file photo by Gary Wells By Daniel Taylor/Sand Mountain Reporter It was a wet homecoming night for Geraldine, which lost to Sardis, 19-14, on Friday (Sept. 27) at GHS. The visiting Lions fell behind 7-0 early in the second quarter when Geraldine’s D.J. Graham intercepted the ball and ran it 35 yards to the

By Sarrah Peters News Editor During downtown Gadsden’s First Friday event on October 4, the Gadsden Museum of Art will be the happening place to be. The museum is welcoming the Alabama Bicentennial traveling exhibit titled “Making Alabama.” The exhibit was created through a partnership with the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the Alabama State Bicentennial Commission

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On September 29, The Factory will hold Flip and Flutter from 4 to 6 p.m. The event will benefit children and families affected by childhood cancer. All of the funds raised will go to Smile-A-Mile, a non-profit that helps children with childhood cancer in Alabama by holding camps for affected

By Sarrah Peters News Editor In 2002, Colonel Parker Ray Tinsley, inspired by the success of World’s Longest Yard Sale and the U.S. 11 Antique Alley Sale, started the U.S. 411 Yard Sale, in part to bring people to the area. “We want to bring folks in to see our beautiful lakes, rivers, parks, mountains

Messenger file photo by Gary Wells Several area football players were recognized for the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Prep Spotlight for the week of Sept. 20. Etowah junior quarterback Brady Troup (pictured above) completed 13-of-17 passes for 346 yards and a school-record five touchdowns passes (of 43, 8, 29, 54 and 80 yards), all