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Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Caleb McGinnis (left) attempts a jump shot as Sardis’ Jacob Hopper defends during the Lions’ 45-32 win in the Etowah County Schools Tournament semifinals last Thursday (Jan. 16) at Southside. (Courtesy of Gary Wells) ardis rallied from a three-point halftime deficit to post a 45-32 win over Hokes Bluff in the Etowah

Photo: Southside’s Ziniah Hardy (13) drives to the basket as Hokes Bluff’s Jayden Presley (33) and Madi Wolfe defend during the Lady Panthers’ 43-39 victory in the Etowah County Schools Girls basketball tournament semifinals last Thursday (Jan. 16) at Southside. (Courtesy of Gary Wells)  Maci Williams finished with a double-double of 19 points and 12

Southside High senior Bliss Brown was recognized as the MVP of the 2019 All-Etowah County Schools volleyball team during the Etowah County Schools Basketball Tournament last Wednesday (Jan. 15) at Southside High School. Brown (pictured above) finished the year with 1,266 assists, 115 kills, 114 digs, 49 aces and five blocks while helping Southside post

Photo: Pictured above, Chairman Washington smiles for the camera after discussing his hopes and goals for Etowah County. By Katie Bohannon, Staff Writer On Jan. 7, the Etowah County Commission appointed District 5 Commissioner Jeffrey Washington commission chairman. As the gavel was passed to Washington, a new opportunity arose for the 2020 chairman to better

Alabama Power recently named Gadsden native and Rainbow City resident Spencer Williams as the company’s Community Relations Manager. Williams will be responsible for external affairs and community development over Gadsden and Etowah County, effective immediately. Williams, who was born and raised in Gadsden and returned to the area in 2004, has deep roots in the

By Katie Bohannon, Staff Writer McGuffey Healthcare & Rehab First honored its longest-serving employee Jan. 10, dedicating a reception to a woman whose compassion and devotion affected countless lives for 54 years. After more than five decades of service, Jewell Dean Garrett entered retirement with recognition and the assurance that as she cared for people,

Photo: Pictured above, Attalla mayor Larry Means (center, holding scissors), Attalla city officials and local business owners join Lookout Mountain Goat Ranch Originals owner Kelly Farley (red jacket) with her goat, Yoga, in support of the art studio and boutique’s grand opening. Photo courtesy of Attalla Information and Development Center Director Debby Carden. By Katie Bohannon,

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Alabama Week 2 Review Nate Oats earned the first marquee win during his tenure at Alabama as his team handed Auburn its first loss of the season on Jan. 15. The Crimson Tide pulled away for an 83-64 victory over the Tigers, who were 15-0 entering the matchup. Kira Lewis scored

Photo: Southside’s Chris Lengyel (left) drives the lane as West End’s Jeremiah Roberson defends during the Panthers’ 71-34 victory over West End in the Etowah County Schools Basketball Tournament semifinals on Jan. 15 at Southside. (Courtesy of Gary Wells)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor When Southside’s sharpshooters are on target, the Panthers are tough to beat, particularly

Photo: Glencoe High’s Abby Viice goes in for a layup during the Lady Yellow Jackets’ 67-27 victory over West End in the Etowah County Schools Basketball Tournament semifinals last Wednesday (Jan. 15) at Southside. (Courtesy of Gary Wells)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Glencoe breezed into the girls finals of the Etowah County Schools Basketball Tournament, posting

Photo: Southside High School senior Bliss Brown signed a volleyball scholarship with Gadsden State on Jan 8. Pictured, sitting, from left: Bliss’ mom Claudette, Bliss, Bliss’ dad Veryl, Gadsden State volleyball coach Connie Clark. Standing, from left: SHS principal Julie Tucker, SHS assistant volleyball coach Michael Jaggers, SHS head volleyball coach Courtney Brothers, SHS athletic

Messenger file photo by Gary Wells The 2019 All-Etowah County Schools cross country team was announced at the Etowah County Schools Basketball Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Southside High School. Selected to the girls’ team were Camryn Davis (pictured above), Lanora Hill, Alexis Valentine, Zoie Menk, Peyton Abernathy and Anna Parker from Southside; Katie

Photo courtesy of Alex Chaney Hokes Bluff defeated Gaston, 55-47, in the opening round of the Etowah County Schools boys basketball tournament last Tuesday (Jan. 14) at Southside. Jordan Presley led the Eagles with 23 points, followed by Ashton Gulledge with 12. Will Bagley scored 19 points for the Bulldogs, while Nick Lewis (pictured above)

Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Jayden Presley (33) drives past Gaston’s Alexis Underwood during the Lady Eagles’ 59-29 win in the opening round of the Etowah County Schools girls basketball tournament last Tuesday (Jan. 14) at Southside. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney) Four Hokes Bluff players scored in double figures in the Lady Eagles’ 59-29 win over Gaston

Photo by Alex Chaney West End edged Glencoe, 56-55, in the opening round of the Etowah County Schools Tournament in boys basketball on Monday, Jan. 13, at Southside. Jeremiah Roberson (pictured above) led the Patriots with 16 points, followed by Gavin Knue with 12 points, Eli Pearce with nine and Isaiah Roberson with eight. Daniel

Photo by Alex Chaney Madison Parker’s free throw after the end of regulation gave West End a 45-44 victory over Sardis in the opening round of the Etowah County Schools Tournament in girls basketball on Monday, Jan. 13, at Southside. Parker (Pictured above) led the Lady Patriots with 17 points, while Kayley Dobbins added 14.

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s Grayson Wright (23) looks to move past Coosa Christian’s Eli Cameron during the Warriors’ 60-39 victory in boys basketball last Monday (Jan. 13) in Rainbow City. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)  By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor The Westbrook Christian boys basketball team learned the risk of shifting into cruise control earlier this week. Leading Coosa Christian

Photo: Westbrook Christian’s McKayla Bean (32) droves to the basket as Coosa Christian’s Kailah East. (34) defends during Coosa’s 71-40 victory in girls basketball on Monday, Jan. 13, in Rainbow City. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)  By Chris McCarthy, Publsiher/Editor Senior center India Brown finished with a triple doubled to help Coosa Christian post a 71-40 victory over

Photo: Pictured above, Gadsden State Community College faculty, staff and supporters celebrate Allen Hall’s completed renovations with a ribbon cutting to commemorate the event on Jan. 7. By Katie Bohannon, Staff Writer   The Chamber of Gadsden and Etowah County hosted a ribbon cutting for Gadsden State Community College’s Allen Hall on the Wallace Drive

Photo: Pictured above, the first baby born in Etowah County, Kiyane, sleeps in the arms of her mother, Tiyane, while members of her delivery team, Dr. Lindsay Frederick of Women’s Health Partners (right) and labor and delivery nurse Sonia Ashley (left) celebrate the baby’s arrival with New Year’s gifts and a door hanger to commemorate

Photo: Pictured above, VA social worker Tom Johnson receives a plaque from the Monday Group commemorating his time working with  veterans.  By Katie Bohannon, Staff Writer In the Gadsden Veterans Affairs Clinic located at 206 Rescia Ave, a sign reads “where courage meets compassion.” For those who served the United States military, one man met

Photo: Pictured above, a bear on Tigers for Tomorrow’s preserve takes a bite out of one of the unicorns made from recycled wrapping and tissue paper while visitors watch. Photo courtesy of Tigers for Tomorrow.  By Katie Bohannon, Staff Writer On Jan. 4, Tigers for Tomorrow welcomed visitors of all ages for “Claws, Paws and Unicorns,”

By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor For the fourth straight year, the bell cow of the Hokes Bluff offense led the Eagles to fertile pastures. Senior halfback Darrian Meads, who in 11 games this past season rushed for 1540 yards and 17 touchdowns, is the 2019 All-Messenger football team’s Player of the Year. It was the fourth season

Photo: Southside High’s Jordan Grantland (3) drives to the basket as Etowah High’s Ollie Finch defends during the Blue Devils’ 73-49 victory in boys basketball last Tuesday (Jan. 7). (Courtesy of Gary Wells) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor There is now officially a logjam in Class 5A, Area 12 boys basketball. Sparked by a standout effort from

Photo: Southside High’s Savannah Nunn (2) drives to the basket as Etowah’s Amayah Ash (11) and Abbi Martin (10) defends during the Lady Panthers’ 51-43 win in girls basketball on Jan. 7 at SHS. (Courtesy of Gary Wells) By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor Just prior to the start of the 2019-20 season, Southside High girls basketball coach

Photo: Glencoe High girls basketball coach Jamie Barkley (left) presents senior forward Ashley Morgan with the game ball after Morgan scored her 1,000th career point in the Lady Yellow Jackets’ 59-46 win over Hanceville on Jan. 3. (Courtesy of Gary Wells)  Glencoe High’s Ashley Morgan recently joined an elite club in high school basketball. Prior

Photo: Pictured above, from left on the first row: Romy Torres, Anahi Saturno and Makayla Woods; pictured from on the second row: Grace Tolbert, Gwen Rikansrud, Martha Jimenez, Erick Gaytan, Jesse Domingo and Jaliyah Hawkins; pictured sitting from left on the stage floor: Sydney Morgan, Eli Morgan and Teyah Yates. St. James Catholic School presented

Photo: Pictured above,  Episcopal Day School students perform for the Gadsden Music Club as director Sharon Reynolds conducts the performance. The Gadsden Music Club met on Wednesday, Dec. 11 in the Music Center at Temple Beth Israel in Gadsden. The meeting is the first since the club’s 104th anniversary. President Carol Larkin presided the event,

Photo: Pictured above, dogs Scooby, Jake, Bama, Pumpkin and Champ are available for adoption.  While the holidays are often a time where pets are welcomed into new homes, following Christmas and Valentine’s Day, the majority of shelters are full. For those seeking to add a new addition to their families for the upcoming decade, the

By Cole Frederick/Sports Correspondent Tuesday, Dec. 31 Belk Bowl Virginia Tech vs. Kentucky (+2.5). The Wildcats fo-llowed up last year’s 10-win season with a 7sevenwin campaign in 2019, doing so with a wide receiver playing quarterback. Lynn Bowden, Jr., took over after injuries to two different quarterbacks, and Kentucky essentially changed its offense midway through