News

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor Tigers for Tomorrow is starting a new tradition. On March 30, the wildlife preserve, located at 708 County Road 345 in Attalla, will host Art on the Wild Side. Although this is the first year Tigers for Tomorrow has hosted the event, the preserve is planning to make this an annual

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor Duck Springs Elementary School started its Robotics Club this school year, and it is off to an awesome start. At the VEX IQ Robotics District Competition, five teams of fourth through sixth graders competed and qualified to attend the state competition, where all five teams made it to the finals. The

Name: Tara Gibson Leeth Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Gadsden.” What is your occupation? “I work at WinSouth Cre-dit Union, where I implement and oversee all of the marketing and advertising strategies. This past February marked my fifth year working at WinSouth!” What made you decide to work

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor On Tuesday, March 12, Governor Kay Ivey signed the proposed 10-cent gas tax raise into law after the bill passed in the state House and Senate. The current tax is 18 cents a gallon for gasoline and 19 cents a gallon for diesel. This bill will incrementally increase the tax over

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor The City of Gadsden will officially reopen Moragne Park on March 16. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. City officials broke ground on the year-long renovation project in May of 2018. Boatner Construction Company, Inc., of Rainbow City was contracted to do the park’s renovation at a

Name: Shirley du Pont Where were you born and raised? “I grew up in Etowah County.”  What is your occupation? “I am working at being retired. I spent 30 years with the telephone company. I retired and worked another eight years as a contract employee.” What made you decide to work in your field? “When

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Tuesday, February 26, students enrolled in Etowah High School held an open house for its Career Tech programs and students attended a career fair. Students are enrolled in courses on Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, Education and Training, Health Science, Government and Public Administration and Human Services. Work-based learning, where

By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent Gadsden City schools are excited for 2019 and superintendent Tony Reddick said there is a lot to look forward to. “There is always something exciting going on,” said Reddick. Reddick, who was elected as the Gadsden City School Superintendent on June 12, 2018, outlined a broad plan for 2019 and

By Sarrah Peters News Editor While attending Alabama Power’s Elevate marketing conference, YMCA of the Coosa Valley Executive Director LeRoy Falcon was confronted with the question of “Who are you serving?” When asked to identify the trends the YMCA’s operation was seeing in attendance, Falcon noted that the majority of YMCA members were seniors. “For

By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent In 2018, the City of Gadsden welcomed several new businesses. One of the largest names that came to the city were LongHorn Steakhouse. Rock -N-Roll Sushi, Calcean Minerals and Materials LLC, and several other businesses opened their doors this past year as well. LongHorn Steakhouse opened on October 2 off

By Sarrah Peters News Editor There is a lot happening in Attalla! The City of Attalla is proud of the new business ventures, projects and events underway. The city reports several new businesses in the area. Bankston Motor Homes is currently building its new facility behind the Attalla Walmart. “They are one of the largest

By Sarrah Peters News Editor “I was at a restaurant one evening,” said Gadsden City Schools Superintendent Tony Reddick. “While there, someone approached me and said ‘Hey, you know we’ve got some of your Beautiful Rainbow students working here at the restaurant.’” Reddick sat and spoke with the chef about the difference the students make

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Wednesday, February 20, Quality of Life Health Services (QOLHS) held its 7th annual Hearts In Motion event. The event started as a way to promote heart health in February because it is Heart Health Awareness Month. Hearts In Motion attendees were invited to participate in one of two exercises

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Sunday, February 24, the YMCA of Coosa Valley will continue a family tradition with its Father/Daughter Sweetheart Dance. The event will start at 6 p.m. at The Venue at Coosa Landing. “We’re going to have a little more room to spread out this year,” said YMCA director LeRoy Falcon. “We’re excited about

By Sarrah Peters News Editor At Gadsden Public Library’s second weekly Black History Month program on February 11, local attorney Mary Carstarphen Kelley spoke to the crowd about the right to vote, its history in this country and the current legal issues threatening the freedom to vote in the United States. Kelley walked attendees through

Name: Cole Howard Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Fort Payne.” What is your occupation? “I am the owner and operator of Blue Jug of Gadsden.” What made you decide to work in your field? “Upon graduating from JSU, I pondered as to what career I would apply myself

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Saturday, February 16, the Gadsden Kiwanis Club will host its 62nd annual Pancake Day from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m. This year, the fundraiser has moved to Gadsden’s new event facility, The Venue at Coosa Landing located at 201 George Wallace Drive in Gadsden. On Wednesday, February 6, Kiwanis Pancake

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor In April of 1963, a Baltimore postman named William Moore set out to walk from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss., on U.S. Hwy. 11 in the hopes of delivering a letter he had written to the Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett protesting the state’s racial inequality. Moore never made it. He was

Name: Ray Cumby Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Houston, Texas and moved to Gadsden when I was around seven years old.” What is your occupation? “I am in the state police and I work part time at Southside Police. I am also co-owner at 911 Solutions. We outfit emergency vehicles.

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Saturday, January 26, the newly renovated Kiwanis Pavilion at Noccalula Falls hosted auditions for local actors to join the cast of  The Noccalula Experience. “We’ve really been surprised by how many Native Americans are coming out from the surrounding community to audition,” said production director and producer Brian Clowdus. “We’re

By Sarrah Peters News Editor When he was four years old, John Solomon Sandridge often watched his father use a No. 2 pencil to make notes on paper. When Sandridge got ahold of the pencil, he wanted to use it as well, but he couldn’t find any paper. Instead he used the first blank page

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Chamber of Gadsden/Etowah County held its 2019 Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon on Friday, January 25 at 210 at the Tracks. Heather Brothers New welcomed attendees and acknowledged sponsors, staff and volunteers referred to as Chamber ambassadors. Phillip Fikes was awarded the 2018 Ambassador of the Year award. New said

By Kaitlin Fleming/Staff Correspondent Students at John S. Jones Elementary School now have a room full of toys, but it’s educational and necessary. This room, known as a sensory room, is beneficial to students with autism, ADHD and much more. The room features textured toys, bubble machine, dimmed lights, calming music, swings, comfortable chairs, weighted

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Monday, January 21 the 33rd annual city-wide Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was held at The Venue at Coosa Landing. Keara Washington opened the event with readings from the works of poet Langston Hughes, followed by an audience sing-a-long of “Lift Every Voice

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Tuesday, January 22, Gadsden voters decided to take the city’s school board from appointed members to elected members. Voting turnout was low, with less than 2,000 votes cast. 1.244 votes were cast in favor of changing the board, while 562 voted against the changes. At a Wednesday city council meeting,

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor At the Gadsden Public Library’s Children’s Department, librarian Jillian Reeves has been offering STEM programs and traveling to local schools to do STEM outreach for years. A member of the Civil Air Patrol, Reeves describes STEM as something she is passionate about. A few years ago, she had the idea to

Name: James Parker Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Attalla.” What is your occupation? “I currently work for our Digital Department at Regions Bank and I currently serve as the male representative on the State Democratic Executive Committee for District 28.” What made you decide to work in your

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Monday, January 14, the Lookout Mountain Goat Ranch Originals hosted yoga classes with a fun twist. Participants had goats balance on them while doing yoga poses. Owner and artist Kelly Farley says that she is “all about goats.” When she heard about goat yoga, she knew she wanted to make

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor Heart attacks are the number one cause of death and strokes are the number five cause of death in the United States. On Tuesday, January 15, the Gadsden Heart Walk held a breakfast at The Venue to kick off its 2019 fundraiser. “This is an exciting time to be in Gadsden,”

By Kaitlin Fleming/Staff Correspondent On Monday, Jan. 13, Jonathon Horton was sworn in as Etowah County’s new sheriff. The ceremony took place outside of the sheriff’s department. Despite the frigid temperatures, over a hundred individuals gathered around the parking lot and sidewalks to watch Sheriff Horton take the oath of office. During the ceremony, Kate