News

Name: Tiffany Ballou-Glover Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Gadsden.” What is your occupation? “I am a 6th grade language and reading teacher at Litchfield Middle School. I have taught for 25 years.” What made you decide to work in your field? “I have always wanted to be a

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Alabama Department of Education recently released its Alabama State Report Card for 2017 – 2018. The State Report Card assigns letter grades for each school system and each individual school. The report analyzes federal and state data in several areas, including but not limited to academic achievement, academic growth, graduation

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Thursday, January 3, Riverview Regional Medical Center kicked off its implementation of the American Heart Association’s new Resuscitation Quality Improvement program. In the past, medical professionals were required to renew their CPR certification every two years, but recent surveys show that two years is too long to go without using

Name: Sam Bone Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Pensacola, Florida, but was raised in Gadsden since I moved to Gadsden in third grade.” What is your occupation? “Attorney.” What made you decide to work in your field? “Grew up wanting to be like my dad.” Tell us about your family

By Sarrah Peters News Editor New Year’s Eve is nearly here, and many stay up late to celebrate the beginning of a new year. However, those with young children may be conflicted about whether or not the kids should remain awake to experience the late-night celebration or if they will doze off before midnight hits.

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On December 11, the Gadsden Public Library received a check for $1,000 from the Rainbow City Coin Club. “It was a wonderful surprise and also at the perfect time of year,” said Gadsden Public Library Director Craig Scott. “We certainly live in a giving community, and the Rainbow City Coin

Name: Doris Jackson Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Gadsden and have lived in Attalla all my life. I would not want to live anywhere else. I think our county is one of the most beautiful places. I love the small town closeness and the friendly atmosphere among the communities. It

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor In the Catholic Center of Concern on Chestnut Street in Gadsden, a back room has been converted into what looks like a toy store. Industrial shelves are lined with toys for children of all ages. But this is no toy store; this is the local Toys for Tots program’s base of

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Pregnancy Testing Center, located at 119 Church Street in Rainbow City, is currently in search of more volunteers. The Pregnancy Testing Center helps expecting mothers. In addition to providing pregnancy tests, the organization provides counseling and support to mothers-to-be with a pro-life message. A ministry-based organization, the center receives no

Name: Jackie McNutt Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Gadsden.” What is your occupation?  “I am the owner of J&M Body Shop.” What made you decide to work in your field? “I have always liked to work on cars.” Tell us about your family and pets. “I am married to

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor On Monday, Dec. 10, a retirement ceremony was held for Probate Judge Bobby Junkins at the Etowah County Courthouse. Attendees visited with Junkins, while enjoying photos from Junkins’ life and finger foods. Junkins’ last day will be January 14, when his newly elected replacement Scott Hassell will officially take office. Junkins’

By Kaitlin Fleming, Staff Correspondent Gadsden State Community College hosted the 18th annual Water Festival on Friday, Dec. 7. An estimated 1,400 fourth graders from across Etowah County attended the educational event ran by volunteers from local high schools. The high school students lead the fourth graders around the George Wallace Campus of Gadsden State and

Name: Dustin Watkins Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Etowah County.” What is your occupation? “I work at two different transport companies in Emergency Medical Services as a Paramedic and part-time as an educator in the EMS program at Northeast Alabama Community College. I also give time as a Flight

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor Mistletoe Market is back for its second year with more venders and longer hours. The market will be held Friday, December 7 from 3  to 7 p.m. at the 5th Street Market located at 439 Locust Street, coinciding with the First Friday celebration in downtown Gadsden and Gadsden’s tree-lighting ceremony. “We

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Humane Society Pet Rescue and Adoption Center is getting festive for the holiday season. The Humane Society is hosting the 8th Annual Reindeer Run on Saturday, December 15. “This is one of the local race events where participants are encouraged to run or walk with their pets,” said Humane Society

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor This year, CommUnity Thanksgiving, a local Thanksgiving meal that is free to everyone, celebrates its 20th anniversary. This year’s meal will be served at Gadsden’s new facility, The Venue, on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 22. The Thanksgiving feast starts at 10 a.m. and will be open until 2 p.m. The event

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor In July of this year, Gadsden Public Library Director Amanda Jackson left the library after 12 years as director. At the Gadsden City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 13, Mayor Sherman Guyton announced that Craig Scott, appropriately nicknamed ‘Library Guy,’ was the new director of the Gadsden Public Library. “We’re so

Name: Lorrie Strickland Davis Where were you born and raised? “I was born right here in Etowah County and spent four years of my youth living in Orlando, Fla. Living in Orlando was a blast, but we eventually came right back here to Rainbow City and I love to call it home.” What is your

By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent Etowah County finished a few thousand voters short of reaching the voter turnout that the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election brought. 34,690 ballots were cast on Tuesday (Nov. 6), which was less than half of the registered voters in the county. Straight party voting benefited the Republicans this time around with

By Cole Frederick Staff Correspondent PART 1 Tony Reddick’s journey to becoming the new superintendent of Gadsden City Schools commenced over 1,100 miles away in Massachusetts. Reddick attended high school at the prestigious Saint Sebastian’s School, an all-boys Catholic school located in Newton. Saint Sebastian’s is the top parochial school in Massachusetts and one of

Name: Beth Dayton Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Gadsden. I have lived in four states.   I lived in Tampa, Fla., as a small child and in Virginia, where I attend K-5, first and second grade outside of Washington, D.C. I then moved back to Alabama where I attended Mitchell

By Sarrah Peters News Editor After 32 years, Robert “Bob” Wooten Echols, Jr., attended his last city council meeting as a council member on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Members of the city council, employees of the city and many others took the opportunity to honor Echols for his many years of service, both at the council

By Sarrah Peters News Editor Local students celebrated Red Ribbon Week from Oct. 23 to Oct. 31. Red Ribbon Week is a drug prevention campaign that began in 1985 after the death of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. In addition to sporting red ribbons, local students participated in theme days to spread the word of

Several people have asked if it’s possible to vote a straight party ticket and still vote for me for State Senate. The answer is, yes! All you have to do is “Double Bubble.” First, you fill in the bubble next to your political party and then fill in the bubble next to my name in

Name: Morgan Cunningham Where were you born and raised? “I was born and raised in Gadsden and, other than college and law school, have always lived here.” What is your occupation? “I am an attorney.”    What made you decide to work in your field? “My father is an attorney, and some of my fondest

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor On Wednesday, October 17, Darden Rehabilitation Foundation held its annual meeting and award ceremony at the Downtown Civic Center in Gadsden. Darden is one of 26 community rehabilitation programs in Alabama and is number one in the state. The program serves clients with disabilities in five counties: Etowah, Cherokee, DeKalb, Marshall

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor The Love Center’s upcoming fundraiser transforms a popular televised game show into a fun-filled community competition. Community Feud will be held on Thursday, November 15 at 6 p.m. at the newly-opened Venue at Coosa Landing in Gadsden. To find teams, the Love Center Board approached local governing bodies and others and

Name: Katy Chandler Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Gadsden and raised most of my life in Attalla.” What is your occupation? “I am the manager at Sportclips Haircuts of Gadsden.” What made you decide to work in your field? “I have said from the beginning that cosmetology chose me. I

Photo by Kaitlin Fleming: Etowah County Mega Sports Complex Authority Chair Ralph Burke (left) announces the schedule for construction of the Sports Complex as authority member Craig Ford (right) listens on Thursday, October 11. After months of planning and preparation, the Etowah County Mega Sports Complex Authority (ECMSCA) is revealing plans for construction to begin.

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Tuesday, October 9, City of Gadsden municipal runoff elections were held. In the District 5 City Council race, Jason Wilson beat incumbent Billy Billingsley. Wilson received 520, votes to Billingsley’s 296. “I cannot tell you how much it means to my family to have an opportunity to serve this