News

By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent At the age of four, Grace McClellan had a dream that she would one day play professional soccer. Now, the Southside High School senior has gotten one step closer to having her dreams a reality. McClellan has had an opportunity for the past two years to play with an Olympic

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Friday, October 26, the Humane SocietyPet Rescue and Adoption Center will host a Halloween Bash from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Elks Lodge located at 118 West 1st Street in Gadsden. The event is a costume party, compete with a costume contest with prizes, games, music, catered food

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor On Tuesday, September 25, the City of Gadsden unveiled its newest event space. An open house allowed the public to view the newly-completed The Venue at Coosa Landing at 201 George Wallace Drive. City of Gadsden Public Affairs Coordinator Eric Wright said that they hoped for a few hundred visitors, but

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor Gadsden natives may have noticed the soon-to-open restaurant being built at 943 Rainbow Drive, right in front of the Gadsden Mall. In fact, the construction has caused the main mall entrance to be closed. Locals anticipating the new Longhorn Steakhouse won’t have to wait much longer. Longhorn recently announced that it

Name: Madison Cannon Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Gadsden and raised in Attalla.” What is your occupation? “I am an insurance agent at Hodges-Ford Insurance.” Tell us about your family and pets. “I have a rather small family with my mom and dad and younger brother and sister.” Describe an

(Photo by Sarrah Peters/Messenger: Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton presents Cothran’s Bakery owner Chris Cothran with a proclamation in honor of the bakery’s designation as the Sweetest Bakery in Alabama in a national contest held by Dawn Food Products, Inc.) By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Friday, September 14, Cothran’s Bakery celebrated National Bakery Day with some

(Photo by Sarrah Peters/Messenger: The Newman family poses for a photo at the reception honoring Dr. Lucian Newman, Jr.’s 50 years of service at Gadsden Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Dr. Newman, Jr. (second from right) is pictured with his wife Jane and their three children, Dr. Lucian Newman, III, Dr. Charlie Newman and

(Submitted Photo: A local youth competes in the last year’s XTERRA Parks of Alabama Trail Run Series race at Noccalula Falls Park.) By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent Black Squirrel Events is set to host the 2018-2019 XTERRA Parks of Alabama Trail Run Series kickoff race on Sept. 29 at Noccalula Falls Park and Campground in Gadsden.

By Sarrah Peters News Editor The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Wilson-Parris Post 8600 located at 817 Rainbow Drive in Gadsden will host a Vietnam Veterans Appreciation Day on Saturday, September 22 from 2-6 p.m. The VFW post has partnered with the national United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration organization to host events in

Name: Leslie Harp Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Atlanta and raised in Leeds.” What is your occupation? “I’m the Marketing Director and Nurse Recruiter for Gadsden Regional Medical Center.” What made you decide to work in your field? “Working in healthcare marketing was not something I planned or even knew

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor On Tuesday, September 11, about 100 people gathered on the corner of 4th and Broad streets, where a small memorial park honors those lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Every year on the anniversary, the Gadsden Beautification Board hosts a memorial to remember what happened and the people that were

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor On Friday, September 7, the Gadsden Museum of Art opened a new exhibit titled “Korean Dreams” by photographer Nathalie Daoust. The exhibit will be open until October 29. “Korean Dreams” uses photos to capture life in North Korea. Because foreigners are closely monitored and only allowed to take photos in approved

By Kaitlin Fleming, Staff Correspondent On Thursday, September 6, the Greater Gadsden Housing Authority held an open house for newly renovated units at Colley Homes in Gadsden. The renovated units, which were built in 1951 and previously renovated in the 1980s, are part of the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) affordable public housing program. Greg

By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent More than 1,500 elementary school students in Etowah County and Attalla school systems participated in the Next Great Americans Kickoff Bus Tour and Super Citizen Program Kickoff on Friday, August 31. The students participating in the event waved flags and wore patina colored paper crowns with exactly seven spikes, just

By Sarrah Peters News Editor Next Tuesday is the 17th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks that rocked the nation. The Gadsden Beautification Board will host its annual memorial service to remember those lost in the attacks at 5 p.m. at the Memorial Park at the intersection of 4th and Broad streets in downtown

By Sarrah Peters News Editor Over a dozen people attended the Gadsden Civitan Club’s meeting on Wednesday, September 5 at Gadsden State Community College. After attending to club business, Tony Reddick, Gadsden City School System’s new superintendent addressed the crowd. Reddick used the opportunity to let the club member’s know more about him and what

Name: Shelby Windham Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Montgomery on Maxwell Air Force Base. As an Air Force brat, I was raised all over the place. We lived in New Jersey, Delaware, Germany, New Mexico and all over Alabama. I settled in Dothan at 14 and I’ve been here in

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Tuesday, August 28, local politicians gathered in Hokes Bluff Park to celebrate the addition of a swing. But this wasn’t just any swing – this swing is specially designed to be wheelchair accessible, allowing local special needs children to play alongside other children. Evan Shields, a nine-year-old student at

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Tuesday, August 28, Gadsden municipal elections were held for Gadsden City Council and the office of mayor. Most city council members retained their seats on the council. In District 1, incumbent Dr. Cynthia Toles received 508 votes, beating out challenger Steven Abel with 402 votes. In District 2, incumbent

By Kaitlin Fleming Staff Correspondent September marks FEMA’s National Preparedness Month and the Gadsden/Etowah County Emergency Management Agency is focusing its efforts on making sure this area is prepared for anything. The month of September will be packed with different programs to make sure that people are prepared. The program will be broken into four

Name: Jessica Brown Where were you born and raised? “I’m a hometown girl. I was born in Gadsden, raised in Hokes Bluff and now I live in Whorton’s Bend.” What is your occupation? “I am the Marketing and Communications Coordinator for Family Savings Credit Union.” What made you decide to work in your field? “When

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Gadsden City Council made several announcements at its weekly meeting on Tuesday, August 21. Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton announced that the city is finalizing lease terms with Buffalo Wild Wings. The new restaurant will be built on four acres of land near Coosa Landing between The Venue, city’s new event

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Etowah Chamber hosted the Political Candidate Forum for Gadsden Municipal Elections on Thursday, August 16. The Chamber invited each candidate for Gadsden City Council and the Gadsden Mayor’s Office to speak for five minutes. Candidates introduced themselves and spoke about their plans should they be elected. For the Gadsden City

By Sarrah Peters/News Editor The Rustik Bucket Vintage Market will be held on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22.  From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the market will be set up at Ferguson’s Wedding Venue and Courtyard located at 401 5th Avenue Northeast in downtown Attalla. After Vanessa Durham, owner of The Cozy Nest,

Name: Chris Robinson Where were you born and raised? “I was born at the Holy Name of Jesus Hospital in Gadsden, and have lived here my entire life.” What is your occupation?  “I own a small business in Historic Downtown Gadsden on Broad Street called Blackstone Pub and Eatery, which is a gourmet-style pizza kitchen.

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Tuesday, August 14, job seekers attended the Gadsden Job Fair, sponsored by the Gadsden Career Center and Gadsden City Councilman Thomas Worthy, where they met with potential employers. While the Job Fair was underway, the Gadsden City Council announced the upcoming addition of new jobs in the area. The

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On Wednesday, August 15, Modern Woodmen representative Morgan Lavender presented Love Center Director Ruth Adcock with a Hometown Hero Award. “The Hometown Hero Award recognizes people in the community that go above and beyond when they don’t always get noticed in the spotlight,” said Lavender. “But people are noticing, so

Name: Deborah Lloyd Gaither Where were you born and raised?  “I was born in Aliceville in Pickens County and raised in Talladega in Talladega County.” What is your occupation? “I am proud to say that I am the Emergency Management Director of the Gadsden/Etowah County EMA.” What made you decide to work in your field? 

By Sarrah Peters News Editor On August 11, Southern Heritage BBQ had a ribbon cutting for the new restaurant located at 215 Gilbert’s Ferry Road in Attalla. The business’s owners Craig Cantrell and Steve Cole met at work, where they took lunch breaks at the same time. When Cantrell asked Cole about welding him a

By Sarrah Peters News Editor Gadsden City School District students returned to class on Monday, August 6, and new superintendent Tony Reddick spent the first two days of class out and about. He visited nine schools on Monday, where he personally welcomed back teachers and students. On Tuesday, he spoke with the Gadsden City Council