News

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

Name: Kent Back Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Middletown, Ohio. I was raised in Gadsden since I was 2 years old.” What is your occupation? “I am the President of Bowman & Back, Inc., located in downtown Gadsden. We recover capital for our clients and improve efficiencies in Waste Stream

By Kaitlin Fleming, Staff Correspondent On July 26, Gadsden State Community College hosted groundbreaking ceremonies for construction projects taking place on three of its campuses. The first ceremony was held at the Ayers Campus, where an addition to the Cheaha Career Center is under construction. The second ceremony took place at the East Broad campus in

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor Magic was in the air at the Gadsden Public Library on Tuesday, July 31! To celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday, the library was transfigured into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with a series of events that lasted all day. This is the second year the library has hosted the event. Staff

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor The Gadsden-Etowah Chamber of Commerce and East Alabama Works recently teamed up to hold an educators workforce development workshop. Marketing and Events Manager Suzy Jouben said that the Chamber had some leftover funds from its Excellence in Education award ceremony held earlier this year and wanted the money to be used

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor The Humane Society Per Rescue and Adoption Center is offering an election month promotion. For the month of August, all the dogs (re-pup-licans) and cats (demo-cats) can be adopted for $50. Humane Society Director Christi Brown wanted to reassure potential adopters that the reduced adoption fee still includes everything the Humane

Name: Debby Carden Where were you born and raised? “I was born in Gadsden and lived there until I was nine years old, and we then moved to Attalla.  So I guess you would say Attalla is my hometown. I loved growing up here, and I am blessed to still have as some of my

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor A local teen is making waves in the world of obstacle courses. Allie Condy, a 13-year old Rainbow Middle School student entering the eighth grade, started doing obstacle courses a year ago with her father, Ryan, a trainer and coach at Absolute Fitness in Rainbow City. Condy first competed in the

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor Members of the Etowah County Mega Sports Complex Authority gave an update on the complex’s progress at the Gadsden-Etowah Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Biscuits and Gravy event on July 24. Ralph Burke, the authority’s chair, talked about the research the committee has done. “One of the things we’ve been doing over

By Sarrah Peters, News Editor Jessica Fortune Barker is the Democratic candidate for State Board of Education, District 8, which encompasses Madison, Jackson and Etowah counties, as well as parts of DeKalb and Limestone counties. Barker graduated from J.O. Johnson High School in Huntsville. “I am a graduate of the District 8 system,” said Barker. “I