By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The April 15th Pickens County Board of Education Meeting began by recognizing the Pickens County College and Career Center students who competed at the HOSA state competition in Montgomery last month.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Ginny Lee began her career with First National Bank of Aliceville as a junior in high school, when she took a summer job, which she parlayed into her current position, as the Chief Financial Officer of the Tuscaloosa FNB branch. Pickens County Herald editor Brian Hamilton sat down for an interview with Ginny in Tuscaloosa recently.

Q: How did you get your start in the banking industry?

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Carrollton’s Court Square Coffee held a book signing on Monday, April, 15th for a mother and son duo from Tuscaloosa. Erich Wildgrube’s book “The Empress and the Archer” was available for purchase and signing, while his mother, Paula Wildgrube, was also there with her book titled “To CATch a Thief”.

By Addie Grace Phillips, Correspondent

The Reform City Council began their meeting on Tuesday, April 16th with Mayor Bennie Harton calling the meeting to order. Under old business, Harton discussed the fountain and lamp post installation. He also mentioned that Brandon Garrison was the genius behind the lamp post installation and it was all thanks to him and a few others.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

It was just another Saturday for a passer-by on the Benevola Road until someone happened to notice what looked to be roadkill lying in the middle of Highway 2.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t a rodent lying lifeless in the highway; It was a human corpse.

The highway, better known as Benevola Road, runs from the southern part of Pickens County, called Bridgeville, near McCaa Bottom Road, and runs throughout the Benevola community, before turning into County Road 63 in south Gordo.

By Melanie Harville, Correspondent

Residents of Pickens County had the opportunity to experience a treat on Thursday, April 11th at the Aliceville Museum. Bradford Freeman, a 92-year-old former member of ‘The Easy Company ‘of The Band of Brothers, that parachuted in before D-Day on the beaches of Normandy.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Aliceville’s City Council meeting on Wednesday, April 10 began with the council once again electing to table the National Guard Armory rental agreement. The council also moved to keep an ordinance on providing storage for legally impounded vehicles on the unfinished business agenda.

The last item of unfinished business was appointment of the equalization board. The following were nominated to the board at the council meeting: Caleb Marine, Marion Bonner, Terry Windham, and David McCaffrey.

By Melanie Harville, Correspondent

On April 9, 2019, the Pickens County Commission held a brief meeting to vote on several items on their agenda.

The commissioners discussed the following items:

Recently, inquiries have been made about the decision of the Pickens County Health Care Authority, which owns and operates Pickens County Medical Center, to terminate its management agreement with Boa Vida Healthcare. 

As you may know, Pickens County Medical Center has been under severe financial stress and, in an effort to improve the hospital’s financial condition, Boa Vida was engaged at the first of February of this year to manage the hospital.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The Aliceville Public Library hosted its first book signing on Sunday, March 31st for Aliceville native Chanerya Rowland and her book titled Dear Ethan. Rowland, now a Tuscaloosa resident, mentioned that she was elated for the library to host her book signing and release amongst a crowd of friends and family.

“It really means a lot and it definitely meant a lot when (library director Frances Lewis) called and said she would help out. That really meant a lot to me,” Rowland said.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

H.E.L.P., Incorporated is  an origin to destination demand response and contract transportation agency. The organization’s goal is to provide safe, reliable, affordable transportation for the citizens of Pickens County. Director Patricia McCafferty announced in the YouthBuild Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday that the service would soon begin transporting Pickens County residents to Tuscaloosa County for a round-trip fee of just $10.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The April 1st Gordo Town Council made quorum last Monday evening, but councilmen Terence Williamson and Tim Washington were both absent for the meeting.

The first item of new business addressed was an ordinance and resolution of permanent nature, as Mayor Craig Patterson introduced a new proclamation before the council to name April 21-27, 2019 as Parental Alienation Prevention Week. April 25th is Parental Alienation Awareness Bubbles of Love Day.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The April 4th Carrollton City Council meeting was held at the Carrollton Police Department rather than city hall, due to unfinished remodeling at the normal meeting place.

Mayor Mickey Walker mentioned that the renovations to the Carrollton City Hall were almost complete, with everything set to go except some work on the windows. Walker said he fully expects the staff to be moved back into City Hall by the upcoming May council meeting.

BY Addie Grace Phillips, Correspondent

The Reform Council meeting held on Tuesday, April 2 began with Mayor Bennie Harton addressing the new quote for 27 new field lights at the city park's baseball fields.

Captain Jodie W. Minor Jr. of Carrollton was recently promoted to the rank of major in the U.S. Army.

Minor graduated from Athens State University and held several business management jobs before enlisting in the United States Army as an Intelligence Analyst in 2004. In 2008, CPT Minor commissioned as an Adjutant General’s (AG) Corps (Human Resources) Officer through the Army’s Officer Candidate School (OCS) Program.

Jodie is currently assigned as a Congressional Budget Liaison to the House of Representatives within ASA-FM&C’s Congressional Budget Liaison Office.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Aliceville City Council's meeting on March 27 was very brief, as the first item under unfinished business was Mayor Marva Gipson discussing that at the March 13th meeting, Councilman Terrence Windham discussed the council meeting in a separate board meeting to discuss some of the city's matters. Gipson mentioned that the council would hold the board meeting on March 28.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

Mayor Marva Gipson is a native of Aliceville and a graduate R.J. Kirksey High School.  Gipson then attended Tuskegee Institute University and Miles College and began her career at the Pickens County Board of Education as a Teacher’s Aide and later as School Secretary. She was the third African American to be employed at Westinghouse Electricity Corporation, where she served as a shipping clerk/receptionist in Reform, Ala.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The Aliceville Dixie Youth league threw out the first pitch of the 2019 season this week with some much needed improvements to the Aliceville City Park fields.

Rob Dahlberg, President of the newly appointed Aliceville Park and Recreation Board, has been instrumental in the new park renovations and held a clean-up day in late February, where both adults and children worked together to help clean up trash and get the field ready for the upcoming baseball season.

By BRIAN HAMILTON, Editor

The Pickens County Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 20th began with Superintendent Jamie Chapman informing the board that the Board of Education meeting on Monday, April 15th would be moved to the Pickens County College and Career Center, rather than at the central office. Chapman stated that the meeting would remain at its scheduled time of 6 p.m. and all that would change is the location.