By J.D. Devine

The CHS boys and girls soccer teams faced off against Eufaula on Wednesday, April 26, in the game that determined whether they would make it to the playoffs. Both teams clinched region titles with wins over rival Eufaula.

In the girls' game, the Lady Eagles celebrated a shutout victory as they allowed Eufaula no opportunities to score a goal. They wasted no time as they beat the Lady Tigers 10-0. 

By Christina Faulkner

The Dale County Commission approved a capital expense for a video camera system for the Dale County Government building in a 3-1 vote during the Commission meeting held Tuesday, April 25. The system is expected to cost $12,226 and consists of four video cameras to be placed on the rear of the building, in the solid waste lobby, and two in the commission meeting room.

By Christina Faulkner and J.D. Devine

The verdict is in. Sentencing has been passed down. Coley McCraney was found guilty on all charges against him in the 1999 murders of JB Beasley and Tracie Hawlett on Wednesday, April 26. After just 13 minutes of deliberation McCraney was sentenced to serve life in prison without parole on Thursday, April 27.

By Christina Faulkner

First Ozark United Methodist Church was host to the National Day of Prayer Breakfast held on Thursday, May 4. This year’s speaker was Henry County Probate Judge David Money, who spoke on how God has worked in his life.

Signed into law in 1952, the National Day of Prayer is a day when people of all faiths are asked to pray for the leaders of our nation.  Title 36, Section 119 of US law states:

By Christina Faulkner

With volunteerism dwindling in today’s society, Ozark Emergency Medical Services is preparing for the future. Ozark Mayor Mark Blankenship and EMS Deputy Director, Kristy Clark spoke to Rotarians at last Tuesday’s meeting on April 25.

“We made some major changes to our EMS program a while back,” Blankenship said in his introduction of Clark. “We went back to a public safety director and named Charles Ward to that position.”

By J.D. Devine

The Carroll High School (CHS) Lady Eagles’ varsity softball team played their hearts out at the 5A Area 3 Tournament hosted at Rehobeth High School on Tuesday, May 2. The Lady Eagles faced off against the Eufaula Tigers in an intense matchup.

The Eagles led in the first inning with two runs. However, the Eufaula Tigers tied the game up during the second inning and then kicked things into high gear, scoring eight additional runs in the third.

By Travis Parker

On May 2nd, the Daleville High School Junior ROTC held their annual awards ceremony in the cafeteria. CW4 (Ret) Nate Barley acted as Master of Ceremonies and spoke highly of his cadets. The Color Guard’s Presentation of Colors was followed by an invocation. A short demonstration by the drill team preceded the awards. They recently placed second and fourth in state competition.

Some of the Awards presented:

By Christina Faulkner

The girl who was always at school, who loved school will finally be leaving school this summer as Dr. Danelle Peterman, who has been principal at D.A. Smith Middle since 2011, wraps up her 30-year career in education. As she retires from Ozark City Schools, Jermaine Shakespeare, a native of Andalusia, will step up to take her place.

“I know I can just pass everything over to him,” says Peterman of Shakespeare. She says he has been observing her and is prepared to take over.

By Christina Faulkner

It’s not often you find a friendship that lasts for 35 years. It’s even rarer to find one that has lasted since birth. Even more special is the bond created between these two friends with special needs as they compete side by side, against one another in Special Olympics Rhythmic Gymnastics and other events. Beth Olive and Erica Watts, both 35 years old, of north Shelby County, have been friends practically since birth and have been competing since they were seven years old.

Staff Reports

The State of Alabama is seeing record lows in unemployment rates with April at 2.2%, a decrease of .3% from April 2022.

In a written statement, Governor Kay Ivey said, “Yet again, we see the resiliency of our state’s workforce. When Alabama works, Alabama families thrive, and records are broken time and time again.”

The number of unemployed people in the state in April set a new low as well at just 51,462, down almost 4,700 from last year.