By Adam Kamerer

A Dothan man, Orlando Williams, 64, was arrested and charged with the murder of his daughter, Tomekia Tiffany Williams, 38, on March 11.

Last month, skeletal remains were found by two men riding four-wheelers in a wooded area near the 2000 block of Johntown Road in Ozark. Those remains were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences and a DNA profile identified them as Tomekia Williams of Jacksonville, FL.

By Adam Kamerer

Ozark Police arrested Jason Strickland, 42, on March 8 after he was seen on video vandalizing Premier Carpet Care in Ozark. Strickland first struck the business late on Friday, March 4, then came back and did more damage early Saturday morning.

By Adam Kamerer

Lakevion Shider and Da’mier McDaniel appeared before Judge Stan Garner, Jr. for an initial appearance hearing at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16. Shider and McDaniel were arrested as suspects in a drive-by shooting that occurred in Ozark about 5:20 p. m. on Tuesday. They each face five counts of attempted murder.

Two arrests have been made in the shooting case that occurred yesterday March 15 at the intersection of Andrews Avenue and Highway 231 in Ozark. Lakevion Shider, 19, and Da'mier McDaniel, 19, were booked into the Dale County Jail early Wednesday morning. Shider faces five counts of Attempted Murder. McDaniel faces five counts of Aggravated Assault - Attempted Murder.

Ozark Police Department says more details will be released shortly.

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 13. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward one hour Saturday night before you go to sleep. 

The Red Cross also reminds everyone to test their smoke alarms. Smoke alarms that are 10 years or older should be replaced. Sensors within smoke alarms become less sensitive over time. 

By Adam Kamerer

Ozark Fire and Rescue Chief Philip Prince and Ozark Police Chief Charles Ward shared news and updates with the public during Coffee & Conversation on March 2.

By Adam Kamerer

Wiregrass healthcare students brought a community health fair to the Ozark Civic Center last Saturday.

“This is the first event we’ve done in Ozark,” says Byron Kunst, Vice President of Global Public Health Advocates (GPHA), a student-led organization coordinating the health fair. “We got a late start on planning this event, so it’s mostly informational this year, but we’re hoping to make it an annual event with more hands-on activities and hopefully more approved health screenings in the future.”

By Adam Kamerer

On February 23, Carroll High School’s boys’ basketball team pulled out a 70-67 win against Charles Henderson in the regional finals. For the first time ever, the team advanced to the Final Four tournament, the penultimate game before the state championship. Never before had a Carroll High School basketball team made it as far as this 2022 team.

By Adam Kamerer

The Ozark Chamber of Commerce held their fourth annual Excellence in Business Awards on Thursday, February 24th. The event was held at The Ozark Warehouse downtown.

After opening comments by Rosmarie Williamson of the Ozark Chamber of Commerce and Ozark Mayor Mark Blankenship, Vernon Johnson, CEO of Dale Medical Center, entertained attendees with jokes and conducted the awards ceremony.

The winners of the 2022 Excellence in Business Awards:

• Women in Business Award - Jenna Mack, State Farm

By Adam Kamerer

Wiregrass electric vehicle owners gathered at Loose Brick Coffee on Monday, February 21st for coffee and conversation.

Elizabeth and Tom Wyse of Ozark led the meeting. The Wyse’s were the first owners of a Tesla electric car in Ozark in 2016; they’ve since added a second Tesla to their garage. “I’ve always been a car person,” says Tom Wyse. “I didn’t go electric to go green. I drove a Tesla and felt like I was driving in the future,” says Tom.

(Editor’s Note: Story reprinted from www.AuburnTigers.com)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Auburn's Jabari Smith and K.D. Johnson combined for 45 points Saturday, but it wasn't enough as the third-ranked Tigers picked up just their fourth loss of the season – a 67-62 road loss at No. 17 Tennessee. 

"Disappointed," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said after the game. "We played hard, our defense was pretty good – we turned them over, scored off turnovers.

Wallace Community College-Dothan will hold a walk-in COVID-19 Vaccine and Booster Clinic on Monday, February 28, 2022, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on the Wallace Campus in Dothan. The clinic will be located in Cunningham Hall and is open to the public.

The clinic will offer the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines in partnership with the Houston County Department of Public Health. Attendees are asked to bring their vaccination cards and photo identification.

By Adam Kamerer

At their February 15th meeting, the Ozark City Council voted to approve $40,000 for new consoles for the E-911 dispatch center.

Ozark recently purchased Motorola P25 two-way radios for its police and fire departments, which spurred the decision to purchase the new consoles. The Dale County Sheriff’s Department also uses Motorola P25 radios. “It will be better for the city and the county to be on the same system,” says Frankie Wilson, chairman of the E-911 board.

By Adam Kamerer

Less than a quarter mile from the downtown square in Ozark, an illegal dump site has been growing for years. On Hull Avenue, a little-used city road behind Vicker’s Signs, huge piles of tires, roofing materials, broken furniture, and tree trimming debris line the roadway, some of it spilling into the gully behind the road.

By: Christina Faulkner

DOTHAN - A two-vehicle crash that occurred in Houston County Wednesday night, February 16, has claimed the life of a Dale County woman. Teresa A. Melvin, 57, of Newville was the passenger in a 2018 Hyundai Elantra driven by Andrew J. Cooley, 21, of Midland City, when the vehicle in which she was traveling struck the rear of a 2003 Ford Mustang driven by Donald T. Glenn, 41, of Dothan. 

By Christina Faulkner

Two of Fort Rucker’s own were presented with the Purple Heart at the Army Aviation Museum in a ceremony held Monday, February 14. Sergeant First Class Carlos Porres, Jr. and Staff Sergeant Deanna Lucchessi both sustained injuries during a January 8, 2020 Iranian ballistic missile attach on Ayr al-Assad Air Base in Iraq. General Paul E. Funk, II presented the award to the two American heroes. 

By Adam Kamerer

The Dale County Council of Arts and Humanities donated new watercolor kits to Carroll High School’s art program last week.

Pam Nolin, art instructor, received the donation at the Council’s February 7 meeting. The donation, consisting of $750 worth of professional watercolor paints and watercolor paper, was funded through a local community grant from Walmart.

Progress continues on the new Wiregrass RC&D mural. "We're going for a coloring book look on this one. Bright colors," says muralist Wes Hardin. "The theme of this mural is all about 'Community'."

By Adam Kamerer

The old National Guard Armory on U.S. Highway 231 in Ozark is being torn down and a new career center for Dale County Schools is being built in its place.

“We originally planned on using the old armory building,” says Dale County Schools Superintendent Ben Baker. That plan didn’t work out -- storm damage condemned the building a few years ago. It was more cost-effective to demolish the building and build a new structure than to try to repair the damage to the aging building, according to Baker.

By Christopher Mobley

More after school activities and learning opportunities are here for the children of Ozark with the opening of a new free after school program in the city. 

The All of God’s Children after-school program was founded by Shanika Reeves, officially opening its doors to the public on January 5, 2022. Reeves has over 15 years of experience working with children and families in different programs, including being the Youth Director at Saint Paul AME church in Ozark. 

By Adam Kamerer

When Bill and Rita Eggers moved to Ozark from Mesa, Arizona, they purchased the contents of their new home along with the house itself, but they didn’t realize the treasure trove the previous owner had left behind. “We’ve still got buildings to go through,” says Bill Eggers. “We found all sorts of things. Old books, tools, maps, train sets. If there was one of something, we found more.”