By Christina Faulkner

Parents across Alabama are gearing up to take advantage of the savings offered by the state's 19th annual back-to-school sales tax holiday. This year, the holiday will take place from Friday, July 19, to Sunday, July 21, marking the eighth time it has occurred during the third weekend of July.

By Travis Parker

Ft. Novosel had another extremely successful Freedom Fest on a beautiful late July 3 afternoon with a slight overcast that kept some of the late summer, south Alabama heat down. Plenty of food choices, vendor booths with an almost endless variety of items to buy, a fantastic lineup of musical talent, and an extraordinary fireworks display to top it off, made the event unforgettable.

Mr. Richard Frank Kohler, a resident of Ozark, died Monday, July 15, 2024, in Southeast Health Medical Center in Dothan, Alabama. He was 67 years old.

A memorial service for Mr. Kohler will be held 2:00 P.M. Thursday, July 18, 2024, in the Chapel of Holman Funeral Home in Ozark with Pastor Derek McCarty officiating, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. 

By Caitlyn Cummings

On Highway 231, as one drives toward Dothan, Whispering Pines Manufactured Homes Community sits on the left just before crossing County Road 18. Within that community lies a small cemetery with a storied background.

By Caitlyn Cummings

The July 9 meeting of the Dale County Commission was busy and many items were brought before the commission for approval.

By Christina Faulkner

Middle schoolers in Ozark have something new to look forward to this coming school year. Along with a new principal, students at D.A. Smith Middle School will have the opportunity to explore career opportunities relevant to Ozark, thanks to the opening of the new Career Exploration Center (CEC). The renovations of the old school building, costing approximately $990,000, have transformed it into a state-of-the-art learning environment.

Staff Reports

Donald K. Hallford of Ozark was recently re-appointed as the Resident Director for Dale County on the Board of Directors of the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers Watershed Management Authority (CPYRWMA) for a four-year term. The Oath of Office was administered to Mr. Hallford on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at a ceremony held in the Dale County Courthouse. He has served on the Board since September 2007 when he was initially appointed by the Dale County Soil & Water Conservation District.

By Christina Faulkner

Former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt Saturday, July 13, while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The rally took place two days before Trump accepted the Republican nomination for the third time and named his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio.

The story of one Israeli hostage and his 3-year-old granddaughter

By Anav Silverman Peretz, Special to The Southern Star

Updated July 22, 2024 at 11:13 a.m.

A few weeks ago, I was sitting with my family at McDonalds, on the way back home to our home in the Negev desert after a visit with our in-laws in Raanana. Our kids were munching on French fries, while my husband went to get our order. I watched Israelis, young and old, sitting together in the American fast food chain, quite popular in Israel. 

By Caitlyn Cummings

In its 200-year existence, Dale County has had four county seats—Richmond, Daleville, Newton, and Ozark. 

Dale County was formed from Henry County by an act of the Alabama Legislature on December 22, 1824. At the time, Henry County encompassed what is now the counties of Coffee, Dale, Barbour, Covington, Crenshaw, Geneva, Houston, and Pike. The first county seat of Henry County was the town of Richmond.