Hale Co. Hospital faces down staffing shortage, COVID surge
The Hale County Hospital is not only tackling a surge in COVID cases, but a lack of nursing staff. This has extended Emergency Room wait times due to the high turnover rate. Traci Fondren, Hale County Hospital Director of Infection Prevention, explained that many nurses have left for travel positions or jobs in larger cities.... Read More
Delta Regional Authority will fund projects in Marion
Delta Regional Authority will invest $3,448,973 to boost economic development and foster improvements throughout Alabama communities. The investment will eventually be matched by $9.6 million and will bring an additional $440 million in leveraged private investment (LPI) in the Black Belt. A total of 13 projects to improve water and sewer systems, transportation, infrastructure, and... Read More
‘D.C. Moon,’ space rocker and Black Belt native, dies at age 62
D.C. Moon, Tuscaloosa musician and “space rock” performance artist, passed away at the age of 62, a month before his 63rd birthday. Suffering a heart attack on January 30, followed by two stents, Moon could not endure subsequent complications. He died the following Thursday night, at 11:30 p.m. Born David Craig Williams in Marion, Alabama, he... Read More
Portia Shepherd, Black Belt native, announces for State Sen. District 23
Portia Shepherd announced On Feb 14th that she is running for Alabama State Senate in the 23rd District, which includes Perry, Conecuh, Dallas, Lowndes, Butler, Wilcox, Monroe, and Clarke counties. Portia’s struggle internally in high school and dropped out. Yet, she didn’t give up. Portia was determined to better herself and received her GED and... Read More
Hale, Perry post encouraging vaccination rates, much of state lags
Perry County leads the charge in the state in terms of vaccination rates, with 54.3% of the population fully vaccinated. Being number one in the entire state, Perry County is one of four other Black Belt Counties that all tout the highest vaccination rates in the State of Alabama. Lowndes, Marengo, Bullock, and Hale follow... Read More
Ivey visits Sawyerville in wake of deadly tornado, storm shelters delayed
Gov. Kay Ivey visited with residents and local leaders at the site of destruction after a devastating tornado hit a Hale County community on Feb. 3. Ivey toured Sawyerville on Monday morning, Feb. 14 to survey the damage left by the deadly tornado. She noted that she had stood in the same area less than... Read More
Singleton introduces cannabis decriminaliztion proposal in Senate
Alabama Senator Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) introduced a cannabis decriminalization and expungement bill on February 1. The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Committee is scheduled to consider the bill at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 16. As of press time, it is uncertain of its future. Last year the committee approved... Read More
Hale schools announce early closures, NWS urges caution in advance of approaching storm
Some area school administrators have announced closures in anticipation of possible severe weather forecast for Thursday, Feb. 17. The majority of Hale county was considered by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center to be in an area of “enhanced risk” as of Wednesday night, and portions of Perry were in the “enhanced” risk area,... Read More
Years Ago – Week of Feb. 17, 2022
25 YEARS AGO in the Greensboro Watchman February 13, 1997 Dr. Ronald H. Clements has been accepted by Vanderbilt University Hospital for a year of fellowship in advanced laparoscopic surgery. He will complete a five-year surgical residency at Carraway Methodist Hospital in Birmingham on June 23. He is presently chief surgical resident at Carraway. Dr.... Read More