The Greensboro Watchman

Local nonprofit organization Black Belt Workshop is putting out the call for musicians based in or inspired by Alabama’s Black Belt. The organization is planning its first major event, the Black Belt Biennial, for Sept. 24 and 25 of this year in downtown Greensboro, and hopes to fill its performance roster with music from, about,...

Scott home, North Perry landmark, draws renewed attention with Washington Post story

Coretta Scott King’s childhood home has recently captivated national attention due to its crumbling state and lack of historical context. Notably no markers, except for the neighboring Mt. Tabor AME Zion Church, denote the significance of the location. Obie Scott, Coretta’s father, notably preached at Mt. Tabor and wed Martin Luther King, Jr., to Coretta...

State announces $15 million purchase of vacantUniontown private prison

The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles purchased a vacant, private prison in Perry County for use as a rehabilitation facility for parole violators. Cam Ward, Bureau Director, said the bureau will pay $15 million for the Perry County Correctional Center on US 80 in Uniontown. The prison was previously owned by GEO Group, a...

Town of Faunsdale receives $300k grant to fund downtown improvements

The Town of Faunsdale in Marengo County has been awarded a first-ever $300,000 Community Development Block Grant by Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA). The grant will be used to improve the sidewalks and lighting of downtown Faunsdale. Last year Kenneth Boswell, Director of ADECA, and Frank Dobson,...

VFW donates to St. Wilfrid’s rice and beans ministry

VFW Post 5104 Commander Ken Daniel presents Reverend Dan Thornton, Rector of St. Wilfrid’s Episcopal Church with a check for The Beans and Rice ministry. The Hughes-McCollum post 5104 of Marion raised funds for a local food program operated by St. Wilfrid’s Episcopal Church and Hickory Grove Baptist Church and received a matching Uniting to...

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....

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...

‘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...

Portia Shepherd, Black Belt native, announces for State Sen. District 23