After the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic seemingly slowed society to a halt last year, the annual Catfish Festival would have to be cancelled. However, it makes its return in 2021, for what will be its 20^th year.

A police chase in Section Thursday led to the high school being put on a lockdown for awhile before the suspect was apprehended.

Gov. Kay Ivey appointed Willie “Bill” Nance, Jr. as the new chairman of the Jackson County Commission on Monday.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), in partnership with Scottsboro Electric Power Board and Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated (a TVA retiree organization) recently awarded Scottsboro Junior High School $5,000 for a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education project.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

Scottsboro City Council member Nita Tolliver has decided to move forward with MDA Professional Group based out of Albertville to conduct the second city audit.

Like many others, 2020 was a difficult year for Stephanie Urquhart. While most struggled with social lives being disrupted due to the pandemic, Urquhart’s was a different one: She felt she didn’t have enough time for her dog Bailey. That guilt led her to creating something she believes dog owners could use: a set of self-care cards for both dog and owner.

Larry Ward has been awarded the 2020 Distinguished Alumnus Award at the annual Alumni Weekend Brunch. Calvin Brown, executive director of the National Alumni Association, presented the plaque to him.

On Sunday, Axxeum held a demonstration to showcase the capabilities of their Medium Lift Bell 412EP helicopter in both fire fights and rescue missions. Senator Steve Livingston arranged this demo and decided to make it a multi-county event.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

The Scottsboro City Council approved two items during Monday’s meeting that would fund two fishing tournaments, one being a contract for the AL B.A.S.S. Nation High School Fishing Tournament and the other being a tourism grant for the Scottsboro Jackson County Rescue Squad’s (SJCRS) 10^th annual 10k Bass Tournament.

Alabama voters are one step closer to voting on whether to create a state lottery for education and casinos like the one the Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PCI) want to build in either DeKalb or Jackson counties due to proximity to Chattanooga.

The ARC of Jackson County will host its eighth annual Luminary service on May 1, beginning at 7 p.m., at Pine Haven Memorial Gardens. The service was canceled last year due to COVID.

Scottsboro City council member Nita Tolliver provided an update on her search for a second city audit on Monday, something she’s been asking about for nearly six months.

As crimes happen in Jackson County, Shelia Morris is constantly on the go helping those who have been affected.

The Scottsboro City council passed a vote on Monday to donate a grant of $5,000 to the annual Castin’ ‘N Catchin’ fishing tournament.

Early last month, Alabama Community Colleges Chancellor Jimmy Baker announced tuition will not increase for the 2021-2022 academic year. In addition, as a result of the declining number of reported COVID cases and an increase in the number of students, faculty and staff taking advantage of access to the COVID vaccine, the ACCS anticipates all community college campuses in the state will resume normal, on-campus operations for the Fall 2021 semester.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Alabama Department of Public Health has asked all health care providers in the state to pause administering the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccine due to an investigation of reports of potentially dangerous blood clots associated with the vaccine.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

A DeKalb-Jackson Water District employee has been charged with stealing customers’ credit or debit card numbers.

Eric Scott, who played college football at the University of Southern Mississippi and had a lengthy arena football career, will be on trial Monday, April 12 in connection with the death of Anna Grogan Brown, 45 of Hollywood, in March 2020.

Following the April 9 mask mandate expiration in the state of Alabama, Highlands Medical Center (HMC) will continue to require staff, patients and visitors to wear a mask when inside the facility.  

A 3,000-foot addition to the Scottsboro-Jackson Heritage Center is continuing even though work is slowing down due to the delay with shipment of interior doors and door hardware, according to Scottsboro Museum Commission member Brenda Ivey.

During Scottsboro Mayor Jim McCamy’s annual State of the City address Tuesday morning, McCamy pointed out what he believed to be a problem growing in Jackson County: the lack of available housing.

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

On Monday, Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong announced his candidacy to succeed Congressman Mo Brooks in representing Alabama’s 5^th Congressional District. The 5^th Congressional District covers Lauderdale, Limestone, Morgan, Madison and Jackson counties across the top of Alabama.

On March 17, the Treasury Department and the IRS issued IR-2021-59, which provides for an automatic extension of the filing and payment date for individual 2020 income tax returns from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. 

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

Outside the main entrance of Highlands Medical Center last week, many of the healthcare workers were gathered outside when State Sen. Steve Livingston presented CEO John Anderson a resolution.

The Scottsboro City Council had proposed changes to both the city employee handbook as well as construction zoning on the agenda during Monday’s meeting.

The Scottsboro City Council unanimously voted to move their weekly meeting times from 6 p.m. to 5 p.m. effective April 5, their first meeting of that month.

Garrett Southers awarded with Eagle Award for osprey nesting project

With no significant precipitation in the weather forecast for the remainder of the week, the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) is advising people to use extreme caution with all debris burning and outdoor fires.

A local woman said she received a call from an apparent scammer this week. The woman said she got a call saying she had won money from Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes

Jackson County Sheriff’s Office

Scottsboro High School’s search for a new head football coach continues after the Scottsboro City Board of Education voted no on an unnamed coaching candidate on Wednesday.

Scottsboro City Council member Nita Tolliver has pushed the council for an audit of the city’s finances since shortly after she took office. On Monday, March 1, Tolliver continued this push for an audit of the city’s finances to ensure the city is appropriately managing funds.

The Scottsboro City Council provided an update on the White Development Company on Monday. Utilizing Amendment 772 under the Alabama State Constitution, the agreement could lead to an economic growth in Scottsboro.

At the Scottsboro City Council meeting on March 1, in an attempt to alleviate extra hours worked by Scottsboro’s department heads, council member Nita Tolliver presented a measure to the council to move the council’s meeting time one hour earlier.

Stevenson Mayor Rickey Steele will continue with another term after a complaint regarding the August 2020 election was dismissed recently.