Perry County Commission ousts Turner, Whitfield CEO retires, John Grayson wins Citizen of Year, Selma plants Liberty Tree, Foscue House to be boutique hotel, Selma police need more cars, new station; Temple Mishkan gets new leader and more!
News
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Selma pastor and community advocate John Grayson was honored by the Selma Rotary Club on Monday as the 2026 Citizen of the Year.
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Selma's Temple Mishkan Israel has hired Stephanie Butler as Director of Community Programs and is entering a new phase of programming. community engagement and growth. The temple plans to have a center for education, dialogue, and community connection in Selma and Dallas County. Todd and Cin…
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Selma-Dallas County leaders came together on Monday to celebrate the planting of a new Liberty Tree at Vaughan-Smitherman Museum.
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After eight years at the helm of Whitfield Regional Hospital, CEO Doug Brewer is preparing to retire. During his tenure, Brewer led the Demopolis hospital's expansion of services aimed at impr…
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Perry County Commission Chairman Albert Turner Jr. was voted out of the chairman’s seat Tuesday night as commissioners said it was time for the board to select new leadership for the coming year.
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Selma police have made 34 felony arrests in the last two months, but Interim Police Chief Michael Perry told the Selma City Council his department needs more to do their jobs.
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The Demopolis City Council voted to rezone the historic Foscue House property on Highway 80 for a hotel at their June 4 meeting.
The Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission Area Agency on Aging is hosting a Free Community Brain Health Fair on June 26 in Selma.
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Free tennis lessons are now being offered in Selma starting on June 3.
Thomasville High School has released its schedule for the 2026 football season beginning in August.
Dallas and Wilcox County students were the focus Monday night as the Dallas-Wilcox Bama Club awarded more than $75,000 in scholarships during its annual banquet.
Todd Prater
Reporter
Local Events
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Main Street Alabama has selected Selma as a new community to join the program with full designation.
Camden Mercantile Co. is the Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce's (WACC) Business of the month for the month of June.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the availability of low-interest federal disaster loans to small businesses and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in Alabama to offset economic losses caused by the drought occurring on Dec. 1, 2025, and continuing.
Vaughan Regional Medical Center has been recognized among the top-performing hospitals in the nation within its parent company, ScionHealth, earning the organization's 2025 Gold Award for clinical excellence.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
The Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences (ASHS) in Demopolis recently welcomed its first math teacher, Jay Smith.
The National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa honored educators and community leaders at the “Dancing with the Stars of Education” Gala on Friday night in Selma.
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Black Belt Treasures Cultural Arts Center in Camden has announced that Executive Director Sulynn Creswell is retiring effective July 31.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
The Selma Art Guild enjoyed a well-attended Summer Show reception with presentation of awards and the display of art judged by award winning photographer and author Warren Simons at the SAG Gallery on Sunday, June 7.
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Tickets are now available for the 5th annual Airing of the Quilts Festival, set for Saturday Oct. 3 in Gee’s Bend.
Brad Fisher
Associate Publisher
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The Millers Ferry Marina has opened on the Alabama River in Wilcox County that provides a boat ramp and community center with food options. It also sells gas. Todd and Cindy talk about the marina and its future plans in this segment of the Black Belt Newscast.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (May 25, 2026) – From the legendary waters of Lake Eufaula along the Georgia line to the catfish-rich currents of Miller’s Ferry and the mighty Tombigbee and Black Warrior Rivers, Alabama’s Black Belt is home to some of the finest catfishing in America.
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Miller's Ferry Community Store has opened in Wilcox County on Alabama River that offers food and other items and is a marina. Owners tell Todd Prater with Black Belt News Network about the first phase and said they have a second phase that will have rental cabins and a restaurant. The marina…
Opinion
I believe in the Alabama death penalty. I have voted to uphold death sentences. I am not writing this piece to argue that Alabama should abolish capital punishment. I am writing it because Alabama is about to execute a man whose own jury voted that he should live.
There is a reason maps have always mattered in the American South.
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In 1965, the Black church stood at the center of the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Movement, and the fight for social justice across the American South.Historic institutions such as Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church and First Baptist Church of Selma became more than houses of worship. Th…
Obituaries
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Funeral arrangements have been announced for civil rights leader Jo Ann Bland, who passed aw…
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Those who knew and loved civil rights leader Jo Ann Bland of Selma have been sharing outpour…
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Demopolis High School is closing early on Friday for the funeral of junior Hunter Bowen Howe…
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The Alabama Democratic Party has set a hearing for June 15 to discuss the Perry County Commission District 1 primary election results that ended in a one-vote win. Read moreState Democratic Party sets hearing for Perry County Commission seat won by one vote
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday evening allowed Alabama to use a 2023 congressional map, reversing a lower court’s ruling that repeatedly deemed the map racially discriminatory. Read moreSupreme Court allows Alabama to use 2023 congressional map in August special primary
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Plaintiffs seeking to maintain Alabama’s current congressional maps on Monday afternoon urged the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a lower court’s ruling requiring Alabama to use a “race-blind” congressional map for the 2026 elections. Read moreMilligan plaintiffs urge SCOTUS to let Alabama use ‘race-blind’ congressional map
Perry County election officials said Monday that there will be no recount in the County Commission District 1 seat. Read moreNo recount for Perry County District 1 election after officials say Turner missed key deadline
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Perry County District 1 Commissioner Albert Turner Jr. has filed a request with the Perry County Probate Judge asking for a manual recount of the May 19 primary election where he came up one vote short of winning. Read moreWatch: Perry County District 1 election goes to a recount
Alabama officials Wednesday filed an emergency application to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the justices to block a lower court’s order requiring the state to use a court-ordered congressional map in the 2026 midterm elections. Read moreAlabama appeals congressional map ruling to US Supreme Court
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Perry County District 1 Commissioner Albert Turner Jr. has filed a request with the Perry County Probate Judge asking for a manual recount of the May 19 primary election where he came up one vote short of winning. Read morePerry County District 1 Commissioner Albert Turner Jr. requests recount of election he lost by 1 vote
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Perry County election officials have confirmed that Donald Bennett has won the District 1 seat for the Perry County Commission by one vote in the May 19 primary election. Read moreDonald Bennett wins Perry County Commission seat by 1 vote, unseating incumbent Albert Turner
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A three-judge panel on Tuesday morning blocked Alabama from using a 2023 congressional map the panel ruled racially discriminatory and ordered the state to use a remedial map aimed at giving Black Alabamians a chance to elect their preferred leaders. Read moreFederal judges block Alabama’s use of 2023 congressional map
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Longtime Perry County Commissioner Albert Turner Jr. says he is not prepared to concede losing to challenger Donald Bennett in Tuesday’s primary election. Turner lost by eight votes and says he will wait until after provisional ballots are counted to accept defeat. Todd and Cindy talk about … Read moreWatch: Perry County Commission drama - Turner loses his seat after 26 years
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