Top headlines this week: Selma names interim police chief, St. James Hotel may reopen, Gallion annexation approved, Marion to make announcement about Judson College, EM Brown center opens, Selmont files incorporation paperwork and more!
News
A date has been set for the execution of Jeffery James Lee, 49, who was convicted for the murders of two during a pawn shop robbery near Orrville in 1998.
A woman and a teenager were placed under arrested for allegedly stealing $2,278.77 worth of merchandise from a Walmart in Montgomery.
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Sen. Robert Stewart will host a fire and public safety town hall in Selma on April 21 in what was described as an effort to raise awareness in the community.
The City of Marion will hold a public hearing for a request for mobile-modular home parking on Edwards Street and Catherine Drive on April 20 at 5:30 p.m.
Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a number of bills into law that she said will improve benefits for Alabama Guard personnel, veterans and their families.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law legislation that offers wage earners an up to $1,000 tax deduction on overtime pay.
The Selma Housing Authority has received a high-performance rating for how it operates its Section 8 housing voucher program.
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Top headlines this week: Selma names interim police chief, St. James Hotel may reopen, Gallion annexation approved, Marion to make announcement about Judson College, EM Brown center opens, Sel…
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Selma police announce 10 arrests made in March, April ranging from shootings to robberies
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Selma mayor names interim police chief to run department while Fulford on administrative leave
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Selma police arrest man for alleged abuse of 7-week-old infant
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Selma City Council puts police chief on administrative leave
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Parole results for April 7-9
Former Selma High School (SHS) Coach Willie Maxey was recently honored alongside two student athletes by the Selma City Schools District on Tuesday.
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Morgan Academy’s girls tennis team won the AISA State Championship at the tournament in Montgomery on Tuesday.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
A ribbon cutting was held on Monday for the newly constructed Montgomery Biscuits Clubhouse at Dabos Park, formerly the Riverwalk Stadium.
Local Events
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When Mark Peterson talks about food insecurity in Alabama’s Black Belt, he frames the issue a little differently than most.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
Pike Road has kicked off IGNITE, a new initiative that is said will support local businesses.
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Four Selma women won $1,000 each to go toward starting or growing their businesses by giving the best “pitch” at the second annual business competition held by the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse School of Business on Thursday.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
Independent pharmacy Whitaker Drugs is the Wilcox Area Chamber of Commerce's (WACC) March Business of the Month.
Scholarships for high school seniors is available from the Alabama Power Foundation, including all of the counties in the Black Belt Community Foundation's (BBCF) service areas.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The 2026 legislative session ended last week, and while lawmakers passed more than four dozen education-related bills, a long list of others did not make it to the finish line.
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The Selma City Schools announced the “tragic loss” of a Selma High student on Tuesday afternoon.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
ArtsRevive in Selma has been awarded a $66,000 Creative Places Arts Facilities grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts to support renovations across several of its downtown properties.
Cindy Fisher
Publisher
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The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is bringing an arts education program to Selma this summer, offering a free weeklong theater camp for local students at the historic Walton Theater.
The Alabama Shakespeare Festival is bringing an arts education program to Selma this summer, offering a free weeklong theater camp for local students at the historic Walton Theater.
Todd Prater
Reporter
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (March 20, 2026) – When the first thunderous gobble echoes through the hardwood bottoms and longleaf pines, hunters across the state know exactly what it means — spring turkey season has arrived in Alabama’s legendary Black Belt.
The largest youth archery competition in Alabama, the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Alabama State Championship, will be held Thursday and Friday, April 9-10, 2026, at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl located at 220 Hall St. in Montgomery, Alabama. The media and public are invit…
PELHAM, Ala. (March 3, 2026) – The outdoors is calling — and Alabama’s next generation of explorers is invited to answer.
Opinion
Alabama State Representatives and Senators closed out the legislative session for the year last week. Unless Governor Kay Ivey calls them back into special session, they are done again until 2027.
The Affordable Care Act turns 16 on March 23. It should be a moment to celebrate one of the most important expansions of health coverage in modern history. Instead, recent federal cuts have left thousands of Alabama families facing rising premiums and growing uncertainty about how to afford …
Americans have seen this cycle before: Gas prices surge, and family budgets feel it almost overnight.
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 Coalition of Concerned Families in Selma held a Candidates’ Forum on April 2 for the 2026 Sheriff of Dallas County election. Read moreDallas County sheriff candidates outline platforms at CCF forum
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Thayer “Bear” Spencer of Selma has announced he is running for the 23rd District Alabama Senate Seat representing the Republican Party of Alabama. Read moreThayer 'Bear' Spencer of Selma qualifies to run for state Senate as a Republican
No Republicans qualified for county races in Dallas County, according to Dallas County Probate Judge Jimmy Nunn. Read moreRepublicans field no candidates in Dallas County races; two Democrats qualify for sheriff
Robert Tony Sykes has announced he is running for Perry County Sheriff in the May 2026 election. Read moreRobert Tony Sykes announces candidacy for Perry County Sheriff
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Roy Fikes, who was appointed Sheriff of Perry County by Gov. Kay Ivey in April, announced he is running for the position in the 2026 election. Read morePerry County Sheriff Roy Fikes announces run for the job in 2026 election
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In the Black Belt Newscast wrapup of 2025, Todd and Cindy talk about the eventful municipal elections that took place across the Black Belt. See the Election Hub at blackbeltnewsnetwork.com for more detail. Read moreWatch: Election wrap up in 2025
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2025 was an unusual municipal election year as cities voted for new leaders in what is typically an off year after Alabama lawmakers moved city elections back a year to be off the federal cycle. Read more2025 Year in Review: Black Belt voters choose new municipal leaders
The Zeta Delta Chapter of the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. hosted a Pass the Torch Ceremony honoring two wives of Selma’s elected leaders on Nov. 15. Read moreLocal sorority chapter hosts Pass the Torch ceremony for mayoral wives of Perkins, Moss
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The city of Marion swore in the mayor and five city council members in their Nov. 3 meeting in council chambers. Read moreMarion swears in mayor, council in first meeting Monday night
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Councilman Michael Johnson was elected the Selma City Council’s new president pro tem Nov. 3. Read moreMichael Johnson named Selma City Council president pro tem
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