Black Belt News Network has an update on the new journalism class at Keith High School, including paper donated by International Paper for the school's first ever newspaper. Publisher Cindy Fisher gives an update on the students' progress in this segment of the Black Belt Newscast.
Drug Free Communities of Dallas County Director Jerria Martin spent the first weeks of 2026 more than 7,000 miles from Selma helping young people on the island of Guam become the territory’s first official Hope Dealers. Martin, who arrived Jan. 3 after flying out on New Year’s Day, was invit…
The Marengo County Historical Society is moving forward on its plans to move to the Old School on Main Street in Demopolis. The society will move contents of the museum into storage at the Old School in March. The society's former building, Rosenbush, is being turned into a high-end hotel. T…
Hospitals in the rural Black Belt are getting creative in ways to bring in more revenue to keep the doors open and provide state-of-the-art equipment. Whitfield Regional Hospital's foundation hosted a gala and raised $29,000 for the Demopolis facility. Vaughan Regional Medical Center in Selm…
The Selma City Council honored John Solomon for being named the 2024-2025 Alabama Basketball Official of the Year by the Nation Federation of State High School Associations. The council declared March 22 Dr. Lynda Blackmon Lowery Day in honor of her “lifetime of service to this community thr…
The Demopolis City Council approved a contract with the Hale County Commission that clears the way for Demopolis to annex 305 acres in the Gallion area. The property at the intersection of Highway 69 North and Highway 80 in Hale County is being planned for a gas station. Cindy and Todd talk …
Top headlines this week: Demopolis to annex 300 acres, hospitals raising money, Drug Free Communities expands to Guam, Selma honors three leaders, Marengo County Historical Society to move, election coverage starts and more!
The Black Belt News Network's first journalism class at Keith High School is working on a story featuring Dallas County Sheriff Deputy Demarcus Weems and how he does a cheer with the cheerleaders at games and parades to connect with the community. Cindy talks about how Sheriff Mike Granthum …
The Black Belt News Network is looking for the best retailers and more in our new Best of the Black Belt competition. Who's the best BBQ? Vote and nominate your favorites. Todd and Cindy talk about the competition in this segment of the Black Belt Newscast.
Historic Brown Chapel AME Church in Selma won a $1 million grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund for technical expertise needed to protect the property so it can remain active for generations. Brown Chapel is one of five historically Black churches across the country …
Deteriorating asbestos concrete water mains in Pine Glen Estates in Selmont will be replaced thanks to a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant announced Tuesday by the Dallas County Commission. The project will upgrade about 2,200 linear feet of failing water lines at the former Craig A…
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is important in the Black Belt, where MLK visited often to push for civil rights equality. Todd and Cindy wrapup what happened in Selma for the special commemorative day in this segment of the Black Belt Newscast.
The Selma community will celebrate the life of Selma community leader Mark Myles at a funeral service on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Selma High's gym. Myles, 43, was shot and killed on Jan. 16. Allen McCampbell, 43, has been arrested and charged with his murder. Myles was well known in Selma for …
Marion City Council got an update on improvements to the water and sewer infrastructure, two months after a pump failure caused a water outage across the city for several days. Utility engineering consultant Roderick Hawkins delivered a detailed report and Todd and Cindy talk about that in t…
Judson College redevelopers have revealed general plans for the Marion campus, saying it will center on pharmaceutical logistics, including warehouse and distribution operations. At last week's Marion City Council meeting, the new developers talked about what it will be in generalities befor…
Top headlines for this week: Selma community mourns loss of Mark Myles, Marion gives water line update, Pine Glen to get new water pipes, Judson College developers give more details, MLK Day wrapup and Brown Chapel gets $1M grant and more.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2026, Pastor Corey Brooks of New Beginnings Church of Chicago visited Selma as part of the Project HOOD initiative. His team gave out free meals to 500 residents at the Selma Welcome Center parking lot. The food was prepared by Tisdale’s Backyard BBQ, with DJ Ba…
The Black Belt News Network has started its first Black Belt Media Lab Teen Initiative in partnership with a new journalism class at Keith High School. Publisher Cindy Fisher meets with the class of 25 and teacher Kiesela Foster once a week to help them produce their first newspaper called t…
Demopolis City Schools board hired a new athletic director and head football coach and both are not new to Demopolis and the Tigers. The new athletic and facilities director named is Mark Heaton, a 1997 Demopolis High graduate and former quarterback who has been an educator for 23 years. He …
The Black Belt News Network is hosting its first Best of the Black Belt competition to determine the best retailers and more in the region. Voting is open now at https://bestof.blackbeltnewsnetwork.com/ so participate now!
The Perry County Commission approved spending more than $86,000 in additional funds to make repairs to the jail caused by an inmate who broke a hole in the wall to escape in September. Todd and Cindy talk about the work done at the James Hood Detention Facility that serves as the Perry Count…
Black Belt News Network's Todd Prater got a tour of the Dallas County Jail to see progress since it was damaged in the January 2023 tornado through a tour with Sheriff Mike Granthum. The department says it is still not repaired. Dallas County Commissioners sent a statement after this segment…
Perry County Commissioners approved a tax abatement for the new owners of Judson College's closed Marion campus, following Marion City that did the same. Now the state must OK the tax break and then the Texas-based developers will announce plans for what is coming to the campus that closed i…
The city of Selma is $1.7 million behind on collecting taxes, and the city council hired the Alabama Department of Revenue to come help. The state under contract will administer and collect the city’s sales, use, rental and lodging taxes after the city found that many residents still owe tax…
The third anniversary of the EF-2 tornado that ripped through Selma was last week and the Black Belt News Network went back to see progress in areas we have tracked over the last three years for an update. See that video and hear about progress in this segment of the Black Belt Newscast.
Top headlines this week include: Whitfield hospital reaches donation cap, Dallas County Jail repairs slow, Selma hires state revenue department to do taxes, Sheriff Granthum to retire, third anniversary of Selma tornado, Demopolis gets new football coach, Perry County jail repairs continue, …
The Black Belt News Network is looking for the Best of the Black Belt - the best retailers, auto dealers, realtors and more! Cindy explains the contest that gives Black Belt businesses a chance to shine in this segment of the Black Belt Newscast.
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