2025: World looks to Selma during key Jubilee, voters pick new Selma leaders, tornado recovery continues in the New Year

The eyes of the world will be on Selma and Dallas County in 2025 as the Bridge Crossing Jubilee in March marks the 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday with expected fanfare.  

Every Jubilee is a significant event as it marks the Bloody Sunday protest that ended in violence and prompted the national civil rights movement. The last three Jubilees have drawn the President of the United States once and the Vice President twice. Events that end in zero naturally attract more attention, and the Selma Sun will be here to shine a light on preparations for this year’s Jubilee in the first quarter of 2025. 

The Sun will keep tabs on the long-awaited lighting of the Edmund Pettus Bridge. In late 2023, the city signed a memorandum of understanding with the Alabama Department of Transportation and the parties who will place the lights on the bridge and hope to in time for the 60th Jubilee activities. Officials are working on getting the permits, a process that is especially complicated for such an iconic site that is also a National Historic Landmark. The hope is that highlighting the bridge with LED light schemes similar to those on the Eifel Tower in Paris and the Empire State Building in New York will give tourists a reason to stay in Selma after dark and perhaps spend money in restaurants and hotels.  

We’ll also keep you updated on progress at the $10 million renovation of Selma Interpretive Center that also plans to be completed by March. 

Just up Broad Street from the Interpretive Center lies Selma City Hall, and Selma citizens will vote in August on who will occupy the mayor’s office and the city council chambers. Mayor James Perkins Jr. and the current city council got an extra year of service because a state law moved municipal elections off of presidential election years. The Selma Sun will keep you informed about who has qualified and what each candidate promises to do for his or her ward.  

Whoever takes over the reins of the city will face some daunting issues, starting with money. Money has always been tight, but the situation worsened in 2024 when payments on a loan the city took out in 2016 jumped from about $650,000 a year to about $2.3 million a year. City leaders found out that refinancing isn’t feasible, so they will have to find a way to operate the city with this loan on their backs.  

For the past two years, Perkins has pushed for a referendum to increase property taxes to bring more money into the budget. He has proposed having the city offer garbage service as a way to offset some of the cost to citizens. The current city council hasn’t moved on either proposal. In fact, the city council and the mayor have been at odds on issues ranging from redistricting to the budget to the police and fire chiefs to surveillance cameras.    

Will Perkins run again, and if he does, will he keep his job? How many of the current city council members will run again, and how many will prevail? Will changes in leadership improve operations at city hall and improve life in the Queen City?  

The Selma Sun will be watching in 2025, and we’ll keep you informed.  

Selma officials hope tougher penalties for discharging a firearm in the city limits and the new citywide camera surveillance system will help decrease gunplay and gun violence in the Queen City. The camera system was delayed for a year because the mayor and the city council disagreed about which vendor to use. The Selma Sun will let you know if the system helps solve and prevent crime. 

Even though it’s been two years, Selma is still recovering from the January 2023 tornado. The Long Term Recovery Group, the United Way and other groups are continuing to help Selma residents rebuild and repair their homes, the Selma Sun will be there to let you know their progress and how you can help.  

Selma City Schools and Dallas County Schools will be looking for new leadership in 2025. Selma’s superintendent left in October while Dallas County’s leaves when his contract ends in June. We’ll keep you updated on the progress of both school boards as they hire new superintendents.  

The Selma Sun will also let you know how both school systems perform on the annual statewide report card and reading scores. We’ll also be watching progress on the $17 million School of Discovery, the first new school built by the Selma City Schools system in a decade.  

We’ll also report on progress, if any, at the former Tepper Building in downtown Selma. Portia Fulford, who owns the building on 25 Broad St., announced plans to bring over 75 housing units, medical offices, mixed development and Selma’s first woman-founded credit union into downtown, but little has been done so far. A fence and safety barrels currently surround the building to prevent falling debris from injuring pedestrians. 

Tampa developer Invictus was the sole bidder to refurbish the former Dallas Academy on Selma Avenue. We’ll let you know where that project goes.  

We’ll also let you know when new businesses and industries come to town, including the expansion of the Colclasure Enterprises plant at Craig Field Industrial Park.  

And of course we’ll keep you updated on local sports and outdoor recreation, including events at the newly renovated Selma Marina.  

Yes, the eyes of the world will be on Selma. And we’ll be working all 2025 to make sure you can keep your eyes on Selma and Dallas County.