Sawmill burglary suspect caught by Jackson Police



A Jackson man was arrested last week and charged with breaking into the Jackson Sawmill. Jack Overcasher, 26, is accused of an attempting to burglarize the sawmill in the early morning hours of Oct. 3. According to the Jackson Police Department’s Deputy Chief Mark Harrell, the alarm at the sawmill activated around 1:45 a.m. Acting Sgt. Barry Fowler responded, along […]

Fire Prevention Queen crowned



Jackson Academy Senior Laura Rotch was crowned the Jackson Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Prevention Queen during its 2006 banquet conducted Tuesday at the H.W. Pearce Memorial Park Assembly House. Crowning her is Jackson Fire Chief Neal Bradley. Rotch is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Rotch of Jackson. See next week’s issue for photos from this year’s Fire Prevention […]

Task Force One gets huge pot bust



Forty plants and nearly six pounds of dried marijuana were seized Friday afternoon on the Pleasant Hill Road in Thomasville. The arrest of William Robert Williams for trafficking in cannabis and manufacturing a controlled substance led to the discovery of the crop by Task Force One Agent Lem DuBose, Commander Mike Hunt and District Attorney Spence Walker. Also assisting with […]

City council approves construction contract for new JPD complex



Oct. 10, the Jackson City Council approved a motion to accept the low bid submitted by Hub Construction Company of Jackson, for the construction of the new Jackson Police Complex. Hub submitted a low bid of $1,108,693. Other bidders were Hughes Construction, who bid $1,132,000 and Henry Construction Company, who submitted a bid of $1,181,000. The new police department has […]

Library auction raises thousands of dollars



Approximately $16,000 was raised at the White Smith Benefit Auction, conducted Oct. 5 at the H.W. Pearce Park Assembly House. Wednesday morning, head of library public relations Shelia Finch said donations were still coming in. During last Thursday’s event several hundred people filled the assembly house and enjoyed finger foods and gumbo as appetizers, as well as a nice, sit-down […]

Firefighters presented top awards



The Washington County Association of Volunteer Firefighters conducted its annual awards banquet Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Chatom Community Center and presented awards to those chosen as the top firefighters in the county. Firefighter of the Year David Odom, a member of the Fairford Volunteer Fire Department, was chosen as Firefighter of the Year. He has been with the department […]

Dealing with dyslexia: Student gives inside look at his struggle



Matthew Strickland, a fifth grader at Leroy High School, wants desperately to be like other children, but he knows there is one part of his life that will always make it somewhat tougher for him to function. Matthew struggles each day to deal with dyslexia. He has the desire to learn, but gets frustrated because his brain makes it harder […]

Ridin’ high!



Scotty Jones, age 5 (right, front), and his friends were all set to ride in Chatom’s Fire Prevention Parade atop one of the firetrucks, this past Saturday. The parade kicked off events for National Fire Prevention Week and featured fire trucks from all the volunteer fire departments. See more photos on page 4.

Butler man arrested for felony possession



A weekend driver’s license checkpoint in Coffeeville led to the arrest of a Butler man for felony possession of a controlled substance. Officer Steve Carlisle arrested Thomas George Lassiter, 49, after finding several rocks of crack cocaine and a pipe used for smoking crack in his vehicle. Lassiter was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while license […]

Candidates converge on Jackson



Jackson High School’s McCorquodale Auditorium was the scene Tuesday night, Oct. 10, for a local political forum, in which Lt. Governor Lucy Baxley, Democratic candidate for governor, led off. Although the crowd was sparse, Lucy did not let that dampen her fervor as she lit into Bob Riley for not keeping his 2002 campaign promises to the people of Alabama. […]