NOW-MAY 1 The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking vendors for upcoming First Friday events. Vendors may offer homemade and baked goods, fresh lemonade and drinks, retail and boutique items, handmade crafts, artisan goods, specialty products and other unique finds. Those interested may register at www.jacksonalabama.org. The first event will be May 1 and feature the Cruise-In. APRIL 30 The Alabama Power Foundation is offering scholarships to high school seniors in its service area who plan to attend college or vocational school. The deadline is 3 p.m. April 30 or when 590 applications are received. Apply at scholarshipamerica.org/scholarship/apfcommunity/. Jackson...

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As I thought about writing my column this week, I realized we are entering May, which means graduation season is here. There will be awards programs, banquets, senior walks, baccalaureate services and graduation ceremonies. For many families, May will be filled with pride, tears, memories and a few nervous thoughts about what comes next. This year, graduation feels even more personal to me. My oldest granddaughter will walk across the stage, receive her diploma and prepare to go on to college. It does not seem possible. I think back to when my son and daughter graduated from high school. At...

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Thomasville Police Department officer Dallas Hinton was honored by law enforcement, firefighters and first responders from Thomasville, Fulton, Grove Hill, Jackson and many other departments with a procession on April 23 from Mobile. Hinton was killed in the line of duty in a collision on U.S. Highway 43 on April 22.

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Like the Alabama State Senate, the state House of Representatives will have very little turnover. State legislative seats are becoming analogous to congressional seats when it comes to incumbency. More than 80% of the Legislature is unopposed. The partisan makeup will be largely unchanged, with Republicans retaining a 75% supermajority. Leadership continuity will be strong between this quadrennium and the next. Leadership on both sides of the aisle will remain largely the same. The speaker of the House will again be the respected and powerful Nathaniel Ledbetter, a Republican from DeKalb County. He will have the affable gentleman from Mobile,...

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Thomasville rolled past visiting Hillcrest-Evergreen 12-2 and 13-3 to sweep the Class 3A first-round baseball playoff series on Friday. The Tigers (19-8) will host Providence Christian (11-15) in a second-round series beginning with a doubleheader Friday at 5 p.m. A third game will be Saturday at 11 a.m. if needed. In the opener, Isaac Parten allowed two runs on seven hits with 10 strikeouts in five innings. The Jaguars led 1-0 before Thomasville answered with two runs in the third on Coleman Pilkington’s sacrifice bunt and Christian Draper’s RBI double. Draper finished with three RBIs. The Tigers broke the game...

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No. 8-ranked Orange Beach hammered Jackson 12-0 and 20-1 Friday to sweep the Aggies from the Class 4A baseball playoffs. In the opener, the Makos scored 10 runs in the first inning and never looked back. Starter Lance Moseley took the loss, giving up nine runs on three hits in 2/3 of an inning. Carlos Barientos recorded the lone hit for Jackson, which finished 11-17. In Game 2, Orange Beach again jumped out to a big early lead, scoring eight runs in the first, and was aided by six Jackson errors. Barientos took the loss, giving up three earned runs...

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I have been watching YouTube a lot lately. You can find most anything on there. You can learn how to hang wallpaper, fix the display on your car, pack more efficiently for a trip, research places you plan to visit and watch cooking demonstrations to perfect dishes. I have watched some of all these things. In the winter, I put a yule log on my television and play classical music. YouTube is a handy tool. Right now, I am watching astrology predictions on it. How in the world did I get hooked on that? There are tons of astrologers who have...

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No. 4-ranked Clarke Prep extended its winning streak to eight games on April 14 with a doubleheader sweep of Hooper Academy and Crenshaw Christian Academy. • Clarke Prep 13, Hooper 1 Brooke Brasell was 4 for 4 and winning pitcher Kady Thomas allowed three hits and an unearned run in five innings. Addie Hicks had three RBIs to lead the Gators’ 18-hit attack. Clarke Prep broke the game open with a six-run fifth, sparked by two-run singles by B.B. Messer and Drue Flint and Brasell’s RBI single. • Clarke Prep 10, Crenshaw 7 Mia Davis had four hits and Thomas...

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