(ROANOKE) Willie Earnest “Possum-Pop” Shears, 87, of Roanoke died Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at East Alabama Medical Center, Opelika.The funeral will be Monday, April 12, at 3 p.m. at Macedonia Baptist Church, Five Points, with the Revs. Calvin Shears and Tommy Carwell, pastor, officiating. Burial will follow at East Roanoke Cemetery.Mr. Shears is survived by…

(BOWDON, Ga.) Ida P. Little, 56, of Bowdon, Ga., died April 7, 2010. The funeral will be Monday, April 12, at Bethena Methodist Church in Graham, Ala., at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Messages of condolence and encouragement can be sent to the family at www.walkerfuneralhomega.com. Walker Funeral Home, Carrollton,…

(WEDOWEE) The funeral for Kathryn Stewart Mostellar, 89, of Wedowee will be Wednesday, April 14, 2010, at 11 a.m. at Midway United Methodist Church with the Rev. Max McCord officiating. Mrs. Mostellar will lie in state 30 minutes before the service at the church. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. The family will receive…

(LaGRANGE, Ga.) Sue Baldwin Bryant, 78, of LaGrange, Ga., died Friday, April 9, 2010, at Emory Midtown Hospital in Atlanta. Born March 29, 1932, in Randolph County, Ala., Mrs. Bryant was the daughter of the late James Harley and Fannie Smith Baldwin. She lived in Troup County most of her life, was retired from Milliken…

(OPELIKA) David Wayne Olaveson, 49, of Opelika died at his home on Friday, April 9, 2010, of a heart attack. David was born on June 19, 1960, in Roanoke, the fourth child of six, to Jack F. Olaveson (deceased) and Sandra Jean Hooks. He grew up in LaFayette and upon graduation from high school, moved…

(SANFORD) Erma Carlisle Proctor, 94 of Sanford, N.C., died April 11, 2010. Erma was born Nov. 5, 1915, in Wedowee. She was the daughter of the late John William Carlisle and Harriet Burrow Carlisle. After Erma graduated from high school, she continued her education at Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo), where she received…

(WEDOWEE) Graveside services for Dillard Joiner “DJ” Hammett, 76 of Wedowee will be Saturday, April 10, at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Frank Bell Reaves officiating from Wedowee City Cemetery with full Masonic rites. Mr. Hammett died Thursday, April 8, at his residence. Mr. Hammett is survived by his wife, Geraldine Cummings Hammett of Wedowee;…

(WOODLAND) The funeral for Bobby Jack Heard, 76, of Woodland will be Sunday, April 11, 2010, at 2 p.m. at Big Springs Baptist Church with the Rev. Scott Whaley officiating. Mr. Heard will lie in state at the church one hour before the service. Burial will follow in the adjoining church cemetery. The family will…

(ROANOKE) The funeral for Charlie William “Hookie” Young, 78, of Roanoke will be Saturday, April 10, 2010, at 11 a.m. at Quattlebaum Funeral Chapel with the Rev. Steve Baccus officiating. Burial will follow at Highway Methodist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, April…

(VALLEY) Billy Joe Farr, 72, of Valley died Thursday, April 8, 2010, at Arbor Springs Nursing Home in Opelika. A graveside service will be Sunday, April 11, at 2 p.m. EDT at Shawmut Cemetery. Mr. Farr is survived by his niece, Rhonda Jacks of Oxford; a nephew, Ronnie Farr of Oxford; several cousins; and several…

WEDOWEE—Three key positions for the Wedowee area were filled during a packed meeting of Randolph County Board of Education on Thursday evening. Tammy Vinson Culbertson of the Springfield community near Roanoke was hired as the new principal of Randolph County High School. She is currently assistant principal of Benjamin Russell High School in Alexander City.…

(OXFORD) Graveside service for Harold M. Watts, 77, will be at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at Manning’s Chapel Cemetery with the Rev. Pat Hurst officiating. The family will receive friends from 9 -10 a.m. Wednesday prior to the service at Chapel Hill Funeral Home. Mr. Watts died Sunday, April 4, at Jacksonville…

(ROANOKE) Mr. Marion Lewis “Shorty” Huddleston, 62, of Roanoke, formerly a 55-year resident of Douglas County, Ga., died Monday, April 5, 2010, at UAB Medical Center in Birmingham. He was born May 11, 1947, the son of the late Oliver Huddleston and Georgia Laminick Huddleston. He was of the Baptist Faith. He worked for Douglas…

(CALHOUN, Ga.) Clent Harris, 73, of Calhoun, Ga., died Thursday morning, April 1, 2010, at his residence. He was born on July 12, 1936, in Randolph County, Ala. Mr. Harris began a 42-year career in the textile industry with Callaway Mills and retired from Shaw Industries. After retirement, he served for six and a half…

(DAVISTON) Services for Betty Ann Hamby, 75, of Daviston, will be Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at 3 p.m. at Mountain Springs Baptist Church. The Rev. Tim Whaley and the Rev. Jimmy Sprayberry will officiate. She will lie instate for one hour at the church prior to the service. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery.…

(WOODLAND) The funeral for Josephine Wilson Roan, 83, of Woodland will be Saturday, April 10, 2010, at 2 p.m. at Liberty Grove Methodist Church with the Revs. Greg Norred and Bobby Jones officiating. Burial followed in the adjoining cemetery. Mrs. Roan died Tuesday, April 6, at East Alabama Medical Center, Opelika. Mrs. Roan is survived…

(OPELIKA) The funeral for Mary Ann Lane Melton, 68, of Opelika will be Friday, April 9, 2010, at 11 a.m. at Lane’s Chapel Methodist Church with the Rev. Patricia Sims officiating. Mrs. Melton will lie in state at the church one hour before the service. Burial will follow in the adjoining cemetery. The family will…

I’m usually a little preoccupied with things I shouldn’t be preoccupied with. If it’s not fall, I’m still thinking about football. And admittedly, that’s a bit of a disservice to all the kids in this county that excel at a sport other than football. Well, something caught my eye this week. Something that I—and I’m…

A year after the April 22, 2009 public hearing on re-routing of Alabama Highway 22 in Roanoke, the project is taking a step forward with the second public hearing scheduled for Thursday, April 16. The exact route is unknown, but where 22 meets North Main Street at the American Legion building in Roanoke it is…

Randolph County Narcotics Unit has executed several search warrants and made numerous arrests over the past two months. The cases include: Danny Trae Mayfield, 20, of 1704, County Rd. 71, Woodland, and Dustin Lee McCormick, 19, of 390 County Rd. 481, Woodland, were arrested on March 31 in the Piggly Wiggly parking lot after a…