The Clarke County Democrat Podcast

Years ago, a steel cell door closing behind me taught me a lesson I never forgot. No, I had not been arrested. I was about 10 or 12 years old, and our school had taken us on a field trip to Mobile County Metro Jail. Nearly 50 years later, I can still remember walking through those doors. The jail was nothing like what we see on television today. There was nothing comfortable about it. The room was...

Alabama Girls State is being held this week at the University of Alabama. For more than eight decades, the American Legion Auxiliary’s Alabama Girls State has quietly built one of the most powerful leadership pipelines in the state. What begins as a weeklong immersive experience in government has become something far greater. In Alabama, it has become a premier breeding ground for future governors...

Just think, last week I was sailing on the blue Mediterranean. Now I am back home with a bit of jet lag and a new appreciation for comfortable shoes. I thought I was in pretty good shape from walking and going to the gym regularly. Then I spent nearly two weeks exploring cities on foot. I quickly learned why so many of the locals we saw were trim and fit. They walk everywhere. The weather was cool...

July 3 American Legion will host its annual barbecue July 3. Dine-in service will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and takeout will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Barbecue pork will be per pound with one- and two-pound takeout containers available. Chicken halves and barbecue plates with baked beans, potato salad and bread will be . An all-you-can-eat barbecue meal with sides will be avail...

Jackson High School has turned to a familiar face to lead its boys basketball program, naming Jimmy “BooJu” Martin as the Aggies' next head coach following the departure of Anthony Hayes. Martin steps into the role after spending the past five years as Jackson Middle School head boys basketball coach, Jackson High School junior varsity coach and an assistant under Hayes during one of the most...

After eight seasons, two state championships and a remarkable run of success, Jackson head basketball coach Anthony Hayes resigned to become Monroe County High School’s coach. Hayes was 129-29 with the Aggies while establishing one of the state's premier basketball programs. Veteran assistant coach Jimmy Martin was named the new head coach. “Coaching at Jackson has been one of the greatest ex...

John McKenzie, who took Vigor to the Class 4A state championship in 2021, has been named the new head football coach at McIntosh, where he said he intends to build on the recent success of former coach Josh Harris. McKenzie, who was fired a few weeks after leading the Wolves to the 2024 Class 5A semifinals, is 36-22 overall in his career. He was 31-8 in two stints at Vigor and also coached at Murp...

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Two Clarke County School District teachers were selected as master teaching fellows in the NSF-funded Cultivating Elementary Mathematics Specialists project. Celena McCormick of Gillmore Elementary School and Tiffany Singley of Grove Hill Elementary School were chosen. Article Link

Grove Hill Elementary School recognized Bentley Strong, Michaela Johnson and Skylar Walker for perfect attendance in the 2025-26 school year. Article Link

Sometimes the smallest moments teach us the biggest lessons about grace. When my son William was about 5 years old, we had beautiful pink azaleas blooming along the sidewalk in front of our house. One afternoon, William came to the door carrying a bucket filled with water and the flowers he had picked. “Look, Mama,” he said proudly. “I watered your flowers.” At first, I was upset. He had picked ne...

The dust has settled from the momentous May 19 primaries and there were very few surprises in the statewide results. The turnout was low, which has become the norm for midterm election years in Alabama. The 23% turnout was about what it was four years ago. There were close to 900,000 votes cast. The partisan participation was about 60% Republican and 40% Democratic, which parallels the division of...

Sinking ship marriages — if you are in one, it’s a scary thing … with a lot of anger, defeatism, anxiety and damaged pride as shipmates. But maybe you still feel that you would rather patch the holes that are rapidly taking on water, rather than just bailing out. Maybe you feel the kids deserve a home with both a mom and a dad in it. Maybe, just maybe, you believe that what you two had, at one poi...

JUNE 1 White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, will hold a board meeting June 1 at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. July 3 American Legion will host its annual barbecue July 3. Dine-in service will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and takeout will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Barbecue pork will be per pound with one- and two-pound takeout containers available. Chicken halves and barbecu...

I have always believed if you kill something, there needs to be a reason for it. Deer and turkeys provide food. Coyotes hunt and kill those deer and turkeys. If coyotes are constantly hunting the same deer and turkeys you hunt, you will have much harder hunting seasons. That was the situation I found myself dealing with recently. During deer season, there had been only one coyote showing up on the...

Anglers who fish in Alabama waters will now gain more access to American red snapper, effective the Friday before Memorial Day. The 2026 season for private recreational anglers and state-licensed charter boats opened May 22 and will run seven days a week. The season will remain open until the NOAA Fisheries allocation of 664,552 pounds is projected to be met or Dec. 31, whichever comes first. “Und...

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In nearly 45 years in the media business — including 33 years in newspapers — one thing I have always dreaded is covering tragedies in our communities. As our newspaper group has grown across South Alabama, I now find myself covering painful stories throughout the region. No matter where they happen, it never gets easier. Back in the days before I had enough reporters, I often had to go out and co...

The 2026 regular legislative session has concluded. This is an election year in Alabama. In election years, lawmakers often introduce bills that generate favorable headlines but do little to improve the health and welfare of their constituents. State Rep. David Faulkner of Mountain Brook bucked that trend when he filed and passed legislation creating common-sense regulations for Alabama’s overnigh...

Mo Brooks, a former six-term congressman, was aiming to win a seat in the Alabama Legislature. Such a move is unprecedented, going from one of the world's most exclusive clubs as a member of Congress to likely being relegated to a backbencher in the Alabama House of Representatives. Even his closest longtime confidantes ask, "Why, Mo?" Brooks is a true believer. He always has been....

JUNE 1 White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, will hold a board meeting June 1 at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. July 3 American Legion will host its annual barbecue July 3. Dine-in service will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and takeout will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Barbecue pork will be per pound with one- and two-pound takeout containers available. Chicken halves and barbecu...

MONTGOMERY — Clarke Prep’s bid for back-to-back Class AA AISA baseball titles fell short in a 2-0 loss to Southern Academy in the deciding game of the finals on May 14 at Paterson Field. Southern’s Mason Turner won a duel with the Gators’ Camden Jones as both pitched complete games. Turner pitched a two-hitter with 11 strikeouts while Jones threw a three-hitter and gave up an earned run. Clarke Pr...

Clarke Prep’s softball team finished as the Class AA AISA softball runner-up after falling to Bessemer Academy in the finals on May 2. Bessemer swept the Gators 10-0 and 6-0 but coach Haley Thorpe said the season and her players were defined by resilience, chemistry and unwavering commitment to each another. “This team earned everything they accomplished this season,” said Thorpe, whose team finis...

Thomasville three-sport standout Lyric Thompson signed to play volleyball for Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette on May 15. Thompson, who was also a basketball and track star at THS, said she is ready to get started at CACC. “I’m going to work really, really hard to be a dominant player for the team,” she said. Tigers coach Mary O’Guynn said Thompson will be successful on the next le...