The Clarke County Democrat Podcast

Thomasville won three games at the Class 3A softball South Regional in Gulf Shores before being eliminated by a 6-3 loss to T.R. Miller on May 14. Losing pitcher Mary Lindsey Drinkard gave up five runs on nine hits in four innings while Kianna Smith had a hit and two RBIs for the Tigers (32-12). “We got a little bit out of everybody,” Thomasville coach Robby Carpenter said of contributions from hi...

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Graduation season has a way of making you stop and reflect. As we were getting ready for my granddaughter’s graduation this week, we were going through her awards and scholarship. I was excited to hear about all of her accomplishments. Of course, we have been part of her journey since the day she was born, but there is something special about watching a child cross that stage at high school gradua...

Our much-anticipated 2026 primary elections are next Tuesday, May 19. Alabamians have awaited the election for months. This is a major year in Alabama politics. All constitutional offices and legislative seats are on the ballot. Most states elect governors during presidential election years. Alabama, along with several other Southern states, holds gubernatorial races during what is nationally know...

I am going on a Mediterranean cruise shortly. It will be my first international trip since COVID and a lot has changed since I last traveled abroad. Now we all obsess over luggage weight. If your suitcase weighs more than 50 pounds, you are in trouble. I am packing lightly and carefully editing my wardrobe. Thankfully warm weather means lighter clothes. I will also be wearing comfortable tennis sh...

MAY 21 The Clarke County Education Retirees will meet May 21 at 11:45 a.m. at Davids Catfish House in Thomasville. There will be a birthday celebration. Those attending are asked to bring can goods and paper goods. JUNE 1 White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, will hold a board meeting June 1 at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. JUNE 6 Grove Hill Arts Council will host a Coffee Painting class Jun...

Camden Jones pitched a complete-game three-hitter and Clarke Prep put the game away with a six-run fifth inning as the defending champion Gators returned to the AISA baseball finals with a 9-3 win over Lowndes Academy on May 7 at Paterson Field in Montgomery. Clarke Prep (27-10) swept the semifinal series after winning the opener 6-4 in extra innings. The Gators meet Southern Academy in the AISA C...

Zakiya Pritchett had three hits and drove in five runs to lead Thomasville to a 24-0 win over visiting Dallas County on May 4 to win the 3A Area 4 softball tournament. Winning pitcher Zion Howard allowed one hit in the three-inning mercy rule contest. Kianna Smith had two hits and two RBIs while Imani Brothers and Howard each had a hit and two RBIs. The Tigers advanced to the South Regional in Gul...

Fresh off a runner-up finish in the AISA finals, six Clarke Prep players were selected to participate in the AISA Softball All-Star event. Selected were seniors Drue Flint, Kelsen-Ann Davis and Kady Thomas along with juniors Brooke Brasell, Addie Hicks and Malli Gates. The games were played May 4 at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. Article Link

Thomasville saw its season end with 20-1 and 10-1 losses to No. 8-ranked Lee-Scott Academy in the third round of the Class 3A state baseball playoffs in Auburn on May 6-7. The Tigers (21-11) captured the 3A Area 4 title and won 15 of their last 18 games —including 13 straight — to reach the quarterfinals. “I am incredibly proud of this group of guys,” Thomasville coach John David Phillips said. “W...

Anna Grace Johnson, 22, passed away far too soon, leaving behind a world that was brighter because she was in it. A 2022 graduate of Fairhope High School, Anna Grace was fearless in the way she lived and loved. She proudly served in the United States Air Force Reserves while building a new life in Fort Collins, where she attended Colorado State University. Anna Grace found happiness and freedom in...

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Clarke County Parks and Recreation Board Chairman Darryl D. Perryman presented a donation to the Clarke County High School baseball program to support equipment acquisition. Bulldogs coach Will Buford is seen accepting the donation. Article Link

Clarke County High School Principal Christopher Young was honored on Principal’s Week. Article Link

Wilson Hall Middle School Principal Dr. Carolyn Taite was honored on Principal’s Week. Article Link

Every year, the ladies of our church host a tea the week before Mother’s Day. It is a special tradition that brings everyone together for fellowship, a shared meal and a message that always leaves us with something to carry home. This year, however, the message began before our guest speaker ever stepped inside the church. On the Wednesday before Saturday’s tea, our scheduled speaker called our mu...

I have been watching a lot of YouTube and Facebook lately and the ads drive me crazy. So many of them feel fake and I often wonder if they are AI-generated. There are endless ads about losing weight. You would think everyone would be skinny by now. One minute there is a “Korean gelatin trick” and the next there is another ad explaining why it failed. According to them, it only didn’t work because...

A couple of years ago, Democratic Party legal groups found a sympathetic federal panel in the Northern District of Alabama, and that court created a new minority Democratic congressional district. That district came into existence a little more than a year ago. The Constitution gives state legislatures the power to draw congressional and legislative districts. For decades, Alabama’s Legislature cr...

MAY 10 Red Blood Cross Drive May 10 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Thomasville United Methodist Church in Thomasville. JUNE 1 White Smith Memorial Library, Jackson, will hold a board meeting June 1 at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. JUNE 6 Grove Hill Arts Council will host a Coffee Painting class June 6 at 11 a.m. led by local artist Karla Taylor. The class costs and includes supplies, with coffe...

Coleman Pilkington allowed four hits and didn’t walk anybody in a complete-game win as Thomasville nipped Providence Christian 3-1 in the decisive third game of the Class 3A second-round playoff series on May 1 at Donnie Fendley Field. The Tigers (21-9) go to Auburn to meet Lee- Scott Academy (24-11) in the quarterfinals with a doubleheader Thursday at 4 p.m. and a third game Friday at noon if nee...

GULF SHORES — Jackson High School won a third straight state championship in the Class 4A boys 4x100-meter relay at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s outdoor track and field championships on Saturday. The Aggies pulled off the threepeat with two new members of the squad and without Mr. Football E.J. Crowell, now playing at Alabama, and Landon Duckworth, now playing at South Carolina....

Thomasville softball star Imani Brothers signed with the University of West Florida on April 30. Tigers coach Robby Carpenter said the Argonauts got a steal in Brothers. “She is one of the best players I have ever coached,” he said. “She is five-tool, a complete package. There couldn’t be a person more deserving … Her work ethic has been impeccable for six years. Her character matches that. “She h...

Kianna Smith was 3 for 3 with six RBIs, including a two-run home run, to pace Thomasville to a 10-1 win over visiting Leroy on April 28. Zion Howard earned the win, allowing three hits in a complete game. Kloee Rollins had two hits and an RBI and Aryana Burroughs added a hit and an RBI. • Thomasville 6, WCHS 4 On April 30, Howard allowed three runs on four hits in three innings to get the win. Rol...

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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. Article Link