SPORTS: Local talent to represent north in North-South All-Star football game
M adison RECORD WEDNESDAY November 3, 2021
THE
443 79-1
Free Edition • Published Every Wednesday
themadisonrecord.com
@themadisonrecord
themadisonrecord
Is it time to end mandated masking in schools?
INSIDE
Nichols to submit two proposals for COVID matrix at Nov. 4 school board meeting
Hero’s welcome The Semper Fi Community Task Force (SFCTF) of North Alabama will host the 14th Annual Heroes’ Week, Nov. 5-12. The SFCTF all-volunteer staff will host military Heroes and their spouses or caregivers, and they need your help to welcome them. Page 2A
Madison Co. Schools ended mask mandate this week
By JOHN FEW john@themadisonrecord.com MADISON – Madison City Schools Superintendent unveiled his two proposals to the school board on Nov. 4 he hopes will transition the district from mandated masks to optional. An earlier proposal last month was rejected by the school board. “During the past several weeks, we have been blessed to
showed 1,000 cases out see a decline in positive of 800,000 students and cases of COVID in our staff, which is a decline district, community, from approximately and state,” Nichols said. 8,500 in early Septem“Last week, we experiber. enced nine positive casThe proposals for a es out of 13,600 students COVID matrix, which and staff in the district. would determine the This number fell from school district’s mask close to 100 in early SepDr. Nichols policy, were outlined tember.” According to Nichols, the state- in an email to parents on Friday. wide school numbers last week See MASKING Page 7A
EVENTS
City responds to lawsuits filed over Dana Fletcher 2019 shooting
Special events
The Burritt on the Mountain’s inaugural “Round Top Folk Festival”, and Randolph School’s 37th “Under the Christmas Tree” event will be held this weekend. Page 5A
By JOHN FEW john@themadisonrecord.com
SCHOOLS
James Clemens Theater play The audience on Nov. 4 can witness the twists and trauma of “The Rimers of Eldritch,” James Clemens Theatre’s one-act play for 2021. Page 6A
SPORTS
Football With speed, agility and just plain celebrated athleticism, Will Stokes is making noise among Class 4A football. His striking talents have helped lead the Mustangs into the post-season playoffs as the No. 1 ranked team in Alabama. Page 1B
CLASSIFIEDS
FIND JOBS INSIDE: There are plenty of jobs within today’s classifieds pages. See page 4A.
INSIDE Records .......... 2A Events ............. 5A Education ........ 6A Sports ............. 1B
Business ......... 4B Kids................. 5B Church ............ 6B Lifestyles ......... 7B
THE WALKING TOUR OF HISTORIC MADISON SMARTPHONE APP - A local Girl Scout and a group of volunteer organizations have teamed up to ensure tales of how Madison came to be, and the people who shaped it into a place once known as Madison Station, are preserved and easily accessible. Finley Koswoski, a member of the Girl Scouts of North Alabama, has been working hard to complete an app allowing visitors to the city’s historic downtown district to take a self-guided walking tour while reading or listening to the interesting tales from the past that are ties to specific locations along the walk. “The Walking Tour of Historic Madison Smartphone App is a joint project with the Rotary Club of Madison-Sunset Group, the Madison Visionary Partners, the Madison Station Historical Preservation Society, and the Girl Scouts of North Alabama,” stated Bailey Erickson, who inspired Finley to take on the project for her Girl Scout Gold Award. “It was developed to showcase the historic and business district of downtown Madison for visitors and citizens alike.” Erickson said the app will “go live” from 1-2:30 p.m. on Nov. 13. “On that same day, Girls Scout leader Ashley Creekmore and her Girl Scouts will be dressed in historic costume at approximately 25 of the historic locations along the route,” Erickson said. “The unveiling of the app will coincide with the unveiling of the completed renovation of the historic Madison Roundhouse on Front Street.” The event is free to the public. See the feature story about the project in the November issue of Madison Living Magazine (www.madisonlivingmagazine.com). Finley Koswoski and Bailey Erickson are pictured above dressed in late 19th century attire in front of one of the historic homes in Madison. Photo by William Aycock
MADISON – Two years ago today, Dana Fletcher, 39, was killed by a Madison Police officer in the parking lot of Planet Fitness on Hwy 72 in Madison. Today, Madison officials responded to a lawsuits filed yesterday by members of the Fletcher family against the City of Madison and city officials. The suits, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and the Madison County Circuit Court, name the city, Mayor Paul Finley, Madison Police Chief Johnny Gandy, and current city council members as defendants. “The City of Madison is aware of a lawsuit filed arising out of a law enforcement encounter with Dana Fletch-
See FLETCHER Page 7A
Hogan Family YMCA to host annual Veterans Prayer Breakfast By GREGG PARKER Gregg@themadisonrecord.com MADISON - Patriotic music will lift spirits of the audience as they lift up military personnel in gratitude and prayer at the 15th annual YMCA Veterans Prayer Breakfast. Heart of the Valley YMCA is sponsor. Craig and Steven Hogan Family YMCA in Madison will host the event on Nov. 5. Doors will open at 6:45 a.m. for check-in and a coffee social. The program will start promptly at 7:30 a.m. See YMCA Page 7A
James Clemens leads the four local schools into the AHSAA Football Playoffs. The fifth-ranked Jets competed its first ever perfect regular season. Photo by William Aycock
Local teams begin quest for state championship By BOB LABBE bob0873@yahoo.com MADISON- All seven defending state champions return for the chance to post back-to-back titles in their respective classi-
fications as part of the AHSAA state football playoffs. Among the field of 208 schools to qualify for the post-season face offs are the four local Madison area schools in Bob Jones, James Clemens, Sparkman and
Madison Academy. In Class 7A, James Clemens will host Oak Mountain on Thursday, Nov. 4 at Madison City Schools Stadium, Bob Jones will host Hewitt-TrussSee PLAYOFFS Page 8B
443902-1
16 pages • 2 sections