Local Christmas help praise. See page A4.
All-American Tang Soo Do. See page A7.
Business Spotlight: Piggly Wiggly/Ace Hardware. See page A8.
50¢ | Vol. 144, No. 5
Hometown Newspaper of Elizabeth Segars — Est. 1879 | Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Elect
Jason
Miller PROBATE JUDGE
Pd.Pol.Adv.by Jason Miller, 605 Elm Circle, Russellville, AL 35653
CONTRIBUTED/MEGAN BEAN Franklin County students make the 2023 fall President’s List.
Local students named to Mississippi State University’s fall 2023 President’s List By Staff Reports
More than 4,500 students were named to the fall 2023 President’s List at Mississippi State University. The following local students are included in this honor: • Angelia Mims, Phil Campbell • Dylan Hester, Vina • Lydia Morphis, Vina • Levi Gist, Russellville • Bailey Bolton, Red Bay • Alexis Tabbs, Red Bay • Samuel Scott, Russellville • Madelynn Green, Russellville Students on the President’s List at MSU achieved a 3.80 or better GPA, based on a 4.0 scale, while completing at least 12 semester hours of coursework with no incomplete grades or grades lower than a C. Some students may not appear on this list as a result of requests for privacy from publication through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Index Records ........................ A3 Opinion ........................ A4 Kids ............................... A5 Worship ........................ A6 Sports ........................... B1 Classifieds ................... B4 Ak Akins k Funera ral a Home Our family has been serving Franklin County since 1949.
Offering compassionate service and advice during the most difficult of times. Staff is always available, 24/7 13455 Hwy. 43 – Russellville, Alabama
256-332-1131
CONTRIBUTED
Students in the RHS fire science program get hands-on experience fighting fire.
RFD, RHS collab promotes job readiness, community safety By María Camp maria.camp@ franklincountytimes.com Eight students, all juniors and seniors, are taking part in a new program that started last fall to train them in fire science. With the Russellville Fire Department reporting last April that 55% of the department was either eligible or would be eligible to retire within the next five years, it’s a measure intended to attempt to mitigate some of the impact that will be felt as those firefighters retire. “We are very excited about our partnership with the Russellville Fire Department,” explained Shelley Montgomery, director of career and technical education at Russellville City Schools. “It’s a win-win for our students and community. Our first year is off to a great start. Two of our students have already earned their telecommunication certification, and several have indicated a desire to pursue careers in public safety, including one as a firefighter and one as a paramedic.” Montgomery said the class allows the students to learn more about careers in fire science while earning industryrecognized credentials and getting a jump-start on their future careers, also helping provide a “much-needed workforce pipeline” to the fire
Araceli Promotor receives her certification for Public Safety Communicator I and II. department. “The goal of the career tech programs is always to provide students with career opportunities that are in demand in our area,” she added. “This allows our students to learn hands-on skills from firefighters currently working in the field while also making us able to supply the fire depart-
ment with the skilled workers they need.” Montgomery said the plan is to open the program up to freshmen and sophomores in the fall. This year’s program is restricted to juniors and seniors. She explained what’s under development is a multi-year plan for the program. Current students
took Firefighting I last semester and are taking Firefighting II this semester. Beginning in the fall, three additional courses will be offered — Fire Science I, Fire Science II and Emergency Services and Management. Montgomery said the multi-year plan is for ninth and tenth graders to take Fire Science I and II,
eleventh graders to take Firefighting I and II and twelfth graders to take Emergency Services and Management. RFD’s Lt. John James is the lead instructor for the program. Sgt. Chris Watkins and Sgt. Grant Tarascou serve as substitutes.
See FIREFIGHTING , Page A2