Community calendar. See page A3.
Kids page. See page A5.
Tax-free weekend. See page A4.
50¢ | Vol. 144, No. 8
Hometown Newspaper of Susie Hovater Malone — Est. 1879 | Wednesday, February 21, 2024
Elect
Jason
Miller PROBATE JUDGE
Pd.Pol.Adv.by Jason Miller, 605 Elm Circle, Russellville, AL 35653
CONTRIBUTED/KEVIN TAYLOR, TIMES DAILY
Northwest Shoals Community College freshman, Silvie Miller, is the first NWSCC student to be crowned Miss Northwest Shoals since 1955.
RHS graduate crowned Miss Northwest Shoals By María Camp maria.camp@ franklincountytimes.com
Russellville High School graduate Silvie
Miller, a freshman at Northwest Shoals Community College, has been crowned Miss Northwest Shoals. The competition, an
official preliminary for the Miss Alabama/Miss America system, took place Saturday evening in the Lou B. Bevill Center on the college’s
Phil Campbell campus. Miller’s achievement marks the first time since 1995 that a NWSCC student has won the title. Seven women vied
for the title of Miss Northwest Shoals, showcasing their talents and grace through five stages
of competition, including private interview, onstage question, health and fitness, talent and
See MISS NORTHWEST SHOALS, Page A2
RHS graduate crowned Miss UNA By María Camp maria.camp@ franklincountytimes.com University of North Alabama junior Madeline Cooper, of Russellville, has was crowned Miss UNA 2024 at the Miss UNA program Saturday evening in Norton Auditorium on the UNA campus. She performed “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl” for the talent portion of the program. The Miss UNA program is an official preliminary for the Miss Alabama and the Miss America events.
Index Records ........................ A3 Opinion ........................ A4 Kids ............................... A5 Worship ........................ A6 Sports ........................... B1 Classifieds ................... B3 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
The program provides an opportunity for contestants to compete for scholarship funding and prizes. In addition to the Miss UNA title, Cooper was recognized as the winner for the Outstanding Service Award. She will compete for the title of Miss Alabama at an event that will take place later this year. She is pursuing secondary education in the area of social science. “I am so excited for the opportunity to go to Miss Alabama!” Cooper said. “I grew up watching Miss Alabama, my first experience being when I went as a Rising Start in 2012. To think that I will be on that stage this summer is astounding! I simply cannot wait. There is a lot of preparation to be done, but the honor of representing North Alabama makes my heart soar!” Cooper is the 49th student to be crowned with the title, a tradition that began in 1974 when Pam Long was the first student to serve as Miss UNA. As part of this year’s event, organizers invited previous winners to attend and be recognized. “We had the honor of announcing them to the audience as part of this year’s show,” said Becca Bush, the Miss UNA event organizer as well as assistant director
Madeline Cooper, of Russellville, receives the crown as the new Miss UNA. of student activities. “We were so excited to welcome back these women who truly laid the foundation of the Miss UNA Scholarship Competition to develop women to be confident servant leaders in their communities.” 17 competed for the title of Miss UNA in five stages, including private interview, on-stage ques-
tion, health and fitness, talent/HERstory and evening gown. In addition to Cooper, other winners included: • Caroline Coleman, of Lawrenceburg, Tenn., as first runner-up • Jada Winston, of Pelham, as second runnerup • Maggie Keller, of Alabaster, as third run-
CONTRIBUTED/UNA PHOTOGRAPHY
ner-up • Jada Winston, of Pelham, as Miss Congeniality • Maggie Keller, of Alabaster, and Tristin Williamson, of Opp, as the Talent winners As Miss UNA, Cooper will receive a one-year tuition scholarship as well as a Miss UNA Custom Designed Ring, provided
by Creative Jewelers in downtown Florence. Jada Winston, of Pelham, was the winner of the pair of gold earrings set with an emerald-cut amethyst for receiving the most votes for her custom ring design. As part of the ongoing planning for this year’s
See MISS UNA, Page A2