THE SOUTHERN TORCH / FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021 / VOL. 7, NO. 18 / $1.00
FP approves lease for DeSoto Golf Course
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Barnett set to be Superintendent at Guntersville City Schools
DeSoto Golf Course is in new hands after the Fort Payne City Council approved a lease for the property at Tuesday's special called meeting. (Las Crucs Bulletin)
By Zach Hester, Reporter • zach@southerntorch.com FORT PAYNE, Ala. — (Full video at southerntorch.com) The DeSoto Golf Course is expected to reopen under new management next month. On Tuesday, the Fort Payne City Council approved a three-year lease on the property for Darrel Shankles, who will serve as the property's new owner. The council previously closed the property earlier this year due to financial issues. "I think Mr. Shankles coming in, being one of us, a citizen of Fort Payne and [wanting] to help us have this thing be successful...that's like a blessing in disguise," said Council President Walter Watson. The lease passed the council with a 3-2 vote. Shankles will serve as owner and operator of the property for at least three years. According to discussion during the special called meeting, Shankles will have the option to purchase the course in the amount of $225,000. The DeSoto Golf Course is a nine-hole course in Fort Payne, featuring more than 3,000 yards of golf with a par of 36. It first opened in 1961. In addition to a golf course, the property is also capable of serving as a place for public meetings, meals, and larger corporate events.
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SPORTS • Record Breakers! • Crossville soccer advances to round 3 • 2 state champs continue basketball careers
CRIME • Saturation in southern DeKalb County leads to 17 arrests • CONTINUED: Local shooting leads to arrest
DeKalb County Superintendent Dr. Jason Barnett and his wife Leah at the DeKalb County Courthouse on election night in 2016. (Photo by Southern Torch)
By Zach Hester Reporter zach@southerntorch.com DeKALB COUNTY, Ala. — DeKalb County Superintendent Dr. Jason Barnett is set to be the next Superintendent of
Education at Guntersville City Schools. “Last night, it was announced that I am the top choice of the Guntersville City Board of Education to serve [as] its Superintendent of
Education,” said Dr. Barnett. “I consider this a great honor and a statement of support not only for me but specifically in regards for the great work that we have accomplished in DeKalb County.”
According to Barnett, members of the DeKalb County Board of Education will appoint his replacement on an interim basis to serve until his term expires on
>> See BOE, P4
Cunningham to retire as Geraldine Fort Payne Superintendent shooting leads to arrest
By Zach Hester Reporter zach@southerntorch.com
GERALDINE, Ala. — Last Thursday, Fort Payne City Schools Superintendent Jim Cunningham announced his retirement, effective October 1, 2021. "I want to thank you for the opportunity you've given me for the past 36 years of working for Fort Payne City Schools," Cunningham said. "This has been the best thing that's ever happened because of the great school system and great community." Cunningham is a lifelong Fort Payne native and a 1975 graduate of Fort Payne
Fort Payne City Schools Superintendent Jim Cunningham announced his upcoming retirement last week. (Fort Payne City Schools | fpcsk12.com)
High School. He completed a bachelor's degree in education at Jacksonville State University (JSU) in 1979 and began his career in Jackson County shortly after. He began work at his alma mater in 1984, and has held various positions within the school system ever since, including: assistant
principal at Fort Payne High School, principal at Forest Avenue Elementary, principal at Wills Valley Elementary, principal at Fort Payne High School, and eventually, superintendent. During Tuesday's meeting, Cunningham also moved to reward school staff for going above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic with a one-time supplemental payment of $1,250 for all regular and certified employees if they worked during the 2020-21 school year. Updates were not given on the process of finding Cunningham's replacement might begin.
(DeKalb Co. Sheriff's Office)
By Southern Torch Staff admin@southerntorch.com GERALDINE, Ala. — On April 25, at approximately 12:50 pm, law enforcement and rescue personnel were dispatched to the area of
>> See CRIME, P7
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