Sept. 4, 1949, in The Star: Former Alabama fullback Lou Scales is now in his second year as head coach at Alexandria High School, and as one of Calhoun County's four young head coaches, he is regarded as doing a good job despite the obstacles which are certain to appear when practice facilities are short and material is a lot shorter. The Valley Cubs schedule includes tough teams such as Anniston, Talladega, Oxford, Jacksonville and Piedmont. Just four more days of practice are left for the Valley Cubs before they open the 1949 season with the traditional match against Oxford. Scales has offered particular praise for guards Charles Roberts and Louis Watson, tackle Paul Perry and halfback Bobby Reynolds following the first days of fall practice.

Sept. 4, 1999, in The Star: Hospitals in Calhoun County continue to operate in the black despite the effect of lower Medicare reimbursement rates, hospital administrators here say. The local trend runs somewhat counter to the findings of a recent survey by the Alabama Hospital Association, which found that 62 percent of responding hospitals say they are losing money because of Medicare reimbursement cuts brought about by the federal Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Also this date: Contributing to an overwhelming victory over Hueytown last night, Oxford Yellow Jacket fullback Jack Strother led the way for the team's 195-yard rushing attack with 138 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Strother's two TDs came late in the third quarter, boosting Oxford's lead to 34-0 and effectively putting the game out of reach for the Golden Gophers. The final score was 40-0 for the home team.