The Southern Star

11/15/2025

Dale County and Ozark leaders celebrate shared bond with proclamation signing

By Christina Faulkner The Ozark City Council meeting opened on a note of unity and gratitude as Dale County Commission Chairman Steve McKinnon and Ozark Mayor Charles Ward came together to sign the 2025 Alabama Farm-City Week Proclamation. The joint proclamation, shared annually between the city and...

11/15/2025

From Chief to Mayor: Ozark’s finest honors Ward for legacy of service and integrity

By Christina Faulkner During Tuesday’s Ozark City Council meeting, it quickly became apparent that something special was about to happen. More uniformed police officers than usual filled the council chamber — a clear sign that the evening held more than routine city business. While it might have...

11/15/2025

Last week while I was out of town, Mr. Peter Bruggink notified us via email that as a YouTube TV Subscriber watching college football, fans possibly could not watch their favorite teams on ABC or ESPN because of a Disney/YouTube TV blackout. Games on Fox, CBS, or other non-Disney networks were not affected.
As a caveat, Mr. Bruggink was offering a solution to this issue using the Sling Day Pass for 24-hour access to the Orange package, which included ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3. It was not confirmed at the time whether this would be beneficial to those games airing on the SEC Network, for which the Sports Extra add-on might be required.
As of this week, I have been notified by Mr. Bruggink that YouTube TV and Google reached an agreement with Disney so you may not need to activate your Sling Pass today.
The big question, will Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin walk over to the Gator side during the half? — Peter Bruggink
The games and the channels on which they will air with their start times are listed below:
SEC Games
11:00 a.m. South Carolina @ Texas A&M ESPN
11:45 a.m. Arkansas @ LSU SEC Network
12:30 p.m. Tennessee Tech @ Kentucky SEC Network Plus
2:30 p.m. Oklahoma @ Alabama ABC
3:15 p.m. New Mexico State @ Tennessee SEC Network
6:00 p.m. Florida @ Ole Miss ESPN
6:30 p.m. Texas @ Georgia ABC
6:45 p.m. Mississippi State @ Missouri SEC Network
Open Date: Auburn, Vanderbilt
Other Conferences
11:00 a.m. South Florida @ Navy
11:00 a.m. Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh
11:00 a.m. Michigan @ Northwestern
11:00 a.m. Wisconsin @ Indiana
11:00 a.m. Arizona @ Cincinnati
2:30 p.m. UCF @ Texas Tech
2:30 p.m. Georgia Tech @ Boston College
2:30 p.m. Appalachian State @ James Madison
2:30 p.m. Virginia @ Duke
2:30 p.m. North Carolina State @ Miami (FL)
2:30 p.m. Iowa @ USC
6:00 p.m. Utah @ Baylor
6:30 p.m. UCLA @ Ohio State
9:15 p.m. TCU @ BYU
Thank you, Mr. Bruggink for sharing your knowledge and thoughts.

SEC GAMES
11:00AM South Carolina Texas A&M ESPN
11:45AM Arkansas LSU SEC Network
12:30PM Tennessee Tech Kentucky SEC Network Plus
2:30PM Oklahoma Alabama ABC
3:15PM New Mexico State Tennessee SEC Network
6:00PM Florida Ole Miss ESPN
6:30PM Texas Georgia ABC
6:45PM Mississippi State Missouri SEC Network
Open Date: – Auburn, Vanderbilt
OTHER
11:00 AM South Florida Navy
11:00 AM Notre Dame 23 Pittsburgh
11:00 AM Michigan Northwestern
11:00 AM Wisconsin Indiana
11:00 AM Arizona Cincinnati
2:30 PM UCF Texas Tech
2:30 PM Georgia Tech Boston College
2:30 PM Appalachian State James Madison
2:30 PM Virginia Duke
2:30 PM North Carolina State Miami (FL)
2:30 PM Iowa USC
6:00 PM Utah Baylor
6:30 PM UCLA Ohio State
9:15 PM TCU BYU

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11/15/2025

‘Son of a Son’ brings Buffett’s journey to life at Flowers

By Christina Faulkner The tropical rhythms of Jimmy Buffett’s music will drift through the Flowers Center for the Performing Arts this week as Son of a Son, an original play written by Shawn Shirley and directed by Drew Kelley, takes the stage November 14 and 15. The production traces Buffett’s ...

11/14/2025

Ozark–Dale County Library rededicates monument honoring Revolutionary War veterans

By Mac Bates History is something that must be cherished—and that’s exactly what the Ozark–Dale County Library strives to do. On November 7, the library rededicated a monument and flagpole that honors the veterans of the Revolutionary War who settled in Dale County and laid the foundation for ...

11/14/2025

How Farm and City give thanks in November

Submitted by County Extension Coordinator Melissa Voynich November is nationally known as a month to pause and give thanks, and as the weather turns chilly and the ground starts to freeze, our Alabama growers get a different kind of pause. Between the harvesting, the pumpkin patches, and the cotton....

11/14/2025

Beyond the Myths: Bats play critical roles in environment

By Justin Miller As the only mammal capable of true flight, the bat is one of the most fascinating creatures in the world. From countless television shows and movies to Halloween décor, bats have become cultural phenomena. With this fascination comes a flurry of popular myths and misconceptions. In...

11/13/2025

Don’t miss this week’s Southern Star! This edition is packed with the latest news from Ozark, Dale County — along with big moments from our local high school sports. Here’s a look at what you’ll find inside:
This week’s issue features our front-page coverage of the Farm-City Week Proclamation signing, where Dale County and Ozark leaders came together in a show of cooperation and gratitude ahead of Thanksgiving. Also on the front page, we take readers inside Son of a Son, the new Jimmy Buffett-inspired play taking the stage at the Flowers Center this weekend and the Ozark Police Department surprises Mayor Charles Ward with a heartfelt recognition of his decades of service.
For our readers following education and youth programs, we highlight local achievements you won’t want to miss — including the Dale County Retirees Association’s program featuring Boys & Girls Club CEO Jessica Moore and the many new opportunities now available at the Teen Vision Center. You’ll also find Extension updates, scholarship winners, community youth spotlights, and more throughout the paper — from new business celebrations to local events, veteran tributes, county extension news, op-eds, and letters to the editor.
Pick up your copy today or read online at ozarkal.news. Thank you for supporting your hometown newspaper — keeping Ozark and Dale County informed since 1867.

11/12/2025

Football Contest Winners
First, we want to apologize for not publishing the winners of the Football Contest in this week’s print issue of The Southern Star. Circumstances beyond our control prevented the development of this article and subsequent publication.
Second, we want to congratulate Oakland Enfinger on his 1st place win with only five missed games this week! Great job.
In second place, we have Bill Riley, who missed just six games.
We had four entries miss seven games; eight entries missed eight games; nine entries missed nine games; three entries missed ten games; and four entries missed eleven games.
Despite our oversight, we sincerely hope everyone continues to play next week as we look forward to your continued participation. Remember, entries may be submitted via email at [email protected] or in person at 373 Ed Lisenby Drive in Ozark before 4:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, or by mail if received before noon on Monday and postmarked before 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

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11/08/2025

City of Ozark inaugurates new mayor, council members

By Christina Faulkner The City of Ozark marked a historic new chapter Monday morning, November 3, with the inauguration of Mayor Charles Ward and six members of the Ozark City Council. The ceremony, held at Matthews Scippio Academy Church of God by Faith on Willa Circle, filled the sanctuary to capa...

11/08/2025

Ariton welcomes new mayor and honors longtime public servants

By Christina Faulkner The Town of Ariton marked a momentous occasion Sunday afternoon, November 2, with an inauguration ceremony at First Baptist Church, celebrating the swearing-in of Mayor Ben Key and the newly elected Town Council. Those taking the oath of office alongside Mayor Key were council....

11/07/2025

Rotary Club’s annual auction raises more than $40,000 for local charities

By Christina Faulkner The Warehouse in downtown Ozark buzzed with excitement Thursday evening, October 30, as more than 100 guests gathered for the Ozark Rotary Club’s Annual Charity Auction. The highly anticipated event raised over $40,000, with proceeds benefiting several local nonprofits, inclu...