By Rubin E. Grant When junior guard Colby Jones transferred from Pinson Valley to Mountain Brook at the start of this school year, Spartans basketball coach Bucky McMillan had an idea of what kind of player he was getting. As a sophomore at Pinson last season, Jones demonstrated college-level skills while averaging 23.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists, leading the … [Read more...]
Camp 101: Winnataska Begins Second Century of Summer Fun
Check out our 2019 OTMJ Camp Guide (on page 20). By June Mathews In the summer of 1918, a group of soon-to-be campers boarded a train in Birmingham and set out for the adventure of their lives. Traveling the last 5 miles of the journey on foot, they ended up on the banks of Kelly Creek in southern St. Clair County at a new camp called Winnataska. The camp’s … [Read more...]
‘We Know What It Takes’: Jaguars Girls Basketball Team Working to Reprise Last Year’s Championship Performance
By Blake Ells Last season, Spain Park won its first girls basketball state championship in program history. That has firmly planted a target on the Jaguars this season. “Everyone wants to beat us, and we are going to get everyone’s best when they play us,” said junior Sarah Ashlee Barker. “We can’t go into games overconfident because we are reigning state champs. I think I’ve … [Read more...]
Vestavia to Recognize Community Leaders
On Feb. 26, Frank Hernandez of Regions Bank and Dr. Martin Heslin of the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB will be honored at Leadership Vestavia Hills’ annual Leadership Award Banquet. The community leadership organization will present Hernandez with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Heslin with the 2019 Distinguished Citizen Award.The father of two … [Read more...]
Back on Track: Homewood Hotel Plans Move Ahead After a Year of Delays
By Sam Prickett After close to a year of delays, construction of a boutique hotel in downtown Homewood is moving forward – albeit with a few changes from its developers’ original plans. The five-story, 129-room Valley Hotel is on track to open in late fall 2020 at the corner of 18th Street South and 28th Avenue South, the former location of Hatfield Auto and Little Professor … [Read more...]