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SL Newsdesk

East Central Alabama Roundup

WVOK earns top radio honors, Pickette's keeps its sixty-year produce streak alive, and a new college bridge lets trade graduates step straight into a four-year degree.

LocalEducationFaith6 stories · Sources: Anniston Star, Religion News Service, Baptist News Global
Local

WVOK earns Readers' Choice for Best Radio Station

97.9 FM is celebrating a top honor from the Anniston Star's annual Readers' Choice Awards. Station leaders credit loyal listeners who've stuck with local radio while national formats homogenized the dial.

Pickette's Feed & Pet Supply wins Best Produce — nearly sixty years in

Jim Pickette has been selling produce in Anniston for going on six decades. His store just took the Readers' Choice crown for the category. That's not an algorithm. That's a reputation built one customer at a time.

Safety Village teaches Anniston kids what to do in an emergency

American Legion Post 111 is hosting Safety Village at the Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County — a hands-on program that asks kids the basics: Do you know your home address? When do you call 911? Simple questions that save lives.

Education

JSU and Gadsden State sign a transfer deal that actually makes sense

Graduates of 28 applied science programs at Gadsden State — including healthcare, industrial automation, and computer science — now have a clear path into Jacksonville State's four-year degrees. The kind of practical bridge the region has needed.

JacksonvilleAnniston Star
Faith

A pastor almost died following a chatbot's health advice

Religion News Service reports on a minister who took a chatbot's medical guidance seriously — with near-fatal results. The story is spreading fast in faith circles, raising real questions about the role of AI in pastoral and personal care.

Half-truths and the Ten Commandments

Baptist News Global on statements that sound true — 'The Ten Commandments are displayed in the Supreme Court' — but aren't quite. A useful reminder that the Sixth Commandment is about truth, not just killing.

Sources this week: Anniston Star · Religion News Service · Baptist News Global · SL Newsdesk synthesizes public reporting from regional outlets. Full source links on every item.

Stories from Northeast Alabama — and from the person writing them.