SLOCOMB — Crawling through a fire truck or visiting with a police officer may not seem to have much to do with reading, but actually it does, at least at Slocomb Elementary School.

ELBA - New Elba City School Superintendent Terry Spicer flashed a smile as the first school board meeting of his tenure concluded Thursday night.

Enrollment is up in the Dothan City Schools overall this year, with growth in the elementary schools making up for losses in the middle and high schools.

When contracts for the John A. Conti Work Center began drying up because of the recession, the director of vocational services, Paige Burtram, knew she had to find a new source of employment for the 53 individuals with intellectual disabilities the center serves.

An aging population is increasing the demand for respiratory therapists, giving some Wallace Community College students a lucrative job opportunity.

Yes We Can! Dothan is hoping to change public perception of Dothan’s schools by giving local residents a chance to see them first hand.

Students from Dale County schools visited Wallace Community College on Friday to learn about water and its importance to industry and life.

Cloverdale Elementary School was one of several local elementary schools participating in a nationwide mass reading of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

Local school systems are each finding their own way to cope with a 7.5 percent across-the-board state budget cut this year that comes on top of a nearly 11 percent cut in funding last year.

School nurses around Alabama are preparing for a mass vaccination later this fall for swine flu.

The Dothan City School Board welcomed three new members and one familiar face Thursday night.

Wallace Community College is reporting a double-digit increase in enrollment this semester, driven in part by recession economics and a new scholarship program.

Henry County voters reapproved an existing one mill property tax but decided against a new three mill tax Tuesday.

The Alabama Dual Party Relay Board will give Troy University $1.5 million over five years to fund its training program for interpreters for the deaf.

Test scores for elementary school students in Dothan finished tied for first out of a field of 13 Alabama school systems in a study released Monday by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, but the numbers weren’t as good at the middle school and high school levels.

Henry County voters will head to the polls Tuesday to weigh in on whether to approve more taxes for education funding.

DALEVILLE - A half-million dollar energy efficiency project completed at Daleville City Schools is expected to pay for itself within a matter of years.

Three Scions custom designed by high school students from Houston County are ready to be judged.

Some short-term inconveniences are expected to reap massive benefits and growth at a Dale County school.

The deal is done, by unanimous vote, and signed by state Rep. Terry Spicer to take the job of Elba City Schools superintendent.

Deana Stinson has two children in college using money from state Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program contracts to pay their way, and she has another child in high school who also intends to use a PACT contract.

The Dothan City School Board on Monday approved new contracts for nine principals, accounting for $674,152 in salaries.

After the second near-miss in as many days involving a school bus and dangerous traffic near the intersection of U.S. 84 and state Road 123, Wicksburg High School Principal Cheryl Smith knew something had to be done.

It’s not every day that you find kids staying after school who actually want to be there, but that’s exactly what was happening in Chris Manasco’s class Friday.

OZARK - Nine-year-old Rick Sherman fumbled with a computer mouse after finishing some multiplication work.

A spike in absences in the Houston County and Dothan City schools attributed to swine flu appear to have tapered off, and absentee rates are getting back to normal, according to authorities.

A group of concerned residents made their first step in building a broad-based support organization for PASS Academy on Tuesday.

A new state grant will help Wallace Community College continue to train workers in welding, a career field that appears to be almost recession proof, according to school officials.

Out of 20 applicants considered for the Elba City School superintendent’s job, the Elba City School Board chose State Rep. Terry Spicer, even though he doesn’t have one of the required prerequisites for the position.

A new grant will help Wallace Community College nursing students find work in the growing field of elder care while they complete their studies.