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January 2 - 8
Nominations open for Trussville Chamber’s Gatekeeper Awards
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How 2025 Could Transform Approaches to Dating
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George Bates becomes Mountie head coach
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www.TrussvilleTribune.com
2024 Year in Review
2025
Mi Tierra Linda Supermarket celebrates grand opening in Center Point By Chris Basinger, Staff Writer
From Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. – The Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for its 2024 Ned & Goldie Paine Memorial Gatekeeper Awards.
CENTER POINT, Ala. – Local shoppers looking to expand their palettes can now visit Center Point’s newest food destination–Mi Tierra Linda Supermarket– which held its grand opening last Saturday, Dec. 28.
See GATEKEEPER, Page 5
See SUPERMARKET, Page 5
Winners of Moody Christmas Parade contest announced
Center Point sees two homicides over week of Christmas
From Tribune staff reports
MOODY, Ala. – The winners of the City of Moody’s 2024 Christmas Parade contest on Thursday, Dec. 19 have been announced. More than 80 applications were submitted to be in the parade this year, but See PARADE, Page 5
From Tribune staff reports The state champion Lady Huskies softball team. Photo by Ron Burkett. From Tribune staff reports
To celebrate the new year, here is a look back at some of the biggest local stories from 2024: January • A man stripped naked and jumped into a large
aquarium in the Bass Pro Shops in Leeds. • Crumbl Cookies opened in Trussville. • Nick Saban announced that he would retire as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide after 17 seasons. • Umami announced that
it would open its second location in the Trussville Entertainment District. • TCS Superintendent Dr. Patrick Martin delivered his State of the Schools Address where he looked back on the district’s recent accomplishments and discussed projects
needed to expand capacity at the schools. • A massive fire destroyed an abandoned church in Leeds. • The Argo City Council honored Officer Jason Mitchell as the city’s Of-
CENTER POINT, Ala. – Two separate shootings claimed two lives in Center Point last week. The homicides are being investigated by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and as of Monday, there have been no arrests or charges
See 2024 YEAR, Page 2
See SHOOTINGS, Page 6
Guardian Systems wins Battalion Chief Al Tinney III honored as Leeds Business of the Year Firefighter of the Year From Tribune staff reports
Al Tinney III is honored by American Legion Post 205 as their Firefighter of the Year. Chris Basinger/Trussville Tribune By Chris Basinger, Staff Writer
TRUSSVILLE, Ala. – Clay-Trussville’s American Legion Staff Sgt. Michael W. Hosey Post 205 named
Center Point Fire District Battalion Chief Al Tinney III as its 2024 Firefighter of the Year during last week’s Trussville City Council meeting. Over a dozen fellow first
responders and fire chiefs joined Post 205 in honoring Tinney, who was commemorated for his service with both the Center Point Fire See FIREFIGHTER, Page 5
LEEDS, Ala. – The Leeds Area Chamber of Commerce closed out the year by hosting its annual awards presentation last Thursday, Dec. 19, at First Baptist Church Leeds. The chamber also inducted its 2025 Board of Directors at the event in addition to celebrating local groups and individuals. Guardian Systems, Inc., started in 1973 by Gerald Miller, was named Business of the Year. Gerald and his wife Linda are longtime Leeds residents and have made Guardian Systems a top environmental laboratory in the South and are committed to testing the quality of drinking water, especially in the Leeds community, to ensure its safety. GSI serves many local and national government, municipal, and industrial businesses and is accredited by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Guardian remains one of the last locally and individ-
Business of the Year award winner Guardian Systems. Courtesy of LACC.
ually-owned environmental testing laboratories in the state of Alabama. Leeds Main Street, which has collaborated with property owners and the city to foster growth in the heart of Leeds, won Non-Profit Organization of the Year. One key project the group took on was the revitalization of the pocket park, where they helped restore the existing gazebo by having it freshly painted and adding new Adirondack chairs, lights, and outdoor games. Leeds Main Street also played a pivotal role in adding several vibrant mu-
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rals to downtown and have hosted a series of community events, including most recently Mistletoe on Main. The Ambassador of the Year Award was given to Emanuel Vallejo of Kinetic by Windstream. Vallejo has volunteered many hours of service to the chamber, most recently taking an active role with the chamber’s “Blue Light Weekend” and “Breezy, the Holiday Shopper,” including taking photos around town with Breezy and taking the initiative to have sweaters made for him.
See LEEDS, Page 5