Tag: Featured Stories

As told to Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Four years ago, after completing rounds of chemotherapy and radiation during his second battle with colon cancer, Haruki Yokochi searched for a way to stay healthy. “After I got cancer the first time, I went to the gym five days a week and lifted weights and ran on the treadmill. After

By Wes Tomlinson | Staff Writer In 40 years of teaching elementary school, Carol Shaw said she has learned just as much from her students as they have from her, and she encourages young teachers to develop and maintain a “children-first” mentality. “You have to know where your kids are coming from,” Shaw said. “I know them and I try

By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus Four decades after graduating from college, Betty Koval returned to school in 2016. In the past six years, the 68-year-old Decatur woman took classes on drawing, beginning Italian, mahjong, pickleball, tai chi, pandemics through the arts, stress relief, tailgating foods and mixology. “I have had the most fun. Going to classes has kept

By Bayne Hughes | Living 50 Plus Kids in Decatur Youth Services programs call him “Mr. Rico,” and it’s a term of both respect and endearment for Enrico Pickett Sr. Although he’s 55, Pickett spends much of his life helping those much younger, whether he’s coordinating Youth Services sports leagues, teaching health and sex education or spending time with his children

By Tim Nail | Living 50 Plus Susan Hines, 62, of Hartselle, packed her suitcase for an excursion to Italy at the end of March. She wasn’t just getting ready for a vacation. For her, this trip also aimed to further her knowledge of Italian and Mediterranean cuisine. “I’m going to take a pasta cooking class over there,” Hines said.

By Wes Tomlinson | Living 50 Plus Bobby Hollis smiled as he remembered the first times he heard the iconic voice of Elvis Presley. “My (siblings) were constantly bringing his albums into the house when we were growing up,” Hollis said. “Back then, you had the black-and-white TVs and AM radio if you were lucky enough to have it. If

By Bruce McLellan | Living 50 Plus Flying north from Hartselle toward Decatur in his hot-air balloon decorated with strips of bright colors, Brian Dial found himself in a jam. A relatively new balloon pilot at the time, he wanted to land before his flight got too long. But as he hovered over woods near Flint, there were no large