The six award recipients were displayed on posters at the 2025 VISIONS ceremony, - photo by Garrett Pitts Kate Verity Published: Apr 25, 2025, 8:15 PM
The annual VISIONS magazine was The Covington News’ yearly opportunity to highlight a few of the people in Newton County who deserve a little extra special recognition. And each year, the magazine is unveiled in a special banquet honoring award recipients and their dedication to Newton County.
Oftentimes, these individuals or groups catch The News’ eye over the year through a series of contributions which individually may not warrant traditional newspaper coverage. The VISIONS magazine allows The News to put these steadfast cornerstones of Newton County under a spotlight, along with an evening to highlight their contributions.
This year’s VISIONS ceremony was held on Thursday, April 24 in the Banquet Room at Turner Lake. The theme is “Newton County Marches Forward.”
Community Spirit Award
The crown jewel of this year’s VISIONS magazine is the Community Spirit Award. The 2025 recipient was none other than Brian Coates.
Coates is the band director at Alcovy High School, so he knows a thing or two about marching. In his role, Coates routinely goes above and beyond, working in earnest to secure all the best opportunities for his young musicians. This includes over $8 million in scholarship funds in just the last two years alone.
This commitment to the county’s next generation made Coates a shoo-in for an award that aims to highlight someone who keeps Newton County’s spirit alight.
“My motivation for getting up every morning is, at the end of the day, I want to see our students succeed after high school,” Coates said. “It’s great to have a great band program, I love it. That’s my job, but what are you doing after high school? That’s why I spend so much time trying to get these kids into college, trying to get them into scholarships and all that stuff.”
Youth of the Year
Newton County’s budding leaders deserve their time to shine. That is why The News established the Youth of the Year award: To highlight a young individual who shows great promise.
The eighth Youth of the Year award was presented to Robby Thomas, Jr. Thomas is a senior at Eastside High School, where he stands out as one of Newton County’s brightest.
Thomas aims for the stars – both literally and figuratively.
He was named the 2025 Newton County Schools STAR student for his exceptional SAT performance. In the years to come, Thomas hopes to land among the stars more literally by working at NASA.
“While this award is singular, this is not an individual award,” Thomas said. “I want to thank all of my support: My family, my coach, my principal, all of the teachers and students and friends who helped me to get here. I just wanted to say thank you to all of them, and thank you to God as well.”
Employer of the Year
Each year, the Employer of the Year award is earned by an organization or business that embodies the best of Newton County. The Newton County Water and Sewerage Authority (NCWSA) truly stepped up in the last year, earning this honor.
The NCWSA is truly everywhere. Any community event that Newton County could dream up likely had a booth manned by the NCWSA, staffed with several employees showing off their famous ‘Water Monster.’
The award was accepted by several NCWSA staff, led by Executive Director Mike Hopkins and Human Resources Director Tracey Clark.
“We all strive for the same thing, and that’s to serve the public…” Clark said. “I say, don’t come to work here if you don’t want to serve the public. That’s what we’re here for.”
Unsung Heroes
The Newsselects three individuals from Newton County to recognize as Unsung Heroes in every VISIONS publication. The criteria to stand among the trio is slim but significant: Playing a role that deserves a little more recognition than what has been bestowed.
This year, the three individuals chosen as Unsung Heroes are Lanier Sims, Ron Carter and Doug Bolton.
Lanier Sims has served Newton County his whole life, but in recent years, he answered the call more than many know.
Sims served as a county commissioner for several years before stepping down to be with family. Nonetheless, he remained an active cog in the county’s wheel of operations, working tirelessly with the Chamber of Commerce, Industrial Development Authority and Hospital Authority, to name a few. Sims answered the call once more last fall when he agreed to serve as interim chairman of the Newton County Board of Commissioners.
“Everything I do is not for me,” Sims said. “It is for our community, it’s for my kids, it’s for the betterment of Newton County.”
Ron Carter’s face is one that every Covington visitor knows. Carter is the first person that anyone who enters the city’s welcome center sees, and he never fails to greet a stranger with a smile.
Carter takes customer service to unprecedented levels, making him, in many ways, the face of Covington.
“I’m very humbled by this,” Carter said. “As I tell people, I have the best job in the world.”
Doug Bolton is the first award recipient whose honor is being bestowed posthumously.
Bolton, a lifelong Rotarian who woke each day with a spirit of service, has more than earned the recognition of being an Unsung Hero.
Sadly, Bolton passed away last Christmas Eve. His legacy lives on through many, including his wife Sherri, who accepted the award on behalf of her husband Thursday night.
“Doug was a man of faith,” Sherri said. “He was an optimist, and he was very generous with his time, his attention, his resources and his heart. Everything that he did in his life was about serving other people.”
The 2025 edition of VISIONS is comprised of story after story displaying the heart of Newton County, which is lived out every day by those who embody a true spirit of service and dedication to community.
“The reason why I chose to be in journalism, and the real reason why I come to work every day with a smile on my face is because I believe in covering those who really want to push Newton County forward – or rather, March Newton County Forward,” said Evan Newton, managing editor of The Covington News and the evening’s host.
VISIONS: Newton County Marches Forward will be available starting Saturday, April 26 in the weekend edition of The Covington News. Copies will be available for purchase at our office starting the following Monday.
The magazine will highlight the six award recipients in depth and includes other stories of learning, wellness, enterprise and community drawn from the last twelve months of Newton County living.
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