It’s going to be a “Sweet 16” party for the guests at this year’s Brookhaven Animal Rescue League’s annual Celebrity Dinner and Auction. Best-selling author Jill Conner Browne, also known as the “Sweet Potato Queen,” will appear at the 16th annual BARL fundraiser, which will be held at the Lincoln Civic Center Oct. 22. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. The fundraiser will include dinner prepared by chef Chris McSweyn from Porches Restaurant in Wesson, silent and live auctions, and some lively words from Browne, who has authored nine books since creating the Sweet Potato Queen in the 1980s. Below is a look back at a few more good news headlines.

• A benefit dinner to support Doll’s House will take place Sept. 19 at the Lincoln Civic Center. Tickets are $30 per person or $300 to sponsor a table. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the program starts at 6:30 p.m. Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Pelicia Hall will be the guest speaker. Doll’s House helps women turn their live around. The not-for-profitt aims to help women at risk learn life survival skills and provide them with educational and career opportunities.

• The annual Fall Fair at the Lincoln  Civic Center opened  Thursday and will continue through Sunday.

• The Brookhaven Academy Cougars weren’t perfect Tuesday night against Oak Forest Academy in a key district game. They committed errors. They left runners on base and only managed three hits for the game. What they were though was opportunistic. They made enough plays early and key plays late to hold off the Lady Jackets 5-3 in front of a big home crowd. The big inning for BA was the fourth as they climbed to a 5-0 lead in the frame. Sophomore center fielder Madison Moak got the bats going with a one-out single. Moak finished the game with two hits.

• The senior duo of Kylan Cooper and Antwan Pittman are the engine that drives the Lawrence County offense. Cooper is the speed and Pittman is the power and last week they ran wild against Brookhaven High. For their efforts the duo — who are cousins as well as teammates — were named The Daily Leader Offensive Players of the Week.

• The old proverbial “nose for the football” may be a cliché but last week it was the best way to sum up the play of West Lincoln sophomore linebacker Gabe Bush. Bush recovered a pair of fumbles, blocked a punt and made seven tackles in a 33-18 West Lincoln win over Salem. For his play Bush was selected as The Daily Leader Defensive Player of the Week.