Discussion of construction of a north-south highway in Alabama continued in 2009
with Marion County in the middle of the talks.
A meeting was held with state Sen. Roger Bedford and former Gov. Jim Folsom,
Jr., at Bevill State Community College-Hamilton in February.
A commission was created at the state level to continue study of the four-lane
highway, with plans for the road to pass through the county.
Further developments on this project are expected to be announced later this
year.
10. Famous faces
Marion County was no stranger to politicians in 2009 with various federal and
state officials making visits to the county.
Gov. Bob Riley was not among the visitors this year as the Republican governor
has been in the past, but numerous others made stops.
U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby was in Marion County in April as were U.S. Sen. Jeff
Sessions and U.S. Rep. Artur Davis.
Sessions and Davis visited the county with 24 hours. The Republican senator
visited Guin for a noon luncheon, while Davis, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, made a campaign stop in
Hamilton later in the evening.
Alabama Development Office Executive Director Neal Wade was in Guin in
mid-December to discuss industrial development, including the possible
formation of the C-3 of Northwest Alabama.
Honorable mention
Stories making headlines in 2009, but not quite making the Top 10, included:
• Population losses for the county were featured in a front-page story on April
1.
• Hackleburg School was officially divided into two free-standing institutions as
reported in a story published in May.
• Winfield Superintendent of Education Terrell Kirkpatrick announced his
retirement in October. His final day on the job will be June 30. The school
board has since begun the process of selecting a replacement. No announcement
is expected before April.
• Winfield native Bobby McCaleb was promoted to general in the U.S. Army.
• Construction and school renovations took place across Marion County, with
additions in Bear Creek and renovations in Hamilton, Brilliant and Guin. The
county school board used more than $3.1 million in state bond monies to perform
the work, while a $1.1 million wing was constructed at Winfield Elementary
School.
• The Winfield City Council announced plans in December to permanently close the
city swimming pool.
• Dynamic Edition earned a spot in the finals of a MTV dance show and spent
several weeks living in Los Angeles for filming.
• Winfield City High School recorded the top writing scores in Alabama for the
third time in four years.
• Alabama junior colleges, including Bevill State Community College-Hamilton,
announced tuition hikes in October.
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