GUIN - Former Guin Police Chief G.B. Blaylock was remembered fondly by those who worked for him and with him in the Guin City Hall. Blaylock, 76, who served as Guin police chief from 2005 to 2015, passed away on Thursday, June 13.
HAMILTON - When most outdoorsmen think of the fall hunting season, they think of pleasant days spent in the woods hunting with friends and family. But for a few local deer farmers, the upcoming hunting season brings fear and trepidation and thoughts of the destruction of their livelihood.
“It’s scary, it really is scary,” said deer farmer Kevin Armstrong.
HACKLEBURG - The project to make the journey to and from Hackleburg safer and easier is now coming to an end.
After a slight delay, W.S. Neal of Montgomery, who was awarded the building contract in April 2018, has completed the bridge running over North Fork Creek.
HAMILTON - Marion County’s sales tax for education has now tracked its second month in lower collections.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West told the Marion County Board of Education during its meeting on Tuesday, June 11, that the county collected $129,983 in May—$4,0734 less than the previous year.
“For some reason, we were down again,” West said.
The collection was $18,000 lower than the April tax collection, when $148,082 was recorded. April also recorded lagging sales tax figures.
HACKLEBURG - The Hackleburg Town Council announced that it will be hosting the town’s annual Fourth of July celebration on Thursday, July 4, during a regular session meeting on Monday, June 24, at the Hackleburg Town Hall.
The event will begin at noon and will feature live music, arts, crafts, free swimming, inflatables for children, vendors, karaoke, a parade and a fireworks display.
The Hackleburg pool will be open from noon- 8 p.m. and will be free to use for those attending the event.
HAMILTON - Avoiding that emergency trip to bring a student lunch money is looking easier.
The Marion County Board of Education voted during its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 11, to enter into a contract with Pams Lunchroom of Englewood Cliffs, N.J., a company that supports credit and debit card payments for school-related expenses.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West said the service will enable parents and guardians to fund students’ lunchroom accounts remotely.
HAMILTON - Closing a six-year process, the bridge on Grandview Drive has finally been completed.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Page received a letter from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) on Monday, June 17, approving the bridge for use.
Page opened the letter during the Hamilton City Council meeting that night. The bridge was officially opened the next day, Tuesday, June 18.
“We can use this bridge!” Page rejoiced.
HAMILTON - The Hamilton Career Center will be hosting a Training Information Seminar on Tuesday, July 9, at the center on the Hamilton Campus of Bevill State Community College.
The seminar will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 10 a.m. Presentations will include information on the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Individual Training Accounts (WIOA/ITA) information, career exploration, the college admissions process, Labor Market information and Free Application of Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)/Financial Aid information.
HAMILTON - The Marion County Firefighters Association voted to approve a measure to relocate its Hackleburg repeater during its regular meeting on Thursday, June 27 at Bama-Q Pit & Grill in Hamilton.
A repeater is a radio tower that allows firefighters’ handheld radios and the radios in their trucks to communicate at a longer range.
Hamilton - The Marion County School System will reach its strategic goal of one-to-one technology during the 2019-2020 school year.
The Marion County Board of Education agreed to purchase 686 Chromebook laptops and 28 charging carts during its Tuesday, June 11, meeting.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West said that the new purchases will complete the system’s strategic plan of providing each county student with a Chromebook.
The county school system has been incrementally purchasing Chromebooks for the last three years
WINFIELD - Fifteen years after retiring, well-known health care executive Robert Henger is returning as chief executive officer of Northwest Medical Center in Winfield.
Marion County Schools and Winfield City Schools have announced their policies for free and reduced-price meals for children served in schools under the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program.
Local school officials have adopted household size and income criteria for determining eligibility. (The price information is found on the accompanying chart on this page.)
If your total current household income is within the limits listed above, your children may be eligible for either free or reduced-price meals.
HAMILTON - Ashlyn Winkler has been crowned as the new Miss Hamilton 2020 during the annual pageant.
Winkler is from Dora and attends the University of Montevallo. She majors in speech-language pathology, which correlates to her platform statement, “Shining a Light on Autism Acceptance.”
Samantha Hennings became the newly-crowned Miss Outstanding Teen 2020. Hennings is from Springville and is a junior at Victory Chrisitan School. Her platform is “Just Breathe,” which helps to bring a light to mental illness, but more specifically, anxiety and depression.
HAMILTON - A rising Hamilton High School senior was one of 180 students nationwide invited to the National Student Leadership Congress (NSLC) in June.
Brennon Ballard, 17, son of Jessica Parker and Christopher Ballard, traveled to Washington, D.C., during June 8-14 to attend the conference on an all-expense paid trip.
Ballard was selected to attend the trip through the Bevill State Community College-Hamilton Campus Upward Bound program after submitting an application and a written essay.
Hamilton - Fun and sun traditionally fill the 100 summer days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but new statistics prove that, for teenagers, they are also days of death.
The number of teens killed in car crashes increases 26% compared with the other months of the year, according to data released by Safe Kids Worldwide, a global non-profit organization working to prevent childhood injury through research, community outreach, legislative advocacy and media awareness campaigns.
HAMILTON - Before the rain that fell on June 5, weather recorder Eddy Pearce’s rain gauge in Hamilton went 22 days without seeing any measurable rain. But that was no reason to be alarmed, Pearce said. Rainfall is above normal this year.
“You better believe it,” Pearce said on June 4, “if it don’t rain anymore for the month of June and July, we’d still be above normal.”
Pearce said average rainfall totals are 26.91 inches for the first five months of a year.
HAMILTON - Hamilton native Jamie Christian has accepted the position of marketing and membership director for the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (Northwest Alabama EDA).
HAMILTON - The Community Action Partnership of North Alabama Inc. has been awarded $198,391 as part of a $2.6 million grant from Gov. Kay Ivey to assist low-income and elderly Alabama residents with weatherizing their homes to lower energy costs.
The $198,391 grant will serve the areas of Marion, Cullman, Lawrence, Morgan, Walker and Winston counties.
HAMILTON - Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded nearly $2.7 million to ensure that victims of domestic violence in six northwest Alabama counties are afforded adequate care and support to help them escape difficult situations and overcome their ordeals.
The grant to Safeplace Inc. of Florence will provide shelter and other services for victims in Marion, Winston, Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties.
“Domestic violence is a reprehensible crime that affects every segment of society, but the hurt for victims is the same,” said Ivey.
HAMILTON - Marion County has been awarded federal funds made available through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program.
Marion County has been chosen to receive $12,015 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.
The application period begins today (Wednesday, June 19) and closes on Wednesday, July 3.
