HAMILTON - Christmas Day 2018 murder-suspect Christopher Andrew Cochran, 29, Hamilton, has plead not guilty to charges of capital murder.
The 25th Judicial Circuit Court held an arraignment hearing for Cochran on Friday, March 1, at the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton.
Cochran’s court-appointed defense attorney, Jim Standridge of Tuscaloosa, told 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Daryl Burt that Cochran is pleading not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

HACKLEBURG - The Hackleburg Town Council unanimously agreed to begin replacing over 100 missing street and stop signs.
The town had recently replaced 30 stop signs that had been stolen or damaged, but now finds the need to replace other street and stop signs that have been knocked down or gone missing.
Hackleburg Mayor Darryl Colburn and Town Clerk Carla Rector suggested that not replacing the signs could come at a great cost to individuals in the community.

DOUBLE SPRINGS - A Hamilton native’s trial has been dismissed due to misconduct by prosecutors, according to Winston County court records.
 On Thursday, Feb. 21, in 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Lee Carter granted a mistrial motion and dismissed with prejudice the case of the State of Alabama v. Jarod Chase Cantrell.
The state has a right to appeal this decision.

BIRMINGHAM - Marion County Republican Party Chairman David Hall has been re-elected as the GOP chair for the state’s 4th Congressional District.
As district chairman, Hall is also on the party’s statewide steering committee.

HAMILTON - The Alabama Manufactured  Housing Industry (AMHI) inducted Dennis Adams, president of Timberline Homes, Inc., and Britt Richards, vice president of operations and marketing for Clayton Home Building Group, to the industry’s hall of fame during an induction ceremony at Bevill State Community College Hamilton Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
“To be nominated by the members of our industry and chosen by those who have already been inducted into the hall of fame is a special honor, and it means more to me than they will ever know,” said Adams.

WINFIELD - Stylist Sabrena Handley just returned from New York’s Fashion Week where she lived out one of her lifelong dreams--to work backstage at an international fashion show.
From Feb. 8-16, Handley worked side-by-side with renowned stylists and models during one of the world’s preeminent cultural gatherings. During the week, fashion designers from around the world showcase their creations to buyers, the media and the public in a series of high-profile fashion shows.

HAMILTON - Marion County Road 42 is undergoing emergency repairs after a portion of the road began to wash out from heavy rainfall.
As of presstime on Friday, March 1, the road remains closed between CR-107 and CR-98.
This portion of CR-42 was just recently re-opened after the Marion County Commission spent more than $116,000 to repair it.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Commission voted unanimously to fix the elevator switch that controls the elevator in the courthouse for a total of $950 on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
The elevator is known to have been moving very slowly and the doors have taken longer than intended to both open and close.
Marion County Commission attorney, Scott Hunt, stated that he, as well as several others, prefer to take the stairs as it is usually the quicker method to traveling as opposed to riding the malfunctioning elevator.

HAMILTON - Jim Sibley, owner of the new Chevron gas station, invited special guests and supporters to the soft opening of the station across from the Walmart Supercenter in Hamilton on Monday, Feb. 25.
Members of the Hamilton City council, along with mayor Bob Page, were also in attendance at the brand-new gas station as food was served from the station’s “Heritage Deli.”
Before Sibley served his guests, he expressed his thanks to those who supported the building of the new station on Hamilton’s Military street.