HAMILTON - The Northwest Alabama Gas District (NWAGD) is continuing to grow in profitability.
Gas district accountant Greg Guin presented the Fiscal Year 2019 audit during a NWAGD board meeting on Monday, March 2, telling the board there is $1.6 million available to be declared as ANDI monies, which stands for “annual net distributable income.”

HAMILTON - NTN-Bower Hamilton was recently involved in creating a sensory board for the Hamilton middle and elementary schools.
The sensory board will allow students to take a break from classwork and recharge. The board gives them an opportunity to use their fine and gross motor skills.
The idea for sensory boards at the schools was brought to NTN-Bower Hamilton by NTN Vice President and Treasurer Steve Hensley, whose daughter is a special education teacher who focuses on students with autism.

• Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have grown to seven in Marion County, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health’s database. The numbers were recorded around noon on Thursday, March 26, nearly doubling the county’s case count from the previous day of four. The first confirmed case, a Hackleburg resident, was made on Saturday, March 21.

• According to Northwest Medical Center officials, the Winfield hospital has collected 37 samples as of Thursday, March 26--four of which have been confirmed as positive for COVID-19.

• Bedford industrial plot priced at $10,000/acre for new jail site

HAMILTON - A new Marion County Jail is beginning to become more of a reality.

The Hamilton City Council voted unanimously during its Monday, March 16, meeting to pledge $200,000 a year to the Marion County Commission to help cover payments for up to a $10 million bond for a new jail.

The pledge was passed with a provision that the commission not raise lock-up fees for the Hamilton Police Department.

HAMILTON - Construction on Hamilton’s new Love’s Travel Stop and Country Store has been pushed back again.

Hamilton Mayor Bob Page told the council during a work session held on Wednesday, Feb. 26, that Love’s March 21 start date has been delayed until April.

Love’s officials had projected construction on its new $12 million facility to begin in December. The store will be located off Interstate 22’s Exit 14 in Hamilton, off County Road 35 and River Road Drive.

TUPELO, MISS. - Mayor Jason Shelton has issued a shelter-in-place order for Tupelo, Miss., in an attempt to stifle the spread of COVID-19.

The order restricts travel only to and from essential businesses and self and family care.

Essential businesses include:

MONTGOMERY—Attorney General Steve Marshall warns those who would seek to illegally profit from the current public health emergency that Alabama’s price gouging law has been activated.
On March 13, 2020, Gov. Kay Ivey declared a State Public Health Emergency in Alabama relating to the appearance of the 2019 novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.  Alabama’s price gouging law comes into effect when the governor declares a State of Emergency and it prohibits the “unconscionable pricing” of items for sale or rent.

Alabama Power is sharing information on a scam targeting customers over the phone claiming to be a representative from Alabama Power and requesting immediate payment on accounts.
In some instances, scammers have altered a customer’s caller ID to falsely read Alabama Power Company.

Walker County, which borders the southeast corner of Marion County, has confirmed its first case of coronavirus.

For information on where to get tested, residents may call the Alabama COVID-19 24/7 hotline at 1-888-264-2256 for testing sites and hours of operation.

The following counties have confirmed COVID-19 cases by the Alabama Department of Public Health:

MONTGOMERY – Gov. Kay Ivey and the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) on Thursday, March 19, issued a statewide health order to aid in Alabama’s efforts to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). 

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) has been notified that an administrative employee tested positive for COVID-19. This is the first confirmed case within the ADOC. Due to HIPAA restrictions and security concerns, the ADOC will not release the name of the individual or the facility at which they work. As of this release, there are no positive COVID-19 cases reported within the inmate population.

(Updated: Tuesday, March 17, 3:00 p.m.) - This article has been published in its entirety courtesy of the Journal Record. Updates will be made as soon as they become available.

(Editor’s note: The coronavirus outbreak is developing every day, and at the time of this publication, many details are likely to have changed. To stay up-to-date, please visit the Journal Record’s website, myjrpaper.org. SBJ)

The Journal Record office in Winfield is closing.
Marion County’s newspaper office in Hamilton will remain open, but simply due to the costs involved with staying in business, according to Journal Record Publisher Horace Moore and General Manager Jesse Lamar, the closing of the Winfield office is something they regretfully must do.

HAMILTON - Personal information and data are believed to be secure following a cyber attack that hit the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton on Monday, March 2.
On the day before the Tuesday, March 3, primary election, a server housing data for Marion County’s probate and revenue commission offices was infected by ransomware, shutting down operations at both offices for the rest of the week.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.