MONTGOMERY - Beginning Saturday, Oct. 12, all local calls made within the Alabama 205 Area Code will have to be placed using the 10-digit telephone number (area code plus the seven-digit telephone number).
Calls that are currently local will continue to be local, even though 10-digit dialing will be required.
A six-month grace period began on April 13, 2019, to give consumers adequate time to adjust to the changes.
During that period, local calls were able to be made with either seven or 10 digits.

HAMILTON -  Hamilton Elementary School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of its new playground on Monday, Sept. 23.
The project to build the playground began in November 2018 with retired Hamilton Elementary principal Lynda Hall, HES Booster Club President Paula Wood, club member Melissa Hughey and Hamilton architect Andrea Harbison.
 Hall expressed her thanks to the many individuals involved, stating that the project was a community effort.

HAMILTON - Billy Wade Rollins, 93, and Austin Adkins, 76, both of Hamilton, two influential bankers and businessmen associated with First National Bank, have passed away within days of each other.
Adkins passed away on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Brookwood Baptist in Birmingham. Adkins worked as chief executive officer for First National Bank from 1988 to 2015.
Rollins died on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at North Mississippi Medical Center-Hamilton.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Board of Education has adopted the 2019-2020 school year county supplements.
At its Thursday, Sept. 12, meeting, the board of education approved $187,688 in supplements and fringe costs for coaches and directors across its five high schools in Bear Creek, Brilliant, Guin, Hackleburg and Hamilton.
Chief school financial officer Clint Green told the board new coaches in the Marion County School System will be given a one semester grace period to obtain a bus driver’s license.

HAMILTON - Marion County’s sales tax for education experienced one of its steepest year-comparison declines on record in August.

The following garbage pickup schedules have been announced in connection with the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, Oct. 14:
• Marion County Solid Waste will collect the Monday, Oct. 14, garbage  on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
• The Town of Brilliant will be unaffected.
• The Guin Street Department will be collecting the garbage one day behind during the week of Columbus Day, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 15. The regular garbage schedule will resume on Monday, Oct. 21.
• The Hamilton Street Department will be delaying its Monday, Oct. 14, garbage pickup until Tuesday, Oct. 15.

MONTGOMERY -  A northwest Alabama organization that helps child abuse victims in six counties will continue providing services with the help of a $1.01 million grant awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The grant will enable Cramer Children’s Center in Florence to provide free assistance to victims and their families in Marion, Winston, Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties while also helping to prosecute offenders.
“Child abuse victims and their families face painful obstacles because of the reality of their circumstances,” Ivey said.

HAMILTON - In Spring 2020,  Stage Stores has announced the Goody’s in Hamilton will be re-opened as a Gordmans.
Stage Stores Brand Publicity Manager Blakely Graham confirmed the transition with the Journal Record by email, stating that Stage has been converting a number of its Goody’s stores as consumers are responding positively to Gordmans’ offerings.
The stores in Haleyville and Russellville will be converted as well. Close-out sale signs have been posted, offering up to 40% off of merchandise.

According to Marion County weather recorder Eddy Pearce, Marion County is on track to beat the 2005 record of 36 days with no measurable rain.
On Sept. 26 Pearce said that no measurable rain has fallen in the county for 31 days. Pearce said that he last recorded measurable rain on Aug. 27 when 15/100ths of an inch was recorded in his rain gauge at his residence south of Hamilton.
Pearce, who only records the weather and makes no forecasts, said he gets his weather forecasts from the Weather Channel.