HAMILTON - Marion County has split ways with Monroe County in south Alabama and is no longer one of two counties in Alabama using a fee model to operate its probate judge’s office.
Special legislation passed in 2017 has now taken effect in January 2019, ordering the Marion County Commission to furnish the local probate judge and office staff with paychecks and benefit packages through the county’s General Fund.
HAMILTON - Gears are beginning to turn in preparation for the 17th Annual Jerry Brown Arts Festival which will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday, March 2 and 3.
In its normal fashion, the Hamilton City Council voted to waive the city’s business license requirement for vendors at the festival this year at its meeting on Monday, Feb. 4. The artist will still be required to pay city and state sales taxes.
Northwest Alabama Arts Council President Tony Williams approached the council during the meeting, noting that the event is a hallmark for the city.
Over a pound of meth with an estimated street value of $40,000 along with an assortment of guns, ammo, spoons and needles and other paraphernalia was confiscated during a raid on a house in Glen Allen on Saturday, Feb. 9.
WINFIELD
Sgt. Marcus Carroll (left) and Officer Jimmy Galbreath (right) were awarded the Medal of Valor for their actions after an automobile wreck on Dec. 4, 2018. They are pictured here with Winfield police chief Brett Burleson on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
WINFIELD - Two members of the Winfield Police Department were awarded the Medal of Valor for saving a wreck victim’s life last December.
Sgt. Marcus Carroll and Officer Jimmy Galbreath both entered a burning vehicle to free the unconscious driver from the wreckage.
Love’s Travel Stop & Country Store Real Estate Project Manager William Gleason appeared before the Hamilton City Council during its Monday, Jan. 22, meeting to discuss a new truck stop which will be built on Interstate 22’s Exit 14.
HAMILTON - Love’s loves Hamilton.
In the wake of the announcement of a new Love’s Travel Stop & Country Store to be built in Hamilton, Love’s real estate project manager, William Gleason of Oklahoma City, Okla., appeared at the Hamilton City Council’s meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 22.
According to Hamilton Mayor Bob Page, Love’s is planning to purchase 20 acres on River Road Drive, right off of Interstate 22’s Exit 14, for a large truck stop.
MONTGOMERY - Fifty automotive scholarships are up for grabs.
Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Chancellor Jimmy Baker announced on Thursday, Jan. 31, that the ACCS and the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) have partnered together and are giving away 50 scholarships to students who want to pursue a career in the automotive industry. The deadline to apply is Thursday, Feb. 28.
Number one in the state
The Hampton Inn in Winfield has been rated the number one hotel in the state of Alabama by TripAdvisor in 2018.
WINFIELD - The Hampton Inn in Winfield has been ranked as the number one hotel in the state of Alabama in 2018 by TripAdvisor. The award is given based on guest scores received through TripAdvisor.com.
The hotel opened in February, 2011 and, for six out of the last seven years, has received Hampton Inn’s Lighthouse award for being in the top 5 percent of all hotels in the company. Hampton Inn in Winfield has also received a Certificate of Excellence award from TripAdvisor every year since the location opened in 2011.
HAMILTON - The Marion-Winston Community Action Agency (MWCAA) conducted a Point-in-Time (PIT) count on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019.
The PIT count determines the number of sheltered and unsheltered homeless persons on a single night in January and helps the two counties receive funding towards resources and support for the homeless in the area.
HAMILTON - Paul Davis, an organizer for the Salvation Army Red Kettle campaign in Marion County, has extended his heartfelt thanks to the city of Hamilton and Marion County for volunteering their time and efforts during the holiday season of 2018.
“From Nov. 23 to Dec. 23 of 2018, several dozen of your friends and neighbors stood in front of the Walmart Supercenter in Hamilton next to a red kettle ringing a little red bell in support of the Salvation Army,” said Davis.
HAMILTON - The Alabama State Council on the Arts has awarded the Pastime Theatre in Winfield two grants this year totaling $5,700.
HAMILTON - Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded a $275,000 grant to help homeless citizens in Northwest Alabama find immediate housing and to assist others who are in danger of becoming homeless.
Foster Grandparent Project Director Jessica Latham and coordinator Rena Prince are desperately seeking more volunteers for the program for the upcoming school year.
“We are needing volunteers in all the schools,” Prince said. “We are wanting interested persons to call us now at (256) 332-6800 so they have time to get their applications in and get trained before school begins.”
Schools on the waiting list for volunteers include Brilliant, Guin, Hackleburg, Hamilton and Winfield.
Audrey Laverne Fikes
Audrey Laverne Fikes, 83, Hamilton, passed away on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, Feb. 9.
Hamilton Funeral Home • Hamilton, ala.
Mary Magalene Nix Green
The Alabama Education Association (AEA) was the most powerful and influential political organization in Alabama for close to three decades. The late Dr. Paul Hubbert was the builder and king of this powerful organization.
I’ve only lived in Hamilton, Alabama, for around a year and a half now, so I guess I’m still relatively new to small-town living.
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Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams was sworn into office for a record sixth time on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at the Marion County Jail in Hamilton. With Williams’ wife, Renee, and their granddaughter, Cara, 4, the daughter of Carl and Lacy Williams, holding the Bible, the sheriff was sworn into office by the official who has performed the ceremony every time since his first swearing-in ceremony in 2003 on his behalf, retired Marion County Judge of Probate Annette Bozeman Haney.
HAMILTON- Two long-time county officials have taken their oaths once again to serve the people.
Marion County Commissioner District 5 (D-5) Bob Burleson and Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams are now the longest serving individuals for their respective capacities.
Marion County commissioners Keith Nichols (D-1) Kenneth Cochran (D-2), Dale Holt (D-3), Tim “Ears” Estes (D-4) and Burleson were all seated after taking oaths at a ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.
HAMILTON - Members of the Marion County Board of Education are voicing their concerns over state laws which “divert” education funding to private schools.
Some of the officials are hoping that lawmakers consider toppling Alabama’s Accountability Act (AAA), which passed in 2013.
WINFILED - Winfield City Schools Superintendent Chris Cook has a plan in place to improve his system’s school report card, he said at the WCS Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 8.
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Northwest Alabama Council of Local Governments (NACOLG) Planning and Transportation Director Jesse Turner told the Marion County Commission that the regional agency has found than $10 million in additional funding for Northwest Alabama while confirming addresses for the Census Bureau in preparations for the 2020 Census. Turner said that every counted individual equates to about $1,600 in grant money an area can claim.
HAMILTON - Marion County residents should be readying themselves to participate in the upcoming Census.
Local officials are already being briefed on the vital and rapidly approaching decennial Census in 2020, which will determine the amount of funding and congressional representation Alabama can lay claim to for the next 10 years.
