Editorial

A couple of weeks ago, I reached my 10-year milestone in journalism. I am truly grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to work here at the Journal-Record for a stint of eight years, followed by another run of two years.
The people in Marion County are one of the best parts about this job. There are so many amazing, gifted, sharing and caring individuals who work here, live here, operate businesses here and are the backbones of the organizations that help support the communities.

We are extremely excited to share the news that the movement to form a new Hamilton VFW Post has been successful!
Just a few days before Veterans Day, local officials were notified the post had been approved at the state and national levels, with the designated number of 12245 and the dedicated name of Ronnie (Gene) Avery.

Many things have been written about the wars which Americans have faced since our country first arose. Freedom has been proclaimed from every valley to mountain top across the United States. Most people, though they have heard this, take to understanding this profound freedom should be the basic rights of all people. As I say all people, I’m talking about every shoe-wearing or barefooted human who walks the earth.

As we grow older, we tend to think about when we were younger, even when we gathered as men or women around the food table or tea table. Our past events are sure to be served there also.
This is where many of my thoughts grow from. Today, I want to elaborate on something that is embedded within my mind that probably will never go away.
As I take you, for those readers who personally know, back to the days of Vietnam, I want to give thought to something familiar--war. That conflict began from mid-1950 and ended with the U.S. withdrawal of troops in 1975.

 It started with a whisper from God… and a wiffle ball field.
Brad “Bob” Burroughs was at the height of a respected law enforcement career, serving as a lieutenant and chief investigator for the Winfield Police Department. He and his wife, Whitley, were just two weeks away from welcoming their third child, Phoenix, when he shared something that had been weighing on his heart: a call to work full-time with the youth at their church.

With a grand re-opening held on Wednesday, Oct. 15, the Journal-Record was glad to see Elder’s Tacos & Steaks back in business in downtown Hamilton. Damage from a May 17 storage room fire had kept the restaurant closed for a few months during the restoration and repainting process.
The family-focused and God-first owners, Eldher Maeda, his wife, Nancy, and their 3-year-old son, Nayel (named from a combination of Elder and Nancy; “y” is “and” in Spanish), seem so very happy and excited to be back in business and able to serve their customers.

Around 2015, Tombigbee Electric Cooperative was researching and doing feasibility studies on the idea of bringing fiber internet to its electric co-op customers.
In 2017, the board committed to the project with the mission of “providing internet access to everyone, not leaving anyone behind,” no matter if the customer lived in a more rural area.
Their goal mirrored the original cooperative push of bringing electrical services to outlying, rural areas, but this time, with fiber optic cables and internet service.

Many times, in life, I have asked myself this question, on the quest of life, why would you be willing to die for what you believe in?  With tens of thousands of people who purpose themselves to serve others, in their life, with thousands giving their lives up in a chosen pursuit, “Why would they do it?”
Well, let me say this--most of their intentions are not to die for others.  They do not intentionally walk into dangerous situations with the idea of, “Here I am, kill me. I want to be a martyr.” However, most do enter those places knowing it could happen.

The Buttahatchee River Sportsplex in Hamilton was dedicated on Saturday, Sept. 20, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony also held at 8:45 a.m. at the new facility on County Road 42.
We are proud for Hamilton, Marion County and the region to be able to have this magnificent sportsplex available to the Marion County School System and perhaps even more partnerships in the future on a college level.

There are many organizations I cover as a writer at this newspaper. They are all worthy, and filled with amazing people I admire. Yet, there is one special organization which has stood out to me over the years, not just because of its great cause, but because of those who work behind the scenes and spend time they don’t have to help others at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives.

With all the news circulating the world today--the many different news outlets and informational avenues--we, many times, find it hard to believe them all. As the world started changing over the last several years, most all of us have found that news has been hard to swallow.

(Editor’s Note: We have a special treat for readers this week — a response from Jimmy Brumley to Liba Payne Peters’ guest column back in July. We’ve chosen to combine his response and her followup remarks into a “co-guest column.” We are grateful to Jimmy and Liba for sharing their memories with us.)

HAMILTON — Journal-Record long-time reader Brenda Jackson said she enjoyed reading about Fannie Sisson's birthday party in 1950. “She was my great-grandmother, and I attended that party,” Jackson said. “I was 4 years old. She was a force of nature. Thanks!”
Sisson’s article was printed in the July 23, 2025, issue of the newspaper.
We asked Jackson to share more, and she continued, “I was 6 when she died. I do remember her, and I grew up with her children. She was big and loud. And I think she ruled the roost wherever she went.

HAMILTON — Journal-Record long-time reader Brenda Jackson said she enjoyed reading about Fannie Sisson's birthday party in 1950. “She was my great-grandmother, and I attended that party,” Jackson said. “I was 4 years old. She was a force of nature. Thanks!”
Sisson’s article was printed in the July 23, 2025, issue of the newspaper.
We asked Jackson to share more, and she continued, “I was 6 when she died. I do remember her, and I grew up with her children. She was big and loud. And I think she ruled the roost wherever she went.

Few things in life are certain, but one thing that is certain is that our lives change. When the 2025-2026 school year starts on Aug. 7, it will be the first time since 1988 that school will start without me. 
For the last several years, I have often said I knew I was exactly where God intended me to be, but it was in spite of myself.  I never had a grand plan. It was always God’s plan, and He led me every step of the way.

Four friends and I traveled to the beach on July 12th. After arriving at Panama City and getting settled in our cabin, we strolled to the sandy shoreline and had a ball splashing in the water and feeling the sand beneath our feet. We didn’t have to pack our luggage for our trip, and there was no need to make reservations. We didn’t need road maps. We all just turned right on Memory Lane, and we were off and running.

I’ve been blessed beyond measure to serve the community that helped raise me, to give back to the school that gave me so much, learn how much good other schools have to offer, re-establish roots in a county I love and to help guide the next generation toward healthier and sustainable futures.
SNAP-Ed has allowed me to turn a personal passion into a purpose, and I’m honored to be part of something that allows me to make a difference for others and give God the Glory for it.

No one wants to think of school when the heat of summer is encouraging pool time and ice cream on the porch, but there are small things you can do to help your student be a step ahead when the school year begins.  
Summer learning loss is the loss of academic knowledge students acquire throughout the school year. Multiple studies have shown this to be a real phenomenon that most commonly affects math and literacy.

My hometown is the place where my life began, where my roots dig deep in the dirt--the dirt that makes me happy the minute I step my foot on the ground.
It’s the memories, connections and friendships that draw me to a time when life was filled with carefree laughter, love and hope. The deep ties bind me with an unbreakable hold for this town--the only place in the world where people remember my family and my growing-up years.

In July of 2017, my husband, Jason, and I decided to move to Marion County. For me, it was a move "back home." Jason grew up in Pickens County. So for him, it was a move to my roots. When I started looking for a job, I applied at several places. I started with what was familiar.
I grew up, starting in 4-H as young as they would allow. Even though a lot had changed over the years with Extension, I was still very familiar with it because of my 4-H experiences.

During their recent presentation to the Hamilton City Council, members of the Hamilton Aggie Schools Foundation Board were also asked by city councilor W. Ross Reed if they knew of any long-term projects for the schools they could share.
Board chair Melissa Hughey said one focus is the arts. She said the schools have discovered when they put in more arts, the kids behave better, attendance is better and there aren’t as many discipline problems.  

I just returned from an exciting field trip to a place I hope to never visit again... or at least I hope to never stay at. And I’m calling it a field trip for this column, but it was actually a great tour of the new Marion County Detention Center (aka the jail) with our super sheriff Kevin Williams and a couple of my co-workers.
We’d all hoped to go, but last minute scheduling changes prevented Luke (sports editor) from joining us. But P.J. (editor) and Erin (ad manager) did get to go, and I’m glad we were able to share the experience.

With the arrival of warmer temperatures, I eagerly anticipate longer days and spending time a little more leisurely. One of my favorite things to do is to grab an icy glass of lemonade and a great book to while away a few hours outside.
No matter if I am sitting on a beach listening to the waves crash and dipping my toes in the sand or gently rocking on my front porch while petting one of my pups, a great book is the thing that pushes me into true relaxation.

By Kathryn “Chazz” Hirschfeld
Staff writer

May is National Foster Care Month and as director of the Marion County Department of Human Resources, I cannot let the month pass without sharing the importance of foster care.
This year’s theme is “Engaging Youth, Building Supports, Strengthening Opportunities.”
The campaign recognizes the important role people from all aspects of child welfare play in supporting children, youth and families. The theme highlights the need to create a child welfare system that authentically engages and supports young people who are preparing to leave foster care.

Over two thousand years ago, a miracle occurred that changed the world and those within it. A stopwatch to eternity has positioned us to look toward the heavens for His great and fabulous return.
We know Him as Mary’s Baby born in a manger, the Only Begotten Son of God, the Anointed One, the Good Shepherd, the Dayspring from on High, the Son of Man, the Promise, the Prince of Peace, Emanuel, the Tender Plant out of Jesse, the Redeemer, the Prince of Mercy, the Lily of the Valley, the True Vine, the Son of David and King of Kings.

You may not realize it, but one of the biggest businesses in not only Hamilton, but Northwest Alabama, is Northwest Gas, also known as the Northwest Alabama Gas District.
The “speak softly but carry a big stick” company is ran by a board of directors composed of the member municipalities who had the foresight to create the gas company seven decades ago.
It wasn’t easy. It’s been tough. It’s taken a lot of good decisions by a lot of great board members, managers and employees to create what the entire area benefits from today.

So, the subject of littering came up recently and Hamilton Ordinance Official Neil West had stopped by our office on a different matter, but while he was here, I asked him to share a few thoughts.
“I see litter. I see garbage. And it breaks my heart,” he said. “There are ordinances against littering from vehicles, including items that are blown out of the cars by the wind. There are ordinances against illegal dumping.”
When asked if he thought fines would help, Neil said he believed fines could help, but you’d have to catch the person in the act.

By Marvie Marchbanks, guest columnist

As we all get older, we begin to lose family and friends. We’re not made to be here forever, even though Social Security benefits have been discovered recently being paid to some folks well into their hundreds in age and even one 150-year-old. It hurts when we lose them, as it should. No longer do you get to talk to them, fellowship with them, enjoy their company.

Warren Davis, George Malone and Charles Patrick, part of “The Monotones,” in 1957 recorded a song they had written. Their song asked a question, “Who Wrote the Book of Love?” Also called “Book of Love,” the doo-wop song would be a hit and is still familiar to many in 2025.
With so much said, sung, written and recorded, the idea and curiosity about love might lead us to ask the same question. Who did write the book of love?

Matthew 6:25-26 states, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

By Marvie Marchbanks
Guest Columnist

With a theme of “Building Tomorrow’s Future,” many state, city and local school boards are  being recognized in the month of January for all their efforts on behalf of students and communities across the nation.
In Marion County, we are so fortunate to have two great school boards, the Winfield City Board of Education and the Marion County Board of Education.
We applaud each board member and thank them for all their years of dedication and service for our youth during their many years in school, which is often one of the most definitive periods of their entire lives.

By Chazz and Chris Brogan

Who hoo! New Year’s Day 2025! It feels great to write that number! 2025! It’s a quarter of a century down in the 2000s! Congratulations everyone on making it through an- other year to another new year.
Last year, I wrote a column about my friend Chris Brogan’s “My 3 Words” concept. Each year, he and his business partner, Rob Hatch, host an annual webinar event to “explore the process of selecting three words to guide your actions through the coming year.”
Chris has noted, “It’s something I’ve