WINFIELD - Gov. Kay Ivey awarded a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to the City of Winfield on Monday, Aug. 6, to extend the sewer lines in the industrial park located off of Exit 30 on Interstate 22.
Along with a $70,265 match from the city, the funds and the extended sewer lines will allow Tiffin Motorhomes to build a service center, which will create 65 local jobs.
Ivey said she was thrilled to be creating new jobs, especially in rural Marion County.
“Bringing new jobs to Alabama is at the forefront of my administration,” Ivey said.

GUIN - The City of Guin’s Aug. 7 council meeting took on the air of a courtroom drama when councilman Jerry Gann questioned Frank Pugh, chairman of the Guin Water and Sewer Board, about rusty water flowing through the Guin water pipes.
Gann presented a petition along with photographs that Gann says showed rusty water flowing from the faucet of a Guin water customer.

• Garrison pitches himself to first-place with non-dominant hand

HAMILTON - The City of Hamilton is looking to revamp its Christmas decor.
At a meeting held on Aug. 6, the Hamilton City Council agreed to purchase 25 new four-foot snowflake LED Christmas lights from Dixie Decorations in Montevallo at a cost of $8,940.
The council began discussions about new lights in March when Hamilton Street Superintendent Mike Johnson proposed that the city start the process of replacing the lights.

• ‘Luv Guv’ revamping social media ahead of possible U.S. Senate bid

WINFIELD - Questions remain as the Winfield Board of Education embarks on the process of finding a new superintendent of education after the sudden resignation of former Superintendent of Education Dr. Keith Davis on Tuesday, July 17.
The board hosted Sally Smith, executive director of the Montgomery-based Alabama Association of School Boards, who provided a board training on criteria to consider when searching for a new superintendent on Monday, July 23, six days after Davis’ controversial resignation.

WINFIELD - A single-vehicle crash in Marion County has claimed the life of a Mississippi man.
On Thursday, Aug. 9, at about 3:45 p.m., Lilbren Ray Higginbottom, 55, Fulton, Miss., was killed when his 2002 Ford E-350 van left the roadway, struck a guardrail and overturned, according to State Trooper Cpl. Mark Stone of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Hamilton Post.

The appointment of a U.S. Supreme Court Justice is one of the most profound legacies that a U. S. President can achieve.
The opportunity that President Donald Trump was given to appoint Neil Gorsuch to the High Tribunal last year will be a monumental achievement of the Trump administration.

The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” That’s a quote from the great Southern author William Faulkner. The line is one of the most quoted in literature. It’s a favorite quote to throw around by those who love history.

BRILLIANT - In a slightly-heated town council meeting on Wednesday, July 25, Brilliant resident Jason Wilds said he, his parents and his brother  want their three properties de-annexed from the town limits after waiting more than six years to be hooked up to the town’s water system.
Town council members seemed reluctant to de-annex those properties from the town limits and Brilliant Mayor Perry Franks asked attorney Bill Atkinson to attend the meeting to discuss legal ramifications surrounding the issue.

WINFIELD - The Winfield Main Street Program and the Pastime Theatre partnered together to bring “Three on a String,” a traveling, four-member group of musicians and entertainers, to perform at the Pastime Theatre on Saturday, Aug. 18.
The concert will take place at 2 p.m., after the Marion County Bicentennial Picnic, which will be hosted at the Winfield City Hall from 11 - 1 p.m.

HAMILTON - Jack’s Family Restaurants hopes to reach an agreement with the City of Hamilton to receive assistance as it seeks to open and operate a new restaurant.
The Hamilton City Council is hosting a public hearing on the issue during its Monday, Aug. 20, council meeting at Hamilton City Hall.

HAMILTON - Journal Record Managing Editor Les Walters recently announced that due to the Labor Day holiday, early deadlines will be in effect for the Wednesday, Sept. 5,  edition of the newspaper.
Journal Record offices in Winfield and Hamilton will be closed on Monday, Sept. 3, in observance of Labor Day.
“We realize these deadlines may be an inconvenience for some of our contributors, but they are necessary to produce our newspaper in a timely manner,’’ said Walters.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Health Department released the following scores for eight restaurant inspections  through the month of July:

• J&V Ole Smokehouse, Hamilton - 86;
• McDonald’s Winfield - 89;
• Marion Regional Medical Center, Hamilton - 90;
• Sonic Drive-In, Hamilton - 93;
• Hardee’s, Hamilton - 94;
• The Stop Market, Hamilton - 94;
• Hamilton Marathon Inc. - 94; and
• Midnight Bakery, Hamilton - 94.

Hamilton Police Dept.

HAMILTON - The following arrests and activities were reported by the Hamilton Police Department for the period of  July 31-Aug. 6:
Incident and offense cases

HAMILTON - The Northwest Alabama Gas District (NWAGD) released its final financial report for fiscal year 2018 at its Monday, Aug. 6, meeting.
General manager Heath Reed reported that NWAGD had a net income of $1,514,249.94. Reed attributed the solid number to a cold winter.

HAMILTON - In a unanimous 4-0 vote, Ann West was named superintendent of the Marion County School System during a special-called Marion County Board of Education (MCBOE) meeting on July 31.
“I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to be the leader of our school system,” West said after the meeting. “We have a great school system and I want to continue working with our schools, our teachers, and our students to make it the best it can be,” she said.

HACKLEBURG - Big 95.5 radio station owner Tommy “Hutty” Hutcheson spoke to the Hackleburg town council on July 23 about allowing him to move his radio operations into the old Hackleburg town hall building.
The building, built in 1992, was damaged during the 2011 tornado but was repaired and currently houses a gymnasium and serves as a polling location. Hutcheson made a request to move his operations into the unused office space in the building.

HAMILTON - Bevill State Community College (BSCC) says it’s zeroing-in to strengthen the Hamilton Campus and expand its enrollment.
College officials also say they are taking focused and pointed actions to create partnerships with local industries.

WINFIELD - The Main Street program plans to purchase the old Citizens Bank building near the Pastime Theatre to house a museum.
Pastime Theatre Board Chairperson and Main Street Program Treasurer Mary Hyche asked the Winfield City Council if the city would assume ownership of the building when the program purchases it.

• Avery’s landscaping hired for project; manager says two ‘anchor’ retailors on their way

HAMILTON - The manager of a dilapidated shopping center near downtown Hamilton has reportedly committed to repairing the property and renovating the facilities.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Page told the Hamilton City Council during a work session on Wednesday, Aug. 1, that he has spoken with  Town and Country Plaza Shopping Center manager Louise Jennings of Real Estate Southeast in Prattville, who has promised to make improvements on the site.

The property managers of the dilapidated Town and Country Shopping Center on Highway 278 East, just beyond the intersection of highways 43 and 278, have reportedly committed to cleaning up the property in preparation for brand-name “anchor” stores. We’ll believe it when we see it.
We each councilman Gene Sanderson’s comments during a Hamilton City Council work session on Wednesday, Aug. 1: “They’ve said this before and two years later, still nothing.”

• Page says having PD across from high school a security measure

HAMILTON - Hamilton First Baptist Church has approached the mayor about a price for the city’s former city hall building.
Hamilton Mayor Bob  Page told the Hamilton City Council at a work session on Wednesday, July 11, that the church has re-expressed its interest in purchasing the old city hall building.

If you've ever spent much time around children, you know that if you need an honest opinion, you go to them first. I worked in a daycare before I moved to Hamilton and I served in the kids ministry at my church for a few years after that and those experiences taught me a lot.

• Stutts may be vulnerable to Morrow in Senate 6 race

TWIN - Local residents should mark their calendars for Saturday, Aug. 11, and enjoy an evening of live music and great food for the annual “Music in the Park” at Twin Oaks Park in Twin.
The event will begin at 4 p.m., with live music being held at the main pavilion and vendor food available under the shade trees at the park.

• City formally invited back as C3 member

HAMILTON - The City of Hamilton will review its contracts with its economic recruitment agencies.
The Hamilton City Council voted 6-0 at a meeting on Monday, July 16, to table contract renewals with its two economic recruitment agencies which were hired last year when the council decided to leave C3 of Northwest Alabama.

HAMILTON - Grant monies are being sought to expand River Road, or County Highway 35, into a four- and five-lane “super highway.”
The Hamilton City Council voted 5-1 at its meeting on Monday, July 16, to submit grant applications for a grant which would cover 80 percent the costs for the $6.5 million project.

HAMILTON - Hamilton Mayor Bob Page and the Hamilton City Council received their first audit report respective to their time as overseers of the city’s finances.
The city was given a “good opinion” concerning its financial status of Fiscal Year 2017.

HAMILTON - Natural gas is becoming more available in north Marion and Franklin counties.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Board of Education received a good opinion from state auditors for Fiscal Year 2017.
The county school board held its monthly meeting on Thursday, July 19, where it heard from Larry MacNeil, a representative for Robert Lackey of the Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.

HAMILTON - More than 40 local business and industry stakeholders met with Bevill State Community College (BSCC) officials during a workforce summit.
The gathering was held on Tuesday, July 24, in the Bevill Center at the BSCC-Hamilton Campus.

Hamilton Police Dept.

HAMILTON - The following arrests and activities were reported by the Hamilton Police Department for the period of July 24-30:
Incident and offense cases

WINFIELD - Catfish Haven, which has served local residents for 23 years, suffered significant damage from a fire on Sunday, July 29. Firefighters believe the firewas caused by electrical issues.
Local owner Linda Postell reported that the restaurant did not have insurance at the time of the incident.

HAMILTON - Hamilton High School junior Hannah Gentz has won another title and a chance to compete in the Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen scholarship pageant in March.