By Jamie Gianopulos
Courtesy of the
Veterans Care
Coordination
HAMILTON — Hamilton-born James Minor was no stranger to hard work.
As the son of a sharecropper, he grew up in Alabama very poor but learned from his father the value of hard work. The family worked extremely hard year-round, which was necessary for survival. Minor was always very mechanically inclined. He could work on any motor, troubleshoot any issues and quickly fix them, keeping necessary equipment always running.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The City of Winfield will be raising garbage pickup rates later this year from $14 to $16 per month.
The Winfield City Council voted to approve the rate increase during its regular meeting on Tuesday, June 21, citing the rising cost of fuel and the increase in rates charged by landfills.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY — Two new commissioners and the U.S. Senator  were some of the big names on the runoff ballots this week as Marion County residents cast their votes.
Marion County District Three Commissioner Dale Holt will end his time in his spot on the commission this November as Hackleburg’s Greg Gunnin won the race 453 votes to Holt’s 319.
Marion County Commission District Five’s runoff went between Larry Akers and Rodney Lucas.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Marion County Sheriff’s Department found a missing juvenile and made two arrests this weekend in the area commonly known in the community as “Ride Out Falls.”
Sheriff’s deputies received a report of two missing individuals at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 18.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY — Severe thunderstorms have been looming over Marion County this summer, and this past Friday featured one that caused some power outages and tree damage in the county.
Marion County Emergency Management Agency Director Eric Terrell stated that the county experienced power outages scattered through all the areas in Marion County.
Trees were falling onto roads during the storm, most notably on State Highway 19 in Hamilton.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Hamilton residents may have noticed some new additions to the streets in the past couple of weeks, with new street signs being put in place all around the city.
The old blue and white street signage is currently being replaced by new maroon signage with white lettering on every single street in the City of Hamilton.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — New water filters were installed at the Guin water treatment plant on Monday, June 6. The new granulated articular carbon filters are designed to filter out harmful chemicals, such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl.
Four new filters were installed at the plant, located on Highway 43 just beside the 3M plant.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Marion County Emergency Management Agency is urging residents to sign up for the newly implemented EMA alert system using smartphone technology.
Since the launch of the new alert system at the start of June, Marion County has had 510 residents registered to receive important updates and are now looking for more to register.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
FAYETTE AND MARION COUNTIES —  Alabama District 16 Representative Kyle South posted a series of images to Facebook on Feb. 25, 2022, showing details of a proposed interstate bypass project that would widen Highways 171 and 129. The bypass would swing from 171 in Fayette County and meet Highway 129 in Winfield at an intersection on Highway 118.
There has been no word from the governor or the Alabama Department of Transportation regarding a date and time for a public meeting to discuss the proposal.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Hamilton is well on its way to having a brand new track and field facility for Hamilton and other schools in the county to enjoy.
The city is currently planning on building this new facility located just off of Military Street South on the city owned old Munsingwear property.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — In February, 2022, Russian forces invaded Ukraine in full force, sending in troops and tanks while blasting cities with rockets, artillery, missiles and bombs.
Since the beginning of the invasion, millions of Ukrainians have left the country as refugees seeking safe shelter in neighboring countries, like Poland, Germany and Turkey. One Ukrainian woman ended up all the way in the United States, in a small town called Winfield.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — The City of Guin held its first Springfest, formerly known as Mayfest, on Friday and Saturday, May 20-21.
Vendors selling food, crafts and other goods set up downtown while live music played and prizes were won at the carnival.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Hamilton High School graduates had the pleasure of sharing a quite beautiful moment with a very special guest during their graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 26, at Hamilton High School.
U.S. Army Veteran Hubert Carter, 89, received his high school diploma after over 70 years.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY — Marion County residents voted in the primary elections that took place last week on Tuesday, May 24.
County residents went to the polls to vote their candadites for several poisitions that will be up for grabs in November as well as Marion County Sheriff, Marion County Coroner and two Districts of the Marion County Comission.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY  — The Marion County Sheriff’s Department’s plans to sweep up crime on Interstate 22 has already become a fruitful venture, with major events happening in the past week for the department’s joint efforts along with adjoining counties.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Marion County Board of Education recognized several students during its meeting on Thursday, May 19. Among the students recognized were Riley Pyron and Austin Berry, the outgoing and incoming state Beta Club vice-president.
Pryon and Berry are both students at Marion County High School. Pyron ran for state vice president last year, and this year Berry was elected as his successor to the position.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Hamilton residents may have noticed some increased road work this past week in Hamilton’s downtown area, leading to some increased traffic on Military Street South.
Residents should expect some more road work as the Alabama Department of Transportation aims to solve Hamilton’s “bottle neck” issue at its main intersection.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Marion County Department of Public Health invited residents of Marion County to a foster parent recruitment session on Thursday, May 19, at the House of Plenty in downtown Hamilton.
DHR director Kier Vickery, Judge Mark Hammitte, foster parent licensing worker Melanie Norris and foster parent Melissa Mathieson spoke to those interested in fostering or helping foster parents in Marion County.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Marion County families relying on formula have had a rough time as of late, with the previous stocked shelves being left completely bare in some cases at local stores throughout the county, state and nation.
Back in February, formula manufacturer Abbot Laboratories, whose product Similac is among the most popular formula brands, shut down a major plant in Sturgis, Mich., after it recalled infant formula products following a federal investigation where four babies taking the formula developed bacterial infections.