Smoking, obesity and inactivity red-flag health issues for Marion County residents.
In a recent report, Marion County ranked No. 28 out of Alabama’s 67 counties when considering health behaviors, local clinical care, socio-economical factors and environment.
The national county findings were released on Monday, March 18, and are a part of a nationwide report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute.
Neighboring counties’  rankings were as follows:

HAMILTON - County education officials and employees have received praise for the consistent success of the  Marion County Schools System despite the fact it ranks among the lowest in the state for discretionary funds.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West distributed the statewide analysis reports to members of the board of education at their meeting on Friday, March 22, at the Marion County Schools Central Office in Hamilton.
West told the board that the system moved up one place in FY 2018, placing it at 131st out of 138.

HAMILTON - Marion County released 443,379 pounds of production-related waste into the air, land and water in 2017, according to an analysis published in March by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).
The release inventory tracks the management of certain toxic chemicals that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. Certain industrial facilities in the U.S. must report annually how much of each chemical is released on- and off-site.

One financial firm has ranked Marion County as one of the 10 most financially healthy counties in the state for the second year in a row.
In a report released in March, SmartAsset, a New York-based financial technology company, named Marion County and four of its adjacent counties among Alabama’s top counties for financial health.
Marion County was listed as the second-most financially healthy county in Alabama.
Lamar County was named number one, Winston County number three, Franklin County number five and Fayette County number nine.

HAMILTON -  Anytime Fitness in Winfield and Hamilton will be collecting donations of paper products for the safe houses in Marion County  overseen by Safeplace and the Marion County Domestic Violence Task Force until the end of the month of April.
Paper product donations include:
• Paper Towels
• Toilet Tissue
• Feminine Products
• Kleenex
Every donation given puts individuals into a drawing for a free month of gym membership at Anytime Fitness.

HAMILTON -  The Marion County Commission has announced that it will be holding an electronics recycling event on Saturday, April 13, from 8 a.m. to noon at the CDL testing site on Dr. Pyle Drive in Hamilton.
During the event, individuals are welcome to bring old electronic devices to be recycled.
Items that can be recycled include:
• Copiers;
• Fax machines;
• Printers (desktop or floor size);
• Computers;
• Telephone equipment;
• Power backups;
• Servers;
• Small appliances;
• Televisions; and

HAMILTON -  The Marion County Relay for Life will be held on Saturday, April 27, at Bevill State Community College-Hamilton.
After taking place for over a quarter of a century, citizens will again gather from across Marion County to celebrate and remember those who have battled cancer.
Relay for Life is a fundraising event in which individuals will take turns walking on a track or path in honor of those who have battled cancer as well as those who have acted as caregivers.

WINFIELD - An investigation into an armed robbery led to the arrest of a Hamilton man and a Winfield store clerk on theft of property charges, the Winfield Police Department reported last week.

BRILLIANT - The body of a Carbon Hill man missing since January was found by a land-owner clearing a four-wheeler path north of Brilliant on Sunday, March 24.

HAMILTON -  Bevill State Community College (BSCC) has received a $4,900 grant from Alabama Power through their Good Roots campaign at Bevill‘s Hamilton campus on Friday, March  1.
These funds will be used to plant trees and fund various landscaping projects on each of the five campuses.
Bevill’s Hamilton campus received $1,000 from the grant and used the money to purchase seven Crepe Myrtles.
Dr. Kim Ennis, president of BSCC, expressed her thanks to Alabama Power for supporting the campuses with the grant.

HAMILTON - This Friday, April 5, the Hamilton Area of Chamber of Commerce will be kicking off the first of three “First Friday” downtown shopping events.
The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. with local and satellite vendors setting up booths lining the city square and downtown businesses extending their usual hours to host shoppers.
Food will be available for purchase during First Fridays at Leonelli’s First Avenue Grill, Coffee Buzz and potentially other food trucks.

WINFIELD - Winfield Park and Recreation Department Director Gina Bryant announced that the Fifth Annual Park Fest will be held on Saturday, April 13, at the Ivan K. Hill Recreational Park in Winfield.

HAMILTON -  Hamilton High School students conducted the Third Annual Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) Prom Promise mock wreck on Wednesday, March 20, in which students performed a mock car wreck to provide a sobering reminder for students to make good decisions during the night of prom, Friday, March 22,  at Hamilton High.

HACKLEBURG -  The Hackleburg Town Council unanimously voted to donate $500 to the Hackleburg youth baseball team when the council met during a regular session on Monday,  March 25, at the Hackleburg Town Hall.
Hackleburg youth baseball treasurer David Ray appeared before the council to request financial assistance for the team’s equipment. He mentioned that while the team had been making some money through concessions, it was not enough to meet their needs.

MONTGOMERY - Marion County’s unemployment rate was marked at 4.6 percent in February, according to Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington, six points lower than January’s rate of 5.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the State of Alabama’s unemployment rate continues to break records as it has now decreased to the lowest recorded rate on record, 3.7 percent—one point lower than January’s 3.8 percent, which also set the record.

WINFIELD - Great first impressions are hard to make, but the City of Winfield succeeded grandly last week when the Alabama Speaker of the  House, Mac McCutcheon, came to town.
McCutcheon, along with District 17 Rep. Tracy Estes, met with local leaders at a Winfield Chamber of Commerce meeting to discuss issues affecting the town.
“I really enjoyed the event, McCutcheon said. “It was good to sit down and meet with local leaders as well as leaders in the business community.”