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.

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.

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.

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.

HAMILTON - December 2018 saw the most sales tax for education on record collected for the month of December.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West told the Marion County Board of Education during its meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 23, that sales tax for December 2018 collected nearly $20,000 more than the previous year.
This marks the fifth-consecutive month of record-breaking collections for the county school system.
“Sales tax in December was fantastic,” West said. “I believe that this is because a lot of people did their shopping at home this year.”

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.
The City of Hamilton owns a three-acre plot of land at the site.

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.
Ivey announced the grant funding on Wednesday, Dec. 26, which is a portion of a larger $2.5 million distribution to 14 government and community agencies. The funds are  from the Emergency Solutions Grant program, whose funds are available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

HAMILTON -  Marion County’s unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 3.8 percent in November 2018 to 4.1 percent in December. Though slightly up, the number marks the end of a downward trend that began in January 2018 when the rate was at 7.6 percent.
In December, 510 people in the county were unemployed, up from the 482 in November. In December 2017, 448 people in the county were unemployed.

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.
Up until now, the probate office has been funded by fee revenues collected from services provided by the probate judge. This was known as the “fee system.”

WINFIELD - A restricted use pesticide training will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 27, beginning at 8 a.m. at the Upper Coastal Plains Experiment Station, located at 171 Experiment Loop, Winfield.
This training is for a general applicator audience, including homeowners, farmers, nursery owners, pond owners and forested land owners.

• Rewarding opportunity for those looking to give back

• Deadline to apply is Feb. 28; many qualifying courses available in Hamilton

By SCOTT JOHNSON
News Editor

HAMILTON - Bevill State Community College (BSCC) signed an agreement with homebuilders from northwest Alabama on Monday, Jan. 28, to partner in an effort to reduce employee turnover and implement the Ready-to-Work (RtW) program to enhance the pre-screening process to develop a strong workforce. The area homebuilders included in the partnership include Buccaneer Homes, Hamilton; Deer Valley Homebuilders, Inc., Guin; Platinum Homes, Lynn; Southern Homes-Russellville; Sunshine Homes, Inc., Red Bay; and Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc., Red Bay and Winfield.

HAMILTON - The Town of Hackleburg has welcomed a new police chief.
Hackleburg Mayor Darryl Colburn announced the hiring of new Hackleburg Police Chief Jeremy Marbutt at a Hackleburg Town Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 14.
During the meeting, Marbutt was sworn-in by Hackleburg Town Attorney Tony Glenn. Marbutt’s mother, Jerry, held the Bible during the ceremony.

•Alleged text directed law enforcement to wrong
residence

HAMILTON - On-table proposals to help offset large losses at Hamilton’s sewer and water operations could increase minimum bills by $2.04 for sewer customers and 22 cents for water customers.
During a work session on Wednesday, Jan. 16, Hamilton Water Superintendent Rodney Williams told the Hamilton City Council that increasing residential sewer rates by 10 percent and commercial rates by 30 percent could help soften the costly blow of providing sewer to residents.

HAMILTON - The late Billy Houston Loden dedicated 42 years of his life as a firefighter in Marion County.
The Marion County Firefighters Association presented a special memorial plaque to Loden’s family during its first meeting of 2019, held on Thursday, Jan. 24, at the Bear Creek Community Center.
There to receive the large plaque were  Joyce, Loden’s wife of 61 years, and two of their children, Mark Loden and LuAnn (Donny) Harden. Daughter-in-law Sandy Loden and granddaughter Candace Ingram were also present.

HAMILTON - Alabama Power Company and the Bevill State Community College-Hamilton Campus are partnering to expand opportunities for workforce development and provide resources to bridge the gap between students and employers. 
Officials from Alabama Power (APCO) and BSCC met in the campus’ library on Tuesday, Jan. 22, to announce a $50,000 Challenge Grant from the Alabama Power Foundation that will kick-start the endeavor.  

WINFIELD - The theater students at Winfield City High School and the family of the late Scarlett Tidwell are partnering to present a dinner theater to benefit the Scarlett Tidwell Memorial Scholarship fund.

MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Senate Committee on Assignments announced the following Senate Standing Committee appointments for the 2019-2022 quadrennium recently for Marion County’s two senators, freshman District 4 Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, and second-term District 6 Sen. Dr. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia.
The 4th District covers Cullman, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties. The 6th District includes Colbert, Franklin, and parts of Marion, Lawrence and Lauderdale counties.