HACKLEBURG - Hackleburg suffered its second-straight loss with Phillips defeating the Panthers 38-8 on Friday night, Oct. 12.
The loss dropped Hackleburg to 1-6 overall and 1-3 in Class 1A, Region 8. The victory gave Phillips its third-consecutive win and improved the Bears to 4-4 overall and 3-2 in Region 8.
Following the Panthers’ sixth loss on the season, head coach Rod Hudson was straight-to-the-point about what the team needs to improve.

GUIN - Marion County suffered its third loss of the season when South Lamar defeated the Red Raiders 55-31 on Friday, Oct. 12.
The loss dropped Marion County to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Class 1A, Region 6. The Alabama Sports Writers Association’s fifth-ranked Stallions improved to 7-0 overall and 5-0 in Region 6.
Marion County received the opening kickoff and was unable to get anything going offensively and punted to South Lamar.
The Stallions drove 67 yards in six plays to get the team’s first score of the contest.

RUSSELLVILLE - The Hamilton Aggies became the homestanding Russellville Golden Tigers seventh victim of the 2018 season in as many outings on Friday night, Oct. 12, losing 65-34.
The Class 5A, Region 7 loss marked the Aggies’ fifth-consecutive after winning the first two games of the season and eliminated Hamilton from the playoffs. Hamilton now stands at 2-5 overall and 1-4 in region play.

BRILLIANT - Brilliant suffered its 27th-consecutive region loss when Berry defeated the Tigers 42-6 on Friday, Oct. 12.
The loss dropped Brilliant to 2-5 overall and 0-5 in Class 1A, Region 6. Berry improved to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in Region 6 play.
Brilliant received the opening kickoff but was unable to sustain the drive.
Berry’s opening possession ended with the Wildcats’ Isaac Darty capping it off with a 1-yard run. A successful point-after try gave Berry a 7-0 lead with 6:14 left in the first quarter.

WINFIELD - The Marion, Fayette and Lamar County Extension Offices will host a demonstration concerning calibrating farm equipment on Monday, Oct. 22.
The presentation will take place from 5 - 6:30 p.m. at the Winfield Experiment Station, which is located at 171 Experiment Loop, off Highway 36.
A short presentation will be given on the how’s, why’s and where’s for calibrating farm equipment, followed by a hands-on, interactive demonstration.

WINFIELD - The Winfield American Legion Post 100 had a flag-lowering ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 20, to honor prisoners of war and those missing in action.
In a remindful, touching ceremony, veterans looked on as the American Flag, the POW - MIA (Prisoners of War - Missing in Action) flag and the  Vietnam Veterans flag were lowered. The group held a moment of silence for service members who remain missing while in the course of duty.
Post 100 Commander Danny Loftis said that the ceremony turned out to be quite a success.

We all have memories of experiencing something for the first time. For many of us, it revolves around things like our first kiss of the one we love and share or shared life with. Then it is the first smile of our child.

HAMILTON - Conflicting reports led to no action involving a proposed crosswalk and pathway which would serve students at Hamilton’s public schools who cross State Highway 17.

HAMILTON - HAMILTON - Now under the umbrella of the Marion County Commission, the Marion County Probate Judge is expected to fire about a $183,000 direct hit into the county’s General Fund.
The commission held numerous budget hearings during the month of September, where it discussed its financial situation and looked into several opportunities to save money in the upcoming year.
Concluding the process, the commission unanimously passed a $10.4 million operating budget at a special-called meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 19.

GUIN - GUIN- To begin the Monday, Oct., 1 Guin City Council meeting, Guin City Clerk Rebeca Markham presented an agenda that had only one item listed under old business and three items under new business.
In old business, mayor Max Maddox informed the council that he has not yet received paving quotes from S.T. Bunn or the county regarding the paving of certain streets in Guin.
At the last meeting Maddox told the council that he is looking to get Guin streets paved that are in the most need of paving.

To really understand the Journal Record’s stance on the state’s broadly-proclaimed record-breaking employment numbers, you need to first read the article in this same issue, titled “Unemployment data: How it works.”
For months now, we have heard from the Department of Labor that the state is supporting more jobs than ever. And it may be.
But when we took a closer look at how the employment data is calculated, we began to have doubts about just how reliable those figures are and how much they really apply to us here in Marion County.

“Everything in this newspaper is important to someone.”
It’s become something of a mantra for me, in recent years.
Weekly community newspapers are eclectic, to say the least. We publish photos of ribbons being cut at bakeries, and donations being dropped off at local food pantries.

We thought everybody knew how important a free press was to our world and that all this talk about us being the enemy of the people would be dismissed for the silliness that it is.
But the reckless attacks have continued, instigated and encouraged by our president.

Alabama is only one of seven states which still offers straight-ticket voting, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In politics, perception is reality. It is perceived and therefore factual that a Democrat cannot win a statewide race in Alabama.
The proof is in the pudding. We have 29 elected statewide officeholders in the Heart of Dixie. All 29 are Republicans.

An in-depth newspaper investigation revealed that a state-operated home for aged military veterans was providing sub-standard care and that taxpayer money that was to go to improve the home was spent elsewhere.

HAMILTON - The 35th annual Miss Hamilton Pageant culminated in the crowning of Lauren Reaves of Alexandria as the 2019 Miss Hamilton, as well as showcasing dynamic performances from outgoing titleholders--2018 Miss Hamilton Bethany Knight and 2018 Miss Outstanding Teen Meg Bowen.
The pageant, which took place in the Bevill State Community College - Hamilton Campus Auditorium on Sunday, Sept. 30, had a theme that paid tribute to Broadway, “I Dreamed a Dream.”
Reaves stuns at pageant

HAMILTON - The Marion County Extension Office will be offering “Together We Can Creat Healthy Relationships for Our Family” Oct. 15 - Dec. 3 with Melanie Allen as the instructor.
Allen is a Human Sciences Extension Agent, Family and Child Development.
This course is open to:
• Married or non-married parents raising a child together;
• Single parents and other support persons raising a child;
• Pregnant and expecting a child; and
• Anyone wanting to learn healthy relationship skills.

WINFIELD - The City of Winfield and the board of the Citizens Bank of Winfield have entered into a special agreement that will allow the Winfield Main Street program to maintain the historic Citizens Bank building as a history museum. The agreement was announced in a press release to the Journal Record.

HAMILTON - Beginning Monday, Sept. 24, Marion County Circuit Clerk and Absentee Election Manager Denise Mixon has announced that her office will begin sending out voter absentee ballot applications for the Tuesday, Nov. 6, general election.
The last day to file an application for a ballot will be Thursday, Nov. 1.
Registered voters can request an absentee ballot at Mixon’s office, which is located on the second floor of the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton.

RUSSELLVILLE - RUSSELLVILLE - Terry Landon Stidham, 19, Hamilton, has been arrested and charged with second-degree rape, second-degree sodomy, possession of child pornography, possession of pornography with the intent to distribute and possession of pornography with a

HAMILTON - In an unexpected turn of events, the Hamilton Aggies lost their fourth game in a row on Friday night, Oct. 5, to the Hayden Wildcats 30-21.
Hamilton head coach Rodney Stidham said his team “shot themselves in the foot early” and that they did not make the plays that they needed to make in the first and second halves.
Stidham stated matter-of-factly that he takes some of the blame, mentioning that the success of the team “always falls back on the head coach.”

HUBBERTVILLE - Marion County lost to Hubbertville 28-20 on Friday, Oct. 5, after the Red Raiders saw their final drive go down to the 1-yard line.
Marion County had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line with less than a minute on the clock as the team suffered its second one-score loss on the season.
The Red Raiders fell to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Class 1A, Region 6. Hubbertville improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in Region 6 play.

WINFIELD - The Winfield Pirates’ defense held the Oakman Wildcats on an opportunity to make it a one-score game in the fourth quarter, and then scored three late touchdowns to secure a 40-12 win on Friday, Oct. 5, in Winfield.
The win improved Winfield to 7-0 on the season and for the first time since 2007 to claim a 7-0 start. The Pirates improved to 4-0 in Class 3A, Region 4 and are in sole possession of the number one spot in the region for the playoffs.

GUIN - The Phillips She Bears captured the Marion County Volleyball Tournament crown with a two-set sweep of Marion County on Saturday, Sept. 29.
The Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 1A third-ranked Phillips swept the tournament in four matches with victories over Marion County (twice), Brilliant and Hackleburg.
The She Bears won the finals by a score of 25-14 in both sets.
Phillips’ Baily Bishop finished with six kills, one dig and a service ace.

ARLEY - Brilliant head coach Brian Gunnels described his Tigers’ 36-14 loss to Meek on Friday night, Oct. 5, as a game of two halves.
“I didn’t have the guys ready to play in the first half,” Gunnels said. “I’m proud of the way we came out after the half. We just have to work on us.”
Brilliant (2-4 overall and 0-4 in Class 1A, Region 6) entered the game coming off a 43-24 win over Tharptown last week.

Every team in Marion County is now over halfway to the end of the season.
Some schools still have playoff hope while others are watching it quickly fade away. The Golden Rule for most regions is three region wins and you are in. That’s the basis of my analysis.

Hamilton Police Dept.

HAMILTON - The following arrests and activities were reported by the Hamilton Police Department for the period of Sept. 23-Oct. 1:
Incident, offense cases