Correction

In the Wednesday, Jan. 2, edition of the Journal Record, in the story headline, “Westbrook stuck, killed crossing HWY. 43,” “stuck” is incorrect and should have been “struck.” We apologize and regret any confusion or embarrassment this may have caused.
To request a correction or clarification, call news editor Scott Johnson at 921-3104 .

Hamilton Police Department

MONTGOMERY - Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Friday, Dec. 7, the awarding of a $6.3 million state grant that will allow Alabama district attorneys to hire 88 Certified Victim Service Officers to assist victims of crime.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday afternoon, Dec. 7, in the Old House Chamber, Ivey noted the need for more assistance for crime victims.

On Christmas Day, Tuesday, Dec. 25, the City of Hamilton suffered its second downtown shooting event in just the last three years, leaving a father dead in the presence of his two children during a custody exchange gone wrong.
Hamilton’s last shooting happened in just February 2016, when Jimmy Dale Cooper, Hamilton, allegedly shot and killed Linda Cole and Donnie Miller in separate shooting incidents in downtown Hamilton.

Most people in America know who Dr. Martin Luther King is. According to my calendar, his actions are worthy enough to have a day set aside in his honor, on Monday, Jan. 21, this year.

Recently I came across a copy of an old congressional directory from 1942. It is always fun for me to read about this era in American political history.

HAMILTON - Hamilton residents and entrepreneurs Steve and Kristi Babb have grown their business, Sassy Frass Tees, into a wholesale, custom and retail business that ships all over the United States.
Christie Babb gave the Journal Record some details into the growth and development of the couple’s company since it began in 2009.
Sassy Frass roots
Babb, originally from Tremont, Miss., along with her husband, Steve, a native of Hamilton, both attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and discovered their entrepreneurial talents.

While our readers may feel as if few major headlines make the front page of their local newspaper in any given year, such was certainly not the case in 2018 as selecting the annual Top 10 list proved as difficult as ever.
1) Republicans claim
every office up for grabs
The dominate top story for 2018 was the sweeping takeover by the Marion County Republican Party in local elected offices.

• Cochran’s charges upgraded to capital murder without bond

HAMILTON - Kimberly Pace of Hamilton said everything had been leading up to a great Christmas Day for her and her family this year.
“It had been a wonderful day and my children and grandchild were going to be together,” Pace said,
Preparations had been made for a family Christmas dinner, one of her daughters was home from Auburn University and all that was left was to pick up her other younger daughter from her ex-husband.

WINFIELD - A Winfield man was struck and killed while crossing U.S. Highway 43 in Winfield.

MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is increasing Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) sampling surveillance efforts in northwest Alabama after deer in nearby Mississippi and Tennessee counties tested CWD-positive.
CWD is a contagious and deadly neurological disorder that affects members of the deer family. To date, no deer in Alabama have tested positive for CWD.

ton after brief stays in Saltillo, Miss., and Poplar Bluff, Mo., in 1997—my first-grade year in school.
With our return to Hamilton, we attended Hamilton Free Will Baptist Church, where my grandfather, Edward Puckett, was the preacher.
I met one of my best childhood friends at the church, Dillon Sowa.
As many 5- and 6-year-old boys do, we began playing together and eventually going over to each other’s houses.
Everyone that knows me well knows that I spent a large amount of my time as a child with my grandparents.

As we begin this New Year of 2019, Alabama begins a new quadrennium in state government.
All of our constitutional state officeholders begin their new four-year terms this month.  

HAMILTON - With gifts already purchased, delivered and opened by 442 children, Christmas for Kids is still needing $7,242.29 to meet its $40,000 funding goal.
For the week-period ending on Thursday, Dec. 27, a total of $3,405 was donated toward this year’s Christmas for Kids campaign. To date, that charity has now collected $32,757.71.
Charity organizer Sandy Sandlin said that fundraising is still underway to pay for the gifts purchased and delivered.

Hamilton Police Department

Marion County sports saw several highlights in 2018.
The Journal Record’s Top 10 Sports Stories of 2018 range from Winfield City High School’s cheerleaders winning the world championship--again--to Marion County High School’s Braden Pyron being named a Wendy’s High School Heisman state winner.
Here is the list of the Top 10 sports stories published by the Journal Record in 2018, along with a short list of other stories which earned honorable mention status.
1.) Winfield cheer wins
world championship again

FAYETTE - Winfield defeated Gordo 52-41 in the West Alabama Conference Boys Basketball Tournament Finals on Saturday, Dec. 22.
The Pirates led 16-14 at the end of the opening period before building their lead in the second with a 15-9 run to go into halftime with an eight-point advantage.
Gordo outscored Winfield 10-8 in the third to trim the Pirates’ lead to six points. Winfield put away the Green Wave in the fourth with a 13-8 quarter to capture the 11-point victory.

• Lady Pirates outscore two
opponents by 98 points in tournament

• McCollum, Junkin, Moore, Belk earn recognition on state’s squad

Correction

WINFIELD - At the Tuesday, Dec. 4, Winfield City Council meeting, the council approved a joint resolution with the Winfield Board of Education, recognizing the Winfield Pirate varsity football team that was presented to the team at the Dec. 11 Pirates’ girls varsity basketball home game.
This resolution commended the team for its excellent performance during the 2018 football season, in which the team had an 11 - 0 season record.
The Pirates won the Region IV championship, the Marion County championship and the West Alabama Conference championship.

WINFIELD - During his first board of education meeting since his official start date as Winfield superintendent of education, Chris Cook announced a new security measure that will allow school staff to check any offenses or warrants of visitors before allowing them to enter a Winfield City School.

WINFIELD - After spending time studying abroad, four Winfield City High School graduates discussed the experiences they had overseas and how those experiences have impacted them.
Some highlights include how they engaged with new cultures, were able to contribute to important causes and got to experience famous landmarks.
Cole studies culture in Peru

HAMILTON - With gifts already purchased, delivered and opened by 442 children, Christmas for Kids is still needing donations to meet its $40,000 funding goal.
For the week-period ending on Thursday, Dec. 20, a total of $6,057 was donated toward this year’s Christmas for Kids campaign. To date, that charity has now collected $29,352.71.

At 4:14 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, a 4.4 magnitude earthquake struck southeast Tennessee. According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake struck five miles below the earth’s surface at Decatur, Tenn. There were no reports of injuries.

HALEYVILLE  -  Students across every school in Marion and Winston counties are experiencing their first joint youth leadership academy, training to become the leaders of tomorrow through community service.
The Winston/Marion Youth Leadership Academy is comprised of 20 high school juniors, or two each from 10 high schools throughout Marion and Winston counties, organizers say.
Supervisor for Marion County Schools Jason Bourland said that the Marion/Winston Youth Leadership Academy is providing young student leaders with opportunities to network.

WINFIELD - Former Winfield Superintendent of Education Dr. Keith Davis has accepted the position as superintendent of Sheffield schools.
Davis was selected for the job on Dec. 3 and officially filed his letter of resignation as Winfield Board of Education “administrative officer” for it to be accepted during the Winfield Board of Education’s special-called meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 19.

SHEFFIELD - Former Winfield Superintendent of Education Dr. Keith Davis was selected as the next superintendent for Sheffield schools on Monday, Dec. 3.
Davis, who resigned under pressure from the superintendent position in Winfield City Schools on July 17, has been serving as the first administrative officer for Winfield.
The Sheffield School System has had a vacancy left by its former superintendent of education Dr. Keith Langford, who vacated the position in early August.

HAMILTON - Be

HAMILTON - Hamilton Elementary School students are hoping for a new playground this new year.
Hamilton Elementary School Booster Club President Paula Wood and member Melissa Hughey have announced a capital campaign, seeking more than $86,000 to purchase new playground equipment.
In total, the new playground equipment is worth roughly $172,000, but because of the school’s 65 percent poverty rate, Twin States Recreation of Magnolia Springs, Miss., has helped the booster club obtain a 50 percent matching grant up to $100,000 for the new playground equipment.

Marion County School System teachers and Winfield City School System teachers have achieved impressive rankings in a statewide overview posted online.
According to school reviews posted by Niche.com, Marion County School System  educators were ranked 10th in the state out of 137 school districts. Winfield City School teachers were high on the list as well at No. 14.
The county schools were also considered No. 11 for best workplaces for teachers, while the Winfield system was listed at No. 16.

BYRD COMMUNITY - “This is old Frosty himself,” Lana McNees said, laughing, as she introduced her first creation—an amalgamation of two gourds painted white and adorned with a small scarf, a button for a nose, lumps of coal for eyes and a corn cobb pipe protruding from a smile.
McNees can only “see” the snowman by running her fingers over the form of the round gourds that she glued together. McNees became blind in 2012 after complications from heart surgery stopped the blood flow to her optic nerves.  

HAMILTON - Phillips High School’s principal, Keith Smith, has been hired as the Marion County High School principal.