HAMILTON - Christmas Day 2018 murder-suspect Christopher Andrew Cochran, 29, Hamilton, has plead not guilty to charges of capital murder.
The 25th Judicial Circuit Court held an arraignment hearing for Cochran on Friday, March 1, at the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton.
Cochran’s court-appointed defense attorney, Jim Standridge of Tuscaloosa, told 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Daryl Burt that Cochran is pleading not guilty and not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.

HACKLEBURG - The Hackleburg Town Council unanimously agreed to begin replacing over 100 missing street and stop signs.
The town had recently replaced 30 stop signs that had been stolen or damaged, but now finds the need to replace other street and stop signs that have been knocked down or gone missing.
Hackleburg Mayor Darryl Colburn and Town Clerk Carla Rector suggested that not replacing the signs could come at a great cost to individuals in the community.

DOUBLE SPRINGS - A Hamilton native’s trial has been dismissed due to misconduct by prosecutors, according to Winston County court records.
 On Thursday, Feb. 21, in 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Lee Carter granted a mistrial motion and dismissed with prejudice the case of the State of Alabama v. Jarod Chase Cantrell.
The state has a right to appeal this decision.

BIRMINGHAM - Marion County Republican Party Chairman David Hall has been re-elected as the GOP chair for the state’s 4th Congressional District.
As district chairman, Hall is also on the party’s statewide steering committee.

HAMILTON - The Alabama Manufactured  Housing Industry (AMHI) inducted Dennis Adams, president of Timberline Homes, Inc., and Britt Richards, vice president of operations and marketing for Clayton Home Building Group, to the industry’s hall of fame during an induction ceremony at Bevill State Community College Hamilton Campus on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
“To be nominated by the members of our industry and chosen by those who have already been inducted into the hall of fame is a special honor, and it means more to me than they will ever know,” said Adams.

WINFIELD - Stylist Sabrena Handley just returned from New York’s Fashion Week where she lived out one of her lifelong dreams--to work backstage at an international fashion show.
From Feb. 8-16, Handley worked side-by-side with renowned stylists and models during one of the world’s preeminent cultural gatherings. During the week, fashion designers from around the world showcase their creations to buyers, the media and the public in a series of high-profile fashion shows.

HAMILTON - Marion County Road 42 is undergoing emergency repairs after a portion of the road began to wash out from heavy rainfall.
As of presstime on Friday, March 1, the road remains closed between CR-107 and CR-98.
This portion of CR-42 was just recently re-opened after the Marion County Commission spent more than $116,000 to repair it.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Commission voted unanimously to fix the elevator switch that controls the elevator in the courthouse for a total of $950 on Tuesday, Feb. 19.
The elevator is known to have been moving very slowly and the doors have taken longer than intended to both open and close.
Marion County Commission attorney, Scott Hunt, stated that he, as well as several others, prefer to take the stairs as it is usually the quicker method to traveling as opposed to riding the malfunctioning elevator.

HAMILTON - Jim Sibley, owner of the new Chevron gas station, invited special guests and supporters to the soft opening of the station across from the Walmart Supercenter in Hamilton on Monday, Feb. 25.
Members of the Hamilton City council, along with mayor Bob Page, were also in attendance at the brand-new gas station as food was served from the station’s “Heritage Deli.”
Before Sibley served his guests, he expressed his thanks to those who supported the building of the new station on Hamilton’s Military street.

HAMILTON - Double-homicide suspect Jimmy Cooper has been transferred to Taylor-Hardin Secure Medical Facility in Tuscaloosa for his mental evaluation.

HAMILTON - The 2019 Legislative Session is quickly approaching. It will launch on Tuesday, March 5, and could potentially run through June 17.
Leading up to the session, the Journal Record has reached out to Marion County’s legislative delegation and has requested their views on several issues that may potentially be tackled by lawmakers in Montgomery this year.

HAMILTON - The Hamilton City Council is backpedalling after unintentionally approving raises for more employees than intended.
At a previous Jan. 22 council meeting, the Hamilton council unanimously passed pay raises for certified and non-certified Hamilton water and waste water employees.
But Hamilton Mayor Bob Page says that non-certified employees were never intended to be part of the equation.

HAMILTON -  The Hamilton Fire Department was dispatched at 5 a.m.  to respond to a tractor-trailer fire at Interstate 22’s westbound Exit 7 on Friday, Feb. 22.

HAMILTON - Spring 2019 enrollment for Bevill State Community College (BSCC) was lower systemwide compared to the previous semester, Fall 2018.
For Spring 2019, BSCC had a headcount of 3,317 students systemwide and had 29,418 registered credit hours, for an average of 8.87 hours per student.
Academic students numbered 1,604 systemwide and accounted for 13,673 of the system’s total credit hours. This means academic students averaged 10.21 hours.

WINFIELD - The Winfield City Council held its Tuesday, Feb. 19, meeting in the Pastime Civic Center to honor the members of the Winfield City High School varsity cheer squad, cheer coach Sandra Seals and the WCHS track team.
Winfield Mayor Randy Price presented resolutions to Seals, the cheer squad and the track team for their recent accomplishments on the national and state level.

- Sunday, Jan. 27, marked the final chapter of the 28-year career of Christ Community Fellowship’s pastor, Preston Headrick.
Headrick, 69, who in 1996 moved from Walker County to Hamilton, will now be stepping down as pastor of the Hamilton-based ministry.

HAMILTON - Samuel Sutton, 16, won 1st place at the National 4-H Poultry and Egg Conference Turkey Barbecue Competition in Louisville, Ky., on Friday, Nov 15.
Sutton, an 11th grade student at Hamilton High School, heard about the competition through his local 4-H Club, where he has been a member for five years, and competed in a competition at the Marion County level and finished in 1st place at the state level before competing in the turkey barbecue competition at the national level in November.

HAMILTON - This weekend marks the Jerry Brown Arts Festival’s (JBAF) 17th annual event.
Once again under the large City of Hamilton water tower, the JBAF will be taking place at the Tombigbee Electric Cooperative’s facility at 3196 County Highway 55 in Hamilton.
The free event will take place on Saturday, March 2, from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 3, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Miss Hamilton’s Outstanding Teen Destiny Schatzline, 17, Tuscaloosa, will be traveling to Thompson High School in Alabaster during March 1-3 to compete for the title of 2019 Miss Alabama Outstanding Teen.

HAMILTON - A private security guard has been terminated after accidently discharging two rounds from a handgun while on duty at the Marion County Courthouse.
Marion County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jeff Davis said the incident occurred on Friday, Feb. 22, at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the front security room of the courthouse.

No one was injured during the shooting and there was minimal damage.

HAMILTON - State officials are urging local leaders to drive home the need for Census participation.
While there are many uses for Census data, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Director Kenneth Boswell recently advised local leaders during a regional economic summit that many businesses and industries use the population report to make decisions on where to locate.

VERNON - The Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (EDA) honored Congressman Robert Aderholt, John Riley of Bolzoni Auramo and current and former board chairmen as the EDA held its eighth annual state of the region meeting at the Vernon City Complex on Thursday, January 31.

HAMILTON - The United States Census Bureau is in the midst of a massive recruiting effort and they may have a job for you. The census bureau is currently looking to hire 20 million workers ahead of the 2020 Census.
Every 10 years, since 1790, the bureau has attempted to count every man, woman, and child living in the United States and its territories.

WINFIELD - Marion County residents in House District 17 will have an opportunity on Wednesday, March 20, to register to vote in future elections while also obtaining a photo identification to be used in the election process.
The voter registration event will be held at Winfield City Hall from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.

HAMILTON - The Arbor Day free tree giveaway in Hamilton has been set for Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Sponsored each year by the Hamilton Beautification and Tree Board, in conjunction with the Alabama Forestry Commission, the free giveaway allows residents to select various saplings at no charge.
The event will be held at the Hamilton City Hall from 9 - 11 a.m.
For more information, interested persons can contact city hall at 921-2121.