HAMILTON - The Marion County Board of Education approved its fiscal year 2020 budget during its monthly meeting held on Thursday, Sept. 12.
FY 2020, which officially began Oct. 1, will operate with a $33,979,451 expense budget.
The school system expects to collect a total of $34,756,115 in federal, state and local revenues, leaving $910,450 in excess funds. This is a significantly larger stopgap than last year’s $115,600 in excess revenues.

WINFIELD - Fifty years ago, Robert “Bubba” Carothers was working in production control at Continental Conveyor in Winfield when he received a call from his brother, Russell, at Citizens Bank in Winfield.
“Russell asked if I would like to come up to the bank and work with the family and I said, ‘Well, let me think about it.’”
Carothers consulted his wife, Rebecca , about the job offer.
“My wife said, ‘You need to go up there.’ So, it didn’t take me too long to think about it,” Carothers said, laughing.

WINFIELD - The Winfield City Board of Education has voted to lease 100 iPads directly from Apple Inc. for the price of $10,280 per year for three years.
The decision was voted on unanimously at the board’s Tuesday, Oct. 8, meeting.
Apple is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and online services.

GUIN - “This is exciting and this is a big deal!” Guin Elementary School Counselor Jessica Johnigan exclaimed after watching U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announce that her school is the recipient of the coveted Blue Ribbon School award.
Johnigan, along with reading specialist Angie Jefferies and principal Joshua Weatherly, were all overjoyed as they watched DeVos make the announcement via an internet video message in the school’s main office on Thursday, Sept. 26.

HAMILTON - A Hamilton High School student has selected Blake Shelton’s team on NBC’s reality singing series The Voice.
Josie Beth Jones, 17, a Hamilton junior, appeared on national television on Monday, Sept. 30, on The Voice’s season 17, performing Julie Roberts’ “Men & Mascara.”
Jones is the daughter of Danny and Juli Jones of Hamilton. She has an older sister, Danni Brooke, and a younger brother, Jesse Luke.
A clip of Jones’ blind audition on The Voice’s Facebook page has collected 1.9 million views.

HAMILTON - A Marion County jury has issued a “not guilty” verdict for a woman accused of assaulting her then-boyfriend with her vehicle.
According to court documents provided by Marion County Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon, on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in 25th Judicial Circuit Court held in the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton, Stacey Nicole Harris, Hamilton, was found not guilty on all of her charges. Those included first-, second- and third-degree domestic violence and first-, second- and third-degree assault.

HAMILTON -  The Marion County Commission has approved its 2020 budget and signed four resolutions that result in $264,751 to be cut from the General Fund for the 2020 Fiscal Year, effective Oct. 1, 2019, during a regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 30, in Hamilton.
In attendance during the meeting were Marion County Commissioners Bobby Burleson, Dale Holt, chairman Tim “Ears” Estes, Kenneth Cochran and Keith Nichols.

HAMILTON - Former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville will be in Hamilton on Saturday, Oct. 12, as a candidate for Alabama U.S. senator.
Tuberville will be speaking at the Marion County Republican Party’s monthly meeting at J&V Ole Smokehouse on the corner of Highway 17 and Steele Street.
Attendees will begin gathering around 8:30 a.m. for breakfast, which will be available for purchase. The meeting will begin at 9.

HAMILTON - Fred’s Xpress Pharmacy in Hamilton will be re-opened as Express Rx.
Fred’s Xpress, located at 1360 Military Street South, should not be confused with Fred’s Pharmacy, which is owned by Cole Sandlin and located at 797 Military Street South.
Fred’s Xpress pharmacy technician Merdith Dudley Jones of Hamilton announced the development via Facebook on Friday, Sept. 27, saying that the local pharmacy location will be an Express Rx beginning Nov. 1. The store will continue operating under the “Fred’s Xpress” branding until then.

MONTGOMERY - Beginning Saturday, Oct. 12, all local calls made within the Alabama 205 Area Code will have to be placed using the 10-digit telephone number (area code plus the seven-digit telephone number).
Calls that are currently local will continue to be local, even though 10-digit dialing will be required.
A six-month grace period began on April 13, 2019, to give consumers adequate time to adjust to the changes.
During that period, local calls were able to be made with either seven or 10 digits.

HAMILTON -  Hamilton Elementary School held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of its new playground on Monday, Sept. 23.
The project to build the playground began in November 2018 with retired Hamilton Elementary principal Lynda Hall, HES Booster Club President Paula Wood, club member Melissa Hughey and Hamilton architect Andrea Harbison.
 Hall expressed her thanks to the many individuals involved, stating that the project was a community effort.

HAMILTON - Billy Wade Rollins, 93, and Austin Adkins, 76, both of Hamilton, two influential bankers and businessmen associated with First National Bank, have passed away within days of each other.
Adkins passed away on Saturday, Sept. 21, at Brookwood Baptist in Birmingham. Adkins worked as chief executive officer for First National Bank from 1988 to 2015.
Rollins died on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at North Mississippi Medical Center-Hamilton.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Board of Education has adopted the 2019-2020 school year county supplements.
At its Thursday, Sept. 12, meeting, the board of education approved $187,688 in supplements and fringe costs for coaches and directors across its five high schools in Bear Creek, Brilliant, Guin, Hackleburg and Hamilton.
Chief school financial officer Clint Green told the board new coaches in the Marion County School System will be given a one semester grace period to obtain a bus driver’s license.

HAMILTON - Marion County’s sales tax for education experienced one of its steepest year-comparison declines on record in August.

The following garbage pickup schedules have been announced in connection with the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, Oct. 14:
• Marion County Solid Waste will collect the Monday, Oct. 14, garbage  on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
• The Town of Brilliant will be unaffected.
• The Guin Street Department will be collecting the garbage one day behind during the week of Columbus Day, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 15. The regular garbage schedule will resume on Monday, Oct. 21.
• The Hamilton Street Department will be delaying its Monday, Oct. 14, garbage pickup until Tuesday, Oct. 15.

MONTGOMERY -  A northwest Alabama organization that helps child abuse victims in six counties will continue providing services with the help of a $1.01 million grant awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The grant will enable Cramer Children’s Center in Florence to provide free assistance to victims and their families in Marion, Winston, Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties while also helping to prosecute offenders.
“Child abuse victims and their families face painful obstacles because of the reality of their circumstances,” Ivey said.

HAMILTON - In Spring 2020,  Stage Stores has announced the Goody’s in Hamilton will be re-opened as a Gordmans.
Stage Stores Brand Publicity Manager Blakely Graham confirmed the transition with the Journal Record by email, stating that Stage has been converting a number of its Goody’s stores as consumers are responding positively to Gordmans’ offerings.
The stores in Haleyville and Russellville will be converted as well. Close-out sale signs have been posted, offering up to 40% off of merchandise.

According to Marion County weather recorder Eddy Pearce, Marion County is on track to beat the 2005 record of 36 days with no measurable rain.
On Sept. 26 Pearce said that no measurable rain has fallen in the county for 31 days. Pearce said that he last recorded measurable rain on Aug. 27 when 15/100ths of an inch was recorded in his rain gauge at his residence south of Hamilton.
Pearce, who only records the weather and makes no forecasts, said he gets his weather forecasts from the Weather Channel.

HAMILTON - Marion County Board of Education member Daryl Weatherly (Place 1 - Hackleburg, Bear Creek) took time during the Marion County Board of Education’s meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12, to recognize another public official.
The board member said bus drivers contacted him concerning poor conditions at an area at Hackleburg’s school grounds where buses would park.

WINFIELD - This weekend Winfield will welcome an extra 15,000 to 20,000 people into town for the 45th annual Mule Day Festival.
Winfield Chamber of Commerce president Debbie Killingsworth, in her first year in that role, says these last few days have been hectic as she prepares for the festival. On top of her chamber duties, Killingsworth also serves as the collection agent for State Bank and Trust.

HAMILTON -  The Marion County Commission met with Sonny Brasfield, the executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama to discuss the situation surrounding the Marion County Jail in Hamilton during a regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 16, at the commission office.
The Marion County Commission, along with Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams, have been in discussion concerning the jail since the cancellation of the contract with Tuscaloosa-based architects PH&J on Monday, Aug. 12.

BRILLIANT -   A former school bus driver employed with the Marion County School System was arrested on Sept. 12 and charged with violating the Alabama law that prohibits school employees from having sexual intercourse with students who are under the age of 19.
Ethan Corkren, 29, Brilliant, was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 12, on the charge of a school employee having sex with a student.