HAMILTON - Hamilton Middle School fifth-grade science teacher Esther Ballard is one of three Alabama teachers to receive the 2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science.
With the award, Ballard is now automatically in the running to win the national award, which carries a cash-prize of $10,000 and a trip to Washington, D.C., to meet the president.
In an interview with the Journal Record outside her classroom on a recent school day, Ballard said she is happy to have been nominated, but the students, not awards, are her main focus.

HAMILTON - Marion County is now home to a permanent Veterans Administration (VA) store-front clinic and is currently seeing clients. The clinic opened on Aug. 15 and is located in front of the North Mississippi Medical Center in Hamilton.
Before the clinic opened, local veterans had to either drive to Tuscaloosa or use a mobile unit that travels to various towns in West Alabama. The mobile unit stills travels from Tuscaloosa to Fayette and Livingston.

HAMILTON - A Hamilton man was arrested in Tremont, Miss., after allegedly receiving packages of controlled substances through the U.S. Mail in Tremont, Miss.
According to the Itawamba County Sheriff’s Office in Fulton, Miss., Andrew Drake McCarley, 20, Hamilton, was arrested on Aug. 21 by agents of the North Mississippi Narcotics Unit.
McCarley is being charged with possession of a cocaine enhanced by a firearm. His bond was set at $10,000.

BEAR CREEK - A Florence man was arrested in Bear Creek and is now facing drug trafficking charges.
Carlton Whiteside, 27, Florence, was arrested on Sept. 5 by the Bear Creek Police Department
Bear Creek officer Austin Lewis told the Journal Record that he pulled Whiteside’s vehicle over at approximately 8:55 a.m. on a routine traffic stop for a switched tag. He made the stop on County Road 62 near Consolidated Forest Products.

HAMILTON - Hamilton residents experienced issues with their water service during Labor Day weekend.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Page made a public address at the Hamilton City Council meeting held on Tuesday, Sept. 4, that due to a “perfect storm” of events with the Hamilton Water Department’s water purification system, many residents began to experience little-to-no water pressure at their homes and businesses.
Some businesses had to close for a day, while others were not unable to serve beverages.

When the Hamilton City Council was working with a citizens group to produce increased local funding for Hamilton’s three public schools, then-Marion County Superintendent of Education Ryan Hollingsworth challenged the council in June to avoid the “paralysis of analysis” as the council continually pushed decisions down the road for more discussion.

Conservative Republicans, like Jeff Sessions, have been obsessed with illegal immigrants for years. Sessions is and has always been a stickler for obeying the laws of our land. He is the most honest, upright, squeaky-clean politician I have ever seen in my lifetime of observing politics in Alabama.
Sessions is like Dudley Do Right, only shorter and straighter. He was an Eagle Scout and you can tell he was not making it up on his resume. He epitomizes a grownup Eagle Scout. He has never outgrown the straight and narrow path.

I’m no palm reader, but chances are, right now, you are thinking about football. Or maybe you thought about football yesterday. But the chances are even better, since reading these words, you are now thinking about football. I think about football a lot, especially University of Alabama football.

HAMILTON - Hamilton residents will now have the option of paying their water bills electronically and perhaps save a trip to city hall once a month.
Hamilton Water Superintendent Rodney Williams told the Journal Record that online payments are now being accepted through the City of Hamilton’s website, hamiltoncityal.org.
Credit and debit card payments are also now being accepted at the water department’s reception windows inside city hall as of Tuesday, Sept. 4.

HAMILTON - The Hamilton City Council has once again delayed a decision to renew its contract with its economic development agency.
The council unanimously tabled a vote to renew its agreement with Retail Strategies of Birmingham at a cost of $40,000 at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 4, pushing the decision into its second month either overdue or to terminate the contract.
The City of Hamilton entered into a three-year partnership with the agency in July 2017.

August Marriage licenses

HAMILTON - The following couples obtained marriage licenses during the month of June at the Marion County Probate Judge’s office:
Aug. 1 - Davaughndric Leedrell Pennington, 28, Sulligent, and Miranda Lavone Guyton, 34, Winfield;
James Brent Robertson, 37, Winfield, and Jessica Megan Allen, 34, Winfield;

Aug. 2 - Christopher Matthew Conner, 20, Hamilton, and Abigail Michelle McAlister, 20, Hamilton;
Bo Tyler Williams, 21, Hamilton, and Mary Katelyn Allen, 21, Sulligent;

Clarification

In the Wednesday, Aug. 29, edition of the Journal Record, in the story named “Baker, Ennis sued for open records violation,” the list of individuals which composes the Bevill State Community College-Hamilton Legislative Advisory Task Force for Education should have included 35-year college instructor Tony Shackelford of Hackleburg.

HAMILTON - According to an internally generated student data report, the August 2018 enrollment for the Marion County School System is down 27.5 percent compared to data from the same time period as last year.
Looking at the report during the Aug. 21. Marion County Board of Education meeting, superintendent Ann West lamented the negative numbers.

Three Marion County schools remain perfect in 2018.
Hamilton, Marion County and Winfield have yet to lose through the first three weeks of the season.

GORDO - Timely defense and turnovers proved to be the key to lead the Winfield Pirates to a hard-fought 18-14 victory over Class 3A, Region 4 opponent Gordo on Friday, Sep. 7, in Gordo.
The win improved the Pirates’ record to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in Class 3A, Region 4 play.
Winfield handed the Gordo Greenwave its first region loss since 2013, the year after current Pirate head coach David McKinney left the school.

WEST POINT - The Hamilton Aggies showed up and showed out in West Point on Friday night, Sept. 7, and left Cullman County with a 48-42 win.
That victory came courtesy of junior running back Jathan Jackson’s 304 rushing yards and three touchdowns and fellow junior Gabe Anglin’s 115 yards on the ground and two touchdowns--and a defense that made stops when they counted the most.  

LYNN - Marion County capitalized on miscues from Lynn to pick up the Red Raiders’ first Class 1A, Region 6 victory of the year with a 24-12 win over the Bears.
The visiting Red Raiders, who are now 3-0 on the season, controlled the tempo of the matchup with their run game and a stout defensive effort to limit the Bears' offensive production.

BRILLIANT - Brilliant lost 54-8 to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s ninth-ranked Class 1A team, Pickens County, on Friday, Sept. 7.
Following the loss, second-year head coach Brian Gunnels complimented the Tornadoes and added that his team had room to improve.
“We got out-played,” the Tiger coach said. “They were big and fast. They are a very good team.

FLORENCE - Hackleburg lost to Mars Hill 62-14 on Friday, Sept. 7, to mark the black-and-gold Panthers’ third-straight loss to begin the season.
The loss also came in Hackleburg’s first outing in Class 1A, Region 8  play this season.
Hackleburg head coach Rod Hudson did not sugar-coat one of the largest losses in recent school history.

HAMILTON - Ten Marion County and Franklin County members of the Bevill State Community College (BSCC)-Hamilton Campus Legislative Advisory Task Force for Education have filed a civil suit in Marion County Circuit Court, seeking the ordered release of public records concerning BSCC.

In a study performed by Harvard University, Congressional District 4, home to Marion County, was shown to have the highest rate of prescribed pain pills in the country.

HACKLEBURG- An effort to move the Big 95.5 radio station into the old Hackleburg Town Hall building failed to get a majority vote during the Monday, Aug. 27, Hackleburg Town Council meeting.
The vote was split 3-3 with councilmen Kevin Barnwell and Eugene Marbutt and councilwoman Tabby Lolley voting no. Mayor Darryl Colburn, councilman Don Barnwell and councilman Darrin Wiginton voted yes.

HACKLEBURG - The Hackleburg Town Council used electronic communications --texting-- to avoid having a public meeting, which is a violation of the law known as the Alabama Open Meetings Act.
The revelation came to light on Monday, Aug. 27, at the Hackleburg Town Council meeting during a discussion regarding a proposed lease contract with a local radio station, Big 95.5.

TUSCUMBIA - According to District 18 State Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, D-Red Bay, between now and Nov. 26, 2018,  “The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) publishes maps for each state that clearly shows the areas that do not have cell phone service. We have an opportunity to correct these maps by proving to the FCC that the maps are incorrect.”

We’ve often heard it said, “People drive through Marion County and don’t even know it.” While several factors may play into this, one blatant issue is that the majority of the county’s municipalities are limited to their exposure on the ALDOT’s Specific Service Signing on Interstate 22.
Frequent travelers understand that options presented to them on the highway signs play a large factor in where they stop. With a simple variance of rules, the State of Alabama, Marion County and our cities and towns could see our economy boosted with little-to-no effort at all.

ince this is a gubernatorial election year, let’s reminisce about an epic Alabama governor’s race.  
The 1978 governor’s race is one of the classics in Alabama political lore.  

I collect “sayings.” One I recently clipped from a catalog was, “A little grey hair is a small price to pay for all this wisdom.”

WINFIELD – The Winfield Healthcare Authority told the Winfield City Council that Northwest Medical Center was well on its way to getting on-track since it was purchased by the authority in May at the Tuesday, Aug. 21, council meeting.
Hospital chief executive officer Michael Arno said that the financial situation of the hospital is very positive after the nearly three months of operation under the new ownership.

HACKLEBURG - Sonny James American Legion Post 165, which serves the Hackleburg community, will host a Patriot’s Day Ceremony honoring the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack and those who have lost their lives since the war on terror began.
The event will also be used to recognize local first responders and will take place in the pavilion in Hackleburg located by the recreation center on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Hamilton Police Dept.

HAMILTON - The following arrests and activities were reported by the Hamilton Police Department for the period of Aug. 21-27:
Incident, offense cases

Marion County unemployment figures dropped significantly in the month of July to 4.3 percent, a figure closer to the low percentages residents have gotten used to seeing for the past year.
The state experienced an increase in employment rates, making July the third-consecutive month the state has broken employment records.
The June unemployment rate for Marion County was uncharacteristically high, considering the extreme gains in employment in the state over the past year, at 5.0 percent.

MONTGOMERY - Gov. Kay Ivey announced that eight communities in the state would be receiving grants to improve infrastructure on Thursday, July 19, mentioning that Brilliant would receive two grants totalling $200,000.
A $60,000 grant was awarded to the town to replace a section of sewer lines along Crook Street and make repairs at the wastewater treatment plant.
A second grant of $140,000 was awarded to drain, widen and resurface Webb Street from Brookside Road to Main Street.

HAMILTON - Local State Troopers stationed will be better equipped in dispatch services as full-time, 24-hour, seven days a week dispatch communications have been restored at the Quad-Cities Troopers Post in Sheffield.
Assistant Troop E Commander Lt. Jimmy Ward told the Journal Record that as of the beginning of August, police communication officers (PCOs) have again begun dispatching from the Quad Cities Post for the nine counties in Troop E’s district, which includes Marion, Colbert, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Walker and Winston counties.

HAMILTON - Marion County’s  Democratic Party chairman is suing the party’s state chairperson following an attempt by the state official to strip the local officer of her title.

WINFIELD - The  Alabama Association of School Boards, which is assisting the Winfield Board of Education in its superintendent search, is soliciting input from parents, community members and school faculty as it pertains to what they would like to see in the Winfield City School System’s next superintendent.
Several community meetings will be held by the Alabama Association of School Boards at the Winfield Community Center in order to hear feedback from these stakeholders on Thursday, Sept. 6.

GUIN - The Monday, Aug. 20, Guin City Council meeting got off to a contentious start after councilman Roger Agnew asked to add a few items to the agenda. Councilman Bobby Bellew, serving as mayor pro-tem, presided over the meeting in the absence of mayor Max Maddox who was unable to attend the meeting due to a family medical situation.

GUIN - After the Monday, Aug. 20, Guin City Council meeting was adjourned, councilman Roger Agnew asked if the council could go into executive session. “Do you-all have time to talk for five minutes?” Agnew asked. “Can we go into an executive meeting?”

Agnew said he asked some workers at the city shop if they would take some cold mix to Sawmill Road and fill a few big potholes. Agnew lives on Sawmill Road. When no one was available to fill the holes, Agnew said he used his own tractor to take a bucket of cold mix to Sawmill Road to fill the holes.

Hamilton Police Dept.

HAMILTON - The following arrests and activities were reported by the Hamilton Police Department for the period of Aug. 14-20:
Incident and offense cases

HAMILTON - The Hamilton City Council was split whether or not to give tax incentives to Jack’s Family Restaurants.
The council voted 3-3 at its meeting on Monday, Aug. 20, on whether the company could receive a 10-year, half-city sales tax abatement.
Those against giving Jack’s a tax abatement at all were councilors Gene Sanderson, Bobby Joe Irvin and Herb Winsett.

HAMILTON - Jack’s Family Restaurants has broken ground and has begun grading its new property on Military Street across from the Hamilton Walmart Supercenter.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Page confirmed that Jack’s had gone ahead with its decision to locate in the city despite the fact that the Hamilton City Council failed to give the company a decision on a tax abatement at its meeting on Monday, Aug. 20.
Page said that the company purchased its business license with the city and the property from Hamilton resident Gerald Logan on Wednesday, Aug. 22.