HAMILTON - Belinda McRae, a Hamilton native and long-time educator, is unopposed in her bid for a seat on the Alabama State Board of Education.
There is, however, non-candidate opposition for McRae—a referendum on the primary election ballot in March to make state school board seats appointed offices instead of elected.
If the amendment passes, all  sitting school board members will be removed and Gov. Kay Ivey will begin an appointment process.

HAMILTON - A Hamilton man is being charged with two counts of first-degree rape for allegedly performing sex acts on his girlfriend while she was incapacitated on drugs. Adam Blake Kivette, 33, Hamilton, is being held at the Marion County Jail in Hamilton on a $400,000 bond for the rape of a 35-year-old Hamilton woman. Hamilton Police Department Investigator Scotty Chandler told the Journal Record Kivette was charged with both counts of rape on Nov. 6. Kivette was already in custody at the jail for unrelated misdemeanors.

HAMILTON - Marion County Schools have experienced a decrease in enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year.
Marion County Schools Chief School Financial Officer Clint Green provided the Journal Record with the average daily membership (ADM) data on Friday, Nov. 8.
Current numbers show the county system experienced a drop in enrollment from the previous year, going from 3,235 to now 3,210 students across 11 school locations, losing a total of 25 students.
ADM numbers for the current school year for Marion County Schools by municipality are as follows :

HAMILTON - Marion County Schools collected a record $1,774,113 in education sales tax in Fiscal Year 2019. Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann West announced the collection at the Marion County Board of Education’s monthly meeting held on Wednesday, Oct. 23. The new record of $1.77 million dwarves the previous record set last year of $1,714,333 by nearly $60,000. The school system collected a record $154,823 during the month of September—$6,900 more than the previous year. In September 2018, education sales taxes generated $147,930.

WINFIELD - Hamilton pharmacist Cole Sandlin says that patients in Marion County are now set to receive better care from not only physicians, but the pharmacists themselves after two bills were recently signed into law in Montgomery.
Sandlin was present when Gov. Kay Ivey signed into law HB35, known as the Collaborative Practice Act, and SB73, the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) Licensure and Regulation Act, during a bill-signing on Aug. 31.

HAMILTON - Nick Lolley, 34, is the director of the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency. He was born on April 4, 1983, in Tupelo, Miss., to Hamilton residents Kenneth “Junior” and Patsy Lolley. Lolley spent his youth being raised in Hamilton, where he met several men and woman who, according to Lolley, shaped his life and his work ethic, making him the man who he is today.

HAMILTON - Twinkle Cavanaugh, president of the Alabama Public Service Commission, visited the Hamilton Kiwanis Club during its meeting on Monday, Sept. 30, at J&V Ole Smokehouse in Hamilton.

HAMILTON - The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) has awarded a $774,912 grant to Tombigbee Electric for the ongoing project known as FreedomFIBER. The fiber optic network project will potentially provide high-speed broadband service to 925 unserved businesses and 30,495 households in areas of Marion, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar and Winston counties.

MONTGOMERY - Alabama’s county governments plan to improve 1,000 road miles next year with the proceeds of the new gasoline and diesel fuel taxes being paid by motorists.
In the 2019-2020 work plans adopted statewide, counties are scheduled to improve 1,013 miles of deteriorating county roads and to perform maintenance on 20 county bridges.
According to the 2020 County Transportation Plan, Marion County plans to resurface 3.32 road miles on County Road 14 for a project that is estimated to cost $900,000.

HAMILTON - For the week-period ending Thursday, Nov. 14, a total of $5,400 has been donated toward this year’s Christmas for Kids campaign.
Sandy Sandlin, coordinator of the campaign, says this year’s goal is $40,000 to help purchase holiday gifts for more than 400 children.
All of the money will go toward buying clothing and shoes for children.
Among those who have made the most recent donations are: