Editorial

Allow me to again open my political notebook for more summer political happenings in the Heart of Dixie.
As Labor Day approaches it looks as though the state constitutional officeholders, all Republicans, are going to escape serious or even any opposition. Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth, Attorney General Steve Marshall and Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate are running unopposed. However, all three are running aggressive campaigns or, as the old saying goes, are running scared.

his long hot and wet summer is coming to a close, and Labor Day is on the horizon. Labor Day weekend will not only mark the beginning of college football season, but also the traditional start of the 2022 political season.
Most of the horses are in the chute for the May 24, 2022, primary election. So let the fun begin.

wo school systems, two policies pertaining to students with masks. We have a unique opportunity to observe how these policies compare.
The Marion County School System began the school year last week simply recommending students to wear masks in classrooms. The Winfield City School System went ahead and required them in all of its facilities.

Last March, the world shut down.
I was still in college at Troy, and all classes went online. All work for the Tropolitan (the student newspaper) was being done virtually.
After a few weeks of not leaving my apartment, I was starting to go insane. I beat all my video games and binge-watched all the shows I’d been planning to watch. Cabin fever was setting in.

It seems a weird time to be celebrating or marking anything, but it is a fact on the calendar that next Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of my first newspaper interview.
Essentially, I have been in the news business for 40 years now, and almost always dominated by newspaper work. I briefly tried radio for a few months and certainly I have added work on our digital platforms since I returned to the Eagle, but generally I have been about putting out a newspaper. And I figured out I've spent about 30 of those years in Marion and Walker counties.

he field may be set for the race to fill the Seat of our iconic senior U.S. Senator, Richard Shelby. When Senator Shelby announced that he would not seek a seventh six-year term in the United States Senate earlier this year, many of us expected a stampede of candidates to throw their hats in the ring. When a U.S. Senate seat opens for the first time in 36 years, you might expect everybody who had ever won a 4-H speaking contest to enter the fray. However, I guess politics does not have quite the allure that it used to in bygone days.

Marion County Probate Judge Paige Vick addressed the Marion County Commissioners on Tuesday, Aug. 3, to ask for a little over $200K to digitize deeds and mortgage files from 1901-2007.
Vick wants to use American Rescue Act funds to move the project forward, but even if this project is not eligible for those monies, we at the Journal Record believe the project should be funded in any way possible.
The importance of digitizing files and historical documents is of supreme importance, especially in our county, where our Marion County Courthouse has suffered greatly.

I was watching the news this morning and I notice all the "new medicines" with multiplyingly strange looking names for all the "new ailments" that I have never heard off.  The medicine being advertised said for you to check with your doctor to see if the new medicine can help you with that condition.

or over a year I have been touting the fact that the 2022 election year in the Heart of Dixie was going to be the busiest and most monumental in history.
Folks, it looks like it is not going to be as eventful as anticipated.  Yes, everything is on the ballot, but the power of incumbency is thwarting the drama.  It appears the U.S. Senate race is going to be the marquee event.

Kay Ivey is doing a good job as governor. She is a strong and decisive leader, who has done more than steady the ship of state. She is getting things done. She is making her mark as a good governor.
She did a good day’s work when she got Jo Bonner to be her Chief of Staff. They make quite a team. This duo from Wilcox County were cut out to be leaders.
Kay Ivey is only the second governor to hail from Wilcox County. Benjamin M. Miller was the first. The Black Belt region of Alabama has spawned an inordinate number of governors and legislative giants.

There are few things in everyday life that teach our kids life lessons better than sports. As they grow up and play for different teams they learn about commitment, hard work, how to win with grace, and how to pick yourself up and move on after a loss.
These lessons stay with them forever, and as a parent I know how valuable those experiences are.
This is why we have to ensure sports, especially high school sports, remain fair and free of political influence. When Title IX was enacted, it did just that for female athletes.

The first time I remember feeling a loss of a good thing by “things that come to an end”. I was a kid of seven or so. I had just finished enjoying my very first Tootsie Roll Pop. (A customer of mine on my Chicago Tribune paper route gave it to me as a tip for good service.)
It was cherry flavored. My mouth started watering just now just thinking about that taste experience I had long ago. I guess back then I had been sheltered from candy by my parents. With a bunch of brothers and sisters, candy was not on our weekly menu.

There’s an old saying that there are two sides to every story.
As journalists, this is a balance we seek out to avoid biased reporting. Or at least we should be seeking it. Talking to people on both sides of an event or issue is critical in finding out the truth, which is often somewhere in the middle. It’s sad to see how many news outlets, big and small, have forgotten this.
AL.com recently came out with an article that looked into a series of cases in which people were arrested for unpaid debts and held for a long period of time without trial.

Most states have one General Fund Budget. We are only one of five states that have two.
Some of you have asked why we have two budgets–one for the General Fund and one for Education. Here is why.

This past week was a pretty rough one if I’m being honest.
I’ve been a little homesick for Long Island where I grew up, and I finally got to visit--just not for the reason I would have wanted.
I was born in Los Angeles, but I was raised on Long Island, New York, in a place called Farmingville. I lived on a road called Falcon Court where there were two families who we would become familiar with.

Edmund Waller once wrote
“For all we know
Of what the blessed do above
Is, that they sing,
and that they love.”

Since I hail from Troy, Alabama, allow me to share with you the story of our only governor. Charles Henderson was not only the 35th Governor of Alabama, but he may also be one of the most profound philanthropists in Alabama history. He is unquestionably the greatest philanthropist to grace Pike County.

No, teaching critical race theory, or CRT, may actually help us better understand what the theory is and why it’s problematic. What we should really be worried about is CRT indoctrination and praxis--or practice, as distinguished from theory.
I’ve seen the left and many journalists attempt to paint up CRT as teaching honest history of racism in schools. That is an intentional mischaracterization. Despite all the blown smoke, it is completely possible to teach about racism and systemic oppression without teaching CRT.

Financial disagreements are among the strongest predictors of a divorce. It’s no mystery as to why, either. In more ways than we’d like to admit, money is power and freedom--and that’s why it’s so touchy. People get fearful when they feel that their relationship with money is challenged because it is an affront to their power and freedom. And when they feel that fear, they get angry. The Northwest Alabama Gas District (NWAGD) board, consisting of six local mayors, has been an amicable group for about the past decade. But leave it to money issues to break that peace.

The individual citizen is the greatest person I know. With the building collapses of late, it hurts to turn on the news and see someone suffering because they’ve lost a loved one or because they don’t know whether or not the one they care for is alive or dead. For some reason we feel JFK, MLK or even Abe Lincoln are the only ones who have done heroic deeds without considering the many regular, ordinary people who just do what is needed at the time. Ever see someone who has stopped for a car wreck?

Alabama lost its oldest past Governor when John Patterson passed away last month (June 4, 2021). He died on the same land where he was born in rural Tallapoosa County.
Patterson was 99 years old, and he would have been 100 in September. He was the epitome of the greatest generation. He was a veteran of World War II. He volunteered for the Army as a private and left the Army at the end of the war as a major.

Fairness is the goal of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act currently being considered in the United States Congress. The bill has bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
 H.R. 1735 / S.673 is critically important to protecting the future of high-quality, local journalism in Alabama and across our nation. Support is growing for the legislation, yet much more needs to be done before it can become law.

I asked this question last week. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I stock the newspaper racks outside of Shoppers Value Foods in Hamilton and I’ve noticed hordes of thirsty locals storming the 50-cent soda machines outside the grocer’s front door. Yes, hordes.
I didn’t think much about it until I watched a woman feed quarters into one of the machines for a good five minutes before hauling off a plastic bag full of soda.

March of 2019 saw some controversy as our state legislators voted a resounding “Yes” for the infamous 10-cent gas tax, which was implemented to fund our major road projects. Many individuals all around the state and in our county were infuriated at Marion County State Rep. Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, and his vote to apply a tax on our residents in what seemed like a decision made against some of our own desires.
Time was always going to tell whether or not it was the right or wrong decision and, well, it seems to us that voting for the gas tax was the right call.

America, America how long since you were conceived
From the freedom seed implanted, because men believed
That all should have the full right to express
And none should suffer the defeat of repress.

America, your birth was announced by a Declaration;
A statement for the independence of this nation.
Fifty founding fathers that great document did sign,
As they proclaimed the right to be free in every line.

Alcohol was on the minds of many Alabama lawmakers this year as the legislature considered an abnormally high number of alcohol-related bills. Several of the bills passed.
Most notable was legislation that made it possible for Alabama businesses to deliver beer, wine and liquor to customers’ homes, and separate legislation that allows state residents to order wine directly from wineries, even if those producers are out of state.

A happy heart is good medicine Dear Editor, Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Those words came as a reminder to me when my wife and I found ourselves in our van which became stuck in mud resulting from her husband's unfortunate choice of roads to travel. Actually, the 'road' was more of a trail through the woods in a desolate part of the county miles from nowhere. Mid-afternoon came with heavy clouds, intermittent rain and nightfall rapidly approaching.

The last year or so has been weird.
I graduated from Troy University last summer, in the middle of a global pandemic. Which was funny, because I took an elective class on that very subject my first semester at Troy!
I spent most of last summer applying for jobs, and strangely enough, ended up in Troy, North Carolina, where I was hired as the sports and features editor for the county paper, the Montgomery Herald.

Well, on Monday, June 7, at 10:53 p.m., we had our baby and she made quite the entrance into the world.
My wife woke me up on Saturday morning and told me that she was starting to have some consistent contractions and from there on, we played a very long waiting game.
It wouldn’t be until 67 hours later that our baby, Florence Olive Mellini, was born in our home in Hamilton.
We did, of course, plan to have our baby at home. That was no accident.

Legislative session essentially successful

True Southern gentleman left an indelible mark on state representative

Dean Ridings
CEO, America's Newspapers

Marion County officials are all in on a new Marion County Jail.
With its selection of two firms for construction management and architectural design on Monday, June 14, Marion County commissioners are making good on campaign promises they all made during the 2018 elections to work toward a new jail facility.

Hamilton city officials have unanimously commissioned a study to analyze the feasibility of creating a city-run education system and splitting ways with the Marion County School System, which currently operates all schools in the county outside of Winfield.
The step taken during a meeting on Monday, June 7, is just a study, but it does send a message. One, there is a strong and shared desire among Hamilton residents to support their local schools. Two, Hamilton believes its schools have a higher potential.

 By MELISSA MATHIESON Staff Columnist

There were two major issues not resolved during the just-completed regular legislative session. Gambling and prisons were left on the table and up in the air.
It is foolish to not address a resolution to get some revenues for the state from gambling which currently exists in Alabama. However, it is not imperative that the problem be solved.

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” 1 Corinthians 15:10

Animal service non-profit Hoof or Paw needs financial backing to begin full operations in the area, and it has begun requesting the support of municipalities, something which should be given serious consideration.
Animal control is not a new problem for Marion County, but the new organization, spearheaded by Calen Weston, could be one more step towards putting it on a leash. The county is currently served by the Marion-Winston Animal Shelter in Twin and the Marion County Humane Society, but Weston says there need to be more hands on deck.

“Brother, brother, brother...there’s far too many of you dying.”
These are some lyrics to one of my favorite songs, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye that have been playing over in my head recently, due to what’s been going on concerning more black lives being needlessly taken by people in, and attempting to act as law enforcement.
Ahmaud Arbery.
George Floyd.
I know the way you’re reading that goes a bit against our regular writing format but the two names you see deserve to stand out in this way.

The Marion County Commission approved county engineer Mike Shaw’s recommendation to reclassify and “adjust” the pay of his employees.
Who are the employees involved? What exactly are the pay adjustments? We certainly didn’t know without having to do some digging.
On the agenda handed to the Journal Record before the meeting began, the topic we are discussing now was simply labeled, “Mike Shaw - Various.”
The topic may have been labeled “various”, but the only thing that was approved was Shaw’s recommendation.

Thursday, Oct. 17, one of your Journal Record employees, Scott, a very humble-spoken young man, called my wife and I at 9:30 a.m. and told me about a luncheon on Friday, Oct. 18, being held in your honor, Les, for your retirement. The luncheon was scheduled to be held in the Journal Record’s Hamilton office.

I don’t know if me coming back into the newspaper world needs an introduction, because this is more like a reintroduction, if that makes sense?
My name is Jesse Lamar and I am the new general manager of the Journal Record. That’s a little bit different than the way I am accustomed to introducing myself because the last time I was in the newspaper business was at the Northwest Alabamian, where I was the friendly neighborhood sports guys.

I called my good friend Les Walters recently. He’s the associate publisher of the Journal Record newspaper in Hamil­­­ton, the small town where I grew up.
We always share family updates.
And, of course, we always talk newspapers.
“How’s the newspaper going?” I asked.
“OK,” he replied.
Then he stunned me a bit.
“I’m going part-time on Nov. 1,” Les said.
It’s a first step toward retirement, I guess, for my good friend, who is a few years older than myself. His wife recently retired from her long-time job.

Rarely does one have the opportunity to publicly express his appreciation for another. Yet this is the opportunity lying before me as I write these words. What has proven to be the most difficult part of this process is now knowing what to say.
What began in September 1991 as a relationship between employer and employee has since evolved into a deep friendship I have since come to appreciate more than ever.

The second year of the reign of Gov. Kay Ivey may give her a second major accomplishment in the first two years of her term as governor.

With the current record-high temperatures and drought conditions in Marion County, it is especially poignant that this week we observe National Fire Prevention Week.
Fire prevention week was established to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire, the tragic 1871 conflagration that killed more than 300 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and burned more than three square miles of the city.

During the late summer, it was revealed that Alabama’s economy set records for the number of people employed along with the lowest unemployment rate in decades.
Figures released in August had the state with a record-breaking 3.3% unemployment percentage. The numbers indicate a continued upward trend with 57,000 more people employed than at the same time a year ago.
Gov. Kay Ivey said, “The effort we are making to bring jobs and employers to Alabama is working.” She further stated, “We are consistently improving our workforce and preparing Alabama for the future.”

Simply put, Hackleburg has been in a situation of massive risk when it comes to the Hackleburg Market.
Owner Wally Kemp has decided to shut down his business in the town-owned building and grocers Bozeman Family Grocery plan to take over  very soon.
The Hackleburg Town Council has  been in numerous meetings concerning the future of the store and the building as the town council attempted to purchase the equipment from Kemp in order to keep the store running with the new owners.

Walmart announced that it would no longer sell handgun ammunition and short-barrel rifle ammunition that can be used for military style weapons.
The announcements were made in the wake of two recent mass shootings at Walmart stores--one in Southaven, Miss., on July 31 that left two dead and one injured and the other in El Paso, Texas on Aug. 3 that left 22 dead and 24 injured.

I grew up, like many of our older readers did, with a “party line.”
Nope, nothing “party” about it, because if you had a few old women as part of your “party line,” well, you were doomed!
I don’t know how many residential lines were part of our “party line” in Loango at the time, and I don’t remember those old women’s names who were the dominant voices.