(This February, the Journal Record will celebrate Black History Month by taking a look back at the Ada Hannah School in Hamilton and the stories that surround it.)

Edward Northington
My name is Edward Clifton Northington, and I moved to Bexar when I was nine years old.
I started Ada Hanna when I was in the third grade. One of my teachers was Mrs. Tiney Bobo.  
And later I had a student crush on Mrs. Edith Parks.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Hamilton City Councilman Ross Reed thanked the Hamilton community for supporting his brother Lake Reed and his family during a difficult period in the past few weeks.
Reed’s younger brother, Lake, suffered a brain bleed in late January and has gained the support of those in the Hamilton and Marion County community.
Lake, 10, is the son of Mike and Michelle Reed and brother to Ross and Cole Reed.

WINFIELD — The Pastime Theatre in Winfield has announced the upcoming concert season. Rock and roll fans will be pleased with the list this year.
“We normally begin our concert season in February, but the Pastime Theatre and the downtown area were directly impacted by the Dec. 28, 2021 tornado. While repair and rebuilding efforts are still underway, we are excited to announce that performances will return to The Pastime Theatre stage in March”, stated Mary Hyche, theater chairman.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
HAMILTON — The Marion County Commission and the jail committee met on Thursday night, Feb. 3, to discuss finances in regards to the new county jail. Plans are moving forward to construct a 208-person jail with a $14 million budget.
Marion County Administrator Kalyn Moore presented two options for paying off the bond. One option would allow the county to make lower payments over 25 years, which is around $635,000 each year, or make higher payments for 20 years, which is around $745,000 per year.

Mrs. Northington and Ms. Spears were my favorite teachers. I remember participating in the Spelling B's against Guin’s black school, and I also remember participating in the annual track and field events against all the other black schools from Guin, Sulligent, Vernon and Fayette. I also remember we used to have school plays every year. Riding the school bus with Uncle Denton and cousin Napoleon was also fun back in the day.
Terrell currently resides in Southfield, Mich. He attended Ada Hanna from first grade through sixth grade.

Looking at the history of Hamilton’s Ada Hanna School

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — Marion County Emergency Management Agency Eric Terrell had an eventful end to 2021, taking a tornado, a plane crash and freezing weather head on.
Terrell, who was hired as the EMA Director on Jan. 1, 2020, spoke with the Journal Record about his whirlwind of a holiday period as well as his time heading up the Marion County EMA.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — According to Northwest Regional Health CEO Michael Windham, the hospital in Winfield saw a significant uptick in positive cases that was over the state average during the month of January.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON — As of Friday, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m., a number of people qualified to run for elected offices in the 2022 elections.
According to the Alabama Secretary of State’s website, which shows dates for the 2022 elections, both the Republican and Democratic primaries for U.S. Senate,  U.S. House, state and county offices will be Tuesday, May 24, with any necessary runoffs on Tuesday, June 21, and the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8.
Marion County
candidates:
Incumbents will have an (I) after their names.

HAMILTON - In yet another major blow to the notion of “getting back to normal,” the 20th annual Jerry Brown Arts Festival has yet again been canceled just five weeks before the event was scheduled to kick off.
In a special-called meeting of the Northwest Alabama Arts Council on Monday night, Jan. 31, council members met to discuss strategies on how to overcome issues which had developed in the previous week with the upcoming event.

Ada Hanna: Celebrating the Legacy

(This February, The Journal Record will celebrate Black History Month by taking a look back at the Ada Hanna School in Hamilton and the stories that surround it.)

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — Winfield Police Chief Brett Burleson and Assistant Fire Chief Dewayne Norris were recognized for their life-saving actions during a city council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021.
On Sept. 29, 2021, Burleson and Norris received a call of a man who had collapsed outside of L & S Building Supply in Winfield. They arrived on scene and were able to resuscitate the man.
Len Smothers, who owns L & S, said the man seemed perfectly fine before he fell.

By Kathryn Hirschfeld
Special to the Journal Record
HAMILTON — One of the most amazing artists in Marion County is Hamilton’s Missy Miles. Miles’ work can be found on many of the beautiful murals in each of the county’s cities and along the Alabama Mural Trail. Miles is also well known for her incredible gourd art.
But Miles also does so much more. She creates incredible acrylic, watercolors and Plein-Air paintings. Her artistic eye also helps her capture amazing photographs.

By Louis Mellini and
Luke Brantley
Staff writers
MARION COUNTY — This round of COVID-19 outbreak has seen a noticible uptick in cases among younger people throughout the nation, putting strains on school systems throughout the country.
Marion County Superintendent  of Education Ann West and Winfield City Schools Superintendent of Education Randy Thomley spoke to the Journal Record concerning the recent spread of COVID affecting their respective schools.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
GUIN — The room grew tense during the Guin Water and Sewer Board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 11 as the board discussed the need for grade IV certified operators for the water treatment plant.
The Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) certifies water treatment plant operators on four levels, or grades, indicating how many hours of study they have completed and if they can pass a test at each level.

By Luke Brantley
Staff writer
WINFIELD — The Winfield City Council voted to move forward with plans to give a one-time pay raise to all full-time and part-time city employees using American Rescue Plan funds during its regular meeting on Thursday, Jan. 20.
The raise had been a subject of discussion for several weeks after mayor Randy Price asked the council to make sure they were keeping track of the numerous projects the city was undertaking which were eligible for the same funds.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
GUIN — Four suspects have been apprehended following a string of early morning robberies in Guin and Fulton, Miss.
Mya Chrishelle Gaines, 19; Montavious Dewayne Dean, 20; Malik Rushard Wilson, 20; and a juvenile offender aged 16, all from Memphis, Tenn., were arrested and charged with receiving stolen property, first degree, and attempting to elude.
All suspects, except for the juvenile, are being held in the Marion County Jail in Hamilton.

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
HAMILTON - Pine Hills and Oak Hollars Child Classic Wish Hunt took place for its 11th year at Maywood Christian Camp in Hamilton on Jan 6-8.
Hamilton natives Kaleb Cayson, 14, and his brother Chandler Cayson, 8, were joined by Guntersville native Taylor Click, 11, for a weekend of hunting and fellowship organized by Jeff Carter and several local volunteers and sponsors who host the event every year in Hamilton.
 The wish hunt is offered annually to children who have illness and to those living in the local community as well.

By Louis Mellini Staff writer

Hackleburg began its water tower restoration project on Thursday, Jan. 13, starting with the water tower located right behind the Hackleburg Market grocery store.

Crews began work early in the morning washing and painting the water tower and will continue to restore Hackleburg's water towers.

At the end of last year, Hackleburg, using their $300,000 American Rescue Act funds, began the project after failing inspections on two out of three of their water towers in the previous year.

By Luke Brantley Staff Writer

GUIN — The Guin Water Works and Sewer Board has removed Mayor Phil Segraves as superintendent of the water board, after the mayor’s position was hired as superintendent in 1957. The board also had to address the fact that the pay for the superintendent position has been part of the mayor’s salary ever since.

During a water and sewer board meeting on Sept. 28, 2021, then-board member Trent Junkin made a motion to remove mayor Phil Segraves from the board as a representative for the city council.