HAMILTON - The Marion-Winston Counties Community Action Agency (MWCAA) will begin making appointments for financial assistance for utility bills for low-income residents.
The assistance will be provided through the federally-funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
For residents 60 and older or disabled, MWCAA will begin taking calls on Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Hamilton office.
Individuals may call the office at (205) 921-4224 Monday-Friday.

MONTGOMERY – Local school board members from Marion County and Winfield school boards were among the honorees recognized at the Alabama Association of School Boards’ (AASB) annual awards luncheon on Friday, Dec. 6, at the Hyatt-Regency in Birmingham at The Wynfrey Hotel. The luncheon was held as part of AASB’s Annual Convention, which drew more than 500 school board members from across the state to Birmingham from Dec. 5-7. In all, 318 school board members statewide were recognized for advancing in the AASB School Board Member Academy, a school for school board members.

BIRMINGHAM – State House Rep. Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, was recently presented with the Legislative Award, as chosen annually by officials with the Alabama Association of School Boards (AASB). The first-term lawmaker was honored by the association at its annual convention on Friday, Dec. 6. The award is designed to recognize a member of the Alabama Legislature for outstanding leadership and advocacy on behalf of public education.

SULLIGENT - A Hamilton woman  died on Wednesday night, Dec. 11, after  her vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler.
Lorie Clark Hallman, 48, Hamilton, was killed after the Nissan Altima she was driving collided with a tractor trailer truck, according to Alabama State Trooper Cpl. Richard Itter of the Highway Patrol Division-Hamilton Post.
The crash occurred around 8:30 p.m. on State Highway 17, one mile north of Sulligent.
Hallman was pronounced dead at the scene.

HAMILTON - Marion County district attorney Scott Slatton addressed the Marion County Commission concerning the Grand Jury visit to the Marion County Jail during a regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 9, at the commission office in Hamilton.
According to Slatton, the Grand Jury meets four times per year, and Alabama statute requires that the jury inspects the Marion County Jail annually.
Slatton stated that 16 citizens, representing all five Marion County Commission districts, visited the jail in order to report on the conditions of the facility.  

HAMILTON - Hamilton-based Northwest Alabama Gas District (NWAGD) announced the acquisition of the Vernon-based Lamar County Gas District during the company’s annual Christmas Party which was held at the barn at Coleman Farms in Brilliant on Friday, Dec. 6.
The transaction, which was approved unanimously by the NWAGD board of directors, will become effective on Jan. 1, 2020.
The acquisition will allow NWAGD to expand its natural gas service territory further into Lamar County as well as north Pickens County.

HAMILTON – A Hamilton man has been denied immunity for his involvement in the Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 2018, shooting that resulted in the death of Lorenzo Garcia.
Christopher Andrew Cochran, 30, Hamilton, allegedly shot and killed Garcia, 48, last Christmas during a child custody exchange at the Hamilton Police Department.
A court order filed Dec. 10 and released by Marion County Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon shows that 25th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Daryl Burt denied an immunity motion filed by Cochran based on self-defense.

HAMILTON - “The question we always get is, ‘When are you coming to my house?,’” said Tombigbee Electric Cooperative President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Steve Foshee. “Well, we’re coming as soon as we can.”

HAMILTON - Local broadband provider freedom FIBER, a subsidiary of Tombigee Electric Cooperative, has been awarded a $29.5 million loan-grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand rural high-speed internet in northwest Alabama.
U.S. and state officials announced the 50% loan-grant during a ceremony held at Tombigbee’s warehouse in Hamilton on Thursday, Dec. 5. Hundreds of officials, stakeholders and students from Marion and surrounding counties attended the event to hear the announcement.

HAMILTON - The Alabama Historical Commission has awarded the City of Hamilton a $7,250 grant for repairs to its 19th-Century historical home of Capt. A.J. Hamilton, the Hamilton-Sullins House, located downtown.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Page announced the news to the Journal Record during a phone interview on Monday, Nov. 25, saying he is excited that the city has been awarded the monies as historical grants are competitive.
The city applied for the same grant last year and was turned down.

HAMILTON - Candice Cheyanne Beaty, 29, Winfield, has been convicted of first-degree robbery and felony murder in connection with the death of William Jerome Henry in April 2016.
According to court documents released by Marion County Circuit Clerk Denise Mixon, Beaty pled guilty to the charges in 25th Judicial Circuit Court on Nov. 12 and was ordered by Circuit Judge Lee Carter to serve a 30-year sentence in the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) and to pay up to $750 in restitution.