WASHINGTON, D.C. -  Much to the dismay of world, state and local leaders, John Walker Lindh, dubbed the American Taliban, was granted an early release from federal prison on Thursday, May 23, after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo slammed the release on Fox News Thursday, calling it "unexplainable and unconscionable.”

HAMILTON - An anticipated Love’s Country Store and Truck Stop  will receive a tax incentive worth $2 million.
The Hamilton City Council unanimously passed a development agreement with Love’s during its meeting on Monday, May 20.
Through the agreement, the city commits to rebate Love’s for taxes collected on diesel sales, which is taxed at 2 cents per gallon.
Love’s will be reimbursed on diesel tax for up to $2 million or for no more than 20 years, which ever comes first.

 HAMILTON -  For this year’s Memorial Day edition of the Journal Record, I sat down with 20-year Army veteran Hytower Lewis. Lewis, 87, was kind enough to share some of his memories of his time in the United States Army. Lewis served in the Army from 1949 to 1970 and fought in the Korean War and the war in Vietnam.
 
“I have some good memories and some not so good memories,” Lewis said of his time in the service.

 HAMILTON -  For this year’s Memorial Day edition of the Journal Record, I sat down with 20-year Army veteran Hytower Lewis. Lewis, 87, was kind enough to share some of his memories of his time in the United States Army. Lewis served in the Army from 1949 to 1970 and fought in the Korean War and the war in Vietnam.
 
“I have some good memories and some not so good memories,” Lewis said of his time in the service.

MONTGOMERY - The Alabama State Senate voted 25-6 in favor of a near-complete ban on abortions.
The Senate approved the measurelate Tuesday night, May 15 and Gov. Kay Ivey signed the bill into law the next day, Wednesday, May 16.
The ban bill only allows exceptions to avoid serious health risk to an unborn child’s mother, ectopic pregnancy and if the unborn child has a lethal anomaly.
Both of Marion County’s senators—-District 4 Sen. Garlan Gudger, R-Cullman, and District 6 Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia—voted in favor of the legislation.

MONTGOMERY - A bill allowing medical marijuana has been passed by the Alabama Senate.
The bill passed quickly on Thursday morning, May 9, less than 24 hours after District 6 Sen. Larry Stutts, R-Tuscumbia, successfully delayed a vote by debating bill sponsor Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, until time expired on Wednesday night, May 8.
Stutts said that he and Melson went back and forth for about two hours before the session was dismissed for the day.
When a vote was called immediately the next morning, Stutts said no one had time to do anything.

HAMILTON - The Hamilton Area Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the 16th Annual Shrimp Boil on Tuesday, June 11, from 5-7 p.m. at the Hamilton Fire Department. 
Local musical group Crossing Dixie will be providing entertainment.
“We encourage everyone to come out for a fun-filled evening with friends listening to some entertainment,” said chamber president Lacy Williams.
Pre-sale tickets are $10.00 each and on the day of the event, tickets are $12 each. To-go plates will be available.

HAMILTON -  Hamilton High School graduate Katie Humphries, who in the fall of 2018 wrote an article entitled “Grandfathered In: Grandparent Intervention in Mississippi Adoption Proceedings,” has had her article published by the Mississippi Law Journal.

HACKLEBURG -  Tyler McKeller with the sewer treatment plant addressed the Hackleburg Town Council about issues that he has seen at the wastewater treatment plant during a regular session meeting on Monday, May 13, at Hackleburg Town Hall.
“Over the past year, we’ve noticed what appears to be septic waste coming into (Hackleburg’s) system,” said McKeller.
According to McKeller, Hackleburg sewage operates on a closed system, leaving no opportunity for individuals to access and dump into sewers through manholes.

HAMILTON -  Hamilton High School senior Mariah Wilson received the WBRC FOX6 News Rising Star Scholarship worth $5,000 on Thursday, May 2, at the University of Alabama Alumni house in Birmingham.
Wilson is the first-ever Hamilton High student to receive this scholarship from the organization.

Several schools in the state each get one nomination for a student to be chosen for the scholarship program and students are nominated by their guidance counselors.

BRILLIANT -  Brilliant will be holding it annual CoalFest on Friday and Saturday, May 24 and 25.
The festival will feature arts and crafts, clogging, kids rides, a coal exhibit, horseshoe, games, food and music.
Artists such as Kozmic Mama, Dixie Mafia, Mitch Mann, Tim Cannon, Austin Lewis, Cypress Creek, Crow Bridge and Tosha Hill and Loose Foot and the Magic Makers will be performing at the event.
The festival will also feature the 10th Annual CoalFest Motorcycle Show and Ride on Saturday, May 25.

WHITEHOUSE COMMUNITY - Marion County farmer Joey Barnett knows he won’t make a million dollars, but he is optimistic about his hemp growing prospects.
“I am excited about it. I’m not really looking to make a lot of money the first two or three years because I know that’s not going to happen,” Barnett said.
Barnett was one of 152 applicants accepted into a pilot program to grow or produce industrial hemp in Alabama.

BRILLIANT - Before joining 4-H in 2011, Abraham Humphrey was a shy Brilliant Elementary School student who just wanted to be left alone. Now, eight years later, Humphrey is winning state awards in public speaking competitions.

HAMILTON - The Tennessee Department of Health reported to the Alabama Department of Public Health that an individual with a confirmed case of the measles traveled through Alabama on April 11, making two stops during the infectious period.
Measles is a serious viral respiratory illness that lives in the nose and throat of those infected. 
According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, a single case of the measles will infect up to 95% of unvaccinated people who are exposed.

HAMILTON - A proposal is off the table for possible legislative action to annex the Harper’s Junction convenience store property into the Hamilton City Limits.
More than 40 residents of the Shiloh Community gathered to oppose the proposal during a public hearing held at Hamilton City Hall on Monday, May 6, by the Hamilton City Council and House District Rep. Tracy Estes.
Harper’s Junction is located near the intersection of State Highway 187 and U.S. Highway 43, a little more than a mile north of Hamilton’s incorporated limits.

HAMILTON - Needed to meet its fundraising goal by the end of May Hamilton Elementary School (HES) has only a matter of weeks to reach its goal in order to obtain new playground equipment and finish its construction by the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.
“We need our community’s help!” stressed Paula Wood, president of the HES Booster Club. “We have raised almost $60,000 of our $100,000 goal.”
The funds raised for HES will fund the purchase of new playground equipment that will replace the broken, unusable equipment now on the playground.

WINFIELD - A Winfield man was charged with four counts of dissemination of child pornography after an investigation by the Joint Electronic Crimes Task Force, the State Bureau of Investigation and the Winfield Police Department.

HAMILTON - The Marion County School System took its “first journey” through district accreditation  during the month of April.
Marion County Superintendent of Education Ann west said that several  outside examiners inspected Marion County Schools for an entire week.
The results of their review will be reported in June. It will mark the first time in system history for Marion County Schools to receive a review.

Montgomery - A fantasy sports bill has cleared the Alabama House of Representatives.
If passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Kay Ivey, the bill would make it legal for online fantasy sports leagues, such as FanDuel and DraftKings, to be available for Alabama residents.
 The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kyle South, R-Fayette, passed the House 74-22 and now heads to the state Senate. Marion County’s representative, Tracy Estes, R-Winfield, voted “no” on the issue in what he called a “final-hour” decision due to moral objections.