HAMILTON  - The Marion County Commission unanimously voted to amend the employee handbook concerning overtime hours and retroactively pay employees who worked overtime during the Christmas holiday period on Dec. 23 and 26, 2019, during a regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, at the commission office in Hamilton.
According to commission chairman, Tim “Ears” Estes, the county’s employee handbook states that employees must work 40 hours before they receive overtime pay.  
This means that holidays would not contribute to hours worked for employees.

HACKLEBURG – Officials have reiterated that public access to the Hackleburg recreation center’s gymnasium is limited to special requests for six months out of the year.
The Hackleburg Town Council discussed the issue during its meeting on Monday, Jan. 13, at the request of councilmember Darrin Wiginton.
“I just want to know what the schedule is on it,” Wiginton told the council, explaining he was wanting to see if there were times the gym could be accessed by the public.

HAMILTON - The Marion County Extension Office will be hosting free parenting classes in Hamilton during the month of February.
“Principles of Parenting” classes will begin Thursday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. at the Marion County Extension Office located in the Courthouse Annex, at 372 7th Avenue Southwest in Hamilton, across from the E.T. Sims Neighbor Facilities Building.
The classes will be held on Tuesdays during the month of February from 9 - 11 a.m.

HACKLEBURG – City officials will wait to hire more full-time help for the Hackleburg Street Department.
The Hackleburg Town Council voted 2-3 during its first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 13, to post a full-time position with the local street department.
Council members Eugene Marbutt and Tabby Lolley voted in favor of posting the position, while mayor Darryl Colburn and councilors Don Barnwell and Darrin Wiginton voted no, blocking the measure. Councilmember Kevin Barnwell was absent during the meeting.

HAMILTON - Orders are now being taken for the annual Marion County 4-H Plant Sale event.
All orders are to be placed and paid for at the Marion County Extension office by visiting the office.
The deadline to place orders is Friday, Feb. 14, with delivery  scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, March 4-5 to the Extension Office.

HAMILTON – Jeff Sessions, who is seeking to regain his old Senate seat in Alabama, says he is supporting the president and his agenda despite President Donald Trump criticizing and pushing Sessions out of his cabinet last year.
The 73-year-old politician from Mobile announced he was running for his old Senate seat on Nov. 7, 2019—the day before qualifying ended. He had served in the position for 20 years before accepting an appointment from President Donald Trump as the U.S. Attorney General in 2017.

WINFIELD - In what is believed to be a first in the state, public school teachers and support personnel will have an opportunity to ask questions directly to Alabama Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey.
The state superintendent has agreed to participate in a statewide teacher listening tour with four stops across Alabama scheduled for inclusion. One of the four forums will be conducted in Winfield, with the remaining three confirmed for Saraland and Elmore and St. Clair counties.

HAMILTON - Hamilton Elementary School and Bevill State Community College-Hamilton presented the play Twas the Night Before Christmas at the BSCC Business and Conference center in Hamilton on Dec. 17-19, 2019.
The play, featuring several students from Hamilton Elementary School as well as a few Marion County natives, was directed by Hamilton Elementary School music teacher Jennifer Zetrouer.
Zetrouer, or as her students call her, Ms. Z, is in her second year of teaching music and directing productions for the students of Hamilton Elementary School.

GUIN - “Last month we didn’t get anything on our financial statement or anything like that. This month we haven’t gotten anything again, what are we going to do about it? Are we just going to forget about it?” Guin City Councilman Jerry Gann asked.
Gann voiced his displeasure with the financial statement not being readily available for review during the regular meeting on Monday, Jan. 6, at Guin City Hall.
Guin Mayor Max Maddox assured Gann that the financial report would be included on the agenda for the next Guin City Council meeting.

With the close of a decade, the Journal Record has reviewed the last 10 years and has selected the most significant news stories that transpired between 2010 and 2019.
The top story, the Hackleburg tornado and subsequent rebuilding efforts, was listed in Top 10 story lists over several consecutive years, which has all been collected into one synopsis in the following decade review.
In contrast, some of the following stories were not selected as an annual top story over the last 10 years, but their cumulative development and importance were taken into consideration.

WINFIELD - James Lake with the U.S. Census Bureau addressed the Winfield City Council concerning the 2020 Census during a regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7, at the Winfield City Hall.
At the start of his address, Lake stated that he originally planned to visit Winfield to discuss the Census before the holiday period, but was unable to.
For the past several months, Lake has attended several municipal and commission meetings to discuss the importance of community awareness for the upcoming U.S. Census.