HAMILTON - Marion County Board of Education member Daryl Weatherly (Place 1 - Hackleburg, Bear Creek) took time during the Marion County Board of Education’s meeting on Thursday, Sept. 12, to recognize another public official.
The board member said bus drivers contacted him concerning poor conditions at an area at Hackleburg’s school grounds where buses would park.

WINFIELD - This weekend Winfield will welcome an extra 15,000 to 20,000 people into town for the 45th annual Mule Day Festival.
Winfield Chamber of Commerce president Debbie Killingsworth, in her first year in that role, says these last few days have been hectic as she prepares for the festival. On top of her chamber duties, Killingsworth also serves as the collection agent for State Bank and Trust.

HAMILTON -  The Marion County Commission met with Sonny Brasfield, the executive director of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama to discuss the situation surrounding the Marion County Jail in Hamilton during a regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 16, at the commission office.
The Marion County Commission, along with Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams, have been in discussion concerning the jail since the cancellation of the contract with Tuscaloosa-based architects PH&J on Monday, Aug. 12.

BRILLIANT -   A former school bus driver employed with the Marion County School System was arrested on Sept. 12 and charged with violating the Alabama law that prohibits school employees from having sexual intercourse with students who are under the age of 19.
Ethan Corkren, 29, Brilliant, was arrested on Thursday, Sept. 12, on the charge of a school employee having sex with a student.

HAMILTON -  A Marion County man is behind bars and charged with the Wednesday, Sept. 4, burglary and arson of a house on Posey Road northwest of Hamilton.
Teddy Shane Armstrong, 42, was arrested a few miles away that same day after attempting to hide in the back room of a mobile home shortly after the fire destroyed the house.
Marion County Sheriff Kevin Williams said Armstrong, a transient, is from Marion County but that his last known address was in Muscle Shoals.

HAMILTON - Gov. Kay Ivey has announced Hamilton Elementary School as one of 21 schools statewide to be selected at Alabama Bicentennial Schools of Excellence.
Ivey made the announcement on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) in Montgomery.
“We are so thrilled to be recognized by the Bicentennial Commission as one of only 21 schools of excellence across the state of Alabama,” said Hamilton Elementary School Principal Keith Smith.

HAMILTON -  According to Fire Chief Tim Rye with the Hamilton Fire and Rescue Department, the Alabama Forestry Commission has issued a fire danger advisory for all counties in the state due to high temperatures and drought conditions.
Rye stated that while the forestry commission has not issued a temporary ban on individuals building burn piles for brush and other waste, they have warned against building them as they are at risk of creating wildfires.

WINFIELD -  The Winfield City Council formally voted to accept a deed for a building and a parcel of property at its Thursday, Sept. 19 meeting.
The building, located at 175 State Highway 253 next to the Christian Center of Concern in Winfield, is a former doctors office.
Both the land and the property have a total appraised value of $87,245, city clerk Angie Oliver said, referencing Marion County Tax Assessor maps.

GULF SHORES - James Nichols, a maintenance supervisor for the Hackleburg and Bear Creek Housing Authorities, is being recognized as the best in the state for 2019.
Nichols was announced as the 2019 Maintenance Worker of the Year during the Alabama Association of Housing & Redevelopment Authorities’s (AAHRA) Annual Conference, which took place Aug. 19-22 at the Lodge in Gulf Shores.

American Automobile Association (AAA) spokesman Clay Ingram has stated that despite oil field bombings in Saudi Arabia, oil prices for Alabama will not be impacted with price increases.
“(Prices) are probably going to get a little bit higher, but, the good news is, it’s a very temporary situation,” stated Ingram.
“It’s probably going to last just a few more weeks and then (oil prices) should drop way down again.”