Marion County

HAMILTON - The Marion County Probate Judge’s office is being recognized for its improvement in registering motorists to be organ donors.
Legacy of Hope, a Birmingham-based organ procurement organization, announced the local probate office as the second most improved department of motor vehicle (DMV) offices in the state.
The organization held a special reception for the local probate office and staff on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Marion County Courthouse in Hamilton.

MONTGOMERY - Beginning Saturday, Oct. 12, all local calls made within the Alabama 205 Area Code will have to be placed using the 10-digit telephone number (area code plus the seven-digit telephone number).
Calls that are currently local will continue to be local, even though 10-digit dialing will be required.
A six-month grace period began on April 13, 2019, to give consumers adequate time to adjust to the changes.
During that period, local calls were able to be made with either seven or 10 digits.

MONTGOMERY -  A northwest Alabama organization that helps child abuse victims in six counties will continue providing services with the help of a $1.01 million grant awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey.
The grant will enable Cramer Children’s Center in Florence to provide free assistance to victims and their families in Marion, Winston, Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale and Lawrence counties while also helping to prosecute offenders.
“Child abuse victims and their families face painful obstacles because of the reality of their circumstances,” Ivey said.

HAMILTON - In Spring 2020,  Stage Stores has announced the Goody’s in Hamilton will be re-opened as a Gordmans.
Stage Stores Brand Publicity Manager Blakely Graham confirmed the transition with the Journal Record by email, stating that Stage has been converting a number of its Goody’s stores as consumers are responding positively to Gordmans’ offerings.
The stores in Haleyville and Russellville will be converted as well. Close-out sale signs have been posted, offering up to 40% off of merchandise.

According to Marion County weather recorder Eddy Pearce, Marion County is on track to beat the 2005 record of 36 days with no measurable rain.
On Sept. 26 Pearce said that no measurable rain has fallen in the county for 31 days. Pearce said that he last recorded measurable rain on Aug. 27 when 15/100ths of an inch was recorded in his rain gauge at his residence south of Hamilton.
Pearce, who only records the weather and makes no forecasts, said he gets his weather forecasts from the Weather Channel.

HAMILTON - Last month, well-known Hamilton native son Clay Dyer was inducted into the “Legends of the Outdoors” Hall of Fame.  
The "Legends of the Outdoors" was established to recognize those outdoor sportsmen and sportswomen who, through countless hours of hard work and devotion to the outdoors, in both hunting and fishing, have played an integral part in setting the standards and guidelines for the rest of the outdoor world to follow.

HAMILTON -  “I know they have to have a jail and if you make it a vote of the people, they still have to have a jail,” said Don Barnwell, former Marion County District 3 commissioner and current Hackleburg town councilman, when asked by the Journal Record about a potential one-cent sales tax vote.
On Wednesday, July 24, the Marion County Commission held a special meeting in which Scott Hunt presented funding options for the new Marion County Jail.

MARION COUNTY -  Statewide changes went into effect for vape shops on Thursday, Aug. 1, as Alabama looks to tighten up on vape retailers.
This month, the state will begin oversight and regulations for retailers who sell vape and other nicotine products.
The new law:
• Requires vape shops to have a tobacco license;

Public schools across Marion County are searching for children with disabilities or who are suspected of having disabilities in order to provide special services.
The program, simply referred to as Child Find, is a statewide program that is sponsored by the state Department of Education’s Division of Rehabilitation  Services, Early Intervention, and the Division of Special Education Services.
The program is an effort to locate, identify and evaluate individuals from birth to age 21 who have disabilities or who are suspected of having disabilities.

GUIN - The discount merchandise store Fred’s announced that it will be closing the Guin store along with 129 other stores across the nation, including 11 other stores across Alabama.
Liquidation sales have already begun at the stores to be closed.
"While it is never easy to make decisions that impact our valued employees and customers, this initiative represents another necessary step in our continued efforts to stabilize our business by simplifying our store portfolio and product assortment," Fred's Chief Executive Officer Joseph Anto said in a statement.