News Digest for June 2017€¦ · News Digest for June 2017 (Click on each link to open) One Life at a Time – 78 Magazine ‘Grizz Lee Bear’ is the name chosen for Bevill State

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OneLifeataTime–78Magazine‘GrizzLeeBear’isthenamechosenforBevillStatemascot–DailyMountainEagleCareerExposetforWednesday–DailyMountainEagleEarningahighschooldiploma–JournalRecordTCHS’MannSignswithBevillState–TuscaloosaNewsKingerysignsinvolleyballwithBevillStateCommunityCollege–StarkvilleDailyNewsSearchison–JournalRecord

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The BSCC News Digest is a sampling of news articles and information regarding Bevill State Community College that appears in local media. If there is an article that you see that is not listed, please send to Andrew Brasfield at [email protected]

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City councilsto meet todayThe Jasper City

Council will meet at10 a.m. today in thecouncil cham- berson the second floorat City Hall in down-town Jasper.The Sumiton City

Council will meet at9 a.m. today at CityHall in Sumiton.Both meetings are

open to the public.

Dora councilrescheduleswork sessionThe Dora City

Council’s work ses-sion that wasscheduled forThursday has beenrescheduled totoday at 7 p.m. atDora City Hall.The meeting is

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CordovaWater and Gas sellingold furnitureThe Cordova

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BEVILL STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Career Expo set for WednesdayBy NICOLE SMITHDaily Mountain Eagle

The 2017 Career and TechnicalWorkforce Expo will be heldWednesday to give locals a chanceto meet with businesses seekingemployees.

The free event will be from 10a.m. until 1 p.m. Wednesday in

the 1400 Building’s exhibitionhall on Bevill State CommunityCollege’s Sumiton campus. Job ap-plicants are asked to bring theirresumes to the expo, which issponsored by Bevill State, theChamber of Commerce of WalkerCounty and the Daily MountainEagle.

Chamber President Linda

Lewis said more than 30 busi-nesses have confirmed booths forthe expo.

“This is a partnership that thechamber and Bevill State has hadfor many years, and now we’re ex-cited to have the Daily MountainEagle on board,” Lewis said.“We’re looking forward to it. Thiswill give people in the community

and surrounding areas the oppor-tunity to go out and network withpotential employers.”

Dr. Chris Franklin, director ofcampus services for the Sumitoncampus, helped organize theevent, and he said they are takingspecial measures this year to de-

ALABAMA LEGISLATURESUMITON CHRISTIAN’S SIDES NAMED STATE’S GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Autism, crossovervoting among itemsaddressed in sessionBy ED HOWELLDaily Mountain Eagle

Members of the Walker County legislative delega-tion recently noted a number of items passed in the2017 Regular Session of the Alabama Legislature, in-cluding autism insurance for children, improved tu-ition assistance for AlabamaGuardsmen, a ban on crossover vot-ing in party primaries and medicalcontracts to pay physicians withoutinsurance.

The autism bill “was the mostemotional piece of legislation in thesession,” Senate Majority LeaderGreg Reed, R-Jasper said. Underthe new act, autism therapy willnow be covered under private in-surance plans with 50 or more em-ployees, as federal insuranceguidelines already cover smallercompanies.

“You had a lot of push and pull related to that issue,on trying to understand what the cost was going to befor government or for private business,” he said. Atthe same time, legislators recognized the need for thattherapy.

“I was very involved trying to work with all the dif-ferent players in the Senate and coming up with anopportunity that would allow that to move forward,”Reed said, calling it “an important piece of legisla-tion.”

State Rep. Tim Wadsworth, R-Arley, called it one ofthe best bills of the session, adding that he has a fam-ily member who is autistic.

“I think insurance companies should be required topay for the therapy in children who are young,” notingthe bill requires payment until age 16. “I think thatis a wonderful benefit.”

State Rep. Connie Rowe, R-Jasper, who voted for thebill, said, “I hope it is everything that we think it is.The bill you begin with in Montgomery is very rarelythe bill you end with in Montgomery. During that

Sen. GregReed

Daily Mountain Eagle - file photo

Sumiton Christian’s Kendall Beth Sides wasnamed the 2017 Gatorade Alabama Player

of the Year Monday. The outfielder/shortstop helped lead the Eagles to their third

consecutive state title last month. Sides, a Uni-versity of Alabama signee, hit .606 this seasonwith 109 runs, 13 home runs, 13 triples and 85RBIs to go along with 99 stolen bases. Curry’s

Ashlee Swindle won the award last year. Formore on Sides, see A8 of today’s Eagle.

Rowe worried aboutlosing judges with newact passed by legislatureBy ED HOWELLDaily Mountain Eagle

Walker County’s legislative delegation votedagainst a new act that one House member fearscould lead to the countylosing some of its judgesin a redistribution effort.

The act was passed bythe Legislature in the2017 Regular Sessionthat ended last month,which also dealt with acouple of other court-re-lated bills involving theappeals process in deathpenalty cases andwhether judges can over-ride a jury’s decision in acapital murder case.

State Rep. ConnieRowe, R-Jasper, a formerJasper police chief, wasconcerned about a newact, voted against by theentire county delegation, which could change the al-location of district and circuit judges.

According to a summary sheet from the Senate Ma-jority Leader’s Office, “The Judicial Resources Alloca-

“I’m against it, be-cause Idon’twant tolose ajudge’sseat. Wemay very well.”

- State Rep. Connie Rowe,

R-Jasper

‘Grizz Lee Bear’ is the namechosen for Bevill State mascot

By ED HOWELLDaily Mountain Eagle

The name is Bear —Grizz Lee Bear.

Bevill State CommunityCollege announced Mon-day the new name of theschool’s mascot after anonline vote was held re-cently.

College spokeswomanTana L. Collins said Mon-day in an email, “TheBevill State Bears mascotfinally has a name. After aclose vote, the winner isGRIZZ LEE BEAR.”

Collins said recently,“The new Bevill State bearmascot will be representa-tive of the entire BevillState Community College

system.” The face of the bear was

picked by a vote of 70 per-cent in February, after on-line voting was held.

The logo is being timedto the reintroduction tothis fall for sports teamson the Bevill campuses, in-cluding women’s softball in

Sumiton and men’s bas-ketball in Jasper.

Posts were made on theschool’s social media ac-counts on Facebook, Insta-gram and Twitter andallowed the public to makesuggestions for names.

“We took the top selec-tions and reviewed thosewith the athletics advisingcommittee and made theselections,” she said inApril.

Other choices that wereconsidered were Beaure-gard Bevill Bear (B3), TedE. Bear and Victor E. Bear.

A runoff was held lastmonth between Grizz LeeBear and BeauregardBevill Bear, with entriestaken until May 31.

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See LEGISLATURE, A5

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termine the expo’s benefits to employers and job seek-ers.

“We’re not only surveying the people who come, butwe’re also surveying the businesses that will have ta-bles at the expo. We hope to get some informationfrom them about how to improve the quality of the ap-plicant pool and different things like that. Hopefullywe’ll have some data to look back on as we move for-ward,” Franklin said.

Participating businesses will include the AlabamaNational Guard, Alabama Power Company, ARC ofWalker County, Automation Personnel Services, BevillState Community College, Brookwood Baptist Health,Capstone Rural Health, Cordova Health and Rehab,Drummond Company, Inc., Educational OpportunityCenter, Edward Jones Investments, Full Moon BBQ,Go Build Alabama, H.C. Blake Co., Hiott FinancialCorporation, HTNA, Jasper Career Center, Jasper Po-lice Department, Liberty National/The Clint McClainAgency, Next Financial Group, Northeast AlabamaMental Health Center, Personnel Board of JeffersonCounty, Quality Staffing Solution, Regional Para-medics, Regis Corporation, Riverview/RiverwoodHealth Services, Shadescrest Healthcare Center,Southeastern Freight Lines, Southland InternationalTrucks, Warrior Met Coal, Wells Fargo, Winn-Dixie,Yates Construction and Yorozu Automotive Alabama.

Franklin said the event will be more rewardingthan submitting a traditional application.

“You can’t really discount the face-to-face contactthat you’ll have with the people who are actually look-ing for jobs,” he said. “I don’t feel like you can reallyget that personal contact from just sending in your re-sume.”

For any questions about the event, email Franklinat [email protected] or call (800) 648-3271, ext.5601.

Expo From A1

tion Commission will review theneed for judgeships in each district,using population size and caseload.As vacancies occur, the commissionwill match the judgeship with thecounty that has the most urgentneed.”

“I’m against it, because I don’twant to lose a judge’s seat,” Rowesaid. “We may very well.”

Rowe said different counties maylook at the issue differently. She saidBlount County, in her district, hasonly one circuit judge, Steven King,who is extremely overworked andneeds more help. “I don’t know howhe does it, and I don’t know how thatcircuit clerk’s office does it up there.”

At the same time, Walker Countyresidents would not want to lose ajudge, she said.

“I have talked to our local judges,who have told me that we would re-ally run a risk of losing one of ourseats here. I think our courts are

busy here in Walker County. I wasthere for 22 years in that court-house, and I didn’t see a lot of twid-dling thumbs in those courtrooms.They were busy.”

The Legislature’s website showedSenate Majority Leader Greg Reed,R-Jasper, and state Rep. TimWadsworth, R-Arley, also votedagainst the bill.

On a related topic, Wadsworth ap-proved the passage of a bill thatshortens the state court appealsprocess in death penalty cases fromthe current 15 to 18 years down to aperiod of nine to 12 years.

“You have got people who havebeen waiting for 30 years for the per-son who killed their family memberto be executed, and this speeds upthat process,” he said.

Rowe agreed with the bill, sayingshe wanted a much shorter time forappeals.

In another court-related legisla-

tive issue, Rowe voted against thejudicial override bill, which passedin the Legislature, including a 78-19vote in the House. The new act endsthe practice of judges reversing de-cisions by juries in capital murdercases.

“I voted against that bill,” shesaid. “I was not for getting rid of ju-dicial override. I think a judgeshould be able to override the jury.”

She went on to question if judgeswere useless if sentencing guidelinesdictate what sentences are handedout and the judges can’t override ju-ries. Rowe said a judge may want tooverride juries who may “overzeal-ously pursue a death penalty be-cause of some circumstance orunder-sentence someone because ofa non-related circumstance.

“I think there is a purpose for whywe have judges and we continue tostrip them of their authority,” shesaid.

Act From A1

Legislature From A1process, you lose somethings and you have otherthings added on. Do Ithink it is a good bill? Yes.I don’t know it is as good abill as I would have liked itto have been.”

Wadsworth said amend-ments to the Alabama Ac-countability Act weredefeated, which he countedas a major event. He saidonly seven scholarshipshave been issued toWalker County under theact, and it has cost thecounty more than $1 mil-lion.

“There was an attemptto add more money to thescholarship fund, whichwould not have benefitedWinston County and itwould not have benefitedWalker County,” he said.

Wadsworth also said theAlabama National GuardEducation Assistance Pro-gram (ANGEAP) waschanged, as Guardsmenhad received up to $2,000a year in tuition assistanceat college. Legislators thisyear changed that to$4,800 a year, which willbe available at higher edu-cation institutions in Ala-bama. Wadsworth said the

tuition can be used at atwo-year institution.

He said three right-to-life bills passed, includinga ban on assisted suicide, aprotection of healthcareworkers’ rights of con-science and a constitu-tional amendment todeclare Alabama is a pro-life state, which would beinstrumental if Roe v.Wade is overturned.

Wadsworth noted legis-lation passed based on asituation in Oklahomathat allows doctors toenter into medical con-tracts with patients for afixed dollar amount basedon cash — essentially al-lowing an agreement formedical treatment thatprevents having to rely oninsurance.

“It gives people anotheroption to obtain medicaltreatment,” he said. Thedoctors set their own priceand don’t have to worryabout reimbursements,and the cost of medicaltreatment is kept down.

A summary listing of thesession’s bills, released bythe Senate MajorityLeader’s Office, notes thatunder Direct Primary

Care (DPC) agreements,purchases for servicesfrom physicians and den-tists could be madethrough monthly frees orother methods without re-lying on insurance compa-nies or state insuranceregulations. The cost ofoverhead is reduced.

“DPC agreements willmake it easier for doctorsand dentists to open prac-tices in rural Alabama,”the summary said. “Cur-rently, medical/dentalpractices need a high num-ber of patients to offsetcosts from insurance docu-mentation requirements.”

Reed also pointed to apassage of the AlabamaJobs Act pushed by theGovernor’s Office, whichcontinued incentive pack-ages to attract industry.Some of those incentiveshelped to attract theYorozu plant in WalkerCounty, he said.

Reed said the new pri-mary runoff act affectsboth Democrats and Re-publicans.

Those who vote in oneparty’s primary will nolonger be allowed to switchto the other party in any

runoff, as they must votein the runoff with thesame party as they did inthe primary. Anyone whodidn’t vote in the originalprimary can vote inwhichever runoff theychoose.

“If you say, ‘I’m going tovote Republican in the pri-mary,’ then you’ve got tovote Republican in therunoff,” Reed said, sayingthe same held true for De-mocrats. “It just allowsthere to not be a circum-stance where the otherparty loads up on a partic-ular runoff candidate totry help pick the candidatefor the other party.”

One can vote for who-ever they like, regardlessof parties, in the generalelection.

Reed said his district re-ceived only minor changesin court-ordered reappor-tionment of legislative dis-tricts in the state.

Rowe and Wadsworthsaid their districts did nothave any changes. Reedsaid he lost a section ofabout 400 to 500 people inJefferson County andpicked up as many peoplein the same county.

White House: Trump won’tseek to block Comey testimony

WASHINGTON (AP) —President Donald Trumpwill not assert executiveprivilege to block fired FBIDirector James Comeyfrom testifying on CapitolHill, the White House saidMonday, setting the stagefor a dramatic public air-ing of the former top lawenforcement official’s deal-ings with the commanderin chief.

White House spokes-woman Sarah HuckabeeSanders said the presi-dent’s power to invoke ex-ecutive privilege is“well-established.” But shesaid Trump wanted toallow for a “swift and thor-ough examination of thefacts” related to Comey’souster and the multiple in-vestigations into his cam-paign’s possible ties toRussia.

Comey is scheduled totestify Thursday before theSenate intelligence com-mittee. His appearancewill mark his first publiccomments since he wasabruptly fired by the pres-ident on May 9.

White House officialshad weighed trying toblock Comey by arguingthat his discussions withthe president pertained tonational security and thatthere was an expectationof privacy. However, offi-cials ultimately concludedthat the optics of takingthat step would be worsethan the risk of letting theformer FBI director testifyfreely.

Legal experts have alsosaid that the presidentlikely undermined his abil-ity to assert executiveprivilege by publicly dis-cussing his dealings withComey in tweets and inter-views.

Lawmakers in both par-ties have urged Trump toallow Comey to testifypublicly. On Sunday, Sen.Roy Blunt, a Missouri Re-

publican and a member ofthe intelligence committee,said the president wouldbe “better served by get-ting all this informationout.”

“Sooner rather thanlater, let’s find out whathappened and bring this toa conclusion,” Blunt saidon “Fox News Sunday.”‘’You don’t do that I thinkby invoking executive priv-

ilege on a conversation youhad apparently with no-body else in the room.”

Comey associates havealleged that Trump askedthe FBI director if he coulddrop an investigation intoformer national securityadviser Michael Flynn andhis Russian contacts. TheWhite House has deniedthe president made thatrequest.

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File

In this May 3 file photo, then-FBI Director James Comey testifies on CapitolHill in Washington. Comey, ousted last month amid a federal investigationinto connections between Russia and the Trump campaign, is set to testifybefore Congress next week in a highly anticipated hearing that could shednew light on his private conversations with the president in the weeks beforethe firing.

Alabama asks U.S.Supreme Court to letexecution proceed

MONTGOMERY (AP) — Alabama’s attorney gen-eral on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to letan execution proceed this week, arguing that ques-tions about a lethal injection drug have been settledby the courts.

Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office asked thejustices to let the state proceed with Thursday’sscheduled execution of Robert Melson who was con-victed of killing three Gadsden restaurant employeesduring a 1994 robbery.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last weekgranted a stay as it considers appeals from Melsonand other inmates who contend that a sedative usedby Alabama called midazolam will not render themunconscious before other drugs stop their lungs andheart. The state argues there was no reason to grantthe stay since midazolam’s use in lethal injections hasbeen upheld by the high court, and the court has letexecutions proceed using midazolam in Alabama andArkansas.

“Alabama has already carried out three executionsusing this protocol, including one less than two weeksago in which this court, and the Eleventh Circuit, de-nied a stay,” lawyers with the attorney general’s officewrote in the motion

“If the stay is allowed to stand, Melson’s executionwill be delayed many months, if not years. The State,the victims’ families, and the surviving victim in thiscase have waited long enough for justice to be deliv-ered. This Court should vacate the lower court’s stay,”attorneys for the state wrote.

Melson is one of several inmates who filed lawsuits,which were consolidated, arguing that the state’s ex-ecution method is unconstitutional. A federal judge inMarch dismissed the lawsuits, and the inmates ap-pealed to the 11th Circuit saying the judge dismissedtheir claims prematurely.

A three-judge panel of 11th Circuit judges did notindicate whether they thought the inmates would suc-ceed in their appeals. Rather, the judges wrote Fridaythat they were staying Melson’s execution to avoid the“untenable” prejudging of the inmates’ cases.

Midazolam is supposed to prevent an inmate fromfeeling pain, but several executions in which inmateslurched or moved have raised questions about its use.An Arkansas inmate in April lurched about 20 timesduring a lethal injection. Melson’s lawyers wrote in aFriday motion that Alabama “botched” a December ex-ecution in which inmate Ronald Bert Smith coughedand moved for the first 13 minutes.

“Mr. Smith’s botched execution supports the argu-ment that midazolam is a vastly different drug thanpentobarbital. It does not anesthetize the condemnedinmate, and because it does not anesthetize, defen-dants’ use of potassium chloride is unconstitutional,”Melson’s attorneys wrote last week.

Alabama last month executed inmate TommyArthur using the same drug combination. Arthur didnot cough or lurch like Smith.

Police: Pedestrian killed by Alabama deputy in patrol car

DOTHAN (AP) — Police in Alabama are investigat-ing the death of a pedestrian who was fatally struckby a sheriff ’s deputy driving a patrol car.

The Dothan Eagle reports 20-year-old QuintonCortez Samuel of Ocala, Florida, died early Monday.Dothan Police Capt. Todd David said Samuel waswalking on a highway at about 1:20 a.m. when aHouston County deputy performing a routine patrolhit the man with his car.

David says the pedestrian was “walking in a darkarea in the roadway” on U.S. Highway 84. He said thebody has been sent to the Alabama Department ofForensic Sciences for an autopsy.

Dothan police are investigating the collision. Nocharges were announced Monday.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017 Journal Record Page 3A

By TRACY ESTESNews Editor

A new program allowingthose who never graduatedfrom high school to earn adiploma is nearing the end ofits first year with local offi-cials saying the program hasbeen extremely successful.

Known as the AlabamaNon-Traditional High SchoolDiploma, the program allowsthose who qualify to earn anactual high school diploma asopposed to the more tradi-tional equivalency certificatewhich is commonly associ-ated with the GED program.

The program was createdin a partnership between theAlabama Community Col-lege System and adult educa-tion department of theAlabama Department of Ed-ucation. The program wasapproved by the state boardof education in July with newstudents accepted in Septem-ber.

“Alabama students whodid not earn a diploma beforeleaving high school are beinggiven an opportunity to earna non-traditional high schooldiploma through this pro-gram,’’ said Bevill StateCommunity College AdultEducation Director NancyMcDonald.

The program is designedto assist two classes of stu-dents--those who completedall of the required course-work but did not pass all sec-tions of the state graduationexam or those who earned atleast 10 credit hours at thehigh school level but are in

need of the remaining hoursto graduate.

The first local student tohold the high school diplomain her hand as a graduate ofthe program was KimberlyBenton of Hubbertville.

She completed the work atthe Bevill State facility lo-cated on the Winfield MiddleSchool campus.

According to McDonald,Benton completed all of thecoursework required to finishhigh school, but was unableto pass the social studies por-tion of the graduation exam.

Entering the program, thestudent must be classifiedinto one of the two segments.

In order to qualify as partof the program, the studentmust be at least 17 years oldwhile illustrating a minimalacademic ability as deter-

mined by an adult educationassessment.

Program officials will alsoconduct an extensive reviewof the applying student’s highschool transcript.

Determining the student iseligible to participate, theclass instructors create an in-dividual plan of instructionbased on the curriculum out-lined by the state departmentof education and the commu-nity college system.

When the instructionalplan has been completed, of-ficials will provide the stu-dent’s prior high school witha transcript and documenta-tion of the work the studenthas completed. If approved,the student will be awarded ahigh school diploma.

McDonald said earningthe diploma bearing a highschool name and insignia isimportant to those who par-ticipate.

“While the curriculumdoes include the GED Readyand GED tests as a means forthe student to satisfy the statehigh school graduation examrules and requirements, it isdifferent than the traditionalGED prep courses we haveoffered in the past,’’ McDon-ald explained.

“Students earn an actualdiploma from the high schoolthey attended rather thanearning the equivalency bypassing all four subjects onthe GED tests.’’

Completion time dependsupon the individual, accord-ing to McDonald.

To date, the program haswelcomed 75 students with a

number nearing graduation.“This program is allowing

us to assist adults in our areato make a real difference intheir lives,’’ McDonald said.

“For those who do nothave a high school diplomaand are even able to findwork, their average annualsalary is less than $20,000. Ahigh school diploma orequivalency could increaseone’s earning potential sig-nificantly--by as much as 20percent.

“And this does not men-tion the doors to additionaleducation and training thatare opened as a result of earn-ing the high school creden-tial. These facts and figuresare not only important to thelives of these individuals, butthey are also important forour area’s overall economyand critical to our future ineconomic development. Butmost of all, it is vital in thesense of personal satisfactionassociated with earning adiploma. That is somethingyou cannot place a numberon, but the difference is real.’’

Instructor Hilda Dudley,who had the pleasure of see-ing the first student throughthe new program, is a sup-porter.

“I am confident thisprocess better prepares stu-dents for the workplace orcollege,’’ Dudley said in aninterview with the JournalRecord.

“The students have beenvery responsive to the op-tions available through thisplan. I think they realize thevarious possibilities now

avail-able.’’

Dudleyhas di-rected theWinfield program formore than 17 years. Shebelieves the new concept willincrease the overall participa-tion numbers in the adult ed-ucation process.

“Without an education, itcan be tough to get a job,’’said Dudley. “Even smallbusiness owners are wantingthose who graduated highschool.

“But I remind each onewho comes through there iseven more to this puzzle. Ican help them pass the GED

testsa n d

the re-l a t e d

work, but I willnot be able to help them

pass the drug test.’’The instructor stressed the

concern many in the areahave expressed when itcomes to the task of fillingjob vacancies.

Persons wishing to learnmore about the program maycall 1-800-648-3271 or callprogram director McDonaldat 205-932-3221, ext. 5677.

McDonald can be reachedby email [email protected].

view with the JournalRecord.

“I always felt left out or asif I was not as good as thembecause I did not have myown diploma. But I don’thave to feel that way any-more.’’

Now living in Winfieldwith her husband, Michael,Benton is the first in the areato earn a program through theBevill State Community Col-lege Adult Education pro-gram under the newguidelines.

Instead of the traditionalformat by which students canearn an equivalency diploma,Benton holds what is definedas a non-traditional diploma.But it is a full-fledgeddiploma instead.

“I wanted a better job andI knew I could never find ajob without a high schooldiploma. I was determined todo the work and finish thetask,’’ she added.

Benton was working at afast food restaurant in thearea, but is now employed atthe Walmart in Hamilton.

“I decided I was not goingto put this off any longer,’’she recalled, noting she hadbeen in the traditional GED

program years earlier only todrop out prior to finishing thework.

Shortly after missing thechance to walk across thestage with her classmates,Benton had begun the workto earn a GED. But shewalked away.

Last year, she returned tothe classroom to begin anewwhat she had attempted be-fore. Her journey ended inApril with a high schooldiploma in her hand.

Classroom instruction wasprovided at the Bevill Statesite on the Winfield MiddleSchool campus with hours offurther studying and home-work done in the privacy ofher home.

“Getting back in a routinewas tough after all of thoseyears and you never realizejust how much you forgetover that time,’’ Benton said.

“So much is learned in theclassroom and there weretimes I was able to attendclass two times per day, if mywork schedule allowed. Iwould go to class sometimesin the night session and an af-ternoon class. But it wasworth it.’’

Like a teenager, Bentonhad some coursework sheliked more than others. Shewas a fan of the languagesbut said mathematics proved

to be the most difficult part ofthe course.

But on this side of thelong and arduous journey,she is proud of how far shehas come since those dayswalking the hallways at Hub-bertville.

“I am proud and I ammore self-confident,’’ shesaid. “I was not sure at timesif I would be able to get it,but I did. I am grateful toeveryone for the help.’’

Benton praised instructorHilda Dudley for providingthe instruction and supportneeded to complete thecourse.

“She was wonderful,’’said Benton. “I will alwaysbe in her debt because shehelped me so much. Shewants to see her students suc-ceed and that makes such adifference.’’

The new graduate said shewould recommend the newprogram to any who havebeen considering a return tothe classroom.

“Do not ever give up. Youcan do this,’’ she said whenasked what she might say toothers who have dreamed ofearning a high schooldiploma.

“To me, it is like a burdenhas been lifted off of me. Iwas always doubting myselfand feeling less important

than the ones who have grad-uated. It is not a good placeto be in. But with the GoodLord’s help, I have been ableto do this and I will never re-gret it. This is something Iwill treasure for the rest ofmy life.’’

Persons wishing to learnmore about the program maycall 1-800-648-3271 or callprogram director Nancy Mc-Donald at (205) 932-3221,ext. 5677.

BEVILL STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ADULT EDUCATION

Earning a high school diploman New program allows dropouts to earn actual diploma

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7The Alabama Career Center will host a Job Inter-view Skills Seminar at 2 p.m. on the campus ofNorthwest-Shoals Community College, 2080 Col-lege Rd. in Phil Campbell. The workshop will beheld at the Phil Campbell Career Center, Occupa-tional Building Room 304. This workshop will focuson preparing for a job interview and common in-terview questions will be discussed. The event isfree. Information: 921-5672.

Swamp John’s will be visiting the HubbertvillePavilion from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. Plates will be $11each and will consist of your choice of fish, shrimpor chicken served with coleslaw, fries, hushpup-pies, a slice of onion and a pickle, and iced tea.Dine-in or carry-out plates will be available. All pro-ceeds will support the Hubbertville School BandFoundation. Information: Patricia Moore or TimDunavant, 487-2845.

SATURDAY, JUNE 10The Hamilton High School Alumni Banquet will beheld at the school lunchroom beginning at 6 p.m.The cost is $20 per person. This year honoredClasses are - 1967,1992 and 2007. All alumni arecordially invited and encouraged to attend.

SATURDAY - SUNDAY, JUNE 10 - 11The 37th annual Parr reunion will be held at theWinfield Community Center. If you are related orare friends of the late Gurley Parr family, pleaseattend for fun and fellowship. Lunch will be servedat noon. Those planning to attend are asked toplease bring your favorite dish.

SUNDAY, JUNE 11The Pastime Theater Board is hosting a gospelmusic revue. Curtain time has been set for 2 p.m.with tickets being sold for $10 each or $5 each forchildren ages 12 and under. Tickets will be avail-

able at the door just prior to the show or may bepurchased in advance at the Gold Connection,Kemp Foundation, Pastime Theater office or Win-field City Hall. Doors will open at 1 p.m. for thosewishing to arrive early to secure prime seating. In-cluded in the gospel revue will be an assortmentof local acts, including 4 for ONE, All Thru Him andFamily Tradition. Newly-formed All Thru Him con-sists of performers Heather Reese, HannahReese and Stacie Posey while the Family Tradi-tion is compiled of Scott Duckworth, Mike Weeksand Wanda Green. Also performing will be 4 forONE with singers Scott Duckworth, Tim Garrison,Ryan Knight and Tracy Estes. 4 for ONE musi-cians include Melany Weeks (keyboard) Todd Fet-ter (drums) and Rickey Reed (violin). Information:Pastime Theatre Office, 487-3002.

TUESDAYS - JUNE 13, 20 and 27You are invited to “Build a Better World” during theClyde Nix Public Library’s 2017 Summer ReadingProgram. Parents can register children ages 4-11.The library will be offering a variety of programs,reading prizes and incentives. Programs will be of-fered from 11 a.m. - noon. Information: Starr Mont-gomery, 921-4290.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14The Hamilton Career Center, located at 1481 Mil-itary Street South on the Hamilton Campus ofBevill State Community College, will be hosting ajob fair for ResourceMFG hiring for Toyota MotorManufacturing located in Blue Springs, Miss. from10 a.m - 2 p.m. This is for Production Team Mem-ber positions. The event is free. Information: 921-5672.

FRIDAY, JUNE 16The Hamilton Career Center, located at 1481 Mil-itary Street South on the Hamilton Campus ofBevill State Community College, will host a BasicComputer Skills Workshop at 10 a.m. Attendees

Monday - Friday11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Saturday - Sunday10 a..m - 7 p.m.

205-487-4535

Bevill State Community College

Adult Education DirectorNancy McDonald

Missioncontinued from front page.

CALENDAR

See CALENDAR on page 8A.

HAMILTON OFFICEP.O. Drawer 1477

Hamilton, AL 35570(205) 921-3104

Email: [email protected]

WINFIELD OFFICEP.O. Box 458

Winfield, AL 35594(205) 487-3278


Member FDICNMLS #412040

Contact

RONNIE ELLISto Transfer your 401K

to a safe and secure IRA.

FNB Financial ServicesINCORPORATED

Full Line of Investment & Insurance Products205-921-1712

Chad Harris, Investment Consultanties are offered by LPL Financial, Member/SIPC. Insurance products offered through PL Financial or its licensed affiliates.

Not FDIC Insured Not Bank Guaranteed sured by any Federal Government Agency ot a Bank Deposit May Lose Value

Winfield Guin Brilliant

www.statebank.net

CATCHTHEHOMETOWN SPIRIT

487-4265• •

Barbara StanfordVice President

Dana PeoplesPresident/CEO


Contact

DEVON AVERYfor a convenient

Home Equity Line of Credit.



Chad Harris, Investment ConsultantSecurities are offered by LPL Financial, MemberFINRA/SIPC. Insurance products offered through

LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates.

Not FDIC Insured Not Bank Guaranteed Not Insured by any Federal Government Agency

Not a Bank Deposit May Lose Value


www.statebank.net


487-4265• •



KALYN MOORE/STAFF

Christian Center of Concern searching for new buildingAfter suffering considerable damage caused by straight-line winds on Sunday,May 28, the Christian Center of Concern was forced to close. JJ Headrick (rightphoto) helps to oversee the organization. Headrick told the Journal Record thatshe is believing that God has a perfect plan in all of this, and she is hopeful that anew building will become available soon. Meanwhile, what’s left of the center’ssupplies are being stored at Christ Community Church in Hamilton. Please seethe story, In need of a new home, on page 4.

By KALYN MOOREStaff Writer

HAMILTON - As of Thursday, June 8,the Alabama Community College Systemhas officially posted the position of presi-dent of Bevill State Community College(BSCC).

The community college has been with-out a president since former BSCC PresidentDr. Larry Ferguson’s resignation in March ofthis year.

Ferguson left his position to return to his home state of Kentuckywhere he is serving as vice president of the Kentucky Communityand Technical College System.

Ferguson defined his move as an “unanticipated opportunity” toreturn home following a successful one-year run as the Bevill State

County ranks 54thfor median incomen Only three Alabama counties

rise above national averageBy TRACY ESTESNews Editor

Marion County residents are earning muchless than the national average based on the mostrecent figures released by the federal govern-ment.

Only three counties within the state have a me-dian income higher than the national averagewith Marion County coming in more than$20,000 below the national average per house-hold.

The national average income was $55,775 in2015 while the Marion County average wasonly $34,977. This ranked the county 54thamong the state’s 67 counties.

The state average income was $44,833 in


SEARCH IS ONn BSCC now accepting

applications for president

Millicanretiresn Republicanlawmaker will not seek 8th term


HAMILTON - Confirming ru-mors which had circulated in Mar-ion County for the last few months,Rep. Mike Millican, R-Hamilton,has announced his intentions to re-tire from public office.

Having served in the stateHouse of Representatives for 28years, the Hamilton native chosenot to seek election to an eighthterm in office.

Millican repre-sents District 17,which encom-passes all of Mar-ion County andportions of Lamarand Winston coun-ties.

“After 28 yearsin office, the timewas right,’’ Millican said in an in-terview with the Journal Recordminutes after a press release firstannounced his intentions.

“I have been blessed with anumber of good friends from mytime in office. But I want to spendmore time with my family and op-erating businesses back home. Ihave been really blessed to be inMontgomery during some historictimes and now I am leaving officewith the knowledge Alabama is abetter-educated place and a moreprosperous state than it was whenI entered office.’’

Reflecting on his career in pol-itics, Millican was asked to definewhat he will recall as the most re-warding part of the work.

“Being able to bring homemonies to help our schools, fire de-partments, city and county govern-ments and others was so special,’’Millican said.

“I was never carried away withthe Montgomery scene. I wouldhave always preferred to be backhome with folks in my home dis-trict. But that was the reason I ranthe last term or two was to be ableto stay in office and help folks athome.’’

Now 66, Millican recalled thosetimes when he was not able tobring home the money for projectshis district needed so desperately.

He admitted to a sense of frus-tration when his efforts provedfruitless.

“Trying to work hard for thedistrict, but not always being ableto achieve what you wanted for thepeople was tough,’’ Millican said.

MATTHEW PUCKETT/SPORTS EDITOR

Nevaeh Hamby, 3, shows offher catch to the camera asDrake Vickery assists her onSaturday, June 10. Hambywas too young to compete inthe 33rd Annual HamiltonBassmasters Youth FishingContest with the minimumage being 5, but was still en-joying the day at MarionCounty Lake. The Hackle-burg natives were fishing nextto each other on the lake asHamby was with her uncle,John, and other family mem-bers while Vickery broughthis friend Brady Cole’syounger brother, JacksonCole, to the event. Photos ofthe winners and other youngfishermen can be found onpages 9 and 12.

Saturday, June 17, 2017 www.myjrpaper.com

Your Community Newspaper

Proudly Serving Marion County,

Alabama, Since 1970

“We don’t make the news--

we just print it.”

OURNALECORD

75¢48TH YEAR, NO. 48

Millican

See MILLICAN on page 5.

See SEARCH on page 5.



See INCOME on page 5.

Saturday, June 17, 2017 Journal Record Page 5

Every donation helps, andthen every can of food do-nated from a food drivehelps,” Headrick said.

In closing, Leonelli said,“I want to thank everybodywho helped us through theyears. Thank you to thechurches like Fulton BridgeBaptist Church, Hamilton

United Methodist Church,Mount Joy Church, PleasantGrove Baptist Church and allof the others who donatedand helped.

“Thank you to the civicclubs of Hamilton who do-nated, the schools, and allpersonal donors. Thank youto Shopper’s Value for yourmany contributions andChristmastime shopping pro-gram.

“Thank you to the won-derful people who helped me,

including JJ Headrick, MikeShotts, Ralph Fowler, BettyFowler, Paul Hanson, Gor-don Green, Josephine Pugh,Janet Green, Frances Hed-dings, Susan Daniel, AshleyHood, Beverly Jesson, BarryReid and Doug Knight,”Leonelli said.

To donate space, time,food or money to the Chris-tian Center of Concern, inter-ested persons may contactHeadrick at 570-5610.

“The needs back home were great attimes and there were times when I wasnot able to do what I knew needed to bedone. Everyone in the House and Senaterepresents a district and they want tohelp their specific district. So when yourwish list does not match up with theirs,sometimes, you come home empty-handed.’’

But while returning home to faceconstituents without the money or proj-ects they had wanted to see fulfilledcould be tough, that was not the mostdifficult part of the job for this law-maker.

“I remember a time when my daugh-ter (Jennifer) was writing a term paperwhile she was a student at the Univer-sity of Alabama,’’ Millican began.

“Coming in the room, she informedme she was writing a story about poli-tics. Knowing what I was doing, I ex-plained that should be easy for her, asthis had become such a part of our lives.

“At this point, she let me know how

tough it was for her because I was goneall of the time. And that was true. Whenin public office, it seems you spendmore time away from your family thanyou do with your family. While I mighthave been the face everyone saw as thepublic servant, it is the whole familythat really serves as a public servant.The rest of the family just does it in theshadows.’’

Jennifer Millican was killed in an au-tomobile accident in Winston County inMarch 2004. She was a 21-year-old jun-ior at the university.

Millican recalled answering the callto serve almost three decades ago. Hewas elected to his first term in 1990.

He entered the House as a Democratand will be leaving as a Republican,having made the transition from oneparty to the other in 2010.

“I had friends come to me and askme to serve, saying they would supportme,’’ said Millican.

“I was encouraged to run and madebelieve I could be successful, if I tried.I decided to give it a shot and here weare 28 years later.’’

But when asked how he would want

to be remembered when his name ismentioned in reference to his time in theHouse, Millican said, “I want to be re-membered as someone who paid atten-tion to the folks in his district.

“I want people to remember a repre-sentative who always tried to do whatthey wanted him to do to make their dis-trict a better place to live.’’

Millican has served as the chairmanof the House Health Committee for 12years.

He is currently serving as the vicechairman of the same panel while hold-ing a seat on the House Ways andMeans General Fund Committee andthe Energy Council.

Prior to his tenure in the House, Mil-lican was employed as the director ofbusiness and industry at Bevill StateCommunity College in Hamilton, dat-ing back to the time when it was knownas Northwest Community College.

The Millicans are members of theFirst Baptist Church in Hamilton. Mil-lican’s wife, Debbie, works for districtcourt judge Mark Hammitte.


HAMILTON - When Su-sannah Shotts was just 8months old, her mother, Jen-nifer Shotts of Hamilton,found out about Early Inter-vention services from her ge-netics doctor.

Alabama’s Early Interven-tion System (AEIS) is a fed-eral service that helpschildren ages 0 to 3 with dis-abilities to prepare for school.

The local branch of AEISserving Marion County is TriCounty Early Intervention,and it is a division of the TriCounty Agency for Intellec-tual Disabilities.

To qualify for the pro-gram, a child must have a di-agnosis or be at least 25percent delayed in eitherphysical, social, emotional,cognitive, communicative or

adaptive development. “Susannah was diagnosed

with Pallister Killien Syn-drome (PKS) as a baby,which is a rare syndrome.There are only 600 knowncases in the world right now.Only 30 percent of childrendiagnosed with it ever learnto walk,” Shotts said.

PKS is an extremely raregenetic disorder that is nothereditary and occurs ran-domly. The disorder cancause low muscle tone aswell as cognitive and devel-opmental delays.

The Shotts family, nowbased in Hamilton, wentthrough a difficult financialsituation when Jennifer’shusband, Zac Shotts, lost ajob in Auburn. The couplemoved their three daughtersto Hamilton to find employ-ment and be near family in2014.

“We moved home becausewe needed the family sup-port. My 8-year-old daughterhad missed much of herkindergarten school year be-cause of Susannah being inthe hospital,” Shotts said.

She also mentioned thatSusannah Shotts spent eightmonths of 2015 in the hospi-tal with intestinal failure.

Because of financial diffi-culty, the Shotts family wasunable to get private physicaltherapy for Susannah Shottsonce they moved to Hamil-ton.

“Before we moved toHamilton, we used to be ableto have private physical ther-apists work with Susannah aswell as Early Interventiontherapists.

“After we moved here, we

had to depend on Early Inter-vention’s physical therapiststo help our daughter. Andthey did.

“I believe that the onlyreason she can walk today isbecause of the physical ther-apy services she receivedthrough Early Intervention.

“She was able to sit aloneat 1 year old, crawl at 2 yearsold and walk at 3 years old.The odds were statisticallyagainst her with PKS, butEarly Intervention changedthat,” Shotts said.

She also mentioned thatshe would not hesitate to rec-ommend Early Interventionto other families raising chil-dren with developmental de-lays of some kind.

president.Ferguson aided in increas-

ing BSCC enrollment somuch that the college wasrecognized as one of thefastest-growing institutionsin the nation.

“Bevill State was a goodcollege before I arrived,”Ferguson said in an interviewwith the Journal Record. “Ifeel now that the college ispoised for growing and serv-ing our communities evenbetter. The college is clearlyon a journey from good togreat.”

The official BSCC Presi-dential Brochure communi-cates that the college islooking for more than aleader, it’s looking for a vi-sionary.

The brochure states,“Bevill State CommunityCollege, a comprehensivecommunity college with fourcampuses and one instruc-

tional site, seeks a visionaryand experienced senior ad-ministrator, who will provideexceptional leadership as thepresident. The president re-ports to the Chancellor of theAlabama Community Col-lege System (ACCS).”

The brochure also ex-plains some of the history be-hind the community collegeand its impact on the regionof Alabama that it serves.BSCC serves 4,600 squaremiles, from the city limits ofBirmingham to the Missis-sippi state line.

BSCC was created in1992 by the consolidation oftwo colleges: Walker StateTechnical College andBrewer State Junior College.In 1993 the Hamilton Cam-pus of Northwest AlabamaCommunity College mergedwith Bevill State. The Uni-versity of Alabama Birming-ham/Walker Collegecompleted the Bevill Statefour-campus system in 1998.

With 286 full-time and423 part-time employees, thefour main campuses and the

Pickens County EducationalCenter offer educational op-portunities to over 250,000people in a seven-countyarea. The college has a totalenrollment of more than3,800 students.

Because of Bevill’s exten-sive reach, the presidencyprovides an excellent leader-ship opportunity for a well-experienced administratorwho is committed to success-fully preparing students forcareer paths that meet thearea’s growing economic andworkforce developmentneeds.

For consideration as anapplicant for the position, acomplete application pack-age must be received in theACCS Human Resources of-fice on or before July 10,2017, at 5 p.m. Applicationmaterials can be accepted viamail, in-person or via email.Faxed application materialswill not be accepted.

A complete applicationpacket consists of:

• A letter of interest;• A completed official

presidential application form;• A comprehensive resume

or curriculum vitae;• A list of five references,

including complete contactinformation for each refer-ence;

• A comprehensive listingof current and former em-ployers, including completecontact information for each;and

• Unofficial college tran-scripts, including identifica-tion of the applicant, theinstitution and the degree(s)earned.

The successful candidatemust be available to assumethe position within a reason-able time and must be willingto relocate to the collegecommunity.

Application forms may beobtained at www.accs.ccusing the link “employmentopportunities” or by calling(334) 293-4628.

2015, which is the most recent data available.This marked an increase of more than 4 per-cent compared to the previous year. The na-tional average income rose by only 3 percentduring the same period, according to the fed-eral review.

The report was published earlier thismonth by al.com.

Only Shelby, Madison and Autauga coun-ties had income averages higher than the U.S.average with Madison and Augusta barelypassing the mark.

Shelby County’s average income was$70,879 while the Madison and Autauga fig-ures were $59,117 and $56,580, respectively.

The remainder of the state’s counties hadaverage incomes below the national markwith Wilcox County coming in with the low-est at $23,041.

Marion County’s income level was the

lowest within the immediate area, falling be-hind Fayette, Lamar, Walker and Winstoncounties.

Income averages recorded by MarionCounty’s neighbors and other counties of in-terest were as follows, with the rank of the re-spective county listed:

• Fayette - $37,085 (40th);• Franklin - $38,535 (34th);• Lamar - $36,520 (43rd);• Walker - $37,305 (39th);• Winston - $36,497 (44th);• Jefferson - $48,415 (9th);• Tuscaloosa - $47,868 (10th);• Lauderdale - $43,008 (16th); and• Montgomery - $42,666 (18th).

While comparing numbers with otherparts of the country, one might note the costof living in the South is traditionally less. Nocomparative figures were provided compar-ing the cost of living nor the buying powerfrom state to state when such cost-of-livingfactors are taken into account.

Homecontinued from page 4.

A memorial service forBob Cashion

will be heldSunday, June 25, 2017

at 2:00 p.m. at theMarion County Cowboy Church

1692 County Road 11Hamilton, AL

�Old Scott Sale Barn�

Incomecontinued from front page.

Lady isCalling!

Order from the catalogby phone or online at your

convenience!Place your orders online:

youravon.com/spoilyoselfCheck out my Facebook page:Facebook.com/spoilyoselves

Call or text your orders to 205-570-8056

Your Avon Lady,Yaisa

TheSearchcontinued from front page.

Millicancontinued from front page.

ALABAMA’S EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES

Early interventionn The life-changing power of early intervention services

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Susannah ShottsSusannah Shotts is now 4 years old and thrivingin the special education preschool program atHamilton Elementary School.

See EARLY on page 7.


MUSCLE SHOALS - Publish-ing the numbers for the projectsundertaken by the organizationover the last 50 years can proveimpressive. But it is the stories be-hind the numbers which mean themost to the man who directs theagency.

Keith Jones has served as the

executive director for the MuscleShoals-based Northwest AlabamaCouncil of Local Governmentssince October 2000. He has seenhis fair share of success stories interms of bottom-line figures, butthe stories which mean the mostare the ones which impact every-day living for those who call thefive-county area home.

Making a difference

for 50 yearsn Director: Agency’s workimpacts everyday living


Contact

RONNIE ELLISto Transfer your 401K

to a safe and secure IRA.



Chad Harris, Investment Consultanties are offered by LPL Financial, Member/SIPC. Insurance products offered through PL Financial or its licensed affiliates.

Not FDIC Insured Not Bank Guaranteed sured by any Federal Government Agency ot a Bank Deposit May Lose Value


www.statebank.net


487-4265• •




Contact

DEVON AVERYfor a convenient

Home Equity Line of Credit.



Chad Harris, Investment ConsultantSecurities are offered by LPL Financial, MemberFINRA/SIPC. Insurance products offered through

LPL Financial or its licensed affiliates.

Not FDIC Insured Not Bank Guaranteed Not Insured by any Federal Government Agency

Not a Bank Deposit May Lose Value


www.statebank.net


487-4265• •



Wednesday, June 21, 2017 www.myjrpaper.com

Your Community Newspaper

Proudly Serving Marion County,

Alabama, Since 1970

“We don’t make the news--

we just print it.”

OURNALECORD

75¢48TH YEAR, NO. 49

HAMILTON OFFICEP.O. Drawer 1477

Hamilton, AL 35570(205) 921-3104


WINFIELD OFFICEP.O. Box 458

Winfield, AL 35594(205) 487-3278


CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/MATT MCKEAN/TIMES-DAILY

Proud historyNorthwest Alabama Council of Local Governments Executive Director Keith Jones looksover old annual reports and photographs with Sheila Kimbrough from the agency’s 50-yearhistory. The agency has helped secure almost $42 million in state and federal grants forMarion County since 1989.See DIFFERENCE on page 2A.

IN THIS ISSUE . . .Classifieds ..................4BObituaries ..................8AOpinion........................4ASports..........................1B

ALABAMA FORESTRYCOMMISSION

Unusual beetle

activity resulting

in dead pines - See page 3A.

MARION COUNTYCOMMISSION

Grant to build new storm shelternear ‘two-way’

- See page 3A.

I owe a lot toScouting

- See Scott Johnson column on page 5A.

How to have a badweek (. . . and live

to tell about it)- See Kalyn Moore

column on page 6A.


HAMILTON - Members of the MarionCounty Board of Education have given ap-proval to a plan to seek systemwide accred-itation with the process scheduled to beginin Fall 2018.

The board had discussed the issuebriefly last year but failed to take any offi-cial action to move the process forward. Anofficial vote to seek such accreditationfrom AdvancED was approved unani-mously at the school board meeting held onTuesday, June 13.

“This is something I think the boardshould pursue and we had noted aninterest in this process more than a

year ago, but we never officially votedto start--and that is the first step,’’

said Marion County Superin-tendent of Education Ryan

Hollingsworth.The superintendent noted he

had conducted preliminary dis-cussions on the process withformer AdvancED state directorDr. Jeff Wooten, who has sinceaccepted a position with the ac-

crediting agency covering the SoutheasternU.S.

However, Wooten is still expected to as-sist the system with the accreditationprocess as his schedule allows. Wooten isa Gordo native.

Hollingsworth noted there will be mul-tiple steps to take between now and com-

WINFIELD WATERWORKS AND SEWER

PLANT

Renovations

to cost more

than $4.3Mn Work maybegin as earlyas September


WINFIELD - Renovation at theWinfield Water Works and SewerBoard plant will be taking placelater this year with work to becompleted in about one year.

The project will cost more than$4.3 million with crews startingwork as early as September.

“This is something we havebeen planning for 10 years ormore,’’ said Winfield Water Worksand Sewer Board Chairman JamesMarkham.

“Quite a bit of planning hasbeen involved, including ways tocover the cost of the work. This isa large project.’’

According to Markham, thewater board has secured more than$460,000 in grants for the projectwith the remaining debt paid withlow-interest loans from the U.S.Department of Agriculture(USDA).

The project was expected tocost more than $4.5 million, butthe water board removed a numberof “frills’’ in order to lower thecosts. Those cuts were made by theboard at its meeting on Thursday,June 8.

The project will be awardedthrough a competitive bid with thewater board expecting to select acontractor within the next twomonths--if not sooner.

Included in the operation willbe the installation of new filtersand a new settling basin with a ca-pacity of more than 500,000 gal-lons.

Markham said constructing abasin of this size is basically theequivalent on installing a newwater tank at the plant.

See RENOVATIONSon page 3A.

MARION COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

Board to seek systemwide accreditationn Only 16 systems in Alabama now lacking such standing

Enrollment down by 45students systemwide

n New budget reveals$212,700 cut from state


HAMILTON - State funding for the upcoming schoolyear will be reduced as a result of declining enrollmentin the Marion County School System.

According to the newest data provided by officialsat the Alabama Department of Education, enrollment forthe county school system is down by almost 45 stu-dents.

This decline in attendance will cost theschool system more than $212,700 in thecoming school year.

Funding for the new year is based on class en-rollment from the prior year. Based on the newdata, there are now 3,347 students in the countyschool system--down from 3,392 the previousyear.

Seeing the largest gains in the system were Hamilton HighSchool (+20) and Phillips Elementary (+14) while the mostnotable declines could be found at Hamilton Elementary (-46)and Hamilton Middle (-30).

Declining enrollment and the resulting financial loss werethe topic of conversation near the conclusion of a school board

See ENROLLMENT on page 3A.

See ACCREDITATION on page 3A.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Outstanding Closed Preliminary Pageant of the Year

Miss Hamilton Pageant Director BethRoberts (right) and Assistant DirectorAshley Duke (left) were brought onstage during the last night of the MissAlabama Pageant to receive the awardshown on behalf of the Miss HamiltonPageant board. The Miss HamiltonPageant was named OutstandingClosed Preliminary Pageant of theYear. Please see the story, Miss

Hamilton Pageant wins OutstandingPageant of the Year, on page 9A.

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Wednesday, June 21, 2017 Journal Record Page 9A

n Roberts, Dukereceive award onbehalf of pageant


HAMILTON - The Miss Hamil-ton Pageant’s two directors werepresented with an award for Out-standing Closed Preliminary Pag-eant of the Year by the MissAlabama Organization.

Miss Hamilton Pageant DirectorBeth Roberts and Assistant DirectorAshley Duke were brought on stageduring the last night of the Miss Al-abama Pageant to be presented withthe award.

There are three types of Miss Al-abama preliminary pageants: open,closed and universities and schools.The Miss Hamilton Pageant is oneof about 20 closed preliminary pag-eants in the state.

The award-winning pageant ischosen based on every aspect of thepageant from the communicationwith the contestants to the smooth-ness of the pageant. Roberts notedthat she thinks that four current orformer Miss Hamiltons competingat Miss Alabama probably con-tributed to the award.

“I think that people are takingnotice that Miss Hamilton is creat-ing quality Miss Alabama contest-ants.

“I am so honored that our hardwork has been recognized in thisway. No one person could havedone it alone—so I’m so glad thatthe whole board has been honoredfor what they do,” Roberts said.

The Miss Hamilton Pageant hasnever won Outstanding Pageant ofthe Year before. However, it did winBest Public Relations in a SmallMarket earlier this year at anawards luncheon, according toRoberts. “That public relationsaward has everything to do withyou (Journal Record),” Robertssaid during a phone interview.

While none of the contestantsfrom Marion County placed in theTop 12 at Miss Alabama, Miss Ca-haba Valley Lexie Hayes did tie forswimsuit preliminary winner onWednesday, June 7.

Roberts also noted that currentMiss Hamilton Loreanna McKin-ney represented Marion Countywith poise and grace, and she won$2,000 in scholarship money duringthe pageant week.

“I love attending Miss Alabamaweek. It’s a lot of fun. I’m excitedthat all of our girls will continue topursue preliminary pageants forMiss Alabama 2018. I’m also ex-cited about our upcoming MissHamilton Pageant on Nov. 18 ofthis year,” Roberts said.

For more information about theMiss Hamilton Pageant, interestedpersons may contact Roberts at921-3177, ext. 5310.

MISS ALABAMA PAGEANT

Miss Hamilton Pageant wins Outstanding Pageant of the Year

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Miss Hamilton board at Miss AlabamaShown with the Outstanding Closed Preliminary Pageant of the Year Award is the MissHamilton Pageant Board: (from left) Jill Preuninger, Brittany Taylor, assistant director AshleyDuke, director Beth Roberts, Amy Dillard, Amanda Clement-Tice, Nicki Harbor and TraceyCarter.

KALYN MOORE/STAFF

Miss Hamilton at 14th Annual Shrimp Boil

(Left photo) Miss Hamilton Loreanna McKinney (left), Miss Hamilton’s Rising Star Gracie Sanderson (back) and Miss Hamilton’s Outstanding TeenValarie Robertson (right) were in attendance at the 14th Annual Shrimp Boil hosted by the Hamilton Area Chamber of Commerce. The chamber was

able to sell more than 275 ticketsat its annual fundraiser. Fun washad by all with entertainmentfrom Crossing Dixie, face paint-ing for kids and plenty of shrimpto go around. (Right photo) Re-cent Hamilton High School grad-uate Raegan Babb (left) enjoyedthe festivities at the 14th AnnualShrimp Boil by getting her facepainted by Hannah Watson(right). Both are Bevill StateCommunity College Ambassa-dors.

SPORTSPage 1B • Wednesday, June 21, 2017

n Brilliant native hopes toget community‘excited’ forfootball teamBy MATTHEW PUCKETT

Sports Editor

BRILLIANT - Brian Gun-nels returns home to BrilliantHigh School after beingnamed the Tigers' head foot-ball coach at a MarionCounty Board of Educationmeeting on Tuesday, June 13.

Gunnels lined up at widereceiver for the Tigers beforegraduating in 2003.

The 32-year-old playedunder Royce Young, whocoached the Tigers from1999-2002 before taking ayear off and returning from2004 through 2009. Youngfinished his career as theTiger head coach with a 44-61 record. During his firstfour seasons, Young won 28games while losing just 17contests.

“I've gotten experienceunder some really goodcoaches and teams,’’ Gunnelssaid in an interview with theJournal Record.

Gunnels helped coachunder the directionof Young at Bril-liant through2009 and at Car-bon Hill in boththe 2010 and2012 seasons.

G u n n e l salso assisted atCordova for the2011 season be-fore moving intothe MadisonCounty School System forfour years.

Gunnels and his wifeKayla, who works at CIS inHamilton, have two childrenin their 6-year-old son Paxtonand 4-year-old daughterPyper.

After graduating highschool, Gunnels played base-ball at Bevill State Commu-nity College beforetransferring to Athens StateUniversity.

In his first summer, Gun-nels said the Tigers have hadgood participation at theteam’s workouts.

“We've had 28 to 30 kidsat workouts this summer,’’the coach said. “We expect tohave anywhere from 26 to 28kids on the team from eighth-grade up.’’

The squad will return“four or five’’ starters fromlast season, including seniorquarterback Hayden Bryant.

“Some of ourstarters will bemoved aroundand play posi-tions they may

have not playedbefore,’’ Gun-nels said. “We

are starting from groundzero, which is what the

program needed.“The kids are re-ally pushing and

want to do it,’’he continued.“They are

doing as much asthey can as hard as they can.The kids are willing to dowhatever they're asked to im-prove.’’

The coach also spoke a lit-tle more in depth about theteam’s workouts over thesummer.

“The kids are startingfresh with workouts,’’ Gun-nels said. “They haven't re-ally had a program for that inthe last five years.

“I just ask them to trustwhat the coaches have themdo. We won't ask them to doanything they can't do or thatwe can't do.’’

The coach remains unde-cided as to what the offensiveand defensive schemes willbe for the upcoming year.

“We will have to do a littlemisdirection because we aresmall and young,’’ the coach

said. “It is difficult to figureout until we practice more.We are not going to be able tolineup and run the ballstraight at anyone or spreadout and air raid it either.’’

As for the defense, Gun-nels said, “We will probablyuse a four-day front. I thinkthey used a 4-4 (four defen-sive lineman and four line-backers) defense last year.It’s hard to plan what to dowhen coming in during thesummer instead of the spring.

“We didn't have a springgame and we’re only able topractice seven or eight times(in the spring),’’ said Gun-nels, who was hired on withthe school as a teacher onMonday, May 22.

The coach hopes the teamand school can build enthusi-asm throughout the commu-nity.

“I want the community,not only the program andschool, excited,’’ Gunnelssaid. “When I played, theteam used to have a backing.

“I hope we can bring inthis group we get the com-munity excited.

“I am looking forward toand am excited to see whatBrilliant football can be-come,’’ Gunnels concluded.

The Tigers have finished0-10 in each of the last twoseasons after finishing 1-9 in2014.

n FormerLady Piratenow sets sailfor BSC


WINFIELD - FormerLady Pirates golfer MollieNorris has been selected asthe winner of a SouthernGolf Association scholarship

in the amount of$14,000.

Norris was chosenas the only recipientwithin the 15 statesserved by the associ-ation.

The scholarship isbased on evidence ofgood citizenship, ac-ademic excellenceand good sportsmanship. Toqualify for consideration, onemust be a female livingwithin the area served, whichincludes the District of Co-lumbia.

Adding thisamount to her previ-ous awards, Norrishas now claimedmore than $50,000 ingolf scholarships andmore than $100,000in academic-relatedearnings.

In total, thedaughter of Jason

and Hallie Norris has earned$177,000 for use at the colle-giate level.

In April, Norris wasnamed the winner of theLady Legacy Golf Associa-

tion scholarship. She wasalso selected as the recipientof the Alabama Golf Associ-ation scholarship.

Earlier this year, Norrissigned a letter of intent toplay golf with the Birming-ham-Southern Panthers.

She will major in pre-medas she begins the journey tomedical school.

While in high school,Norris and her teammateswon the Marion County golftitle every year in addition tobeing the top female team inthe West Alabama Confer-

ence in the same seasons.Her low scores earned her

a position on the all-countyand all-conference teams ineach of those seasons.

Individually, she wasnamed the top female golferin high school in the Class1A-3A classification earlierin her time with the Piratesby virtue of her state-bestscore in the Alabama tourna-ment.

Norris was selected as theMost Valuable Player by theTuscaloosa News following

her sophomore season aswell as being named the besthigh school female golfer inWest Alabama.

The Lady Pirates finishedthird in the state during her10th-grade season before theteam earned a state runner-upfinish last year.

Her achievements earnedher recognition as one of theTop 10 sports stories of theyear in Marion County asrecognized by the JournalRecord after her sophomoreand junior seasons.

n Public namesnew mascot

By SCOTT JOHNSONStaff Writer

HAMILTON - The votes are in andthe public has decided. Bevill StateCommunity College’s (BSCC) bearmascot will be named Grizz Lee Bear.The new Bevill State Bear mascot willbe representative of the entire BevillState Community College system.

The decision came after a run-offvote between the chosen name and

Beauregard Bevill Bear (B3). The run-off vote closed on Wednesday, May 31,and results were announced on Monday,June 6. Tana Collins, director of publicrelations at BSCC, said that results wereclose.

When voting began in May, othernames in the race included Ted E. Bearand Victor E. Bear.

n After 43 surgeries, Winfield nativestill competingat age 64


Winfield native Jim Fuquaearned a bronze medal at theNational Senior Games heldin Birmingham last week.

Fuqua, 64, finished thirdin the javelin throw and wasone of 15 medalists from thestate with more than 10,000from across the U.S. andabroad participating in theevent.

The games are designed tofeature competitors ages 50and older.

Competing in the divisionfor men ages 60-64, Fuquahad a throw of more than 147

feet to earn a medal on Tues-day, June 13.

Having spent eight weeksin a sling leading up to thegames due to a shoulder in-jury, Fuqua admitted the tosswas not his best-ever throw.His personal best was 213feet six years prior.

There were 35 throwers inthe division with eight earn-ing a spot in the finals.

“I was just hoping tomake the finals consideringmy recent injury,’’ Fuqua saidduring an interview the fol-lowing morning with theJournal Record.

Coming out of the event,Fuqua is ranked third in theU.S. and sixth in the world inthe javelin in his division. Hewas scheduled to throw at theAlabama Sports Festival lastweekend, but will take an ex-tended leave from the sport torecover. Fuqua said he ex-pects to resume training andcompetition in 2018.

The track and field events

with the Senior Games wereheld at Samford University.

“Competing so close tohome was special,’’ Fuquasaid regarding the fact thegames were held in Birming-ham.

“I have traveled to eventslike this all over the country,so having an event in Ala-bama at this level wasunique.’’

Participants in the gameswere required to qualify atthe state level last year with

Fuqua earning his spot at aqualifying event in 2016 inBirmingham.

Fuqua graduated in 1971from Winfield City HighSchool where he played bas-ketball, baseball, football andtrack.

He continued his athleticcareer at the University ofNorth Alabama in Florencewhere he played basketball,baseball and volleyball.Fuqua was also a member ofthe gym team with the Lionswhere he excelled on thetrampoline.

Living in Hartselle formore than 32 years where heserved as a personnel man-ager for a private companybefore retiring at age 54 as abroker for an insurance com-pany, Fuqua threw the javelinfor the first time at age 55.

He and wife, Marla,moved to Fayette less than ayear ago. Fuqua typicallycompetes in four or fiveevents per year--a schedule

he hopes to resume followinghis upcoming time of recov-ery.

Injuries are nothing newto Fuqua, who has now had12 surgeries performed on hisright arm alone.

Whether his shoulder,wrist or elbow, having thisparticular appendage repairedhas almost become common-place for the son of Jim andBecky Fuqua of Winfield.

His father, Jim, Sr., knowssomething about toughness,as he is a World War II vet-eran.

But the younger Fuquahas taken injuries to a newlevel as he has undergonesurgery 43 times in his life-time.

“All I have ever known isbeing competitive,’’ he said.“In high school, I played outin centerfield. If the ball wasin the air, I was going tocatch it no matter what it didto my body to make thecatch. I was always willing to

sacrifice my body.’’Prior to picking up the

javelin, Fuqua used his ath-letic skills playing baseballacross the country as anadult.

In 1998, he was a memberof the American team in theWorld Master Games held inOregon. The squad finishedwith a 4-2 record and earneda fourth-place finish.

But as he continued toage, Fuqua laid down thebaseball bat and picked upthe javelin in 2008.

By 2014, he was compet-ing in the world champi-onships in Utah before takingtop honors as the worldchampion in 2015 in Ne-braska.

The Fuquas have twoadult children: Joshua, 39,who is in intelligence withthe U.S. Air Force; anddaughter Candy, 40. The cou-ple lost a son, Gabriel, whodied as an infant 41 yearsago.

BRILLIANT TIGERS FOOTBALL

Norris wins Southern Golf Association award

NATIONAL SENIOR GAMES

Fuqua wins bronze medal at Birmingham event


Bevill bear named ‘Grizz Lee Bear’

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Tigers’ new football familyNewly-hired head football coach Brian Gunnels(right) is shown with his family during a trip to WaltDisney World in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, May 28.Shown are (from left) his wife Kayla Gunnels andtwo children Paxton, 6, and Pyper, 4.

Norris

Fast-pitch softball campHAMILTON - The Hamilton

Park and Recreation Depart-ment will have a fast-pitchsoftball camp on Friday, June23, at the Hamilton softballcomplex. The camp is forages 6-12 with a registrationfee of $40 that includes a campT-shirt when campers registerbefore Wednesday, June 21. Registration beginson Monday, June 12, at the E.T. Sims Jr. Neigh-borhood Facilities Building (Hamilton RecreationCenter). Instruction for the camp will be by highschool and college players, along with coaches.

Information: Hamilton Park and Recreation De-partment, 921-4371.

Sports Brief

News Digest for June 2017€¦ · News Digest for June 2017 (Click on each link to open) One Life at a Time – 78 Magazine ‘Grizz Lee Bear’ is the name chosen for Bevill State

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