A reception was held Thursday, March 2 at the Haleyville High School for Donna Jones, who will assume the duties as a member of the Haleyville Board of Education at their April meeting.

The Haleyville Board of Education met Tuesday, March 28 and approved the board expenditures for January in the amount of $1,312,688.80. After approving several administrative items, six requests for use of facilities, two field trips and four fundraisers, the Board approved the following personnel items. The retirement of Donna Langston, Vicky Brown, Cindy Taylor, Lee Ann Richards, and the resignations of Whitney Todd and Gary Tidwell. The Board approved the voluntary transfer of Kay Tedford from the Haleyville Elementary School to the Haleyville Middle School.

The next Board of Education meeting will be Tuesday, April 25, 2017.

Students must be four on September 1, 2017. Absolutely no paper form will be accepted.

Use this link to apply: https://form.jotform.com/70194122783152

Use Site Code 388269

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama today released the following statement regarding allegations of improper meetings between then Sen. Jeff Sessions and Russian diplomats.

“The unsubstantiated allegations about Russian coordination are becoming almost like the ‘birther’ issue of the Democratic party,” said Robert Aderholt.“  It is not at all unusual for members of Congress to speak with ambassadors from other countries on an almost weekly basis.  The fact of the matter is that Jeff Sessions is an American patriot who would not do anything to jeopardize the sanctity and security of the country he not only has served for decades, but a country he deeply loves.

“These allegations are nothing more than a partisan smoke screen to detract from the fact Donald Trump won the election fair and square.  It is like some of the Democrats counted their chickens before they were hatched and now have egg on their faces.”

The Haleyville American Legion Whitehead Post 33 will meet tonight at 7 p.m. with guest speaker Joel Mize. Joel is a Haleyville native and a grand-nephew of Private George Harrison Whitehead who was killed in the Meuse-Argonne Forest Campaign at the close of World War I. Mize has researched North Alabama’s role in WWI, principally in the Shoals area where Wilson Dam and the nitrate plants were important to the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps. In the presentation, Mize will have remarks about Whitehead and Private John V. Hoggle, (Hoggle Ridge Road) and the scope of the Shoals area undertaking which employed Haleyville people at the time. The general public is invited to this presentation tonight at 7.

Chase Cantrell, a 29-year-old teacher at the Double Springs Middle School was arrested Monday and placed in the Winston County jail facing charges of a school employee engaging in a sexual act with a student, statutory rape, and third-degree burglary.  Cantrell allegedly entered the bedroom window of a girl under the age of 16. The family dog alerted the parents to his presence in the house. Reportedly, this was not a one-time event.

Cantrell, originally from Hamilton, was a teacher at a Cullman Christian school last year and this was his first year at the Winston County school.

The case is being handled by the Double Springs Police Department. With three charges against him, Cantrell is being held in the Winston County jail on a $50,000 cash bond for each charge totaling $150,000.

Selected Saturday night Leo’s Loveliest of the Senior Division was Gracie Rains. 4th Alternate, Hope Coleman, 3rd Alternate, Anna Lane Godsey, 2nd Alternate, Megan Smith and 1st Alternate, Heidi Henderson.

The 40th Annual Haleyville High School Leo’s Loveliest Pageant was this past weekend.  Selected as Junior Division Queen Friday night was Anna Belcher. 4th Alternate, Maci Palmer, 3rd alternate, Hailie Moody, 2nd Alternate, Emma Grace Elkins, 1st Alternate, Carlie Lewis.

Rescheduled from Monday, the Haleyville City Council met Thursday night with Blue Russell absent. The Council approved the general operation bills for January in the amount of 451,927.95. A grant was approved for improvements to the Haleyville Sports Complex for playground equipment and safety netting, a hiking trail, parking improvements, and equipment building.  a The Council accepted a Land and Water Conservation Fund  (LWCF) grant for a maximum of $150,000 toward the proposed development cost of $494,126.25. The City will commit and hold in reserve $344,126.25 or 69.9% of the total project cost for the purpose of matching the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. The Cassady Company, Inc. was approved by resolution to provide consulting engineering services for the facilities development at the Sports Complex in the amount of $42,967.50. The services will include grant administration, engineering design, and engineering inspection services.

Mayor Sunseri discussed the recent meetings of residents living in a 54 square mile area in Marion County which has been served by the Haleyville Fire Department.That service will end on December 31 of this year. The meetings at the Craft Community Center resulted in the organization of a new volunteer fire department/station to be built next to the Craft Community Center on Thorn Hill Road. Haleyville will assist in the training of firemen for that station and continue to provide backup firefighting services on a need basis under the mutual-aid agreement.

The next scheduled Haleyville City Council meeting will be Monday, March 6, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The Severe-Weather preparedness sales tax holiday begins as 12:01 AM on Friday, February 24, 2017, and ends at midnight on Sunday, February 26, 2017.   More information may be obtained by clicking the following link:

 https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/WPSalesTaxHol.cfm

John Pilati, former District Attorney for Franklin County is back in the news. In 2008 Pilati was convicted of civil rights violations for sexually fondling male defendants (ages 17-20) and sentenced to 42 months in prison. He was released in 2011. He was disbarred in 2013. His pardons in 2012 and 2015 were reversed by the Alabama Pardons and Paroles board on Tuesday, February 21. That decision puts Pilati back on the sex offender registry.