The Haleyville City Council met Monday with Councilman Jonathan Bennet absent.

The council approved the “First Responders Benefits Program”  this will provide cancer and disability insurance to all of the City Haleyville Volunteer and Full Time Fireman for a total of $3,964.80 per year. This program will meet the guidelines and requirements of the house bill that was signed by the Governor in 2019. This bill became law, ACT 2019-361, and will be effective on January 1, 2020.

The Council voted to absorb the 4.9% increase to employee health insurance set forth by the Local Government Health Insurance Board for 2020.

Four main intersections, including 195 at 20th Avenue (Chevron Station), 13/195, and a couple of others will have Freedom Fiber monitoring at a cost of $75/mo each. This will notify the police dispatcher of the operational status of the lights.

The Council also approved the promotion of Eddie Collins, Haleyville Police Officer to Sergeant with the pay increase which goes with the position.

The next scheduled Haleyville City Council is Monday, Oct 21, 5:30 p.m. at the Haleyville City Hall.

The body of Kelsey Starling, the missing passenger from a two-vessel crash July 4 at Smith Lake, was recovered  Saturday, Oct.5.

Search efforts had resumed on Thursday, Oct. 3. Divers from Houston County Rescue Squad located what they believed to be Ms. Starling today in approximately 140 feet of water.  She was located in the approximate location that the accident occurred in Rock Creek.

Houston County Rescue Squad, Crane Hill Fire Department,  Logan Fire Department, Trimble Fire Dept., Smith Lake Task Force, Winston County Sheriff’s Office, Winston County Coroner’s Office, Winston County EMA, Cullman County Coroner’s Office, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Marine Patrol Division were involved in recovery efforts.

Sgt. Chad Pate, ALEA-Marine Patrol Division, Northern District Assistant Commander

Hal Guthrie, 82, who found Guthrie’s Restaurant in Haleyville in 1965 passed away Monday afternoon, September 30 after a lengthy illness. Funeral arrangements can be found here: HBTV Funerals

The Haleyville Fire Department responded quickly to an unoccupied house fire at 1632 9th Avenue Tuesday evening just after 6 p.m. The fire in the center of the house went from heavy smoke to flames through the roof. The quick professional action of the Haleyville Firemen saved the house from complete destruction. The house did suffer extensive fire, smoke and water damage. Neighbors stated the house had been unoccupied for some time. This is the sixth unoccupied house fire in Haleyville in less than a month. The cause of the fire is unknown.