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Students learn how government works from Youth Tour They say all politics is local, but sometimes you have to drive a couple of hours to really see it in action. As part of Wiregrass Electric Cooperative’s annual Montgomery Youth Tour, ten area students visited the state capital in March to learn about representative government and the electric utility industry. “It was educational and fun at the same time,” says student Steven Vaughn. The students met with local legislators, toured the capitol and heard from several speakers during their day. A highlight of this year’s youth tour was a surprise visit by presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, who met with the students while in Montgomery on a campaign stop. Other students used words like “awesome” and “cool” to describe the day. “This was a fantastic experience,” says Antany Hollinger. “Meeting new people and learning more about our state made this an awesome time. Thank you for all you have done for us!” Many other electric cooperatives in the state also send students to the event, which is coor-
dinated at the state level by the Alabama Rural Electric Association (AREA). “It’s great for them to see the lessons they learn in the classroom come alive at the capitol,” says Cary Hatcher, manager of member relations for WEC. “They’re not too far from being off in the world as adults, and the better they understand government and rural electric service the better citizens they will be.” Aside from the lesson in government, students also learned about the importance of rural cooperatives and their efforts. Speakers particularly focused on the difference between member-owned cooperatives like WEC and publicly traded power companies. WEC will select two of these students for its Washington Youth Tour. In June, WEC will sponsor them as they join over 1,600 other students for a tour of the nation’s capital. The trip includes visits to Capitol Hill, Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial. Students will also attend Rural Electric Youth Day to learn from public figures and other inspirational speakers. A
Business Phone: 1-800-239-4602 (24 hrs/day) Office: Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) website www.wiregrass.coop Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter.com/wec2) and on Facebook
Payment Options BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340 P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340 WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602. NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location. IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 Samson, AL 36477 Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway, Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. Dothan, AL 36305
Students from the Wiregrass Electric Cooperative service area who participated in the Mongtomery Youth Tour were, left to right: (front) Laine Dillard, Steven Vaughan, Shelby Gray, Oanh Nguyen, Marty Bowden, (back) Jean Elizabeth Miles, Antany Hollinger, Caroline Clark, Colton Cureton and Jamison Gay.
Alabama Living
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For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4705
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