LOCAL, PAGE 2: CAMP HILL FLEA MARKET SET FOR SATURDAY
THE
THURSDAY SPORTS, PAGE 8 Xavier Moon signs pro contract to play in France
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
August 10, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 158 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
A WET AND WILD YEAR:
A year after drought, area is well above normal rainfall totals in 2017
By MITCH SNEED Editor
What a difference a year makes. Wednesday afternoon’s thunderstorm doused Alexander City with 1.32 inches of rain in about an hour, causing localized flooding and contributed to four traffic accidents during that period. At the same time last year, the headlines were about the area being locked into drought conditions. In fact, from July 1, 2016 to Aug. 9, 2016, our area only had 1.74 inches of rain, about the same amount that we saw on Wednesday alone. “What we are seeing this year are Mitch Sneed / The Outlook closer to normal rainfall patterns,” said An afternoon thundershower dumped 1.32 inches of rain on Alexander City creating several areas Accuweather Meteorologist Danielle with localized flooding. One of the areas that pooled up was the bottom of Tallapoosa Street near Knittle. “When you compare this year’s totals to a drought year like we saw last Strand Park where cars kicked up bug waves of water as they made their way through the area.
year, there is a drastic difference. It’s a bit unusual to follow a very dry summer with one that is above average in terms of rainfall. But that’s exactly what you in Alabama and most of the Southeast are seeing in 2017.” This year has produced almost double the amount that we saw last year to this point. National Weather Service records show that from Jan. 1 to Aug. 9 in 2017, Alexander City has received 43.89 inches of rain. Last year during the same time period, the area saw just 26.18 inches. How does that compare to “normal?” From Jan. 1 to Aug. 9, the 10-year average precipitation is 34.73 inches in Alexander City. That means this year has been 9.16 inches above average in See RAIN • Page 2
Abandoned lots addressed by Dadeville council By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
A small handful of Dadeville residents were present during Tuesday night’s city council meeting to voice their concerns about issues facing the city, as well as presenting updates on where civic projects stood. Rayford Farrington, who volunteers spraying for the city, brought up how easy it was for Ordinance 484, dealing with abandoned and overgrown lots and property, to be enforced. “The worst mistake we can make is to have an ordinance and not enforce it,” he said. Farrington said he wanted the city to enforce this ordinance, and also mentioned that it had been designed to make it very easy for any resident to file a complaint report about any possible violations of the ordinance. Similarly, Sandy Creek Estates resident Stephen Badalamenti voiced his concerns about people dumping garbage in a certain spot of the subdivision, which had become a serious issue over the last several months. “The city workers do a good job in cleaning it up, but sometimes, it’s only a few hours later, the site is full See COUNCIL • Page 7
FOOD AND FELLOWSHIP Local church hosts back-to-school cookout
12. With the weather being what it was earlier today, I felt it would taper the crowd down somewhat, but I’m A crowd of between 25 and 30 still happy to see those who came out students gathered at Strand Park here tonight.” Wednesday evening for a back-toAfter playing games, socializing school kickoff cookout and devotion, and enjoying the food provided for hosted by Sixth Street Baptist Church. them, the students came together Despite the torrential downpour that as Keel led a devotion covering came down earlier in the day, these the first few verses of the book of students still made their way to the Ecclesiastes. event for hot dogs and hamburgers. “We believe the book may have Cliff Williams / The Outlook “We had cornhole and Kan Jam been written by King Solomon and Top: Area youth fix hamburgers and hot dogs at the going a bit ago,” Sixth Street Student is his assessment on life,” he said. “It event. Above: Nethan Crew, 13, of Alexander City Minister Brandon Keel said. “There refutes the easy answers to the hard were a few college kids here, but we tosses a bean bag in a game of cornhole for the focused more on grades seven through See COOKOUT • Page 7 Sixth Street Baptist Church Bible study cookout. By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
BRHS student recognized by magazine Hendrix is a linebacker on the football team, plays golf and soccer for the Wildcats, and has won two Benjamin Russell High School senior state championships in powerlifting. Benjamin Hendrix has been recognized He is a member of the Fellowship of by the Montgomery-based Potential Christian Athletes and the National magazine, a publication aimed at Honor Society, and is registered in dual students and their parents preparing for enrollment classes at Central Alabama college. Community College. “We love spotlighting teens in What makes Hendrix’s story even Alabama and gaining great advice from more inspiring and noteworthy is that, in their parents,” Potential Publisher Pam order to get where he is today, he had to Mashburn said in a prepared statement. overcome cancer at the age of 13. In each quarterly issue, the magazine “Going from a normal teenager to selects several students nominated by being locked up in the hospital for a school or community leader they feel months with an IV pole constantly excels in any number of fields, including attached, and having procedures or academics, athletics, leadership, surgeries every week really put how community service and the arts. Once important life is in perspective for the students are picked, the magazine me,” Hendrix said in a statement from writes a spotlight feature about them and Potential. “Once I beat cancer, I made their parents, which is published along See HENDRIX • Page 2 with a photo shoot. By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Special to The Outlook
Benjamin Hendrix, a senior at Benjamin Russell High School, is honored as a Teen Spotlight in Potential Magazine. Hendrix, cemter is shown alongside his parents, Bill and Dedie.
Today’s
Weather
85 71 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
490.53 Reported on 08/09/17 @ 6 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443 6
54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
8
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
We Care About You and Your Loved Ones!
•Home-like Environment • Specialized Dementia Care Unit •Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy Services
A DAMS HEALTH & REHAB 1555 HILLABEE STREET • (256) 329-0847
FIRMLY ROOTED IN LAKE MARTIN AND HERE TO STAY.
FREE CONSULTATIONS
Evening & Weekend Appointments Available Upon Request
256-329-1313 • 217 Madison Street, Alexander City, AL “We are a Debt Relief Agency. We help people file Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 under the Bankruptcy Code. Alabama State Bar requires the following in every attorney advertisement, “ No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.”