Weekend PAGE 4: RUSSELL CLEANUP: A SALUTE AND A LITTLE HISTORY
INSIDE: Police Reports, page 2 Opinion, page 4 Calendar, page 5 Religion, page 6 Classifieds, page 7
The Outlook
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
August 19-20, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 165 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
SPORTS, PAGE 12: Alex City Middle School hosts annual scrimmage
Council to deal with unkempt properties By MITCH SNEED Editor
Alexander City’s stepped up efforts to keep residential and commercial properties free of out of control grass, weeds and debris will be at the forefront at Monday’s meeting of the city council. The council will hold a public hearing for residents to give their feelings on declaring five properties
CACC instructor provides guide to viewing eclipse
public nuisances, which would allow the city to hire a contractor to clean up the property and bill the owners for the work. The properties subject to the hearing are at 69 LaFayette Street, 143 Forrest Street, 49 Forrest Street, 453 11th Avenue South and 992 King Street. Residents wishing to speak on the conditions on these properties should sign up before the 5:30 p.m. meeting to be heard.
There were originally 12 properties that were cited under the city’s weed abatement ordinance, but all except these five were taken care of by property owners. “With the recent ones we’ve cited, we’ve had success getting owners to address the issues,” Mayor Jim Nabors said. “Many times the owners are not in the area and they need that ‘gentle reminder’ that the property has gotten in bad shape. But getting the issues
addressed is what the ordinance is for and why we are actively using it.” The council also has an agenda item to start the public nuisance declaration process on properties at 167 Fairlane Circle, 652 Oak Street, 470 Joseph Street, 336 Valley Road, 68 S Street as well as a Habitat for Humanity lot on I Street. If the council is so inclined a public hearing could be set on those properties See COUNCIL • Page 10
SOLAR SENSATION
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
As people throughout the Lake Martin area prepare for Monday’s solar eclipse, staying safe while viewing this once-in-a-lifetime event is important. Central Alabama Community College chemistry instructor Dr. Jeremy Carr created a series of tips and suggestions on how best to view the eclipse in the area, along with going into more detail about this event. “Most maps and calculators indicate that the solar eclipse will occur over Alexander City around 12:04 p.m. local time and last until about 3:01 p.m.,” Carr said. “NASA data predicts that Alexander City will experience 93 percent coverage. For reference, Huntsville will experience 97 percent coverage, and the path of totality will run through Tennessee and Kentucky.” For anyone interested in going outside and directly observing the event, he suggested that any open public field would be a great place to go and watch the eclipse. Carr also said the sun should be almost directly overhead as the eclipse begins Monday afternoon. “I’ve had a few people ask me about ideal viewing locations, and I’ve told them that the best place is in the path of totality up in Tennessee and Kentucky. Certainly, you wouldn’t want to view the eclipse while driving in your car,” he said. No matter where or how one chooses to watch the eclipse, Carr stressed that safety should be the top priority for everyone Monday See GUIDE • Page 3
Today’s
Weather
91 72 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
490.58 Reported on 08/18/17 @ 2 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
6
54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
8
Murder suspects indicted by grand jury By MITCH SNEED Editor
The suspects in two Alexander City murder cases have been indicted by a Tallapoosa County Grand Jury. Indictments were handed down this week charging Dadeville residents Edward Rashun Thomas, 20, and 20-year-old Bobby Lee Ponds Jr., murder in the Jan. 18 shooting death of 27-year-old LaDarrell Lamar Hart in his Third Street home. Testimony by Det. George See INDICTMENTS • Page 10
Photo courtesy of NASA
Images like this one provided by NASA from a previous eclipse could be possible as Monday’s solar eclipse becomes visible in skies across the county.
Local schools prepare for solar eclipse ECLIPSE SAFETY TIPS: • Wear eclipse glasses. Regular sunglasses don’t filter out enough light to prevent eye damage. Staring at the sun — even a partial eclipse — with naked eyes can cause permanent damage and blind spots. Approved eclipse glasses will have “ISO 12312-2” printed on them, • Don’t look at the eclipse through cameras, telescopes or binoculars while wearing eclipse glasses. The lenses of those devices focus light and can zap the filters on eclipse glasses. • If you don’t have eclipse glasses, make a pinhole viewer, which will project a shadow of the eclipse on a piece of paper or cardboard. • Visit an eclipse watch party. Most will have eclipse glasses available. • If you do stare into the sun during the eclipse, see an eye doctor to evaluate for damage.
County sees slight increase in jobless numbers
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
The United States will see a highly unique event on Aug. 21, with the first total solar eclipse over any part of the United States since February 26, 1979, the first total eclipse that will be seen nationwide since June 8, 1918, and the first whose path of totality will fall exclusively within the borders of today’s United States since the summer of 1257. Though the path of totality does not fall across Alabama, residents of the Lake Martin area will still be able to experience this once See SCHOOLS • Page 3
Tallapoosa County saw a small increase in its jobless rate in July, posting a 4.9 unemployment rate, up from the 4.6 percent the county say in June. The number is still better than the 5.9 percent Tallapoosa County had in July 2106. The county’s jobless rate was a little higher than the state average. Governor Kay Ivey announced See UNEMPLOYMENT • Page 2
Lake Martin Animal Shelter raffling boat By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
With a little help from help from Chuck’s Marina, the Lake Martin Animal Shelter is raffling off a boat. LMAS Director Mia Chandler is happy on two fronts. “This could be our biggest fundraiser to date,” Chandler said. “I am also excited someone is going to be a boat richer.” The raffle is limited to 500 $20 tickets, so odds are pretty good for ticket buyers. “You have a 1 in 500 chance at winning,” Chandler said. “Or better if you buy more tickets. This is the first time we have every done this. I know how it works, I just have no experience with it. It is awesome our first raffle is this significant. I am super excited.”
$20 may sound like a lot but it really is not. And $20 goes a long way at the shelter. “For people that question what to do, a $20 donation is essentially a dinner or daily coffee splurge for a week,” she said. Chandler also explained the $20 cost of a ticket is about the same cost as a bag of dog food. The fundraiser could raise $10,000 for the shelter if all the tickets are sold. “What could $10,000 do?” Chandler asked. “Oh my goodness, last month our vet bill was over $3,000 and that was without any real emergencies. That is three months of vet bills. We just replaced the air conditioning units in the back, that was $10,000.” The boat itself is coming from See RAFFLE • Page 10
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Bernie waits to be adopted at the Lake Martin Animal Shelter Friday morning.
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