OPINION: FOOTBALL MEMORIES ARE PRECIOUS, PAGE 4.
OPEN SEASON
THE
Rebels kick off season at Childersburg, page 8.
FRIDAY
LOOKING FOR A DEAL? Find what you need in today’s classified ads, pages 5-6.
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 August 21, 2015 Vol. 123, No. 167 www.alexcityoutlook.com
THE BOYS OF FALL ARE BACK!
Read about all the local prep football teams in the Gridiron Guide inside today’s paper. Schedules, rosters, pictures as well as a special conversation with Reeltown’s Jackie O’Neal can be found in this year’s edition.
Wildcats open season tonight, Gridiron Guide inside By Mitch Sneed Outlook Editor
Reeltown officially kicked off the high school football season last night with a game in Childersburg, while Coosa, Dadeville and Horseshoe Bend played in Jamboree games. Tonight, the attention turns to the Benjamin Russell Wildcats as
they begin their season tonight at the Sportplex against B.C. Rain. While fans have high hopes for Benjamin Russell this season, Coach Danny Horn said the Wildcats are focused on getting better each day in hopes that it leads to a long run into the postseason. “We just want to get better each week. Every day, we just want to
get better. The thing about football is that it is more of a team sport than any sport out there because you can have 10 people doing their job and one person not doing their job and it will mess the whole play up,” Horn said. “Our goal, basically, is to get better each day. If everybody gets better each day, eventually we’re going to end See FOOTBALL, Page 7
County seeks switch to appointed superintendent
City to recover money paid in error By Mitch Sneed Outlook Editor
Board advertises intent to seek local bill to end elections for post By Mitch Sneed
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Outlook Editor
Just after pushing through a countywide sales tax increase for education, the Tallapoosa County Board of Education is advertising that they intend to ask local legislators to allow them to appoint a superintendent instead of allowing the people to vote. A legal advertisement is currently running in The Outlook and The Dadeville Record based on a resolution passed by the school board on July 11, which is required under state law before any move can be made. If a local bill is introduced by a local legislator, passed by both House and Senate and signed by the governor, it would “repeal Section 45-21100, Code of Alabama 1975, which provides for the election of the county superintendent of education.” That would mean at the end of the current term for Superintendent Joe Windle, the board would be allowed to appoint a superintendent rather than holding an election, which has been the practice in Tallapoosa County for generations. Windle said Thursday that the move was See SUPERINTENDENT, Page 2
Today’s
Weather
89 71 High
Lake Levels
488.52 Reported on 8/20/15 @ 1 p.m.
Linda Shaffer, REALTOR® C: 256.794.4641 • W: 256.329.5253 shaffer@lakemartin.net 5295 Highway 280, Alexander City, AL
6
54708 90050
8
Historic gathering
Horseshoe Bend to host annual muster Saturday By Corey Arwood Outlook Staff Writer
The Horseshoe Bend National Military Park will bring history to life this Saturday and give anyone who is interested a free chance to experience the lives and times of the Creek Indians, the Tennessee Militia and frontier families. Living history displays with both Creek Indian hunting and war camps
will show what life was like in the area, the types of tools and weapons that were used, and the foods and animals they hunted. There will be canon firing every 30 minutes along with musket firing, and anyone can join the militia and learn what was required to join. There will also be a focus on the lives of frontier women and that of the settlers after the battle. See MUSTER, Page 7
Horse neglect alleged by neighbor in Goodwater By Corey Arwood
Low
Lake Martin
Local elementary school students watch as the cannon is fired at Horseshoe Bend National Military Park this past spring. The cannon will fire every 30 minutes starting at 10:30 a.m. with the last shot at 3:30 p.m at Saturday’s event.
Money paid to a former city employee for several weeks after they left the job will be repaid, according to Alexander City Mayor Charles Shaw. Shaw said that an error at a time when changes were being made in the way payroll was handled resulted in failure to take the employee out of the system. As a result, the employee’s salary continued to be paid along with the amount that went into a Retirement System of Alabama account. An exact amount of the error was not given, but Shaw said it was about $1,600. “We have talked to the employee and he was very nice about it and agreed to repay the amount that he was paid in error,” Shaw said. “We have also talked to RSA and they have agreed to reimburse the city as well.” Shaw said that some of See MONEY, Page 7
Outlook Staff Writer
Goodwater police became involved in a stir caused by pictures shared on Facebook of what appeared to be an emaciated horse tethered to a tree. The owners surrendered their horses after being approached by police Thursday morning. Gerald Whetstone, police chief of Goodwater, said that he was first notified early that morning, by a Tallapoosa County resident concerned about the conditions the horses were being held in. He would not release names of the multiple parties involved. But he said that it was a result of a long-standing dispute between neighbors, and that at various times both accused the other of holding their animals in neglectful conditions.
The picture was posted by an Alexander City resident and was removed on Thursday. Hundreds of comments were left, mostly expressing concern over the horse. More pictures emerged of the horse in what looked like similar conditions from people claiming to be neighbors of the owner, Barry Harrison. Family members of Harrison also posted pictures of their animals, claiming they were in good conditions and that there was no neglect. There was concern raised in at least one comment over Chief Whetstone’s relation to Harrison. But he said that when it comes to doing his job, being distantly related made no difference. Submitted / The Outlook According to Whetstone the horses were moved to a location in Clay This horse has been moved from Goodwater to Clay County County. following allegations of neglect.
USPS Permit # 013-080
Now Playing:
Straight Outta Compton – R Ricki and the Flash – PG-13 Man From Uncle – PG-13
CLEARANCE SALE
August 29, 2015 • 7:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
256-329-3327 4425 Dadeville Road • Alexander City, AL