COMMUNITY COLUMNISTS INSIDE
WEDNESDAY
THE
BUY FROM YOUR FRIENDS!
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 August 26, 2015 Vol. 123, No. 170 www.alexcityoutlook.com
RIVALRY RENEWED Rebels and Tigers set to square off, page B1.
Tuggle not to run for state house again By Cliff Williams Outlook Staff Writer
Kenneth Boone / The Outlook
Rep. Mark Tuggle speaks to the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce Quarterly luncheon as Alabama Tourism Director Lee Sentell looks on.
Rep. Mark Tuggle says he is not running for reelection in 2018. “I am not running for the House again.” Tuggle said following Tuesday’s quarterly luncheon with the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce. Tuggle was elected to represent District 81 in the house in 2010 and has three more years left in his
second term in the state house. He did leave the door open for other political offices. “I believe in term limits. Two (terms) is it for me,” Tuggle said. “I might run for something else. I do not know what that is. If the right opportunity presents itself, I will look into it.” Tuggle did hint at a reason for not seeking reelection beyond term limits.
“This job takes a lot out of you,” Tuggle explained. “No matter how hard you try, you neglect some other part of your life in this job.” Tuggle spoke to chamber members about what to expect in the second special session. “We can cut the budget,” Tuggle said. “We can talk about starving the beast all we want but the beast will never starve.
See TUGGLE, Page A7
Civitan club may disband
Be Someone’s Hero
Fall Horizon’s Unlimited schedule set
What will happen is the constituents will pay. “ Tuggle went on to explain problems in the general fund. “The General Fund is bad shape,” Tuggle said. “We have been robbing Paul to pay Peter for a number of years and it’s time to fix the problem. If we don’t fix the general fund, Hell is coming.”
By Cory Arwood Outlook Staff Writer
By David Granger
The fall schedule of Horizons Unlimited will bring new entertainment and lecturers, but it will also bring back a few member favorites. It is the twentieth year for the community service of Alexander City, which focuses on providing mature learners an informal environment to socialize, learn and be entertained. “The people that come to do the program are really top notch,” Pat Bice said. She is a Horizon’s member who has been involved for about 15 years and said the group invites people to come and meet in an environment of both learning and entertainment. The program runs for six weeks with six different programs from 1:30 to 3:30 in the evening, and meets at the Alexander City Board of Education building. “You get to meet new people from all areas around the lake and around the town,” said Bice. And she added another benefit “it gets you out and about
Outlook Staff Writer
$530,000 goal for the campaign. “We looked at how much we raised last year and we wanted to give ourselves a realistic challenge for this year,” said Mark Spencer, senior vice president and Central Alabama area executive for USAmeriBank, before asking Mabry Cook, Lake Martin Area United Way board member and director of UAB Medicine – The Cancer Center at RMC, dressed in his superhero coveralls, to unveil the
The Alexander City Civitan Club, a fixture among the city’s civic organizations for more than 60 years, may be disbanding, according to Brian Dix, who currently serves as the group’s president. Dix termed the reason for the group’s discussions of disbanding as “disinterest,” but said that problems with the group’s leadership had brought the group to this point. “Nobody wanted to take over and I was asked to do it when the current president got sick and resigned,” said Dix, who has been a member of the club less than two years, joining in March 2014. “Then the president-elect had some issues and the club was left foundering.” Dix did not name the previous leaders, but the club’s Facebook page indicates June Wilson was elected president and John Wilson president-elect last September. The two are husband and wife. John Wilson serves as pastor at Friendship United Methodist Church on Highway 259. Unfortunately, other clubs in the area are also seeing declining memberships. Randy Dawkins, an active member of the Kiwanis of Alexander City, said that clubs
See KICKOFF, Page A6
See CIVITAN, Page A6
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Elizabeth Fuller, above, left, and her son Eric Fuller visit the booth of Tallapoosa/Chambers Headstart manned by Spiderman’s friend Janice Glave. Below, Mabry Cook reveals the group’s goal.
Lake Martin Area United Way kicks off campaign By David Granger Outlook Staff Writer
A room full of superheroes and potential superheroes gathered at the Betty Carol Graham Technology Center on the Central Alabama Community College campus here in Alexander City Tuesday night to hear this year’s goal for the Lake Martin Area United Way. The crowd of approximately 150 was challenged with this year’s Lake Martin Area United Way Campaign theme “Be Someone’s Hero” and a
See HORIZONS, Page A5
Today’s
Weather
84 60 High
Low
Lake Levels
488.43 Reported on 8/25/15 @ 5 p.m.
Linda Shaffer, REALTOR® C: 256.794.4641 • W: 256.329.5253 shaffer@lakemartin.net 5295 Highway 280, Alexander City, AL
54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
By David Granger Outlook Staff Writer
Lake Martin
6
County career tech center program is nationally accredited
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The Edward Bell Career Technical Center is now an Accredited National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) facility for welding. This prestigious designation indicates that Edward Bell meets or exceeds existing industry standards in welding. “This designation provides the NCCER credential for everyone that comes through our welding program,” said Joe Abercrombie, welding instructor at Edward Bell. “Basically, if a company recognizes NCCER, it gives our students a leg up on their competition when it comes to employment. Our NCCER welding
modules ready our students for either entry-level welding jobs or post-secondary training, such as that at CACC (Central Alabama Community College).” Abercrombie said the Edward Bell welding program is in its third year. In the initial year, he said he had the program had 13 students. The program doubled in the second year to 26 students. “This year, we have a total of 44 students overall,” Abercrombie said. “That includes the sixteen students here in Welding I, 14 in what we call Welding III/IV and 14 who are in our dual enrollment class.” The students in the dual David Granger / The Outlook enrollment class are earning credits from both Edward Bell Kinsey Shaddix, left, and Landon Sims prepare to practice welding in the Edward Bell Tech Center’s newly accredited welding program. See WELDING, Page A7
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August 29, 2015 • 7:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
256-329-3327 4425 Dadeville Road • Alexander City, AL