OPINION: GET IN THE GIVING SPIRT AT UNITED WAY KICKOFF
TUESDAY
THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
Inside, page 6
August 29, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 171 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
AFTER LONG, SIX-DAY SEARCH, TEAMS LOCATE MISSING MAN
SPORTS, PAGE 10 Qua Tucker is the Outlook Athlete of the Week
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Alabama DHR Commissioner Nancy Buckner shakes hands with retired DHR employee Sharon Gaither at Monday’s groundbreaking.
County breaks ground on new DHR building By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
Search teams return to shore after recovering the body of 44-year-old Thomas Heulan Spence of LaGrange, Georgia Sunday. An exhaustive six-day search by multiple agencies led to the discovery.
Search teams recover Georgia man’s body from Lake Martin By MITCH SNEED Editor
The body of a LaGrange man who had been missing since Monday evening when he was last seen in the waters of Lake Martin has been recovered.
After an exhaustive search by countless agencies and volunteers, the body of 44-year-old Thomas Heulan Spence of LaGrange, Georgia was recovered at 4:11 p.m. Sunday in the same general area where he was last seen.
Alexander City Police Department Chief Jay Turner said the 44-year-old man had no known health problems and was physically fit, but at about 6 p.m. Monday, the pontoon he and four others were in was parked See RECOVERY • Page 3
Family and friends remember Spence for the way he lived, not how he died By MITCH SNEED Editor
A six-day search of Lake Martin for the remains of Thomas Heulan Spence was trying for everyone – family, friends and the rescue teams. But Monday, a day after search teams found him in 37 feet of water Spence on the north end of Lake Martin, many of those who knew the 44-year-old husband and father remembered him for the way he lived, not the way he passed. Spence’s mother Connie West thanked all those involved in the search for their hard work and wanted people to know how kind her son was. Special / The Outlook “My son was my confidant,” West said. “If I Co-workers were saddened by the loss of their friend, Thomas Spence, left, needed someone to talk to, he was there. He would See SPENCE • Page 3 and said he was a caring person who went out of his way to help others
It was an exciting day for the Tallapoosa County Department of Human Resources as they broke ground Monday morning on a new building in Dadeville. The current building has been in service for nearly 50 years and for former DHR employee Sharon Gaither the new building is See DHR • Page 9
Community band underway for area By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Just how do you start a community band? Central Alabama Community College music instructor Ivory Brock has an idea: just invite anyone and everyone who has an interest to come out. “This is what I call a ‘Y’all Come Band,’” Brock said. “This will be an outlet for some in the community and for others it might be a person who wants to dust off their instrument and play.” Brock is new to the community having started in Jan. 2017 teaching music appreciation classes along with ensemble jazz and concert classes. But Brock is not new to music. He got his start in Chicago Public Schools some 40 years ago with stops at Delaware State University, the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and schools in North Carolina. He is confident that he can pull together a community band which is something he did in North Carolina. “I enjoy the people here,” Brock said. “Everyone I have talked to has been supportive of the community band concept. I See BAND • Page 2
Our Town Grocery to be demolished By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
The grocery store and gas station at the corner of Elkahatchee Road and Highway 63, a landmark that has been part of the Our Town community for decades is being demolished. Currently owned by Russell Lands, the store has been closed for several years and was most recently used as a voting center until the polls were moved to the new Our Town Fire Hall. “Demolition began a couple of weeks ago when the façade began to give way,” said Russell Lands lawyer Steve Forehand. “There are containers for the debris on site, and we’re looking to officially begin tearing it down in the next day or so.”
Today’s
As the structure is not very large, Forehands said Russell Lands would be handling the demolition themselves, rather than bidding it out to a contractor. Even though they looked at seeing what it might take to fix the building up, Forehand said the building was in very bad shape. “There’s always a sadness when a landmark like that needs to be torn down,” he said. Wade Jones, whose family owned the store for approximately 25 years, expressed his feelings about seeing the building come down. “The thing I hate the most about it being
Lake Martin
Weather Lake Levels
85 70 High
Low
490.46
Reported on 08/28/17 @ 5 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443 6
54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
8
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
See DEMOLITION • Page 2 Our Town Grocery has been closed for several years and is now being demolished.
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