COMMUNITY COLUMNISTS INSIDE!
WEDNESDAY
THE
SPORTS Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 Youth football jamboree draws 1000’s, Page 8. August 31, 2016 Vol. 124, No. 175 www.alexcityoutlook.com
Jacksons Gap Mayor reelected without a runoff
Details of 214th’s welcome celebration emerge
“The wonderful thing about the United Way is it lets its agencies excel at what they do. They don’t put band-aids on problems. They offer solutions to problems. — Jimmy Harmon Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Girls Ranch Director
$535,000
Provisional ballots give Walker a majority By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Municipal elections in Jackson’s Gap seem to always be the talk of the town. And sometimes the state and nation as the election four years ago captured national headlines when a majority of voters cast their ballots for a deceased Janis Canham. “It would not be an election in Jackson’s Gap if there was not at least some unnerving moments,” Mayor Jeff Walker said. This year’s results will not grab as many headlines but will be the talk for while as incumbent Walker was declared the winner in the mayor’s race with exactly 50 percent plus one of the votes. “You cannot write it any closer than that,” Walker said. “I feel relieved now. It has been a stressful week.” In the mayor’s race, a total of 190 votes were cast. 175 votes were cast at the machine in person, nine absentee ballots were cast and six provisional ballots were cast. Four of those provisional ballots were cast in person and two were cast by absentee. Four provisional ballots were for Walker, one See CERTIFIED • Page 7
Today’s
Weather
92 73 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
488.64 Reported on 8/30/16 @ 5 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
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GROW OUR LOCAL ECONOMY
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Above, the medical records staff at Russell Medical Center provided the entertainment at Tuesday’s kickoff. The group performed for employees of RMC last week as RMC held its pacesetter campaign. Below, guests look over the displays of area agencies that receive funding from the Lake Area United Way at Tuesday’s campaign kickoff.
As the community prepares to welcome home Alexander City’s own Alabama National Guard 214th Military Police Unit, more details on Saturday’s celebration are falling into place. The 136 soldiers who have been training and deployed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since last October will roll into Alexander City Saturday, Sept. 3 with a full escort from the Alexander City Police Department, The Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department as well as the troopers from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The Alexander City Fire Department will also utilize its massive ladder truck to fly an American flag and welcome the convoy as it arrives at the Sportplex. Alexander City’s Bill Young, who has helped coordinate the logistics of the celebration, said it See TROOPS • Page 7
Goal set in ‘Picture a Brighter Future’ Campaign Area municipalities
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
certify election results
More than 200 representatives of the 27 United Way agencies, United Way staff, elected officials and others gathered in the Betty Carol Graham Technology Center Wednesday evening for the kickoff and unveiling of the goal for the United Way of the Lake Martin Area’s 2017 campaign “Picture a Brighter Future.” The goal? $535,000, more than 13 percent of already raised. Russell Medical Center raised $50,166.29 in its 2017 Pacesetter campaign, 42,835 has been raised from small businesses, $3,180.17 from Advanced Givers, $12,392 from the April Quail Fry at the L.B. Benton Farm, $1,000 from Leadership Donors and $1,875 from other sources. That puts the campaign total raised at See UNITED • Page 11
By CLIFF WILLIAMS and MITCH SNEED Staff Writers
City councils in Alexander City, Dadeville and New Site all made the results of last Tuesday’s municipal elections official with the canvass of provisional ballots and approval of the results. In Alexander City, there were a total of seven provisional ballots that were considered by the Tallapoosa County Board of Registrars. Five of those were found to be valid and two were not due to being found to be residents not living within the city limits. There were two provisional ballotsin District 2, one in District 5 and two in District 6. The ballots did not change the results. For mayor, Jim Nabors will face incumbent Charles Shaw in a runoff. In District 1, incumbent Bobby Tapley and Steve Crowe will be in a runoff, while Audrey “Buffy” Colvin will face Jacob Meacham in a runoff in District 2. In District 3, Scott Hardy was the unopposed See RESULTS • Page 7
Additional Strand Session added By MITCH SNEED Editor
Back by popular demand – Strand Sessions. The Alexander City City Council approved an extension of the use of Strand Park by the Lake Martin Young Professionals to hold a September version of the monthly concerts in the park series that proved to be popular throughout the summer. John Howell of the Young Professionals made the request at Tuesday’s special called meeting by the council. “We have had additional requests by the community to hold one more concert,” Howell told the council. “Through some of our contacts we found another entertainer that was willing to play and
USPS Permit # 013-080
Hammett
Hill
if we could get permission to use Strand Park, we would love to do it again in September.” The council gave the extension a thumbs up by a vote of 5-0. The concert will be held on Sept. 8 and feature music by soul singer Jojo See CONCERT • Page 7
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
Alexander City Clerk Harriett Scott and City Attorney Larkin Radney open envelopes in the vote canvass process at a special called meeting Tuesday.
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