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Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892 February 24, 2016 Vol. 124, No. 39 www.alexcityoutlook.com
TITLE TOWN BRHS wrestling celebrates success at state, page 8.
Two killed in Highway 49 crash Three vehicles collide closing intersection for hours for investigation By MITCH SNEED Editor
Special / The Outlook
Emergency personnel work to clear the wreckage from the scene of Monday night’s fatal crash.
Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency have confirmed that two people are dead after a Monday night accident. Officials said they were called to the scene of a three-vehicle crash on Alabama
49 South and Alabama 14 in an area between Tallassee and Reeltown. The crash involved a 1992 BMW, which was struck by a 1997 International 4700 and a 2016 Dodge Ram. Both victim were in the BMW. The driver was listed as Natasha MIchelle Bozeman, 27, of Montgomery, while the passenger was Anthony Robinson, 33, of
BRHS junior wins national award for skills in yearbook design
Two arrested in drug bust at local hotel Suspects use local hotel as office for meth sales
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Leeann Bolt, a junior at Benjamin Russell High School, was chosen from among 4,232 high school, college and university students as the firstplace winner in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s Gold Circle Awards’ caption and cutline writing competition for yearbooks. Bolt won the award for captions in the yearbook’s baseball spread. See AWARD • Page 5
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Mary Jean Fagan helps BRHS seniors Kate Lopez, left and Ebony White as they work on the last 45 pages of the Benjamin Russell yearbook Echo last week.
Students on deadline
Teacher creates real world environment for students By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
David Granger / The Outlook
Leeann Bolt (center), a junior at Benjamin Russell, holds a certificate from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for first place in yearbook caption writing for 2016. Bolt is flanked by Mary Jean Fagan (left), BRHS yearbook advisor and her mother, Jennifer Morrow.
Hayneville Neither victim was wearing their seatbelt and were ejected from the car. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Tallapoosa County Coroner Mike Knox said the cause of death will likely be multiple blunt force trauma The driver of the Dodge was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening See CRASH • Page 6
Mary Jean Fagan has seen a lot of changes in her 24 years as the arts and communications teacher at Benjamin Russell High School. “I remember my first day here,” said Fagan, who worked at both Russell Corp. and Gayfer’s (now Dillard’s) Department Stories after her graduation from Ringling School of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, and before accepting her position at Benjamin Russell. “They
showed me to my room and all I could find was some old crayons, old canvases that had been painted on, some dried-up oil paints and that was it. I cam here from Gayfer’s department store in Montgomery where we had all the tools of an in-house advertising shop and I was wondering what I’d gotten myself into. “But I’ve grown to love what I do here and love the students.” As the school’s arts and communications career tech teacher, Fagan teaches her students introduction See FAGAN • Page 5
Law enforcement officials have arrested two men after a drug bust at a local hotel. The Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force executed a search warrant at an Alexander City motel Monday and located approximately 24 grams of crystal methamphetamine, several grams of marijuana and over Glassburn $1,300 in cash. “The suspects apparently set up shop there, with the narcotics packaged for resale,” Sgt. Fred White of the Task Force said. “Our information is that they had been there for at least a few days and had been using Parks it as their office. Due to the status of the investigation, we can’t release the name of the hotel at this time.” The drugs and cash were seized and Robert Michael Glassburn, 30, See BUST • Page 6
Today’s
Gordon seeks to fund Go! Grants for physical education By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Doug Gordon is keeping active in hopes that America’s younger generations will, too. Gordon, a former sporting goods industry executive, is in the midst of a cross-country bike ride that started last Monday in Charleston, South Carolina, and will take him all the way to San Diego. Gordon hopes that his journey will generate attention for PHIT (Personal Health Investment Today) America and help raise funds for its GO! Grants Program, which helps fund elementary school physical education programs. “In my position as a sporting goods executive, I would go to
these leadership conferences and hear all these statistics about the decline in team sports and sports in general,” Gordon said. “There are 83 million people in America today that are inactive. They do nothing. And we’re facing a situation where our children are the first generation that may not live as long as we do simply because of their sedentary lifestyle.” “PHIT is focused on getting physical education and recess back in every school. Right now, schools average only $764 spent on PE every year. Kids are spending all their time with their cell phones, their game consoles and their tablets. They’re only exercising their thumbs and their fingers.” Gordon said he pondered the statistics on youth inactivity and
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483.57 Reported on 2/23/16 @ 2 p.m.
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Doug and Shari Gordon pose for a photograph at the entrance to Wind Creek. Doug is cycling cross country to raise funds for physical education in schools.
the lack of programs in schools that promote activity and came up with the idea for his cross-
country trip to help fight the inactivity epidemic. See BIKE • Page 6
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