Jan. 26, 2018 Alex City Outlook

SPORTS, PAGE 9

PAGE 4: LAWMAKERS NEED TO FIX INMATE FOOD MONEY MESS

FRIDAY

THE

Wildcats look to avenge loss in game vs.

Opelika

Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892

January 26, 2018 Vol. 126, No. 19 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢

Tractor Supply gets unexpected four-legged visitor

This eight-point buck was apparently badly injured after being hit by a car on Highway 280, then wandered into Tractor Supply in Alexander City on Thursday afternoon. While employees scurried and screamed to get out of its path, the bleeding deer sat down.

A short time later he was put down by Alexander City Police Department officers to avoid further damage to the business.

All customers welcome after injured deer enters store and then he was as scared as I was. He turned and walked right down the aisle.

I was just glad he stopped coming at Most hunters know that Tractor me.�

Supply has a large supply of deer corn, “He about ran her up the pole here,â€? but apparently even the deer know that employee David Evans said. “She too. started screaming so I came running up Tractor Supply in Alexander City got front.â€? a visit from a badly injured eight-point Witnesses said the deer appeared to buck just after lunch Thursday. be injured with a broken leg and was “You should have seen him come bleeding heavily. They said the deer charging in here,â€? store employee had limped across the parking lot from Shemika Brown said. “I was working Highway 280 with a leg just dangling. at the register and it came charging in Employees called the Alexander City here, right at me. I went to hollering See DEER • Page 2

By MITCH SNEED and CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writers

David Evans / Special to the Outlook

Another big cat sighting creates social media buzz

Quick reaction of gate house guard saves local home

By MITCH SNEED Editor

By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer

Big cat mania is apparently sweeping the area.

For the second time in two weeks there has been another reported sighting of a mountain lion or cougar type big cat.

Tuesday morning, Opelika-based contractor Allen Schwiening posted on social media that he saw a big cat at about 4 a.m. Tuesday as he was “coming up 280 this morning and I saw one of these on the outskirts of Camp Hill going towards Dadeville. It was standing in the median at the intersection going down the big hill out of Camp Hill where a deer was hit a few days ago,� the Facebook post read.

While Schwiening did not get a picture, he posted a nighttime image of a mountain lion that he said was exactly like the cat he saw.

Attempts to reach Schwiening for comment

Carlice Payne retired from the Birmingham Fire Department in 1988 after 30 years thinking he would lead a quiet retirement on Lake Martin leaving his firefighting days behind.

Thirty years later, Payne, now a security officer for The Ridge Homeowners Association would relive those days as he extinguished a blaze in a Ridge home Thursday, Jan. 18 after an out of town homeowner called The Ridge Gatehouse informing him of a potential fire as snow and ice still covered some of the roads and many of the driveways in the development. “I was just in the right place at the right time,� the humble Payne said.

Payne was in the gatehouse waiting for a shift change at the Lake Martin development when the homeowner called. “She called me and asked me to help them, that they had a fire,� Payne recalled. “They knew they had a fire in their house maybe from the cameras.�

See FIRE • Page 7

McDaniel, Colvin and Thomas earn top Chamber awards

By MITCH SNEED Editor

The Alexander City Chamber of Commerce held its 107th Annual Meeting Thursday at Central Alabama Community College and paid tribute to individuals who go above and beyond for the betterment of the Lake Martin community.

Chamber President and CEO Ed Collari welcomed the capacity crowd, thanked the Chamber staff and hit the highlights of what was a banner year for the team.

He touched on the move to the new location at the Lake Martin Innovation Center, See AWARDS • Page 3

See CAT • Page 7

Today’s

Weather

61 47 High

6

54708 90050

8

USPS Permit # 013-080

Lake Martin

Lake Levels

483.97

Reported on 01/25/18 @ 4 p.m.

LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443

laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL

Top, longtime community activist and Alexander City City Council member Buffy Colvin was honored with the Community Spirit Award at Thursday’s Alexander City Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting held at CACC. Russell Medical’s Susan Foy presented Colvin with the award. Above, USAmeriBank’s Mark Spencer shakes the hand of Springhouse Chef Rob McDaniel who was named Business Person of the Year at Thursday’s meeting.

BRHS students learn about career fields at annual career fair

By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer

Low

Mitch Sneed / The Outlook

Students at Benjamin Russell High School started their Thursday morning with a little different of a routine, as they gathered in their homeroom classes in preparation for the school’s annual Career Day. Moving from classroom to classroom, they learned about a number of career fields they might be interested in going in to after graduating high school. “Our counselors set this up every year, as a way to enlighten our students about potential career fields,� BRHS Principal Dr.

Anthony Wilkinson said. “We always try to have someone from the medical field, manufacturing, criminal justice and others.

It gives our students good exposure to these fields.�

Among those present to talk about their careers and what it takes in order to get a job in that particular field included Dr. Mathieu Nader discussing radiology, graphic designer Danny Weston and Parker Boone talking about building science.

Other careers represented included every branch of the armed forces, accounting, business management, public relations and law See CAREER • Page 2

Donald Campbell / The Outlook

Charria Campbell talks with a class of Benjamin Russell students Thursday morning about various aspects of engineering, including chemical engineering, during the school’s annual Career Day event.

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Friendship married by man’s harsh treatment of his wife

Saturday

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Directory Telephone: (256) 234-4281 Fax: (256) 234-6550 Website: www.alexcityoutlook.com Management Steve Baker Publisher, Ext. 218 steve.baker@alexcityoutlook.com Mitch Sneed Editor, Ext. 213 mitch.sneed@alexcityoutlook.com David Kendrick Circulation Manager, Ext. 204 david.kendrick@alexcityoutlook.com Lee Champion Production Manager, Ext. 220 lee.champion@alexcityoutlook.com Audra Spears Art Director, Ext. 219 audra.spears@alexcityoutlook.com Betsy Iler Magazine Managing Editor, Ext. 221 betsy.iler@alexcityoutlook.com Tippy Hunter Advertising Director, Ext. 206 marketing@alexcityoutlook.com Angela Mullins Business Manager, Ext. 202 angela.mullins@alexcityoutlook.com Newsroom Amy Passaretti Assistant Magazine Editor, Ext. 227 amy.passaretti@alexcityoutlook.com Lizi Arbogast Sports Editor, Ext. 228 lizi.arbogast@alexcityoutlook.com

Cliff Williams Staff Writer, Ext. 212 cliff.williams@alexcityoutlook.com Donald Campbell Staff Writer, Ext. 208 donald.campbell@alexcityoutlook.com Santana Wood Staff Writer/Pagination, Ext. 210 santana.wood@alexcityoutlook.com Advertising Sales Doug Patterson Newspaper Advertising, Ext. 205 doug.patterson@alexcityoutlook.com Katie Wesson Retail Sales Manager, Ext. 232 tkatie.wesson@alexcityoutlook.com Scott Hardy Digital Marketing Coordinator, Ext. 232 scott.hardy@alexcityoutlook.com Rebecca Carlisle Advertising Sales, Ext. 217 rebecca.carlisle@alexcityoutlook.com Erin Burton Advertising Sales, Ext. 225 erin.burton@alexcityoutlook.com Composing Darlene Johnson Composing Department, Ext. 203 darlene.johnson@alexcityoutlook.com Hallie Holloway Composing Department, Ext. 203 hallie.holloway@alexcityoutlook.com Circulation Linda Ewing Office Clerk, Ext. 201 linda.ewing@alexcityoutlook.com

Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. manages The Alexander City Outlook, The Dadeville Record, Lake magazine, Lake Martin Living, (USPS: 013-080, ISSN: 0738-5110) Kenneth Boone The Outlook is published five times Photography and a week, Tuesday through Saturday a commercial web mornings, by Tallapoosa Publishers, printing press.

Inc., 548 Cherokee Road, P.O. Box 999, Alexander City, AL, 35011.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Post Office Box 999, Alexander City, AL 35011.

How to Submit Obituaries

© 2011 Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. Reproduction of any part of any issue requires written publisher permission.

Obituaries can be submitted to The Outlook from funeral homes by e-mail at obits@ alexcityoutlook.com or by fax at (256) 234-6550.

For more information, call (256) 234-4281.

Deer Police Department who responded quickly. When they arrived they learned that after roaming the store for a little, the injured deer laid down near the front under some lawnmowers to take a rest.

The Alexander City Police Department helped store employees close the store and employees were informing customers they were closed.

Chief Jay Turner said they didn’t want to put the animal down, but when they saw how badly he was injured and the amount of blood that was lost, they didn’t have much choice.

“You never want to do that unless you have to, especially inside a building,” Turner said. “But they were able to safely

Friday, January 26, 2018

The Outlook

continued from page 1

euthanize the deer and put him out of his pain.

I’ve had guys using vacation time to hunt for the last few months and they haven’t seen a thing. You see something like this and I guess they would have been better off coming to work.”

The store was closed for about 45 minutes while employees and law enforcement dealt with the deer and then cleaned up the mess left behind.

Except for the blood and some displaced items, the animal didn’t do much damage, mainly because it walked through a open door.

“People were wanting us to open up,” Evans said. “I told them to grab a mop and help us clean this up and we could get opened a lot faster.”

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DEAR ABBY: I have a good male friend whose company I have enjoyed very much.

He’s outgoing and likes many of the same activities I do.

Should I ever need anything, I know he would be there for me.

Unfortunately, this same person is very disrespectful to his wife. He’s severely critical of everything she does. I have seen him yell and make disparaging remarks to her, to the extent that I feel it borders on abusive. His wife is a warm, caring, selfless individual who deserves to be loved by someone who appreciates all that she is and does.

Because of the way he treats her, I no longer enjoy being around him. I’d like to remain friends with this couple, but I’m not sure how to. I am very sad about all of this. Please help me. -ANGUISHED IN ARIZONA DEAR ANGUISHED: I don’t blame you for feeling

DEAR ABBY Advice

sad about what you have witnessed. While you would like to continue the friendship, please recognize that unless some changes are made, it isn’t going to happen. You would be doing your friend (and his wife) a favor to tell him how bad his verbal abuse makes HIM look and how harmful it is to his wife.

And while you’re at it, suggest that if they are having problems -- which they obviously are -- they try to work them out with a licensed marriage and family therapist.

DEAR ABBY: Recently my middle sister started dating my younger sister’s ex-

boyfriend. My younger sister dated this guy in college (10 years ago) and really cared for him. It ended when she found out he had cheated on her. Younger sister is now married and has a small child.

Middle sister started dating this ex a few months ago and really likes him. He has been over to see my parents, and they are supportive of the relationship. The problem is, no one wants to tell my younger sister for fear of her being mad.

I talk to her almost daily.

I’m afraid that once she finds out, which is bound to happen, she will be more upset with me (and my parents) for hiding it from her than the fact that they’re dating.

Should I tell her or is it not my place?

I don’t want to feel like I am lying or hiding anything anymore, but I also feel like my middle sister should admit

it, which she said she isn’t ready to do because she doesn’t want to say anything unless this turns into something serious. What should I do? -- CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE DEAR CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: From where I sit, you have sized the situation up accurately. Your younger sister will be mortified when she realizes that everyone knew her sister has been dating the ex for months and it was kept from her. Talk to your middle sister. Insist that the sneaking around stop, because it could cause a permanent breach in the family.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips.

Contact Dear Abby at www.

DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Obituaries Mr. Albert T. Rowe Mr. Albert T. Rowe, Jr., 64, of Alexander City, AL passed away on Monday, January 22, 2018 at Baptist South Medical Center in Montgomery, AL. Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, January 28, 2018, 2:00 p.m. CST at Haven Chapel United

Mrs. Carolyn Jones 1959 - 2018 Funeral Service for Mrs. Carolyn Jones, 58, of Hackneyville, will be Friday, January 26, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. at the Chapel of Radney Funeral Home. Randy Anderson will officiate. Burial will follow in the Hackneyville Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday, January 26, 2018 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Radney Funeral Home.

Mrs. Jones passed away on Wednesday, January 24,

Career enforcement.

“The big thing is knowing what you like to do, because more than likely, there’s something you can do in that field,” Katherine Buck from the Auburn University College of Architecture, Design and Construction said.

Buck said there were plenty of opportunities to be found with a degree in one of the five programs offered through the College of Architecture, Design and Construction.

For example, of the four architectural firms that worked on the recently built Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, two were owned by Auburn graduates and a majority of the workforce of the other two firms were Auburn graduates.

“Our building science students work more on larger corporate structures,” Buck said.

“Environmental designers, they go on to work in city planning and historical preservation, a wide range of fields.”

For those interested in going in to an architectural field, Buck encour-

Methodist Church in Dadeville, AL, Rev. James Gresham, Pastor, Elder James Rowe; Officiating. Burial will follow in Dadeville City Cemetery.

Mr. Rowe is survived by special cousins: Eleanor Powers of Birmingham, AL, Bridgette Pearson and Beverly (Richard) Price, both of Alexander City, AL, Ronald Rowe, Kimberly Pearson and Jimmy Rowe, all of Dadeville, AL, Cornelius

2018 at her residence. She was born on February 5, 1959 in Talladega, Alabama to David L. Wade and Judy C. Stephens Wade. She was a member of Hopeful Baptist Church. Carolyn was an avid supporter of the Horseshoe Bend High School Marching Band. She enjoyed going to family gathering, cooking and baking. She also loved watching her grandchildren play sports.

She is survived by her husband, Faron Dale Jones of Hackneyville; daughter, Heather Jones of Hackneyville; stepdaughter,

(Carmen) Rowe of Jacksonville, NC, Ethel Pearl (Michael) Adair of Goodwater, AL, Princella (Lorenzo) Poole of Detroit, MI, Nancy (Parrish) Crittenden of Atlanta, GA, Cornell (Annie) Battle of Opelika, AL, Reginald (Lorann) Rowe, Robert Rowe and Charles Rowe, all of Pearland, TX, Marcia Rowe of Rosharon, TX and Albert B. Rowe of Tacoma, WA, a host of other relatives and friends.

Anna Foreman (Donny) of Jacksons Gap; grandchildren, Cheyenne Foreman, Alisa Foreman and Leland Foreman; mother, Judy C. Wade of Munford; and sisters, Rhonda Walker of Alexander City, Debbie Ruiz (Dave) of Munford, Gina Dison (Terry) of Alexander City and Vicky Wade of Munford.

She was preceded in death by her Father, David L. Wade.

Memorial messages may be sent to the family at www. radneyfuneralhome.com.

Radney Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.

Mr. Terry Kelly Mr. Terry Kelly 70 of Goodwater, AL died on Thursday, January 26, 2018 at Russell Medical Center, Alexander City, AL. Final arrangements pending.

Final Arrangements Entrusted to Armour’s Memorial Funeral Home.

continued from page 1

winning contracts and keeping one’s job. She had many of the students interested when she told them that engineering students landing their first job out of college can often expect to make between $50,000 and $60,000 per year.

Campbell also included an interactive portion to her presentation, getting two groups of students to volunteer for an activity.

For this, the groups had to take a stack of cups, unstack them and turn the Donald Campbell / The Outlook cups into a tower using Katherine Buck from Auburn University discusses some of the only paperclips and rubber bands. Both groups career fields available to those who go into an architectural program offered at Auburn during the annual Benjamin Russell dove in and attacked the problem in a simplified High School Career Day event. version of exercises similar to what engineers deal stration on engineering, aged the high schoolers with on a daily basis. including chemical engito take calculus and “This is a great way neering. physics classes while to enrich their learning “Engineering gives still at Benjamin Russell, experience, showing them you the opportunity and also said Auburn how important math and to do a lot of different offers summer camps science is and perhaps for students, giving them things,” Campbell said. get them interested in “Engineering requires a the chance to get more a STEM-related field,” hands-on and gain a better lot of problem solving.

Campbell said after the understanding of architec- Math and science are career fair. “I like to keep key.” tural studies. things entertaining, yet She talked about some challenging. I think today Across the hall, Charria of the “real world” sceCampbell from Southern went really well.” narios that engineering Union State Community After the sessions were students can expect to College gave students a over and the students see while in college and presentation and demonreturned to their usual also said English was an routine, they left with a important subject to excel better understanding of in, as being able to clearly some of the many career write and communicate fields available to them about what a series of after graduation. Whether plans mean is crucial to Thursday’s events helped students see a new potential path or caused them to realize something they were originally interested in was not all they thought it would be, they left the career fair knowing more than they had before, which could prove that much more useful when deciding on a college and a future.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Awards the success of the first Total Resource Campaign and talked about the growth of Lake Martin Young Professionals and the Young Entrepreneurs Program.

“The Lake Martin Innovation Center has been a tremendous asset,” Collari said. Already this year, our tenants have grown and flourished and have created 40 jobs. That one of the things that I’m most proud of.”

Mark Spencer presented the Business Person of the Year Award and Springhouse Chef Rob McDaniel who has seen much success not only in his profession, but has been active and supportive in the community as well.

Steve Robinson presented the Community Spirit Award to Community Activist, City Council Member and Russell Medical employee Buffy Colvin.

“She is excellent in terms of leadership and character,” Robinson said. “She goes above and beyond to support the community and seems to be everywhere and helps everyone who is doing positive things.”

John Russell Thomas was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Thomas has been a driving force in Alexander City for decades and received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Other honorees included Teacher of the Year Shundell Russaw, Ambassador of the Year Cecily Lee, Junior Ambassadors Emberly Flowers, Morgan Richardson and Cole Walker, Alexander City Police Officer of the Year Ben Whitley and Alexander City Firefighter of the Year Hoyt Stoffregen.

Outgoing Chairman Randy Lee Jr. passed the gavel to incoming Chairman David Sturdivant. He said he was excited about the upcoming year.

“I am excited and I think the best is yet to come,” Sturdivant said. “The Chamber leadership is just incredible.

From the entire staff to the ambassadors, there is a group that is not content with the status quo. They just will not let up as they strike to make out community better.”

The event was made possible by Gold sponsors Central Alabama Community College, Russell Medical and S&S Tire Pros.

CACC also sponsored the Ambassador of the Year Award, Lee Williams of Nowlin & Associates sponsored the Business Person of the Year Award, Radney Funeral Home sponsored the Lifetime Achievement Award and River Bank & Trust was the Teacher of the Year sponsor.

The Outlook

www.alexcityoutlook.com

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continued from page 1

Mitch Sneed / The Outlook

Above left, Cecily Lee is presented with the Ambassador of the Year Award at Thursday’s annual meeting. Above right, Carla Culligan introduces Cole Walker as Junior Ambassador of the Year. Below left, John Russell Thomas was presented with the Chamber’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jeanine Williams and Randy Anderson were on stage to make the presentation. Below right, Alexander City Police Chief Jay Turner presents Ben Whitley, left, with the Police Officer of the Year Award.

Above left, Randy Dawkins presents Shundell Russaw with the Teacher of the Year Award at Thursday’s annual meeting. Above right, Reese McAlister, far left, looks on as Captain David McCoy presents Hoyt Stoffregen, right, with the Firefighter of the Year Award.

MITCH SNEED EDITOR (256) 234-4281 X213

editor@alexcityoutlook.com

EDITORIAL BOARD Steve Baker Mitch Sneed

www.alexcityoutlook.com

Page 4

Opinion

Our View

Lawmakers need to fix inmate food money mess

T

he Outlook published a story recently about a lawsuit filed by two civil rights groups against 49 sheriffs across the state for not disclosing records on how much of the state-approved money is being spent on inmates.

Because Alabama allows the sheriffs to pocket whatever they deem is not needed for those incarcerated in the county detention centers and some have openly flaunted their spending, the groups say they just want to know how widespread the practice is.

This is not to suggest any of the sheriffs named in the suit are actually doing things like the former Morgan County sheriff who earned the nickname “Sheriff Corndog” for feeding inmates two corndogs a day while pocketing thousands of dollars from the meal money allotment.

There was also another sheriff who invested in a “get-rich-quick” scheme involving a used car lot.

When taxpayers see things like that, they can’t help but question everyone, even though most are doing the right thing and spending the money appropriately.

A lot of good sheriffs fall under a cloud because of the liberties allowed under this openly flawed system.

It comes down to sheriffs being allowed to use taxpayer money to stuff their pockets, if they so choose.

Our own Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett has suggested the commissioners take it over or that auditors examine the funds to make sure things are being done the way they should. But so far, no one wants to touch this one.

Obviously, we think the sheriffs should turn over the records to remove any doubt.

But we also need our elected officials in the Alabama State Legislature to step up and fix this loophole.

The first priority of the legislature should be to halt the meal money program and place funds directly into accounts that can only be used for feeding inmates.

The next step should be to re-evaluate the salaries of sheriffs and bring their pay to a level that recognizes their responsibility and value to communities across the state. Continuing to allow the meal money system only builds mistrust.

Outlook The

Friday, January 26, 2018

Christian sympathy is a gift from God

B

oy, have I had a dilly of an old fashion, head cold and flu this month. My head has felt like concrete and my poor old nose is about rubbed off.

My sweet wife said neither of these symptoms should be affecting me because I have a hard head and I’m always sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.

If I hadn’t been so sick I would have said something about needing sympathy and tender loving care, but I didn’t want to hear her calling me a wimp again.

Even my physician didn’t appreciate the seriousness of this dread disease. He simply looked me over, listened to my breathing, gave me a prescription and told me not to be such a wimp. I know my wife must have called him before I got there; otherwise, he would have immediately put me in intensive care. Boy, it’s tough to get sympathy in this town.

As this terrible cold slowly progressed I began to worry that I might infect the entire county. I finally contacted the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta and told them all my horrible symptoms. I just knew they would fly a MediVac helicopter in and whisk me off to a major medical center full of specialists. All the lady on the other end of the

stress. Whether it is sickness, grief or anxious moments a right word at the right time can make all the difference in the word.

DR. GERALD The Bible said they are like HALLMARK apples of gold and all of Columnist us have the ability to share those words of affirmation.

However, it means we must phone line said was for me take our eyes off of our own to get over it. It was just a problems and look to the head cold and I was acting like a wimp. Just how many needs of others. It has been people does my wife know? said that there is a broken heart on every pew. People This thing got so bad come to church for encourI thought I was about to shuffle over this mortal coil. agement and hope and that So I called a preacher friend is why it is so important that every believer share the and asked him to come and words of Christ, “be of good hear my final confessions.

He admitted that it would be hope,” “be not afraid,” and “lo, I am with you always.” informative and interesting Start today sharing the good to hear them, but he didn’t news of an abundant life want to catch my cold. He said his wife thought he was because people need to hear it. a wimp when he got sick I just got a call from a and he didn’t want hear it. friend that also has the flu.

Finally, I just gave up He was telling me how bad and decided that I would it was and he thought he was go to bed and die alone dying. I told him not to be a and unloved. So I covered wimp, it was just a bad cold. myself up and dozed off in a drug-induced sleep. When He was silent for a minute, and then he asked, “Did my I woke up the next morning I was feeling a lot better wife call you?” and knew I was going to Dr. Gerald Hallmark whip this puny little cold. is a retired minister from I couldn’t understand why anyone would carry on about Alexander City who is cura little sickness. I guess most rently serving as interim pastor at the First Baptist men aren’t tough like me Church of Dadeville. His and are just wimps.

All of us need an encour- column appears here each Friday. aging word in times of

Mark Tuggle (R) represents the 81st District covering Coosa, Chilton and Tallapoosa counties.

He can be reached by phone at 256392-2006 or by email at tughd81@ gmail.com. His office is located at 110 Calhoun Street, Suite 108, Alexander City.

Mark Tuggle

Tom Whatley represents the 27th District covering Lee, Russell and Tallapoosa County.

He was elected to the Alabama Senate on Nov. 2, 2010, and can be reached at 334-242-t7865.

Tom Whatley His office is located at 337 East Magnolia Drive, Auburn.

Clyde Chambliss Jr. represents Senate District 30, which includes portions of Elmore, Autauga, Chilton, Coosa and Tallapoosa counties.

He can be reached at 334-343-7883 or at clyde.chambliss@ alsenate.gov

Clyde Chambliss

Scripture

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.”

—Philippians 4:8

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Daily Poll Thursday Question: Which city do you think is safer, Alexander City or Montgomery?

Alexander City — 93%, 37 votes Montgomery — 7%, 3 votes

Friday’s Question: Will you be volunteering for Saturday’s trash walk?

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Schools letter grade law makes no sense

Steve Marshall

Today’s

Mission

Communication with elected officials is the key to good government. To let your most local representatives know how you feel about state or local matters, contact any of the following.

Steve Marshall was appointed Alabama’s 50th Attorney General.

He was appointed in 2017 and serves as the State’s chief law enforcement officer.

He can be reached at 334-242-7300, and his office is located at 501 Washington Avenue, Montgomery.

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”

—Oscar Wilde

The Outlook strives to report the news honestly, fairly and with integrity, to take a leadership role and act as a positive influence in our community, to promote business, to provide for the welfare of our employees, to strive for excellence in everything we do and above all, to treat others as we would want to be treated ourselves.

Officials

Ivey

Quote

Our

Know Your

Governor Kay Ivey represents the state of Alabama and its 67 counties.

She was sworn into office on April 10, 2017, and can be reached at 334-2427100. Her office is located at the State Kay Capitol at 600 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama.

Today’s

D

r. Steve Edwards is the real deal. With 43 years in the education field, he knows of what he speaks. He runs a consulting firm in Virginia and has done work in 49 states and 55 counties. Clients include the United Nations and the World Bank. The author of five books, he has also taught at two major universities.

As he says, “I have been in the profession long enough to figure out what does not work.”

So, when he says A-F school report cards do not work, I pay attention. Here are some of his thoughts: “A-F scale is looking at education through a 20th Century lens. A very backward approach. Legislators like this because it is easy, an A or B is good, a C is average and so on. Research supports that negative reinforcement does not work.

Think about being a child who struggles in school, they find out their school gets an F, what does that do for morale?

A much better approach is to look at a set of both quantitative and qualitative indicators. Have each school establish a baseline on the indicators and then recognize growth. No one individual

LARRY LEE Columnist

and no one organization is good at everything but what if you had a set of multiple indicators where schools could highlight growth in particular areas and identify area for specific assistance.

Let me give you an example. If I play golf, I may work hard at it every day but will never shoot par — am I a failure? What if over the next five years my handicap drops from a 25 to 15? Now that is growth. I can look at specific elements of my game that I have improved such as, off the tee, short game, chipping, putting.

I can work on my mental game, my focus, etc. You get the picture.

We know there are so many aspects to success and traditional measures don’t always capture these. The other day I was reading an article in Forbes that talked about the vast majority of self-made millionaires were C-D students in school.

Frankly I am one of them.

I finished in the bottom

10% of my graduating class in high school, I repeated fourth grade because I could not read. My parents were of modest means (not born with money nor did I inherit money — my parents died broke) and I have become a multi-millionaire. I am not trying to brag, I am trying to make a point.

By every measure in school I was a failure. Our educational system values the wrong things. Look at any of the international education experts, Ken Robinson, Yong Zhao, Tony Wagner, the list goes on and on.

We don’t listen to them, we don’t look at the research. Would you go to a doctor who made decisions based on 20th practices? Of course not, but that is what we do in education.

I speak all over the world on education, leadership and reform. People love to hear what I have to say, but then they go back and do the same thing.”

Isn’t it amazing how we ignore voices like Steve Edwards’?

Larry Lee is a publicschool advocate and coauthor of the study, Lessons Learned From Rural Schools. Larrylee133@ gmail.com

The subscription rate is $136.00 per year in Tallapoosa and Coosa counties and $177.99 outside the area. Periodicals paid at Alexander City, AL. Newspapers are available at 100 news racks in our area at 75 cents for The Outlook and 50 cents for The Record. We would love to deliver a paper to your door. Call David Kendrick at 256-234-4281, Ext. 204 or e-mail david.kendrick@alexcityoutlook. com.

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We’d like to share your thoughts and opinions with the greater Lake Martin community. It’s free and it only takes a few moments of your time. We have two ways to get your opinion in print: letters to the editor and guest columns. The main difference is length. Letters to the editor are up to 250 words, while guest columns can be up to 500 words. Letters and columns may be sent to P.O. Box 999, Alexander City, AL 35011, faxed to (256) 234-6550 or e-mailed to editor@ alexcityoutlook.com. Please include your name, address and phone number. Send us your thoughts today!

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Friday, January 26, 2018

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Friday, January 26, 2018

Friday, January 26, 2018

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Fire Payne encouraged the homeowner to hang up and call 911 while he went to work getting together some help as well.

“I know some of the local volunteers and called them as I drove out to the home,” Payne said. “I also called David and Maury Miller.”

The Millers live in The Ridge.

“We pulled up at the same time,” Payne said. “We stopped at the top of the driveway because the snow was still there. We walked down the hill.”

It did not take long to discover there was a problem.

“We sensed and could see some smoke,” Payne explained. “We peeked in a window and it was blazing like crazy on the dining room table.”

The Millers were talking to the homeowner while the fire discovery was made and were told of a hidden key at the lakefront home.

“Maury was in communication with the homeowner and helped guide her to a hidden key,” Payne said. “I said ‘We have got to hurry, if you don’t find it quickly, I am about to have to knock out a window so we can get in there.’ She found the key.”

continued from page 1

While the Millers were finding the key and opening the door, Payne was looking around for a way to extinguish the fire.

“I found a big dog bowl and filled it with water,” Payne said. “We went in and put out the fire. It took a little more than that one bucket but it put it back good and it was close to the kitchen sink.”

The Millers and Payne’s efforts likely saved the home.

“It was not bad at the time, but in 10 minutes it would have been,” Payne said based on his experience as a firefighter.

“It had almost burnt through the table.

That’s all it was, but it could have easily burned down if David and Maury Miller hadn’t gotten there too.”

Payne explained it was like many of the fires he helped with in Birmingham.

“We had a lot of little fires like that in Birmingham,” Payne said. “But we had some big ones too.”

Payne gave more credit to the Millers for the save than to his efforts.

“I have two artificial knees,” Payne said. “I don’t move too swiftly, they had more to putting that fire out than I did.

If they had not been there, I don’t know I could have done it in time.

“I was there, but if they had not been there, I could have gotten in there but there would have been more damage done.”

But how does a retired firefighter from Birmingham make it to Lake Martin? Lake Martin is the answer.

“Back in the 70s, I bought a piece of property up on the north end of the lake,” Payne said. “We would bring our kids down here when they were small and camp out. Then I built a cabin on it. When I retired in 1988 (from Birmingham Fire Department) I still ran a cultured marble business and sold it in 1993. We were staying at the cabin on Fourth of July week and we went uptown and she (wife) fell in love with an old house. We bought that house and my son and me restored it and opened up the bed and breakfast (Mistletoe Bough) in 1994. We ran it until 2006, then we moved down to the lake on Sturdivant Creek.”

For Russell Lands Chief of Security Mack Daugherty there is no question Payne should take credit.

“He definitely is the reason,” Daugherty said. “There is no doubt about it, he saved it.”

Daugherty helps supervise the guards at The Ridge but they are employees of The Ridge Homeowners Association.

“He is an exceptional guard,” Daugherty said. “The homeowners association is lucky to have him. He is a hardworking man. He is one of the most proficient and pleasant officers I have ever had the chance to work with.

He is a very caring man, he always goes above and beyond.”

Recycle Your Stuff for Cash in the Classifieds Call or go online to browse, buy or sell!

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Cat were not successful, but several others commented they had also seen similar cats in that same general area recently.

The report of this sighting comes on the heels of news that Alexander City resident Ellen Dean spotted what appeared to be a mountain lion or cougar just after daylight on Jan. 14 near her Lafayette Street home.

Dean said she watched as the cat “trotted up (their) driveway and crossed Lafayette Street.” She went and told her husband Kenny and by the time they got out to check again, the animal was out of sight. But Kenny and Ellen both said dogs in the neighborhood were barking like crazy in the direction the cat was last seen traveling.

Dean said she immediately went online looking for images of what she had seen and when she eyed the pictures of mountain lions, she had no doubt what she had watched navigate her driveway that morning just after daylight.

“It was a mountain lion,” Dean said.

“I know what people will think, but it wasn’t a bobcat. It didn’t have spots and it had a long tail. It was a mountain lion, I know what I saw.”

After Dean posted what she saw on

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Facebook, she found she wasn’t the only one who had seen or heard a big cat in that same general area.

There were also reports this past Tuesday evening from residents who heard the “screaming” of a big cat off Ridgeway, not far from where Dean spotted the cat. Dogs in the area were barking wildly, but no one reported an actual sighting that night.

According to an article published by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by Wildlife Biologist Frank Allen entitled The Truth About Black Panthers and Bears in Alabama, it would be rare, but not impossible to spot a mountain lion in Alexander City.

“The last confirmed mountain lion in Alabama was killed around 1948 in St. Clair County,” Allen wrote. “Free ranging mountain lions can still occasionally enter the state, but these instances are highly unlikely. Reports of mountain lion sightings in Alabama are common, but these are probably cases of either mistaken identity or released captives.”

There have been multiple confirmed sightings recently in Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas, according to published

reports.

Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division’s Large Carnivore Coordinator Thomas Harms said in published reports the notion of mountain lions or cougars in Alabama is possible.

“As a biologist, I need some kind of

confirmed physical evidence before I can reasonably believe they are here,” Harms said in a Jan. 1, 2016 article posted on www.wideopenspaces.com. “However, just because we don’t have any confirmation yet doesn’t mean there isn’t a possibility that mountain lions (or cougars) are here.”

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CommunityCalendar Need Insurance?

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Friday, January 26, 2018

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Today’s Birthdays

Jamie Edwards, Shane Cook, LaTerence Meadows, Neil Holley, Stacey Cossey, William Brown, Buddy Stone and Carol Davis are celebrating their birthdays today.

Submit calendar items:

Participate in your Outlook by calling 256-234-4281, faxing them to 256-234-6550, sending your event to calendar@alexcityoutlook.com or logging on to http://www.alexcityoutlook.com/.

Today’s Anniversaries

Perry and Jean Myer and Karen and Frank Korb celebrate their anniversaries today.

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The Friends of the Dadeville Public Library will host a book sale on the lower level of the Dadeville Library Saturday, Feb. 3 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fill a grocery bag for $5 or three bags for just $15.

Saturday, January 27

FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Bibb Graves High School Alumni and Friends in Millerville will have Family Game Night Bingo Saturday, Jan. 27 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. It will begin with hot dogs, pizza, chips and soft drinks.

BENEFIT SINGING: A benefit for Matt and Julie Vernon will be held at Kellyton Revival Center Jan. 27 at 5 p.m. All for Him, Danny Hutcherson, Jimmy Edwards and the Russell Family will be leading the worship in song. The Vernons lost everything in a house fire. A chili supper will follow.

Monday, January 29

HORIZONS UNLIMITED: Marilee Tankersley will present “Wetumpka Impact Crater” to Horizons Unlimited Monday, Jan. 29 starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Alexander City Board of Education.

Horizons Unlimited membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple.

Registration for winter quarter begins. Jan. 8 at 1 p.m.

Wednesday, January 31

Brown Nursing and Rehabilitation Rehabilitation Services •Physical Therapy •Occupational Therapy •Speech Therapy 2334 Washington Street Alexander City • 256-329-9061 www.crownemanagement.com

Come Visit Us! Cecily Lee, Administrator Angela Pitts, Director of Nursing

GRIEF SHARE: A session of GriefShare will be starting soon at the Trinity Campus of First United Methodist next to Russell Medical.

GriefShare helps those who have experienced the death of a loved one to realize that there is hope amidst the pain and uncertainty of grief. The journey can be made lighter when shared with others who are trained to listen with compassion and are able to provide guidelines on how to move forward.

There will be two separate groups meeting at the same location on the same days, one at 10 a.m. and the other at 6 p.m. Both are identical material. Meetings will start Jan. 31 and continue each Wednesday through April 25.

The facilitators are Dr. Tomeka McGhee and Patsy Coe Densmore.

For more information call 256-2342455 or 256749-9354.

January 31 - February 2

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CHURCH REVIVAL: God’s House of Prayer Holiness Church is hosting the Debt Cancellation Revival Jan. 31 to Feb. 2. Financial classes are nightly at 6 p.m. at the church at 573 Harper Avenue. Musical guests include Lemmie Battles, Paul Porter and Bishop Jason Nelson. For more information contact Bishop Frank McCleod at 334-740-0294.

Friday, February 2

• • • • •

Alexander City Outlook Dadeville Record Wetumpka Herald Eclectic Observer Tallassee Tribune

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Lawn Care Darrell Brooks, Owner Cutting •Edging Weed Eating •Mulch Weed Control

FEAST OF SHARING: St. James Episcopal Church will hold its Mardi Gras Auction at the church located at 347 South Central Ave, Alex City. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and will feature live and silent auctions, raffles, wine/beer/non-alcoholic beverages, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and entertainment. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For information please contact Denise Graves 205-826-4066. For tickets please contact St. James Episcopal Church 256-234-4752. All monies benefit Feast of Sharing, a ministry of St. James and First United Methodist Church, providing a free meal twice a week to hungry people in the area.

Saturday, February 3

256.267.0518

BOSTON BUTT FUNDRAISER: Meals on Wheels is having a Boston Butt fundraiser. They are selling tickets for a Feb. 3 delivery of a Firetruck Boston Butt at the Meals on Wheels office at Russell Medical or by calling 256-329-7382. Tickets are $35.

BOOK SALE: The Friends of the Dadeville Public Library will host a book sale on the lower level of the Dadeville Library Saturday, Feb. 3 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fill a grocery bag for $5 or three bags for just $15.

Sunday, February 4

PASTOR’S ANNIVERSARY: New Harmony Missionary Baptist Church in Camp Hill is hosting the 9th Pastor’s Anniversary honoring Rev. and Sis. Melvin C. Kelley, Jr. Sunday, Feb. 4 at 2 p.m. The guest minister will be Rev. Ira Moss, pastor of New Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Tuskegee.

Monday, February 5

HORIZONS UNLIMITED: Glenn Wills will present “Forgotten Alabama” to Horizons Unlimited Monday, Feb. 5 starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Alexander City Board of Education.

Horizons Unlimited membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple.

Registration for winter quarter begins Jan. 8 at 1 p.m.

Tuesday, February 6

CHARITY BINGO: Niffer’s will be hosting charity bingo on Tuesdays in February to benefit the Lake Martin Area United Way. Cards are $1 each.

The first seven rounds are for Niffer’s dollars and the final round is for the jackpot. Niffer’s is located at 7500 Highway 49 South in Dadeville.

Wednesday, February 7

SITE REVIEW: Central Alabama Community College will host a site review for continuing accreditation of its Associate Degree in Nursing program by the ACEN on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. in Building J of the Childersburg Campus. For further information, go to the CACC homepage at www. cacc.edu.

ENGLISH LEARNER’S CLUB: The Adelia M. Russell Library is hosting the English Learner’s Club starting Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Registration starts Jan. 3.

The club will help speakers of other languages learn, develop and improve English skills, learn American slang, idioms and other useful phrases and work on fluency activities and interview questions.

For questions and information, call 256-329-6796 or visit the Adelia M. Russell Library.

Friday, February 9

VALENTINES CELEBRATION: The Equality Performing Arts Center is hosting a Royal Valentine’s Celebration Friday, Feb. 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Six past state pageant winners and the reigning Ms. Alabama Sr. America will perform popular love songs, a romantic aria and tap dance. The EPAC is located on Alabama Highway 9 in Equality.

Monday, February 12

HORIZONS UNLIMITED: Peggy Shores will present “Songs from the Heart” to Horizons Unlimited Monday, Feb. 12 starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Alexander City Board of Education.

Horizons Unlimited membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple.

Registration for winter quarter begins Jan. 8 at 1 p.m.

Friday, February 16

PAGEANT: God’s Beautiful Creations Pageant will be Friday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. at Sardis Missionary Baptist Church in Dadeville in the Fellowship Hall. The event is sponsored by the music ministry. There will be five catego-

ries and all ages are welcome to participate. There will also be an Outstanding Couple category. To participate please contact any of the Sardis Missionary Baptist Church choir members.

Saturday, February 17

PANCAKE BREAKFAST: The Dadeville Kiwanis Club will be holding its annual pancake breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 7 until 11 a.m. at the Dadeville Elementary School Cafeteria. Tickets are $6 per person and includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, ham, coffee, juice and milk.

For tickets, see any member of the Dadeville Kiwanis Club, or contact Tony Johnson at 256-825-6364 or Peggy Bullard at 256-825-9415.

Saturday, February 24

PANCAKE BREAKFAST: There will be a pancake breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Faith Temple Church Gym at 425 Franklin Street from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tickets are $6 for all you can eat pancakes in house and sausage, juice and coffee.

Carry out is available.

This is a fundraiser for the Faith Christian Academy’s Robotics team which will compete in the National WWII Museum’s Robotics Challenge in New Orleans in May. Tickets are available from FCA students and at the door.

The Learning Tree Helping Children Learn and Grow

The Learning Tree, Inc. is Accepting Applications for 2nd, 3rd, and Weekend Shifts for Direct Care.

Applications can be picked up at: 101 S. Dubois Street Tallassee, AL 36078 Or contact Brinda Bell (334) 252-0025, Ext. 101 Email: bbell@learning-tree.org

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Monday, February 26

HORIZONS UNLIMITED: Dr. James Hansen will present “Neil Armstrong” to Horizons Unlimited Monday, Feb. 26 starting at 1:30 p.m. at the Alexander City Board of Education.

Horizons Unlimited membership is $20 per person or $30 per couple.

Registration for winter quarter begins Jan. 8 at 1 p.m.

Saturday, March 10

PANCAKE BREAKFAST: The Alexander City Kiwanis Club is hosting a pancake and Conecuh sausage breakfast March 10 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Benjamin Russell High School Cafeteria. It is $6 a ticket and all you can eat. Carry outs are available.

Wednesday, March 29

VIETNAM VETERANS WELCOME HOME: The Auburn Veterans Project is celebrating and reflecting on the service and sacrifice of Vietnam veterans March 29 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Auburn High School Auditorium. Speakers will be Joe Galloway and Medal of Honor recipients Bennie Adkins and James Livingston. Family is welcome to accompany their veteran and there will be a light reception afterwards.

Visit auburnveteransproect. weebly.com/east-alabama-vietnamveterans-welcome-home-cermony. html. Attendees are asked to RSVP in advance by either emailing Blake Busbin at wbbusbin@auburnschools. org or by calling Auburn High School at 334-887-2120.

April 9-10

THROW AWAY DAYS: The Middle Tallapoosa Clean Water Partnership and the Tallapoosa County Commission are holding Throw Away Days April 9-10. Dumpsters will be located at the Alex City Annex at 395 Lee Street, Double Bridges on Highway 63, the Old Daviston School on Highway 22, the Camp Hill Town Hall at 309 Holley Ave. and the Union Community Center at 4191 Highway 50. Dumpsters will be available at no charge to residents.

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LIZI ARBOGAST SPORTS EDITOR (256) 234-4281 X228 lizi.arbogast@alexcityoutlook.com

Friday, January 26, 2018

Game of the Week

ASWA BASKETBALL RANKINGS GIRLS CLASS 7A 1. Hoover (24-1) 2. Spain Park (23-4) 3. Sparkman (22-4) 4. Hewitt-Trussville (212) 5. Huffman (13-12) 6. James Clemens (177) 7. Davidson (17-7) 8. Mountain Brook (17-7) 9. Lee-Montgomery (16-8) 10. Alma Bryant (18-6) Others nominated: Huntsville (12-9), McGillToolen (16-8), Murphy (13-10).

BOYS CLASS 7A 1. Mountain Brook (23-5) 2. Sparkman (24-3) 3. Hoover (20-4) 4. Huffman (23-3) 5. McGill-Toolen (18-5) 6. James Clemens (158) 7. Lee-Montgomery (18-4) 8. Buckhorn (20-5) 9. Alma Bryant (18-3) 10. Vestavia Hills (19-6) Others nominated: Baker (17-9), CentralPhenix City (16-1), Enterprise (14-7), Grissom (14-10).

CLASS 6A 1. Hazel Green (25-2) 2. LeFlore (24-2) 3. Ramsay (19-4) 4. Southside-Gadsden (18-1) 5. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (19-3) 6. Blount (16-3) 7. Hartselle (19-4) 8. Brewer (20-4) 9. Center Point (17-9) 10. Austin (17-4) Others nominated: Athens (15-9), CarverBirmingham (19-7), Homewood (19-8), Muscle Shoals (12-9), Northview (12-7), Selma (16-4).

CLASS 6A 1. Carver-Montgomery (19-6) 2. Helena (24-2) 3. Muscle Shoals (16-3) 4. LeFlore (22-6) 5. Hazel Green (14-8) 6. Paul Bryant (19-4) 7. Albertville (18-4) 8. Parker (17-7) 9. Blount (14-10) 10. Daphne (16-6) Others nominated: Columbia (17-8), Cullman (16-10), McAdory (15-8), Oxford (13-10), Pinson Valley (18-7), Ramsay (1611), Russell Co. (15-6), Shades Valley (15-9), Spanish Fort (14-9).

CLASS 5A 1. Charles Henderson (25-4) 2. Wenonah (18-7) 3. Eufaula (20-4) 4. Talladega (20-2) 5. Scottsboro (20-3) 6. Central-Tuscaloosa (19-5) 7. Sumter Central (18-6) 8. Faith Academy (15-8) 9. Lee-Huntsville (14-10) 10. Shelby County (17-3) Others nominated: Alexandria (14-6), Brewbaker Tech (11-12), Fairview (16-6), Jackson (16-7), Mae Jemison (8-10), West Point (198).

CLASS 4A 1. Deshler (24-2) 2. Madison Academy (19-6) 3. Sipsey Valley (19-1) 4. Anniston (18-3) 5. Priceville (15-6) 6. Hokes Bluff (16-6) 7. Danville (19-6) 8. Greensboro (16-6) 9. Madison County (177) 10. Cherokee County (12-7) Others nominated: DAR (11-10), Jacksonville (15-6), Oneonta (15-8), Rogers (17-7), St. James (15-6).

CLASS 3A 1. Lauderdale County (24-2) 2. Pisgah (20-1) 3. Midfield (18-9) 4. Locust Fork (20-2) 5. Clarke County (22-0) 6. Montevallo (20-3) 7. Glencoe (17-6) 8. Plainview (19-6) 9. Susan Moore (17-5) 10. Geneva (16-5) Others nominated: Colbert County (147), Daleville (14-9), Montgomery Academy (18-5), North Sand Mountain (14-6), Prattville Christian (17-6), West Morgan (17-8).

CLASS 2A 1. Samson (22-2) 2. Collinsville (19-5) 3. Mars Hill (19-6) 4. Phil Campbell (17-5) 5. Chickasaw (15-1) 6. Section (11-9) 7. Fyffe (14-4) 8. Geneva County (13-8) 9. Abbeville (12-6) 10. Ariton (11-2) Others nominated: LaFayette (11-10), Lanett (9-4), Sand Rock (15-8).

CLASS 1A 1. Spring Garden (20-2) 2. Phillips (19-2) 3. Pleasant Home (18-4) 4. J.F. Shields (17-1) 5. Linden (12-2) 6. R.A. Hubbard (11-5) 7. Notasulga (11-3) 8. Loachapoka (12-4) 9. Skyline (17-5) 10. Holy Spirit (14-1) Others nominated: Cedar Bluff (12-10), Coosa Christian (168), Covenant Christian (14-6), Marion County (13-5), Meek (14-8), Vina (21-6), Westminster-Oak Mountain (8-5).

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CLASS 5A 1. Lee-Huntsville (9-11) 2. Wenonah (21-5) 3. Eufaula (19-9) 4. Guntersville (17-9) 5. Sumter Central (23-4) 6. Brooks (22-0) 7. Calera (19-4) 8. Etowah (18-4) 9. Faith-Mobile (16-9) 10. Fairfield (18-7) Others nominated: Alexandria (13-6), Mortimer Jordan (15-7), Valley (10-9), Woodlawn (16-10).

CLASS 4A 1. Cordova (18-7) 2. Oneonta (24-2) 3. Madison Academy (16-7) 4. Monroe Co. (15-7) 5. Escambia Co. (17-6) 6. WestminsterHuntsville (8-9) 7. West Limestone (155) 8. Deshler (19-6) 9. UMS-Wright (19-5) 10. Andalusia (17-3) Others nominated: Ashford (15-10), Catholic-Montgomery (15-6), Cherokee Co. (10-10), Dale Co. (14-9), LAMP (11-5), St. James (14-5).

CLASS 3A 1. Plainview (24-2) 2. Midfield (18-10) 3. Hillcrest-Evergreen (15-3) 4. Pisgah (15-7) 5. Holly Pond (21-3) 6. Lauderdale Co. (15-7) 7. Houston Academy (20-2) 8. Prattville Christian (19-4) 9. Central-Coosa (12-3) 10. American Christian (17-7) Others nominated: Clements (11-11), Cottage Hill (14-7), Geneva (17-6), Mobile Christian (14-7), Pike Co. (10-7).

CLASS 2A 1. Section (16-5) 2. Vincent (17-5) 3. Lanett (12-5) 4. Abbeville (17-5) 5. Barbour Co. (14-6) 6. LaFayette (15-7) 7. Mars Hill Bible (16-6) 8. St. Luke’s (12-8) 9. Collinsville (13-8) 10. Keith (14-9) Others nominated: Aliceville (10-4), Elba (10-5), Fyffe (15-5), Tanner (11-10).

CLASS 1A 1. Sacred Heart (14-10) 2. Ellwood (17-6) 3. Decatur Heritage (19-4) 4. Spring Garden (18-3) 5. Georgiana (20-2) 6. R.A. Hubbard (18-5) 7. Lindsay Lane (20-2) 8. Meek (19-4) 9. CornerstoneBirmingham (18-7) 10. Skyline (12-7) Others nominated: Appalachian (17-1), Brantley (9-6), Cedar Bluff (11-9), South Lamar (15-5).

Wildcats look to avenge loss

By LIZI ARBOGAST Sports Editor

With Opelika sitting at 3-0 in Class 6A Area 6 in both boys and girls basketball, Benjamin Russell is facing a must-win situation when it hosts the Bulldogs tonight.

But for the girls, it’s going to be all but impossible for the Wildcats to overtake the No. 1 spot in the area.

“If you look at it, even if we beat Opelika, we’re still going to end up No. 2,” BRHS girls coach Latreisha Moon said. “The reason I say that is because we still have to beat Wetumpka twice, which I think we can do, but we would have to beat Opelika by more than they beat us, and I just don’t see that happening.”

Moon missed the first meeting due to medical reasons, and the Wildcats fell apart in her absence, suffering a 62-24 defeat for their worst loss of the season.

Although Moon is confident in her team’s ability to avenge the loss, she doesn’t foresee it winning by 39-plus points.

“We might beat them by five or 10, but we’re not going to beat them by 40,” she said.

Benjamin Russell (11-5, 0-1) is also staring down the barrel of a jam-pack schedule, playing four games in the next five days. After hosting Wetumpka tonight, the Wildcats host Dadeville on Saturday then face Wetumpka on back-to-back nights Monday and Tuesday.

But, in a 70-39 win over Clay Central earlier this week, BRHS had the chance to play everyone on the roster, and Moon will be looking to utilize the full

OPELIKA VS. BENJAMIN RUSSELL Game date: Opelika Bulldogs at Benjamin Russell Wildcats ... Class 6A Area 6 game ... Friday, girls at 5:30 p.m., boys at 7 p.m.

Media coverage: Follow @liziarbogast on Twitter for live updates. Check out Inside the Lines Live on our Facebook page for a pregame show at 5 p.m.

Teams: On the boys side, Opelika is 8-12 (3-0) and is coming off 58-55 and 51-49 wins over Wetumpka, while Benjamin Russell (7-10, 0-1) lost its last game to Clay Central. For the girls, the Bulldogs are 10-4 (3-0) , and the Wildcats (11-5, 0-1) have won four of their last five.

Series: Opelika swept the first meeting. The boys won, 55-54, and the girls won, 62-24.

Outlook prediction: Benjamin Russell boys by 3, and Opelika girls by 12. roster over the next four games as well.

“We’re going to play a lot of girls,” Moon said.

“I’m going to have to rest my starters up, so that’s just how we have to go into that situation.”

And it’s going to start with what’s likely to be the Wildcats’ biggest test in the Bulldogs, who are now 10-4 (3-0) after a pair of big wins over Wetumpka.

“I feel like if we run the floor and fill in the gaps, the game could be different,” Moon said. “Opelika is a great team, and it’s going to take every one of us in order for us to attempt to beat them. We gotta play better defense and we need to capitalize on our shots. They aren’t going to give us three or four shots, so you have to be on your Ps and Qs when you play Opelika because they are a good team.”

Benjamin Russell will rely heavily on its inside players of Jaaliyah Caldwell and Brooklyn Edwards, but Moon is also encouraged by the play of point guard Aaliyah Thomas, who has

File / The Outlook

Benjamin Russell’s Quin Burroughs, right, puts up a shot against Beauregard earlier this season.

gotten better and better over the course of the season. Thomas had her best offensive output of the season against Clay Central, putting up 15 points.

On the boys side, this

game could come down to a flip of the coin. The area has proven itself as extremely close talent-wise, and Benjamin Russell could still come away with the top seed See GAME • Page 10

BRHS embarks on spring fishing season

By LIZI ARBOGAST Sports Editor

After a successful fall season and with the motivation of just missing out on the state tournament in 2016, Benjamin Russell’s fishing team has high expectations for this year’s spring tournament season.

“I have very high expectations this year,” BRHS coach Josh Williams said. “This year in the fall, we had six that finished with top-five awards, and the year before that, we only had three. We doubled how well we were placing from the year before and half of these (anglers) were on the fishing team last year, so we’ve got more experience.”

Benjamin Russell is in its third year with a fishing team and competes in the Alabama Student Angler Bass Fishing Association.

The year is divided into

Submitted / The Outlook

Benjamin Russell’s fishing team earned first-place prize on Lake Jordan during the fall season. Pictured are from left, Haley Forbus, who missed the tournament with an injury; Mary Beth Coker, Jackson Kelly and boat captain Danny Forbus. Kelly also won the Big Fish award.

two seasons — the fall season, which can be thought of as a warm-up or jamboree season, and the spring season, which is when anglers can compete for a spot in the state

championships.

During the spring season, the ASABFA hosts a total of six tournaments and teams elect three to compete in. With a total of 91 schools in the league,

their three tournament scores are combined, and the top 40 advance to the state championship, which will be held on Smith Lake in May. The spring season for BRHS kicks off Feb. 10 with a tournament at Lake Jordan, then the Wildcats will have a break before competing at the Lake Eufaula Qualifier on March 3 and the Lake Martin Qualifier on March 10.

The other big difference between the fall and spring seasons is the amount of boats that can compete per team. Benjamin Russell has seen a huge growth in its fishing team over the course of the three years.

In the first year, there were just six anglers, and that number grew to 10 last year.

In 2017-18, the number skyrocketed to 24 anglers for the Wildcats.

Boats consist of two See FISHING • Page 10

Registration to open for Alabama State Games STAFF REPORT TPI Staff

Registration opens for the Alabama State Games XXXVI on March 1.

According to its website, the Alabama State Games is “Alabama’s largest annual multi-sport event for youth and adults, and those with disabilities.”

There are more than 25 sports to choose from, including new sports of pickleball, 3D archery, diving, horseshoes, basketball school division, youth tennis, youth triathlon, 3-on-3 soccer and baton twirling, and a free Olympic-style Opening Ceremony to kick off the

weekend.

This year’s Alabama State Games will be held June. 8 through 10 in Huntsville and Madison counties.

For a complete list of sports offered and to register, visit www. alagames.com.

For more information, contact Josh Tucker at j.tucker2241@gmail. com.

Parks and Rec to offer senior activities

Several senior citizen activities will be offered beginning in February ACYS spring registration through the Alexander City Parks and Recreation 50-plus Activity coming soon Center.

Registration for the Alexander Advanced Line Dancing will be City Youth Soccer spring season will be held at the Charles E. Bailey held on the second Thursdays of the month beginning at 4 p.m., and Sportplex Gym during the first two more senior cardio dance classes will weeks of February. begin.

Dates include Friday, Feb. 2 and A Senior Punch Fit class will 9 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon. Cost for start on scheduled Wednesdays in registration is $65.

See BRIEFS • Page 10

Page 10

www.alexcityoutlook.com

Friday, January 26, 2018

The Outlook

Life Hunt participants complete buck sweep Every hunter at the 2018 Buckmasters Life Hunt at Sedgefields Plantation went home with great memories.

And with a snowstorm approaching, each hunter bagged a buck during the three-day event.

Going into the final afternoon hunt, David Powell of South Carolina had taken a doe earlier in the hunt but was the only participant without a buck. Powell completed the buck-sweep by dropping a 10-pointer as sleet started to pelt the ground blind.

Another hunter didn’t take her buck until the final day, but Abigail McHenry of Deatsville scored on the morning hunt.

Abigail was sponsored on the hunt by the Alabama Conservation Enforcement Officers Association.

Abigail, 14, is the daughter of Jason McHenry, a conservation enforcement officer with the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. Abigail was born prematurely and suffers from cerebral palsy.

When we talked about her hunt, the first thing she said was, “I was excited.” And she affirmed that her heart was really pumping.

Abigail had been practicing with her dad, and it definitely paid off. When I asked what happened after she shot, her answer was, “He hit the ground.”

Jason said the two had been practicing with some adaptive equipment, a Caldwell Deadshot Fieldpod Max with an iPhone adapter. When they arrived at the blind, it became apparent they would have to adjust.

“We had been working a Deadshot, and typically we were using that with a Snakelook hookup for the iPhone to look through the scope,” McHenry said. “As far as the setup with the blind, the Deadshot wouldn’t fit in the blind, so I shouldered the gun for her, and she pulled the trigger.

“When she shot it, the buck

DAVID RAINER Columnist

mule-kicked and took one step forward. It was standing, so we put another round in it and dropped it. When we watched the video, after that first shot, you could tell he was about to fall when we took the second shot.”

The McHenrys indicated they couldn’t be happier with the outcome.

“I’m excited for Abigail,” Jason said. “It gave us a great time together. Our guide, Jeff Woods, was awesome. He really took time with Abigail and just made her laugh and enjoy the hunt.

“The experience, as a whole, has been great. Abigail has been smiling all morning since she got the deer. It gives her some bragging rights to go back home and tell her brothers and sisters (five), because she’s the only one that has been a part of killing a buck.”

Rhae Busby of Demopolis, who suffers from brittle bone disease, had to sit out the final day of hunting after fracturing her collarbone the night before. However, she already had her buck down when that happened. In fact, Rhae was the first hunter to put a buck on the ground, an eight-pointer.

Rhae’s mother, Dana Busby, shared on Facebook about the event.

“Every hunter this year was able to take a buck,” Dana posted. “Rhae killed the first buck of the hunt, so she was given a really nice Buck knife.

David Robertson, pitcher with the Yankees, came out (as he does every year) and spent some time with the kids and families and gave all the hunters a jersey and hat, which he signed. You couldn’t meet a nicer guy. Rhae received several other gifts from several organizations.

Submitted / Dept. of Natural Resources

Rhae Busby and David Sullivan of the American Deer Foundation are all smiles after Busby took the first buck of the 2018 Buckmasters Life Hunt.

“Buckmasters put on an amazing three-day hunt that we were blessed and grateful to be a part of. Just want to say a big thank you to David Sullivan for getting us involved and to everyone else it took to pull this event off. I tried to thank everyone I could before we left. Y’all made one little girl extremely happy.”

Daniel Allen, a 6-year-old from Coke, who has survived leukemia, took his first buck with the help of the guides and his grandfather, David Strickland, who relived the successful hunt.

“A nice buck crossed out of range so I roused Daniel up from his stool where he was napping,” Strickland posted.

“Then we spotted two does headed towards the field in front of our ground blind at about 100 yards. The camera guy and guide looked at each other and told him to shoot the lead doe. I whispered, ‘Right

Fishing anglers, and while the fall season is unlimited in the boats that can compete, only five boats can compete in the spring for each team. Until this year, that number was never a problem for Benjamin Russell, but this season, the Wildcats had to make cuts heading into the spring.

By using totals from the fall, BRHS narrowed down its 24 anglers to 10. The top five that advanced to the spring tournaments were teams of Rachel Sanford and Jacob Jones, Zack Phillips and Clayton Boone, Haley Forbus and Mary Beth Coker, Denver Benton and Will Coats and Garrett Jones and Wish Cush.

Sanford and Jones saw the most success during the fall season, picking up a second place finish on Lake Harris, fourth place on Lake Martin on Sept. 30 and fifth on Lake Martin on Oct. 7.

Phillips and Boone had a top-five finish on Lake Martin on Sept. 30, and Dax Culligan and Wilson Hays earned second on Lake Martin on Oct.

behind the shoulder,’ and he shot. It dropped low and ran about 70 yards and hit the ground (perfect lung shot).

“I then noticed a buck easing across a dirt road headed the same way. We quickly extracted the spent shell and he pushed another round into the single shot. The guide stopped the trotting buck with a grunt and he stared in our direction. He aimed, shot and missed. I quickly opened the breach and slipped in another round. I whispered, ‘Slowly squeeze the trigger.’

He shot again and the buck buckled without a twitch.”

Taylor Watts of McCalla, a 16-year-old childhood cancer survivor, also bagged an eightpoint during the event.

David Sullivan, who heads the Buckmasters American Deer Foundation, said hunters came from as far away as the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to hunt at Sedgefields, one of

continued from page 9

30.

Coker and Jackson Kelly combined on a boat for a tournament on Nov. 18 and won first at Lake Jordan, and Kelly won the Big Fish award for the day.

In preparation for the tournaments, it can be difficult to practice like typical sports team do. The team typically tries to go out to a lake a week prior to the actual tournament to have an intrasquadscrimmage type tourney of its own, and always has a pre-fish the day before.

“Practicing is tough,” Williams said. “Practicing on Lake Martin in January is not going to help you when we get there in March because it’s going to be totally different.

Last year, they raised (the lake level) the week before we went out, so it was tough because even then it’s different. That’s why we always go the day before and sometimes even the week before.”

Because Lake Eufaula is so far away, BRHS won’t have a tournament the week prior,

but Williams is requiring each Wildcat to go on their own to get acquainted with the lake.

He said the ones who practice more often are usually the ones that find themselves with better results.

“If we practice early on, we’re working on things like being able to throw different baits or accuracy with casting,” Williams said. “The day before, they’ve basically got that one day to scout the lake and find fish. They can cover a lot of area in six to eight hours and develop a game plan.”

Another thing that helps BRHS anglers is getting used to their boat captains. Each team is required to have a driver at least 21 years or older to serve as the boat captains. Typically, they are related to one of the team members, but Williams said he’s gotten a lot of support from the community. Alex City Marine is the team’s top sponsor, helping with costs like jerseys, entry fees, travel expenses and more, and Steven

Briefs February at 10:30 a.m.

Stop by the Activity Center to sign up on the bulletin board.

Submitted / The Outlook

Benjamin Russell’s Jacob Jones, left, and Rachel Sanford took second place on Lake Harris during the fall.

Yearkey is also a volunteer boat captains.

“With us having 24 anglers this year, there were several that wanted to fish, but their dads couldn’t take the weekends off or we couldn’t find anyone to boat captain for them,” Williams said. “We’ve had several people in the community that have stepped up and helped out with that.”

continued from page 9

are No. 2 with a 2-1 record, and the Bulls in third at 1-1. Both the Warriors and Dadeville are 0-2.

It’s time to register for the 2018 youth In 8U, the Cavaliers and Bulls both have a baseball and softball leagues. The Alexander City teams are open to children ages 3 through 3-1 record, but the Cavaliers own the head-toNew rules implemented head matchup, as they beat the Bulls, 10-9, on 15. for youth baseball Monday. The Thunder (1-1) are third overall, Registration will take place at Radney The state meeting of the Alabama Cal Elementary on Feb. 1 and 2 from 5:30 to 8:30 followed by Dadeville (1-2) and the Warriors Ripken Baseball League was held last week, (0-3). p.m. and Feb. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon. Cost is and three important rules were updated.

Three teams remain undefeated in the 10U $85, and a copy of your child’s birth certificate All bats must have the USABASEBALL division. The Bulls are sitting in first with is needed at registration. The child must be stamp. The only exceptions are BBCOR is three wins, while the Cavaliers and Cooper allowed in Babe Ruth only and solid one-piece present, as uniform sizing will also be done. each have two. Dadeville Gold (1-1) is fourth, For more information, contact Matthew wood bats are allowed in all divisions. 2 5/8 while Dadeville Black (1-3) is fifth. The or 2 ¼ are both legal in Cap Ripken as long as Keel at 256-397-0119 or matthew.keel@ Warriors (0-1) and the Lakers (0-4) are still alexandercityal.gov. they have the stamp. Last year’s 2 ¼ bats are searching for their first win. now illegal.

In the 12U division, Cooper has a For All-Stars, teams are now allowed a total Youth basketball reaches halfway point dominating record of 4-0, and Dadeville Black of four coaches — one manager and three Midway through the Alexander City Parks assistant coaches. and Recreation youth basketball season, things (2-0) is also undefeated. Rounding out the third through fifth spots are Dadeville Gold For All-Stars, no pitcher may appear in are starting to heat up.

(1-2), the Thunder (q1-3) and the Pistons (0-3), three consecutive games regardless of how In the 6U division, the Celtics are leading respectively. many pitches thrown. the standings with a 3-0 record. The Lakers

Registration for youth ball begins Feb. 1

the top places to hunt in the Alabama Black Belt, which is renowned for its deer and turkey hunting.

The Life Hunt has been taking place at the Hinton family property since 2000, and Sullivan lauded the time and effort that goes into the hunt each January, both from the Hinton family and the many volunteers and guides.

“I think the Life Hunt has gotten better every year,” Sullivan said. “We’ve been able to refine the way we do things, and we have a lot more help than we used to.

We have a lot more resources donated, which allows us to help more people. We have more sponsorships, which allows us to buy more adaptive equipment the hunters need.”

As was mentioned by Rhae Busby’s mom, Robertson, a relief pitcher with the New York Yankees who hails from Tuscaloosa, again joined the Life Hunt to provide encouragement as well as mementoes.

“This is something I look forward to all season long,” Robertson said. “I can’t wait to hang out with these guys and see all the new hunters coming in. I love seeing smiles on faces when they’re putting their hands on horns and taking pictures. I just hang out, drift around and talk to people. I try to make them feel happy and comfortable.

“It’s different for me to hang out in this type of environment.

It’s fun to me to go around and find out how everyone’s hunt went. Most people here get their first deer. I remember how excited I was when I got my first deer. That was 24 years ago at Mike Spruill’s place near Tuscaloosa. It was a big, ol’ three-point. I had my dad with me. I will never forget it.”

David Rainer is employed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He writes a weekly column titled Outdoor Alabama Weekly.

Game

continued from page 9

if it beats Opelika tonight.

The first time around, the game came down to the wire, and the Bulldogs escaped with a 55-54 victory. Opelika (8-12, 3-0) has also beaten Wetumpka, 58-55 and 51-49. “(The first game), we missed 12 free throws down the stretch, and it was a one-point game, so if we get that cleaned up, it could be very different,” Benjamin Russell boys coach Lewis Daniel said. “We’re expecting a close game, and we’re hoping that the home crowd will give us an extra push. I don’t think we’ve played our best basketball game yet, and I think we’ve seen their best.”

The Wildcats are going to have to shake off an ugly loss to Clay Central, 65-43, on Monday, which Daniel said was one of their worst performances of the season. But he also said BRHS (7-10, 0-1) has turned up the intensity in practice and he doesn’t expect a repeat of Monday night.

Individually, the Wildcats have gotten a nice offensive spread, but Jaden Tuck has emerged as a team leader both on and off the floor.

“Jaden Tuck has been on his A-game, and he’s just been our solid rock,” Daniel said. “We’re also continuing to get good play out of Jakoibee Gamble, and the sophomores that we’ve brought up (Za Stowes and Desmond Bishop) have paid dividends.”

SPORTS CALENDAR Friday, Jan. 26 High school boys basketball Opelika at Benjamin Russell, 7 Alabama Christian at Dadeville, 7 Horseshoe Bend at Randolph County, 6:30 p.m.

Elmore County at Reeltown, 7 High school girls basketball Opelika at Benjamin Russell, 5:30 Alabama Christian at Dadeville, 5 Horseshoe Bend at Randolph County, 5 p.m.

Elmore County at Reeltown, 5:30 High school wrestling Benjamin Russell at Mortimer Jordan tournament, TBA