OPINION:
SPORTS:
WHAT’S UP?
Conventions were unconventional
Youth sports registration info inside
Betty Hayes recaps community visits
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THE RECORD Serving the Dadeville & Lake Martin area since 1897
WWW.THEDADEVILLERECORD.COM
VOL. 119, NO. 30
THURSDAY, JULY 28, 2016
Board makes final moves By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
The Tallapoosa County Board of Education made several last-minute personnel moves at a specially called meeting on Wednesday at the board’s central office building. “These will be the last changes that we need to make prior to the school year unless something comes up,” said Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Joe Windle. All board members – Windle, Chairman Martin Johnson, Randy Anderson, Michael Carter, Karen White and Matilda Woodyard-Hamilton – were
present for the meeting. The personnel moves, all approved unanimously, included: • Resignations of Christina Meigs, a bus driver at Horseshoe Bend School, and Ashley Ramon of Dadeville High School, effective upon board approval; • Retirement of Ramona Heard, a lunchroom worker at Dadeville Elementary School, effective Aug. 1; • Employment of Carrie Patterson as a pre-K teacher and John Thompson and Amy Scott as bus drivers at Horseshoe Bend School, effective upon See BOARD • Page 10
Cliff Williams / The Record
Dadeville Elementary School second grade teacher Lawanda Wilson looks over material for a bulletin board.
Jobless rates up despite more people working
Council addresses dilapidated structures
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Views recommendations for demolition properties
Tallapoosa County’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for June increased a half percentage point from May, but remained a half percentage point below what it was in June of last year, according to statistics released Friday by the Alabama Department of Labor. The county’s June unemployment rate was measured at 6.0 percent, up from May’s 5.5 percent, but slightly lower than last June’s 6.5 percent. Despite the increase in the rate, the numbers show slightly more people employed in Tallapoosa County than in May. “The unemployment numbers for the state show a slight growth in jobs and that is also reflected in the numbers shared locally,” said Ed Collari, president and chief executive officer of the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce. “The 6 percent June unemployment rate for Tallapoosa County is consistent with adjusted numbers for May and an improvement over the 6.5 percent unemployment rate our county experienced in 2015. See JOBS • Page 5
Rose-colored career Special to / The Record
Country music John Conlee will bring his sound to the World Famous Rodeo Club near Dadeville Friday night. The Grand Ole Opry member is best known for hits like ‘Rose Colored Glasses,” “Common Man” and “Back Side of 30.”
Conlee’s road included stops as mortician, disc jockey By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
When you think about country music legend John Conlee, who will appear at the Rodeo Club Lake Martin Event Center in Dadeville at 9 p.m. on July 29, chances are his hit song “Rose Colored Glasses” pops to mind. “I wrote ‘Rose Colored Glasses’ along with a friend of mine named George Baber,” Conlee said Tuesday. “We worked together at a couple of different radio stations and at the time we were working together at WLAC in Nashville. I wrote the first two verses and
By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
The City of Dadeville is closer to removing dilapidated structures. Paul Monroe of Monroe and Associates made a presentation to the Dadeville City Council at Tuesday night’s meeting to update them on the process. Monroe presented handouts, pictures and addresses of structures they think should be taken down. Monroe also provided a plan for the grant program and explained that some of the structures are in historic districts and could complicate things. The council voted to establish a bank account just to handle the grant monies for the project. Councilperson Mickey Tarpley wanted to amend minutes from the special called meeting. The minutes read that the Alabama Department of Transportation recommended that the flashing lights/stop light
See CONLEE • Page 11
See COUNCIL • Page 5
Institute Day gets new look, DHS kicks off open houses today the entire workforce together in one place,” Windle said. “But this year, we’re going to take a little different approach. We’re going Prior to the start of the to have a fun day. We’re going to try to school year for Tallapoosa make this a good time for our workforce. County Schools on We’re going to have a comedian come in, Wednesday, Aug. 3, the we’re going to have music, we’re going to school system will hold have skits just to make it a fun opportunity its annual Institute Day on because it’s been a hard four or five years Tuesday, beginning at 8:30 in education. We’ve taken the fun out of it. a.m. in the Dadeville High And we need to put some fun back in.” School auditorium. The keynote speaker for the occasion Fuller Usually, Tallapoosa will be Jody Fuller, an inspirational and County Superintendent Joe comedic speaker and writer from Opelika. Windle uses the opportunity to provide Fuller, who writes a weekly column for teachers with updates on requirements, new The Outlook, said his message to teachers processes, etc., but this time he plans to do will be the important role they play in the things differently. lives of children. “Most institutes are information“I’ve done quite a few of these,” Fuller providing opportunities, because we have said. “My message is basically the same By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
thing. The point is to show teachers how important their role is. I want to provide some motivation and laughter as they head into the school year, help them get it started on a positive note. “I’m just a poor, stuttering kid from Opelika. I thought I’d end up working in the tire plant. But I had some teachers that showed me that I could be more than that. If I had to title it, I guess it would be ‘Adapt and Overcome.’ Or another one of those sayings I had in the Army, ‘Make It Happen.’” While the morning session will be designed to get the year started on a fun note, there is still the business of updates and new information on athletics, social media, teacher ethics and mandatory reporting that must be covered. Those will See INSTITUTE • Page 10
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