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SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE TODAY
SSPORTS, PAGE 11
Friends of the Library hosting Book Sale July 15
The Outlook is celebrating 125 years of service
All-Area Softball team inside
125 ALEXANDER CITY O UTLOOK
YEARS OF SERVICE
THE RECO CORD RD Serving the Dadeville & Lake Martin area since i 1897 8
WWW.THEDADEVILLERECORD.COM
VOL. 120, NO. 27
THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017
Commissioners to consider electronic poll book system By MITCH SNEED Editor
A new electronic voters database or poll book that has proven to decrease wait time for voters at the polls has been tested in 22 counties across the state and now may be considered for use here in Tallapoosa County. Tallapoosa County Probate Court Judge Leon Archer said that Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has sent
all counties information, strongly urging counties to look at ways to implement the program. “Traditionally we have used the old computer paper books and voters would have to come in and wait for poll workers to look up their name and then lay a ruler down and mark them off,” Archer said. “We have some very good poll workers who do a great job, but that just takes time no matter how good the
people you have are. With this it’s as simple as a scan and you can get voters to the polls.” According to a letter from Merrill, the system reduced wait times for voters by as much as 75 percent in testing during the 2016 General Election. He is strongly urging all counties to find a way to have the new system in place as quickly as possible. “These systems have also been shown
to virtually eliminate the user errors which often exist with the cumbersome paper rosters,” Merrill wrote in a letter to the state’s probate court judges. Merrill also said that it could be valuable because of new laws that prevent crossover voting during runoffs. Voters would have to present identification, have it scanned and then the system would take care of the rest.
County schools take action on personnel moves
WHATLEY: Special session is very likely
B DONALD CAMPBELL By SStaff Writer
Prison reform, infrastructure concerns could be addressed
Personnel matters were the t order of the day during a special call meeting of the t Tallapoosa County Board of Education last B Thursday afternoon. Despite T board members Matilda b Woodyard-Hamilton and W See SCHOOLS • Page 3
By MITCH SNEED Editor
State Senator Tom Whatley said that despite the likelihood of a special session to address some important issues including prison reform, the recently completed legislative session was productive. In a sit-down with The Outlook, Whatley speculated on what a recent court ruling meant to the urgency of action on the state’s prison and the successes on other fronts during session. Whatley “I do think that a special session is extremely possible,” Whatley said. “I don’t mean to speak for the governor, but we’ve gotten a letter from the federal government and we’ve now received an order from the court. There’s no question that we have to address it.” Whatley said that there were some solid ideas on prisons during the session, but neither cleared both branches of the legislature. He thinks some answers can and must be reached sooner, rather than later. “We had a prison plan and I voted for the prison plan that came out,” See SESSION • Page 3
See VOTING • Page 7
Donald Campbell / The Record
Glinda the Good Witch (Bella Yoder) talks to Dorothy (Addie Caldwell) and a group of Munchkins during last Thursday’s performance.
Local schools wrap up summer arts program By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer St
Students from Dadeville, Horseshoe Bend and H Reeltown gathered together R at their respective schools throughout the month of th June Ju for the 2017 Summer Arts A Enrichment Program offered by the county o board of education. The b program concluded Thursday pr
morning with each of the groups putting on a stage performance, complete with costumes and props. With two different twists on the traditional story of The Wizard of Oz, and a collection of traditional stories from around the world, these performances enthralled the audience and left the participants excited for what they had accomplished.
At Dadeville, Dorothy hailed from Alabama instead of Kansas, and when she arrived in Oz, she said that she must be somewhere north of Birmingham. At Reeltown, The Reel Wizard of Oz contained references to the local kiwi farm, changed the Emerald City to the Sapphire City to reflect the school’s colors and used the school See PROGRAM • Page 7
Tuskegee man faces life in federal penitentiary FFound guilty of robberies, 2 in Tallapoosa county S STAFF REPORT TTPI Staff
A federal jury found j Tariq Khalil T Jones, 35, J of o Tuskegee guilty g Jones Thursday of T 23 2 separate charges stemming from c numerous armed robberies n in i 2016 in Alabama and Georgia while brandishing G See JONES • Page 3
Tallapoosa County escapes 89 73 holiday with no traffic fatalities TToday’s d ’
Weather
High
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7 of 8 statewide traffic fatalities involved failure to use seat belts available but not in use in seven of the eight deadly traffic crashes While Tallapoosa Alabama State Troopers County escaped the long are investigating from this holiday weekend without year’s extended holiday a single traffic fatality, the weekend, which began at rest of the state was not as 6 p.m. Friday, June 30, fortunate. and ran through midnight Three words best Tuesday, July 4. describe the common The eight fatal traffic denominator for the crashes consisted of state’s Fourth of July a pedestrian killed in holiday travel period Madison County, a traffic fatalities: no seat 12-year-old passenger belts. killed in St. Clair Seat belts were See TRAFFIC • Page 3 STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
LLake k M Martin ti
Lake Levels
490.58 Reported on 07/05/17 @ 11 a.m.
Waymon Williams REALTOR®
256-496-2992
1waymon.williams@gmail.com
Mitch Sneed / The Record
Here is a look at this year’s Fireworks at the Lake brought to you by Russell Lands. It was a full 30 minutes of pyrotechnic entertainment, reflected off one of the most beautiful lakes in the country, with thousands watching from the amphitheater, from boats on the water and all around the lake.
Starting Friday: Despicable Me 3 – PG-13 Transformers: The Last Knight– PG-13 Spider-Man: Homecoming 3D– PG-13