Weekend
PAGE 3: DRUGS, CASH, GUN RECOVERED AS TWO SUSPECTS ARRESTED
The Outlook
INSIDE: n Opinion, page 4 n Religion, page 6 n Classifieds, page 7 n Sports, page 12
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
July 22-23, 2017 Vol. 125, No. 145 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
Bibb Street crossing closure set for vote By MITCH SNEED Editor
The future of a rail crossing in downtown Alexander City will be determined Monday night as the Alexander City City Council considers closure of what officials consider a “redundant road-rail intersection.” A resolution that would close the railroad crossing on Bibb Street, located near Alexander City Middle School and across from Piggly Wiggly is on the agenda for Monday night’s council meeting. Community Development
Director Al Jones said at a public hearing on the closure that the more than $300,000 that has been approved to put crossing arms at Bibb Street would be moved to put arms at North Central if the council votes to close the crossing. He said that the crossing was the most dangerous in Tallapoosa County. With the closure and crossings at North Central, Jones said that Norfolk Southern would make the downtown area a “quiet zone” where trains would not blow whistles or horns or ring bells along that portion of the route. While the city officials seem to
favor the plan to close the crossing, owners of businesses near the crossing don’t like the idea even a little bit. Rev. David Benton was one of six people who addressed the council at a public hearing held on the issue July 10, asking that the Bibb Street Crossing remain open. “This was done without consulting or considering the opinion of people whose livelihoods are impacted by this crossing,” Benton said the day Mitch Sneed / The Outlook after that meeting in a call to A truck navigates the Bibb Street railroad crossing Friday afternoon. The Outlook. “It will drastically The city council will consider closing the crossing in exchange for a See CROSSING • Page 3 quiet zone through town at its Monday night meeting.
Back to school time means getting supplies
County’s June jobless rate at state average STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Tax-free weekend is here for Alexander City and Dadeville By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
A tax-free weekend in Alexander City and Dadeville from now until midnight Sunday can only mean one thing: the final days of summer vacation are here, and school is ready to start another year. With students preparing to once again fill up their classrooms, it comes time for making trips to the nearest store to obtain all the supplies necessary for a productive academic year. From pens and pencils to hand sanitizer and paper towel rolls, these lists are the recommended guide for back to school shopping. In order to create these lists, both the Alexander City and Tallapoosa County school systems follow the same overall method. “The lists are handled by each individual school. Each grade level gets together, decides on what they are looking at for the upcoming year, officially creates the list and sends them to the office,” said Tallapoosa County Director of Students Services and Public Relations Casey Davis. “In May, the grade level teachers at the elementary level get together and talk about what they feel the students would most likely need for the next year,” Alexander City Director of
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
Above, Madwind’s Tony Buenger, Tina Marie and Freddie Lynch jam to “Mustang Sally” at the Sun Festival’s Band Battle. Below, George Norrell plays the drums for Montgomery-based band The Talismen. The winning band opens for Moon Taxi tonight at Strand Park.
BATTLING FOR A GIG SUN FESTIVAL SATURDAY SCHEDULE • 7-11 a.m. — MainStreet Farmer’s Market • 7:30 a.m. — Motorcycle Ride • 8 a.m. - noon — Car Show • 8 a.m. - noon — Studio 280 Pop Up Shops • 10 a.m. - noon and 2-4 p.m. — On the Pontoon • 2 p.m. — Our Town • 4 p.m. — Jeep Show • 6 p.m. — Moon Taxi Concert
Tallapoosa County saw its June unemployment rate rise slightly over May, but it remained in step with the state average. The unemployment rate was 4.6 percent in Tallapoosa County last month, the same as the state’s average rate. In May, the county saw its jobless percentage drop to 3.8 percent. The 4.6 percent is still better than the 5.7 percent unemployment experienced in the county in June of last year. The June numbers were released Friday by Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington and showed Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted June unemployment rate at 4.6 percent, down from May’s rate of 4.9 percent, and significantly lower than June 2016’s rate of 5.8 percent. June’s state jobless rate represents 100,376 unemployed persons, compared to 107,223 in May and 125,000 in June 2016. 2,077,275 people were counted as employed in June, down slightly from May’s count of 2,088,502, but well above June 2016’s count of 2,040,370. “Alabama’s unemployment continues to drop, and our economy continues to add jobs. As of now, we are only twotenths of a percentage point away
See SCHOOL • Page 10
See UNEMPLOYMENT • Page 2
Dog’s owner hopes to find ‘Justice for Buckshot’ By MITCH SNEED Editor
A local woman is desperate to get a measure of justice for beloved dog Buckshot who was apparently shot and beaten earlier this month while she was away on a fishing trip. Shawn Brown said that on July 2 a person who was caring for her dogs at her Red Barn Road home while she was away found Buckshot was missing. His chain was not broken and was lying on the ground. His collar was gone. “When I got home we looked all night for him,” Brown said. “The next morning we finally spotted him, but it was obvious that he was hurt, but he was so scared he wouldn’t come to us. Finally he went under the porch and
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“I just can’t imagine who could do such a thing. I know he’s a big dog, but he wouldn’t hurt a soul.”
High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
490.58
— Shawn Brown Buckshot’s owner we got to him, he had a big wound on the side of his face and jab. It was just horrible. “It’s just that my animals mean so much to me, they are like my children.” Brown got Buckshot, a large male Catahoula, loaded into the car and transported her to the Alexander City See JUSTICE • Page 10
Today’s
Reported on 07/21/17 @ 1 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
Submitted / The Outlook
Shawn Brown is searching for justice after her dog, Buckshot, was apparently shot and beaten earlier this month while she was away from home.
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