OPINION: VOTE TODAY, IT’S IMPORTANT. PAGE 4.
TUESDAY
THE
STAY IN THE LOOP
CACC FAILS AT HOME
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
Take a peek at local events in today’s calendar, page 5.
March 1, 2016
Vol. 124, No. 43
Lady Trojans drop tennis match. Sports, page 11.
www.alexcityoutlook.com
PRIMARY TUESDAY: Polls open at 7 a.m. today STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
It’s Election Day in Alabama and there are plenty of questions to be answered. Will Alabama help push Donald Trump even further out front of the pack in the race to be the Republican Party’s Presidential nominee? Will Hillary Clinton re-take the lead over Bernie Sanders on the Democratic side? Will Tallapoosa County’s Damon Lewis earn the right to face Democrat
Lake waterfront property sale prices remain high
Jeremy Duerr in the fall with a win over Chambers County’s Bill Harris in the GOP primary for District Attorney? Will Mike Rogers hold off Larry DiChiara in the race for the GOP nomination for Congress? Voters will answer those questions and more today as polls in Tallapoosa County and across the state are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. by state law. Anyone in line before 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Poll workers should
identify the last person in line at 7 p.m. and no one should be allowed to vote after that person. Voters must be registered and any resident who is unsure of where they vote should call the Board of Registrars at 256-825-1081. State law also requires that each voter carry with them to their polling place a government-issued photo ID. According to the alabamavotes.gov, a voter can use any of the following
TAKING THE PLUNGE
Expert says it’s a good time to buy or sell By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Lake Martin waterfront sales totaled 12 units during January, an increase in sales growth of 33 percent from the same period in 2015 and equal to the January peak in waterfront home sales at Lake Martin established in 2012, according to a report from the Alabama Center for Real Estate. “Overall the market is very strong – overall sales volume is up 43% over the same period last year,” said Steve Arnberg, vice president of real estate sales for Russell Lands on Lake Martin. “It’s a great time to be a seller because values are going up. It’s a great time to be a buyer because interest rates give more buying power.” The ACRE report also said the Lake Martin waterfront median sales price during January was $521,714, an increase of 55.7 percent from January 2015 and an increase of 25 percent from the prior month. Arnberg warned about the misleading volatility of the ACRE numbers. “Average prices and median prices in a monthly report can be a bit volatile,” Arnberg said. “A 55 percent increase over last January (which was $335,000 in my reports) is an indication of that. I would fear that someone seeing that one stat would think the market is red hot and a buyer would be scared off a purchase fearing a bubble or a seller See LAKE • Page 3
Today’s
Weather
73 42 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
485.61 Reported on 02/29/16 @ 7 p.m.
Linda Shaffer, REALTOR® C: 256.794.4641 • W: 256.329.5253 shaffer@lakemartin.net 5295 Highway 280, Alexander City, AL
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54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
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forms of photo ID at the polls: valid driver’s license; valid non-driver ID; valid Alabama photo voter ID; valid state-issued ID (Alabama or any other state); valid federal-issued ID; valid US passport; valid employee ID from federal government, State of Alabama, county government, municipality, board, authority, or other entity of this state; valid student or employee ID from a college or university in the State of See ELECTION • Page 3
City remains mum on audit of golf course funds By MITCH SNEED Editor
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Top, nearly 20 people joined in the first ever Polar Plunge at Windcreek State Park Saturday. The park gave participants a t-shirt, hot chocolate and a fire to warm up. Right, John McGuire, of Auburn, brought his own float for the fun event, unfortunately the float sprung a leak. Some of the participants even had a contest to see how long they could stay in the cool water.
Five weeks after Alexander City Mayor Charles Shaw said he had hired a firm to do a forensic audit to get to the bottom of checks made out to the city golf course that never cleared the bank, there is still no news to be made public. Shaw said Monday that he wasn’t sure if the audit was complete. Shaw said he hopes that auditors and Attorney Larkin Radney can meet with him “next week” to discuss the matter. “We have no indication that (the forensic audit) is complete,” Shaw said. “We hope to have a meeting with them and our city attorney next week.” Shaw did say he had been in communication with the auditors, but would give no indication as to if they had made any of their findings known. “There’s nothing that I’m prepared to talk about at this time,” Shaw said. The issue was raised by resident Wendell Scroggins at a council meeting on Jan. 25, alleging that a number of checks that patrons had See AUDIT • Page 3
Chonita’s Cookers win big at Talladega Cook-Off By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
The pressure is off for Chonita’s Cookers until the 2016 state finals of the Alabama Wildlife Federation Wild Game Cook-Off in August. That’s because the Alexander City cooking team secured its spot in the state competition by winning Saturday’s Talladega cook-off with its Pheasant Isabella Tacos. “It was crazy up there Saturday,” said team member Severa McGrady. “We also came in third place in fish with our Cajun Shrimp Nachos, but the tacos got us the spot in state.” McGrady said, even with a state spot secured, the Cookers will likely compete in a couple more competitions before the state finals on Aug. 6. “The good thing is that there’s no pressure Submitted / The Outlook now,” said McGrady. “We can just throw Chonita’s Cookers, including Mark McGrady, Severa McGrady, Angel Davis and Joey Davis, was presented some new recipes out there and try them the “Best Overall” award by Talladega SuperSpeedway’s Russell Branham (left) and Patrick Barfield (right) at See WINNERS • Page 3 Saturday’s Alabama Wildlife Federation Wild Game Cook-Off held at Talladega SuperSpeedway. +
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(256) 234-4555 “PROVIDING QUAALITYY ELEECTRRICALL CONSSTRUUCTIIONN SINCE 196 61”