THURSDAY
THE
LOCAL, PAGE 9
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
Wright supports vets after serving
March 7, 2019 Vol. 127, No. 47 www.alexcityoutlook.com 75¢
SPORTS, PAGE 10 Track season underway for local teams
Deal or no deal? Alex City man to decide on plea deal or possibly face life in prison By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Ronnie “Flip” Russell Jr. has until March 28 to decide between accepting a plea deal for 15 years in prison or chancing a trial where he could face life without parole for trafficking hydrocodone. “If he is convicted, the only possible sentence is life without parole,” Fifth Judicial Circuit assistant district attorney Kevin Russell Hall said. Russell, 34, of Alexander City was arrested in March 2018 on 20 counts of See PLEA • Page 5
ASH WEDNESDAY
County could get more than $900K from new gas tax Officials caution amount is not enough By JIMMY WIGFIELD Managing Editor
Tallapoosa County could see an additional $910,000 annually for road and bridge maintenance if the Alabama Legislature approves Gov. Kay Ivey’s proposal to increase the gas tax by 10 cents a gallon over the next three years, according to county engineer David Moore. But it won’t be nearly enough to modernize all 957 miles of roads and 82 bridges in the county. “Honestly there is a greater need than the 10 cents a gallon being proposed but any increase will be better than no increase,” Tallapoosa County Commission Chairman T.C. Coley said. According to a study conducted by the Association of County Commissions of Alabama based on data collected by the engineering departments of all 67 counties in the state, Tallapoosa County See ROADS • Page 3
Photos by Cliff Williams / The Outlook Top: St. James Episcopal Church Rector Rev. Robert Iler marks a parishioner with ashes during the Imposition of Ashes at the church’s Ash Wednesday service this week. Above: Deacon Rev. Andrea Peacock speaks on ‘the Gospel according to Matthew’ on Wednesday night. Left: Bill King returns to his seat after the Imposition of Ashes.
Pink ’59 Cadillac treasured link to historic style
Today’s
Weather
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By RON COLQUITT For The Outlook
B
Ron Colquitt / For The Outlook
A 1959 pink Cadillac owned by Ben Russell is on display at Darwin Dobbs Company on Cherokee Road in Alexander City.
Crestview Apartments
en Russell said the 1959 Cadillac’s “outrageous” styling and towering tailfins are what made him want one bad enough to shell out $15,000 in 1988 to add one to his car collection. Russell, the chairman and CEO of Russell Lands Inc., was enthralled by the tailfin craze on American cars which reached its peak in the 1959 Cadillac. “I thought that was just the most typical American thing you could possibly find ... Generally speaking, it was just outrageous,” he said. Russell bought the convertible from a man in Kentucky in 1988 and spent about $7,000 restoring it. The car originally was white but Russell painted it pink. The chrome-laden pink Cadillac DeVille is on display at Darwin Dobbs Company on Cherokee Road in Alexander City. It can See CADILLAC • Page 5
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