RUNOFF ELECTIONS NEED YOUR VOTES, OPINION: PAGE 4.
THE
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Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
October issue of Lake!
October 4, 2016
Vol. 124, No. 199
www.alexcityoutlook.com
Municipal runoffs today
Witherington to hold 100-hole marathon. Sports, Page 12. POLLING LOCATIONS Alexander City District One – Cooper Recreation Center District Two – Housing Authority Spring Hill District Three – Gas Plant District Four – Hillabee Baptist Church District Five – National Guard Armory District Six – Fire Station II
Key races up for grabs in Alexander City, Dadeville, Camp Hill and Goodwater By MITCH SNEED Editor
Voters in several local municipalities will go back to the poll to help determine who will lead their cities and towns for the next four years today. In Alexander City, Dadeville and Goodwater runoff elections will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today.
Citizens only need to be a registered voter in those municipalities to vote. Having voted in the Aug. 23 election is not a requirement to vote in the runoff. In Alexander City there are three races that will be decided in the runoffs today. Voters in Alexander City will be asked to decide between challenger Jim Nabors and incumbent Charles Shaw in the
mayoral race after a flurry of last minute campaigning that included web video about campaign finances and slick mailers touting the qualifications of candidates. In Alexander City City Council District 1, incumbent Bobby Tapley and challenger Steve Crowe will face off. See RUNOFF • Page 3
Camp Hill Mt. Lovely Baptist Church
Dadeville Dadeville Recreation Center
Goodwater Goodwater Fire Department
Budget passage left up to next council
City schools’ enrollment drops below 3,000
By MITCH SNEED Editor
The current Alexander City City Council will not pass a new budget due to lack of information and lingering issues, but will work to straighten things out and let the newly elected city officials determine a budget of their own. That announcement came from City Council President Jim Spann at Monday’s meeting. The council also agreed to sell 16 acres of property to a developer of multi-family housing and tabled a vote on an ordinance aimed at combatting the theft of city utilities. Spann made the budget announcement during his finance committee report even though there was no official vote and the item didn’t appear on the agenda. “After individual conversations with all the council members and consideration of all options, this council is unanimous in feeling that we should not and will not present and pass an operating and capital municipal budget for 20162017,” Spann said. See COUNCIL • Page 7
Weather
86 62 Low
Lake Levels
486.21
Reported on 10/03/16 @ 7 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
54708 90050 USPS Permit # 013-080
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Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
PRAYERS FOR QUIN
Community prays as 14-year-old battles cancer By MITCH SNEED Editor
Quin Harrell has come to represent courage, determination and optimism to his fellow students at Alexander City Middle School, so Monday they gathered with others in the community on the field at Hamp Lyon Stadium to show him how much he means to them all. Harrell is a 14-year-old ACMS student who has been battling cancer for more than two years and Monday he was back at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for another surgery aimed at helping him fight off another setback. In all 266 people huddled together on the damp, grassy field at the stadium and joined hand in hand as they were led in prayer by Rev. See QUIN • Page 7
See ENROLLMENT • Page 3
Tonight the community will come together to celebrate and fundraise in the Third Annual Tutu 2.2, a fun run, jog, walk – whatever the participant’s chosen pace at 6 p.m. on the Russell Medical Center campus. “It’s a good community event to kick off October,” said Susan Foy, marketing director at Russell Medical Center. It’s a good cause and we have some participants who run, but most of them walk. We’ve even had some participate in wheelchairs and, of course, our furry friends are welcome, too. “The most important thing is the event is centered around Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but the run itself is really to honor all cancer patients – the ones that are still with File/ The Outlook us and fighting the fight and the memory of Runners kick off the annual Tutu 2.2 fun run last year. The event the ones who have already left us. We even is a breast cancer awareness fundraising event. See TUTU • Page 7
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Enrollment numbers for the Alexander City School system declined for the fourth consecutive year, decreasing by 67 students from 3,052 to 2,985, according to official enrollment numbers, known as the average daily measurement, released by Alex City Schools on Monday. The official system-wide enrollment reported for fiscal year 2016-17 represents the system’s first dip below the 3,000-student mark in the current century. The enrollment high point during that period was in 2005-06, when it hit 3,656. “It concerns me because almost all of our funding from the state is based on our ADM,” said Darrell Cooper, superintendent of Alexander City Schools. “We’ll have to look more closely to see where we’re going to lose units. I’ll give the numbers to my CSFO (Rhonda Blythe), she’ll run them and then we’ll know exactly how many units we’re going to lose and where. “But there’s not a lot you can do about the numbers. You can’t make kids’ parents not move to take a better job or whatever. You just have to adjust your plans to live with what you’ve got so that you don’t get in financial trouble.” Average daily measurement is calculated annually by averaging the total
A crowd of 266 people gathered on the field at Hamp Lyon Stadium Monday morning to join in prayer for Quin Harrell, the 14-year-old Alexander City boy who has been battling cancer for two years and underwent surgery Monday morning at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. Below, NBA star Dwight Howard, left, took time to pose for a photo with Harrell on the floor of the Georgia Dome before Sunday’s Atlanta Falcons game with the Carolina Panthers. The trip to the game was set up by former NFL star Justin Tuck after learning about Quin’s Monday surgery in his continuing battle with cancer.
STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Lake Martin
6
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Tutu 2.2 set for tonight
Today’s
High
Average daily measurement determines state funding
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Suspect enters guilty plea in armed robbery By MITCH SNEED Editor
The man accused of the armed robbery of an Alexander City convenience store in May, decided to enter a guilty plea and apologized to Lawson the victims of the crime See PLEA • Page 7
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