Weekend
OPINON: SEPT. 11 TAUGHT US ABOUT STRENGTH IN UNITY , PAGE 4.
The Outlook
.5% of sales tax pays for our Sportplex
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
September 10-11, 2016 • Vol. 124 • No. 183 • www.alexcityoutlook.com
2016 SPORTS EXTRA FRIDAY NIGHT SCOREBOARD WITH
SEPTEMBER 3-4, 2016
BRHS 42 ................................ Pelham 21 Munford 35 ..........................Dadeville 24 Freedom 40 .................... Lyman Ward 20
GAME COVERAGE INSIDE
Lanett 38......................... Horseshoe Bend 17 Reeltown 42 ........................ Woodland 6 Chelsea 35 .........................Wetumpka 28
Tallassee 21.......................... Handl Leeds 48 ......................Elmore Coun Park Crossing 19 ........Stanhope Elm
SPORTS EXTRA September 3-4, 20
High school football from The Alexander City
Dadeville’s Margarius Buchanan tries
Outlook, The Wetumpka Herald & The Tallassee
to break the tackle of a Munford defender
Friday night. Dadeville was defeated
ALABAMA’S BIGGEST WEEKLY HIGH SCHOOL
Tribune
by Munford 35 - 24.
FOOTBALL EDITION
SPORTS EXTRA Your all inclusive guide to area games, INSIDE!
Council candidate Q&As this week STAFF REPORT TPI Staff Crowe
B. Tapley
Colvin
Meacham
Probate court handling ballots, races for general election
Still on the fence when it comes to which candidate for Alexander City Council you will support in the runoff? With incumbent Bobby Tapley and challenger Steve Crowe facing off in Council District 1 and Buffy Colvin and Jacob Meacham set to meet on Oct. 4 in Council District 2, there are two question-and-answer sessions set next week to help
inform the voters. Alexander City resident Sean Bland’s Centrist of Alabama website is sponsoring two forums this week at Cooper Recreation Center. District 2 candidates will be featured at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, while the District 1 candidates will meet with voters at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Bland said that he hopes the question-and-answer sessions will help voters get a better feel for the candidates.
“I think this is the perfect opportunity for candidates to speak to the residents directly in their community and educate them on what they can do for their district before the election,” Bland said. The District 2 session will be emceed by Michael Ransaw, with Bland and Outlook Editor Mitch Sneed serving up questions. Doug Roberts will emcee the Tuesday District 1 session, with Bland and Sneed again handling the questions.
A FINE LAST RIDE
Both events will be streamed live and replayed on social media. In addition to questions from the moderators, the public can submit questions as well. Questions can be emailed to sean@hbsal.com or submitted in person on the night of the event. Bland said that questions should be open ended and specific to individual candidates. At this time, no session for mayoral candidates has been scheduled.
Councilman proposes plan to combat utility theft
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
By MITCH SNEED Editor
A plethora of mixes of elections on ballots in different areas of Tallapoosa County for the general election on Nov. 8 have made the job of ensuring that the correct ballots are provided to the correct people more difficult than normal for the Tallapoosa County Probate Judge’s office. Judge Tom Young, who is serving as acting probate judge in the absence of the suspended Leon Archer, said that employees in the probate office appear to have everything figured out, but continue to work hard to ensure that voters get the ballots they should have. “There are more than 40 ballots just in this county,” Young said. “Embirly (Collum, chief probate clerk) and the girls (in the probate office) are working very hard to make sure we’ve got everything
Alexander City City Council member Tony Goss said he has heard so many horror stories from the people who read electrical meters in the city, that it’s time for the council to take action to fight the theft of utility services. Goss said over the last few months he has heard of and actually been called out to see several instances of people illegally connecting power and water to homes. “In talking to meter readers, this is something they see almost daily,” Goss said. “Some people will try anything. I’ve seen everything from people using screwdrivers to bypass meters, stolen meters from other areas illegally installed and people running extension cords from a business several hundred feet away. “As it stands right now, we can disconnect it, but there is no way to stop it or punish people who are doing this.” The problem of theft of utilities is a national problem. As much as $6 billion worth of electricity is stolen annually, according to a 2015 Rural Electric Magazine report. Between one-half and 2 percent of electricity in the United States is lost See UTILITIES • Page 3
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
A special celebration of life was held Friday for New Site’s Larry Hanson. The longtime county commissioner and advocate for farmers was given a special procession in a horse-drawn wagon, followed by his tractors and several of his classic cars. His beloved 1956 Chevy stopped a little short of his final resting place and the occupants pushed it the final half-mile or so. See Editor Mitch Sneed’s column on Hanson inside on Page 4.
See ELECTION • Page 3
Today’s
Weather
91 70 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
488.00 Reported on 9/09/16 @ 6 p.m.
LACEY HOWELL 256.307.2443
laceyshowell@gmail.com 5295 Highway 280, Alex City, AL
6
54708 90050
Motel bust leads to trafficking ring
Legal issue puts ‘In God We Trust’ on hold
STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
By MITCH SNEED Editor
Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force, Dadeville Police Department and US Marshal’s Fugitive task force busted a drug operation at a motel in Alexander City after receiving a complaint about narcotics being sold from one of the rooms. Authorities observed the scene for several hours, finding that one of the occupants had an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The suspects on the scene attempted to flee and were apprehended quickly. Investigators recovered
A move proposed by Alexander City Mayor Charles Shaw to use city police cars to display a Christian message was put on hold for legal reasons. At the end of Thursday’s meeting of the Alexander City City Council, Shaw asked the council to approve spending $200 to have stickers reading “In God We Trust” made and placed on all of the city’s public safety vehicles. “At this time when so much is going on about the laws of the land, saying the Pledge and taking God out of everything, I’d like the council to spend $200 to buy stickers to go on our police cars that say ‘In God We
8
USPS Permit # 013-080
See DRUGS • Page 9
¡© ¦ £ ¡© ထ ¦ ¤® ¦ ¬ ¤ဘ
256.234.0007
3775 Hillabee Street • Alexander City, AL 35010 www.candtelectricllc.com
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
The Tallapoosa County Narcotics Task Force seized a large a mount of of synthetic marijuana, other drugs and more than $4,000 in cash in a Friday drug bust at a mote in Alexander City.
See LEGAL • Page 9
256-329-1313 Free Consultations 217 Madison Street, Alexander City, AL “We are a Debt Relief Agency. We help people file Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 under the Bankruptcy Code. Alabama State Bar requires the following in every attorney advertisement, “ No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.”