OPINION: SEE WHAT READERS ARE SAYING. PAGE 4.
TUESDAY
THE
NEED A DEAL?
PLAYOFF REMATCH
Lighting the way for Alexander City & Lake Martin since 1892
Find what you need in classifieds, pages 7-8.
September 22, 2015
Vol. 123, No. 189
www.alexcityoutlook.com
Benjamin Russell prepares to meet Stanhope Elmore, page 10.
Council reinstates finance director After 70-minute executive session, 5-0-1 vote puts Machen back in her position
Mayor Charles Shaw waves the city’s personnel manual at Monday’s meeting of the city council, saying it says he had the power to fire the city’s finance director.
By Mitch Sneed Outlook Editor
Mitch Sneed / The Outlook
Sandra Machen was reinstated as Alexander City’s finance director after the council voted 5-0-1 Monday night to overturn Friday’s decision by Mayor Charles Shaw to terminate her. The move came after City Attorney
Larkin Radney called Shaw’s decision to terminate Machen before he had completed the investigation “backwards,” and after a 70-minute closed executive session where the council heard Shaw’s reasoning for making the move. Shaw indicated that he didn’t want to discuss the matter until the
Homecoming Week events abound at Horseshoe Bend
investigation was complete and said the city personnel manual gave him the right to make the move. But members of the council and Radney pointed out that state law made it mandatory for him to tell the council his reasons. “It would appear, in my opinion, See REINSTATES, Page 9
Last call for entries in LML art and photo contest SSubmissions are due by 5 p.m. Wednesday
By Corey Arwood Outlook Staff Writer
Staff Reports
It’s homecoming week for Horseshoe Bend High School, and leading up to Friday’s game against the Collinsville Panthers will be a school week full of super hero themed activities. Each day there will be something for both students and faculty to participate in, Cheryl Bynum, a high school counselor, said. She said that the cheerleaders chose the theme and were responsible for coordinating homecoming week. Monday was Cape Day, Bynum said, which meant that everyone was supposed to wear a super hero cape. She said that her cape said “Super Counselor.” Tuesday is Sidekick Day, and students are encouraged to pair up and attend class dressed as some dynamic duo, or as some terrible or terrific twosome of their own creation. Bynum said the she and another counselor plan to be “salt and pepper.” On Wednesday students are encouraged to be patriotic, and wear red white and blue for American Hero day. Villain Day is Thursday and students can come dressed as their favorite bad See HEROES, Page 9
Outlook Staff
Cliff Williams / The Outlook
Charles Yarbrough talks about growing gourds and other vegetables in his garden. Yarbrough, an Alexander City native has served in the military, worked in Michigan before settling down in Alexander City in the early 90s. Yarbrough likes to make martin nest from the dried gourds.
GURU OF GOURDS Yarbrough uses life experiences in all he does By Cliff Williams Outlook Staff Writer
Alexander City native Charles Yarbrough has been around. He served the military in Germany for two years in the 1950s, worked in Michigan in the 1970s on cars. “I have worked on cars all my life,” the now 79-year-old Yarbrough said. “I really started working on them when I
got back from the military.” Yarbrough has been back in Alexander City for a while. “Oh lord, I moved back in 1992 or 93,” Yarbrough said. “My wife and I bought this trailer in Michigan. We moved it here from up there, all 789 miles.” Now, Yarbrough grows a few vegetables at his home including gourds.
Consider this a last call for entries in this year’s Lake Martin Living Art and Photography y Contest. C The deadline to submit entries is by the close of business tomorrow. To submit an entry, c bring artwork to the Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc., b office before 5 p.m. The office is located at 548 o Cherokee Road in Alexander City. Be sure each C entry is clearly marked with the artist’s name, e address and telephone number before submitting a it. i Submissions in acrylics, oil, watercolor, pastels, pen and ink, pencil and photography – and t now textiles – are welcome. All entries must n reflect life in East Central Alabama, highlighting r lifestyle, landscape and loveliness of the local l area. a Entrants can submit up to three works of art. Only ready-to-hang works will be accepted. The O contest is open to artists of any age, and there is c no n fee to enter. No prizes or monetary awards will w be given. This contest is just for fun! A panel of o local artists will judge the entries. A tradition of many years, the annual Lake Martin Living contest showcases local art and M artists. The winner each year is featured on the a cover of the October magazine edition. Artists’ c works also are featured in a special inside section w of o the magazine, and all entries are displayed at Alexander City’s Emporium Wine and Gallery A 128 1 from the end of September until Oct. 25. Those visiting the exhibit at Emporium Wine/ T Gallery 128 are invited to vote for the People’s G Choice winner Sept. 29 through Oct. 4. C View the entries and cast your votes for the People’s Choice award while they are on display P at a at 128 Calhoun Street, Alexander City, next See ART, Page 5
See GOURD, Page5
Speaker gives War College lesson to Horizons Unlimited By David Granger Outlook Staff Writer
U.S. Army Col. Dave Luders tried to get the capacity crowd at Monday’s Horizons meeting in the Alexander City Board of Education conference room to shift their focus beyond the current crisis in the Middle East – primarily ISIS, Syria and the refugee crisis that the region is creating in Europe – to the emerging world where our military attention will likely be focused on China and India. But Luders, an instructor of strategy at Air University’s Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Cliff Williams / The Outlook first the took the group back in time, when American troop U.S. Army Col. Dave Luders speaks to members of Horizons Unlimited Monday afternoon. Luders talked about the military attention to China and India. numbers (Luders limited his
numbers primarily to the Army) were large and the U.S. was intent on nation-building in countries where it hoped to establish democracies. “We were going to establish a footprint, then we were going to establish a government and then were going to give that government back to the people (of Iraq),” Luders said. “But the problem arises when those people don’t know how to govern themselves. It’s kind of like fixing a car. Here’s your car, but if you don’t know how to do maintenance on it, how long’s your car going to last? Same thing with your house. If you don’t know how to do routine maintenance on it, how long’s it going to last? It is See HORIZONS, Page 5
Today’s
Weather
85 64 High
Low
Lake Martin
Lake Levels
487.92 Reported on 9/21/15 @ 1 p.m.
Linda Shaffer, REALTOR® C: 256.794.4641 • W: 256.329.5253 shaffer@lakemartin.net 5295 Highway 280, Alexander City, AL
6
54708 90050
8
USPS Permit # 013-080
Hardwood Floors Ceramic Tile Carpet & Vinyl Locally Owned for Over 45 Years
256-234-6071
1945 Hwy 280 • Alexander City
H
OLMAN
“WE’RE
F
LOOR
C
OMPANY
THE PROFESSIONALS”
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.”
1720 Dadeville Road • Alexander City, AL
Call Spencer or Dax Today!
256.234.5331
DOWN PAYMENTS
As Low
500
$
As...........
MONTHLY PAYMENTS As Low
250
$
As........... *Upon Kerley Motors Approval