Wednesday, February 17, 2021
VOL. 13, NO. 20
pelika Observer O
Opelika, Alabama
Celebrating Black History Month
“An award-winning publication for local people, by local people.”
To read more, turn to A12
Construction on I-85 to begin soon Bringing home the bacon
By Will Fairless Associate Editor A project that has been gestating for three decades will be finished in the next few years, according to State Senator Tom Whatley. From Exits 58 to 62, the bridges on I-85 will be fixed, and the acceleration lanes on the interstate will be lengthened, making the highway safer and cutting down on traffic. “Mayor Fuller and I identified that the chokehold on I-85 from a traffic standpoint was really from Tiger Town to Exit 62, and that’s the most heavily traveled part of I-85,” Whatley said. “The number one thing is safety; this is gonna make
I-85 safer because you’re gonna increase the width of the interstate.” The project has $45 million of funding. That current budget is composed by reve-
nue from the gas tax, other money from the state and a federal grant matching those state funds. “[Mayor Fuller and I] went to Washington, D.C., and we
The Incredible Winston Browne to hit shelves soon By Hannah Lester
hlester@opelikaobserver.com
Sean Dietrich will release his newest fiction novel, The Incredible Winston Browne, on March 2. Those of you who read the Opelika Observer regularly will recognize Dietrich as weekly columnist Sean of the South. Stories of eating casseroles while driving with his knees, colonies of butterflies, red hair, fruitcake, letters from strangers and food and so many beautiful depictions of southern life are found on page A4 of our paper. Although he writes columns daily, Diet-
rich said that he’s been cultivating a love for fiction since he was little. The Incredible Winston Browne is set in Moab, Florida, and follows the story of a small-town sheriff dealing with the inevitability of death. “I’ve written a lot of columns, so they’re based on a lot of these stories I’ve heard from other people about what it’s like to die. I’ve written about death a lot anyway. I was writing the columns about people’s cancers, children’s cancers or people who pass on. I was coming across these, for me, profound discoveries these people were
making in their own daily lives. And they would say a sentence or something and it would hit me so far beneath the ribs that I would think, ‘Wow, there’s just, a beauty to life that I wish I could write about.’ And sometimes you can’t write about that unless you put death in the scenario.” So although yes, the book discusses death, it is also meant to discuss life. And don’t worry, it’s not supposed to be a downer. Dietrich said the book is meant to be charming. Small-town life is dying out in many parts of the United States, See BROWNE, page A5
were able to put together the grant to get the money,” Whatley said. “I’m on the joint transportation committee for the House See CONSTRUCTION, page A2
Photo contributed by Lee County Extension.
Phillip Belcher, Lee County 4-H member, with his Alabama State Reserve Grand Champion market hog, Bluebell. The show was held in Montgomery on Jan. 6.
Auburn council talks short-term rental policies By Hannah Lester
hlester@opelikaobserver. com
The Auburn City Council held a work session on Feb. 8 to discuss short-term rental policies for the city. The council will take formal action on the considered policies on Tuesday night during the regular council meeting. Short-term rental complaints began in 2013, and conversations regarding reg-
ulations began four years later, in 2017, said Katie Robison, acting planning director. Soon after Mayor Ron Anders was elected in October 2018, he formed the short-term rental task force. Robison shared definitions with the council of the two recommended types of short-term rentals. A homestay is, “A home occupation in which an individual who owns a dwelling unit and
uses it as his or her permanent residence hires out such dwelling, or any portion thereof, as lodging.” A short-term non-primary rental is, “A dwelling unit that is not a permanent residence and that is leased in its entirety to one party for periods of less than 30 consecutive days. The term party as used in this definition shall mean one or more persons who as a single group rent a See SESSION, page A3
Contents OPINION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4
SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1
SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY . . . . . A7
POLITICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B9
RELIGION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A13
PUBLIC NOTICES . . . . . . . . . . . .B11
COMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A14
CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . B12
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