Opelika Observer 04-24-19 E-edition

pelika Observer O Vol. 11, No. 29

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Opelika, Alabama

“By local people, for local people.”

Name of Lee County Meeting Center to be changed to Bennie Adkins Meeeting Center in ceremony on Friday

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

Community celebrates life of one of Opelika’s “beautiful souls,” ‘Ame’ Elizabeth Hill

By Morgan Bryce Editor Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

By Morgan Bryce Editor A special ceremony this Friday afternoon will see the name of the Lee County Meeting Center be changed to the Bennie Adkins Meeting Center in honor of the Opelika native and Medal of Honor recipient.

Spearheaded by District 2 Lee County Commissioner Johnny Lawrence,

the new center will not only commemorate the service of Adkins and other local military heroes, but shine a spotlight on the importance of community service.

The Idea A longtime friend of the Adkins family, Lawrence was invited to Washington D.C. on Sept. 15, 2014 to attend the Medal of Honor ceremony where then-U.S. President Barack Obama

would present the award to Adkins.

That experience would set into the motion the idea of creating a space named in Adkins’s honor that would recognize his contributions and service, according to Lawrence.

Fellow commissioners voiced their support for Lawrence’s plan in 2016, enabling him to proceed with the project.

In February 2017,

Lawrence found a group of sophomore Auburn University engineering students who were willing to conceptualize and develop a plan for the facility’s layout and interior design.

“They came back to me with all these great ideas and I was sitting there thinking to myself how I wish I had a 50,000 square foot building with 20-foot ceilings in it that were See Adkins, page A3

One of Opelika’s “beautiful souls” passed away last Monday.

Amelia Elizabeth Hill, 38, was the daughter of Dave and Jean Hill. Her younger sister Kristine was “Ame’s ultimate protector and no. 1 fan.”

Opelika born-andraised, Ame was a huge Bulldogs fan and actively involved with local organiza-

tions like Camp ASCCA and the Exceptional Foundation of East Alabama.

Following Ame’s passing, tremendous waves of love and support for the Hill family have been expressed on social media.

Auburn High School teacher April Halverson was paired with Ame through Auburn University’s Best Buddies program years See Hill, page A3

Resting Pulse Brewery readies for Opelika welcomes its first ‘Giving Day’ Friday’s grand opening festivities Special to the that collectively all port. This event aims Opelika Observer

By Morgan Bryce Editor Friday will mark the realization of a nearly two-year dream for Dave and Terri Plundo as they celebrate the grand opening of their downtown Opelika business Resting Pulse Brewery.

Following a ribboncutting ceremony with the Opelika Chamber of Commerce and soft opening on Thursday, Resting Pulse’s grand opening festivities beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday will fea-

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

ture live music from Marde Brooks and Ritch Henderson, food provided by Drive-By Tacos and The Original Po-Boy City food trucks, as

well as the debut of six of their on-tap beers for patrons to enjoy. Instead of constant carding, patrons See Opening, page A5

Index

OPINION.....................................A4 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY..............A7 RELIGION..............................A12 CALENDAR..................................A14

The Community Foundation of East Alabama will host a 24-hour online fundraiser to support Opelika nonprofits. The fundraiser will be held May 1.

Opelika Giving Day is organized by the Community Foundation of East Alabama to support Opelika’s nonprofits that work to serve and improve the community. The fundraiser is online-based which provides an easy way for participants to give their sup-

SPORTS................................B1 POLITICS.................................B5 LEGALS.........................................B8 ENTERTAINMENT......................B10

to inspire a culture of giving throughout the community.

“The Board of Directors of the Community Foundation is excited about launching this inaugural online fundraiser and feel it is a way to highlight some of the important projects in Opelika needing funding and the nonprofits that undergird them,” said Barbara Patton, Executive Director of the Community Foundation. “It also provides a mechanism to easily support one or more projects and showcase

levels of support can make a huge difference.”

In the week leading up to the fundraiser, updates, stories and informational videos will be shared on the Opelika Giving Day website, Facebook page and Instagram for potential donors to become familiar with the partnering organizations and their projects. On May 1, donors can visit the site within the 24-hour period to contribute to a project.

“I am proud of the

See Giving , page A2

pelika O Observer.com

pelika O Observer

A2 April 24, 2019

Local woman notices house fire East Alabama Gun and Hunting early Easter morning; alerts Show held April 13-14 in Opelika Opelika Fire Department

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

By Morgan Bryce Editor At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Opelika resident Emily Key was on her way home from work when she noticed what appeared to be a faint trail of smoke coming from the roof of a neighbor’s home.

Her first thought was that they had a fire in a fireplace due to the unseasonally cool temperatures as she continued toward her house.

“I just kept going down the road and I began to think, ‘what if,’ so I went back and investigated to see where the smoke was

Giving, from A1

coming from, and it was coming from the vents instead of a fireplace.”

It was the decision to turn around and go back that quite possibly saved the lives of those inside the duplex on Easter morning.

After contacting the authorities, she knocked on the doors of the duplex, but no one answered. The Opelika Police Department responded and was able to rouse the individuals in one of the units and they learned that the resident of the unit that was actually on fire was at work.

The Opelika Fire Department quickly arrived and put out

Community Foundation of East Alabama for having Opelika’s first Giving Day. We have amazing volunteers and leaders

the fire, but not before smoke had started entering the attic space of the adjoining unit.

The family inside had been asleep and were unaware of the danger lurking above their heads as they slept.

“Not many people would have stopped and did what she did at that hour, and that shows that there are good people who live (here in Opelika). That girl (should) be commended for what she did,” said landlord Patricia White.

“I am very thankful that I was in the right place at the right time and was able to help a neighbor in need,” Key said.

in our community. I encourage everyone to pick their favorite non-profit and get involved, donate and volunteer. Together we

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer The East Alabama Gun and Hunting Show was held April 13 and 14 at Opelika’s Village Event Center. event and welcome more partnerships in the upcoming years.

For more information visit opelikagivingday. org or email at info@ opelikagivingday.org.

to remain engaged with the nonprofits involved and stay updated on the progress with their projects. The goal is to establish Opelika Giving Day as an annual

can make a positive impact,” said Mayor Gary Fuller.

When the fundraiser is finished, The Community Foundation encourages participants

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pelika Observer

Publisher: Michelle Key Editor: Morgan Bryce Marketing: Doug Horn and Woody Ross Photojournalist: Robert Noles Phone: 334.749.8003 editor@opelikaobserver.com Sports Writers: Rick Lanier and Michelle@opelikaobserver.com D. Mark Mitchell

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w w w. o p e l i k a o b s e r v e r . c o m 216 S. 8th Street, Opelika, AL 36801 Copyright 2009. All right reserved. Opelika Observer is published weekly by Opelika Observer, 216 S 8th St. Opelika, AL 36801. Periodicals postage is paid at Opelika, AL. USPS #025104 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Opelika Observer, 216 S. 8th Street, Opelika, AL 36801

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pelika O Observer Samaritan’s Purse to replace limited number of mobile homes in Lee County Special to the Opelika Observer Samaritan's Purse is responding to the tornado damage in Lee County by replacing a limited number of destroyed mobile homes in partnership with homeowners.

Homeowners will be required to submit an application for the approval process.

Once approved, the homeowner(s) will begin the process of floorplan and decor selection.

Each home will also come with limited

furniture and a storm shelter in the event of future tornadoes.

Applications will be available at First Baptist Church - Opelika in the John 3:16 building entrance located off the small parking lot next to 314 S. 9th St. Hours are 8 a.m to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office will be closed the week of April 20 through April 28.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 334-7447326 or 334-744-7302.

A3 April 24, 2019

Long-term recovery donations received for tornado relief Special to the Opelika Observer

Following the devastating March 3 tornadoes that hit Lee County, United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) implemented a web page on behalf of United Way of Lee County to provide a streamlined means of collecting monetary donations for disaster relief. Donors to the fund included large contributions from Mercedes, CocaCola and Honda, as well as individuals from across the state and nation.

“Having survived

the disaster of the April 2011 tornadoes in Alabama, the UWCA knew the situation and needs Lee County citizens would face. On Monday morning March 4, Drew Langlois, UWCA CEO, contacted me with the offer of this much-needed resource. We appreciate this outreach of caring from our sister United Way,” said United Way of Lee County Director Becky Benton.

A check presentation of these funds to the United Way of Lee County was held on Monday at the

United Way Building in Opelika.

The United Way of Lee County will use these funds and other funds donated for disaster relief to aid individuals affected by the March 3 tornadoes through the long-term recovery process. As a community partner with MEND, the local long-term recovery committee, United Way will work to determine the unmet needs of these families and help them to restore, as much as possible, their homes and lives.

Individuals impacted by the tornadoes

are encouraged to register with FEMA for federal assistance, and call 2-1-1 for debris clean up needs.

About United Way United Way of Lee County is a nonprofit organization that works to advance the common good by focusing on education, health, crisis and strengthening families. Through United Way programs and partnering with other agencies and businesses, United Way is able to help provide solutions to the most critical human care issues in our community.

President Trump approves Alabama disaster declaration Special to the Opelika Observer President Donald Trump declared that a major disaster exists in Alabama, and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state and

local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and tornadoes from Feb. 19 to March 20.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain

private nonprofit organizations on a costsharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding

in Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Madison, Marion, Morgan and Winston counties.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation mea-

sures statewide.

Pete Gaynor, acting administrator of FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, named Gerard M. Stolar as the federal coordinating officer for federal recovery op-

erations in the affected areas.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

My Care Alabama, an affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, awarded new Medicaid contracts Special to the Opelika Observer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama is proud to announce its affiliated company, My Care Alabama (My Care), was awarded contracts by the Alabama Medicaid Agency to serve the Northwest, East and Central regions of the state. Blue Cross is honored to begin serving 325,000 Medicaid eligible individuals effective Oct. 1.

My Care was formed by Blue Cross to serve as an extension of the 82-yearold company to specifically focus on opportunities to serve Alabama’s Medicaid population. My Care submitted proposals to administer healthcare coordinating services under the Alabama Medicaid Agency’s new Alabama Coordinated Health Network (ACHN) program and was awarded the three contracts under a competitive bid process.

Adkins, from A1 blank and design something utilizing all of these concepts.

They included static military displays and some other stuff we really liked,” Lawrence said.

The Final Product After conversations with Adkins about what the focus of the center’s artwork and decorations should be, they decided to blend the ideas of a military tribute and community service together.

“As a member of the Green Berets (U.S. Special Forces unit), Adkins and his colleagues were there to help build communities. And that’s ultimately what led us to the center focusing on community,” Lawrence said.

The military exhibit will include an interactive kiosk for children to learn more about Adkins, fellow Opelika native Col. Robert Howard and the rest of the Medal of Honor recipient family. Through a partnership with the Local VA office and the Red Cross, children will be able to write thank-you notes to active service members in a

Medicaid’s ACHN is a new agency initiative intended to provide a delivery system that is flexible, more cost efficient, and focuses on patient outcomes and care coordination for its members. Under the new ACHN model, Alabama’s Medicaid recipients will receive enhanced care coordination services from a single entity, promoting collaboration and innovation.

“This is an exceptional opportunity to partner with

conference room simply known as “Bennie’s Room.” There will be other commemorative artwork, photos along with a large, fiberglass tiger shrouded in jungle shrubbery, the animal that ultimately saved Adkins’s life during an assault from North Vietnamese forces and enabled him to escape.

Across the center’s back wall will be the message, “We can all serve our community,” which, along with the military exhibit up front, will remain illuminated at all times. Silhouettes of doctors, firefighters, nurses, police officers and others will be represented to bolster the concept of community service.

Commemorative plaques will be placed on the front wall to honor the commission’s efforts to back this project and the hard work and dedication of the students who helped make this dream a reality.

Adkins was unable to give an interview but representatives of his family’s foundation said in a statement expressing gratitude for this significant recognition.

“Bennie appreciates Commission Lawrence and all of Lee County, the city of Opelika, the city of Auburn, as well as everyone who made this happen. He also wants to thank the

the Medicaid Agency, and we are honored to have been selected to serve Alabama’s Medicaid population,” said Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama President and CEO Tim Vines.

“We look forward to providing them with the high quality standards of customer service, efficiency, reliability and technical innovation already available to our commercial members.”

My Care’s mission is

(Auburn University) students and instructors for their talent and hard work to make this happen. Bennie is honored that his community is naming the center after him. He looks forward to students attending the center to learn more about what he, as well as, others have done to serve their country.”

Two years after starting on this project, the mostly senior group of Auburn students will have a chance to see the majority of their final vision pieced together, according to Lawrence.

“After talks with Command Sgt. Maj. Adkins, we decided to schedule this for a date before finals and their graduations so the students could come and see the fruition of their work and be recognized for their hard work,” Lawrence said.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at the meeting center 1 p.m. on Friday, which is located at 205 S. 10th St. For more information about the foundation, visit www.bennieadkinsfoundation.org.

Visit the following link to read more about Adkins’ career and service: https://opelikaobserver.com/hometown-hero/, which was published in the Nov. 14, 2014 edition of the Observer.

to provide innovative approaches in a variety of areas that remove barriers to healthcare for Alabama’s Medicaid population. My Care will make it easier for Medicaid recipients to manage their healthcare.

Patient health outcomes will also improve through care coordination and working with the Medicaid recipient’s Multi-Disciplinary Care Team.

My Care is staffed by a diverse, experienced team of healthcare professionals.

Hill, from A1 ago, the beginning of a long and memorable friendship. “‘Welcome to Best Buddies. Would you like a Buddy? Yes! We only have one more female Buddy and she lives in Opelika.

Do you mind traveling to Opelika? Sure I don’t mind and I would love to meet her. Her name is Ame Hill.’ And the rest is history,” Halverson wrote in a reflective Facebook post. “ She will be missed but she will leave behind a legacy that will inspire us all!”

Family friend Christopher McGee described Ame’s funeral taking place on Good Friday as “deeply symbolic” of the person of faith that she was.

“If you are from Opelika then I am certain that Ame touched you in a way that is unshakable. Her faith and love for the Lord never ceased to amaze me and I find it very rewarding that she is renewed and made whole in God’s perfect im-

It draws on the resources, expertise and technologies of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, which insures more than two million Alabamians through its network of provider partners throughout the state.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama views My Care Alabama as an extension of its long-term successful partnership with the State of Alabama and its public healthcare benefit programs.

age,” McGee wrote.

During the last few months, Kristine carefully chronicled her sister’s medical battles on Facebook, sharing after her passing last Monday that Ame’s “hope was now complete.”

“She (has) entered the Kingdom of Heaven. Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort in the knowledge that she has been made whole and perfect, and is worshipping at the feet of her Savior,” Kristine wrote in a March 15 Facebook post. “My mom, dad and I were with her as she took her final breath on this earth, and we know Jesus had her in His arms as she took her first breath in heaven. Thank you all for praying with us through this journey. We have felt your love and support each step of the way.”

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home helped direct the funeral services for Ame, which were held at First Baptist Church Opelika last Friday. She will be buried in Prattville Memorial Cemetery.

To read Ame’s full obituary, turn to page A13.

pelika O Opinion

A4 April 24, 2019

F

Among the Living

amily vacations.

Everyone is planning one this time of year. Just yesterday in Kroger, I overheard a conversation between a little girl and her mom about how Mickey Mouse was waiting for them in Disney World, and how they’d be there in just a few weeks.

“Just be patient, Lindsey,” the mom said.

“But how long IS a few weeks, Mom???” Lindsey whined. “I can’t stand it much longer!”

I smiled and walked past, feeling sympathy for them both. It’s not easy being a mom, and it’s not easy being a little girl. I’m sure it’s not easy being Mickey Mouse, either.

The first family vacation I can recall was in the Smoky Mountains.

There were eleven of us.

My mother and her sister both had three kids. We were stair step cousins – my brother, my sister, my cousin Betty Anne, and my cousin Lamar, all a year apart. And then there was a nine-year gap before my cousin, Dawn, was born. And, at three years younger than Dawn, I was the baby of the bunch. My grandparents would load us all up, along with our parents, in their RV and head for the Smokies.

There were several vacations like that, but the summer I was six stands out the most in my memory. It was the summer I realized that my cousin, Dawn, was special. Not because of her developmental delays, which kept her from developing beyond the intellectual level of a 10-year-old. No, that wasn’t it at all. It was her

T

By Wendy Hodge

heart, plain and simple.

I don’t think a more innocent soul ever set foot on this planet. She was without guile or pretense. She loved openly and fiercely. Plagued by fear of things she didn’t understand, she was still trusting and faced every day with a smile. She couldn’t add or subtract, but she could remember everyone’s phone number. And movie stars!

Lawd, that girl could tell you everything about anybody who’d ever been in a movie or on TV. Clark Gable’s birthday?

Dawn knew it. The very first western series on TV? She knew that too.

Who won an Oscar back in 1964? Ask Dawn, and she could tell you.

Her brother, Lamar, was my favorite cousin.

His smile is one of my first memories. I’ve always loved to talk, and Lamar never got tired of listening. In fact, he would ask me to recite the books of the Bible or to count backwards from 100, just to hear me talk.

His laugh was highpitched and completely unselfconscious. It made me laugh just to hear it.

Betty Anne, the oldest of my three cousins, had the longest hair I’d ever seen. I was fascinated by the way she had to move it aside to avoid sitting on it. I dreamed of having hair like that someday. It would be dark and shiny and smell like the per-

fume she wore. She wore a ring on every finger, and my little girl heart could hardly stand how exotic that was.

That summer, in the Smokies, on one very hot afternoon, I took the book I was reading and slipped under a weeping willow tree behind the RV. I liked the way its sweeping wispy branches bent over like a ballerina touching her toes. It was the most beautiful tree I had ever seen.

When the wind blew, it became an exotic freeform dancer, dipping and swaying. With the heat making waves in the air, it was an oasis where I could lie on my back and make up stories about underwater cities and horses that fly. In those hours under that tree, I slipped away from time as told by a clock and lived apart from the world for a bit.

I don’t remember how long I was there, but I do remember hearing my grandmother’s voice calling my name.

“Wendy Lynne?” I closed my eyes and held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t see me under my tree. I wasn’t ready to give up my solitude yet.

But I could see her feet as she stood close by, and then she knelt down and reached in with her long fingers that were always cool no matter what the Alabama heat was doing to the rest of us. She patted my arm and said, “Come on out of there.

Join us out here among the living.”

I closed my book, shook my head a bit to clear the fog, and slipped out into the sun. And there they all were. My See Hodge, page A6

Notre Dame

he Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris caught fire and the world watched it burn. The only word that comes to mind is “tragedy.” A real tragedy.

I never got to see the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Though, I had a chance once when I was nineteen. A girl I was dating from Dothan was going to France on scholarship. She asked me to go with her.

It was a bad idea. I am a small-town American who has never traveled overseas. The idea of leaving U.S. soil makes me break out in hives—I wouldn’t survive the Turkish toilets.

I told her to send me a postcard. I never saw her again.

But I always wanted to go. In fact, there are only a few things I’d like to see in person before I die: The World Series.

The Dixie Belle Riverboat. And the spires of Notre Dame de Paris.

I guess I missed my chance.

Today, my wife and I were riding through the Arizona wilderness after spending a weekend at

Catholic, we saw the cathedral last year and my grandpa was holding my hand all along the tour, crying at the relics.”

“We’ve been there, too,” said another man

By Sean Dietrich who was eating lunch with his daughter. the Grand Canyon. The “Visited one summer, local radio station intertook my breath away.” rupted George Strait The man’s daughter to announce that Notre nodded in agreement Dame was on fire. and kept working on her My wife turned up the French fries. volume. A reporter with “I couldn’t believe a heavy French accent the rose windows,” our said: waitress went on. “I “Ze greatest relic probably took a hundred of our civilization is pictures of the windows engulfed in flames.” The alone.” announcer’s voice broke The windows she’s rewith emotion. “It is a ferring to are the famous tragedy, people, a true circular stained glass tragedy…” works, adorning the My wife covered her cathedral’s main portals. mouth.

The waitress showed We pulled over at us pictures on her a burger joint outside phone. Those at the Flagstaff, not far from lunch counter craned historic Route 66. And necks to get a glimpse. in the all-American We marveled. diner we watched the The waitress replaced corner television broadher cellphone in her cast a scene from Hell. pocket and made the A flaming cathedral Sign of the Cross. roof, falling to pieces.

“Just think,” said the Dante’s Inferno. waitress, “that building “I been there once,” dates back to the days of said our waitress, filling my coffee mug.

See Dietrich, page A6 “My family’s Italian

What’s that guy smiling about?

I

women laugh and smile more like polls. Even though the than men, but feel sadness idea of being able to ask a more as well. People who few people what they think are married or living with a and from that piddle of the “domestic partner” are happier population to determine what than those who live alone. everyone thinks just doesn’t Black folks are happier make a lot of sense to me, I still than white folks, but not as like ‘em. happy as Asians and even less So, whenever a new poll

By Hardy Jackson merry than Latinos who are comes out, I am inclined to the happiest of all. The young read the results and say to are happier than the old, but both are happier myself, “now that is something to think about,” before I go off and don’t think about than middle age.

The New York Times, in the spirit of it anymore. aggressive, investigative journalism, asked Recently, I said that about a survey done Gallup to take all this information and come by good ol’ Gallup, the super surveyor of up with “a statistical composite of the happithem all. est person in America.”

Gallup randomly selected 1,000 people And Gallup did. and asked them questions concerning their And the winner is (drum roll please) “a quality of life – personal stuff about eating tall Asian-American, observant Jew who is habits, work satisfaction, stress, emotional at least 65 and married, has children, lives health and other things that I was taught not in Hawaii, runs his own business and has a to talk about with strangers. household income of more than $120,000 a The Gallup guys and gals took this year.” information and fit it into a formula called Shoulda known. the “Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index,” But does such a person exist? Or is it just sorted it out demographically and geographone more example of polls leading to statisically, and somehow-or-other determined tics, leading to a composite of characteristics which parts of the country folks felt good that bear no relation to reality? about themselves. I read about all this in So, off the intrepid journalists went.

The New York Times (where else?).

Sorta.

With the article was a scale that ran from “A few phones later” they found him.

57 to 73 (or from “feeling crappy” to “can’t Alvin Wong. Yes sir. complain”) and an “interactive map” where Living large (5-foot-10) in Honolulu, Mr. you could click on your congressional Wong is a 69-year old Chinese-American, a district to find out just how you and your Kosher-keeping-Jew, married with children, neighbors are getting along – statistically who owns and runs a health care managespeaking – in all sorts of categories.

Well, I had myself a dandy time with this ment business and earns over $120,000 a year. and in the process discovered that if you When the Times got him on the phone, he want to be around heaps of happy people confirmed that, yes, indeed, he was a happy just head yourself to Colorado’s 2nd Conman. And what keeps him that way – apart gressional District. On the other hand, the Appalachian Districts of Kentucky, Virginia from a successful business, a solid marriage, and a home in Hawaii? and West Virginia don’t seem to have as “My life philosophy,” he told the reporter, much to be happy about. “is, if you can’t laugh at yourself, life is goAlabama? When asked “did you experience feelings of happiness during a lot of the ing to be pretty terrible for you.”

Then he added, “this is a practical joke, day yesterday?” most of us said we did. right?”

‘Course yesterday could have been a reYou know, I get pretty much the same ally good one. feeling when I read the results of all these Our happiest areas were Districts 2 polls. I keep wanting to ask “Are you pulling (Montgomery and Dothan), 5 (Huntsville), and 6 which includes rich folks in Mountain my leg?”

And then they come up with Mr. Wong.

Brook, Homewood and Hoover – maybe Maybe there is something to this polling money can buy happiness after all. business after all.

I was particularly interested in the Harvey H. (“Hardy”) Jackson is Profesresponse when they asked folks if they sor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville State laughed, smiled or felt sadness during the University. He can be reached at hjackson@ previous week. Breaking it down by age, cableone.net. gender, ethnicity and such they found that

‘Spring’ into action as you age

H

appy spring to baby boomers and senior readers. My heart is full of gratitude to God for providing different seasons for us to enjoy! Spring has arrived with its breathtaking colors and weather. We also have different seasons in our lives that we can greet with joy in our elderly years. I’d like to share a few spring benefits of growing older!

1. Focus on the good in life.

As we age, we have the security of life experiences to guide us on what is good and what is not. Life at times can provide us sour lemons. But we can take the sour lemons of life, sprinkle the sweetners of hope and faith in knowing things will get better, and make lemonade out of sour lemon life experiences. Too, as we age, because we haven’t walked this path before, fear can enter into our daily thoughts. From the wisdom of others, fear can stand for F-False, E-Evidence, A-Appearing, R-Real. I love how Mark Twain sizes up worry and fear as saying, “I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” We are reminded

By Beth Pinyerd

from this that most of the things and stuff we worry about never happens.

2. What is important in life.

As we age, we are given priorities in life of what is important and what is not. The “things” of this world grow strangely dim.

We make choices to spend more time in relationships with family and friends. We are able to choose on how to spend our time according to our health, talents, and gifts to share with others, hobbies, and interests. The aging process helps us to let go of the insignificant and trivial concerns, and to truly focus on what is important.

My elderly friends have described it to me as being comfortable and content with their lives and who they are.

3. Wisdom is gained.

In our elderly years we have a wiser perspective.

This is because of the stockpile of circumstances

and experiences we have lived through. We are able to make wise decisions based on outcomes of past experiences. At times we “older folks” want to share the answers of how to handle “life” from our perspective with the younger generation. We can mentor the younger generation but we cannot protect and live their lives for them. Like us, wisdom is gained by living through the valleys and mountaintops of life. As we age, we are able to see “The Big Picture of Life” which gives us true contentment.

4. You are so special!

As the greater generation, you have given your heart, time, and life to your family and community. You have served others well! Now it is time for you to reflect on self appreciation and acceptance. It’s not a vain outlook, but an outlook of gratitude. Now we have the freedom and courage to enjoy how God has made us. Our true value of how we perceive life is not by what we do, but it depends on who we are within our heart and on a soul level.

On a daily basis with the dimension of wellness, we See Pinyerd, page A6

pelika O Observer

A5 April 24, 2019

East Alabama PRCA brings home eight statewide awards Special to the Opelika Observer The East Alabama Chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama (PRCA) had six members bring home a total of eight awards including three Medallion Awards at this year's state conference in Tuscaloosa on April 9.

The Public Relations Council of Alabama's Medallion Awards competition offers all PRCA members the opportunity to have their work recognized and to receive feedback that can facilitate continuous improvement.

Judges for these awards are secured each year through a national judging pool.

This year’s competition was judged by a pool of public relations professionals from the Nashville PRSA Chapter.

Photo special to the Opelika Observer Pictured left to right: Joe McAdory, Wade Berry, Leigh Kreighling, Jennifer Ryan, Chris Anthony and Mary Catherine Ratliff.

Local construction companies receive statewide awards Special to the Opelika Observer Two members of the Lee County Home Builders Association were among the honorees at the 2019 Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards Banquet April 13 at the RSA Activity Center in Montgomery.

J Manifold Construction was named the winner of the Space Renovation category for its Grand Attic Guest House project. It was also a runner-up in the category of Whole House Remodel Under $250,000 for its E. Samford Dream Remodel, as well as in Additions $100,000-$250,000 for its E. Samford Master and More Addition, and in Kitchen Remodel $40,000-$80,000 for its Ferndale Kitchen Transformation.

TLC Design/Build LLC won the category of Bath Remodel Over $50,000 for its Farm Bath project. It was named a runner-up in Kitchen Remodel Over

Opening, from A1 will be given wristbands to wear throughout the evening and have an opportunity to purchase a special package for $15, which consists of a souvenir Resting Pulse glass, and two tokens for 16 oz. beers.

“This is something we always wanted to do but weren’t sure if it would ever come true. To see it develop into this, a picture bigger than our vision, it took an amazing team of people … it’s just really amazing,” Dave said. “I’ve been fielding lots of phone calls and lots of instant message questions from people who are very excited about our

$80,000 for its Farm Kitchen project, Exterior Remodel for its Maddox Remodel and Cone Remodel projects, and Basement Remodel for its Vickery/Lassiter project.

The Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards, presented by the Home Builders Association of Alabama, were presented to remodelers, contractors, kitchen and bath designers, and other building professionals who exhibited outstanding craftsmanship and attention to detail in projects throughout Alabama. This year’s AREA competition was sponsored by Alabama Power Company, the Alabama Home Builders Self Insurers Fund and Spire.

For more information about the Alabama Remodeling Excellence Awards, contact the Home Builders Association of Alabama at 800745-4222. Photos of the winning projects may be viewed at www.remodelalabama.com. opening and we’re getting mentioned in a lot of social media posts … it’s great to know that people are so excited about what we’re doing here.”

The fun will continue throughout the weekend as the Plundos plan to give their establishment the “grand-opening treatment.”

Nearly 7,000 square feet in size, Resting Pulse will have an indoor and outdoor space for its customers.

Inside, there is an L-shaped bar with seating for nearly 100 guests. There will be multiple television sets for viewing sports or other programming and a photo wall where patrons are encouraged to take pictures and share on

Award of Merit: • Despite pain, disease, doctoral graduate appreciates life’s many blessings - Joe McAdory, Auburn University Harbert College of Business, East Alabama Chapter • My Color Theory -TRINDGROUP -East Alabama Chapter • Tiger Cage Accelerator turns business concepts into business startups - Joe McAdory,Auburn University Harbert College of Business, East Alabama Chapter Award of Excellence: • City of Opelika Rebrand 2018 -

Leigh G. Krehling, City of Opelika, East Alabama Chapter • Honors College Photo Library - T. Wade Berry, Honors College at Auburn University, East Alabama Chapter Medallion Award: • Auburn Engineering Dean’s Report Chris Anthony, East Alabama Chapter • Open Enrollment for 2019 Benefits - Patrick Johnston, Auburn University Human Resources, East Alabama Chapter • Silver Ships Demonstration Boat Campaign TRINDGROUP, East Alabama Chapter

Twin Cedars offers reminder on services during April’s ‘Child Abuse Awareness Month’ Special to the Opelika Observer Every hour of every day, there is an allegation of child abuse in Alabama, and unfortunately, child abuse is a prevalent issue in every county and community in the state. Nationally, a child is abused or neglected every 47 seconds, and 1-in-10 children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday.

April is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention month, and the Twin Cedars Children’s Advocacy Center in Opelika is working hard to raise awareness about how our community can help children and families facing abuse.

Children who have been abused or neglected often show signs of trauma and

social media. Merchandise ranging from T-shirts and hats to stickers and 32 and 64 oz. growlers will also be available for purchase.

Outside in the “beer garden,” multiple tables will be available for customers to enjoy a cold pint in the great outdoors. Large river birch trees will eventually grow and create a comfortable amount of shade. The space is also pet friendly, and organic dog biscuits made from leftover grains will be available for purchase.

Resting Pulse’s selection of beer and food will continue to expand.

Starting with large, soft pretzels, Dave said the menu will expand to include nachos with cheese, paninis,

are hesitant to trust adults who want to help. Secondary trauma often occurs when a child must interact with various police and medical professionals and recount their story over and over again after the abuse has occurred, and these kinds of environments can also be intimidating to children.

As an alternative, following a report of child abuse or neglect, law enforcement or DHR refers families to the Twin Cedars Child Advocacy Center, the only CAC in Lee and Macon counties. There, children can avoid the intimidating and often re-traumatizing experience of seeing various nurses, interviewers, and law enforcement officers.

Instead, the CAC provides forensic

pizza and smoked meats to make sandwiches on weekends.

The Plundos will combine their knowledge of East Coast brews with head brewmaster Eric Lindemann’s Pacific Northwest roots to create “truly unique” craft and seasonal beers for their patrons.

The starting number of six beers on-tap will expand to 12 in coming weeks and more in the future, according to Dave.

“We welcome everybody and we look forward to bringing new beers to this area.

That’s one of the exciting things about what we want to do and I think what craft breweries bring is the ever-changing beer menu that’s seasonal and possesses a wide

interviews, pediatric sexual assault medical exams, and therapy for victims all in one location that is specifically designed to be comfortable for children.

Forensic interviewers at the Twin Cedars CAC use an evidence-based protocol by the National Child Advocacy Center that ensures interviews are objective, developmentally appropriate, and legally sound. These interviews then serve as the basis of the investigation and prosecution of the case for the community partners. The CAC also provides victim advocacy, therapy for victims and nonoffending family members, referrals to community services, case tracking, and multidisciplinary team case review from start to finish.

Twin Cedars CAC in Opelika provides all these services free of charge to children and their families in East Alabama as a program under Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, Inc. TCYFS is a nonprofit organization that operates three programs in East Alabama as well as various programs in Columbus, LaGrange and Macon that provide care for children and families facing trauma.

The CAC is able to combat child abuse and serve families in need through community support. To learn more about how one can make a difference in the lives of children who have been abused and neglected, contact Katherine Cochrane at kcochrane@ twincedars.org or visit twincedars.org.

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer range of different flavors,” Dave said.

“We’re going to consistently develop new beers and see what people like.”

Cooks are still needed to fill out Resting Pulse’s staff. Those interested can apply online at www.restingpulsebrewing.com.

Their hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to midnight on Sundays.

For more information or updates, like and follow their social media pages or visit their website. The brewery is located at 714 1st Ave.

pelika O Observer

A6 April 24, 2019

14th Annual Mayors Ball April 26 - 6:30 to 9 p.m. www.bgcleeco.org • 334.502.1311 *Cocktail Attire

Hodge,

from A4 parents, my aunt, my cousins, my brother and sister, and my grandparents. I can see them all frozen in that moment: The hat on my granddaddy’s head. My grandmother smiling at me. My mother holding a basket of fruit. My dad reading a newspaper. My sister and Betty Anne laughing and pointing at something in the distance.

My brother and Lamar bent over a radio they were fixing. My aunt brushing Dawn’s hair.

And Dawn, clear-eyed and happy with her head tilted to the sun.

Dietrich,

from A4

Saint Francis of Assisi.”

It was sobering. My wife couldn’t eat her hashbrowns because she was watching the devastation. I saw a tear in the corner of her eye.

My wife tells me she once stood in Notre Dame, looking at its rafters, and she felt something deep. Awe, maybe.

On March 28 of this year, just a handful of days ago, there was a fire. And my aunt, and Betty Anne, and Dawn never woke up that day to see the sun. They are no longer among the living.

My cousin Lamar, who the city of Opelika knows as Officer Roger Motley, was killed in the line of duty years ago.

No longer among the living.

My granddaddy, state trooper and master gardener, died of heart disease decades ago. No longer among the living.

My grandmother, whose hands were always cool and who was the only one to call me Wendy Lynne, died before my youngest child was born. No longer

among the living.

And my sister. A loss I still can’t find words for. No longer among the living.

At the funeral home, on the day my aunt and cousins were buried, there were flowers and photographs everywhere. From where I sat, I could see one of Dawn and me with our arms thrown around each other’s shoulders, six and nine years old, grinning and untouched by the loss of anyone we loved. It was too much to bear, the pure joy on our faces. And so I would close my eyes and see that still picture from that day I crawled out from under my willow to see all of them, everyone I loved, on vacation in the Smokies, being their

“Uh oh,” a man said.

“Look.”

It happened. The television showed footage of Notre Dame’s French Gothic spire, falling downward into a blaze. It toppled headfirst.

People in the restaurant let out small gasps. An old man sighed. So did the waitress. So did I. I suppose we all knew what this meant. It meant the wooden lattice work that predates our surnames is gone. Certainly, it might be rebuilt some-

true selves. Among the living.

Cherish the days. If you love someone, tell them. Take the trip.

Don’t’ keep Mickey Mouse waiting. Look at the sun. Watch it rise and set. Hold hands.

Laugh long and loud.

Be open and throw your arms around life.

It’s the one and only life you’ll ever have.

Wendy Hodge is an Opelika native, an empty nester and lover of all things Opelika. She previously had a column titled A Word or Ten, which was featured in the Tennessee Star Journal and is currently awaiting release of her first novel with Harper Collins Publishing Company.

day, but it will never be what was lost.

Thus, on a quiet Monday afternoon, somewhere in America, my wife and I ate lunch in the company of fellow mourners.

We were 5,000 miles away, in a side-of-theroad eatery, but in our hearts we were standing in the City of Lights across the Atlantic.

We watched, shaking our heads, biting our lips, and a few of us wiped our eyes.

Pinyerd,

from A4

may have to give and take in some areas. We may have a day that we must give in physically, but feel “On Top of the World” emotionally and mentally. This is all part of the aging process.

Our culture truly needs to change its views on aging.

As a culture, we need to honor, become knowledgeable, recognize and honor the experience of age. To my elderly friends, I want to thank you for positively modeling the acceptance of aging and meeting the challenges. We baby boomers will probably change the definition of aging as we face it ourselves.

Beth Pinyerd has taught young children in the early

Images of flames.

European reporters wearing looks of disbelief. An eight-hundred-and-fiftyyear-old holy monument, reduced to ashes.

It was not just a chapel, our waitress explained.

It was a subject of Impressionist paintings.

It was a muse for Victor Hugo’s literary masterpiece. It contains what many believe to be the crown of thorns from the Crucifixion.

After our waitress served her last customer,

she removed her apron and walked outside. I could see her through the diner window. She sat with hands clasped and head bowed.

I paid at the register. I took a final glance at the disturbing scenes on TV and realized I will never get to see it. At least not the way it was.

In the parking lot, I passed our waitress, seated on a bench. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but I caught a few words.

childhood classroom for 34 years as well as outreaching to the elderly in intergenerational settings. She has taught and outreached in the schools in Opelika and Baldwin County.

She holds a master’s degree in early childhood education as well as a bachelor’s degree in family and child development both from Auburn University.

Her husband is the late Carl Pinyerd and she has one son, Gus Pinyerd who has taught her so much about learning.

Classroom Observer is here to serve the community in sharing the wonderful teaching programs in our local public schools, private schools, and homeschools. The column is provided to enrich the education of our children, youth, and families. Classroom Observer welcomes educational news, school news, pictures, and events by e-mailing her at donnapinyerd@att.net.

“Áve María, grátia pléna, Dóminus técum…”

It was a tragedy. A real tragedy.

Sean Dietrich is a columnist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Southern Living, the Tallahassee Democrat, Southern Magazine, Yellowhammer News, the Bitter Southerner, the Mobile Press Register and he has authored seven books.

Opelika E vents, Society, & Food

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: • May 1, 2 - Lee County Water Festival • May 1 - Lee County Master Gardener’s Plant Swap • May 2 - National Day of Prayer • May 10 - Southside Speakeasy • May 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 - Auburn Area Community Theatre • May 24-26 - Opelika Songwriter’s Festival

Emeril Lagasse keystone speaker at WPB’s 17th spring luncheon Ann Cipperly’s

Southern

Hospitality

E

meril Lagasse was the keynote speaker for the Women’s Philanthropy Board’s 17th annual Spring Symposium and Luncheon April 9 at the Hotel at Auburn University.

Lagasse was introduced

by Hans van der Reijden, CEO of Ithaka Hospitality Partners.

Sid James Nakhjavan is executive director at the Cary Center for Advancement of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies.

Dr. June Henton, dean of the College of Human Sciences, who is retiring this summer, was recognized for her 34 years of service, with the WPB naming

their scholarship fund in her honor.

Henton is the founder of Universities Fighting World Hunger. She has had an amazing career at Auburn.

Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of 11 restaurants, has authored 19 cookbooks and hosted more than 2,000 shows for the Food Network. In 2002, he established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children’s educational programs that inspire and mentor young people through the culinary arts, nutrition, healthy eating and life skills.

The chef began his program talking about

growing up in Fall River, Massachusetts. His father is French Canadian, and his mother is Portuguese.

“Since my mother ruled the house,” he said, “we grew up Portuguese.”

His first inspiration for cooking came from his mother, Hilda, when he was seven years old. He stood on a foot stool while she taught him how to make his first dish, vegetable soup, using ingredients from their garden.

As they sat at the table to dine on the soup, he remembers it was the beginning of a bond sharing meals and creating memories.

After school he worked

Photo by Ann Cipperly Emeril Lagasse was the keynote speaker for the Women’s Philanthropy Board’s 17th annual Spring Symposium and Luncheon April 9 at the Hotel at Auburn University.

in a Portuguese bakery. He began by washing dishes.

“They took a liking to me,” he remembers, “and began teaching me the master arts of bread making and Portuguese specialty desserts.”

In his limited free time, Lagasse played music and thought he was pretty good. “I got pulled away from a regular high school and put into a culinary school. I realized they needed a leader of the band.”

After graduating from high school, he turned down a full scholarship to the New England Conser-

vatory of Music to attend cooking school. “My mom wasn’t happy,” he said, “but it turned out pretty good right now. It was tough to persuade her that I wanted to cook.”

Lagasse graduated from Johnson and Wales University. After working in many restaurants and traveling mostly in France, he had the opportunity to take over as chef at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans.

He was 26 years old when Ella and her brother Dick Brennan hired him “I was pretty hot headed,”

Emeril recalled. “I was determined to make it a better restaurant than when I took over.”

Ella taught him how to run a fine dining restaurant and mentored him every day. She became like his second mom. On Saturdays they would read cookbooks together and would try to understand how to raise the bar, making the dishes better than the day before.

That always stuck with him.

“During my time at Commander’s,” Lagasse See Cipperly, page A8

‘Southside Speakeasy’ event returns May 10

By Morgan Bryce Editor An evening full of mystery and surprises will be in store for those who attend the second “Southside Speakeasy” event May 10 from 6:30 to 11 p.m.

Organized by East Alabama Arts Organization hostesses Kathy Powell and Jen Slocumb, guests will take a limousine ride to and from an undisclosed location.

There, drivers will give them a secret

password to enter the speakeasy and enjoy the event, which will feature a cash bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres, live jazz band and more.

“It’s a fun night because you have the excitement of not knowing where you’re going.

Guests will know where to meet their limo, and they will be taken to that secret location (speakeasy) from there,” Slocumb said. “A lot of the evening is full of surprises that we can’t talk about yet, but it will be

entertaining and a lot of fun.”

Tickets, which can be purchased through www.eventbrite.com, range in price from $75 to $600, with packages available including table for four, VIP and Top-Shelf Business Sponsorships.

As of Monday, top-shelf sponsors are John Emerald Distillery and Memories in Motion Photo Bus. For more information, visit www. eastalabamaarts.org/ special-events/thesouthsidespeakeasy.

Saturday, May 4

8am-3pm Opelika Municipal Park Free Event, Rain or Shine Patsy Jones Tiffany Gibson-Pitts Eddie Smith Dozier SmithT David Canon

Drake Martin

Please leave all pets at home Garden in the Park is a project of Keep Opelika Beautiful

Monday-Saturday 11 AM - 8 PM

pelika Observer O

A8 April 24, 2019

Auburn Area Community Theatre presents “The Last Round-Up of the Guacamole Queens” Special to the Opelika Observer The Auburn Area Community Theatre (AACT) is excited to present The Last Round-Up of the Guacamole Queens.

Written by “America’s Playwrights” Jones, Hope, & Wooten, one of whom wrote for classic television series “The Golden Girls,” this deliciously Southern-fried comedy is sure to leave you in stitches.

The Verdeen cousins of Sweetgum, Texas, are up against the clock as they frantically attempt to produce the ultimate high school reunion before the old building is demolished.

Their scramble to prepare the perfect event, impress the governor and keep

Cipperly,

from A7

added. “Ella taught me an amazing, endless amount of things in the hospitality business. It was not only about cooking but being in charge of a restaurant and being in charge of

their business afloat is interrupted by the exploits of their beloved Uncle Aubrey, who is in danger of getting throttled by the two octogenarian sisters he is simultaneously wooing, and by threats from their self-righteous Aunt LaMerle, who is determined to be crowned the final and forever Guacamole Queen. That’s before Peaches makes a date with a former classmate whose malevolent hand puppet has a score to settle.

This gut-busting farce will make you laugh so hard, one might consider going to their own class reunion!

Performances will be at Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center on 222 E. Drake Ave. in Auburn on

May 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 at 7 p.m., with matinees May 12 and 19 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

The first matinee performance, May 12, is “Pay What You Can”- the ticket price is a donation in any amount.

Visit www.auburnact.org or call 334246-1084 for ticket purchases and more information. Email info@auburnact.org for group rate information.

AACT is a nonprofit organization that exists to serve the Auburn-Opelika community. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for education and participation in the world of theatre and present a qual-

ity, entertaining and thought-provoking theatre experience.

AACT is a member of the Auburn Arts Association. AACT

is actively soliciting new members who have an interest in helping the growth of community theatre.

AACT members and

the community-atlarge are encouraged to participate.

For more information, visit www. auburnact.org.

incredible hospitality and to give that hospitality to the guests.”

After about a year into his job as a young chef, Emeril was given a piece of paper by Miss Ella. “Needless to say I had a temper, not wisdom yet,” he said.

“She handled me this piece of paper and said read it later not now.”

He could hardly wait to read it. The note said, “Tomorrow, please leave your ego at home.”

That really stuck with him. “I learned an incredible lesson about that little piece of paper.

She cared about me and wanted me to learn. She mentored me and taught me how to give back to people.

It did not matter if it was the staff, customers or fellow colleagues, she taught me how to help people.

“She taught me in life anybody can take the short cut, but when you do things right, you will have established a foundation,

a foundation you can take with you every place you go and build on. That was a real important lesson I learned.”

While at Commander’s Palace, he received many awards and accolades.

After seven and a half years at Commander’s, Emeril decided he wanted to open his own restaurant.

He fell in love with New Orleans because of the food, people, hospitality and music.

Currently, he has 11 restaurants. Home base is New Orleans, where he has four restaurants. Others are in Las Vegas, Pennsylvania

and Florida. He will have a restaurant on a Carnival Cruise Ship.

In 1993, he was approached about doing a pilot and being involved in a television channel that would be 24 hours of food, wine, shopping, etc.

Emeril Live became one of the top television shows in America, named one of the top five. He was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and received three.

In 2002, he and his wife started the Emeril Lagasse Foundation with a simple mission to inspire, mentor and enable children from disadvantaged situations to reach their fullest potential.

“Mentoring is at the heart of my philosophy today,” Lagasse said.

“Through the foundation, we have awarded over 12 million dollars in grants that have helped children, inspiring and mentoring.

Through grant programs we have provided support to non-profit organizations throughout the country.”

The foundation funds a variety of projects, including at St. Michael Special School, training for at-risk youth at Café Reconcile

and an outdoor classroom, gardens, fresh foods cafeteria and teaching kitchen at Edible Schoolyard, among other projects.

At the Emeril Cultural Center, students increase independence by learning to grocery shop, prepare and serve meals.

In 2013, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Hospitality Center opened to provide a training program for at risk youth, while the Foundation’s Culinary Arts Studio offers a four-year culinary arts program.

The foundation hosts two fundraisers: Boudin, Bourbon and Beer and Carnivale du Vin. The foundation’s programs have helped get 30,000 kids get off the streets in New Orleans.

“I truly believe you have to give in order to receive,” says Emeril. “No matter what stage of your craft, you have to mentor people.”

Ann Cipperly can be reached at recipes@cipperly.com Following on A9 is a selection of Emeril’s recipes printed by permission.

No reprinting is allowed without permission.

& Flea Mall

VINTAGE BABY CARRIAGE look for a new find each week!

334-745-3221 • angelsantiqueandfleamall.com 900 columbus Pkwy, oPelika 36801 oPen everyday 10-7 • sun 1-5

pelika O Observer Recipes,

from A8 My Easy Barbecue Shrimp Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 1/2 hours Yield: 4 firstcourse servings Ingredients 24 large headon shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled and deveined, tails left on, shells and head reserved 1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns 2 teaspoons Emeril’s Creole Seasoning or other Creole seasoning 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup dry white wine 3 cups water 3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce, preferably homemade Juice from 2 lemons (about 1⁄4 cup) 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces Jalapeño Biscuits, for serving Directions In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with half of the cracked pepper, 1 teaspoon of the Creole seasoning, and the rosemary until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat.

Add the shrimp shells and heads and cook, stirring a few times, for 3 minutes. Add the wine, water, Worcestershire, lemon juice, onion, garlic, and hot sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and let gently bubble for 45 minutes.

Strain through a coarse strainer; you should have about 1 cup of barbecue base.

Heat a 14-inch skillet over high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, then the shrimp and cook for 2

minutes, searing on both sides. Pour in the barbecue base, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat; whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, not adding another until the previous piece is fully incorporated in the sauce.

Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter or small individual plates.

Spoon the sauce over the shrimp and serve immediately with the Jalapeño Biscuits.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie This simple but rich and decadent peanut butter pie is always a hit.

At Emeril’s New Orleans, it is served with caramel sauce on top. The best thing about this pie is that it can be made completely in advance, leaving you free to entertain guests.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour plus time for pie to chill Yield: 1 pie Ingredients 1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate cookies 1 cup peanut butter 1/4 pound cream cheese 3/4 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons milk 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts, plus more for garnish 2 cups heavy cream Caramel Sauce, for serving Chocolate Sauce, for serving Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs with 1/4 cup of the peanut butter.

Combine the mixture thoroughly and then press firmly onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform

pan. Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack.

In an electric mixture with a whip attachment, whip the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

Add the remaining peanut butter, milk and nuts and whip for 1 minute. Turn the peanut butter mixture into a mixing bowl. Whip 2 cups of the heavy cream and fold into the peanut butter mixture. Pour the filling into the springform pan over the cooled crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until the filling is completely set.

Remove the pie from the refrigerator and run a thin knife around the inside edge of the springform pan. Gently remove the edge of the pan from the pie, and then place the pie on a serving plate. Cut the pie into serving pieces using a warm knife. Serve drizzled with Caramel Sauce or Chocolate Sauce, as desired, and garnish with the extra chopped peanuts.

Chicken with Champagne and 40 Cloves of Garlic Prep Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 10 to 12 large bone-in chicken thighs - (about 5 pounds) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 40 cloves garlic, peeled (3 whole heads) 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, or to taste 1 cup Champagne or other dry sparkling or white wine 2 cups Rich Chicken stock or storebought low-sodium chicken broth 6 sprigs fresh thyme 3 tablespoons all-

purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flatleaf parsley Directions Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

When hot, add the oil. Season the chicken on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Working in batches so as to not crowd the pot, sear the chicken, skin side down, until golden brown, about 6 minutes per batch.

Brown briefly on the second side, then transfer the browned chicken to a plate.

Add the garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, until lightly golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice, Champagne, broth, and thyme, and return the chicken to the pot, nestling the pieces down into the liquid. Make sure some of the garlic is sitting on top of the chicken.

Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the pot, and place in the oven.

Cook, stirring once midway to ensure even cooking, until the chicken is fallingoff-the-bone tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and some of the garlic to a platter, and cover to keep warm. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.

In a medium bowl, mash the flour and butter together to form a smooth paste.

Slowly whisk 1⁄2 cup of the hot juices from the pot into the paste until smooth, then add this mixture to the pot along with 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and whisk to combine.

Don’t worry if some of the garlic cloves get smashed—they will help to thicken and enrich the sauce.

Cover and cook over medium heat until the gravy has thickened,

A9 April 24, 2019 10 to 20 minutes longer. Season the sauce with 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste.

Serve the chicken with the gravy.

Emeril’s Classic Seafood Gumbo Some form of gumbo is always on the menu at Emeril’s Restaurant. This classic seafood version, which is chock-full of shrimp, fish, and oysters swimming in a broth richly flavored with gumbo crabs, is always a hit.

Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 2 to 2 1/2 hours Yield: 3 quarts, 8 to 10 servings Ingredients 3/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions 3/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers 3/4 cup finely chopped celery 2 tablespoons minced garlic One 12-ounce bottle amber beer 6 cups Shrimp stock 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 2 bay leaves 1/2 pound gumbo crabs (about 2) 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 pound white fish fillets, such as catfish, grouper, snapper, or sole 1 tablespoon Emeril’s Original Es-

sence 2 cups shucked oysters with their liquor 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/2 cup chopped tender green onion tops White Rice, for serving Directions Place an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat, and add the oil.

Allow the oil to heat for about 5 minutes, then add the flour to the pot. Stir the oil and flour together with a wooden spoon to form a roux. Lower the heat to medium low and continue to stir the roux for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the color of milk chocolate. Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery to the roux and stir to blend. Stir the vegetables for 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds before adding the beer and Shrimp stock to the pot. Season the gumbo with the thyme, bay leaves, gumbo crabs, worcestershire, salt, and cayenne. Bring the gumbo to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer the gumbo for 1 hour, skimming the foam and any oil that rises to the surface.

Season both the shrimp and the catfish with 1 1/2 teaspoons Emeril’s Essence. Stir the shrimp and fish into the gumbo and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the oysters to the pot and cook, stirring often, for an additional 5 minutes. Taste the gumbo and season if necessary.

Garnish with the parsley and green onions and serve in shallow bowls over white rice.

See Recipes, page A11

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A10 April 24, 2019

pelika Observer O

Easter on the Square

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer Peter Cottontail arrived early to Opelika last week, as hundreds of eggs were left behind at Courthouse Square. The annual event drew dozens of children and their families, despite the chilly weather.

Flashlight Egg Hunt held last Thursday evening

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

pelika O Observer

A11 April 24, 2019

Annual Lee County Water Indiana resident carves tree to honor Festival slated for May 1, 2 toughness of Beauregard community

By Tyler Roush For the Opelika Observer The Lee County Water Festival is looking to double its attendance in 2019.

The event, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Opelika Sportsplex on May 1 and May 2, is expected to have over 1,200 fourthgraders attend to learn more about water quality.

“We’re targeting fourth-graders on education as far as water quality goes,” said Patrick Rohling, an organizer for the event. “How the water cycle works, everything from our tap water, our drinking water, down to the creeks, rivers and even into the oceans.”

With the theme of “Make Every Drop Count,” students from 10 schools across Lee County will

participate in three educational stations. Students will first learn about the water cycle by creating multicolored bracelets before working with mini-filters to show how natural filters work in the environment.

Its final station will allow students to create an edible aquifer out of sodas and candies. As a “grand finale,” the event will close on a magic show by environmental magician Paul cash.

“We’ll get them good and sugared up,” Rohling said.

In addition to its targeted audience, the 16th annual Lee County Water Festival is free and open to the public.

Volunteers and additional donations for the event are welcome. Anyone looking to volunteer or donate can find more information at https://www. auburnalabama.org/lee-county-waterfestival.html, or by contacting Rohling at patrick.rohling@al.usda.gov.

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

By Morgan Bryce Editor

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

Indiana native and woodcarver Jason Emmons is donating a carved tree stump to Beauregard residents with the message “B Strong” as a way to commemorate the community’s toughness in the aftermath of the March 3 tornadoes.

Set up at Price’s Small Engines in

Noon Tunes, Summer Swing set to begin next month

By Morgan Bryce Editor Two beloved Opelika live music traditions are scheduled to return during the month of May. Noon Tunes and Summer Swing, hosted and organized by Opelika’s Parks and Recreation Department, provide citizens with different times and opportunities to enjoy music, food and time spent together.

Noon Tunes Noon Tunes, held each Wednesday in May at noon at downtown Opelika’s Courthouse Square, will include: • May 1 - country/ light rock cover artist Larcus Fuller, • May 8 - country/ rock duo Richard Murray and Rusty Brown

Recipes,

from A9 Chicken and Andouille Gumbo Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus time to make the chicken stock Total Time: About 3 1/2 hours Yield: 4 1/2 quarts, 8 to 10 servings Ingredients 1 recipe Rich Chicken stock, with reserved chicken meat 1 cup vegetable oil 1 cup all-purpose

• May 15 - indie/folk duo Martha’s Trouble • May 22 - acoustic soft rock group Muse • May 27 - father/ daughter duo Mark Wilson and Jessica Walters of “Strawberry Wine” performing today’s country hits.

Summer Swing Held each Tuesday night at Municipal Park, Summer Swing is a 13-week-long concert series featuring artists representing a wide range of genres.

Food and drinks will be available at 6:15 p.m. and there will be complimentary rides available on the Rocky Brook Rocket.

Following is a full schedule for the 2019 Summer Swing series: • May 7 - Opelika High School Symphonic, Concert and Jazz

flour 3 medium onions, chopped 2 ribs celery, finely chopped 3 tablespoons minced garlic 1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste 1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage, cut into 1⁄3-inch-thick rounds 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black

bands • May 14 - Lee-Scott Academy Jazz Band • May 21 - East Alabama Community Band •May 28 - Crossroads • June 4 - Kidd Blue • June 11 - Bill J. Brooks - Elvis Lives!

• June 18 - Muse • June 25 - Route 66 • July 2 - Fedoras • July 9 - Martha’s Trouble • July 16 - Conner Lorre (Neil Diamond and Friends) •July 23 - James Brown Trio • July 30 - Back-toSchool Bash.

For more information on both events, call 334-705-5560, like and follow the Opelika Parks and Recreation’s social media pages or visit www.opelika-al. gov/341/Parks-Recreation.

pepper 1 bay leaf 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley Cooked white rice, for serving Louisiana hot sauce, for serving Filé powder, for serving (optional) Directions Make the Rich Chicken Stock and reserve the shredded chicken meat and broth as the recipe instructs. If using it the same day, let the broth cool before starting the gumbo.

Opelika on Friday, Emmons put the finishing touches on the stump and raffled off other woodworking pieces, with proceeds being donated to Providence Baptist Church.

After observing the devastation caused by a 2005 tornado in nearby Evansville, Indiana, he said he was moved to give something to a community that lost 23 of its own during the

deadly storms.

“Anybody that needs a little reminder or little pick-me-up, hopefully this will do that for them,” Emmons said.

One final feature that will be added at a later date is a plaque honoring those who lost their lives.

For more information on Emmons’ business, visit www.bearhollowwoodcarvers.com.

Food Ratings Momma Goldberg’s 2701 Frederick Road Opelika Score: 98

Sam’s Club Cafe 2335 Bent Creek Road Auburn Score: 98

University Donut 157 E. Magnolia Ave. Auburn Score: 98

Howie’s Mouth of the South 9063 Lee Road 246 Smiths Station Score: 97

Newk’s Eatery 2664 Enterprise Drive Auburn Score: 98

MaFia’s Italian Restaurant 811 S. Railroad Ave. Opelika Score: 90

With the oil and flour, make a roux the color of milk chocolate following these directions for Making a roux.

Immediately add the onions, celery, garlic, bell pepper, cayenne, and sausage, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. If the broth has cooled by this time, add it to the roux mixture along with the salt, black pepper, and bay leaf, and bring to a gentle simmer.

Continue to simmer, skimming any

foam or excess oil that comes to the top, until the sauce is flavorful and thickened to the desired consistency, and any trace of floury taste is gone, about 2 hours.

Add the chicken, green onions, and parsley to the gumbo and continue to simmer about 30 minutes longer. Don’t stir too much or the chicken will fall apart into shreds. Adjust the thickness, if necessary, by adding water or more broth. Adjust the seasoning with salt and cayenne as

needed.

Serve the gumbo in shallow bowls over hot white rice. Have the hot sauce and filé at the table for guests to use to their liking.

Note: In Louisiana, everyone has his or her own preference when it comes to gumbo thickness. This one is about middle of the road, which is the way I prefer it—not too brothy and not too thick. It is easy to adjust the thickness by using less broth for a thicker gumbo and/ or adding more for a thinner consistency.

Opelika

A12

Family & Religion

April 24, 2019

Entering the book of Exodus W

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hile it’s our usual practice to read and study a book like Exodus in a stand-alone fashion, it is actually part two of a five-part series.

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy are part of what is referred to as the Pentateuch (i.e., “five scrolls”). These books were written primarily by Moses and provided Israel with a reminder of who they were and how they were to live before the world in the promised land of Canaan. If your parents ever told you when you were a child to “remember who you are,” then you understand the purpose of these books.

This being so, the

book of the books build five whose on each contents other like predate it. a series we This is watch on exactly Netflix but what Moeven more

By Bruce Green ses would like a movie Teaching Minister at have us see franchise 10th Street Church of as the book (“Star Christ in Opelika begins by Wars”, remind”Harry ing us of the “sons of Potter”, etc.). While Israel” who went with you certainly can Jacob to Egypt (1:1-5). understand and profit This is a compression immensely from a stand-alone look at any of Genesis 46 and it of the five books, your links Exodus to Genesis like two interlockunderstanding will be considerably enhanced ing puzzle pieces. This when you consider any integration is further heightened by verse 7, of them in the overall “but the Israelites were context of the other exceedingly fruitful; books. In regard to they multiplied greatExodus, this means ly, increased in numthat special attention bers and became so should be paid to its connection to Genesis, numerous that the land was filled with them.” since it is the only

Church calendar

• Pepperell Baptist is continuing to offer a Wednesday evening program from 6 to 7 p.m. for preschool and elementary children called WOWWorship on Wednesdays.

The evening program of Bible messages for children, crafts, fun activities, and snack is ongoing throughout the year. The youth program meets on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. This is an evening of prayer, Bible Study, and discussion.

For more information, contact youth and children’s pastor Ryno Jones if you need more information at 334-745-3108.

• Registration for Farmville Baptist Church’s First Steps Preschool program for fall 2019 is

Catch ‘On the Mark’ with D. Mark Mitchell and Jeff Sasser weekday mornings from 7-9 a.m.

ANGLICAN Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd 1311 Second Ave. #758-6749 ASSEMBLY OF GOD Bridge Church 1000 Lee Road 263, Cusseta #742-0144 AME Mount Zion AME Church West Point Hwy #749-3916 St. Luke AME Church 1308 Auburn St. #749-1690 St. Paul AME Church 713 Powledge Ave. #745-6279 Thompson Chapel AME Zion 187 Columbus Pkwy #749-8676 BAPTIST Abundant Life Baptist Church 1220 Fox Run Ave. Suite B #7064421464 Airview Baptist Church 2301 Airport Rd. #745-6670 Antioch Baptist Church 605 W. East Morton Ave #742-0696 Bethesda Baptist Church 201 S. 4th St. #745-7528 Bethel Baptist Church Hwy. 29 Sasser Rd #745-4865 Central Baptist Church 1611 2nd Ave. #745-2482 Community Baptist Church 154 N. 16th St. #745-6552 Cornerstone Missionary Baptist 500 N. Railroad Ave. #742-2008 Eastview Baptist Church 1208 Spring Dr #749-9595 Farmville Baptist Church 3607 Alabama Hwy N. #887-7361 First Baptist Church of Opelika

now open to the public.

For more information or to register, call 334-8877361 or visit them at 3607 Alabama Highway 147 N. in Auburn.

• May 2 - Lee County residents are invited to participate in the 68th National Day of Prayer event May 2 beginning at noon at downtown Opelika’s Courthouse Square.

This nondenominational event will feature prayer, messages and worship led by area church leaders. Hallelujah 910 AM will broadcast the event live. In case of rain, the event will be held in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church Opelika.

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their faithlessness and sin had made a mess of things, they hadn’t changed Yahweh’s creation purposes for them or the rest of the world. These would be the promise texts like Genesis 12:13, 22:16-18, 26:3-5, 28:14-15 and they find ultimate expression in Jesus Christ who came that we “may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). This life consists of knowing (having a relationship with) “the only true God, and Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). All of this is at stake when Pharaoh seeks to bring under curse the people Yahweh has blessed.

You can find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: atasteofgracewithbrucegreen.com.

Verse of the Week “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

Events can be emailed to the Observer at editor@opelikaobserver.com.

314 S. 9th St. #745-6143 First Baptist Church 301 S. 8th St. #745-5715 First Baptist Church Impact 709 Avenue E #741-0624 First Freewill Baptist Church 103 19th St. #703-3333 Friendship Missionary Baptist 432 Maple Avenue #742-0105 Greater Peace Baptist Church 650 Jeter Ave. #749-9487 Heritage Baptist Church 1103 Glenn St. #363-8943 High Hope Baptist Church 227 Lee Road 673 Liberty Baptist Church 2701 West Point Pkwy #749-9632 Love Freewill Baptist Church 1113 Frederick Ave. #745-2905 Ridge Grove Missionary Baptist Church 1098 Lee Road 155 #334-745-3600 Northside Baptist Church 3001 Lafayette Hwy #745-5340 Pepperell Baptist Church 2702 2nd Ave. #745-3108 Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Uniroyal Rd #749-2773 Providence Baptist Church 2807 Lee Rd 166 #745-0807 Purpose Baptist Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #704-0302 St. James Baptist Church 1335 Auburn St. #745-3224 Union Grove Missionary Baptist 908 Huguley Rd #741-7770 BUDDHIST Buddha Heart Village 3170 Sandhill Rd. #821-7238

This is an allusion to Genesis 1:28a where God blessed Adam and Eve and told them to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Exodus begins by showing us that even though the focus has moved from a few people of Yahweh to the people of Yahweh, God’s creation purposes—to bless man by giving him fullness of life and love anchored in rich fellowship with Him—continues even though they are outside the land of promise.

But Exodus 1:7 syncs with other passages in Genesis as well—ones that are given after the fall.

These are the texts where God assured Israel that even though

CATHOLIC St. Mary’s Catholic Church 1000 4th Ave. #749-8359 CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ 2215 Marvyn Pkwy #742-9721 10th Street Church of Christ 500 N. 10th St. #745-5181 Southside Church of Christ 405 Carver Ave. #745-6015 Church of Christ 2660 Cunningham Drive #745-6377 CHURCH OF GOD Airview Church of God 3015 Old Opelika Rd #749-9112 Church of God 114 17th Place #7496432 Tabernacle Church of God 3 Oak Court #745-7979 CHURCH OF NAZARENE Opelika Church of Nazarene 1500 Bruce Ave. #749-1302 EPISCOPAL Emmanuel Episcopal Church 800 1st Ave. #745-2054 HOLINESS Eastside Emmanuel Holiness Church 86 Lee Road 186 Opelika, Ala. 36804 JEWISH Beth Shalom Congregation 134 S. Cary Dr. #826-1050 LATTERDAY SAINTS Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints 510 Groce St. #742-9981 METHODIST First United Methodist Church of Opelika 702 Avenue A #745-7604 Hopewell United Methodist 1993 Lee Rd 136 #745-0460

Philippians 3:13 Pierce Chapel United Methodist 8685 AL Hwy. 51 #749-4469 Pepperell United Methodist 200 26th St. #745-9334 Trinity United Methodist Church 800 Second Ave. #745-2632 Wesley Memorial United Methodist 2506 Marvyn Pkwy #745-2841 PENTECOSTAL Full Gospel Pentecostal Church Hwy. 29, PO Box 1691 #741-8675 Gateway Community Church 2715 Frederick Rd #745-6926 PRESBYTERIAN First Presbyterian Church of Opelika 900 2nd Ave. #745-3421 Trinity Presbyterian Church 1010 India Rd #745-4889 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST Outreach Seventh-Day Adventist 1808 S. Long St. #749-3151 NON-DENOMINATIONAL Apostolic Holiness Church 610 Canton St. #749-6759 Auburn Opelika Korean Church 1800 Rocky Brook Rd #749-5386 Beauregard Full Gospel Revival 2089 Lee Road 42 #745-0455 Christ Church International 1311 2nd Ave. #745-0832 Church of the Harvest 2520 Society Hill Rd #745-2247 Church at Opelika 1901 Waverly Pkwy #705-0505 East Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. #737-1488 Emmanuel Temple of Deliverance 207 S. Railroad Ave. #745-6430 Faith Alliance Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #749-9516 Faith Christian Center 600 S. 8th St. Faith Church 3920 Marvyn Pkwy #707-3922

Family Life Christian Center 601 S. 7th St. #741-7013 Father’s House Christian Fellowship 214 Morris Ave. #749-1070 Fellowship Bible Church 2202 Hamilton Rd #749-1445 Ferguson Chapel Church 310 S. 4th St. #745-2913 First Assembly of God Church 510 Simmons St. #749-3722 Garden of Gethsemane Fellowship 915 Old Columbus Rd #745-2686 Grace Heritage Church Opelika #559-0846 Holy Deliverance Church 831 S. Railroad #749-5682 Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. #737-1488 Living Way Ministries 1100 Old Columbus Rd #749-6241 Move of God Fellowship Church 1119 Old Columbus Rd #741-1006 Connect Church 2900 Waverly Pkwy #749-3916 New Life Christian Center 2051 West Point Pkwy #741-7373 New Life Independent Church 10 Meadowview Estates Trailer 741-9001 Opelika’s First Seventh Day 2011 Columbus Pkwy #737-3222 Power of Praise, Inc. Church 3811 Marvyn Pkwy #745-6136 Shady Grove Christian Church West Point Hwy #745-7770

pelika O Observer

A13 April 24, 2019

Mayor Gary Fuller suspends rules at Opelika cemeteries for Easter holiday, end of April Special to the Opelika Observer Mayor Gary Fuller has conferred with Public Works Director Mike Hilyer and has issued an order to suspend the rules at city of Opelika cemeteries starting on April 17 through April 28 governing the placement

of floral arrangements, wreaths and trinkets on graves, allowing loved ones to place extra holiday wreaths, flower arrangements (in a separate container) and trinkets on the graves.

The city rules require that there can only be one flower arrangement per grave

lot, unless the monument provides its own flower receptacle.

Flower receptacles of any kind (glass, wood, plastic, tin, cement) are prohibited and no flowerpots are (normally) allowed to remain on the lawn area beside gravesites.

The only exception to this rule is the flowers

placed on gravesites from funerals which have occurred within the past week. Also, two trinkets or whatnots per lot are permitted if placed on the base of the monument.

The rules will go back into effect – and be enforced once again April 29. Any wreaths or separate

floral arrangements or extra trinkets left out at that time will

be removed from the gravesites on April 29.

68th National Day of Prayer scheduled for May 2

By Tyler Roush For the Opelika Observer All of Opelika and Lee County is invited to the 68th National Day of Prayer event to be held at the Courthouse Square located in downtown Opelika.

The non-denominational prayer and worship event will begin at noon on May 2 and will last until 1 p.m. This year’s theme comes from John 13:34, which states “Love one another. Just as I have loved you.”

Bill White, an organizer for the event, said that the event is welcoming of all denominations and

religious practitioners.

“They’ll be from all walks of life,” White said. “They’ll be from whole different churches.”

Opelika High Schools choral department, led by Jeremy Robinson, will feature music for the event that will coincide with proclamations by Opelika and Auburn mayors Gary Fuller and Ron Anders, respectively.

For White, the event brings everyone together.

“It has a feel to it, like the feeling of heaven, the body of Christ,” White said.

“It’s just people who follow Jesus and love Jesus that gather…

It truly is a body of Christ event.”

According to the event’s website, the event was created in 1952 and signed into law by then-President Harry Truman.

The event is expected to draw more than 100 to 200-plus people, White said, and all are invited to bring their families and food.

The event will be broadcast live on AM station Hallelujah 910.

In the event of inclement weather, the event will be moved across the street to First Baptist Church.

Pictured right are photos from last year’s event, which drew hundreds of people.

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

OBITUARIES Marjorie Belyeu Draper Marjorie Belyeu Draper age 95 of Opelika AL passed away Monday April 15. She was born in Birmingham, where she lived until 2001 when she moved to the Auburn area. She was married in 1953 to William L. Draper who preceded her in death in 2000.

Also preceding her death were her twin sister Margaret and brother Daniel. She is survived by her son Dan (Angela), granddaughters Jessica Stephens (Grayson), Janna Draper and great granddaughter Isla, all of Nashville TN.

Marjorie was a career bookkeeper, secretary/treasurer of an industrial corporation in Birmingham.

She was a faithful follower of the Lord and her most recent church home was AUMC, where she had many dear friends.

There was a memorial service at Jeffcoat Trant Funeral Home at 10:00 Friday April 19 and burial followed in Birmingham at Forrest Hill Cemetery.

The family requests, in - lieu of flowers that any donations be made to charity or church offering in her memory.

Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory directed.

Amelia Elizabeth Hill April 15, 2019 at 3:18pm, Amelia Elizabeth Hill, our precious Ame-Pooh, left this earth and entered into glory. She was greeted by the open arms of Jesus and His fulfilled promise of a beautiful and perfect love. Funeral services were at 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 19th at First Baptist Church, Opelika, Alabama, with burial in Prattville Memorial Cemetery. Visitation was Thursday, April 18th from 6:00p.m. until 8:00p.m. at JeffcoatTrant Funeral Home and Crematory.

Born on March 19, 1981, Ame lived a life full of love and happiness. In her short 38 years, she left such a remarkable impact on so many, simply by loving others in the way God loves us. Her faith was unshakeable, and we hope that through her journey others will seek to know the Lord as she did.

Ame leaves behind a family that loves her dearly. Her mother, Jean McGee Hill, chosen by the Father to love and raise Ame in a way that left us all in awe; her father, Dave Hill, Ame’s best buddy and partner in crime; and her little

“seester”, Kristine Hill, Ame’s ultimate protector and #1 fan.

There are many other family members who Ame loved tremendously, and who have loved her and followed her life’s journey from both near and far away.

Thank you for loving our girl – you all made her feel so special and cherished.

We can only imagine the amazing homecoming Ame had with many family members and friends who had gone before her, and we know they joined her in rejoicing in her new freedom and perfection in glory. We rest on the

promise that one day we will all be joined together again, and look forward to the day that Ame greets us with her sweet smile and a big hug in our eternal home.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made in Ame’s honor to one or both of the following: Exceptional Foundation of East Alabama 300 N. Dean Rd. Suite 5-177 Auburn, AL 36830 Camp ASCCA P.O. Box 21 Jackson’s Gap, AL 36861 Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory directed.

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pelika Observer O

A14 April 24, 2019

Community Calendar: Events around town

• April 24 - Ribbon Cutting - FetchMe Delivery - 4 p.m.

• April 25 - Ribbon Cutting - Griff Goods - 3:45 p.m.

• April 25 - Ribbon Cutting - Resting Pulse Brewery - 4 p.m.

•April 30 - Ribbon Cutting - O Town Ice Cream - 10 a.m.

• May 17 - Application Deadline for Fall 2019 20 Under 40 Ongoing: • Village Friends/Village Values is a nonprofit organization that supports seniors who prefer to stay in their own homes as they grow older. For info or to schedule a presentation to your group, call 334-209-4641. For the website, Google “village friends village values.”

• The Martha Wayles Jefferson DAR chapter is appealing for sweaters, jackets, trousers, shirts and socks, women’s clothing, soft soap in individual containers, shaving supplies, disposable razors, denture cleanser, toothpaste and toothbrushes, DVDs, games, books and magazines to take to veterans at the CAVHCS in Tuskegee.

The Martha Wayles Jefferson DAR Chapter regularly visits veterans living in assisted living, the homeless domiciliary and psych (trauma) ward in Tuskegee. Donations are tax deductible and will be much appreciated. Pick up is provided. Please call Linda Shabo at 887-6659 or at 256-307-1449.

Mondays: • The Lee County Voters League meets the first Mondays of the month at 6 p.m. at Bethesda Baptist Church located at 201 S. 4th Street, Opelika • The John Powell American Legion Post 18 and Auxiliary meets the third Monday at 7 p.m. at 910 West Point Parkway in Opelika.

• The Opelika Community Band practices from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in

the Auburn High School band room. Everyone is welcome, amateurs and professionals alike.

• Smiths Station Military Chapter of Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) meets weekly at Mike & Ed’s at 5 p.m. For more information, call 297-5581 or visit www.nonukesforiran.org.

• The Touched by Suicide Support Group meets the first Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at the East Alabama Medical Center Health Resource Center, 2027 Pepperell Parkway. For more information, contact Deborah Owen, EAMC’s director of Psychiatric Services at 334-528-4197 or deborahowen@eamc. org.

• The fourth Monday of each month a Community Grief Support Group meets from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the EAMC Health Resource Center. No reservations are necessary; everyone is welcome. For more information call 826-1899 or 502-0216.

• T.O.P.S (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly), a weight loss support group, meets every Monday night from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Covington Recreation Center, 213 Carver Ave., Opelika. For more info contact Mary Johnson, 749-1584.

• The Lee County Commission meets the second and last Mondays of each month at the courthouse beginning at 5 p.m.

• The Commercial Hor-

ticulture Extension Team organizes webinars to provide quick updates for producers on various topics of interest. Whether you are interested in the proper way to plant fruit trees or have questions in turf management, these webinars cover a wide range of subjects. Webinars are streamed live via Panopto on the last Monday of every month starting in January and ending in November. During the presentation, participants can send questions via email. The webinars also are recorded and stored in the archive on the Beginning Farmer website. Webinar topics include: trap cropping for reducing squash insect pests, cowpea curculio updates, nutsedge control, introduction to potting mixes in ornamental container production, dealing with drought in commercial horticulture crops, and many more.

To view the full schedule, please visit www.aces. edu/anr/beginningfarms/ webinars.php. Please send questions during the presentations to Ann Chambliss, thameae@ auburn.edu. For questions regarding the webinar series or for providing suggestions, please email Dr. Ayanava Majumdar at bugdoctor@auburn. edu.

Tuesdays: • Ballroom Dance Classes at the Opelika Sportsplex from 7 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday. Instructor is Cody Wayne Foote. For more info call

Diane at 749-6320.

• The East Alabama Old Car Club meets every first Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Monarch Estates Clubhouse, located at 1550 East University Drive, Auburn. A program of interest to the old car enthusiast is presented. Car ownership is not required.

• The Opelika City Council meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 7 p.m.

Meetings are preceded by non-voting work sessions that typically begin about 6:30 to 6:45 p.m.

• Every second Tuesday, a country, gospel and bluegrass music jam session is held at Pierce Chapel United Methodist Church in Beauregard.

The event is free and open to the public. Those who play an instrument should bring it and plan to join in. The jam session is held from 6 to 8 p.m. 8685 AL Highway 51.

• A Grief Support Group meets at Oak Bowery United Methodist Church Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. for anyone dealing with the pain of loss and feeling the need for support on their journey as they attempt to bring order and wholeness back into their life. Attendance and participation is strictly voluntary for any and all sessions. There are no fees or charges involved. The church is located on U.S. Highway 431 – eight miles north from Southern Union State Community College and Opelika High School.

For more information contact Bill Parker at 4590214 or 706-518-9122.

• The Auburn Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol meets every Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Auburn University Regional Airport. The Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization that is Congressionally chartered to be the civilian auxiliary of the Air Force and focuses on three missions: aerospace education, cadet programs and emergency services. For

more information visit www.auburncap.org or find the organization on Facebook.

• East Alabama Gem & Mineral Society meet the 4th Tuesday of every month at 5:45 p.m.

Meetings are held at the Covington Rec. Center located at 213 Carver Ave. in Opelika.

Wednesdays: • The second Wednesday of each month a Community Grief Support Group meets from 10 to 11 a.m. at the EAMC Health Resource Center. No reservations are necessary. For more info call 826-1899 or 502-0216.

• The John Powell American Legion Post 18 and Auxiliary hosts Bingo every Wednesday night at 6 p.m.

• Every Wednesday is Wine Down Wednesday at the Bottling Plant Event Center from 5 to 8 p.m.

Thursdays: • American Legion Auxiliary Unit 152 meets the first Thursday of every month at 11 a.m. at Niffer’s Place, 917 S. Railroad Ave. in Opelika.

• The Teal Magnolias Gynecological Cancer Support Group meets the second Thursday of every third month at 6 p.m. at EAMC Health Resource Center, 2027 Pepperell Parkway. For more information on the Teal Magnolias, email tealmagnoliasAL@yahoo.com or find them on Facebook.

• Opelika-Auburn Newcomers’ Club provides a variety of programs for the betterment of the Auburn/Opelika community to assist women transitioning into the area or to help women adjust to recent lifestyle changes. The club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 11:30 a.m. for a luncheon at various local restaurants. Please call or email Cheri Paradice at 334-737-5215 or cheri.paradice@gmail. com for more information or luncheon location of the month.

• T.O.U.C.H. Cancer

Support Group meets the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at EAMC’s Health Resource Center. This is a support group for people living with any type of cancer or their families and friends.

Call 334-528-1076 for more information.

•After School Art Classes for Children & Youth Weekly Studio Classes featuring Drawing, Painting & More.. *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 •Afternoon Art Classes for Adults featuring Studio Drawing, Painting & More.. *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided Thursdays at 3 p.m.

Eastern Standard Time The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 • Evening Art Classes for Adults Fundamental Drawing Studio - Every Tuesday: 6:30 p.m. *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 • Portrait Drawing Studio - portrait drawing classes for beginners, Every Wednesday 2 p.m.

EST *all fine art supplies are provided The Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008 • Senior Studio Art Classes Every Wednesday 11 a.m. EST *beginners are welcome *all fine art supplies are always provided - Enroll Today- 334-480-2008

invited. Plant swaps are a great way to add new plants to your home or garden. To participate, simply bring a plant(s) you’re willing to trade, potted or bare root.

The cardinal rule is plants must be healthy and pest-

free. You might be asked to contribute interesting or favorite stories you may have about your plant, even one you just found at the store.

Unusual or trendy plants always make for the best trade. Visit LeeMG.org.

Email editor@opelikaobserver.com to place your community events.

New Events • April 26-27 - Lee County Gathering Old Time Music Festival. Pioneer Park, Loachapoka • April 28-29 - High School Band Days at Pioneer Park. Members of local high school bands are invit-

ed to learn to play acoustical instruments with nationally recognized musicians. Pioneer Park, Loachapoka.

• April 28 - The Junior League of Lee County will hold an Alice in Wonderland-themed fundraiser and

silent auction April 28 at the Moore’s Mill Club pavilion.

Called the “Mad Hatter’s Tea Party,” the event will begin at 2 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.juniorleagueofleecounty.com. The

venue is located at 1957 Fairway Drive.

• May 1 - The Lee County Master Gardeners will be hosting a Plant Swap at the Harris Center, 425 Perry St., Auburn at 12:30 p.m. The public is

pelika Observer O

Special to the Opelika Observer “…I really do feel that there’s something lovely about the way that it ends,” Pete Holmes said in a recent interview, in reference to his television show, “Crashing.”

After three seasons on HBO, this television show featuring a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a standup comedian is coming to an unexpected end.

Despite the fact a fourth season was apparently in the works, HBO decided to conclude the series. Ironically, the end of the third season seemed to inadvertently wrap up the show.

The ending only makes sense within the context of the show’s beginnings. Holmes plays a fictitious version of himself, and the storyline is loosely based upon his real life experiences. Informed by his Christian faith, he

A15 April 24, 2019

Crashing no more

marries young. Somewhere along the way, he begins pursuing a career in comedy. Early on in the show, he learns his wife is having an affair.

Devastated, much of the first season covers the fallout from this discovery - and the ways in which these circumstances propel Holmes toward a life he never could have imagined.

In light of his personal woes, he doesn’t fare all that much better in his comedic endeavors. He struggles to find work at times, and is worn down by the rigors of pursuing a comedic career.

Along the way, cameos are made by famed comedians that audiences will readily recognize - Sarah Silverman, Artie Lange, John Mulaney, just to name a few – making one feel as if they have just arrived at a comedy show.

Yet the show’s more powerful moments center around the way issues such as adversity

By Samuel Moore-Sobel and faith are examined, coupled with the exploration of how those elements intersect in everyday life. The tension Holmes feels between the faith of his youth and his perspective as an adult are particularly fascinating, especially since this is not often a topic featured in modern media. Holmes seems to ask himself throughout the series if faith is still important in his life; and, if so, what that means for him in the present?

This all comes to a head in season three, when Holmes takes a job touring with a Christian group of entertain-

LOVE ONE ANOTHER “LOVE ONE ANOTHER, JUST AS I HAVE LOVED YOU” JOHN 13:34 68TH NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER Thursday, May 2, 2019 at 12 noon Lee County Courthouse Square Rain site - First Baptist Church located at 8th St. Opelika Broadcast live on Halleluiah 910AM NON DENOMINATIONAL PRAYER & PRAISE GATHERING ALL ARE INVITED

ers. He feels the need to justify his decision to a friend he bumps into from New York. “…That’s how I was raised…it’s so nice…”

It feels comfortable.

At times such as these, Holmes seems completely at war with himself, a struggle that seemingly transcends purely professional interests. He seemingly desires to fit in with the culture of his youth – as if he realizes that life would be far easier if he could force himself to work within the confines of what was laid out before him as a child. His parents would certainly be happier, if he could only go back to who he used to be.

Yet by the end of the episode, he makes a few off-color jokes in front of an audience, and his journey with his fellow Christian entertainers comes to an abrupt end. “…He figured out that even though he might have some cognitive

dissonance, he might not be completely at peace with who he really is,” Holmes said, in reference to his character on the show. A comment applicable to all of us.

Holmes’ apparent struggle with the faith that permeated his childhood resonates, especially to a younger generation in search of a sense of meaning. Those growing up in a typical American Christian household can relate to the stifling sense that oftentimes pervades such an upbringing. The lists of don’ts that often overpower the lists of do’s. The fear sometimes communicated by those further along in their faith journey that the younger among them are destined to fall away. When oftentimes those still trying to make sense of the world simply desire to possess the freedom to make their own decisions as they separate from their

parents.

My journey has differed from that taken by the character played

by Holmes in “Crashing.” I’ve worked hard at both retaining and deepening my Christian faith, despite the valid concerns, held by many, about the way Christianity is carried out by fellow human beings.

The divergence of our paths illustrates the myriad of ways one can choose to respond to being brought up with the teachings of Jesus (or really that of any faith).

As we approach Easter Sunday, perhaps we should take a moment to consider what it is that we believe about Jesus.

In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Holmes has seemingly answered this question. Have you?

Samuel Moore-Sobel is a freelance writer. To read more of his work, visit www.holdingontohopetoday.com.

An Annual Affair
 Memorial Day Weekend
 May 24 - 26, 2019 Downtown Opelika, Alabama

opelikasongwritersfestival.com

Opelika Schools & Sports Inside • opelika schools • lee county schools • community sports

Turn to B2 for photos from Saturday’s “Mike Spain Invitational” at Opelika High School

Beulah’s Cody Flournoy confirmed as next head coach at Jackson High

By Morgan Bryce Editor

On the Mark

By D. Mark Mitchell

OHS hosts ‘Mike Spain Invitational’ Saturday

O

pelika High School’s track and field team hosted the “Mike Spain Invitational” last Saturday at Sam Mason Track on campus.

This was the Bulldogs’ final meet prior to the sectional meet this Friday and Saturday. Cross-town rival Auburn and Carver (Montgomery) joined the Bulldogs for the one-day meet.

The following girls finished in the top-3 in their respective events: Haley Sanders won the 200- meter dash and finished second in the 100-meter dash.

Akishi Williams won the 400 meters, Brekin Gould won the 3,200-meter run.

Priscilla Perry won the discus, Ansley Jackson won the high jump and placed second in the triple jump and Trinity Love won the shot put. Zeriauna Jackson finished in third place in the 100 meters and 200 meters and Jasmine Murphy placed second in the 200 meters. Indiana Holloway placed second in the 400 meters and Jasmine Murphy placed third.

Breckin Gould placed third in the 1,600 meters, Cameron Nunn finished third in the 100-meter hurdles, Bailey Carlisle finished third in the long jump, Kyla Hogg finished second in the discus, Lauren White finished third in the javelin and Brianna Barnett and Perry finished

second and third in shot put, respectively.

In the boys division, Jaylen Stinson finished first in the 100 meters, Cencale Thomas won the 200-meter dash, Brantan Barnett finished second in the 200-meter dash, Steven Harvey finished first in the 400 meters, Dalen Torbert finished third in the 400-meter dash, Daniel Kindred and Justin Shorter finished second and third in the 100-meter hurdles and first and second in the 300-meter hurdles.

In the high jump, LeDamian Rowel and Eric Watts finished second and third, Eric Watts finished first in the long jump, Roweel and Thomas finished first and third in the triple jump, Steven Harvey placed second in the pole vault, Justin Love finished in third in discus. Stinson finished in first in the javelin and Blake Landers and Trevon Moore finished second and third in the shot put, respectively.

The boys and girls teams should have a good sectional meet and advance to another state meet May 2 through 4 in Gulf Shores.

SOCCER The Opelika girls Soccer team (9-5-1 overall, 3-1 in area play), tied LaGrange 2-2 and lost 10-3 to Northside last week. The Lady Bulldogs’ soccer team won See Sports, page B4

Cody Flournoy was confirmed as the head coach of Jackson High School during last Thursday’s Clarke County School Board meeting.

Flournoy, with previous assistant coaching experience at CentralPhenix City and his alma mater Smiths Station, shocked the Alabama high school football world last fall by helping break Beulah’s 10-year playoff absence, winning eight games, its most in a season since 1995 and posting the first winning record for a Bobcat coach since Rusty Nichols, who compiled a 28-10 mark

at the school from 1983 to 1985.

Jackson’s formal offer earlier this month “was completely out of the blue” for Flournoy, who was preparing for upcoming spring training.

“Looking at it from the outside, everybody would be inclined to say, ‘yeah, it’s a great program and a great football deal.’ But reaching an answer on this was not easy,” Flournoy said. “Beulah’s a place where you could make a career of it. But, through a lot of prayer, talks with some Godly people and the Lord on what I should do, all we kept hearing was ‘go, go, go,’ which ultimately led me to accepting their offer.”

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer Classified as a 5A school, Jackson has a solid program history with 70 winning seasons, 63 percent overall winning percentage and two state championships. Flournoy will replace Danny Powell, who stepped down in mid-March after eight seasons with the Aggie

program, going 74-18 during that tenure.

While the search is on to find Flournoy’s replacement, he said he believes he has helped lay a solid foundation for the Bobcat’s future.

“When you win at Beulah, you know See Flournoy, page B4

Scholarships for special forces veterans now available through Bennie Adkins Foundation

By Morgan Bryce Editor Applications are now being accepted for the Bennie Adkins Foundations scholarship through the end of June.

Named after Opelika native and Medal of Honor recipient Bennie Adkins, the foundation

gifts scholarships to these Special Forces veterans “to (give back) and honor the legacy of (their) courage, sacrifice, selfless service and patriotism” and help “aid them in their transition from military to civilian life.”

This will mark the third year the foundation has offered

these scholarships, which was established on April 13, 2017.

Following are scholarship eligibility requirements: • Applicants must be Special Forces soldiers rank E5 to E9 • On active duty, recently separated (within five years) or

retired within five or more years • Must have been accepted by or already attending an accredited college, university or vocational institution.

For more details, information or to apply, visit www.bennieadkinsfoundation. org. The application deadline is June 30.

pelika Observer O

B2 April 24, 2019

Opelika High School’s track and field team hosted meet Saturday

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer The Opelika High School track and field team hosted the “Mike Spain Invitational” last Saturday. See this week’s On the Mark column for tournament results.

2019 All-Alabama Academic Team awarded more than $64,000 in scholarships Special to the Opelika Observer Forty-six of Alabama Community College System’s (ACCS) top scholars across the state were announced as the 2019 All-Alabama Academic team.

Two students from each of Alabama’s community colleges were selected by members of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society for their demonstration of academic excellence and intellectual rigor, leadership and service and for their commitment to extending their education

beyond the classroom to benefit society. Their prestigious honor was celebrated Friday by Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy H. Baker, State Rep. Pebblin Warren (D-Tuskegee), Prattville Mayor Bill Gilespie, college presidents and faculty and staff during the All-Alabama Academic Team Recognition Program at the Marriott Prattville Hotel and Conference Center.

Members of the 2019 team were awarded more than $64,000 in scholarships. Additional scholarships for All-Alabama

Academic Team members were also awarded when they transfer to Alabama’s public and private four-year colleges.

“The individuals selected for the All-Alabama Academic Team represent our state’s best and brightest students, and are a testament to the rewards of taking full advantage of the community college experience,” Baker said. “I’m truly optimistic for our state’s future with students like these at the helm.”

The All-Alabama Academic Team recognition program was founded

in 1995 to complement the All-USA Academic Team Program that is sponsored by USA Today, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and the American Association of Community Colleges.

While eligible students from the entire student body may apply for selection to the AllUSA and All-Alabama Academic Team, all students submit applications to their local community college’s Phi Theta Kappa nominator.

Applicants must have a minimum 3.5 GPA and be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours

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Scholar: • Trent Meigs Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar Southern Union State Community College GPA: 3.714 Hometown: Daviston The 2019 All-Alabama Academic Team scholars from Lee County: • Mikayla Jackson Southern Union State Community College GPA: 3.8 Hometown: Opelika • Cassidy Sharpe Chattahoochee Valley Community College GPA: 3.83 Hometown: Smiths Station.

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After each nominator reviews the applications and submits nominations for consideration for the All-USA Academic Team, applications are scored and two individuals from each Alabama community college are selected for the All-Alabama Academic Team.

Nominated students can also qualify for the national Coca-Cola Academic Team. Students chosen for this honor are categorized as Gold, Silver or Bronze Scholars.

One Lee County student was recognized as a Bronze Coca-Cola

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pelika O Observer

B3 April 24, 2019

Craftsmanship | Natural Construction I draw back the curtain, letting in the morning light.

The kitchen is awash in a pale hue of butter yellow.

The kettle is a fire-engine red with polished lacquer. I run water, turn on the stove and listen for a subtle sounding poof, as it ignites to warm the water until the kettle whistles. I whisk the batter and pour dollops onto the skillet and add a light dash of cinnamon as it sizzle. I stack pancakes tall in a crystal dish, and sprinkle powdered sugar o’er each layer. I retrieve the kettle and tilt it over a white porcelain pour-over, atop one of my favorite coffee cups.

As I wait for the last of the pancakes to brown until golden, I gaze out the kitchen window and discover a marvel of craftsmanship. Exposed by recent shrubbery pruning, a large nest still suspended aloft thinned branches beckons me to pause and admire the intricacies established by it’s maker.

In recent weeks,

YOUR DESTINATION for CONTINUED FINE ARTS EDUCATION STUDIO CLASSES | DRAWING, PAINTING & MORE for ALL AGES www.thesarahwestgalleryoffineart.com

By Sarah West I’ve found myself committed to increasing conversations and subjects of a timelasting nature. These discussions have presented ways for better communication and reaffirmed values preserving common interests related to heritage, community structure and the footprints that future generations will follow.

In the humid morning air, I stand awed by this inspired work of natural construction. I’m compelled to further consider the thought- couldn’t we all learn so much, and preserve more,

if we elect to follow nature’s architectural model. I consider the pioneering spirit of the small bird that builds its fortress with found objects, piece by piece, twigs and sticks. I’m reminded of a bird I once saw in a parking lot, carrying a stick twice its size. Furthermore, in the rising heat of August Alabama sun, I reflect on past visits to Tuskeegee. I think of George Washington Carver and his pioneering efforts to teach his pupils the benefits in resourceful innovation. To reexamine our current means of construction

and our intent for it’s use ignites conviction and causes one to question- can our current practices withstand time’s weathering and do we uphold nature and steward co-existence.

The nest lasts, just as the handmade bricks of Tuskeegee’s campus. Non-obtrusive natural and manpowered construction can co-exist, when one informs the preservation of the other.

Sarah West serves the Opelika Observer as a contributing columnist, with written works of Cultural Arts relevance and prose.

She is a preservation, and conservation ad-

vocate, activist, and visual artist of American Illustration with a focus on Regional Narrative Painting.

She is founder of the Sarah West Gallery of Fine Art, A Center for Cultural Arts, Smiths Station, Alabama’s premier fine arts destination.

She is the appointed Official Artist to the City of Smiths Station, a Lee County syndicated columnist, the director of her art center’s Cultural Arts Outreach Initiative which partners with local schools to make the arts accessible to all. She also serves a chief curator to the City of Smiths

Station, City Hall Art Galleries. She is a founding member of the Smith Station Historic Commission.

She is a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Board- Cary Center, Auburn University College of Human Science. She is an elected member of the Society of Illustrators- NYC. She mentors art students of every age through weekly classes at her studio located in the heart of Smiths Station, Alabama. To learn more about her work and activism visit, www.thesarahwestgalleryoffineart. com.

Rainbow school for young and old

Beth Pinyerd The Classroom Observer

A

s April comes to an end, I love the poem, “April showers bring May flowers!” April showers bring rainbows, too! When I look at rainbows, I think of promises. I have a heartfelt dream in connecting the older generation to our younger generation with intergenerational programs that are very rich in encouragement from the old to children, as well as children outreaching to the older generation.

I reflect back on the poem by Robert Fulghum, “All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.” It ends with the statement, “And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.”

This is the truth in the relationship between the young and old.

The baby boomer generation, because

there are many of us, will set new trends in the format of elderly care. Intergenerational programs will increase in years to come.

The National Council on Aging defines Intergenerational programs as activities that increase cooperation and exchange between any two generations. “It has been shown that a relationship between young and old enlightens both generations.”

As I have been blessed to serve both the young and old, intergenerational relationships are something that go beyond anything that money can buy! What is exchanged mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally is so rich in benefits for the young and elderly.

I invite you to share my heart-felt dream of setting up intergenerational centers for young and old.

I’d like to share my philosophies which

I have gleaned from research and handson experiences. It’s my hope you could incorporate the few ideas I share with new ideas, visions and joy as we explore new possibilities for our young children and those young at heart, the elderly in our community.

As we stroll into our Intergenerational Center, which we will hypothetically call “Rainbow School Across the Generations,” I would like for us to visit some of the centers.

1. We approach the table with intergenerational name tags and supplies. Name tags are so helpful for the adult/child pairs to get to know each other.

Older adults and children work in pairs to decorate their name tags. The intergenerational objectives achieved are interaction and communication; self esteem enhanced; team work; encouragement of creativity; moderate exercise.

2. The art center has a fresh white sheet of paper stretched out on an easel or table just waiting to be painted or drawn on by the hands of a young child and older adult.

The blank easel page is waiting for the intergenerational artists’ touch. Paint smocks, washable paints and water wait for the

chubby hands of the young child and the soft hands of wisdom of our elderly friend.

Special rules or considerations are gently stressed not to eat the paint and for wet surfaces to be dried to prevent falling and slipping. This can be done by staff and volunteer facilitators who understand the needs of young children and the elderly. The project of self portraits of each other create a loving bond of getting to know each other.

3. The intergenerational puzzle center offers objectives in cognitive development, social interaction, as well as teamwork and cooperation.

Full body pictures of children, adults, and animals offer teamwork challenges for the young and old to put the pictures together, and offer discussion time.

4. The block/Lego center provides small motor exercises, as well as teamwork in creativity. The older adult can reminisce with his younger friend about how to build a car from the past.

5. Walking over to the home center we see small trowels, seedlings and plant cuttings, gardening gloves, plastic containers, dirt, and water cans ready for an intergenerational gardening experience of

planting seeds, flowers, and as a team of young and old watching their plants and flowers grow.

6. Story-book corner has a rocking chair for older adults, small chairs and carpet squares for the young children to gather around to listen to a good story. With the dynamics of our society and culture, many young children are away from their grandparents because of parents taking jobs far away. Story time not only provides a warm time for listening and communication skills between young and old, but it provides a socialization need of grandparenting as well.

7. Intergenerational math centers provide opportunities for hands-on counting, which is good for the young mind and the elderly mind. One-onone correspondence helps young and older minds recognize a set of objects and their assigned numbers.

8. Cooperative learning is taking place in the science center where young and old make a hypothesis on different objects that float and don’t float. Taking care of different kinds of pets is part of the shared responsibilities for the young and old.

9. Free play is a child’s work. Adults of all ages can still

play, too. We all instinctively know how to play. Intergenerational play promotes cognitive, social, physical and emotional benefits for young children and we older adults.

I have provided just a very brief framework of the advantages of the intergenerational community.

Young children provide such a spark of energy and enthusiasm to us older adults.

Children are truly blind to age differences. Effective intergenerational programming is very strong and benefits everyone involved. It takes a lot of work and perseverance. But, when staff and intergenerational volunteers witness the warm interaction of facilitating situations where the young and old come together, this complete outlook between the young and old is a blessing forever. This intergenerational framework can be incorporated within schools, retirement villages and centers, and churches.

As we baby boomers provide new trends, I hope that intergenerational concepts and programs will be one of those positive trends.

Baby boomers and the greater generation need to grab the hand of a young child and follow a rainbow of joy!

pelika O Observer

B4 April 24, 2019

OLLI at Auburn to host Richard Guether May 1 for ‘Wisdom Wednesdays’ lecture series Special to the Opelika Observer The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Auburn University (OLLI at Auburn) will host its lecture series Wisdom Wednesdays May 1 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art located at 901 S. College St. in Auburn.

OLLI members, guests and friends are all invited to learn more about OLLI at Auburn course offerings, social engage-

Sports,

from B1

the area title with a 3-1 record and will host a substate game on Friday at the W James Samford Soccer Complex.

The girls battled LaGrange High to a 2-2 tie.

Estefany Alba and Amiya Brown scored goals with Assist from Erica Mathews and Megan Noon. Northside scored five goals in each half, while Opelika added one in the first half and two goals in the second half. Brown scored two goals and Mathews added a goal.

Opelika’s boys soccer team (10-5-4 overall,

ments and initiatives.

Richard Guether, Auburn’s Director of Campus Planning and Space Management, will speak on Auburn University Campus Development Efforts at OLLI’s May 1 Wisdom Wednesday session.

His presentation will cover the history of planning on Auburn’s main campus, as well as the impact of the campus master plan and other guiding documents on campus development, including current and future efforts.

3-1 in area play) beat LaGrange and Northside last week. The Grangers, ranked no. 2 in the 4A classification in Georgia, watched the Bulldogs break a 2-2 tie by penalty kick in the second half goal. Anthony Alba scored two goals and Yordy Chavez added a goal in the win. The Bulldogs beat Northridge 2-1 behind goals from Chavez and Charlie Garcia. Chavez converted a penalty kick for the win.

Opelika and Benjamin Russell finished 3-1 in the area, with the Wildcats winning the tie-breaker and having the rights to host a sub-state game.

The Bulldogs will travel to Millbrook Friday for

Guether has held his present post with the university for seven years. He has worked on numerous planning and capital project development projects for Auburn, including the third update of the Comprehensive Campus Master Plan, development of campus landscape and housing plans and the refinement of a spaceplanning model for determining university space needs.

Prior to joining Auburn University, Guether was a city

a sub-state game against Stanhope Elmore.

SOFTBALL The Lady Bulldog softball team beat Beauregard, Beulah and Russell County last week.

Opelika beat Beauregard 4-2 behind a nice pitching performance from Makai Gagliano, who notched five strikeouts, allowing only five hits. Avery Davis and Chelsea Carr led the Lady Bulldogs at the plate with two hits each.

Dreamer Denmark added a hit and scored two runs.

Opelika bested Beulah 5-3 behind Gagliano’s arm.

The senior struck out five batters and only allowing two earned runs. Nylen Thomas went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored two

planner in the Bronx office of the York Department of City Planning, where he worked on neighborhood rezoning projects. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Ohio State University.

Originally a New Jersey native, Guether has resided in Auburn since 2013.

OLLI at Auburn is a program of the Office of the Vice President for University

Flournoy,

from B1

you’ve really done something. At Jackson, there’s an expectation to win every year … but winning and doing what we did here, it was just something special,” Flournoy said. “It wasn’t just me that helped get that done. It took the coaching staff, players and community buying into what we were doing.

I think and hope everybody understands my decision … Beulah is a special community filled with some great people.”

Attempts to reach Beulah Athletic Director Richard Brown Jr. have been unsuccessful.

Follow the Observer for updates on the school’s coaching search.

Outreach at Auburn University. OLLI administrative offices and select classes are located at the historic Sunny Slope property located at 1031 S. College St. in Auburn.

For more information regarding this event or to assist the organization as a volunteer faculty member, volunteer service assistant, or sponsor, contact OLLI Program Coordinator Barbara Daron at 334844-3105, email olli@ auburn.edu or visit www.olliatauburn. org.

runs. McKay Yountz and Kaylen Gunn added hits for Opelika.

The Lady Bulldogs shutout Russell County 11-0 in a significant area game. Yountz, who joined the varsity after the Opelika MIddle School season ended, pitched six innings without allowing a run while striking out six to earn the win.

Opelika will play in the area tournament April 30 in Alexander City.

OUTSIDE OHS ATHLETICS Congratulations to Beulah’s Cody Flournoy!

The former Beulah coach accepted the head football coaching job and athletic director position at Jackson High School last week.

Flournoy spent two and half years at Beulah, quickly winning eight games and hosting the Bobcats’ first playoff game in more than 20 years last season.

It appears Jackson school officials targeted Flournoy after Danny Powell announced his retirement March 18. The Aggies, considered one of the best 5A programs in Alabama, knew what kind of person/coach the program wanted and moved quickly. He fit sthe description that included football knowledge and other important character traits.

Flournoy met with Jackson High officials and toured the city with his

wife earlier this month. He knew the job would be difficult to say “no” if offered.

A few days later, Jackson offered him the job and gave him adequate time to make a decision.

This is a major step for Flournoy and his family, as the Smiths Station graduate has spent his entire coaching career in East Alabama. I applaud Jackson High’s decision. As for the Bobcat Nation, Beulah high is a better job now than three years ago. The administration will hire a good man and coach!

D. Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State Director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.

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Opelika, L ee County & A labama Politics Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Inside the Statehouse

I

Who will take Doug Jones out of the race next year?

t is a foregone conclusion that a Republican will take out our anomaly liberal Democratic Sen. Doug Jones next year.

The question is which Republican will be the nominee and capture the seat.

The early favorite is U.S. Congressman Bradley Byrne. There is an old adage that often holds true, the early bird gets the worm.

Byrne made the commitment to run more than a year ago and he has been dedicated to the race and is running full speed ahead. He is raising good money and crisscrossing the state in a very organized manner. Byrne ran a good race for governor in 2010, so he knows what he is doing.

He has served coastal Alabama in the State Senate and now six years in Congress. If he is the only major candidate from the Mobile/Baldwin area in the Primary, he will

By Steve Flowers get a good “Friends and Neighbors” vote in his 1st Congressional District. Republican primaries begin and end in vote rich Baldwin County now.

The toughest challenge that Byrne could get may very well be fellow Congressman Mo Brooks from Huntsville. Brooks is from the ultra-right wing of the GOP. National conservative group like and trust Brooks. He is a true believer. These folks are not excited about Byrne who they perceive as a silk stocking, country club Republican. Brooks also has a more recent statewide race under his

belt than Byrne. Being a congressman gives him access to Washington and national donors and also like Byrne, Huntsville is a good place to be from in a Republican primary.

If Brooks opts not to run, the right-wing groups in Washington, D.C. may pursue Birmingham Congressman Gary Palmer. Brooks and Palmer are cut from the same cloth. They are ultra true-blue conservatives. Brooks is the better candidate of the two.

He is more charismatic and flamboyant.

The person to watch may be Secretary of State John Merrill. If he enters, he will be a player. He is the hardest working person in Alabama politics. He is not only the best retail politician currently on the Alabama political stage, he may be one of the best in Alabama political history.

His organization See Flowers, page B7

Opelika City Council continues to consider changes to the Historic Preservation ordinance as residents voice their concerns

By Michelle Key Publisher The Opelika City Council and Mayor Fuller continued to receive public comments from residents of Opelika during last week’s city council meeting on changes to the ordinance regarding the status of buildings owned by religious organizations in Opelika’s historic district.

Five people spoke in support of removing the exemptions for religious organizations that allow the alteration or demolition of property within the historical districts without approval or oversight from the Historic Preservation Commission.

Shane Dickerson spoke on behalf of the Historic Preservation Society. “We have some of the most beautiful, historic churches in the state of Alabama located within our historic district,” Dickerson said.

“We are greatly concerned about what could happen to some of these churches.

Can you imagine Opelika’s historic district without First Methodist?

Can you imagine without St. Marys? It is almost unthinkable,” Dickerson expressed.

“Forty years ago, the Historic Preservation Society was established, almost 20 years before there was an ordinance was in place. Those people wanted to make sure that this city’s historic structures were protected.

Our purpose included one particular item - to instigate local and state action to protect the historical character of Opelika. One of the men who wrote that as part of our purpose was Mr. Forney Renfro. Think about that.”

During the meeting Fuller issued a Proclamation for the National Day of Prayer and for Relay for Life.

He also recognized the Opelika High School girls basketball team for their successful season.

In other business, the

council: • approved city financial statements for the month of March 2019 • received the March 2019 Building Inspections monthly report from City Administrator Joey Motley • approved a street closure request from Main Street for two events - Touch-A-Truck and Burger Wars on June 1 • approved a street closure request for Opelika Main Street for a new event called Main Street on Tap slated for July 27 • held public hearings for the project development agreement with BC Stone Contracting and for the amendment of Zoning Ordinance & Map to rezone 60.74 acres located at Pepperell Pkwy & North 30th Street • approved a bid from Matthews Specialty Vehicles for the retrofitting of the Mobile Health Clinic in the amount of $127,791 See Council, page B6

Sen. Doug Jones applauds disaster declaration for North Alabama flooding recovery efforts Special to the Opelika Observer Last week, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (DAla.) applauded the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) approval of a Major Disaster Decla-

ration for 10 Alabama counties that were impacted by storms and flooding earlier this year.

“I’m grateful to the President and FEMA for granting this major disaster declaration.

This is a step in the

right direction that will help communities in North Alabama recover after the devastating flooding that hit the region earlier this year.

I will continue to look for every possible avenue on the federal level to help the folks

who have been affected by this flooding,” Senator Jones said.

The disaster declaration applies to damages incurred by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding that occurred between February 19

and March 20 in Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Madison, Marion, Morgan, and Winston counties.

Senator Jones is continuing to work with his colleagues in the Senate to secure

disaster relief for Lee County tornado victims as well as farmers in the Wiregrass who were impacted

by Hurricane Michael.

Next week, Senator Jones will return to Lee County to get an update on recovery efforts.

pelika O Observer

B6 April 24, 2019

Opelika Rotary Club members continue to maintain trees planted in honor of their 100th anniversary Special to the Opelika Observer Last year, International Rotarian President Ian H.S. Riseley challenged each Rotary club to plant a tree for each member.

Opelika Club President Harry Cullinan took the challenge seriously and accepted the mission, so in conjunction with celebrating its Rotary's 100th anniversary in Opelika and its nearly 100 members the group decided to plant 100 trees at Evergreen Cemetery

and the Old Rosemere cemetery.

Upon receiving a resolution from the City of Opelika and obtaining financial support from Patsy Jones, Mike Hilyer's team at ESG dug 100 holes and many Opelika Rotarians showed up last April to plant the trees, install tree rings and mulch each one.

Throughout last year, John Story's team at S&S Termite and Pest Control watered the trees almost weekly. Nonetheless, trees from Old Rosemere

were ultimately moved and some died natural causes.

Opelika Rotary bought 40 more Saucer Magnolia trees and came out on April 6 with some of their children to Evergreen Cemetery to replace the trees, replace tree rings, and mulch all 100 trees.

Opelika Rotary club received a donation from Clay Williford with Scotts Miracle-Gro Company in the form of 100 bags of mulch which was used for this project.

Photos special to the Opelika Observer

Council,

from B5

• approved expense reports from various departments.

• approved a resolution to purchase - one (1) 2019 Ford F350 Crew Cab and Chassis • approved Resolution 091-19 to purchase - christmas decorations - This resolution was to correct an error in the previously approved

resolution • approved a resolution to set a date for a public hearing to fix demolition cost for 9 Avenue B, 206 Byrd Avenue and 1003 Alton Court. The public hearing will be held in council chambers on May 21 • approved a request for a Special Use Permit from AT&T for their cell tower located at 3460 US Hwy. 280 East • approved a resolution appointing Kevin D. Rice as ADA Coordinator

& Approving Amended ADA Grievance Procedures • approved the BC Stone Contracting, LLC project agreement • approved a resolution approving a right-of-way encroachment license agreement with the Cotton District, LLC for Resting Pulse Brewery • approved the FY2019 appropriation contract with Chamber of Commerce • approved an appropriation to Opelika City

Schools Track Team for their travel to the state tournament • approved an appropriation to the Community Foundation of East Alabsma for the upcoming Opelika Giving Day on May 1 • authorized Mayor Fuller to execute the Receipt and Refunding Agreement in order to accept a charitable contribution in the amount of $4,923.69 • approved a resolution to renew the employee

contract for the OPS director • approved Resolution 104-19 opposing Senate Bill 264 regarding small cell wireless regulations • heard the 1st reading of an ordinance to amend the zoning Ordinance & Map for 60.74 Acres located at Pepperell Pkwy & North 30Th Street • set aside the 2 reading rull and voted to approve an ordinance authorizing the issuance, sale, delivery, and payment of the city’s $16,695,000

FRIENDS FAMILY COWORKERS MOTHERS TEACHERS SONS DAUGHTERS NURSES GRANDPARENTS NIECES FATHERS AUNTS UNCLES EMPLOYERS COUSINS FAMILY NEPHEWS FIRST FAMILY OPIOID ADDICTION NEPHEWS DOCTORS PARENTS FRIENDS HAS NO AGE LIMIT. FAMILY COWORKERS MOTHERS IT’S OK TO ASK FOR HELP.

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GRANDPARENTS NIECES FATHERS AUNTS UNCLES EMPLOYERS NEIGHBORS COUSINS NEPHEWS FIRST RESPONDERS DOCTORS PARENTS FRIENDS FAMILY COWORKERS MOTHERS TEACHERS SDAUGHTERS NURSES GRANDPARENTS NIECES FATHER AUNTS UNCLES NEIGHBORS COUSINS NEPHEWS FIRST RESPONDERS

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principal amount electric system revenue taxable Refunding warrant, series 2019, to be dated April 18, 2019, to Regions Commercial Equipment Finance, LLC. The next meeting of the city council will be held on May 7 at 7 p.m.

Meetings are held at City Hall located at 204 S. 7th St. Minutes of the meetings can be found online at the city’s website www. opelika-al.gov/406/.CityCouncil.

pelika O Observer

B7 April 24, 2019

Vaccines, Reason and Freedom

T

he current measles outbreak has brought new criticism of parents who refuse to vaccinate their children over vaccine safety concerns. Measles was declared to be eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, and yet this year 550 cases have occurred through the second week of April. Antivaccination attitudes, I think, reflect a decline in trust in government.

The research “antivaxxers” cite linking vaccines to autism, multiple sclerosis, and other ailments, has been called “junk science.” The Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug

Flowers,

from B5

is like something put together in a bygone era. He will outwork everybody in the GOP primary, as well as Jones, put together. The aforementioned probable candidates need to not underestimate the hardest working man in Alabama political show business, Merrill.

The legendary Roy Moore may make the

Administration have pronounced vaccines safe. Physicians promoting the “danger” have faced professional censure. Despite this, I do not see the safety of vaccines as allowing us to dismiss the anti-vaccination position.

In a free nation, the government serves the people, not the other way around. Freedom means making decisions for ourselves based on our values, beliefs, and assessment of risks. We do not have to justify our decisions to others, even experts. If so, then why should those of us who believe that vaccines are safe force

race. His name identification and base allows him the luxury of not having much money. He should not be underestimated or dismissed as a “has been.” However, I do think his base has diminished to about 15 percent of the primary vote, which is not enough to make the run-off unless there is a crowded field.

In fact, a large crowd of GOP candidates could be attracted to the GOP race. They may come from strange corners.

By Daniel Sutter our assessment on others?

Parental rights differ from personal rights, as parents make decisions for their children.

We recognize that parents who neglect or abuse their children should lose (at least temporarily) their parental rights. Parents should be afforded freedom to raise and Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, who was the Tigers football coach from 1999-2008 and more recently been the head football coach at Texas Tech and Cincinnati, has officially announced that he is a candidate for the GOP nomination. He is originally from Arkansas.

These scenarios remind me of a story our ole senator, the late Howell Heflin, use to tell while he was our U.S. senator for 18 years.

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protect their children as they see fit unless they abuse these rights.

Hard cases arise when parents choose faith healing and prayer over effective medical treatments.

The dilemma stems from a conflict between personal and parental rights: the child hypothetically could wish to receive medical treatment. Respecting the child’s rights might require restricting parental choice.

Can we justify mandatory vaccination similarly? Several required vaccinations are for generally non-life-threatening illnesses like chickenpox, mumps, and even

measles. People feared and dreaded polio before Dr. Salk’s vaccine; chickenpox was a two week vacation from school. Preventing a brief absence from school is not grounds for trumping parental rights.

Immunization, of course, protects others besides the vaccinated.

Economists call this a spillover or external benefit, which people may well ignore in vaccination decisions.

An important spillover here is protecting persons with compromised immune systems who cannot be safely vaccinated.

Many economists believe that external

benefits justify government mandates. I disagree, because the person immunized still benefits the most.

If the person getting immunized (or the parent) believes that the cost exceeds the benefit, a small spillover benefit is unlikely to alter the balance.

Nobel prize-winning economist James Buchanan offered a better way to think about such cases. Politics, Buchanan contended, is an exchange of constraints on ourselves: I agree to vaccinate my son in exchange for other parents vaccinating their children. A

Heflin was a true World War II military hero. He won the Bronze Star as a Marine officer. Heflin hailed from Tuscumbia in Colbert County.

After undergraduate school at Birmingham Southern and Law School at the University of Alabama, he went back home to Tuscumbia and became one of the most prominent lawyer in Colbert County. At 50, he ran for and was elected Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court.

After six years there, he went to the U.S. Senate for three year sixyear terms.

Heflin was the son of a Methodist minister. The Methodists at that time moved ministers around.

It just so happened that at the time of Heflin’s birth, his daddy was doing a stint at a church in Georgia. Heflin, being a true Alabamian and an Alabama political leader, was a little embarrassed about the place of his birth. He would often say, “Yea, well my dad-

dy was over in Georgia doing missionary work among the heathen.”

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature.

Steve may be reached at: www.steveflowers.us.

The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Opelika Observer.

See Sutter, page B11

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pelika O Observer

B8 April 24, 2019

Local civic clubs hold meetings last week

Speaker updates Opelika Kiwanis Club on Sheriff Jay Jones speaks to members Gogue Performing Arts Center’s opening of Opelika Lions Club at recent meeting

Special to the Opelika Observer Carrie Collett with The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center spoke to the Kiwanis Club of Opelika on Thursday. Pictured are Carrie Collett and Joanne Camp. The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center is four months away from its opening (their opening festival is Aug. 22 through 25). It will feature a 1,200-seat theater and an outdoor amphitheater as well as space for banquets and smaller concerts. They expect more than $6 million in economic impact in the community in the first year. Auburn graduates John and Rosemary Brown, gave a majority of the funds to see the Gogue's dream come true. The facility is still raising money. They are looking for sponsors, with sponsorships starting at $150 each.

Special to the Opelika Observer Sheriff Jay Jones was a recent guest of the Opelika Lions Club. He recounted details of his department’s involvement in the recovery operations after the devastating tornadoes of March 3 this year, including interesting details of the president’s visit. He was introduced by Lion James Nelms, left.

LEGALS IN RE:THE ESTATE OF GAYLE M. PRATHER, Deceased.

IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA CASE NO. 2019-A-177 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT LETTERS TESTAMENTARY of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 11th day of April, 2019, by Hon. Bill English, Judge of Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama,

notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against the said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

BYRON JACK PRATHER, JR. Executor Legal Notice 4/24, 5/1 and 5/8/19

IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN RE: THE ESTATE OF DOROTHY W. MITCHELL, Deceased.

CASE NO.: 2019-A-170 NOTICE TO FILE CLAIMS TAKE NOTICE that Letters Testamentary, having been granted to Joanne M. Scarbrough, as Executrix of the Estate of Dorothy W. Mitchell, deceased,

on the 10th day of April 2019, by the Honorable Bill English, Judge of Probate of Lee County, Alabama.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons having claims against the said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

Legal Run 4/17, 4/24 & 5/1/2019

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT ESTATE OF CHARLOTTE ANN MILLER, DECEASED COURT OF PROBATE Letters of Administration of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 11th day of April, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate

Court of Lee County, notice is hereby fiven that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

Witness our hands, and dated this the 11th day of April, 2019.

JUSTIN THOMAS MILLER Legal Run 4/17, 4/24 & 5/1/19

See Legals, page B9

Opelika Charitable Giving Facts As the economy improves and confidence grows, charitable giving is making a comeback. Now could be a good time to evaluate giving and consider new ways to support the causes that you care about.

Philanthropy Philanthropy has played a role in every major civilization.

Whether the goal is to make a big impact or a modest gift, and whether you’re planning for the end of the year, or an enduring legacy, there are many options. Choosing wisely can be the key to making the biggest impact while minimizing present and future tax exposure.

REASONS FOR GIVING A desire to be philanthropic, to create a legacy, sense of moral duty Tax minimization, asset management, estate planning Serving Retirees • families • small business Owners • Nonprofits • Individuals

Financial planning for today, for tomorrow, for life.

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pelika O Observer

B9 April 24, 2019

LEGALS Legals,

from B8 NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL May 7, 2019 7:00 P.M. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with §23-4-2, Code of Alabama, 1975, that the City Council of the City of Opelika will conduct a Public Hearing during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Opelika City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 204 S. 7th Street, Opelika, Lee County, Alabama, to receive the benefit of public input concerning a proposal to vacate a portion of the southwesterly right-of-way of West Point Parkway (formerly U.S. Highway 29) located at the corner of West Point Parkway and Sportsplex Parkway.

All persons interested in the proposed vacation are invited to appear at the public hearing and express their views. Written statements or objections may be submitted to the City Clerk prior to the time of the hearing.

The portion of the right-of-way of West Point Parkway (formerly U.S. Highway 29) proposed to be vacated are more particularly described as follows: A tract or parcel of land containing 0.18 acres located in Section 34, Township 20 North, Range 27 East, Lee County, Alabama, and being more particularly described as follows: Commence at the southwest corner of Section 33, Township 20 North, Range 27 East; thence N83°23’32”E 5950.38 feet to a point on an old highway right-of-way limit, the point of beginning; thence leaving said right-of-way limit N33°02'34”E 74.48 feet to the southwest right-of-way limit of Sportsplex Road; thence along said southwest right-ofway limit S56°57’26”E 23.15 feet; thence continue along said southwest right-of-way limit S13°11’19”E 79.37 feet to the northwest right-of-way limit of West Point Parkway; thence along said northwest right-ofway limit S33°00’10”W 100.00 feet to point on old highway right-of-way limit; thence along said old highway right-of-way limit N11°59’50”W 113.81 feet to the point of beginning.

A copy of the Petition to Vacate and the proposed resolution approving the vacation will be available upon request at the office of the City Clerk, 2nd Floor of City Hall, 204 South 7th Street, Opelika, Alabama.

Please contact Lisa McLeod, the City’s ADA Coordinator, at 334705-5131 at least two (2) working days prior to the meeting if you require special accommodations due to a disability.

DATED this the 3rd day of April, 2019. /s/ R. G. Shuman ROBERT G. SHUMAN, CITY CLERK Legal Run 4/3, 4/10, 4/17 & 4/24.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL May 7, 2019 7:00 P.M. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with §23-4-2, Code of Alabama, 1975, that the City Council of the City of Opelika will conduct a Public Hearing during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Opelika City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 204 S. 7th Street, Opelika, Lee County, Alabama, to receive the benefit of public input concerning a proposal to vacate a portion of the southwesterly right-of-way of Sportsplex Parkway and a portion of the southwesterly rightof- way of West Point Parkway (formerly U.S. Highway 29).

All persons interested in the proposed vacation are invited to appear at the public hearing and express their views. Written statements or objections may be submitted to the City Clerk prior to the time of the hearing.

The portions of the rights-ofway of Sportsplex Parkway and West Point Parkway (formerly U.S. Highway 29) proposed to be vacated are more particularly described as follows: A tract or parcel of land containing 0.20 acres located in Section 34, Township 20 North, Range 27 East, Lee County, Alabama, and being more particularly described as follows: Commence at the southwest corner of Section 33, Township 20 North, Range 27 East; thence N83°23’32”E 5950.38 feet to a point on an old highway right-of-way limit, the point of beginning; thence along

said old highway right-of-way limit N11°59’50”W 27.61 feet; thence continue along said old highway right-of-way limit N56°59’50”W 93.03 feet; thence continue along said old highway right-of-way limit N32°54’33”E 77.04 feet to the southwest rightof-way limit of Sportsplex Road; thence along said southwest right-of-way limit S56°57’26”E 112.74 feet; thence continue along said southwest right-ofway limit S33°02’34”W 20.00 feet; thence leaving said right-ofway limit S33°02’34”W 74.48 feet to the point of beginning.

A copy of the Petition to Vacate and the proposed resolution approving the vacation will be available upon request at the office of the City Clerk, 2nd Floor of City Hall, 204 South 7th Street, Opelika, Alabama.

Please contact Lisa McLeod, the City’s ADA Coordinator, at 334705-5131 at least two (2) working days prior to the meeting if you require special accommodations due to a disability.

DATED this the 3rd day of April, 2019. /s/ R. G. Shuman ROBERT G. SHUMAN, CITY CLERK Legal Run 4/3, 4/10, 4/17 & 4/24.

CIRCUIT COURT OF LEE COUNTY, AL FAMILY DIVISION: JUVENILE J.R.A. (DOB: 04/21/2004) JU-2017-194.02 1.C.A. (DOB: 06/10/2005) JU-2017-195.02 NOTICE OF PETITION & SERVICE BY PUBLICATION NOTICE TO: CLINTON RAY ANGLIN and BETTY MARIE BLACK, parents of J.R.A. and I.C.A. both born at Spalding Regional Medical Center in Griffin, GA. The legal custody of J.R.A. and I.C.A. was vested with Lee County DHR on 3/26/2018.

Clinton Ray Anglin and Betty Marie Black must answer the Petition to Terminate his parental rights within fourteen (14) days from the last date of Publication of this notice with the Clerk of the Court located at 2311 Gateway Dr. Opelika, AL 36801 or thereafter, a final judgment may be rendered in Case JU-2017194.02/195.02 terminating their parental rights and placing said children for adoption.

Mary Roberson, CIRCUIT CLERK Hon. Margaret A. Mayfield Attorney for Lee County DHR P.O. Box 809, Opelika, AL 36803 (334)745-0333 Legal Run 4/3, 4/10, 4/17 and 4/24

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING OPELIKA CITY COUNCIL May 7, 2019 7:00 P.M. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with §23-4-2, Code of Alabama, 1975, that the City Council of the City of Opelika will conduct a Public Hearing during the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2019, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Opelika City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 204 S. 7 th Street, Opelika, Lee County, Alabama, to receive the benefit of public input concerning a proposal to vacate a portion of the northwesterly right-of-way of Anderson Road and a portion of the northwesterly right-ofway of Sportsplex Parkway.

All persons interested in the proposed vacation are invited to appear at the public hearing and express their views. Written statements or objections may be submitted to the City Clerk prior to the time of the hearing.

The portions of the rights-ofway of Anderson Road and Sportsplex Parkway proposed to be vacated are more particularly described as follows: A tract or parcel of land containing 0.56 acres located in Section 34, Township 20 North, Range 27 East, Lee County, Alabama, and being more particularly described as follows: Commence at the southwest corner of Section 33, Township 20 North, Range 27 East; thence N81°16’14”E 5991.60 feet to a point on an old highway right-of-way limit, the point of beginning; thence along said old highway rightway-limit N32°54’33”E 104.55 feet; thence continue along said old highway right-way-limit S57°23’58”E 112.20 feet; thence continue along said old highway right-way-limit N77°36’02”E 141.42 feet to a point on the northwest right-of-way limit of Anderson Road; thence along said northwest right-of-way limit S33°55’21”W 136.02 feet to the northeast right-of-way limit of Sportsplex Road; thence along said northeast right-ofway limit S79°09’19”W 101.25 feet; thence continue along said

northeast right-of-way limit N56°57’26”W 136.12 feet to the point of beginning.

A copy of the Petition to Vacate and the proposed resolution approving the vacation will be available upon request at the office of the City Clerk, 2nd Floor of City Hall, 204 South 7th Street, Opelika, Alabama.

Please contact Lisa McLeod, the City’s ADA Coordinator, at 334-705-5131 at least two (2) working days prior to the meeting if you require special accommodations due to a disability.

DATED this the 3rd day of April, 2019. /s/ R. G. Shuman ROBERT G. SHUMAN, CITY CLERK Legal Run 4/3, 4/10, 4/17 and 4/24/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BETTY ANN HITCHCOCK, DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 3rd day of April, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

KIM MILLER MANN Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 4/10, 4/17 & 4/24/19

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA FAMILY COURT DIVISION: DOMESTICE RELATIONS AMEE KIVETTE, Plaintiff, v.

TIMOTHY JEROME PASCHAL, Defendant.

CASE NO.: DR-2018900379.00 NOTICE OF ACTION NOTICE OF ACTION To: All Defendants herein, and any heirs or legal representatives of any Defendant herein, whose whereabouts are unknown and which cannot be ascertained after the exercise of reasonable diligence.

You are hereby notified that on the 11th day of December 2018, a complaint to adjudicate parentage of F.K. was filed in the Circuit Court of Lee County, Alabama, and the following are the names of all parties to the action: Amee Kivette, as Plaintiff, Timothy Jerome Paschal, and his unknown heirs or legal representatives as Defendant, whose heirs, executors and/or administrators are unknown and cannot be ascertained after the exercise of due diligence.

All persons having an interest in said case or any portion thereof, claiming any legal right to represent Timothy Jerome Paschal, are hereby directed to plead, answer, or otherwise respond to the Complaint on or before the expiration of 30 days after the last publication of this notice, or thereafter suffer judgment by default to be rendered against them, it being intended that this notice shall be used to perfect service against all parties who cannot be personally served with a copy of the Complaint.

Done this the 14th day of February, 2019.

Mary Roberson Circuit Court Clerk, Lee County Benjamin H. Parr Attorney for Plaintiff Rice & Parr 830 Avenue A, Suite A Opelika, Alabama 36801 Legal Run 4/10, 4/17, 4/24 and 5/1/2019

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT ESTATE OF PATRICIA CAROL CROWLEY COURT OF PROBATE Letters Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 4th day of April, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

Witness my hand, and dated this the 4th day of April, 2019.

JAMES RICHARD CROWLEY Legal Run 4/10, 4/17 & 4/24/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE

ESTATE OF PATRICIA A. RODRIGUEZ, DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Letters of Administration of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 3rd day of April, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

JAZMINE RODRIGUEZ Administrator Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 4/10, 4/17 & 4/24/19

IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN RE: The Estate of Ryan Wesley Pence, Deceased Case No.: 2019-A-152 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE Letters of Administration of said deceased, RYAN WESLEY PENCE, having been granted to LORI PENCE on April 3, 2019,

by Hon. Bill English, Probate Judge of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said Estate are hereby required to present same within the time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

Dated on this 3rd day of April, 2019.

HON. BILL ENGLISH JUDGE OF PROBATE LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Legal Run 4/10, 4/17 & 4/24/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF JAMES ARTHUR MELTON, DECEASED IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 10th day of April, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

SHIRLEY M. CARTER Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 4/17, 4/24 & 5/1/19

IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF MARY N. ADKINS, DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY,ALABAMA Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 8th day of April, 2019, by the Hon. Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama, notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

BENNIE G. ADKINS Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 4/17, 4/24 & 5/1/19

Notice to Contractors Lee County Project No. LCP 41151-19 Lee County, Alabama Sealed bids will be received by the Lee County Commission at 215 S. 9 th Street, Opelika, AL 36801 or mailed to P.O. Box 666, Opelika, AL 36803-0666 until 10:00 AM on May 21, 2019 and at that time publicly opened at the Lee County Courthouse, 215 S. 9th Street, Opelika, AL 36801, for constructing the Full Depth Reclamation, Resurfacing, and Traffic Stripe on various public roads in Lee County, AL. Minimum Length – 9.0 miles.

The Entire Project Shall Be Completed in Seventy-Five (75) Working Days.

Plans and Proposals are available online at http://www.leeco. us/business/commission_office/ current_bids.php, or at the Lee County Highway Department (ph. 334-737-7011), 100 Orr Avenue, Opelika, AL 36803.

A Bidding Proposal may be

purchased for $5.00. Plans may be purchased for $2.00 per set.

Checks should be made payable to the Lee County Commission. Plans and Proposals will be mailed only upon receipt of remittance.

Cashier’s check or bid bond for 5% of bid (maximum $10,000.00) made payable to the Lee County Commission must accompany each bid as evidence of good faith.

The bracket range is shown only to provide general financial information to contractors and bonding companies concerning the project’s complexity and size. This Bracket should not be used in preparing a bid, nor will this bracket have any bearing on the decision to award this contract.

The bracket estimate on this project is from $1,554,743.00 to $1,900,241.00.

The bidder’s proposal must be submitted on the complete original proposal furnished him or her by the Lee County Highway Department. Prequalification is not required.

The right to reject any or all bids is reserved.

Ala. Code § 39-3-5 applies to this project. In accordance with Ala. Code § 39-3-5(a), “…. preference shall be given to resident contractors, and a nonresident bidder domiciled in a state having laws granting preference to local contractors shall be awarded Alabama public contracts only on the same basis as the nonresident bidder’s state awards contracts to Alabama contractors bidding under similar circumstances; and resident contractors in Alabama, as defined in Section 392-12, be they corporate, individuals, or partnerships, are to be granted preference over nonresidents in awarding of contracts in the same manner and to the same extent as provided by the laws of the state of domicile of the nonresident.”

Legal Run 4/24/19

Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: Extra Space Storage 1412 Opelika Road. Auburn AL, 36830 on 05/13/2019 at 2:00 p.m.

Lisa Landreth Unit# G99 1309 Gatewood Dr Apt 404 Auburn, AL 36830 Boxes, totes, furniture, clothing, misc Bradley Richard Reed Unit# J125 11404 HW 51 Opelika, AL 36804 Couch, totes, boxes, clothes Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the above referenced facility in order to complete the transaction.

Extra Space Storage may refuse any bid and may rescind any purchase up until the winning bidder takes possession of the personal property.

Legal Run 4/24/19 & 5/1/19

NOTICE OF ABANDONED MOTOR VEHICLE SALE To be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2019, at 10 a.m. at Best 4 Less at 2509 Lafayette Parkway, Opelika, AL 36801.

1GKDM19W2XB533635 1999 GMC SAFARI 2C3LA53G48H224934 - 2008 CHRYSLER 300 Legal Run 4/17/19 & 4/24/19

NOTICE OF ABANDONED MOTOR VEHICLE SALE To be held on Friday, May 17, 2019, at 10 a.m. at Best 4 Less at 2509 Lafayette Parkway, Opelika, AL 36801.

3VWSA29M2XMO19337 1999 VOLKSWAGON JETTA Legal Run 4/17/19 & 4/24/19

IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA CASE NO. 2019-A-172 IN RE: The Estate of PHYLLIS MOORE McCAIN, Deceased TAKE NOTICE that Letters Testamentary having been granted to Jack Lamar McCain, as Personal Representaive/ Executor of the Estate of Phyllis Moore McCain, deceased on the 10th day of April, 2019, by the Honorable Bill English.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all persons having claims against the said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be barred. s/ Jack Lamar McCain Jack Lamar McCain Personal Representative/Executor of the Estate of Phyllis Moore McCain, deceased.

Legal Run 4/24, 5/1 and 5/8/2019.

IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF TERESA ANN ROBINSON, Also known as Treasia Robinson, Deceased.

Case No.: 2019-A-183 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Take Notice that LETTERS OF ADMINISTRATION of said deceased having been granted to Benjamin H. Parr on the 19th day of April, 2019 by the Honorable Bill English, Judge of Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama.

Notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against the said Estate are hereby required to present the same within the time allowed by law or the same will be barred. /s/ Benjamin H. Parr OF COUNSEL Legal Run 4/24, 5/1 and 5/8/2019

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE Under and by virtue of an Execution issued out of the Circuit Court of Lee County, Alabama, Court Action Number CV2018900086, on a Judgment rendered therein, in which PREFERRED CONTRACTORS, LLC is the Plaintiff and KYLE INGALLS is the Defendant, I, Jay M. Jones, as Sheriff of Lee County, Alabama, will sell to the highest, best and last bidder for cash at public outcry whatever equity the Defendant may possess in and to the real estate described below: DEED BOOK 2268, PAGE 5, PARCEL NO. 43 09 03 07 0 001 072.000 ADDRESS COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 226 ASHETON LANE, AUBURN, LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA 36830 Said sale to be held at 12:00 Noon on the 20th day of MAY 2019, at the Lee County Courthouse in the City of Opelika, State of Alabama. Said sale to be subject to all lawful liens and encumbrances, if any, against said property.

Done this 12TH day of APRIL, 2019. /s/ Jay M. Jones SHERIFF OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Legal Run 4/24, 5/1 & 5/8/19

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE Under and by virtue of an Execution issued out of the Circuit Court of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Court Action Number CV2009-64, on a Judgment rendered therein, in which SLOAN J. HARPER is the Plaintiff and ERIC M. NOVELLI, ET AL. is the Defendant, I, Jay M. Jones, as Sheriff of Lee County, Alabama, will sell to the highest, best and last bidder for cash at public outcry whatever equity the Defendant may possess in and to the real estate described below: LOT NUMBER FIFTEEN (#15) OF BRENT CREEK SUBDIVISION, HERITAGE SECTION, IN OPELIKA, LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA, ACCORDING TO AND AS SHOWNBY PLAT OF SURVEY THEREOFMADE BY T.RICHARD FULLER, LICENSED SURVEYOR, ALABAMA REGISTRATION NO. 7384, RECORDED IN THE OFFICE OF THE JUDGE OF PROBATE OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA, IN PLAT BOOK 9, AT PAGE 83. (DEED BOOK 2244 PAGE 146) PROPERTY IS MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 3906 HAMILTON ROAD, OPELIKA, LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA 36804.

Said sale to be held at 12:00 NOON CST on the 20TH day of MAY 2019, at the Lee County Courthouse in the City of Opelika, State of Alabama. Sale is subject to all lawful liens and encumbrances, if any, against said property.

Done this 4TH day of APRIL, 2019. /s/ Jay M. Jones SHERIFF OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Legal Run 4/24, 5/1 & 5/8/2019

NOTICE OF ABANDONED MOTOR VEHICLE SALE To be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, at 10 a.m. at Best 4 Less at 2509 Lafayette Parkway, Opelika, AL 36801.

5N1AN0NU2AC507270 - 2010 NISSAN XTERRA Legal Run 4/24/19 & 05/01/19

B10 April 24, 2019

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Last week’s answers:

04-17 Scramblers Answers: 1. Violet , 2. Ruddy , 3. Haggard , 4. Eyelet Solution: Heavy

pelika O Observer

B11 April 24, 2019

How did the White House spend Earth Day

By Kelly Martin Special to the Opelika Observer This Earth Day, many of us marked the occasion by joining a community cleanup or getting out and enjoying the outdoors.

Unfortunately this year, the Trump administration observed this celebration of our environment differently - by plotting to undermine critical safeguards that help keep our air and water clean.

Most people aren’t familiar with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), but it plays a critical role in keeping our communities and our environment healthy and safe.

Signed into law in 1970, just a few months before the first Earth Day, NEPA requires that the government take environmental, economic, and health impacts into consideration before going forward with

Sutter,

from B7 similar argument applies to taxes – I agree to pay taxes because you will be made to

any major project, and that the public have an opportunity to weigh in. The law empowers communities to access information about the decisions that affect their lives and ensures that their feedback on these decisions is heard.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, projects reviewed under NEPA move forward without much scrutiny or delay. But in the rare cases where a proposed project would pose a serious threat to communities, this safeguard is critical to protecting them from corporate polluters and their allies in government.

One of the most high-profile examples of this is the Trump administration’s attempt to force through approval of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline based on an outdated review from 2014 that was the basis for President Barack Obama’s rejection of the pipeline. Thanks to

pay.

We will never all agree on any decision of significance. Government though involves the exchange of numerous constraints, and we may benefit from the package as a

ATTENTION VETERANS!!! ü Served between 2003 and 2015? ü Used double ended earplugs in combat / near loud noise? ü Have hearing loss or tinnitus (Ringing in ears)?

NEPA, a federal court rejected this reckless plan and required the government to go back and take a closer look.

Not content to play by the rules, Trump is now moving to gut this long-standing safeguard. In guidance expected to be released this spring, the Trump administration is seeking to make the law entirely toothless by rolling it back so communities are silenced and blocked from weighing in on federal projects that threaten their health, environment, and economic livelihoods.

And it’s not just NEPA that’s under threat.

During the last two years, the administration has sought to eliminate or weaken every environmental safeguard it can get its hands on, threatening protections for our air, water, health and climate, many of which have been in place for decades.

The pattern here is

whole. For instance, all states require vaccination against eight viruses for school children. We might disagree with one or two of the requirements and still abide by the mandate.

Whether government constraints benefit us depends on whether we trust that politicians act in our best interest. Differences

pretty clear: the administration is seeking to eliminate anything that might stand in the way of fossil fuel company profits, regardless of the cost to communities, local economies, and the climate.

This aggressive agenda threatens to eliminate much of the progress our country has made on environmental protection since the first Earth Day in 1970, and we must stop it. We all deserve the right to clean water, clean air, and a stable climate, and to make our voices heard when those things are under threat. The American people won’t sit idly by and watch as the Trump administration tries to strip us of our voice.

Kelly Martin is the Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign.

The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Opelika Observer.

in state vaccination requirements highlight this tension. All states require vaccination against eight illnesses, typically through four shots. Beyond this, forty-three and thirteen states require immunization for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis A respectively. Connecticut requires nine shots; Alabama requires only four. If immunizations

3M supplied defective earplugs to service members causing hearing damage from loud noise exposure! The Combat Arms Earplug v2 (CAEv2) is a double ended earplug that did not work properly.

If you suffered hearing loss, or ringing in the ears call: R. Steven Baker, Attorney at Law/RN/U.S. Army Veteran Nursing Home Law Group, PC, Hoover, Alabama, Serving Veterans Statewide

Call 888-328-2400 for more info!

Or text 205-901-6224 No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of the legal services performed by other lawyers.

Financing Available Now serving Tallapoosa County

Rogers on public release of the Mueller Report: ‘No Collusion, No Obstruction’ Special to the Opelika Observer Congressman Mike Rogers made the following statement last week after The Mueller Report was released to the public by U.S. Attorney Gen. William Barr.

The almost twoyear investigation led by Robert Mueller found no evidence of collusion with Russia nor obstruction of justice

by President Trump nor the Trump campaign.

“It is worth reiterating that during the first two years of President Trump’s time in office, a witch hunt was led by the Mainstream Media and Deep State Democrats.

Now that the Mueller Report has been publicly released,

reflect a clear public health consensus, why do state requirements differ?

Politics and not just public health influences requirements. Debate over the relatively new HPV vaccine, which can prevent cervical cancer, reveals this.

Two states and the District of Columbia require the vaccine, which costs over $200,

Rogers the truth can come to light. There was no collusion or obstruction. It is time to investigate the investigators and see who was really behind what was tantamount to an attempted coup that was a waste of time and tax dollars,” Rogers said.

Rogers serves as a ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee.

and makers Merck and GlaxoSmithKline have lobbied lawmakers in other states for mandates. Political considerations and campaign contributions shape vaccine mandates.

Can we really trust that our politicians impose mandates on us based exclusively on our interests and sentiments? Unfortunately not. One consequence of this lack of trust is anti-vaccination skepticism.

Daniel Sutter is the Charles G. Koch Professor of Economics with the Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy at Troy University and host of Econversations on TrojanVision. The opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of Troy University or the Opelika Observer.

Real Estate Needs?

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B12 April 24, 2019

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COMICS

A good laugh heals a lot of hurts. — Madeleine L’Engle