Opelika Observer 06-17-2020 E-edition

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

VOL. 12, NO. 37

Opelika, Alabama

pelika Observer O

“By local people, for local people.”

Opelika Chamber of Commerce names Ali Rauch as President, CEO Special to the Opelika Observer The Opelika Chamber is pleased to announce that Ali Rauch has been selected as the chamber’s new President and CEO. On June 10, the chamber’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to approve Rauch for the position after a search committee that reported to the Board of Directors conducted an extensive nationwide search. The chamber retained Anissa Starnes with Swingbridge Partners, LLC, to provide oversight for the executive search.

Rauch will begin work officially on July 6.

ALI RAUCH “I am honored and extremely excited to join the Opelika

Chamber,” said Rauch. “My husband, Todd, and I first

chose Opelika 12 years ago, while he was attending Auburn University.

Prior military and transplants from very small midwestern towns, we fell in love with everything about Opelika.

The small-town feel, the beautiful downtown, the kind people and the atmosphere that made us want to call it home.

We’ve done just that, and we’ve made this our home, and I can think of no better way to play an integral role in continuing to help shape the community than serving in this See CHAMBER, page A3

EAMC President Laura Grill Named Director At AmeriFirst Bank

LAURA GRILL Special to the Opelika Observer Alfred F. Cook, Jr., Vice Chairman of Montgomery-based

AmeriFirst Bank, announced last week that East Alabama Medical See GRILL, page A3

Opelika Councilwoman Juneteenth March to be held in Courthouse Square Tiffany Gibson-Pitts discusses race relations

By Will Fairless Associate Editor

By Natalie Anderson Staff Reporter Tiffany Gibson-Pitts, a native of Opelika and graduate of Opelika High School, has always had a passion for helping others.

“We lived in Bennett’s Trailer Park during my high school years and it was a high crime area at that time,” Gibson-Pitts

said. “I don’t think that there was ever a night that went by where we didn’t spend time on the floor due to constant gunshots.

I recall praying and promising God that if He were to get my family out of that neighborhood, I would return and help as many people See GIBSON-PITTS, page A2

Community activist Janataka Holmes, along with State Rep. Jeremy Gray and City Councilwoman Tiffany Gibson-Pitts, has organized a march in Courthouse Square this Friday, June 19, celebrating freedom and supporting social justice.

The march will be held on Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the anniversary of the order to free all slaves arriving in Texas, the

last confederate state to receive orders under the Emancipation Proclamation. “I decided to go ahead and do the march on social justice,” Holmes said, “and I thought, ‘What better day to do it than Juneteenth?’”

Henriette Snipes, chair of the Opelika Housing Authority, will speak about Juneteenth at the march.

Holmes wants to make sure that Friday’s event isn’t just a march for marching’s sake, so

she is focusing on voter registration as a more active way to create change. “We can march and talk all we want to, but I want it to be concrete,” she said. There will be information about registration at the event, and people will be able to register on-site.

All who attend the event are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing, and Holmes will have extra masks available for those who don’t

bring their own. She would like to thank the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lee County for their support of her and this event.

Index OPINION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY. . . . . . . .A9 RELIGION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A11 CALENDAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A13

COMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A14 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1 PUBLIC NOTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . B5 POLITICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7

Alabama Statewide COVID-19 statistics as of June 16 25,892 cases/ 769 deaths | 710 cases in Lee Co./ 35 deaths

A2 June 17, 2020

Auburn Backyard Entertainment set to open July 1

By Natalie Anderson Staff Reporter Amy Wolters and her husband Jackson Wolters have lived in Lee County their entire lives and wouldn’t imagine it any other way. The couple will be opening their new business, “Auburn Backyard Entertainment” beginning on July 1.

Together, the couple has four children, with two of them having birthdays in the summer.

“We would normally have a pool party, inflatable water slide or sleep over with all their friends. But right now that is not an option.

So we really wanted to be able to offer them a party but still respect social distancing without making it feel like we were forcing ourselves to distance. That’s where the idea of an outdoor movie developed,” Amy said.

Backyard Entertainment will

be offering a 10-foot screen, projector and sound system. The company will book any day of the week with set up beginning around 7 p.m. so families can begin the movie as soon as it is dark enough outside.

“We will come set it up and then come take it down at the end of your event. You just have to tell us where you want us to put it and then you can hit play and enjoy the show under the

stars,” Amy said.

“We are able to stream any movie, slideshow or program via wifi or play a DVD. We have a birthday party package that can be added which includes individually wrapped cupcakes and popcorn from local businesses, light up balloons, glow sticks and sparklers for guests. We will soon offer an option of a larger screen and gravity chair rentals.”

For the month of July, the company is renting

the 10-foot screen, projector and speakers for $75. It makes for a great birthday party, late graduation celebration, neighborhood block party, baby shower or wedding shower slideshow.

“Our goal is to provide a service that is quality, affordable and fun. There is so much uncertainty in our world right now and I know my own children feel the weight of it all sometimes.

We simply want to offer some normalcy of a ‘movie theater’ and celebration in the safe space of your own backyard surrounded by the people you wish to celebrate with. That is 6 feet apart, of course,” Amy said.

For more information, follow “Auburn Backyard Entertainment” on Facebook and Instagram or send an email to auburnbackyardentertainment@gmail.com.

Rock ʻN Roll Pinball and Red Clay Brewery partnering for event June 24 - 27 Rock ʻN Roll Pinball is partnering with Red Clay Brewery to put on a pinball event from June 24 - 27. There will be three pinball machines set up for free play on those days during the hours when the brewery is open.

This event is a teaser for Rock ʻN Roll Pinballʼs eventual grand opening as a pinball arcade in downtown Opelika.

The arcade will have 25 pinball machines (both modern and vintage, featuring Beatles and Elvis machines, among others), seven televisions, two multigame arcade machines and a bar serving craft and domestic beers.

GIBSON PITTS >> FROM A1

as I could get out.”

Gibson-Pitts attended Jacksonville State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. While attending JSU, she was an active member of the JSU Collegiate Chapter of the NAACP, Gamecock Hostess and volunteered at the Jacksonville Boys and Girls Club.

“It was during those years in Jacksonville, I knew that I desired a future surrounding advocacy,” Gibson-Pitts added.

Upon returning to Opelika, she began working at the Lee County Youth Development Center and went on to earn

GIBSON-PITTS both a Master’s of Education and Educational Specialists degree in School Counseling and Counseling Supervision from Auburn University.

“I've always been active in the community and wanted to serve in a greater capacity so I decided to run for the Ward 2 seat.

Since being elected, I created the Ward 2 Academy, which serves as an educational hub for families throughout

pelika Observer

O

Phone: 334.749.8003 editor@opelikaobserver.com Michelle@opelikaobserver.com

“We are testing the waters and hopefully finding out that the Auburn-Opelika area [has] a hunger for pinball,” said Ernie Rains, the owner of Rock ʻN Roll Pinball.

Rains is moving to Opelika because he

the Jeter community and have been a strong advocate for many of the upgrades in that area.”

In regard to the recent events in our nation, Gibson-Pitts goes on to explain what black lives matter means to her.

“When I think of ‘black lives matter,’ I think of value and accountability. Black lives are valuable and when someone decides to end a life, regardless of his/her profession, they must be held accountable for their actions. The continuous killing of unarmed black people where the murderer goes unpunished is blatant racism and is not of Christ.”

She encourages folks to go out and See GIBSON-PITTS, page A3

Publisher: Michelle Key Associate Editor: Will Fairless Marketing: Woody Ross Photojournalist: Robert Noles Sports Writers: Rick Lanier and D. Mark Mitchell

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

All of the machines in the arcade will be set to free play, and patrons will pay $15 at the door to play as much as they want until close.

Rains hopes to have a grand opening on Labor Day, complete with a fireworks display to match the 25-machine light show going on inside.

For more information about Rock ʻN Roll Pinball, visit their Facebook group of the same name.

pinball, he said heʼll be including modern machines that allow for more depth of play.

He is partnering with Stephen Gentry, who owns pinball machines himself and has been running tournaments out of his house for a while now.

“Being a first time small business owner, I will measure success not by the money, but by whether or not Rock ʻN Roll Pinball becomes a hangout for people,” Rains said.

By Will Fairless Associate Editor

said the city has a “Mayberry” feel that is in line with the retro business heʼs planning on opening.

Although Rains is looking to make Rock ʻN Roll Pinball like a time capsule containing the golden age of

Subscribe to the Opelika Observer Today!

SPECIAL OFFER - 90 DAY SUBSCRIPTION - $7.50

Name: Address: City:

State:

ZIP:

Phone number: Email address: Payment Type (circle one): Check / Credit Card Visa or Master Card # Exp. Date:

/

Security Code:

Amount Paid:

CORRECTIONS

• $32 for 1 year (inside Lee County) $42 for 1 year (outside of Lee County) •

The Opelika Observer will correct any errors, omissions or inaccuracies deemed to be substantive. Corrections may be

SPECIAL OFFER - 90 DAY SUBSCRIPTION - $7.50 Return to: Opelika Observer, 216 S. 8th St. / Opelika, AL 36801

requested by contacting the Editor at (334) 749-8003.

Please do not send cash through the mail.

A3 June 17, 2020

Observer Staff Reporter Natalie Anderson pursuing master’s degree at Auburn, accepted graduate teaching assistant position

By Opelika Observer Staff Effective June 19, Opelika Observer Staff Reporter Natalie Anderson will be resigning from her position to pursue a master’s degree in communication studies at Auburn University. She will also serve as a graduate teaching assistant for undergraduate courses within the School of Communications and Journalism.

“Going to Auburn University has been a dream of mine since I was back in elementary school. I grew up being an Auburn fan, and as I became older, I fell in love with the school and community,”

GRILL >> FROM A1

Center President and CEO Laura D. Grill has joined the bank’s Board of Directors. Grill was recently named as one of the top five hospital administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic in a study published

by Indianapolis emergency physician Dr. Louis M. Profeta. She had been affiliated with

CHAMBER >> FROM A1

role.” Rauch stated, “the chamber’s work has never been more vital to the community than it is right now and I look forward to working with the chamber’s board, volunteers, staff and greater community to grow the organization and to promote the interest and ensure the livelihood of our business community.

I have long been an advocate and supporter of our chamber and I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get started with the team.”

Rauch most recently served as the Director of Marketing for Chicken Salad Chick’s Cor porate Office headquartered in Auburn, where she helped to grow the Chicken Salad Chick brand from its infancy of just three locations, to its 150 plus locations over her more than seven years with the company.

How does it feel to be leaving Chicken Salad Chick? “It hurts; it hurts my heart. The people at

Anderson said.

Anderson started with the Observer in January. During her time with the newspaper, she said she learned how tight-knit the AuburnOpelika and Lee County community is and is grateful for the experiences she has had during the last six months.

“My experience at the Observer has allowed me to take what I've learned in some of my undergraduate courses and apply it to the real world. I've conducted interviews with local business owners, attended city meetings, interviewed local citizens and more,” Anderson said.

“The people of

Opelika and Auburn are so welcoming and willing to share their lives and stories with their neighbors, whether that be their local business, celebrations in the family, a new event, etc. However, I'll still be in the area so I'll still be around the community and be able to be a part of it.”

Originally from Destin, Florida, Anderson received a bachelor’s degree in communication with a focus in public relations from the University of North Florida. She graduated cum laude from the four-year institution and was part of the school’s PRSSA club, where she served as

EAMC for 26 years prior to being named President and CEO in October, 2019.

A native of Birmingham, Grill began her medical career with studies at both the University of Alabama and UAB, from which she earned her nursing degree. After several nursing stints across the Southeast, Grill moved to Opelika in 1992 to become the hospital’s Director of Cardiology.

Three years later, she was named Vice

President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer.

In 2008, she was named Chief Operating Officer and, subsequently, Executive Vice President / Administrator.

She has been quoted as noting that the hospital must continue to grow to meet the community’s needs.

According to bank President and CEO Bob Ramsey, “the invitation

extended to Ms. Grill to join our Board of Directors further amplifies our commitment to Lee County and to providing exemplary banking services for business owners and families across the area. We are delighted to welcome Ms. Grill to our Board, as her leadership and particular insight into Auburn and Opelika will serve our customers well for many years to come,” he added.

Chicken Salad Chick are my family. I’ve built relationships with every restaurant we have opened and all the different people. But I’m an investor and still committed to CSC,” Rauch said. “I love them and think they are going to go great places and I’ll continue to cheer them on from afar.

And I’ll continue to eat there weekly; I love it. This is just too good of an opportunity to serve my hometown. I’m even more passionate about Opelika than I am Chicken Salad Chick. That’s why it makes so much sense to transition to this role because I think I can help make Opelika better and brighter for years to come.”

Chair of the Chamber’s Search Committee and past chamber chair Brooke Kastner said, “The interest level and response to our search within our own community and from across the country was high. We had many qualified applicants.

Ali Rauch was the most qualified, the best fit for our community and the ideal choice. “

Carlton Hunley, 2019-2020 Chairman of the chamber states “Ali brings a wealth of experience in management, operations, marketing and communications to our Chamber.

With her exceptional background and her commitment to Opelika, not to mention her wealth of relationships in the community, she is uniquely positioned to represent every stakeholder in our business community; she is a community advocate and a proven leader with an obvious commitment to supporting local businesses of all sizes and her wealth of marketing experience will be an asset to our chamber.” Hunley added, “We are excited to welcome Ali to this position and believe that her leadership and proven track record will be a great fit for the chamber and keep the organization on a path of success for the future.”

Rauch will succeed Pam Powers-Smith, who left the Opelika Chamber in May to become the Director for Business and Industry Services for the Rome-Floyd Chamber located in

Rome, Georgia.

About Rauch Rauch is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville, Illinois where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and earned a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication.

She also holds an associate degree in Communication from Lake Land College, in Mattoon, Illinois.

She has served on the Board of Directors of the Opelika’s Chamber 20 Under 40 program and has been on the committee for the Opelika Chamber’s Women’s Business Council. She is a proud member of Leadership Lee County Class of 2014-2015 and was named to Fast Casual Magazine’s Top 27 Women in the Lead in 2019.

Rauch brings an infectious positive attitude and a passion for supporting local businesses to her new position with the Opelika Chamber.

secretary.

After graduate school, Anderson said she will re-evaluate her career path, whether to pursue her doctorate’s degree or immediately begin searching for a professor position.

“I've always wanted to get involved with teaching and as I developed a passion for communication, I decided I really wanted to be a professor for communication studies,” Anderson said. “I'm sure as time goes on, it'll all fall into place as long as I give my best and try my hardest to be the best I can be both personally and professionally.”

NATALIE ANDERSON

GIBSON PITTS >> FROM A2

vote as it will help drive change in communities. “We must put likeminded people in positions to push for change,” Gibson-Pitts added.

“Citizens need to be willing to serve on city boards, take interest in city government and work with local and state leadership on efforts aimed at empowering our community.

“In order for change to come, we must first acknowledge that systemic racism exists. Since we are all a part of the system, it will take us all working together to bring about change. We must take a good look at our education system, current police policies and practices, housing, economics and see who all is at the table. When we lack diversity, the perspective of certain groups will always be left out which can sometimes result in chaos,” she explained.

“As a city, we have to take a look

at which sides of town are receiving more resources and what we can put in place to make sure that those areas are not left out of our overall scheme of making Opelika better for all.”

Gibson-Pitts discusses providing programs that support black owned businesses, as “bringing people out of poverty decreases our crime rate and increases home ownership opportunities.”

Gibson-Pitts encourages creative changes to the school system, namely the recruitment and retention of black and brown teachers.

“It's important that children see people who look like them in professional positions throughout their most impressionable years.

It's equally important that the history and contributions of all races be embedded in our curriculum,” Pitts added.

Pitts attended the first protest in Opelika on May 30.

“Seeing the diversity amongst the crowd was uplifting. It was important that I be there because I am the mother of two African American children and know that I’m not exempt from something happening to them or myself.”

HPV VACCINE FACTS:

Prevents 90% of HPV Cancers.

HPV 4 out of 5 vaccine can people will prevent get HPV in at least 6 their lives. types of cancers.

HPV VACCINE IS CANCER PREVENTION!

alabamapublichealth.gov/imm

pelika Opinion O

A4 June 17, 2020

Back in Space

By Kim Davis

J

uly 8, 2011, was a beautiful sunny day in Titusville, Florida.

We stood alongside people from all over the world to witness the final launch of the space shuttle.

Through the tears that were streaming down my face, I could see Space Shuttle Atlantis begin her eight minute climb to orbit carrying Doug Hurley, Chris Ferguson, Sandy Magnus and Rex Walheim. On this flight they left a flag that had flown on the first shuttle mission on the International Space Station. It was hard to believe the shuttle program was over. Shuttles had flown almost my entire life. Hopefully it wouldn't be long before we (the USA) were launching again.

Eight years, 10 months and 22 days later we did it again.

We FINALLY did it

I

don’t know about you, but I’m tired.

As I sit here on a Thursday night, I’ve put down my phone and the TV is silent, but I can still hear all the noise out there in the world. My ears are ringing. I am craving silence and rest. Rest from the violence and the chaos and the fear and the pure hate.

I imagine all of us wake up every day wondering “What fresh new hell is this?” as we turn on

T

he middle of the night. The rural Alabama countryside was lit by the glow of the full moon.

In most major U.S. cities, tens of thousands were holding protests and demonstrations. In Washington D.C. throngs lined the streets. In New York and Los Angeles, it was standing room only. There are a lot of world events happening right now.

The June moon was completely full. Farmers used to call this the Rose Moon. Ancient Germans called it the Mead Moon, or the Honey Moon. But long before Germans, farmers, or honeymooners, the Algoquian tribes that wandered North America called this the Strawberry Moon.

The Strawberry Moon was believed to be mysterious and powerful by Native

again. We launched U.S. astronauts, in a U.S. made rocket, from U.S. soil.

SpaceX Crew Dragon Demo-2 launched Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the ISS. There were approximately 150,000 people in town to witness this return to space, including President Trump, Vice President Pence and several members of Congress. Again, there were people from all over the world. This launch began May 27. People began manning their locations by 6 a.m. By lunch time most parks were closed due to being near or at capacity.

The weather had been iffy most of the day and with less than an hour to go until launch.....scrub - the weather just wasn’t right. It was determined that it was not safe to launch.

This wasn't too big of a disappointment.

It's to be expected when you are dealing with things such as

the news or scroll through social media.

We’ve been through a lot in the last few months, haven’t we?

Plague, mobs, riots, death tolls, natural disasters…. headlines we once would have thought could only be found in novels. But it’s what my daughter, as a six-year-old, would have called “real true life.”

Through it all there have certainly been heroes and bountiful acts of kindness and

launching people into space. Three days later they would try again. There was a 50/50 chance the rocket would fly, but the skies looked very rainy. In fact, we got wet more than once. As launch time approached, the skies cleared and it was a go for launch!

People at the park started moving closer to the water's edge.

This included standing directly in front of cameras. (Always look to be sure you aren't blocking someone's view.)

Right on time, the Falcon 9 lifted off pad 39A. This launch pad has been launching people since the days of the Apollo rockets. In about 19 hours they reached the space station and were able to dock.

They spent those hours checking out their vehicle. Hurley and Behnken will remain on the ISS for 30 to 119 days.

NASA & SpaceX See DAVIS, page A5

S

ummer is almost here and already it is hotter than nine kinds of hell. So naturally there are folks going out in this heat to play golf.

Why? Some years ago, I put this question to a man I was interviewing, a man whose long career in business and civic life can only be described as exemplary.

As we reflected on all that he had accomplished, I asked: “Is there anything you would have done differently.”

He paused, smiled and replied: “I would have played more golf.”

That was when I asked “Why?” And he told me.

His life had been guided by the principle that whatever you do should be done well. He was not as good at golf as he felt he should be, therefore he should have played more and gotten

HATE

By Wendy Hodge generosity. And I celebrate that every chance I get. But the truth is, at the root of so much of what’s happening today is what my grandmother

would have called “pure T meanness.”

I’ve never known the origin of that phrase, but it sure does fit.

Meanness. Pure T meanness. And it’s just so ugly.

I am not taking a political stance here in this column, so please don’t read a party line into anything I say here. Politics, in my opinion, is the least of our problems.

We’ve forgotten, we citizens of the world, how to be kind. As a

Golf better.

“But why,” I pressed on, “play it in the first place?”

Well, he continued, he belonged to a country club and he figured that if his dues included use of the golf course, he should use it.

But more importantly, he found golf to be a means of measuring the people he played with, people with whom he was associated in his company and his community.

“You can learn a lot about people,” he told me, “out there on the links.”

Over the years I have pondered this occasionally, usually when I see someone driving around with an expensive bag full of expensive clubs in the back of an expensive SUV (golf and big cars seem to go together).

I pondered it a while back when my son borrowed some clubs and played in a fraternity sponsored charity golf tournament.

Having been told by

By Hardy Jackson golfers that golf was “addictive,” I was concerned that the boy might be bitten by the bug. He wasn’t. The experience seemed to convince him that golf, as Mark Twain so famously put it, is “a good walk spoiled.”

I shouldn’t have worried, for men in my family have a history of trying golf and quitting golf, with little lingering damage to mind or body.

Shortly after my father was elected to public office, some guys in the court house invited him to join them for 18 holes. He did, found it boring, and handed his odd assortment of hand-medown-clubs over to me.

See HARDY, page A5

whole, we celebrate the lawbreakers, the renegades, the bad guys. Kindness is seen as a weakness, a passive way to live.

Everyone wants the right to scream at the top of their lungs exactly how they feel and what they believe, and in the process, they’ve forgotten that taking someone else’s feelings into account is the mark of a grownup. From our leaders down through every level of society,

kindness has become a rarity.

Policemen are no different from every other group of people.

There are some good ones and some bad ones. Some are kind and some are mean.

My grandfather was a state trooper who wasn’t afraid to arrest the governor of this great state for driving under the influence.

Even when it meant he became a target for meanness from

of the pink moon, and it was the same kind of restless sleep you experience on Christmas Eve, or the night before your own wedding. Pure excitement.

At 11:48 p.m., Sarah came bursting into her mom and dad’s bedroom, waving a baby monitor and shouting, “IT’S HAPPENING!” In a few moments, all three of Michael’s daughters had dragged him off the bed, down the stairs and into the barn.

Bama was panting and whimpering, lying on her side. Her mouth was open, her tongue out. She looked at her humans with that same helpless look all mamas wear. It’s a look that seems to say, “This sucks.”

The family gathered around the dog and talked to her quietly.

“It’s gonna be okay, Bama,” said the girls.

Bama’s water broke.

This was followed by biological events that are too messy to talk about. This is a family column so I won’t describe these events by using graphic medical words like “discharge,” or “amniotic fluid” or “slimy membrane sac.” That just wouldn’t be polite.

All I can say is that you don’t want this stuff happening in your dining room.

“It hurt to watch,” said Michael. “Honestly, it stressed me out.”

The first puppy made its appearance. The family cheered. The girls giggled with elation. Bama’s panting stopped for a moment when she grunted and pushed. Behind the dog appeared the Miracle of Yuck.

“I was gagging,” said Michael. “I won’t

See HODGE, page A5

MOONLIGHT Americans and Farmers. Also, by sorta-columnists.

Michael’s father, a third-generation Alabamian farmer, always told him that a Strawberry Moon was a magic thing.

So before bedtime, Michael went to look at the moon. And he wasn’t alone, either.

People were looking at the moon in Malaga, Spain; Genoa, Italy; Omsk, Russia; Nice, France; Des Moines, Iowa; and Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Folks all over the globe were simultaneously watching the same heaven.

And for a brief pause in time, there was no such thing as a coronavirus, or riots.

Before bed, Michael put his 2-year-old pregnant cocker spaniel into the barn. Her name is Bama. She usually sleeps in their den, but not tonight.

By Sean Dietrich Because Michael had a feeling that tonight would be The Night.

Michael’s oldest daughter, Sarah (8 years old), went with him to make sure her dad did everything right. She was asking a million pregnancy questions: “What’s gonna happen if Bama has her puppies tonight?” and “Will it hurt?”

and “Don’t you think Bama should sleep in my room, just in case?”

They helped Bama into her bed under the barn’s workbench.

Michael placed a walkie-talkie baby monitor beside the dog. He let Sarah keep the receiver unit in her bedroom.

That night, the family settled for their naps beneath the light

See DIETRICH, page A5

A5 June 17, 2020

Alabama Chapters of SCORE develops new webinar Special to the Opelika Observer The SCORE Alabama Chapters have partnered together to bring a free webinar series, A Circle of Mentors, to the small business community across the state of Alabama. The focus of this series is to bring the services SCORE offers to a broader population that includes minority-owned businesses, female-owned businesses and those small business owners looking for guidance and mentoring, but do not have budget allocated for mentoring and training.

Dates: Every Other Thursday | 10 a.m. Central Time Locations: ZOOM

HARDY >> FROM A4

At the same time, he handed me over to the foursome he had just reduced to three.

So, it followed that during the summer between my junior and senior years in high school, my weekends were frequently interrupted when I was called upon to join the group.

And what a group it was.

In addition to me, there was a Japanese-American Meth-

HODGE >> FROM A4

the higher-ups. My cousin, Roger, was a police officer, shot in the line of duty while trying to protect a child from parents who were so full of meanness, they’d gun down an innocent man in front of their son before they’d obey basic laws of the land.

Blaming all law officers for the behavior of some is a prejudice of its own. And it’s mean.

Watching someone die on video is not something I ever wanted to do. But I did. We all did. We watched someone struggling to breathe while another human being pinned him to the ground. For eight long minutes. That’s something I’ll never be able to erase from my memory. And

DIETRICH>> FROM A4 even tell you what Bama did with the placenta.”

Next, animal intuition kicked in. Bama cleaned her first puppy to stimulate its breathing and to start blood flow. To watch a mother dog care for a newborn, purely out of her instinct, is nothing short of reverent.

Bama had four

webinar Registration: score.zoom. us/webinar/register/ WN_VSZeHNTJTDihL3d8zC0-MQ. Audiences: Entrepreneurs, Startups, Small Business Owners and those thinking about starting a business Event video: youtu. be/43sU-ABpnIk. SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. Since 1964, SCORE has provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs.

SCORE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a resource part-

ner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Thanks to this generous support from the SBA and because of the selfless contributions of our more than 10,000 dedicated volunteers, we are able to deliver most of our offerings at no cost. SCORE provides a wide range of services to established and budding business owners alike, including: Mentoring, Webinars and Courses on Demand, online resources and local events.

SCORE’s mission is to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education.

The Circle of Mentor's webinar series

lasts about one hour including time for Q/A with the speaker and SCORE mentors who are always on the call.

The Alabama District Director for SCORE, Dale Smith, along with Catherine Walton, regional vice president for the SCORE SE Region, spearheaded the initiative to bring this series to Alabama. It is patterned after a similar series happening in the New Jersey area with the SCORE chapters in that region. The Alabama series, called Circle of Mentors, has had two very successful webinars to date. The first featured speaker was Ann Cooper of River Region United Way (RRUW) as vice

president of community impact in Montgomery.

She delivered insightful content on grant writing for both nonprofit and for profit businesses. The second presenter in this series was North Alabama attorney, LeTonya F. Moore, JD. Moore is an attorney-entrepreneur with almost twenty years of experience building and helping build successful enterprises. She is the visionary behind 360° Brand Protection StrategiesTM. She discussed Intellectual Property protection for small businesses. The series is hosted by Vicki Morris, local ecosystem builder, program director for Regional Innovators

Sustaining the Ecosystem, or RISE, and the founder of Face To Face Marketing, LLC, a full service marketing communications firm in Huntsville.

SCORE Alabama welcomes webinar participants from all industries, all stages of business development, and our non profit businesses. The group is always seeking interesting and relevant presenters.

SCORE is also accepting mentors and those looking to be mentored, nationally, regional and of course in the state of Alabama. Visit the official SCORE.org website to sign up for mentoring or to become a qualified SCORE volunteer.

odist minister, an 80-plus year-old dentist who had to retire when he “got the shakes” (probably the early stages of Parkinson’s Disease), and my one-armed uncle (no lie, lost it in an auto accident).

It did not take me long to realize that they played together because no one else would play with them.

Golfers frequently use expletives to describe their feelings over a putt missed or a drive gone awry. A minister in the four-

some tends to inhibit this important aspect of the game. Moreover, golfers like to gamble – dime a hole back then, much more now – and you know how ministers are about gambling.

The only thing that you fear more than a dentist with the shakes is a golfer with the shakes. No telling where the ball will go, if he hits it at all.

As for my one-armed uncle, watching him made it impossible to concentrate on anything else, and in golf

concentration is essential. Advantage uncle.

So we teed up and began.

The Japanese-American minister bet along with the rest of us and his presence did not inhibit my uncle’s vocal explosions.

The shaking dentist was a wonder to behold, for though the club trembled as he prepared to swing, when it came down the shaking stopped and the ball flew straight and true, never far but always down the middle of the fairway.

And once on the green, he took control of the putter and won his share of holes.

As for my uncle, in addition to turning the air blue with his cussing, he showed us that he was as good with one arm and the rest of us were with two – maybe better.

That summer I discovered that not all ministers were bent on making sure we lived up to some scriptural code of conduct and or chiding us if we didn’t.

I saw how will power can overcome a debil-

itating disease, at least for a little while.

I came to understand that a disability didn’t always disable someone.

I picked up some new cuss words.

Though I did not stick with golf, that summer I found out that yes, you can learn a lot about people out there on the links.

Harvey H. (“Hardy”) Jackson is Professor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville State University. He can be reached at hhjackson43@gmail.com.

maybe I shouldn’t. It’s a reminder of what hate looks like. Because to feel a man’s life drain out of him while you press him into the street requires meanness. Pure T meanness.

What must it be like to be a mother and know the whole world is watching your son die over and over and over on cell phones and televisions and laptops all around the globe? I simply cannot imagine.

All of this weighs on my heart as I go to work every day and deal with sick patients and people who are scared of COVID-19 and their own particular health issues.

But lately, even the patients I talk to have picked up the mantle of meanness. And today was the breaking point. Caller after caller was hateful. Many of them yelled at me.

Some cursed. At the end of the day, when I was worn down and ready to give up, an 80-year-old man said something so vile to me that I can’t print it here. And I cried.

So here I sit, like a tire with all the air let out of it, too exhausted to do anything but not sleepy enough to go to bed. Across the room I see my copy of To Kill A Mockingbird. It’s worn and loved. I’ve taken that book with me on airplanes and into waiting rooms and to the beach and to the mountains. Every time I’ve moved, it’s one of the first things I unpack. I read it at least once a year because it means more to me with every reading. Atticus Finch, the wise and gentle and always kind father in Harper Lee’s classic is who I wish I could talk to right now. He

surely would know exactly what to say.

Because I surely do not.

I take it off the shelf, and it falls open to the part where an angry mob is approaching the jail where an innocent black man who is accused of raping a white girl sits behind bars. And right out in front of the jail sits Atticus Finch. He is waiting, calm and patient.

He tries to reason with the men, in his soothing way. But it’s not wise Atticus who changes the minds of those bent on violence. It is his daughter, Jean Louise (she goes by Scout).

In her childlike innocence, she addresses one of the men.

She says, “Hey, Mr. Cunningham.” When he doesn’t answer, she says, “Don’t you remember me, Mr.

Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch.

You brought us some hickory nuts one early morning, remember?" And suddenly the men are no longer a nameless mob, but people who live in the same town and know each other.

They are neighbors.

In their shame, they can barely look at each other.

And they lay down their hate and walk home.

Scout is the key.

Kindness is the thing. The kindness that sees straight through hate to the heart of who a person is – that’s what the whole entire world needs.

And we need it right now. Because meanness is a burden that will break a person’s soul.

And aren’t we all just so tired?

DAVIS>>

puppies. A fifth was on its way, but something was clearly wrong. The last puppy emerged, but wasn’t moving.

“It laid there,” said Michael. “And we all just looked at each other, I think we knew.”

The girls started to cry. Michael was doing his best to cheer them up, but it’s not easy explaining to children that no matter how pretty the moon

outside might be, this world is not fair. It is a hard fact you get used to when you’re an adult, but it never gets easier.

Bama kept licking her motionless newborn until she finally gave up. She collapsed from exhaustion and her breathing slowed.

Her other puppies gathered around her belly to feed. The fifth puppy was starting to get cold.

Young Sarah lifted the fifth puppy into her hands. The little girl’s chest was heaving.

“Can we name it?”

“Of course,” said Michael.

Michael’s daughters crowded the cold animal. One of the girls began rubbing the puppy’s ribcage with her hands, whispering to it. Another began pressing her cheeks on the dog’s wet fur.

“It’s no use,” said

Michael. Then he searched for the right words even though none were coming.

Still, a father’s job is to try. So he did.

He was going to say something about grief when he was interrupted by the sounds of girlish shouting and squealing.

“LOOK! DAD!” shouted Sarah. “HE’S ALIVE!” The little animal began to squirm in

FROM A4

haven't decided the exact duration of the mission. This will be determined based on a few factors, including the state of their vehicle and the launch date of the next crewed mission.

While I had hoped the Falcon 9 would provide the rumble and shake of a shuttle, which it didn’t, I'm thrilled that the country is finally launching our own people again. I can't wait until they light the next candle (rocket).

Davis is a 23-year educator. She has followed the country's space program since the first shuttle flight in 1981. Turn to A7 for photos of the launch. their hands, and soon the animal was feeding from its mother like a professional.

To say the family was overjoyed would be a lie. They were moonstruck.

“It was the best night my family’s had all year,” said Michael.

“And with the way our world is lately, we’ve needed a little cheering up.”

You can say that again.

A6 June 17, 2020

City of Auburn set to host drive-in fireworks celebration on Independence Day Special to the Opelika Observer The City of Auburn will be hosting a drive-in fireworks extravaganza for this upcoming Independence Day, “2020 Independence Day Celebration."

The fireworks will begin on July 4 at 9 p.m. Families are encouraged to drive to Duck Samford Stadium located at 1840 E. Glenn Ave., Duck Samford and Bo Cavin Baseball fields located at 333 Airport Road and other

surrounding parking lots to view the fireworks show from their automobiles.

The fireworks will be set off at the old water tower site on East University Drive next to Duck Samford Park. Duck Samford Baseball Fields 1,2

and 3, which are located at 1720 E. University Drive, will be closed to the public to accommodate the fireworks shoot site.

Fireworks can be viewed as far as the Auburn Mall parking lot and from homes in the surrounding area.

The City of Auburn asks all attendees to remain in their vehicles while viewing the fireworks. Tune your car radio to 97.7 Kicker F.M. and enjoy a patriotic medley during the fireworks show. Due

to the drive-in nature of the show, road closures will apply.

East University Drive from Annalue Drive to Kent Drive will be closed at 8 p.m.

For more information contact Auburn Parks and Recreation at 334-501-2930.

Regions Bank’s next step financial education program adds new special digital events to webinar programming Special to the Opelika Observer

R

egions Bank and its financial education program, Next Step®, are pleased to announce an expansion to digital programming with three additional live webinar events. Designed to help people learn money management skills and take actionable steps toward financial goals, the Next Step Webinars are free and available to all consumers.

A recent national survey from Regions Next Step found a majority of Americans surveyed – 81% – did not consider themselves to be “very financially fit.” Of those Americans, 69%

reported they did not have a formal budget.

“In response to the sudden impact that the COVID-19 outbreak had on our daily lives and finances, we launched the Next Step Webinar Series in late March focused on money management skills,” said Joye Hehn, Next Step Financial Education Manager for Regions. “Continuing on our commitment to provide easily accessible, digital resources on important topics to everyone, we are expanding our library with three new live webinars that deliver beneficial and actionable tips for tackling today’s unique financial needs.”

The first special event, Making a

Money Game Plan for Tough Times, will be on June 11, 2020, and features Eric Smith, The Financial Literacy Coach. Register here to join us for a discussion about how to adjust a budget, save and create a financial game plan for today’s challenging economic scenario.

On July 15, 2020, Jessica Turner, author and founder of The Mom Creative, and Shaun Collings, a financial wellness relationship manager, will join Next Step for a webinar called, Money Matters: Managing Family Finances Together. This will include practical tips for managing family finances and teaching kids about money.

The final new

webinar event will take place in Fall 2020, and will feature Bobby Hoyt, founder of Millennial Money Man. Hoyt and Next Step will present From Passion to Profit: The Path to Business Success, which will offer tips and strategies for establishing and growing a business, as well as adapting to change.

The Next Step Webinar Series, launched in March 2020, is led by Regions’ Financial Wellness Relationship Managers and is designed to help consumers maintain financial wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Current webinars include How to Bank Without Visiting a

Branch, Managing Your Money and Your Credit Report. One topic is presented each week at multiple, convenient times, and topics rotate weekly.

Find the full schedule of webinars and register to join live at Regions. com/NextStepWebinars.

Continue to check back as new dates will be added.

Next Step financial education offers a large collection of resources beyond webinars to help consumers navigate financial challenges, stay on track and safeguard their financial futures. Visit Regions. com/NextStep for more.

About Regions Financial Corporation Regions Financial Corporation (NYSE:RF), with $133

billion in assets, is a member of the S&P 500 Index and is one of the nation’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management and mortgage products and services. Regions serves customers across the South, Midwest and Texas, and through its subsidiary, Regions Bank, operates approximately 1,400 banking offices and 2,000 ATMs. Regions Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Member FDIC. Additional information about Regions and its full line of products and services can be found at www.regions.com.

Auburn-Opelika tourism’s annual photo contest began June 1 Special to the Opelika Observer Auburn-Opelika Tourism’s annual AO Photo Contest opened on June 1 and will end on Aug. 31. Professional and amateur photographers of all skill levels are invited to submit up to three photos taken in Auburn

or Opelika.

One talented winner will be selected to win a $500 gift card to Cameragraphics or the Auburn-Opelika business of their choice, subject to restrictions.

Photos will be judged on four aspects: originality, creativity, overall artistic appeal

and local emphasis.

Photo content can include, but is not limited to, landscapes, architecture, activities, portraits and wildlife.

To enter, visit www. aotourism.com/photocontest and submit your photo(s). There is no entry fee. The contest is open to all

photographers, amateur and professional. You do not have to live in the area to participate.

Photos do not have to be taken in a particular time frame; as long as the photo was taken in the area, it doesn’t matter when it was taken.

Note: Submitted

photos might be used in future marketing materials. We will give full credit to the artist, but please leave off watermarks.

For more information, questions or concerns, contact Cat Bobo at cat@aotourism.com.

Auburn-Opelika Tourism is an economic

enhancement tool for the communities of Auburn, Opelika and Lee County. We promote and develop our area through the travel and tourism industry and introduce the unique spirit of Auburn and Opelika to visitors from around the world.

Auburn Arts Association to hold 21st Annual Juried Photography Exhibition Provided by the City of Auburn The Auburn Arts Association is calling all artists for the 21st Annual Juried Photography Exhibition. The exhibition will be on display July 13 to Aug. 21 at the Jan Dempsey Community Arts Center.

Photographers 17 years old and older and currently residing in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi or Tennessee are invited to submit up to three works in this exhibition. Any photographic medium

will be accepted and can be brought to the arts center by July 7.

All works must be matted, or mounted, with white board. A non-returnable fee of $25 must accompany the entry form and work. Please make checks payable to the Auburn Arts Association.

Entry forms are available at the Arts Center. To download a form, please visit auburnarts.org/ events. For more information or to request a form, please call the arts center at 334-501-2963.

The Jan Dempsey Community Arts

Center offers a variety of opportunities in the Auburn area to experience both visual and performing arts, entertain and develop new ideas, cultivate new talent and provide ways for the community to come together.

There are classes and workshops for all ages, art exhibits shown in the center’s gallery, community theatre programs and special events held throughout the year.

To learn more about the arts center, visit auburnalabama.org/ arts.

A7 June 17, 2020

United States returns to space

Photos by Mark Usciak/Special to the Opelika Observer Photos taken of the launch across the water from Cape Canaveral in Titusville, Florida. The top left photo is of the booster that returned to earth after the launch and was recovered.

A8 June 17, 2020

Protests continue in the fight against racism

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

Opelika E vents, Society, & Food

UPCOMING EVENTS • AACT Musical Theatre Experience - June 15 to 26 • OTC Summertime Showcase - Aug. 15

Aaron Warren offers thoughts on being a dad for Father’s Day

Southern

Hospitality

W

hen Aaron Warren was in high school, he thought about one day having a family, but he never pictured it as being as wonderful as it is with his wife Natalie and their three children, Judson (6), Ann Bradley (4) and Caroline (2). “God has provided in ways that I couldn’t imagine,” Aaron said.

“We have been blessed to have these children, and we don’t take that for granted.” The Warrens trusted God when one of their children became seriously ill.

Aaron’s father, the late David Warren, was a United Methodist minister, and the family moved every three to five years.

Aaron was born in Montgomery and lived

in north Alabama before moving to Pensacola, where he attended elementary school.

The family moved back to Montgomery and then to Chipley, Florida, where he attended most of his high school years. He graduated high school in Jackson, a small town above Mobile.

Aaron attended Alabama Southern before coming to Auburn University to receive a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in civil engineering.

He joined the National Guard and served for nearly 10 years.

Aaron was working for Southern Company in Statesboro, Georgia, making electricity with nuclear power when his parents moved to Opelika for his father

to become the senior pastor at Trinity United Church. Natalie was working with the youth at the church.

One weekend when Aaron was coming to visit his parents in Opelika, his mother, Dian Warren, told her son she wanted him to meet Natalie who attended the church. “I was not excited about that,” he remembered.

His mother’s instincts were good.

Aaron and Natalie began dating and became engaged three months later.

After they were married, Natalie joined Aaron in Statesboro, where they lived for about six months and then transferred to Dothan for two years before moving back to Opelika.

Low Vision group to hold online meeting June 23 Special to the Opelika Observer The Lee County Low Vision group will have a conference call meeting for helpful resources on

June 23 from 2 to 3 p.m. Those interested in participating can contact Shiquita Fulton, Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services at 334-803-3750 or

email shiquita. fulton@rehab. alabama.gov.

Beth Pinyerd can be reached at donnapinyerd@ charter.net.

Photo special to the Observer Aaron Warren is sharing his thoughts on being a father of three small children and trusting God when one of them became seriously ill. Aaron and his wife Natalie are pictured with their children, Judson (6), Ann Bradley (4) and Caroline (2).

“I was a happy engineer until Dad passed away,” Aaron said. “He made decisions with his life insurance to take care of my mom. I thought about the impact those decisions make on a family. I resigned from Southern Company to help people with the decisions that I didn’t realize were important until we lived through them. I went to work with State Farm in Columbus, Georgia.”

While he works in Columbus, they live in Opelika just a couple

of houses down from Natalie’s parents, Debra and Mike Bennett.

Aaron and Natalie have been married for almost eight years.

“Every day we are so thankful the Lord opened up that door for us to meet and have these children,” Aaron said.

“I was fortunate enough to grow up in a strong family, and they gave me a good example. From a young age, I wanted to be a father. I thought about things I would do with my children when I

became a dad.

“Even at a young age, I thought if I wanted to do those things, then I needed to provide for them a certain way. When I was in school studying, I thought if I made good grades then maybe that would allow me to have a good job, so I can do things for them. I did little things along the way to prepare for when I was married and had children,” Aaron added.

Aaron’s father See CIPPERLY, page A12

On Tap to return in August

By Will Fairless Associate Editor Opelika Main Street On Tap is returning on Aug. 1. The craft beer festival will be held for the second year in a row, and it will be run from 12:30 to 6 p.m. in North Railroad Ave. The festival will be expanded from one block to two, to

accommodate both social distancing practices and more tents and breweries than last year. “We

see it as being a really good event for the community,” said Ken Ward, executive See TAP, page A10

A10 June 17, 2020

OBITUARIES Eddie E. Hicks

Photos special to the Observer Martha Henk (Executive Director, Food Bank of East Alabama), Craig Gregson, Lori Gregson, Hayden Gross, Mike Gross, Elder Hermanson, Elder Kinney, Elder Black, Taylor Brady, Cole Brady and Troy Brady.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Contributes $5,000 of food to the Food Bank of East Alabama Special to the Opelika Observer Times are tough.

Lives are being affected.

Health is of utmost importance. People are losing jobs. Kids are home all day, every day.

Food is a challenge.

Food security is at issue and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints wanted to do something about it.

This weekend, the Saugahatchee Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered more than 5,000 lbs. of fresh food (value of $5,000) to the Food Bank of East Alabama.

“We’ve had a great partnership with the Food Bank of East Alabama and Auburn United Methodist Church, one of the Food Bank’s distributors.

Knowing the incredible need that exists right now, we want to be a part of the solution,” said Bishop Curtis Hansen, lay leader of the Saugahatchee Ward in Auburn, Alabama.

Martha Henk,

Executive Director of the Food Bank of East Alabama, noted the crisis is serious, “Food banks are finding that their food donations have dropped by half and there is a serious challenge securing enough food to meet the demand. Before the pandemic, roughly one out of every eight/nine Americans struggled to stay fed. Now, as many as one out of every four are projected to join the ranks of the hungry!”

Food Bank of East Alabama serves Lee, Macon, Russell, Tallapoosa, Chambers, Barbour, and Randolph counties. Normally, the food bank distributes to their 260+ member agencies in these counties, and they have several different programs listed on their website. During the pandemic, only about 30% of their food pantries are still operational. Lee County’s pantries are ok; it’s the other counties that are in worse shape. To combat this challenge, the Food Bank has been doing more mobile

food pantries, where they partner with a non-profit/church and show up with a truckload of food for direct distribution to the community.

They have also done two drive-through direct distributions of perishable food at the Food Bank warehouse, which they’ve never done before. The first one served 300 households and the second one had 374.

Hansen further said, “The Food Bank of East Alabama has a huge positive impact on food security for community members in their eight-county coverage area in East Alabama. No one should ever have to go without food; that is why we chose to donate to them during the COVID-19 pandemic—they have a broad impact in our region.”

For additional information or to contact Bishop Curtis Hansen, please call 334-750-8408 or email hansecj@gmail.com.

Eddie E. Hicks, 74, of Beulah, Alabama, formerly of Auburn, passed in his sleep June 7, 2020. Eddie was born in Alabama, but was raised in Brooklyn, NY and Keyport, New Jersey.

In 1963, he volunteered to serve in the US Army. Serving in the 1st battalion 508th PIR 82nd Airborne, Eddie was deployed in 1965 to the Dominican Republic and from 1967-1968 to Vietnam. While bravely serving his country, Eddie earned a Bronze Star for heroic achievement and a Purple Heart for injuries sustained in Hue, Vietnam. Upon return to the States, Eddie was honorably discharged and worked in both law enforcement and then as a construction contractor.

Soon after return, Eddie Hicks met the love of his life, Joyce Ann Beckham Hicks who he married March 6, 1971. During 49 years of marriage, Eddie fathered two children, a daughter, Wendy Hicks Bass (Mark Bass) and a son Todd L. Hicks (Jill Overstreet).

Eddie’s grandchildren were his delight and

TAP >> FROM A9 director of Opelika Main Street, “Weʼre revamping it to make it better than ever.”

There will be some guidelines in place related to the coronavirus, such as spaced out tents, available hand sanitizer and a ticket cap at around 750. “Weʼre asking anybody whoʼs experienced symptoms of COVID-19 to avoid attending the event,” Ward said.

Although the festival

he was blessed first with three grandsons, McKinley Garrett Bass (Emily Gamble), Mason McClelland Bass, and Madden Elijah Bass and then three granddaughters, Campbell Elizabeth Hicks, Emilia “Millie” Claran Hicks, and Davis Rowan Hicks. His first great-grandson, John Asher Bass, will soon make his arrival.

Eddie was a warrior who never backed down from a challenge. His laugh was a beacon of light that could light any room. He loved woodworking and could build anything he wanted; Eddie was practical and brilliant all at the same time.

Later in life, he enjoyed sitting on his back porch and watching his hummingbirds buzz around the many flowers he and Joyce planted together. Eddie loved Auburn football and lasagna and would eat an entire bowl of banana pudding.

Eddie’s family was his life and he loved and protected all of them until the very end. His favorite times were Christmas Eves gathered in the den together or Thanksgiving dinner, but only if there was Joyce’s cornbread dressing. Eddie

collected smiles – he loved to shower his grandchildren with gifts and play silly games with them, while they shrieked with laughter.

The void that Eddie’s passing leaves is immense, but thanks to the countless memories he gave his family he will always live.

Other than his aforementioned family, Eddie was preceded in death by his parents, Leroy Parker Hicks and Ruby Jewel Gardner.

He is survived by six siblings, Roy “Wayne” Hicks, Linda Goeb, Terry Hicks, Patsy Allen, Robert “Jackie” Hicks, and Randy Hicks, and one sisterin-law, Brenda Dodge, who he depended on greatly. He also leaves behind dozens of nieces and nephews as well as friends and neighbors that held him close.

Eddie is now watching over us all, smiling, throwing a ball for his dog Coltrane, and waiting until we again meet for dinner and a bowl of homemade banana pudding.

Visitation was held on June 10 at FrederickDean Funeral Home and a graveside service followed at Garden Hills Cemetery in Opelika.

Frederick-Dean Funeral Home directed.

is bound by some restrictions, Ward said it is meant to be a part of the reopening of downtown Opelika. “We know people are ready to get back outside and enjoy the events in the area,” he said. “We hope this is a good kick start to that.”

On Tap fills the space left by other major events being cancelled or postponed, that space containing the opportunity to enjoy Opelikaʼs beautiful downtown, shop and eat at the local businesses downtown, listen to live music and

of course, drink some beer.

The event is petfriendly as long as pets are kept on leashes, and there is a new VIP section that will be air-conditioned and feature some drinks not available outside of it. Tickets are $35 ($50 for VIP) and include 50 2oz beer tastings and a commemorative glass. Ward urges people to buy their tickets in advance at opelikamainstreet. com, as no tickets will be available on the day if the cap is reached online.

A11 June 17, 2020

M

Honoring the Ideal of Fatherhood

ost of us know (with or without prompting) that the third Sunday in June is Father’s Day. Despite the commercialism attached to the day, it nonetheless remains a grand and glorious idea. For whatever reason (and there are many candidates), the importance and image of fatherhood in our culture has drifted from where it needs to be, and its effect upon us has been staggering. In far too many minds, fathers are viewed (and sadly sometimes act) as little more than suppliers of genetic material. No one is under the illusion that honoring fathers on the third Sunday in June is going to make everything right or solve all the issues related to our families, but it does hold a standard up before us

Church Calendar • Church of Christ at Cunningham - meeting at their building at 9:30 a.m. for Bible class, 10:30 a.m. for worship, 5 p.m. for evening worship and 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

• First Baptist Church Of Opelika - continuing online streaming services; “FBCO will be deliberate but diligent as we begin to meet in person again.” “I would project that a FBCO’s return to corporate worship and ministry opportunities will be strategic.”

• St Mary’s Catholic Church - No public masses yet, but there will be live stream Masses on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in English and 7:00 p.m. in Spanish.

Distribution of Holy Communion will be on Sunday’s 9 to 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. People can call the office at 334-749-8359 or go to the parish website for more information stmaryopelika.org.

• First United Methodist Church Of Opelika - The, bishop has asked for all United Methodist churches in our conference to suspend in-person gatherings through June 1. There is a COVID-19 task force that will help make decisions about June/July and work out those logistics.

we cannot afford to lose sight of. Honoring the ideal of fatherhood (and the men who are our fathers) is something we need to do because it is beneficial to all of us.

As a minister for over 40 years, I’ve seen a lot of fathers. I’ve watched how they interacted with their families.

While there are no perfect dads, there have been many who were excellent fathers. What made them that way?

The first thing was they had a relationship with their heavenly Father. God was more than a word to them, and being a follower of Jesus meant just that.

One dad told me that when his children were young, he had let his relationship with God go. He encouraged them to follow God, but he didn’t lead the way.

By Bruce Green Teaching Minister at 10th Street Church of Christ in Opelika

Then one day his fiveyear-old son told him that he wasn’t following God if his father wasn’t.

Dads can tell but never teach until they practice what they preach!

Another thing I’ve observed about strong fathers is they love and honor their wives.

They let their children know the family doesn’t revolve around them— after God, it revolves around mom and dad.

After all, they were

there before the kids came along and they’ll be there after they leave.

Children need to know they are not the center of the universe and home is the place where it starts. Children raised in this environment will have healthier relationships and greater security since they are anchored in something bigger than themselves.

They also learn some great things about the marriage relationship.

Effective fathers also know their children.

They understand their strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and fears and dreams.

There’s only one way to do this, and that is by spending lots of time with your children. For children, love is spelled T-I-M-E. Strong fathers persevere. They are

loving and responsible throughout all the seasons of life. Sometimes they feel like they’re doing a great job and being a father is a piece of cake; other times they’re clueless. Most of the time, they’re somewhere in between. But no matter where they are, they remain committed to their family.

Finally, being a father doesn’t end when your child leaves home. Once a father, you’re always a father. Your adult children don’t need you in the same way they once did, but they still need you.

Happy Father’s Day, dads. Your family needs you, as do your community and your country.

We won’t be everything we can be without strong fathers.

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

Hunley Group Lambert Transfer & Storage An Interstate Agent for North American Van Lines 1102 Fox Trail Opelika, AL 36803 745-5706

Verse of the Week “Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.”

Colossians 3:25

Church Directory APOSTOLIC HOLINESS God’s House of Prayers Holiness Church 301 HIghland Ave., Opelika 334-749-9672 True Deliverance Holiness Church 936 N. Donahue Dr., Auburn 334-502-4700 BAPTIST Beulah Baptist Church 5500 Lee Road 270, Valley 334-705-0538 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship 128 East Glenn Ave., Auburn 334-887-8506

ANGLICAN Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd 2312 Center Drive Unit D 334-758-6749 ASSEMBLY OF GOD Bridge Church 1000 Lee Road 263, Cusseta 334-742-0144 AME Mount Zion AME Church West Point Hwy 334-749-3916 St. Luke AME Church 1308 Auburn St. 334-749-1690 St. Paul AME Church 713 Powledge Ave. 334-745-6279 Thompson Chapel AME Zion 187 Columbus Pkwy 334-749-8676 BAPTIST Abundant Life Baptist Church 1220 Fox Run Ave. Suite B 706-4421464 Airview Baptist Church 2301 Airport Rd. 334-444-5148 Antioch Baptist Church 605 W. East Morton Ave 334-742-0696 Bethesda Baptist Church 201 S. 4th St. 334-745-7528 Bethel Baptist Church Hwy. 29 Sasser Rd 334-745-4865 Central Baptist Church 1611 2nd Ave. 334-745-2482 Community Baptist Church 154 N. 16th St. 334-745-6552 Cornerstone Missionary Baptist 500 N. Railroad Ave. 334-742-2008 Eastview Baptist Church 1208 Spring Dr 334-749-9595 Farmville Baptist Church 3607 Alabama Hwy N. 334-887-7361 First Baptist Church of Opelika 314 S. 9th St. 334-745-6143 First Baptist Church 301 S. 8th St. 334-745-5715 First Baptist Church Impact

Green Chapel Missionary Baptist 390 Lee Road 106, Auburn (334) 749-4184 Lakeview Baptist Church 1600 E. Glenn Ave., Auburn 334-887-7094 Pepperell Baptist 2702 2nd Ave., Opelika 334-745-3108 Providence Baptist Church 2807 Lee Road 166, Opelika 334-745-4608

10th Street Church of Christ 500 N. 10th St., Opelika 334-745-5181 COMMUNITY OUTREACH Changing Hearts of Destiny Ministry 936 N. Donahue Dr., Auburn 334-502-4700

CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ at Cunningham 2660 Cunningham Dr., Opelika

METHODIST Auburn United Methodist Church 137 South Gay St., Auburn 334-826-8800 Beulah United Methodist Church 5165 Lee Road 270, Valley

709 Avenue E 334-741-0624 First Freewill Baptist Church 103 19th St. 334-703-3333 Friendship Missionary Baptist 432 Maple Avenue 334-742-0105 Greater Peace Baptist Church 650 Jeter Ave. 334-749-9487 Heritage Baptist Church 1103 Glenn St. 334-363-8943 High Hope Baptist Church 227 Lee Road 673 Love Freewill Baptist Church 1113 Frederick Ave. 334-745-2905 Ridge Grove Missionary Baptist Church 1098 Lee Road 155 - 334-745-3600 Northside Baptist Church 3001 Lafayette Hwy 334-745-5340 Pleasant Grove Baptist Church Uniroyal Rd 334-749-2773 Purpose Baptist Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy #704-0302 St. James Baptist Church 1335 Auburn St. 334-745-3224 Union Grove Missionary Baptist 908 Huguley Rd 334-741-7770 BUDDHIST Buddha Heart Village 3170 Sandhill Rd. 334-821-7238 CATHOLIC St. Mary’s Catholic Church 1000 4th Ave. 334-749-8359 CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ 2215 Marvyn Pkwy 334-742-9721 Southside Church of Christ 405 Carver Ave. 334-745-6015 CHURCH OF GOD Airview Church of God 3015 Old Opelika Rd 334-749-9112 Church of God 114 17th Place 334-749-6432 Tabernacle Church of God 3 Oak Court 334-745-7979 CHURCH OF NAZARENE Opelika Church of Nazarene

1500 Bruce Ave. 334-749-1302 EPISCOPAL Emmanuel Episcopal Church 800 1st Ave. 334-745-2054 HOLINESS Eastside Emmanuel Holiness Church 86 Lee Road 186 JEWISH Beth Shalom Congregation 134 S. Cary Dr. 334-826-1050 LATTERDAY SAINTS Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints 510 Groce St. 334-742-9981 METHODIST First United Methodist Church of Opelika 702 Avenue A 334-745-7604 Hopewell United Methodist 1993 Lee Rd 136 334-745-0460 Pierce Chapel United Methodist 8685 AL Hwy. 51 334-749-4469 Pepperell United Methodist 200 26th St. 334-745-9334 Trinity United Methodist Church 800 Second Ave. 334-745-2632 Wesley Memorial United Methodist 2506 Marvyn Pkwy 334-745-2841 PENTECOSTAL Full Gospel Pentecostal Church Hwy. 29, PO Box 1691 334-741-8675 Gateway Community Church 2715 Frederick Rd 334-745-6926 PRESBYTERIAN First Presbyterian Church of Opelika 900 2nd Ave. 334-745-3421 SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST Outreach Seventh-Day Adventist 1808 S. Long St. 334-749-3151 NON-DENOMINATIONAL Apostolic Holiness Church 610 Canton St. 334-749-6759 Auburn Opelika Korean Church 1800 Rocky Brook Rd 334-749-5386 Beauregard Full Gospel Revival 2089 Lee Road 42 334-745-0455 Christ Church International 1311 2nd Ave. 334-745-0832

334-745-4755 NON-DENOMINATIONAL Church At Opelika 1901 Waverly Pkwy., Opelika 334-524-9148 St. Ellis Full Gospel Church 5267 US Hwy 80W, Opelika 334-298-4319 PRESBYTERIAN Trinity Presbyterian Church 1010 India Road, Opelika 334-745-4889

Church of the Harvest 2520 Society Hill Rd 334-745-2247 East Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. 334-737-1488 Emmanuel Temple of Deliverance 207 S. Railroad Ave. 334-745-6430 Faith Alliance Church 3211 Waverly Pkwy 334-749-9516 Faith Christian Center 600 S. 8th St. Faith Church 3920 Marvyn Pkwy 334-707-3922 Family Life Christian Center 601 S. 7th St. 334-741-7013 Father’s House Christian Fellowship 214 Morris Ave. 334-749-1070 Fellowship Bible Church 2202 Hamilton Rd 334-749-1445 Ferguson Chapel Church 310 S. 4th St. 334-745-2913 First Assembly of God Church 510 Simmons St. 334- 749-3722 Garden of Gethsemane Fellowship 915 Old Columbus Rd #745-2686 Grace Heritage Church Opelika #559-0846 Holy Deliverance Church 831 S. Railroad 334-749-5682 Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1250 McCoy St. 334-737-1488 Living Way Ministries 1100 Old Columbus Rd 334-749-6241 Move of God Fellowship Church 1119 Old Columbus Rd 334-741-1006 Connect Church 2900 Waverly Pkwy 334-749-3916 New Life Christian Center 2051 West Point Pkwy 334-741-7373 New Life Independent Church 10 Meadowview Estates Trailer 334-741-9001 Opelika’s First Seventh Day 2011 Columbus Pkwy 334-737-3222 Power of Praise, Inc. Church 3811 Marvyn Pkwy 334-745-6136 Shady Grove Christian Church West Point Hwy 334-745-7770

Place your ad here!

Fresh Foods...And A Whole Lot More!

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

603 Pleasant Drive Opelika, AL 36801 749-1333 Mon- Sat 7am-8pm Sun 12pm-6pm

Email: editor@opelika observer.com Call: 334-749-8003

A12 June 17, 2020

CIPPERLY>> FROM A9 became a pastor at age 18 and served in the United Methodist Church for more than 40 years. His grandfather and his father’s three brothers were also United Methodist ministers.

“One of the most valuable lessons my father taught me was the value of time and spending time with people,” Aaron said. “I learned from my father that the time you spend investing in relationships is something that means a lot to people.

He would drop what he was doing or in the middle of night drive four or five hours to spend a few minutes with someone in a hospital.”

Aaron was not called to be a minister but felt he could serve God in other ways. He relies on God to give him strength to be a good husband and father.

RECIPES AARON’S FRENCH TOAST The Warren kids love to eat “Daddy’s French Toast” on Saturday mornings with bacon and fresh fruit.

3 to 4 eggs, beaten with a fork until light yellow and fluffy 5 to 6 pieces of white bread 2 Tbsp. butter Ground cinnamon Heat butter in large skillet on low heat. Dip slices of bread into egg until both sides are coated well. Place bread in skillet and sprinkle with cinnamon before flipping. Cook until French toast is golden brown on each side.

Serve with maple syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar.

CHICKEN PESTO ROLL UPS When served with roasted new potatoes and roasted asparagus, this chicken dish makes a fancy but simple dinner that Aaron always enjoys!

4 chicken breasts 1 tsp. garlic salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1/2 cup pesto (from a jar or homemade) 8 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded (reserve 2 oz. for topping) 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced 1 cup cherry tomatoes, optional 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. salted butter Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut chicken breast in half lengthwise so you have 8 thin chicken cutlets. Pound each cutlet in a quart sized Ziploc bag or between 2 sheets of plastic wrap into 1/8 inch thick cutlets. Season both sides of chicken with garlic salt and black pepper.

Spoon and spread 1 Tbsp. pesto in the center of each cutlet, top with 2 thin tomato slices and sprinkle 2 to 3 Tbsp. mozzarella cheese on top. Roll the chicken up tightly and seal ends with a toothpick.

Preheat large oven-safe skillet over medium/high heat with 1 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter. Add chicken roll-ups and sear on both

When Judson was five years old, he became seriously ill.

He was at EAMC when his doctor, along with the doctors at Children’s Hospital, arranged an ambulance to transport Judson and Natalie to Birmingham. Aaron went home to gather clothing and items they would need and then drove to Birmingham.

“As I was driving, God reminded me of the story of Abraham and Isaac,” Aaron recalled. “I wondered how Abraham was willing to give God his son. I wasn't taking Judson to the top of the mountain, but I knew I had to trust just like Abraham and prepare myself to potentially come home without him.

“After I thought about it, God gave me peace that no matter what, it was going to be alright. I didn't know the outcome, but God provided an unsides until golden (4 minutes per side or 8 minutes total on the stove).

Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and 1 cup cherry tomatoes.

Place skillet on center rack in oven and bake at 425 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes.

To serve, remove toothpicks then plate chicken pesto roll-ups, spooning pan juices and roasted tomatoes over the top.

GARLICKY BAKED SHRIMP Aaron often requests this shrimp dish served with couscous and roasted asparagus topped with Parmesan cheese.

1 ½ lbs. raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 3 Tbsp. white wine Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper ¼ cup (4 Tbsp.) melted butter ½ cup panko breadcrumbs Preheat oven to 425 degrees In a medium mixing bowl, add shrimp, garlic and white wine and toss to combine.

Transfer the shrimp mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and spread shrimp out in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper.

Rinse out the mixing bowl, then add melted butter and panko, breadcrumbs, and use a fork to stir everything together until it is evenly combined.

With your fingers, sprinkle mixture evenly in the baking dish over the shrimp.

Transfer dish to oven and bake for about 7 minutes, or until shrimp are just turning pink. Switch the oven over to “high” broiler setting. Then broil the shrimp for 2 to 3 more minutes or until they are totally pink and cooked through, and the panko starts to toast and turn slightly golden. Watch closely, the panko can burn quickly when broiled.

explainable peace. In hindsight, I know God used that ride to prepare me to lead Natalie over the next several weeks and support her during this trial.”

After Judson arrived at Children’s Hospital, his lab work continued to point to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a syndrome caused by E. coli.

HUS causes damage to blood vessels.

Judson’s body was in acute kidney failure.

He was sedated, put on a ventilator and started on continuous dialysis.

They hoped he would be on life support for no more than 24 to 36 hours. The next night, Judson’s body went into shock. He was getting worse. He was developing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome as well.

After many procedures, tests, waiting and praying, God performed a miracle in Judson. His vessels stopped being HOT AND SWEET MEATBALLS We like these meatballs served over rice with steamed broccoli for a quick and easy weekday meal.

32 oz. pre-cooked, frozen Italian meatballs 1 ½ cups barbecue sauce 3/4 cup hot and sweet mustard 3/4 cup chicken broth Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.

OVEN ROASTED ASPARAGUS This easy asparagus dish goes well with just about any meal and is one of our wellloved sides.

2 lbs. fresh asparagus Olive oil or avocado oil Kosher salt Ground black pepper Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Break off the tough ends of the asparagus. Place asparagus on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, then toss to coat asparagus completely.

Spread asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Roast asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.

Top with shredded Parmesan cheese for extra flavor 2 to 3 minutes before removing from oven.

CREAMED SPINACH This recipe reminds Aaron of a favorite side dish we enjoy at Loves Seafood in Savannah, Georgia, alongside their delicious “all you can eat” fried shrimp.

1 Tbsp. olive oil 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 onion, minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tsp. Kosher salt

damaged and began healing, and his organs regained function. Judson slowly but surely regained his strength.

Through this trial Christ strengthened Natalie and Aaron’s faith. “God is our good Father, and when we go through these trials He is with us,” Aaron said. “We trusted God and He allowed us to bring Judson home.

“God gives us what we need every day,” he added. “Even today with all the uncertainty, whether it is a pandemic or civil unrest, you can have peace in God’s strength.

“I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, but I know who holds the future. I can rest in that. As the leader of our household that is the one thing that gets me by day to day and moment by moment.”

Aaron’s advice to young fathers is that no matter what you are going through today, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3 1/2 cups half-andhalf 2 1/4 lbs. fresh leaf spinach 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded 4 oz. cream cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Add the spinach to skillet with 1 Tbsp. olive oil and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute.

Chop the spinach bundles into a 3/4 inch width and set aside.

In the skillet, melt butter with garlic and onions.

Cook on medium low heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add in kosher salt, black pepper and nutmeg.

Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon over low heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add half and half and cook until boiling.

Add in the mozzarella cheese and cream cheese.

Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.

Add in the spinach and the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.

OREO BALLS These rich and delicious treats are one of Aaron’s favorite desserts!

8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 pkg. Oreo cookies 2 (10 oz.) pkgs. Ghirardelli white chocolate melting wafers Combine cream cheese and Oreo cookies in a food processor and blend until cookies are crushed and blended with cream cheese. Scoop out small round balls of cookie mixture into a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes.

Melt chocolate according to directions on bag.

pray that God will give you what you need that one day. “I feel like whatever life throws at us, you can rest in His strength and can be a good leader of your family, be the man, the father, your family needs.”

Natalie, who enjoys being an at-home mother, said she enjoys watching Aaron as a father when he spends time with their children doing a project with them or taking them to be part of his hobby.

“He is so intentional about teaching them. If they have a question, he stops and takes the time to tell them why we are going do something a certain way.

He has been known to drive to all the way to north Alabama to pick up a puppy for one of our children’s birthdays,” Natalie said.

“Aaron saved treasures from his childhood and gave them to Judson. He spends Pull Oreo balls out of freezer in batches.

Leaving remaining in the freeze to stay cold. Dip Oreo balls, one at a time, in melted chocolate with a fork and let excess chocolate drip off before placing on the parchment paper to harden. Store Oreo balls in refrigerator until ready to serve.

STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD This side dish or dessert is perfect for a backyard barbecue, and it is frequently requested when Aaron helps to make the menu.

1st Layer: 1 2/3 cup broken pretzels ¾ cup butter, softened 3 Tbsp. sugar Mix these three ingredients with mixer.

Pat into the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan and bake 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Let cool completely!

2nd Layer: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 9 oz. Cool Whip, thawed In a mixer cream together cream cheese and sugar until well blended and no clumps are left.

Then fold in the cool whip. Spread white fluffy mixture over the cooked, cooled pretzels. Make sure to spread the mixture evenly and out to the sides of the casserole dish to prevent the third layer from leaking down to the pretzels and making them soggy.

3rd Layer: 1 large pkg. strawberry Jell-O mix 2 cups boiling water 1 pint frozen sliced strawberries Mix Jell-O and water until Jell-O dissolves; add strawberries and chill for a few minutes.

Before Jell-O sets, pour this mixture over the cream cheese/ Cool Whip mixture.

Then refrigerate until the Jell-O is firm or you are ready to serve.

time with the kids fishing and takes Judson for breakfast and to the barber shop. He also takes me on date nights and plans get away trips for just the two of us.”

On Saturday mornings, Aaron cooks French toast for the kids. Natalie is sharing the French toast recipe along with several recipes that are Aaron’s favorite dishes.

“He is easy to please,” she said. “He makes cooking a pleasure.”

“Whether it is Natalie or our children,” Aaron said, “I have been happier putting them first than searching for anything that I selfishly want for myself. I told Natalie it doesn’t matter if we are dipping our toes in the kids’ baby pool or traveling the world, it doesn’t matter what we are doing, as long as we are together.”

Ann Cipperly can be reached at recipes@ cipperly.com

PEACH DUMP COBBLER Aaron often asks for this cobbler for celebrating his birthday in lieu of a traditional birthday cake.

2 (16 oz.) cans peaches in heavy syrup 1 (18.25 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix 1 stick salted butter ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, or to taste 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Empty peaches into the bottom of one 9 x 13 inch pan. You can cut peaches to bitesize pieces but do not drain away syrup.

Cover with dry cake mix.

Add pecans or walnuts if desired on top of cake mix. Cut butter into small slices and place on top of cake mix. Try to spread out butter slices evenly over cake mix. Sprinkle top with cinnamon.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

OOEY GOOEY BUTTER CAKE This ooey gooey butter cake recipe is one of Paula Deen’s best and is a big hit at the Warren house!!

Cake: 1 pkg. yellow cake mix 1 egg 1 stick melted butter Filling: 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 stick melted butter 16-oz. box powdered sugar Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, egg, and one stick butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Press mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, the other stick of butter and vanilla and beat together.

Next, add powdered sugar and mix well.

Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

A13 June 17, 2020

Wild Adventures announces reopening of theme park and waterpark on June 22

Special to the Opelika Observer Wild Adventures Theme Park and Splash Island Waterpark in Valdosta, Georgia, will reopen to all passholders and guests on June 22 with added health and safety measures, a new reservation system and year-long extensions for current passholders.

“Creating memories worth repeating has always been our purpose, but it means more now than ever before,” said Molly Deese, vice president and general manager.

“We’ve spent months thoughtfully preparing to reopen, and although the experience will be different, we’re confident these changes will help with the safety of our guests and employees.

We want our guests to be able to focus on rediscovering joy as a family.”

Over the past few months, Wild Adventures has been actively developing plans to put procedures in place that align with CDC guidelines and

industry standards implemented at other parks, including Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios Resorts and Six Flags.

One of the new procedures is an online reservation system guests must use before visiting the park. The reservation system is a free service for all passholders and general admission guests that helps the park ensure appropriate social distancing and limit daily park capacity.

Reservations can be made at WildAdventures. com/Reservations.

Additional details and a “how-to” video have been posted online to assist guests with this new process.

Before entering the park, all employees and guests will have touchless temperature screenings and must wear masks. Guests are encouraged to bring their own masks or face coverings, but masks will be available to guests without them free of charge. Children under three are not required to wear masks

at any time, and guests will not be required to wear masks while eating. Masks will not have to be worn on waterpark attractions.

Wild Adventures has also set aside special “Break Zones” throughout the park in which wearing a mask is not required.

Additional information about masks and a video detailing the safety and operational changes at the park are available at WildAdventures.com/ PlaySafe.

“We understand that wearing a face covering creates challenges, and some of our passholders may not be comfortable visiting right now. That’s why we extended our 2020 Season Pass through the end of 2021 for all our current passholders,” said Deese.

Wild Adventures will continue monitoring any changes in the CDC or state guidelines as operations begin and will make the appropriate adjustments to the guest experience.

“We appreciate our guests’ continued

Photos submitted to the Opelika Observer

support and for being patient as we adjust to this new normal,” said Deese. “By working together, we can create an enjoyable experience for guests and employees.”

Further information on all safety and operational changes is available at WildAdventures.com/ PlaySafe.

Wild Adventures Theme Park is located at the halfway point between Atlanta and Orlando off Interstate 75 and is home to more than 40 family and thrill rides, hundreds of exotic animals, dozens of concerts and special events each year and Splash Island Waterpark, named as one of the “Top 30

Waterparks” in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Wild Adventures is ranked as the Fifth Most Affordable Theme Park in America in the Theme Park Price Index published by HomeToGo and the Top Theme Park Deal in Georgia by Yahoo!

Finance.

We're Excited to SEA You!

Special to the Opelika Observer It’s been a while, hasn’t it? We miss you too! We’re happy to let you know, we’re working hard and preparing to welcome you back! After two long months, we're pleased to announce that Georgia Aquarium will reopen on June 15th.

We've made some changes to keep our guests, staff and animals safe: • Your ticket is only valid during the time block you select. Please arrive on time and be prepared to depart at

the end of your time block. This will ensure our team will be able to clean and sanitize the exhibits between visitor groups. ◦ Morning Time Block (9am - 12pm) ▪ Closed for Deep Cleaning (12pm - 1pm) ◦ Midday Time Block (1pm - 4pm) ▪ Closed for Deep Cleaning (4pm - 5pm) ◦ Evening Time Block (5pm - 8pm) ▪ Closed for Deep Cleaning (8pm - 9pm) • All guests must consent to a contactless temperature scan prior to entering the building. Any person exhibiting a fever

(temperature of 100.4° or higher) will not be permitted entry.

• Georgia Aquarium strongly suggests that all guests who are able to wear a mask do so.

Masks will be available at our gate for those who might need one.

All Georgia Aquarium team members are required to wear masks for the entirety of their shifts.

• All unique experiences are temporarily suspended.

• All tickets are now a single price regardless of age or arrival time.

• Children under age 3 are still free.

• The Aquarium main entrance will be closed. You will be assigned a designated alternate entrance with your ticket purchase, and Aquarium Ambassadors will be there to help you find your way.

• Georgia Aquarium is limiting the number of guests allowed in the building at one time.

This reduced capacity will allow guests to

visit the Aquarium while staying an appropriate distance from other guests.

Member and Anytime Ticket Reservations To keep our guests, staff, and animals safe,

we are limiting all visitors to a specific time block for your Aquarium visit. Since your membership or ticket does not have an assigned time, please create a reservation for your visit so we know

a better future for all of us is only 10 questions away.

Complete your census at my2020census.gov

how many guests to expect.

PLEASE NOTE: A valid ticket or membership will be required in addition to this reservation for entry into the aquarium.

A14 June 17, 2020

COMICS

“Life is worth living as long as there’s a laugh in it.” ― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

S

S

Inside • opelika schools • lee county schools • community sports

OHS football team adjusts to new reality

By Wil Crews Opelika Observer

On the Mark

By D. Mark Mitchell

OHS FOOTBALL COMPLETES WEEK TWO

O

pelika High Football Team completed their second week of “Phase one” summer workouts June 18. The Bulldogs started working out June 8, and they have

one more week of workouts before taking a week off from June 29 to July 6.

Alabama High School Athletics Association’s See SPORTS, page B6

Opelika City Schools to offer free summer meals

• June 23 June 17, 2020 Opelika City Schools Board Meeting at 4 p.m.

Football is back. At least kind of.

This past Monday, the Opelika High School football team –– players and coaches alike –– met in person for the first time in almost three months.

With health and safety guidelines regarding COVID-19 seemingly changing every week, it’s going to take the appropriate mix of precaution and preparation to have the Bulldogs ready for their first game.

Head Coach Erik Speakman and his coaching staff are running a tight ship to try and make that happen. When the 32 players arrived for the first day of practice, they were treated like Bluetooth devices –– with a hands-free approach. With the door already open (to reduce the risk of multiple people touching the handle) they got a pump of hand sanitizer each and were sent inside.

Then, it was time to get to work, right? Wrong. Next, players must spread out on the turf floor (6 feet apart) to have their temperatures taken.

Once this is done, they split into four groups of eight.

Sixteen went outside, and 16 stayed in the weight room. Each group has a coach that travels with them, usually their position coach, but there is some overlapping.

Then practice and workouts began.

“The biggest thing we missed was spring football,” Speakman said. “So June is just going to be about getting them back in shape. This past week was seeing where they were.”

That can be easier said than done. For the players outside, it should be simple to run drills while maintaining social distancing. But what about the kids lifting weights? Well, the racks are spaced 5 to 6 feet apart and each is equipped with its own cloth and bottle of sanitizer.

“We have 16 racks, so one

kid per rack, and they do their work by themselves,” Speakman said. “Once they finish, we use sanitizing spray to wipe down everything.” After 30 to 45 minutes, the inside group will go outside; when they have completely exited the building, the outside group will come in.

Through June, the team will hold workouts like these three times a week. And next week Speakman plans to increase the number of players attending to 48.

They will maintain their socially-distanced practices by rotating groups of eight through three stations –– the weight room, meeting rooms and outside.

Speakman also said they plan to start throwing footballs next week. That presents another tricky aspect of maintaining health and safety throughout his practices.

“Each group of eight will have one or two footballs, and See FOOTBALL, page B4

Judy Flournoy recognized for 26 years with Lee County school system

By Will Fairless Associate Editor

In its meeting last Tuesday (held electronically via a Zoom video conference call), the Lee County School Board recognized Judy Flournoy for her 26 years of service to Lee County schools.

“She’s been a strong employee of the Lee County school system,” said Larry Boswell, president of the Lee County Board of Education, “We all have depended on her a great deal to help us.” The board presented Flournoy a

Photo special to the Opelika Observer plaque in appreciation of her service ahead of her retirement.

In other business, the board: • approved the minutes for the board’s

May 12 meeting, also held over Zoom • approved a $16,385 bid for lunchroom maintenance and repair, which was the winning bid,

unopposed by the four other vendors that were contacted • authorized the issuance of a capital outlay warrant • approved the monthly financial report and cash reconciliation for the month of April The Lee County School Board meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m.; their next meeting is scheduled for July 14.

For more information and news concerning the school board, visit their website, www. lee.k12.al.us

B2 June 17, 2020

Troy University announces Spring/ Term 4 graduates from Lee County Special to the Opelika Observer

Troy University is pleased to recognize students who completed the requirements for graduation during the Spring Semester and Term 4 of the 2019/2020 academic year. The Spring Semester includes graduates from the Troy, Ala., campus. Term 4 graduates include students at TROY’s campuses in Dothan, Phenix City and Montgomery, Ala., along with teaching sites outside of Alabama and online.

Local students who graduated include: - Ryan Aker of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Christopher Allen of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Katherine Alsup of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the Sorrell College of Business - Adrianna Anthony of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Danielle Baker of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Payton Barnette of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Tanner Blatt of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Denise Brownlee of Smiths Station with an

undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Brooke Burns of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Kaitlyn Carlisle of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Shakeria Cheatham of Birmingham with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Kaylan Colvin of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the Sorrell College of Business - Donna Cook of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Deependra Eependra of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Paris Fountain of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Aaron Fox of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the Sorrell College of Business - Ladashia Foy of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Camille Franks of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Collin Frase of Phenix

City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Brennan Gonzalez of Phenix City with a Graduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Briana Hardie of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Lindsay Hood of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Shelia Leverette of Auburn with a graduate degree from the College of Education - Charles Lewis of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Nicolle Lynk of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Shonta Martin of Auburn with a graduate degree from the Sorrell College of Business - Sikuria McCurdy of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Mary Medina of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Carrie Miller of Smiths Station with a graduate degree from the College of Education - Ja’Tarius Moore of Salem with a graduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Dylan Munnerlyn of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences

- Joshua Murphy of Cusseta with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Margaret O’Toole of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Markel Patterson of Smiths Station with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Mary Preavy of Salem with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Kristi Rendleman of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Lauren Revels of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Patrice Ross of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Tanya Scott of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the Sorrell College of Business - Cody Scrimpshire of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Samantha Shanks of Auburn with a graduate degree from the College of Education - Anthony Smith of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Juan Venegas of Auburn with an undergraduate degree from the College of Communication and Fine Arts - Denise Walker of Opelika

with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Baylee Walls of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Christopher Washington of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Tara Webb of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the College of Health and Human Services - Judith Williamson of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences - Valerie Woldridge of Phenix City with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Charlette Woodard of Smiths Station with an undergraduate degree from the College of Education - Christopher Yountz of Opelika with an undergraduate degree from the Sorrell College of Business About Troy University Troy University is a public, historic, international university with 22,500 students and 154,000 alumni. Students choose TROY for its quality academic programs, reasonable costs and availability of financial aid, outstanding faculty and flexible in-class and online class offerings.

Students on the Troy, Ala. campus enjoy a traditional college experience, while adult students are the centers of attention at campuses in Dothan, Montgomery and Phenix City, Ala., as well as at locations around the world and online.

Spring 2020 Graduates Announced at UA Special to the Opelika Observer

The University of Alabama awarded some 6,326 degrees this spring. Among the graduates from Lee County were: - Gabrielle Allen of Opelika who received a Master of Arts.

- Emily Blum of Auburn who received a Doctor of Philosophy.

- Aaliyah Bolware of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Science.

- Quinika Bradley of Phenix City who received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration.

- Jon Brockwell of Auburn who received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration.

- Christina Carter of

Opelika who received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

- Rodneisha Darden of Salem who received a Master of Accountancy.

- Jody Davis of Auburn who received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

- Hannah Deep of Opelika who received a Master of Social Work.

- Gillian Dente of Phenix City who

received a Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences.

- Callie Earles of Auburn who received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Information Sciences.

- Bradley Fricks of Auburn who received a Doctor of Education.

- Jouri Johnson of Auburn who received a Bachelor of Science in Education.

- Cynthia Ledbetter of Auburn who received a Master of Library & Information Studies.

- Abigail Lindsey of Phenix City who received a Bachelor of Science in Education.

- Marcus Marshall of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.

- Jakari McDougald of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Social Work.

- Matthew Melton of Phenix City who received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration.

- Darrell Morgan of Smiths Station who received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication & Information Sciences.

- Cynthia Perry of Opelika who received a Master of Social Work.

- Jasmine Preston of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Science.

- Madeline Rogers of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.

- Emma Royal of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering.

- Bentley Sims of Aubun who received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration.

- Rachel Stokes of Auburn who received a Bachelor of Arts.

- Justin Upshaw of Phenix City who received a Bachelor of Science in Commerce & Business Administration.

- Christina Vickers of Opelika who received a Bachelor of Arts.

- Blake Wald of Phenix City who received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

- Frances Ward of Cusseta who received a Bachelor of Science.

- Madison Washington of Smiths Station who received a Bachelor of Science in Education.

The recent change to remote learning during this unprecedented time affected the University’s plans for traditional

commencement activities. However, commencement is a milestone, and the University wants graduates to have the opportunity to walk across the stage in celebration of their success. Although any plans are contingent on how the summer outlook progresses, all spring graduates are invited to participate in the summer commencement events scheduled for July 31, and Aug. 1.

“We will also be recognizing the achievements of our spring 2020 graduating class through online and social media outlets to highlight our shared pride in them,” said UA President Stuart Bell. “I look forward to congratulating each student on stage very soon.”

With dozens of challenging academic programs, expert and world-renowned faculty and numerous opportunities for service and growth, The University of Alabama is the place where legends are made. UA offers its students a premier educational, See GRADUATES, page B4

B3 June 17, 2020

Hugs and Time Spent With Dad

S

ummer Greetings everyone. The official date of summer’s beginning is June 20 even though it feels like summer has already arrived with hot summer breezes, summer showers and beautiful evening dusks.

Children savor the simple things of life! I wanted to extend a gentle reminder to all that June 21 is Father’s Day. Young children love their dads or who they identify as their dad.

Whether it be a grandfather, friend, guardian or godparent serving as their dad, the roles that dads play in a young child’s life are

so important. Even the name “father” takes on many forms of addressing the man we call father. It could be “Dad,” “Pop,” “Papa,” “Gramps,” “Daddy” and the list goes on and on.

As a teacher, I deeply appreciate the roles that fathers have played in my classrooms over the years. My classroom dads have helped me with field trips, helped me in planning and doing a lot of the physical games, as well as jungle gyms or ball players, etc., in showing love to their children, grandchildren and other children. Young children love to be swung,

hugged and loved by dads.

Father’s Day was created as a way to complement Mother’s Day in honoring our fathers. In the United States, the first modern Father’s Day was celebrated on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia, at Williams Memorial Methodist Church. Another initiator of beginning Father’s Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd.

She wanted to honor her dad, a Civil War veteran, William Jackson Smart, who was a single parent who raised his six children in Spokane, Washington.

She was encouraged and inspired by Anna Jarvis’ efforts to establish Mother’s Day. Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June every year. The very first June Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. The date of Father’s Day varies in different countries. In our entertainment culture I can remember the TV dads. We all loved Sheriff Andy Taylor on the Andy Griffith Show as he took care of his son

Opie. Also, we Baby Boomers remember Ward Cleaver, played

by Hugh Beaumont, on “Leave it to Beaver.”

We remember Jim Anderson, played

by Robert Young, in “Father Knows Best.”

“My Three Sons” father Steve Douglass, played

by Fred MacMurray, was a favorite we tuned into every week. And we laughed and loved Fred Sanford, played by Redd Fox, in “Sanford and Son.” Also, we celebrate fathers in songs such Cat Stevens’s “Father and Son” and Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle.” I truly love the song “This Is My Father’s World,” beautifully written by Malthie D. Babcock and Franklin L. Sheppard in our hymnals, which shows how God made us a beautiful world so that we can be in fellowship with Him. What a privilege it is in a man’s life to be called Dad or to serve as a dad. Fathers are made to be participants in their children’s lives, and usually they are the ones who solve the problems, guide their families and provide and prepare their children in ways that only a father

can do. I remember as a young child when our family would go on vacations, trips to visit family or long trips, that I could sleep soundly in the back seat because I knew my daddy knew where he was taking his family and I could trust him to get us where we needed to go. What our heavenly Father wants us to do is to trust Him as we go through these unusual times in our world.

Usually each year in summer preschool, we teachers guide our students to color pictures and make Father’s Day cards, key chains or other gifts.

This year I wanted to share a “Survival Kit for Fathers” in the Classroom Observer.

Families, get some bags to put the following items in, then on a card you can print what each items means. You can also come up with your own items. These are some ideas for you.

Eraser: remember no one is perfect and even dads can make mistakes.

Balloon: remind a dad to encourage his children as they reach for the sky!

Candle: to remind

you that you will be the light of their child’s eye.

Rubber Band: to remind you that in this world, flexibility is the key.

Lifesaver: to gently remind you that you are a lifesaver to your child.

Tissue: to dry tears of your children when their feelings get hurt.

Paper Clip: to help you to hold it all together.

Pen and Paper: to write down your thoughts about your children to share with them later.

Lollipop: to lick all your problems.

Happy Face (sticker or drawn on a piece of paper): to remind us to keep on smiling.

Puzzle Piece: to remind you that you are such an important piece of your child’s life journey.

Hershey’s hugs and kisses: you deserve these all the time. On a piece of paper write the words “I Love You” to remind you to say these three very important words to your child.

From the Classroom Observer, I hope and pray that you fathers have a wonderful Father’s Day. Beth Pinyerd

Auburn’s Harbert College of Business creates Department of Supply Chain Management Decision builds upon Auburn’s nationally recognized leadership in supply chain education Special to the Opelika Observer

Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business today announced the formation of a Department of Supply Chain Management. The creation of the new department brings expanded resources and focus to the college’s highly ranked supply chain management program, where enrollment has grown by double digits in each of the past five years.

The Harbert College

of Business supply chain management degree, which combines core business and elective course curriculum from multiple academic and industry-focused disciplines, was recognized as one of the top three programs in the nation by Gartner Group in its most recent rankings.

“Growth in demand for supply chain management programs and a track record of success for graduates are the two primary drivers of our decision to create the new

Department of Supply Chain Management,” said Harbert College of Business Dean Annette L. Ranft.

“The growth in the number of students choosing supply chain management, growth in faculty and enhanced supply chain management research create the foundation for this department. In addition, an increased level of engagement with our partners in business and government contributed to our decision to invest in the area of supply chain management.

Establishing a department allows us to continue to grow undergraduate and graduate programs and develop students to be highly desired and qualified graduates for the workforce. We are appreciative of the Auburn University Board of Trustees for their approval and unanimous support for the new department.”

Glenn Richey, the Raymond J. Harbert Eminent Scholar and professor in supply chain management, said the creation of

Auburn University senior joins Alabama Farmers Federation as ag policy intern Special to the Opelika Observer

Auburn University senior Bill Taylor will spend his summer interning with the Alabama Farmers Federation’s Department of Governmental and Agricultural Programs.

The Tuscaloosa County native is no stranger to the state’s largest farm organization. His father, Rafe, was involved in the Federation’s Catfish Division. “My passion for agriculture stemmed from growing up on a

TAYLOR farm and understanding the hardships that are faced by farmers and others in the agriculture industry,” said Taylor, 21, an agricultural

communications major who will graduate in December. “I want to be an advocate for agriculture, and I think this new position will help prepare me for my future career.” Federation GAP Department Director Brian Hardin said Taylor’s agriculture background is an asset. Taylor will work across departments to advocate for agriculture, produce ag policy communications and strengthen his understanding of governmental and Federation work.

“We are very excited to have Bill with us this summer,” Hardin said.

“His background and motivation to advocate for farmers will be an advantage as he serves members.” Taylor has worked as a communications and marketing intern in the AU College of Agriculture and participated in the Alabama Ag Expedition sponsored by the Alabama Wheat & Feed Grain Producers. He is also a letterman on the Auburn Tigers football team as a long snapper.

the new department will give the college’s already robust supply chain management curriculum, research and partner engagement added visibility in the minds of potential students, existing students, prospective new faculty and business partners.

“In addition to raising the visibility of the program, this move will enable us to be more flexible in expanding and modifying curriculum to meet the needs of the rapidly changing world of supply chain management,” Richey said. “Having our own department will also allow us to build more relationships with

business partners within the state, across the region, nationally and around the globe.”

Richey notes that the move to form a new department was in the works well before the COVID-19 pandemic, but that the impact of the pandemic on supply chains has made the need for well-trained supply chain professionals even more acute.

“Research has shown that up to 70% of people currently working in supply chain management today have no formal education in the area,” continued Richey. “Our hands-on See AUBURN, page B4

ADVERTISE STATEWIDE! Make a HUGE SPLASH STATEWIDE or target your ad REGIONALY for the most cost effective media buy anywhere!

Statewide ads appear in over 100 NEWSPAPERS, reaching 1 MILLION READERS each week!

DISPLAY ADS START AT $400 (2x2 display ad in 1 region) CLASSIFIED ADS START AT $99 (25 word line ad in 1 region)

____________________________

CALL THIS NEWSPAPER’S AD DEPARTMENT TO PLACE YOUR AD OR CALL 1-800-264-7043 www.alabamapress.org

B4 June 17, 2020

Auburn professor to be part of NASA-funded team tasked Birmingham Children’s with studying effects of urban pollution in precipitation Theatre presents online summer camps entrepreneurship makes cloud droplets, which

By Neal Reid Special to the Opelika Observer

Auburn University Associate Professor of Geosciences Chandana Mitra will be part of a NASA-funded national team tasked with studying whether cities can, via urban landscapes and/or associated aerosol processes, initiate or modify precipitating cloud systems.

Mitra will use a $185,400 segment of NASA’s $1.7 million grant to contribute research to the team, which includes representatives from the University of Georgia, Louisiana State University, Purdue University, Florida State University and University of Texas San Antonio, along with NASA Goddard, Universities Space Research Association Columbia and SpringGem Weather Information LLC. The project is titled “Toward Conceptualization and Predictability: A Multi-scalar Analysis of Urban-Influenced Hydrometeorological Processes.”

One of the main goals of the collaboration is to leverage NASA resources to expand analyses to under-studied regions of the globe or multiple spatial scale regarding “urban rainfall effects.” One major

MITRA task of Mitra’s research will include delineating urban agglomerations in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia and creating a global inventory of “urban rainfall effect” signatures on the major continents.

“I am very excited to be a part of this team and cannot wait to begin work on this NASA-funded project,” Mitra said. She is a physical geographer and climatologist focused on researching the impacts of urban growth on local climate, especially in the area of heat and precipitation variability.

“It is critical to understand the processes by which urbanization effects precipitation and to move toward predictability of urban rain and snow events to minimize vulnerability to flooding and other associated hazards. The proposal team’s expertise in meteorology and climatology, geography, remote sensing, machine learning, land use planning and

AUBURN >> FROM B3 instruction, required internships and partner engagement prepares our students to make meaningful contributions to their employers on day one.”

Franklin Littleton, president at DHL Supply Chain, pointed to the need for more supply chain professionals and applauded the creation of the new Department of Supply Chain Management.

“I am very pleased to see the department being created,” Littleton noted. “DHL has benefited from our partnership with the Harbert College, and we find the graduates of the supply chain management program to be wellequipped, capable problem solvers with an excellent work ethic. This industry has been increasing in importance over many years with globalized manufacturing and supply, the increase of e-commerce and increasing global affluence and consumerism. The COVID-19 pandemic and the global response has certainly brought these issues into even sharper focus.”

The new department includes Auburn’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation, or CSCI, where scholars, students and external partners collaborate to advance knowledge, drive thought leadership and create practical solutions for

GRADUATES >> FROM B2 cultural and social experience with more than 200 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs and gives students the

it well-suited for tackling the most pressing remaining knowledge gaps in urban hydrometeorology using innovative methods and tools.

“This interdisciplinary team and the industry partnerships assembled here will ensure that the knowledge and datasets gained from the proposed work can be readily transitioned for use and will positively contribute to NASA’s core Earth Science Division goals.”

The grant will allow Mitra to fund a doctoral student for three years to help her study how cities across various continents initiate or modify precipitating cloud systems via urban rainfall effect. They also will use computational techniques to examine how the cloud systems are influenced by urban heat island intensity, reduced evapotranspiration and the various urban morphologies.

“It is still unclear what role urban aerosols play on precipitation formation and intensification,” she said. “Aerosols have both a negative and positive impact on urban rainfall. They have been shown to enhance rainfall by serving as cloud condensation nuclei, yet studies also have shown that aerosol loading may broaden the spectrum of small

supply chain stakeholder communities. Brian Gibson, the Wilson Family Professor and executive director of CSCI, noted that the current pandemic brings to light critical issues in supply chain management that CSCI has been researching for some time.

“The impact of COVID-19 on supply chains here in Alabama and across the globe points to the value of the work we are doing at CSCI,” Gibson said. “We look forward to contributing our extensive knowledge of best practices and the results of future research projects to provide insights that will support the new Department of Supply Chain Management and our partners in industry and government.”

- For more information on the Department of Supply Chain Management, visit https://harbert.auburn.edu/news/AuburnsLegacy-of-Supply-ChainManagement-Excellence.php - For information on the supply chain management degree, visit https://harbert.auburn.edu/ academics/undergraduate/supply-chain-management/index.php - For more information on the Center for Supply Chain Innovation, visit http://auburnsupplychain.org/ Auburn Supply Chain Management The supply chain management

opportunity to partner with faculty performing cutting-edge research.

The University of Alabama, the state’s oldest and largest public institution of higher education, is a student-centered research university

reduces precipitation efficiency, especially in warm clouds. This research will be a novel research study of direct and semi-direct aerosol effects on the physical processes of urban rainfall.”

Mitra will use remote sensing and geographic information system techniques to measure the urban heat island intensity, evapotranspiration and precipitation variability. In addition, she will co-conduct a four-dimensional analysis of rainfall, NASA Cloud Products and NASA Land Products to identify geographical tendencies in hydroclimate variability that may be driven or modulated by a combination of urban land cover, the urban heat island and aerosols.

Mitra’s Auburn team will be tasked with delivering three specific goals for the multiyear project—producing a global inventory of “urban rainfall effect” signatures on the major continents in the first year, a climatology of “non-urban” noise that might modulate or describe such signatures in year two and a GISbased database of what urbanized geographic regions are more likely to exhibit an urban signature in spatiotemporal precipitation variability in the third year.

major at Auburn’s Harbert College of Business equips students to handle the efficient management of the flow of goods across the global marketplace—a process that grows increasingly complex and time sensitive on an almost daily basis. Our multifaceted curriculum equips students with the conceptual knowledge, analytical skills and strategic insights needed to manage this complexity across the plan-buymake-deliver process. Our highly sought-after graduates gain valuable, real-world experiences via required internships, case competitions and analytical projects.

Harbert College of Business The Harbert College of Business is a nationally ranked hub of undergraduate, graduate and continuing business education that is inspiring the next generation of business leaders.

Our world-class faculty deliver unparalleled academic rigor in the classroom, while our research-driven scholarship advances thought leadership and best practice in emerging business disciplines. Our alumni and industry partners actively engage our faculty and students to integrate business theory with practical experience and to instill the level of proficiency and integrity demanded by employers around the globe.

that draws the best and brightest to an academic community committed to providing a premier undergraduate and graduate education.

UA is dedicated to achieving excellence in scholarship,

collaboration and intellectual engagement; providing public outreach and service to the state of Alabama and the nation; and nurturing a campus environment that fosters collegiality, respect and inclusivity.

Special to the Opelika Observer

After much consideration, Birmingham Children’s Theatre has decided the best way to keep everyone healthy and safe while engaging creative minds this summer is to move all camps to a virtual platform.

Education has always been the forefront of BCT’s mission. The past few months have brought about the creation of new and exciting ways to bring the BCT experience directly into individual homes with short video lessons, digital classrooms, the Cardboard Puppet Theatre and June summer camps, which are currently operating online.

Birmingham Children’s Theatre’s Imagine Outside the Box explores a new way to summer camp...from your home! Each week, campers in PreK - Rising 2nd learn about stories, characters and performance through themed activities. A box is delivered to each home containing everything needed for a BCT camp experience. Each morning a virtual lesson wakes up the imagination, and activities are assigned daily to promote artistic and creative freedom.

For youth eight

FOOTBALL >> FROM B1 once the group is done, we will wipe them off,” Speakman noted.

While at workouts, the team is prohibited from using the locker room, which means there is no place for anyone to wash hands with soap and water.

However, Speakman is sure that there is enough sanitizer to do the trick.

“We went down to the distillery and bought some liquid spray,” Speakman added. “That stuff smells like a mix of moonshine and rocket fuel, so I’m sure it’s killing whatever it touches.”

Speakman speaks with optimism when he says his players are handling the new practice format well.

“It’s not like the social distancing term was thrown on them last week. We had communicated with them through April and May about how things would look.”

All that is great.

and older, Director of Education Jessie Kisor has created week-long online Musical Theatre Intensives through the month of July.

Days are broken into two 90-minute online sessions where campers learn the history, culture and evolution of different genres. By looking at specific shows, songs and dance routines from popular productions - and applying these techniques to their own repertoire campers will receive an in-depth and hands on experience in the evolution of Musical Theatre.

Information and registration for all camps can be found at www.bct123.org/ summer-camp.

About Birmingham Children’s Theatre Birmingham Children’s Theatre exists to educate, enrich and entertain through the magic of professional theatre.

One of the nation’s oldest and largest professional theatre companies for young audiences, BCT produces high-quality, professional theatrical entertainment and curriculum-relevant arts education experiences for children and families.

Established in 1947, BCT has touched the lives of over thirteen million students throughout its seven-decade history.

WWW.BCT123.ORG But what happens if a player contracts COVID-19?

“That kid has to remain away for 14 days,” Speakman said. “But because of the way we are keeping them away from other groups, that’s going to keep us from having to shut down the whole football team.”

Speakman’s number one priority is player safety. That said, as coronavirus appears to wane, he expects health and safety regulations to continue to relax in July.

If that happens the plan will be altered accordingly.

Regardless, the real plan is to have the Bulldogs healthy and hungry for their first game of the season on Aug. 21. The bulldogs travel to face the Callaway Cavaliers of Hogansville, Georgia, who finished last season with a 12-3 record.

For more information about AHSAA guidelines you can visit www. ahsaa.com/Schools/ COVID-19-Updates.

B5 June 17, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICES Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 1242 North Dean Road Auburn, AL 36830 Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 10:00AM Paul Daniel: 379 982 Opelika Road Auburn, AL 36830 office materials The auction will be listed and advertised on www.storagetreasures.com. 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 06/17/20 & 06/24/20 --------------CITY OF OPELIKA SYNOPSIS OF ZONING NOTICE The City Council of the City of Opelika will hold a public hearing on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Building, 204 S. 7th Street, Opelika, Lee County, Alabama, to consider the adoption of an ordinance to amend the Zoning Ordinance and the Zoning Map of the City of Opelika by rezoning or redistricting the parcel of land hereinafter described so as to change such parcel from one class of district to another class of district, as follows: From a R-1 District (Low Density Residential District), R-3 District (Medium Density Residential District), C-2 District (Office/Retail District) to a Planned United Development (PUD), the parcel of land hereinafter described: Commence at the SW corner of the Northwest Quarter OF Section 11, Township 19 North, Range 26 East, Opelika, Lee County, Alabama, locally accepted being marked by a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped #28447; thence N 31 0 50’18” E a distance of 280.17 feet to a 1” open top pipe on the North right-of-way line of Waverly Parkway (80’ R/W) and also being the POINT OF BEGINNING. From said POINT OF BEGINNING; thence along said right-of-way N 64 000’44” W a distance of 253.34 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 64 0 00’11” W a distance of 520.96 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped PLS CA#1067-LS; thence N 500 34’02” W a distance of 178.22 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped PLS CA#1067-LS; thence in a curve to the right having a radius of 542.96 feet an arc length of 362.10 and a chord bearing and distance of N 230 38’45” W, 355.43 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped PLS CA#1067-LS on the East right-of-way line of Veterans Pkwy (150’ R/W); thence along said right-of-way in a curve to the left having a radius of 1220.92 feet an arc length of 182.29 feet and a chord bearing and distance of N 04 0 42’34” E, 182.12 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped PLS CA#1067-LS; thence leaving said right-of-way N 88°53’38” E a distance of 135.16 feet to a 3/4” crimp top; thence N 00 0 21’22” E a distance of 93.10 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped PLS CA#1067-LS; thence N 88°26’42” W a distance of 24.74 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 00 0 24’13” E a distance of 133.99 feet to a 1/2” rebar; thence S 89 0 58’58” E a distance of 29.91 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe at the southwest corner of Lot 13 OF QUAIL HOLLOW SUBDIVISION as recorded in Plat Book 16, Page 127, Lee County, Alabama; thence along the south line of QUAIL HOLLOW SUBDIVISION S 89 0 13’14” E a distance of

99.61 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 89 0 58’40” E a distance of 99.99 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 89 041’40” E a distance of 100.18 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 88 0 50’15” E a distance of 94.45 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence S 89 0 12’23” E a distance of 105.64 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 89 0 56 ‘05” E a distance of 100.03 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 89 043’49” E a distance of 59.91 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence N 89 047’23” E a distance of 688.47 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence S 41° 52’01”W a distance of 111.59 feet to a 1/2” crimp top, thence S 31 046’29” W a distance of 141.63 feet to a 1/2” crimp top; thence S 29 0 08’34” a distance of 162.26 feet to a 1x1 metal bar; thence S 30 0 04’18” W a distance of 286.01 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped #33949; thence S 32 0 34 ‘41” W a distance of 87.80 feet to a 3/4” open top pipe; thence S 25 040’42” W a distance of 250.99 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped #33949; thence S 14 0 14’50” W a distance of 72.80 feet to a 1/2” rebar with cap stamped 33949; thence S 63 045’40” E a distance of 148.62 feet to a 1/2” open top pipe; thence S 35 0 35’52” W a distance of 200.62 feet to the point of beginning. said parcel lying in and being a part of the Northeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter and the Southeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter all in Section 10, Township 19 North, Range 26 East and the Northwest Quarter of the Northwest Quarter and the Southwest Quarter of the Northeast Quarter all in Section 11, Township 19 North, Range 26 East, Lee County, Alabama, and containing 25.76 acres, more or less.

The above-described parcel is located at the intersection of Waverly Parkway and Veterans Parkway.

The development plan (master plan) provides for a mixed use planned development consisting of seventy-two (72) townhome units and twenty (20) single-family lots with significant recreational areas, water features and open space.

The proposed density is 3.57 dwelling units per acre.

Public Notice of this public hearing with insertion of the proposed ordinance was first published on June 10, 2020 in the Opelika Observer.

This notice is given pursuant to Section 11-52-78 Code of Alabama (1975). The City Council reserves the right to modify or alter any of the proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance.

All interested persons are invited to attend the public hearing and be heard.

Written comments concerning the above matter may be mailed to the City Clerk at P.O. Box 390, Opelika, AL 36803 at any time prior to the public hearing and may be further submitted to the City Council at the meeting and the public hearing.

Please contact Kevin Rice, the City’s ADA Coordinator, at 334-705-2083 at least two (2) working days prior to the meeting if you require special accommodations due to any disability.

THIS NOTICE is given under my hand this the 12th day of June, 2020. /s/ Russell A. Jones ________________ CITY CLERK OF THE CITY OF OPELIKA, ALABAMA Legal Run 06/17/2020 --------------IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA JUVENILE - JU-2019-180.02 A.S.L.W. - BORN 11/14/2017 NOTICE TO: Any unknown father of A.S.L.W. born on 11/14/2017 to Haley Sabrina Taylor at University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham, AL. Custody of the minor child was

vested with the Lee County DHR on 5/13/19. Any unknown father must answer the Petition of Termination of Parental Rights filed in the Family Court of Lee County, AL by Lee County DHR,within fourteen (14) days from the last date of Publication of this notice with the Circuit Clerk located at 2311 Gateway Drive, Opelika, AL 36801 and with Hon. Margaret Mayfield, P.O. Box 809, Opelika, AL 36803 - (334)-745-0333 or thereafter a final judgment may be rendered in the Family Courtroom of Lee County, AL terminating your parental rights and placing said child for adoption.

Mary Roberson, CIRCUIT CLERK Legal Run 06/17/20, 06/24/20, 07/01/20 & 07/08/20 --------------IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA HARDWOOD, LLC, Plaintiff, V. A Parcel of Real Property described as: Lot 11 Block 216 of Totten’s Official Real Estate Map of The City of Opelika, Alabama according to and as shown by that certain map or Plat of record in Town Plat Book 2, at page 9, in the Office of The Judge of Probate of Lee County, Alabama, Defendant.

CASE NO. CV-2020-900166 NOTICE OF ACTION To: All Defendants herein, whose whereabouts are unknown and which cannot be ascertained after the exercise of reasonable diligence.

You are hereby notified that on the 31st day of March, 2020, a complaint to quiet title was filed in the Circuit Court of Lee County, Alabama, and the following are the names of all parties to the action: Hardwood, LLC, as Plaintiff; A Parcel of Real Property, described below, as Defendant; and unknown heirs of Mary Charles Mathews, who cannot be ascertained after the exercise of due diligence, and which are believed to have claimed some right, title, interest or claim in and to the property described as follows: Commence at the Northwest corner of Section 35, Township 18 North, Range 29 East, and run North 86 degrees 57 minutes East for 655.45 feet; thence South 03 degrees 09 minutes East for 1301.82 feet to the Southern margin of McBride Road; thence 101.42 feet Southwesterly along a curve the radius of which is 1874.49 feet; thence South 03 degrees 37 minutes West for 79.38 feet; thence South 14 degrees 58 minutes East for 123.41 feet; thence South 16 degrees 25 minutes West for 86.86 feet; thence South 03 degrees 24 minutes West for 161.06 feet to the point of beginning; from said point of beginning run North 53 degrees 10 minutes East for 174.24 feet thence South 36 degrees 50 minutes East for 175.0 feet; thence South 53 degrees 10 minutes West for 174.24 feet; thence North 36 degrees 50 minutes East for 175.0 feet; to the point of Beginning. Compromising of 0.70 acres, more or less.

All persons having an interest in said lands or any portion thereof, claiming any title thereto or any encumbrance or lien thereon, 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 20th day of May, 2020.

/s/ Mary Roberson Mary Roberson Circuit Court Clerk, Lee County J. Brandon Rice Of Counsel, Davis, Bingham, Hudson & Buckner, P.C. 324 East Magnolia Avenue Auburn, AL 36830 Legal Run 05/27/20, 06/03/20, 06/10/20, 06/17/20 --------------IN RE: THE ESTATE OF JOSHUA P. ADAMS IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA NOTICE TO CREDITORS TAKE NOTICE that Letters of Administration having been granted to Rachel Adams, as Administratrix of the Estate of Joshua P. Adams, deceased, on the 21st day of May, 2020, by the Honorable Bill English, Judge of Probate.

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.

RACHEL ADAMS Administratrix of the Estate of Joshua P. Adams, deceased Legal Run 06/03/20, 06/10/20, & 06/17/20 --------------IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN THE ESTATE OF: MERRILL BAKER, Deceased.

Letters Testamentary of said deceased was granted to ROBERT ANTHONY BAKER on the 26th day of May, 2020 by the Hon. Bill English, Probate Judge of Lee County. Notice is hereby given that all persons having claims against said estate that they are hereby required to present the same within time allowed by law or the same will be barred.

ROBERT ANTHONY BAKER, Executor Margaret A. Mayfield Attorney for Estate P.O. Box 809 Opelika, AL 36803 Legal Run 06/03/20, 06/10/20, & 06/17/20 --------------IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BILLIE JOE PORTER, Deceased Case No. 2020- 079 NOTICE TO CREDITORS Letters Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to Donna P..McGee, Personal Representative on the 22nd day of May, 2020, by Honorable Bill English, Judge of 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.

Donna P. McGee Legal Run 06/03/20, 06/10/20, & 06/17/20 --------------IN THE PROBATE COURT FOR LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF JOHN E. BURKHALTER, Deceased Case No. 2020-158 NOTICE TO CREDITORS TAKE NOTICE that Letters Testamentary having been granted to Jeanne Burkhalter as Personal Representative of the Estate of John E. Burkhalter, deceased, on May 8, 2020, by the Honorable Bill English, Judge of Probate.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that all person 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.

Jeanne Burkhalter Personal Representative of the Estate of John E. Burkhalter, deceased Legal Run 06/03/20, 06/10/20 & 06/17/20 --------------IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA T. BROWN, DECEASED IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Case No: 2020-164 Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 27th day of May, 2020, 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.

CLAUD H. BROWN, III Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 06/10/20, 06/17/20 & 06/24/20 --------------IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BENNIE G. ADKINS, DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Case No: 2020-179 Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 22nd day of May, 2020, 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.

MARY ANN BLAKE Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford & Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 06/10/20, 06/17/20 & 06/24/20 --------------IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF DELORIS KINDRED, DECEASED. IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Case No: 2020-096 Letters Testamentary on the estate of said decedent having been granted to the undersigned on the 22nd day of May, 2020, 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.

MARILYN KINDRED Personal Representative Robert H. Pettey Samford &Denson, LLP P.O. Box 2345 Opelika, AL 36803-2345 (334) 745-3504 Legal Run 06/10/20, 06/17/20 & 06/24/20 --------------NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT ESTATE OF ODESSA HARPER TAYLOR COURT OF PROBATE Letters Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 27th day of May, 2020, 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 27th day of May, 2020.

CHARLES EDWARD HARPER Legal Run 06/10/20, 06/17/20, 06/24/20 --------------INVITATION TO BID BID# 20027 Sealed bids for the construction of the CityWide ADA Improvements Project shall be received at the Opelika City Hall Council Chamber, 204 South Seventh Street, Opelika, Alabama, until 2:00 p.m., local time on Tuesday, June 30, 2020, and then publicly opened and read aloud. All interested parties are invited to attend.

Only bids from competent general contractors will be considered. At the time of contract award, the successful bidder must be a properly licensed general contractor. No bid will be accepted from anyone except a qualified Contractor licensed by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors.

Principal items of work include but are not limited to: removal of existing sidewalk, ramps, storm inlets, and curb sections; preparation of sub-base; installation and finishing of new ADA compliant ramps and sidewalk; installation of storm inlet units and tops; and restoration of adjacent right of way. All work shall meet ADA requirements.

Work will be prioritized into four zones and a “Notice to Proceed” will be issued for each zone based on schedule and budget constraints. The final zone is not guaranteed to be ordered under the Contract.

Work shall begin within 10 days of each “Notice to Proceed”. The completion time for each zone is 90 days from the commencement of work. The total contract length shall not exceed 540 calendar days.

Drawings and Specifications may be examined at the Office of the City Engineer located at 700 Fox Trail, Opelika, Alabama. Phone number: 334-705-5450 Bid documents may be obtained from the Office of the City Engineer at no charge as an electronic file if the bidder supplies a storage drive or as an email attachment or electronic drop box.

The bidder’s proposal must be submitted on the complete original proposal furnished to him/her by the City of Opelika. All information in the proposal must be completed by the bidder for the proposal to be accepted.

A Bid Bond in the amount of five (5) percent of the bid amount made payable to the City of Opelika must accompany each bid.

Performance and Payment Bonds for the full contract sum will be required of the successful bidder. The right is reserved by the Owner to reject all Bids and to waive irregularities.

Envelopes containing bids must be sealed, marked, addressed as follows, and delivered to: Lillie Finley, Purchasing-Revenue Manager, City of Opelika, 204 South 7th Street, P.O. Box 390, Opelika, Alabama, 36803-0390. Attn: CityWide ADA Improvements Project LILLIE FINLEYPURCHASING REVENUE MANAGER CITY OF OPELIKA 204 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET (36801) POST OFFICE BOX 390 (36803-0390) OPELIKA, ALABAMA PH: (334) 705-5120 Legal Run 06/10/20, 06/17/20

B6 June 17, 2020

SPORTS >> FROM B1 Executive Director Steve Savarese, Alabama Department of Health Dr. Scott Harris and State Superintendent Erik Mackey developed these guidelines in an effort to help student athletes learn COVID-19 requirements and help them get in shape in preparation for the upcoming football season.

Teams begin fall practice July 27 and are not allowed to participate in camps and team competitions including 7 on 7.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES IMPORTANT TO THE LEADERS OF OPELIKA Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, Council President Eddie Smith, Pro-Tem Patsy Jones, Tiffany Gibson-Pitts, David Cannon and Dozier

Smith T. continue to support youth activities in Opelika.

The City Council, along with Mayor Fuller, partnered with Opelika City School System to complete numerous projects for athletics. The most recent project was renovations of the Mainstreet Gym in OHS and the Sam Mason Track. Fuller appears on “On the Mark,” which airs 6 to 9 a.m. on Fox Sports the Game 910-1310, on the Wednesdays following the Tuesday night city council meetings. During the last several recaps of the council meetings, Fuller made statements supporting the start of youth sports after Alabama opened up after COVID-19.

The entire city council understands the importance of youths having activities and the Opelika Parks and Recreation. The city supports

all athletic activities for all ages, including tennis, disc golf, golf, basketball, bike riding and pickleball, to name a few. Opelika built a state of the art pickleball facility behind the Sportsplex last year. I am proud to live in a city where leaders understand the importance of having facilities that help citizens have a good quality of life. Not to mention concerts in the park, arts and crafts, senior activities and special events depending on the time of year.

YOUTH SPORTS West Ridge Park opened last week for Opelika Dixie Youth, Opelika Dixie Boys, Softball and T-Ball. Teams are in their second week of practice. Dixie Youth started games on June 15 and will play until July 23. Dixie Boys played practice games this

week and will start games June 22. Softball started practicing June 8 with games starting June 18. Tee Ball started practice June 9 and will also start games June 18.

Dixie Youth cancelled all allstar tournaments including Sub-District, District, State and World Series. Opelika Dixie Boys will host the State Tournament, starting July 17 at West Ridge Park.

Opelika will have both a 13U and a 14U team participating the tournament. The winners of the two divisions advance to the World Series to be held on Aug. 1 in Sterlington, Louisiana. Those interested can find team rosters and schedules for Dixie Youth Baseball online at www. opelikadixieyouth.com.; TeeBall, Softball and Dixie Boys can be found at hwww.opelikasportsplex.com

WEST RIDGE PARK Opelika’s West Ridge Park is looking good these days.

As I wrote, baseball, T-ball and softball started practice last week with games this week. ESG Team-Opelika, under the leadership of ESG President Michael Hilyer, keeps the grounds and fields in top notch shape yearround. The complex has a full-time crew under ESG’s Bruce Boyd including Doug, Willie, Logan and other temporary help during the summer. These guys take pride in their work and go above and beyond to keep the Park clean.

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

B7 June 17, 2020

Trinity Christian School holds graduation

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

B8 June 17, 2020

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

Opelika, L ee County & A labama Politics Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Inside the Statehouse

M

Why George Wallace said “No” to U.S. Senate

y next book on Alabama politics will expound on who I believe have been the top 60 political leaders in Alabama over the past 60 years.

More than likely in any political historian’s book, George Wallace and Sen. Richard Shelby would rank as the top two. The question is, “Who gets the number one spot?”

In my book, Sen. Shelby trumps Gov. Wallace. Maybe not six years ago, but Shelby’s current reign as Chairman of the United States Senate Appropriations Committee and what he has brought home to Alabama is simply unparalleled.

Shelby’s remarkable 33 years in the U.S. Senate have been heralded by Chairmanships of the Banking, Intelligence, Rules and now Appropriations committees. This will never be matched again in Alabama

STEVE FLOWERS history. Indeed, it would be difficult to find any U.S. Senator in history with that resume.

See FLOWERS, page B10

Gov. Ivey awards grants to assist community agencies in COVID-19 recovery Special to the Opelika Observer From the office of the Governor

Gov. Kay Ivey has awarded more than $17 million to provide relief for Alabamians who faced unemployment and economic difficulties as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The Community Services Block Grants will be distributed to 20 community action agencies to provide services to qualified persons in Alabama.

“COVID-19 has disrupted lives in many ways and in varying degrees,” Gov. Ivey said. “It is my hope that the services provided by these funds will help people as they work toward

KAY IVEY a quick and complete economic recovery.”

Funds will be used for a range of social and emergency services for senior citizens, people with disabilities and lowincome families, including people who suffered financial loss during the pandemic.

Types of assistance will be determined by the local agencies based on needs and

may include food or rental assistance or help with prescription medication.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grants from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Gov. Ivey is determined to help Alabama and Alabamians emerge from this pandemic as strong if not stronger than ever,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said “ADECA stands ready to be a part of that process with the funds made available through our programs.”

See IVEY, page B11

Open Interviews

Every Thursday at Auburn location 3pm-5pm Hiring for all positions and all locations Apply in house or online at niffersplace.com

The time to listen: 20-year-old running for Opelika City Council

By Wil Crews Opelika Observer

“When I was younger, I found it true about myself that I loved public service,” said Jamie Lowe, the 20-year-old college student running for Opelika City Council Ward 1.

Lowe, a junior political science major at Auburn University, is an aspiring attorney and lifelong Opelika resident. His announcement to run for city council is the culmination of years of hard work and passion.

Before he decided to run for public office, Lowe was an ambitious 15-year-old trying to gain experience in the field of law.

His first experience came in his junior year of high school.

Lowe secured an internship–– that was normally reserved for

LOWE college students–– under Lee County Family Court Judge Mike Fellows. There, Lowe spent his time shadowing court proceedings and building a foundational knowledge of the court system.

Lowe then began shadowing again.

Except this time, under an attorney who dealt with mediating child support cases. It was then that Lowe knew his interest in public service could lead to a career.

“I started doing that regularly, and then it

dawned on me; this is something I can do,” said Lowe.

After gaining more responsibility and completing an accreditation course for the Alabama Center for Dispute Resolution, Lowe became a mediator at age 18.

For the last year and a half, on a near daily basis, Lowe meets with parents going through a divorce. He listens to both sides and helps navigate the parents to a fair and logical resolution regarding all the complexities of divorce and child support.

“The key thing about a public servant is their ability to listen,” said Lowe. “Mediation is all listening and understanding people. I think my youth is a benefit there, because I’m less reliant upon the things I See LOWE, page B11

Smiths Station City Council proclaim June 4 as ‘Smiths Station Unity Walk Day’ Special to the Opelika Observer

Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland and the Smiths Station City Council signed a proclamation during Tuesday night’s meeting naming June 4 each year as “Smiths Station Unity Walk Day” in the city.

Copeland and Smiths Station native Vincent Hunter organized the inaugural event, which was held last Thursday. An estimated 350 to 400 people participated in the walk, marching from Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church down Lee Road 298 to the front steps of the Smiths Station Government Center.

“I think the people in Smiths Station care a lot about each other,” said Place 2 Councilman and

President Pro Tem Morris Jackson during Tuesday’s meeting. “We don’t look at a person’s skin color here. We thank you, Mayor, for letting this go on and look forward to it again next year and seeing it get bigger and bigger.”

The council also named City Clerk Scott Johnston as the city’s Election Manager for the Aug. 25 municipal election, a role that includes candidate qualification beginning next month.

The Smiths Station City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month with the work session beginning at 5:30 p.m.

Eastern followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m. All meetings are held within the council chambers of the Smiths Station Government Center, which is located at 2336 Lee Road 430.

B10 June 17, 2020

Defunding? Not for Alabama State Troopers, they deserve more help on the highways

By Greg Markley

It would be nice if the word “defund” were as simple as when defined in a dictionary: “…to prevent from continuing to receive funds.” When used in politics, it signals a fight is on to crush a government agency or department; or to save it.

After the murder of George Floyd by a policeman, citizens all over the U.S. seek justice. They also want to “defund” the errant Minneapolis police department.

Exactly what form “defunding” may take for police departments is sketchy. Shutting down a first responder element such as the police, a fire department or hospital is different than closing a playground, library or gym. Yet all this talk about defunding and reconfiguring police departments reminds of one organization people claim to dislike but in their hearts realize is a life-saver.

I refer to the Alabama State Highway Patrol, home of state troopers who have been keeping people safe since 1936. When I moved to Lee County in 1996, I often covered political events with a popular radio personality who worked next door to the Lee County Courthouse. As journalists, we joked around yet did

consider ourselves competitive at times.

On one occasion, I talked to a woman with whom we got along well sometimes, and other times we were not so friendly. I told her the radio guy and myself had “a love-hate relationship.” Not to be outdone, the broadcaster said: “No, Greg, it’s a hate-hate relationship.” This is the way many people feel about the Highway Patrol. When they receive a speeding ticket, you see them being very upset sometimes at the USA Town Center in Opelika. But when you are in duress, an Alabama State Trooper appears and takes charge.

In the 84 years of the highway patrol, 29 officers have died on duty. The Alabama Highway Patrol had 1,268 employees as of 2018. This accounts for approximately 65% of arresting officers. Troopers patrol nearly 70,000 miles of rural roadways in Alabama; they conduct motor vehicle law enforcement, rural traffic crash investigation and special duty performance in emergencies.

(In the United States, 807,000 men and women served as state troopers, in 2016.)

It is clear “defunding” should not See DEFUNDING, page B11

Rebecca Rice Cell: 334-703-0801 rebecca@johnrice.info

Located in Historic Downtown Opelika

334-745-4618

FLOWERS >> FROM B9 In short, Shelby’s 33 years in the U.S. Senate, capped with his pinnacle of power in the nation’s august body, trumps George Wallace’s 18 years as governor.

However, it is reasonable to bet that nobody will ever be Governor of Alabama for 18 years again. That is quite a feat.

I am often asked the question, “Why did George Wallace not proceed to the U.S. Senate?” Other southern political legends like Huey Long in Louisiana and the Talmadges in Georgia wound up their political lives in the U.S. Senate after being governor of their state.

In most states, the ultimate political prize has been to go to the U.S. Senate and die there. There is an old saying that longtime southern senators will say, “The only way that I’m going to leave the United States Senate is by way of the ballot box or in a pine box.”

Being governor of a state is generally considered a prelude or stepping-stone to a U.S. Senate seat. Not so in Alabama, the governor’s office has always seemed to be the ultimate brass ring.

George Wallace could have gone to the U.S. Senate early in his career. In 1966 he had the golden opportunity.

He had fought valiantly in 1965 to get the state senate to change the law that precluded a governor from succeeding himself. With that door closed, the obvious route for any politician would be to go to the Senate.

In 1966 Wallace was at the top of his game.

He was at the height of his popularity. Race was the paramount and only issue. He owned the issue. He owned the State of Alabama politically. He was the King of Alabama politics, and there was a senate seat up for election.

The venerable John Sparkman was up for election. He was powerful and he was popular but he was no match for George Wallace and he was considered soft on the race issue. Wallace would have easily beaten Sparkman and gone to the Senate. He chose instead to run his wife for governor. Lurleen Wallace trounced the illustrious field of candidates.

Wallace was shot in his presidential bid in 1972, and he survived but was severely wounded and left a paraplegic for the rest of his life. His health was ruined and he was relegated to constant pain and confined to a wheelchair.

In 1978 Alabama had not only one, but both senate seats vacant.

Wallace was ending his third term as governor and had no where to go politically. It was

obvious that Wallace should take one of the open seats. It was his for the asking. His close personal aide and friend, Elvin Stanton, related the scenario to me. Stanton said that Wallace was going to run, but at the last minute, he told Elvin, “Let’s go to Washington and look around.” They went together to the Capitol and surveyed the terrain.

It occurred to Wallace that his life would be difficult at best maneuvering the steps and corridors of the Capitol.

He just did not want to leave Alabama. He wanted to be near his doctors. He wanted to die in Alabama, not Washington. I suspect in the back of Wallace’s mind he thought that he might run one more time for governor in 1982. He did and he won.

Wallace would have won a senate seat in 1978 and he would have won one earlier in 1966. The bottom line is, Wallace just did not want to be a United States senator. He liked being Governor of Alabama.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His column is in more than 60 Alabama newspapers. Flowers served 16 years in the Alabama legislature.

He may be reached at www.stevef lowers.us.

B11 June 17, 2020

DEFUNDING >> FROM B10 be considered as regards the very important state trooper force.

For example, historically Alabama has had fewer troopers than Mississippi, which has only 40 to 45% of our state’s population. Our Gulf Coast attracts a wide range of visitors, both as tourists and as new residents.

In 1989, I was traveling in central or east Florida and I came across a couple, perhaps in their mid-70s, sitting in the grass amid the sweltering heat. They had car trouble and needed a ride; cell phones were unheard of. They left a sign on the car door for police that they

would be back soon after getting help.

In Florida, given its older demographic, that happens occasionally. Even with cell phones, people forget to charge them or have lost them.

This couple had been there for 90 minutes, with no one offering help but a 33-year-old soldier returning from Panama City (not the one in Florida!).

Situations such as the above are why Florida has a good complement of state troopers and may still have “free call” phone booths at rest areas and key spots on highways. State troopers sometimes assist local lawmen and women by patrolling assigned neighborhoods, responding

IVEY >> FROM B9 Agencies, amounts and coverage areas include: - Community Action Agency of Northwest Alabama Inc. – $668,160 (Colbert, Franklin and Lauderdale counties) - Community Action Partnership Huntsville/Madison and Limestone Counties – $1.05 million (Limestone and Madison counties) - Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama Inc. – $1.35 million (Blount, Cherokee, DeKalb, Jackson, Marshall, and St. Clair counties) - Community Action Partnership of North Alabama – $775,602 (Cullman, Lawrence and Morgan counties) - Marion-Winston Counties Community Action Committee Inc. – $226,538 (Marion and Winston counties) - Walker County Community Action Agency Inc. – $273,782 (Walker County) - Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph,

to emergency and non-emergency calls and monitoring traffic on state-owned highways and federal interstates.

A balancecareers. com story on “A Day in the Life of a Cop” tells job seekers who want to be state troopers that “This can be a physically challenging career, and it’s often stressful and dangerous.” Writer Timothy Roufa adds that “Not every civilian is overjoyed when a trooper turns up at a scene. Expect to be yelled at, spit on, hit and even worse.”

That could be a description of most law enforcement careers, even without the prospect of your job being “defunded” out.

Calhoun and Cleburne counties – $1.02 million (Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Randolph, and Talladega counties) - Community Action of Etowah County Inc. – $379,592 (Etowah County) - Pickens County Community Action Committee and Community Development Corp. Inc. – $117,329 (Pickens County) - Community Service Programs of West Alabama Inc. – $1.65 million (Bibb, Choctaw, Dallas, Fayette, Greene, Lamar, Perry, Sumter and Tuscaloosa counties) - Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity – $2.19 million (Jefferson County) Community Action Committee Inc. of Chambers, Tallapoosa, Coosa – $351,259 (Chambers, Coosa and Tallapoosa counties) - Community Action Partnership of Middle Alabama Inc. – $793,918 (Autauga, Chilton, Elmore and Shelby counties) - Montgomery Community Action Committee and

The Justice in Policing Bill currently in the U.S. House would prohibit profiling based on discrimination of any kind, outlaw “chokeholds” and no-knock warrants and mandate dashboard cameras for all police vehicles. This legislation would also establish a national police misconduct registry, and make it easier to prosecute officers and sue individual officers.

Greg Markley haslived in Lee County for 19 of the last 24 years. An award-winning journalist, he has master’s degrees in education and history. He has taught as an adjunct in Georgia and Alabama.

Community Development Corp.

Inc. – $911,887 (Montgomery County) - Alabama Council on Human Relations Inc. – $550,919 (Lee County) - Macon-Russell Community Action Agency Inc. – $375,068 (Macon and Russell counties) - Organized Community Action Program Inc. – $806,165 (Bullock, Butler, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Lowndes and Pike counties) - Community Action Agency of South Alabama – $1.24 million (Baldwin, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia, Marengo, Monroe, and Wilcox counties) - Southeast Alabama Community Action Partnership Inc. – $827,944 (Barbour, Coffee, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties) - Mobile Community Action Inc. – $1.77 million (Mobile and Washington counties) ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.

properties in the Opelika, AL. . area. Duties will include, but not be limited to: · Promptly handle unit and facility work orders · Complete repairs in a consistent and correct manner · Provide excellent customer service · Work well with other team members · Willing to clean grounds as needed · Be well organized to coordinate and perform unit and site inspections · Able to complete makeready of units proficiently Ideal candidates should have at least 3 years of experience

in apartment maintenance (or similar skills). Candidates should have an understanding of and repair capabilities in HVAC, plumbing, electrical, painting, appliance repair, and/or other tasks related to maintaining the communities in excellent condition. HVAC Certification not required, but preferred. This position will offer competitive pay and benefit package.

Education: · High school or equivalent (Required) License or certification: · Driver’s License (Required) · HVAC Certification (Not required, but preferred)

FROM B9 have personally experienced and more reliant on what people tell me.”

If Lowe is elected, listening is exactly what he plans to do.

Lowe is fully committed to his campaign, but in truth, he didn’t expect his [potential] introduction to public office to come so soon.

It took three separate occasions for Lowe to see the potential that others saw in him.

At first, the recommendation to run came from a co-worker. But at that time he considered running as much as one considers sky diving –– it would be fun, but is it worth the risk?

Secondly, he was encouraged to run by a mentor, at which point he began to discuss a potential campaign with his family. “I started thinking about what I thought the city was doing well and what I think I can do to improve it,” said Lowe.

Lastly, he bumped into a friend he hadn’t seen in years. She told him to run, and that’s when Lowe began to think, “you know what, I will.”

As for anyone who is skeptical about a 20-year-old juggling the responsibilities of earning a degree and holding a public office, Lowe is certain he can turn their wariness into trust.

“I feel I have a duty to the community, and when you recognize you have a duty, you just get it done,” said Lowe.

He has clear goals

and the conviction to accomplish them.

“I want to solidify and push for safety, education and trust in the community. Without those three components you can’t really have a functioning community,” he added.

One of the ways Lowe envisions doing this is by prioritizing resources for creating better diversion programs for young people.

“I would love to make sure that pillars already in our community, like the Boys and Girls Club and the Covington Rec Center, are heavily utilized to help keep our young people involved in the community instead of involved in crime,” said Lowe.

He is also confident in his ability to secure more funding to expand the city’s Pre-K programs. “I want to make sure that Opelika has a chance to put forth as many resources to ensuring that at a very young age, children are exposed to education,” Lowe added.

The Ward 1 seat is being vacated by Patsy Jones, who is stepping down after serving more than 25 years.

Lowe knows how much Jones has done for the Opelika community and is optimistic that he can do the same.

“It would be an honor [to replace Jones], and I would have huge shoes to fill,” said Lowe. “I think it would be a great privilege to issue in a new generation of public servants.”

As of now, Lowe is running unopposed in the Opelika Municipal election that is set for Aug. 25.

1 OUT OF 10

ELDERLY PERSONS AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE BEING:

Abused, Neglected or Exploited

LOCAL CLASSIFIED ADS HIGH SPEED FIBER OPTIC INTERNET UP TO 1-GIG OPELIKA ONLY. DROP CABLE TV AND START STREAMING. SAVE UP TO $700/YEAR!!

FOR SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AND FREE INSTALLATION CALL DARRYL (334)319-8977 ------------HELP WANTED: Maintenance Mechanic Opelika Housing Development, Inc. is currently seeking highly motivated, experienced, and trustworthy candidates to fill the Full-time position of Maintenance Technician for

LOWE >>

To apply please visit our office, located at 1706 Toomer Street, Opelika, AL 36801 or complete an application on-line at http://www.opelikaha.org/ Default.asp?ID=123&pg= Employment+Opportunities ------------Project Manager (Opelika, AL) needed to manage factory automation engineering projects. Req. BS in Mechanical Engineering or closely related & 5 yrs of progressive engineering experience in automotive industry. Resume to Hana Factory Automation, 304 Fox Run Ave. Opelika, AL 36801

If you suspect this is happening to someone you know, please report it to Adult Protective Services by contacting your local DHR office or calling the

ADULT ABUSE HOTLINE at 1-800-458-7214

HELP STOP THE ABUSE

IF YOU SEE IT, REPORT IT

Thereʼs no excuse for

ELDER ABUSE

“This project was supported by Subgrant #18-VA-VS-050 #16-VA-VS-076 awarded by the Law Enforcement / Traffic Safety Division of ADECA and the U.S. Department of Justice.” The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice or grant-making component.”

ALASCAN CLASSIFIEDS Discover a Career in Correctional Nursing

NOW HIRING RNs & LPNs throughout Alabama

GUARANTEED HOURS • SHIFT DIFFERENTIALS Call/Text Paige Gandolfi at 724-691-7474 pgandolfi@wexfordhealth.com Apply at jobs.wexfordhealth.com.

SERVICES ADVERTISE STATEWIDE & Regionally in over 100 Newspapers, reaching over 1 million readers each week!

Run your ad in our Classified Network for just $210 per week! Make one call to this newspaper (participating Alascan newspaper) or call 1-800-264-7043 to find out

how easy it is to advertise statewide!

BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year price Guarantee! $59.99/mo. with 190 Channels and 3 months free premium movie channels!

Free next day installation!

Call 1-855-943-1314.

SECURE YOUR home with Vivint Smart Home

technology. Call 1-844-2235761 to learn how you can get a professionally installed security system with $0 activation.

INSTRUCTION COMPUTER & IT Training Program! Train online to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Now offering a $10,000 Scholarship for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-844-2184255 (M-F 7am-5pm) TRAIN ONLINE To do Medical Billing! Become a Medical Office Professional online at CTI! Get Trained, Certified & ready to work in months! Call 1-844-2184255. (M-F, 7am-5pm) INSURANCE SAVE BIG on Home Insurance! Compare 20 A-rated insurance companies.

Let us do the shopping & save you time & money.

Get a quote within minutes.

Average savings of $444/ year! Call 1-888-674-0779.

(M-F 8am-8pm Central)

Anywhere. No tanks to refill. No deliveries. The All-New Inogen One G4 is only 2.8 pounds! FAA approved! FREE info kit: 1-844-322-9935

HEALTH/BEAUTY ARE YOU or a loved one suffering from Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, Addictions or other mental or behavioral disorders? Our inpatient treatment services can help you reclaim your life and get back on track. We work with most PPO insurances. Please call 1-855-549-0035 ATTENTION DIABETICS! Save money on your diabetic supplies! Convenient home shipping for monitors, test strips, insulin pumps, catheters and more! To learn more call now 1-855-504-9031 OXYGEN - ANYTIME.

FINANCIAL SERVICES DONATE YOUR Car to Charity. Receive maximum value of write off for your taxes. Running or not! All conditions accepted. Free pickup. Call for details.

1-844-810-1257 BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY BECOME A Published Author! We edit, print and distribute your work internationally. We do the work. You reap the Rewards! Call for a Free Author’s Submission Kit: 1-888-283-4780.

WANTED TO BUY

FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient.

Certified Professionals.

Call 1-312-584-1728 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com.

AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE TITLE Problems?

We have a solution! Call Jason Steward Enterprises, We’re Alabama’s #1 Vehicle Title Problem Experts! Free telephone consultation.

North AL 1-256-850-0527, Central AL 1-205-267-5735, South AL 1-251-342-8538 FARM CLASSIFIEDS GOT LAND? Our Hunters will pay Top Dollar to hunt your land. Call for a Free Information Packet & quote 1-866-309-1507. www.

BaseCampLeasing.com

B12 June 17, 2020

Like crossword puzzles? Sudoku?

Play online at www.opelikaobserver.com/puzzles/

B13 June 17, 2020

22 days left to apply for an absentee ballot for primary runoff election Special to the Opelika Observer

Ahead of the July 14 Primary Runoff Election, Secretary Merrill reminds Alabama voters that there are 30 days left to apply for an absentee ballot.

In order to protect the safety and well-being of our voters, Secretary Merrill encourages those who are concerned about contracting or spreading the coronavirus to apply for and cast an absentee ballot.

Absentee ballot applications can be downloaded online or requested by visiting or calling the local Absentee Election Manager’s office.

Voters may also contact the Secretary of State’s Office at (334) 242-7210 to request an absentee ballot application.

Due to the declared states

MERRILL of emergency, any qualified voter who determines it is impossible or unreasonable to vote at their polling place shall be eligible to check the box on the absentee ballot application that is most applicable to that individual.

In the case none of the boxes

are appropriate, voters can check the box that reads as follows: “I have a physical illness or infirmity which prevents my attendance at the polls.

[ID REQUIRED]” For the July 14 Primary Runoff Election, the deadline to register to vote is Monday, June 29, the deadline to submit an absentee ballot application is Thursday, July 9, the deadline to return an absentee ballot to the Absentee Election Manager is the close of business Monday, July 13, and the last day to postmark an absentee ballot is Monday, July 13.

Voters who are eligible to vote pursuant to the Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act will have until Tuesday, July 14 to postmark an absentee ballot.

Secretary of State, Alabama League of Municipalities Create Municipal Poll Worker Guide Special to the Opelika Observer

Last week, the Secretary of State’s Office and the League of Municipalities released the first ever municipal poll worker guide to assist Alabama’s municipalities in the administration of municipal elections.

This guide was created to assist with poll worker training and to answer any Election Day questions poll workers may have.

“Education is of utmost importance when it comes to election training. I am grateful for our collaboration with the League to publish this informative document that will ensure a smoother and more efficient elections process for the 463 municipalities across the

state,” stated Secretary of State John H. Merrill.

“The creation of the Alabama Municipal Election Polling Official Guide will ensure consistency and integrity throughout the election process,” said Greg Cochran, League of Municipalities Executive Director.

“Democracy is the foundation of our country and the League is pleased to collaborate with the Secretary of State on this important guide.”

A digital version can be found online by visiting AlabamaVotes. gov or at the League of Municipalities website, www.alalm.org.

Printed copies will be distributed by the League to each municipality ahead of the 2020 Municipal Elections.

We look forward to brighter days ahead. The Observer remains committed to serving the needs of a stronger, tighter and more connected community.

B14 June 17, 2020

Letter carriers need your help to ‘Prevent the Bite’ National Dog Bite Awareness Week started June 14 Special to the Opelika Observer

The number of U.S. Postal Service employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,803 in 2019 — more than 200 fewer than in 2018 and more than 400 fewer since 2017. For Postal Service officials and mail carriers, one bite is one too many.

The theme for the 2020 U.S. Postal Service National Dog Bite Awareness Week, June 14 to 20, is “Be Alert: Prevent the Bite.”

The campaign addresses aggressive dog behaviors that pose serious threats to the more than 80,000 Postal Service

employees delivering mail and how communities they serve can play an integral part in their safety.

“During this difficult time, our letter carriers are delivering mail and they need to do it safely,” said Alabama District Manager Samuel Jaudon. “We can continue to move the number of dog attacks downward by increasing awareness.”

According to Jaudon, technology supports carrier safety in two ways: • Mobile Delivery Devices, handheld scanners used by carriers to confirm customer delivery, now include a

feature to indicate the presence of a dog at an individual address; and, • Informed Delivery , which alerts customers to mail and packages coming to their homes, allows customers to plan for the carrier’s arrival by securing dogs safely.

The Postal Service offers the following safety tips for dog owners: • When a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate glass windows to attack visitors.

Photo submitted to the Opelika Observer • Parents should remind children and other family members not to take mail directly from carriers in the presence of the family pet. The dog may view the carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.

• If a carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office location or other facility until the carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet

owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office location.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

2020 Census completion impacts the region and shapes the future Special to the Opelika Observer

Only 57% of the citizens in Lee County have completed the Census. Responding is important for yourself,

Elliott & Associates Insurance Agency Opelika - (334)745-0888 elliottinsuranceagents.com

your family and the community. The data

TEXTILE MILLS ASBESTOS CLAIMS If you began working in a Textile Mill, Tire Plant, Paper Mill, Steel Mill or any other industrial setting before 1980: You may have a claim against the asbestos manufacturers.

Call now for your free evaluation.

1-(888)432-6020 Asbestos Claims, LLC, Jubal L. Hamil Attorney at Law ARPC 7.2.(e) “No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.”

This week’s puzzle answers:

determines the county’s representation and redistricting. The census is confidential. There will be a distribution of more than $675 billion in federal funds for: ● Health Care Facilities ● Schools & Education ● Housing Assistance ● Child & Adult Food Assistance Programs ● Public Transportation ● Assistance for People Transitioning ● Medicare Part B ● Career & Technical Educational Grants ● Assistance for People Transitioning Out of Homelessness Complete the census today at 2020census.gov.