Opelika Observer 07-01-2020

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

VOL. 12, NO. 39

Opelika, Alabama

pelika Observer O

“By local people, for local people.”

Observer wins 11 APA Media Awards

By Opelika Observer Staff The 2020 Alabama Press Association Media Awards list of winners was released last Friday afternoon via press releases for all three segments of the contest.

COVID-19 forced the APA to cancel the annual summer event in Orange Beach.

The Observer won 10 awards in this year’s editorial contest with the most significant award being a first place win for the 2019 Veteran’s Tribute publication which was published and inserted into the newspaper last November. The publication also won a third place award in the advertising segment of the competition. The 2019 publication was the third annual veteran’s tribute for the Observer and focused on veterans who are serving the Lee County community as independent business owners.

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

Owner and publisher of the Observer Michelle Key was excited to see this publication receive recognition. As the wife of a retired Navy chief, she has a passion for honoring the veterans of this community. “Having been a navy wife for more than 20 years, I know first hand the toll that service can have on families. Veterans and their families deserve the community’s support and honor. This is just one small way that we here at the Observer can give them that honor,” Key said. “I’m

so incredibly proud of the people who have given so much of their time and energy to the Observer. Everyone deserves much respect for the hard work and effort that went into every single entry.

I am so humbled by their willingness to not only work with me but to continue to teach me and help the Observer grow and thrive.”

The Observer also won second place for their division in the See AWARDS, page A3

City of Opelika congratulates OPD’s Lt. Tony Amerson on academic achievement Special to the Opelika Observer

Photo special to the Opelika Observer Pictured are City Administrator Joey Motley, Amerson, Mayor Gary Fuller

The City of Opelika congratulates Lt. Tony Amerson of the Opelika Police Department for recently completing his master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration at Faulkner University.

Amerson utilized the educational assistance See OPD, page A2

F.L."Bubba" Copeland seeks re-election in Smiths Station Special to the Opelika Observer F.L. “Bubba” Copeland posted an announcement on June 11 on his official Facebook page that he is running to be re-elected as mayor of the City of Smiths Station in the Aug. 25 municipal election.

“The last four years have been long but fruitful as Mayor, in my view.

Our community has experienced several highs and lows during my first term in office, but we have managed to overcome them and become closer as a result. As a person with a servant’s heart, I’d like to humbly ask the residents of Smiths Station for their vote again this fall to continue my mission of making this the best city to live, work and play in Alabama,” Copeland said.

Copeland, a true son of Smiths Station, is a 1993 graduate of

COPELAND Smiths Station High School.

Copeland has decades of grocery store management experience, and currently runs the Country Market on Lee Road 379 in Salem.

He also serves as the interim pastor of First Baptist Church Phenix City.

Copeland said that, if reelected, he would like to continue overseeing steady but responsible growth throughout the city, the addition of new jobs by recruiting more industries to the city and opening of the City’s Public Works Department slated to See COPELAND, page A2

Karen Turner named President of Auburn Opelika Habitat for Humanity Special to the Opelika Observer Auburn Opelika Habitat for Humanity is excited to announce Karen Turner as the new President of the Board of Directors.

“We look forward to your leadership, vision and commitment as we serve together,” said Executive Director Auburn Opelika HFH Mark Grantham

TURNER said. “Thank you Karen for accepting the responsibility and ensuring that Habitat is moving forward and continuing to be

proactive in building homes, community and hope.”

The organization also announced that 10 new lots are available for homes to be built. These lots are located at the corner of Foster Street and Bedell Avenue in Auburn. Home #69 is currently under construction and two more homes are being planned for construction this year. Stay tuned for more details on these homes.

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 30 37,536 cases/ 926 deaths | 1,167 cases in Lee Co. / 37 deaths

A2 July 1, 2020

Auburn mayor launches ‘ONE AUBURN’ initiative Special to the Opelika Observer

By Auburn Public Affairs Office Auburn Mayor Ron Anders announced his ‘ONE AUBURN’ initiative last week, inviting the community to join him in a conversation on diversity and equality.

“I believe the Auburn family is defined by our hospitality and our willingness to go out of our way when a neighbor is in need,” Anders said. “I’m calling on all of us to take a look at current events and at ourselves and talk about how we can be the best community we can be.

I personally am making an effort to stop and listen to each of you.

Because we are all, together, one Auburn.”

ONE AUBURN aims to strengthen the community by encouraging discussion and exploring ways to further unite Auburn

OPD >> FROM A1

program offered through the City of Opelika.

“The financial support from the City of Opelika has been outstanding and something to brag about to family, friends and coworkers," Amerson said. “If it

residents. Anders’ program will include five components over the next few months: ONE AUBURN: One Recognition On June 19, Anders signed a proclamation commemorating Juneteenth, the date on which, in 1865, Union Major General Gordon Granger announced in Texas the end of both the Civil War and slavery.

This proclamation was a fi rst step for the City of Auburn in acknowledging the importance of the date in history and represented a commitment to do more to celebrate the day in future years.

ONE AUBURN: One Read One Read is a core piece of the initiative. Community members are invited to participate in a citywide reading program that aims to foster small group discussions. Anders has selected the book “Under our Skin” by

were not for the police administration, city administration and my coworkers, my personal and my professional goals would not have been met at such a high standard, again from the bottom of my heart: thank you!”

Amerson maintained a 4.0 GPA while attending school and working full time.

Ben Watson as the primary title for One Read and has also selected a short list of alternative books. The Mayor will appoint a number of leaders to organize book groups to discuss the books.

Community members are also invited to create additional discussion groups or to incorporate one of these books into their existing small groups or book clubs. ONE AUBURN: One Read will kick off in July, and more details are forthcoming.

ONE AUBURN: One Conversation Starting in July, Anders will facilitate conversations with different community members

and experiences of the black community in Auburn and Lee County. The heritage center will be located on an expansion of the Boykin Community Center property in Northwest Auburn using city property that currently houses the Public Works and Environmental Services departments.

The project will begin after the relocation of the Environmental Services and Public Works facilities. The building will be a commemorative replica of the Rosenwald school houses, which were built in the early 1900s for black children in the rural South. The heritage center will include an archive documenting prominent local families, pioneers, churches and social and political organizations. The entire site will aim to tell an important story about perseverance and the importance of education. Plans are in

in a video series that will provide a platform for sharing experiences and discussing topics related to diversity in the community.

Some may include opportunities for community questions.

ONE AUBURN: One Meeting Anders will host a town hall panel discussion this fall where community members will discuss all aspects of One Auburn and the conversations it has included.

ONE AUBURN: One Project The City of Auburn has for several years had plans to build an African American heritage center dedicated to preserving the history

the works to involve community members in the process.

“In my experience, we are a community that loves and serves our neighbors in all of their diversity,” Anders said. “I know we’re not perfect, and I know we have not all shared the same experiences throughout our lives.

My goal is for this community to continue the conversation we began when we started my Diversity and Inclusion Task Force.

I look forward to us learning from each other, opening our minds and hearts and becoming stronger as one Auburn.”

More details will be announced at news. auburnalabama.org and on social media @CityofAuburnAL as each phase of ONE AUBURN progresses.

Sign up for the City’s eNotifier at auburnalabama.org/ eNotifier to be alerted via text or email as plans are announced.

He plans to proudly walk across the stage at graduation in a few months. Everyone at the city and the police department are extremely proud of Tony for his accomplishments in his personal and professional lives. He is an inspiration to his family, friends and co-workers.

Photo special to the Opelika Observer

future.

“I have realized many goals since taking office, but there is so much more I want to do if given the opportunity to serve four more years. I love this city and its citizens with all my heart, and I hope that’s something that shines through in every decision I make as Mayor,” Copeland said.

collection of historical artifacts that celebrate the city’s rich historical heritage. The Pavilion, an event venue located behind the museum on the Smiths Station Government Center campus, will open this summer and serve as a venue for hosting concerts, football watch parties and Christmasthemed events in the

COPELAND >> FROM A1

happen this year.

Growth of the city’s economy and infrastructure isn’t Copeland’s only contribution as Mayor.

Last July, the City opened the Historic Jones Store Museum, which contains a

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

Name: Address: 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

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A3 July 1, 2020

2020 Class Graduates from 20 Under Forty Program Special to the Opelika Observer The Opelika Chamber of Commerce hosted a socially-distanced graduation ceremony for the 20 Under Forty Class of 2020 at the Bottling Plant Event Center’s outdoor covered courtyard last Tuesday night. The event was sponsored by Baxter International, MAX Credit Union, Opelika City Council,

Opelika Industrial Development Authority and the Opelika Rotary Club.

Mayor Gary Fuller, Sheriff Jay Jones, Councilmembers David Canon, Eddie Smith, Tiffany Gibson-Pitt and Former Mayor and Chamber President Barbara Patton were among those attending.

The program began with a presentation by class members Emma Holman and Matt

Jackson, who ref lected on the past year through photos from the different classes, socials and retreats throughout the year.

Rosanna McGinnis, class liaison for the year, presented superlatives for the class members.

Mayor Gary Fuller

gave a few remarks on the program before introducing keynote speaker Sheriff Jay Jones. The night continued with new chamber president Ali Rauch conferring the 18 graduates and presenting each of them with a graduation plaque.

AWARDS >> FROM A1

Photo submitted to the Opelika Observer

Camille Place to open group home in Alabama to care for victims of human trafficking Special to the Opelika Observer Camille Place will be a home for up to 16 female minors rescued from human trafficking. The nonprofit organization is constructing an 8,600 square-foot facility to bring exploited girls to lasting freedom-where refuge and restoration is found. The design includes 9 bedrooms, group and staff meeting rooms, a full-service kitchen and dining area and a greenspace courtyard. Camille Place is located in an undisclosed location in South Alabama. At the Human Trafficking Summit in January, Camille Place revealed that groundbreaking had begun.

The group is pleased to announce Phase 1 is complete. This phase consisted of the acquisition of 18 acres, land surveying, architectural renderings, engineered drawings, permitting processing and site development for the group home.

Subsequent phases of the campaign will include construction of a recreational building known as The Barn.

The Barn will feature separate entities to include leisure areas, a movie room, fitness center and stables for equine therapy. It was designed by David Blackmon of Blackmon Rogers Architects in Birmingham.

Lastly, Camille Place plans to build a sanctuary on the property to serve as a

place of worship, prayer and group meetings.

The home was designed

by Laurean Hood of Hood Architects in Montgomery. Bethel Engineering in Mobile provided the civil and structural engineered plans. The site work was completed by Wilco Contracting. Camille Place has also enlisted the help of Third Lens Ministries, an Atlantabased nonprofit, located in Auburn to assist with the design and construction process.

Human Trafficking is defined as a crime where individuals profit from the control and exploitation of others. It is a form of modern-day slavery. According to the Human Trafficking Task Force, half of trafficked victims are under the age of 18 and it is the fastest growing criminal industry in the United States.

Recent studies show that 79% of trafficking victims are women and children.

Victims are tortured, drugged, raped, prostituted, sold, coerced, defrauded and disposed of when no longer useful to their perpetrators.

Human trafficking is a $150 billion industry.

Interstate 65 and 20 are the busiest interstates for trafficking, which means Alabama is at the center of its crosshairs.

An estimated 5,000 victims of human trafficking are being moved through Alabama each month alone.

Camille Place is a much-needed safe haven

for young survivors.

“Human trafficking is a deliberate and blatant violation of human rights. We are excited about joining others in this fight to see lives transformed.

We want to empower innocent victims to become victors by having the opportunity to receive specialized care and treatment,” said Chris Ziebach, Founder of Camille Place. For a complete informational packet about this project or if you wish to donate, please visit www.camilleplace. com or email info@ camilleplace.com.

Camille Place is an Alabama-based, 501c3 nonprofit organization committed to providing care and rehabilitation to young girls, ages 6 to 18 years old, who are the victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking. Camille Place is named in honor of the late Camille Coats, who by the age of 24 had dedicated her life to ministry and had a passion for helping exploited women and children. Camille was originally from Monroeville, AL. Before passing away, she was serving in a church staff position in Opelika, AL. Her legacy will continue through Camille Place as one of the only group homes, of its kind, for trafficked and exploited children serving girls in the country.

Most Improved category.

Other first place awards included: • Best News Photo - “Officer William Buechner’s Funeral Procession” by Robert Noles • Best Sports Photo - “Player loses helmet”

by Robert Noles • Best Photo Essay “Burger Wars” - Photos

by Robert Noles/Design

by Michelle Key • Best Website - www. opelikaobserver.com Observer photographer Robert Noles has been an important part of the Observer team for more than 10 years.

“I am honored to be recognized by the APA and my peers for my photographs published in the Opelika Observer. I would also like to thank the Auburn/Opelika/Lee Co. community for being so cordial when I am photographing events for the Opelika Observer,” Noles said.

Other second place awards: • Best Humorous Column - “A bet is a bet” by Wendy Hodge • Best Human Interest Column - “In the Dark” by Wendy Hodge Hodge’s human interest column was written following the abductionand murder of Auburn University student Aniah Blanchard.

She summed up the sentiments of many in our community in the closing remarks of that column: There is a place for living, walking, breathing nightmares – locked away from the light and from every other living person. Let’s put this man there and leave him to fi nd his redemption in the

Finally, the event closed with remarks from 2020-21 20 Under Forty Board Chair Christie Hill.

The Opelika Chamber of Commerce and 20 Under Forty Board of Directors are pleased to announce the 2020 graduates of the 20 Under Forty program: Cassie Pruett Cody Traffanstedt Donny Blankenship Drake Martin Emma Holman Evan Winter Gregory Johnson Jr.

James LaComb Kelli Fischer Kristin Jones Mackenzie Kayler Mark Coxwell Mary Louise Kennedy Matt Jackson Michael Barlow Robert Jones Sarah Savage Will Crenshaw For those interested in 20 under Forty, please visit www. opelikachamber. com/20-under-40 or contact Mackenzie at 334-745-4861.

dark. The column in its entitrety can be found at opelikaobserver. com/in-the-dark/.

“I’m so fortunate to work with a great team and an excellent leader. As silly as it may sound, it's still a thrill to see my words in print. Knowing others appreciate them is such a rewarding feeling,” Hodge said. “[In the dark] was a tough one to write. So many emotions and not enough words to say what needed to be said.”

Other third place awards: • Best News Photo “Veterans Young and Old” by Robert Noles • Best In-depth News Coverage for their coverage of the EF4 tornado that hit Lee County on March 3, 2019.

“Covering this event and its impact on our community was one of the most memorable points during my time with the Observer,” Bryce said. “There were plenty of tragedies to report on and write about, all of which affected me mentally and emotionally. But looking back, I believe it helped show the country and world how tight knit our community is and how much we care for one another. I believe our coverage reflected that and made us deserving of this recognition.”

What’s next for the Observer: Key discussed a little bit of what is next for the Observer.

“One of my constant goals for the Observer is to continue to improve our content, our attention to detail and to continue to provide the people of Lee County will the local news that they want and need,” Key said. “This year has already been a year of drastic change for

us. Both Bryce and staff reporter Natalie Anderson transitioned out of the Observer into new opportunities.

Auburn graduate Will Fairless joined the Observer on June 1.

We published our fi rst magazine ‘Lee County Strong:Remembering Beauregard and Smiths Station’ as a way to remember and honor those lost in last year’s horrific EF4 tornado.

Immediately following that, COVID-19 struck and we worked from home for 6 weeks during which we created and published the fi rst issue of ‘Live Lee’. This fi rst issue was dedicated to the graduating Class of 2020. We have three more issues of Live Lee in the works for this year and are looking forward to bringing them to our readers,” Key added.

"I'm still very new to this, but I know that soon Michelle and I will be running everything smoothly," Fairless said, "and she's got big plans for the future of the paper and magazine. Obviously, I'd like to have some of my writing submitted for next year's awards, but the main focus is to place in the 'General Excellence' category."

The Observer is available at no cost to community members via our newspaper boxes, stands and at the office. The free digital edition can be downloaded from Issuu.com, the Facebook page or the website www. opelikaobserver.com.

For convenience, mailed subscriptions are available for a small annual fee. The Lee County Strong magazine is still available for purchase.

pelika Opinion O

A4 July 1, 2020

I

n October of 1540, at the Indian town of Mabila, soldiers of Hernando de Soto clashed with the forces of Chief Tascaluza.

When the fighting was done, one Spaniard estimated that between 2,500 and 5,000 Indians lay dead. If the count is anywhere close to correct, this was the bloodiest battle fought on North American soil until Union and Confederate armies slaughtered each other at Shiloh.

Mabila was in Alabama.

We don’t know where.

We are not even sure of the route de Soto traveled.

Back in 1939, a national commission was set up to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Spanish invasion. It identified what it thought was de Soto’s route and put

de Soto slept here Mabila down in Clarke County, where I grew up. Locals were so tickled with the honor that they named a Boy Scout Camp after the battle.

Then, years later, a cadre of anthropologists, archaeologists and historians did another study and concluded that Mabila was likely located farther north, where the Cahaba River empties into the Alabama, near the site of Cahawba, Alabama’s first state capital.

Clarke County rejected the new findings and continued to claim Mabila as its own, an intransigence that reveals just how much it means to a community to know that history once touched it.

I got into this de Soto routing tussle innocently enough. Back in the 1990s I was working on a history of the

By Hardy Jackson Alabama River system.

The Spanish invasion was an early part of the story. Relying on the work of folks I respected, I told of how de Soto entered the northeast corner of what would one day be Alabama and followed the Coosa south to where it joined the Tallapoosa.

Then the expedition turned west along the Alabama River, until it reached Mabila, which I put at Cahawba. Since no one could prove it

wasn’t there, why not?

Shortly after that the scholarship hit the fan.

A colleague at JSU was interested in what I had written about Mabila. I showed it to him. He asked if he could pass it on to a friend down in Florida who was big into de Soto. I said sure.

Historians often read each other’s yet-to-bepublished work, a sort of academic fact check.

I expected the Florida guy would accept what

I thought was a pretty non-controversial assessment and maybe even give me an “attaboy.”

I was wrong.

Shortly, I received a scathing letter accusing me selling out to a bunch of pseudo-scholars who were pushing the Cahawba site in order to land big research grants – grants that the Florida guy thought should go to him. Central to his argument against the site I picked was that the accounts written by people traveling with de Soto told of Indians wearing hats made of palmetto fronds and eating chestnut bread.

Ain’t no palmetto or chestnut anywhere around the Cahawba site, he said.

Bruised from this bashing I turned to scholar-friends who reassured me that no one knew for sure

what route de Soto traveled through the state, much less where Mabila was located.

The best one researcher could come up with was that a likely Spanish camp site was identified when they found the hubcap from a 1952 De Soto, though naturally some naysayers claim that the connection is sketchy at best.

There were other theories, most proposed by boosters who wanted to add “de Soto slept here” to the history of their town or county.

The most intriguing route-tracing scheme was advanced by Doug Jones of the Alabama Museum of Natural History. At one of the few confirmed de Soto sites archeologists found pig bones, left from the pigs that the See JACKSON, page A5

Alabama Bucket List: Smith Mountain Fire Tower: Lake Martin

W

e are blessed in our neck of the woods with rivers, streams, woods, waterfalls and plenty of wildlife to enjoy. We often forget the luxury of Alabama and all that its beauty has to offer. And so much of it is right in our own backyard.

Lake Martin has been a local hotspot for decades. It is known for its calm, fresh waters and for being enjoyed by families from early spring well into fall.

Cool known fact: Lake Martin is a manmade lake. It was constructed between 1923 and 1926 and is part of the Tallapoosa River.

The lake is a reservoir of Martin Dam, which

I

t’s 9:30 p.m. I am writing on a laptop in the middle of my backyard, sitting beside a flickering campfire. I asked my wife to go camping with me tonight, but she told me that she would rather eat a live chicken than go camping.

Those were her exact words.

I can’t explain what made me go camping in my own yard.

Maybe it’s that we’ve been stuck at home for 100-some days.

Maybe it’s because a friend of mine died last week, still in his mid-forties, from heart trouble. Maybe I’m starting to realize that my own funeral isn’t exactly getting further away.

Camping is in my blood. I own a lot of camping gear that I’ve gathered over the years, but I haven’t

is used to generate hydroelectric power for the Alabama Power Company.

Local families flock to Lake Martin on the weekends for quick getaways to relax, cool off andenjoy life.

There is a lovely spot that I have recently found called Smith Mountain Fire Tower. I had seen a few friends post pictures of the adventure and I knew little of its location or value to our community.

I took it upon myself, and my two farm boys, to scope it out and see what this local adventure was all about. It proved to be a delightful outing, and the view from the top of the old Fire Tower was spec-

By Bradley Robertson tacular.

Smith Mountain Fire

Tower is located just a few miles off Hwy 280

in Jackson’s Gap. It took us all of 20 minutes by car to reach the parking lot of the hike, leaving out of N. College St. in Auburn.

Upon arrival, there were few other cars and just a small parking lot surrounded by woods.

There was a large gate directly in front of us, which we learned was the old access road for rangers to drive up and down. To the left and right of the larger gate were two small paths that both lead directly up to the Fire Tower.

We took off by foot, hiking to somewhere we had never been. This has got to be one of my favorite things about adventure: having no clue at all as to where

you are going and the excitement of what you will find around the corner.

In no more than 15 minutes, we had made it to the Fire Tower; it was the second fastest hike of my life (first is always Chewacla). The trail was well kept and easy to follow, with white paint markings every few yards. The canopy of trees and lake sightings in the distance make for all the feels of outdoor life.

Upon arrival there are steps leading up to a landing with large maps and information about the history and preservation of Smith Mountain and Lake Martin.

There is an old chimney

some of the team dads would be forced to crack open multiple cans of Pabst.

I personally know a lot of women who don’t like camping.

Take my mother. She never technically admitted her hatred, but she could go entire weekends in the woods without speaking to my father, other than to offer helpful navigational tips like: “We’ve hiked past this same godforsaken tree three times!”

So it was no surprise that after my father died, my mother never went tent camping again. Thus, I was responsible for continuing the tradition.

As a teenager, I bought a nice tent and a fancy camp stove that could boil water in under a minute. I camped a lot throughout those aimless years, sometimes

spending entire weekends watching water boil.

I camped throughout my twenties and thirties. I even went on some solo camping trips in Arizona, Utah, and Colorado with only my dog to keep me warm. But somewhere along the line, the exotic thrill of camping sort of faded.

Or maybe I just got older.

I hate to admit it, but I like a soft bed, air conditioning, and a refrigerator that is wellstocked with anything but Canada Dry. A few years ago, I decided to get back into camping. My wife and I had a wedding to attend in Raleigh, North Carolina. So I came up with this romantic idea that instead of booking a hotel, we would camp under-

See ROBERTSON, page A5

The Outdoors gone camping in ages because I haven’t had time. I’ve been busy working. But now that the world has come to a halt with the novel coronavirus, I dusted off my gear.

When I was growing up we went camping because it was cheap. And because my father was under the perpetual idea that we were still living through the Great Depression.

He grew up with parents who survived the Depression. And I think they missed the memo about it ending. After all, there were no government officials knocking on doors to say, “Good afternoon, folks, Depression’s over!”

So my father kept right on pinching pennies and using Depression-era phrases his parents used.

Phrases I was too

By Sean Dietrich young to understand, like, “Eat your supper, there are people in China who would give anything to eat your supper.”

The first time he ever said this I just looked at my plate and marveled. I had no idea meatloaf was so popular in China.

We camped multiple times per year, sometimes multiple

times per week. Beer was involved.

My father used to arrange my Little League camping trips on Mister Tolbertson’s nearby farm.

We would hike for miles through the woods just to pitch camp in the middle of a field where Tolbertson raised fresh cattle fertilizer. The smell would get so bad that

See DIETRICH, page A5

A5 July 1, 2020

EMA has new team of emergency management specialists

By Will Fairless Associate Editor The Lee County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) has recently put together a new team of emergency management specialists to assist the countyʼs fire departments, police departments and citizenry.

Rita Smith, the director of the EMA, has hired three such specialists in the last year and a half. “I am super honored to have the team that we have here,” Smith said, “They have a variety of expertise in different areas that, all coming together, will only make this team stronger.”

Austin Jones, from Trussville, Alabama, graduated with degrees in communications and science from Auburn University and Southern Union. He had been working with nonprofit organizations doing production and safety operations when he volunteered with the EMA during its relief efforts last March. The agency brought him on full time shortly after.

JACKSON >> FROM A4

Spaniards took along to feed their flock.

Jones suggested that scientists extract DNA from de Soto pigs and clone modern pigs that

ROBERTSON >> FROM A4

in the middle of a rock wall that used to be the office for the rangers and watchmen looking over the lake.

Soon enough, my boys spotted the grand Fire Tower, and we went up the mountain, negotiating a path blocked by boulders, to see all that we could see. The Tower rises 80 feet above Smith mountain and has been restored and open to the public since June of 2012.

DIETRICH>> FROM A4 neath the stars, drink cocoa, and eat food grilled on a stove that boiled water in under a minute. It was going to be great.

I booked our campsite online, sight unseen.

When we rolled into the campground, we discovered our site was located beside an interstate overpass. This was not a wooded recreational area like the website suggested. The park was a huge, all-concrete, Soviet-style RV facility, filled

“I love to help people, love to serve the community,” Jones said, “Lee Countyʼs a special county to all of us here on the team.”

He said that, as someone already in the field, he has always wanted to work with the EMA. Steven Holden, an Opelika native, graduated from Auburn with a bachelorʼs degree in public administration. He spent 10 years working with the Beauregard volunteer fire department, and he more recently worked at the Lee County Sheriffʼs Department. He just started at the EMA on June 15. “This is actually my dream job,” Holden said, “It was an opportunity I didnʼt want to pass on.”

He is focused on the training program for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and he hopes to double the current number of volunteers (156) in a couple of years. He also hopes to increase communication with the fire and police departments in Lee County so the CERT volunteers can cooperate with those departments more

smoothly. “Hopefully I can have an established training program for our CERT program.

Weʼre looking at possibly trying to condense the class,” Holden said.

Billy Bowdry, originally from Atlanta, has lived in Lee County for 25 years. He graduated from Troy University with a degree in social work and a

masterʼs in clinical health counseling. He worked at the EAMC for 20 years, during which time he had plenty of interaction with the Emergency Management Agency, where he started working on June 22. “Iʼve worked with EMA for many years, as long as Iʼve been with the hospital,” Bowdry said, “Iʼve always been

fascinated by what they do.”

Bowdry was a liaison between the hospital and EMA, and he is now facilitating the same communications from the other side. He wants to help the Lee County community prepare for anything, whether that means the next tornado, the next pandemic or the inevitable unknown. “I love

being involved, working with people, being out in the community,” he said, “I love it. Itʼs a passion.”

Smith said of her new team: "Their character is impeccable; they care about citizens the way I care about citizens. They're there to serve; they're there to help; we all have a servant's heart and a servant's attitude."

would have the route imprinted in its genetic structure – OK, I don’t understand either, but it sounds good. Then the cloned pigs would be released and following them would confirm, once and for

all, the route de Soto took.

On that route they would find Mabila.

Would other researchers follow Jones’ suggestion, and when the pigs reach their destination host a

wing-ding barbeque?

As for the Florida guy who wrote all upset about my choice for the location of Mabila, in reply I simply sent him a picture of palmetto covered wetlands not far from

my selected site, along with an article about “Chestnut Hill,” a nearby plantation that I observed was not named after the pine trees on the place.

Palmetto for hats and chestnuts for bread!

I never heard from him again.

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

With no hesitation and the safety of railings on the tower, we made our way to the top. The view of Lake Martin is panoramic and you can see Alabama for miles and miles. We stood still, staring at the vastness and taking in the wonder of our view.

It’s funny how our perspective can change in an instant just by altering our vantage point. What once was large now seemed small and things we could not see before, we now could.

We all looked up min-

utes later and began to follow the maps above our heads that pointed out directions and landmarks of Alabama. One map pointed out Auburn in relation to our standing and another showed us Mt. Cheaha and Camp Hill.

We didn’t leave the top of the tower quickly at all. I stood still and peeled oranges for us to enjoy and listened to the small talk of my boys. For when you see something spectacular, there is no need to run away from it as if it’s chasing you. Might as

well get it all in, for you never know when you’ll see it again.

We ate oranges, and in true boy fashion they asked if they could throw the oranges off the tower to see where they would land. I declined their suggestion, as I do not like to waste good food nor do I think their pleasure should be at the cost of another’s.

They both mentioned that it would make a nice snack for the local critters. Although they are right, and very convincing, I still denied their proposi-

tion.

We eventually walked back down the tower.

We took a few pictures and made a bit more fun on the mountain before hiking back to the car. Braxton said he got his hiking fix for the summer and Shep asked when we could return with Sissy to go swimming.

I assured Shep that we would return again with his beloved Sissy.

In a time such as this, uncertainty everywhere, I physically saw that my point of view can be turned and shaped into

something new just by moving in a different direction: an idea I hope I can hold onto in my day to day living.

But what I experienced most was the simple idea of time to play with my boys.

Whether old or young, how often do we find time to play? How often do we make time for fun and adventure?

I hope you make it soon, maybe in your home or perhaps somewhere beautiful in East Alabama.

with eighteen-wheeler mansions that were the size of GM plants.

“I think that’s our campsite,” said my wife pointing to a sliver of hard earth.

Our campsite was located between two 50-foot tall RVs with the same electricity requirements of British Columbia.

I pitched our tent between the huge vehicles, we were only feet from the RVs’ sewage lines.

At night, we could hear each RV’s sewage activities, and we could smell them, too.

Also, the tem-

perature that night dropped to below freezing, which I assured my wife was a freak occurrence in North Carolina during mid-January.

When I awoke that morning, there was a layer of frost on our nylon walls. Outside the tent I met three cheerful old men, dressed in scarves, who said, “Thought were gonna have to take a hairdryer to you.”

My wife and I only had a few hours to get ready for the wedding. We trotted to the bathhouses, but the bathrooms were

closed for renovations. In a last-ditch effort to shower, we used a damp washcloth and some soap in 32-degree weather while my wife explained in great detail where she was going to hide my body when this was all over.

So you can imagine how my wife reacted when I told her that, since I am not getting any younger, I wanted to go camping in our own backyard tonight.

If for no other reason than because I’m glad to still be on this earth.

She went out and bought a live chicken.

Austin Jones

Steven Holden (left), Billy Bowdry (right)

A6 July 1, 2020

Alabama Cares Program distributes COVID-19 car kits

Photos by Opelika Observer The Lee-Russell Council of Governments Alabama Cares Program has provided approximately 450 COVID-19 car kits (pictured left) to caregivers of the elderly and high-risk. The kits include masks, hand sanitizer, gloves, disinfectant wipes and disinfectant air spray. There is also a packet with information on how to use the PPE and the best practices for staying COVID-19-free. They plan to do another such giveaway in August in Russell County if they are able to acquire the same supplies. Jeanna Thomas, Senior Medicaid Waiver Case Manager and LRCOG, said, “We just wanted to make sure that the COVID funding we get is serving the community.”

Registration Open for AACT Academy July Online Camp Special to the Opelika Observer Join Auburn Area Community Theatre, beginning July 6, for their second online summer camp: AACT Academy July Summer Intensive "Telling YOUR Story - Pandemic Experiences of 2020." Even in a pandemic, the show goes on… on-line.

Theater is a place to laugh, cry, entertain, teach, express emotion and tell stories that connect people. Even at a young age, there is a desire to share ex-

periences and feelings with others. These unique circumstances offer an occasion to involve young actors and provide an opportunity for them to learn the basics of playwriting so that they may have the skills to record and express their story.

This intensive’s focus will be on writing one’s own monologue/ story about their individual pandemic experience. Camp will also involve daily improv, voice and movement and character development sessions, master classes, one on one

coaching, tech lessons and additional family fun nights. Register now.

Camps are available

for youth ages 6 to18.

For full and complete details including expectations, technical requirements,

schedule, pricing, as well as to register and pay, please visit www. auburnact.org. (Select Children’s Theatre at the top of the webpage and then select Summer Camps) Sibling discounts, full-tuition scholarships and “pay what you can” options will be available to anyone who needs it.

That information can also be found on the website. Find Auburn Area Community Theatre on Facebook too.

Auburn Area Community Theatre is a non-profit organization that exists to

serve the Auburn/Opelika Community. Its purpose is to provide an opportunity for education and participation in the world of theatre and present a quality, entertaining, and thought-provoking theatre experience.

AACT is actively soliciting new members who have an interest in helping the growth of community theatre. AACT members and the community-at-large are encouraged to participate.

For more information visit www.auburnact. org.

Pruning Tomatoes Can Make a Difference

By Katie Nichols Special to the Opelika Observer Tomatoes are a southern garden staple.

Many gardeners are always looking for ways to grow a bigger, better tomato. While pruning tomatoes is not necessary during regular growth and production, it can make a difference.

Alabama Cooperative Extension System regional home grounds, gardens and home pests agent Dani Carroll said pruning tomatoes is about balance.

“When we mention pruning tomatoes, we are talking about the removal of some of the suckers,” Carroll said.

“The sucker is the small shoot that grows

at about a 45-degree angle at the node where a tomato branch grows from the stem.”

Tomato Suckers are New Plants While many may believe the sucker on a tomato plant is just vegetative growth zapping energy from a plant, the sucker is actually a new tomato plant.

“The sucker will produce foliage and fruit just like the existing plant,” she said. “When we prune a few of the suckers, we may eliminate a little fruit that may drag the ground, but we produce larger fruit above.”

By pruning, Carroll said gardeners are also opening up the plant canopy near the ground

to allow more air flow.

Pruning Carroll said that when pruning tomatoes, it is important to note whether the tomato plants are determinate or indeterminate varieties. Determinate varieties will grow until the plants and produce a flower bud at the growing tip. The plant will stop growing and produce tomato fruit over the next 4 to 6 weeks.

Indeterminate tomatoes will continue growing until cold weather kills the plant.

However, insects and diseases can still kill the tomato plant before a frost.

“Indeterminate tomatoes vine indefinitely, and it is not uncommon for them to grow

upwards of six feet,” Carroll said. “Pruning for each type is advisable.”

Determinate Pruning Carroll said gardeners with determinate tomatoes should prune all suckers from the ground up to the first flower cluster. This results in a two-stemmed plant.

“It is best to remove suckers when they are small—two to three inches in height—so the main stem is not injured when the sucker is removed,” Carroll said. “Some tomatoes are more vigorous growers than others, so it may be necessary to remove suckers more than one time.”

Indeterminate Pruning Gardeners can

remove more sucker growth on indeterminate tomato varieties than on determinate ones. When pruning, remove sucker growth from the ground up to the second flower cluster.

“Some gardeners ask if they can remove all of the suckers on a tomato plant,” she said.

“The answer is yes.

You can remove all of the suckers. This would result in a one-stemmed vine. Some greenhouse tomato producers may choose a similar growing method.”

While a grower can remove all of the suckers, it is best to only prune off the lower suckers. If a grower removes all of the suckers, the fruit can sun-scalded easily because there are no leaves to protect the fruit.

More Information The Alabama Extension publication Backyard Tomato Production is a great resource for information on growing tomatoes.

More information can be found by visiting Alabama Extension online or by contacting your county Extension office to connect with a regional Extension agent.

The Alabama Master Gardeners are also available by calling 1-877-ALA-GROW (252-4769). With a wealth of knowledge running the gamut from azaleas to yard pests and soil, the Alabama Master Gardeners— armed with research and backed by regional agents—are ready to help you.

A7 July 1, 2020

Carnival at USA Town Center extended through July 5

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

A8 July 1, 2020

Community remembers William Beuchner with 'Remembrance Ride'

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

Opelika E vents, Society, & Food

UPCOMING EVENTS

• OTC Summertime Showcase - Aug. 15

Serve Brunswick stew, other favorites for Fourth weekend

Southern

Hospitality

W

hile celebrating the Fourth of July will be different this year with Covid 19, be sure to have plenty of good food on hand for the weekend. Whether you are social distancing at the lake or beach or relaxing at home, plan menus with flavorful grilled meats, fresh vegetables, salads and refreshing desserts.

Brunswick stew is a traditional favorite addition to Fourth menus.

Lake Martin is a popular place to celebrate the Fourth, but years ago going to the lake for Opelikans meant spending sultry summer days at Lake Condy. At one time, Lake Condy was the only recreational area for families to enjoy swimming and picnics. Diaries from old

Opelika families recall visits to the lake, telling of making the trip in wagons.

Lake Condy was the site of festive Fourth of July celebrations. Huge pits were dug to cook barbecue, Brunswick stew simmered in big black pots and lemonade was served from barrels.

Lake Condy no longer exists for Fourth celebrations, but barbecue and Brunswick stew have remained favorite fare. While Brunswick stew has been a summer favorite for many decades, there is a disagreement over its origin.

Georgians say the stew originated in their state and was named after the town of Brunswick. A plaque on an old iron pot in Brunswick says the first stew

was made in it on July 2, 1898 in nearby St. Simons Island.

Brunswick County, Virginia, also claims to be the birthplace of the stew, recording it was invented in 1828 after a hunting expedition. It was served at Virginia’s tobacco-curing and public gatherings.

An early Williamsburg cookbook has a copy of the recipe that starts with cutting up “a three pound chicken or two squirrels.” Later recipes added rabbit or pork.

Locally, the Whatley family served big pots of Brunswick stew when their reunions were held outdoors. Now that family members meet in an air conditioning building, the stew is still a popular dish. “I know different members of

Photo by Ann Cipperly A carved watermelon basket filled with fresh fruit makes an attractive centerpiece for the Fourth of July. To carve the watermelon, draw the design on the watermelon and then cut with a sharp knife. Scoop out the watermelon and cut into chunks. Add assorted fruit to the watermelon chunks and fill the basket. Garnish with fresh mint.

the family bring Brunswick stew to the reunion every year in August,” Ann Whatley said.

The Brunswick stew is also served at the annual winter/spring barbecue hosted by Jean and Ernest Whatley, Ann and Charles Whatley and Tom Whatley. “We have about 700 plus attend,” Ann said. “It is our gift to the community, friends and neighbors.

“We use Charles' family recipe. The stew is the centerpiece of our barbecue. Charles' forefathers began the tradition of having a barbecue for the community. Mrs. Whatley called the one we make Beauregard Stew, but it is what we call our Brunswick Stew. “I keep stew in my freezer all year,” Ann added. “Our stew has chicken, pork,

tomatoes and seasonings of vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, salt, hot sauce, catsup and lemon juice. The real key I think to making the stew is stirring, stirring, stirring for a long time. We use a special wooden stick to stir the stew. When we finish, we add breadcrumbs.

“Modifications have See CIPPERLY, page A12

BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S THEATRE PRESENTS BROADWAY MASTER CLASSES Special to the Opelika Observer Birmingham Children’s Theatre is bringing master classes for youth looking to expand their theatrical talents and knowledge this summer. Offered online on consecutive Saturdays in July, participants will have a chance to interact with some of their favorite stars from screen and stage.

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 summer camps.

This Master Class series is the next in a line of See THEATRE, page A10

A10 July 1, 2020

OBITUARIES Nicky Lee Sloan A graveside service was held June 24 at Garden Hills Cemetery with Reverend Tommy Houze officiating.

Mr. Sloan, who died June 21, at EAMC Lanier, was born Dec. 19, 1974, in Opelika, Alabama.

Nicky enjoyed listening to loud music, watching reruns of old movies, and talking to friends and family. He loved football and was a diehard Auburn fan.

He grew up loving outside activities such as camping, fishing and going to the beach.

He is survived by his father Ronald Sloan and stepmom Dawn Sloan; siblings: Celena “Quinn” Morgan (Skyler), Charles Sloan (Anna), Maxwell Sloan, Douglas Sloan (Gina); devoted family: aunt Patricia Smith (Jimmy), aunt Joyce Kelley, uncle Richard Sloan (Stacy), uncle Bobby Sloan, aunt Janelle Huddleson (Mike), aunt Myra

Maddox, aunt Sherry; cousins: Christy Black with whom he grew up with and was like a sister to him and had many adventures together; Michael Smith who was always there to help in his later years; special friend Tracy Holman that was by his side in childhood and throughout the years and could always make him smile; several cousins, extended family and friends who love him dearly.

He is preceded in death by his mother Juanita Patterson Sloan; grandparents: Douglas and Mary Weldon, Mr. and Mrs. Billy Patterson.

John Huynh Nguyen John Huynh Nguyen was born on Feb. 20, 1971. He passed away on June 21, 2020 at 49. His story is one of perseverance. As a Vietnamese refugee, he came to escape war and poverty. Always on the move and even when life kept knocking him down,

John was a fighter.

He started a new beginning and made Auburn his permanent residence in 2010 where he f lourished as an entrepreneur. As well as being the best father to his kids. He put his family first, always looking out for everyone for the present and future. He was a great, loving, fun and caring dad, son, brother, nephew, friend and neighbor.

You could always count on John. He will be missed by his wife, Van, his children Donna, Vicky, Tiffany and Jason, his mom, Hoa Huynh, eight siblings and everyone he helped. Funeral service was held June 24, 2020 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home.

Frederick-Dean Funeral Home directed.

Heen Ha milton Stewart Helen Hamilton Stewart passed away in peace, June 20, 2020 at the age of 95. Helen was born in Mississippi on

IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR STATE. Complete your census at my2020census.gov

Sept.29, 1924. In 1951, she moved to Opelika and resided there until her passing.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Depoy Hamilton. She was also preceded in death by her husband of 18 years, Jack Stewart; son, Jerry Hamilton; daughter, Patricia Wright; brother, Manley "Erk" Shackleford; She is survived by her children, Sandra (Earl) Page; Van (Celeste) Stewart, and Kim (Mike) Golden.

Proud grandmother of Richie (Sharon A.) Burnette, Keith (Christy) Burnette, Dodi (Wayne) Broadwater, Jason Cedrone, Heath (Casey) Stewart, and Heather (Smitty) Grider. Greatgrandmother to 15 and great-great grandmother to 4; brother, Charles "Chuck" Shackelford; She is also survived by an adopted daughter, Sherry Cooley; granddaughter-in-law, Tammy Burnette; and a few dear friends that were close to her

heart.

Visitation was held June 24, 2020 in the Parlor at FrederickDean Funeral Home.

The funeral service was at 11:30 a.m. with Reverend Billy H. Clark officiating at Garden Hills Cemetery.

Helen, known to most as “Mawmaw” or “Maw Hamp”, and will be fondly remembered by the poems that she wrote and recited, the love that she gave and taught, and as a true “Angel on Earth”.

Charlotte Anne Charlotte Anne Ward, of Opelika, passed away in her home under hospice care on June 25,2020.

She was born in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina 84 years ago on Valentine’s Day. She was the widow of Bobby J. Ward to whom she was married for 52 years.

She is survived by her daughter Vikki Hendricks, two grandchildren Kelly

and Libby Hendricks, and 2 great grandchildren.

She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Opelika and wanted the church family to know how much she truly appreciated the prayers, cards, f lowers and outpouring of love she received.

She also wanted to thank Encompass Hospice for their great care and dedication in her time of need.

She was a member of the United Methodists Women’s group, sang a short while in the choir, and was involved in the church’s Prison Ministry Outreach.

Additionally she volunteered twice a month in the EAMC hospital surgical waiting.

There will be a celebration of life later in the year to remember her and reminisce with old friends.

In lieu of f lowers please consider making donations to First United Methodist Church of Opelika.

THEATRE >>

share her excitement and knowledge of dance and theatre with the youth of Birmingham.

Other sessions offered throughout July include: - Aaron Gaines (Pericles, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) - Mara Davi Gaines (Dames at Sea, NBC’s Smash) - Whitney Keeter (The Play That Goes Wrong, Something Rotten!) and - Nick Burroughs (Kinky Boots, The Tina Turner Musical).

Information and registration for all master classes can be found at www.bct123.org Registration can also be found on Eventbrite.

Master classes are for youth ages 11 to 18.

Younger students who

want to participate should email jessie@bct123.org.

The cost is $20 per class 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 more than 13 million students throughout its seven-decade history.

FROM A9 physically distant arts opportunities for youth across Alabama.

BCT’s Broadway Master Classes premiere July 11 at 10 a.m. with Kate Wesler teaching Original Choreography. A native of Birmingham, Wesler has recently been seen in the Broadway National Tours of Chicago (Roxie) and Pippin (Fastrada), and she can be seen in Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as a featured Copa Dancer. She has taught master classes across the country as a faculty member with Broadway Connections and Stage Door Workshops and is thrilled to

A11 July 1, 2020

B

Too Big for the Birdhouse

irdhouses for the eastern bluebird (indigenous to our area), have a circular entrance hole 1 ½” in diameter. Any smaller and an adult bluebird cannot get in. Any larger, and things other than the bluebird will find their way in (not good).

The story doesn’t end here. It seems some non-bluebird animals, despite their restrictive size, nevertheless desire to enter the bluebird home. From their perspective, the problem isn’t that they aren’t the right size, the problem is that the hole is too small. The solution is to

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. Marys Catholic Church/ St. Michael’s Church SMCC is having Daily Mass on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 8 a.m. and on weekends they are distributing holy Communion on Sunday's from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. A Mass is also held on Sunday's at 12:30 p.m. at St. Michael's Church over in Auburn. For more information people can call the office at 334-749-8359 or go to the parish website: stmarysopelika.org.

• Trinity United Methodist Church Opelika Trinity UMC has online worship at 10 a.m. streaming on Facebook, YouTube and their website, www. tumcopelika.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.

scratch and claw away at the hole to make it larger. The better-designed bluebird houses take this into account and have what is known as a predator guard over the front of the hole to prevent this from happening.

Human beings can be very much like that at times regarding the kingdom of God. There is a way to be at home with God that is clearly revealed in the biblical witness. It has to do with humbling ourselves before God, accepting His grace in Christ and living a life of joyful submission. Sadly, this

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

is unacceptable to some.

Most in this group make their choice actively or passively not to be a part of the kingdom and that’s that. However, there is a curious subgroup that wants to live in both worlds. They scratch and claw away

at the standards of God’s kingdom. From their perspective, the problem is not with them, it is the restrictiveness of the kingdom.

It’s not uncommon to see groups caving into cultural pressure.

They speak of liberation, enlightenment, grace, and scales falling from their eyes, but the reality is they’re just scratching and clawing because from their perspective it’s easier to try to change the kingdom than to allow God to change them. This might be what Jesus was referring to when He said, “From the days

of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it” (Matthew 11:12).

Every person has the potential to become part of God’s family. But no one can enter the kingdom as a predator, bent on satisfying their appetites and desires. The kingdom doesn't need a larger entrance, we need greater humility to go through the One there is.

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

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

“Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me; Fighting all day long he oppresses me.”

Psalm 56:1(NASB)

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

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Fresh Foods...And A Whole Lot More!

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A12 July 1, 2020

CIPPERLY>> FROM A9 been made over the years,” she said. “Jean Whatley uses her father's barbecue sauce recipe, and I use one that I like.

RECIPES EASY CHEESE BALL Ashley Herring Two 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup cheddar cheese 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 cup sliced almonds, chopped Crackers, for serving Combine cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Add Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, Worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Stir together until combined.

Pour chopped almonds onto plastic wrap and then roll cheese ball in almonds.

Roll up into plastic wrap and refrigerate. Unwrap and place on plate.

Serve with crackers.

GAZPACHO SALAD Elizabeth Whatley 1 1/2. lb. ripe, firm tomatoes, chopped or 1 pkg. grape tomatoes 2 small cucumbers, peeled, seed and diced 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup green apple, peeled and cubed 1/2 cup green grapes, cut in half 2 kiwi, peeled and diced 1 Bartlett pear, peeled and diced 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil Make the dressing first. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss to combine. Let salad sit 15 minutes before serving.

Dressing: 2 cloves garlic, diced 1 big pinch coarse salt 1/2 tsp. cumin 3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil Combine dressing in a jar and shake.

BEAUREGARD STEW (Brunswick Stew) Virginia Whatley (Mrs. Lynch W.H.) From Whatley family cookbook “Recipes and Remembrances” 25 lbs. pork 25 lbs. chicken Cook and cut up (do not grind); reserve stock. Into this pot of stock add: 3 gallons tomatoes (mashed), 3 gallons cream-style corn. Cook meat and vegetables in stock, stirring almost constantly until stewed.

Then add: 1 gallon catsup 5 (10 oz.) bottles Worcestershire sauce 1 large bottle lemon

I keep it in the refrigerator.”

The Whatley family cookbook, “Recipes and Remembrances,” has eight different recipes for Brunswick stew.

While the stew is popular with numerous

families year round, some prefer it on cold winter nights. Check out the following recipes for Brunswick Stew; each one is a little different.

Any of these would be a delicious addition to a cookout on the Fourth.

juice 1 qt. vinegar 1 ¼ oz. black pepper ½ bottle hot sauce ¾ cup salt Continue to cook and stir! When done, add: 1 gallon breadcrumbs, toasted and mashed Note: This is a very old Whatley recipe. This recipe was given to Lynch by T.J. Whatley and was used for school barbeques as well as family and Kiwanis Club. Serves 150 people.

mixture. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 hours or until thick.

Stir corn into stew mixture. Continue cooking one hour or until desired consistency. Remove the green pepper; chop and return to the stew or discard.

BRUNSWICK STEW Cindy Keith No fail recipe 1 whole chicken 2 cups water 1 large onion, chopped 2 lbs. ground beef 2 cans whole tomatoes Salt and pepper to taste 32 oz. bottle ketchup 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp. paprika 2 tsp. hickory smoke salt Red pepper to taste 2 cans cream style corn Boil chicken; remove skin and bones.

Save broth. Cook onion and ground beef in broth. Add remaining ingredients, except corn. Simmer 45 minutes to an hour.

Add corn. Be careful that corn does not stick to the bottom of pan.

BRUNSWICK STEW Julia Gunter 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 stalks celery, chopped 1½ lbs. ground pork (I use a Boston butt, cooked in slow cooker and shredded) 1½ lbs. ground beef 3 lbs. chicken, cooked and shredded 3 cans whole tomatoes with liquid, chopped 1 cup catsup ½ cup hickory flavored barbecue sauce Salt and pepper to taste Hot sauce to taste 1 green bell pepper 3 cans cream-style corn Heat olive oil in large stockpot. Sauté onions and celery until soft. Mix in pork and beef and brown.

Do not drain.

Lower heat. Stir in chicken, tomatoes and their liquid, catsup, barbecue sauce.

Place the whole green pepper into the

EASY CROCK POT BRUNSWICK STEW Mary Ann Whatley Davenport “Recipes and Remembrances” 1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained 2 cans Castleberry Barbecue Pork 2 large cans Swanson’s all white chicken 2 cans stewed tomatoes 2 cans creamed corn 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 bottle hot or spicy catsup Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.

Cook overnight (or all day) on low.

FARMHOUSE BARBECUE CHICKEN Lynn Tatum Four two lbs. broilers/chicken pieces Marinade 3 cups white vinegar 3 ½ tsp. salt 1 ½ Tbsp. yellow mustard 4 ½ Tbsp. ketchup 9 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice Browning Sauce 6 Tbsp. sugar 1 ½ tsp. salt 9 Tbsp. butter or margarine 3 ½ Tbsp. yellow mustard 3 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce ¼ tsp. black pepper Pierce each piece of chicken with a fork and put in plastic bag or container.

Combine next 5 ingredients to make marinade. Pour over the chicken, making sure that each piece is saturated with the marinade and let sit overnight in fridge.

Place chicken on grill, bone side down and baste with the marinade for the first half of cooking time.

While it is cooking, combine and heat Browning Sauce ingredients on the stove. Baste the chicken the last half of the cooking time with Browning Sauce.

Use leftover sauce to serve with the chick-

You can purchase a pound of shredded Boston butt from your favorite barbecue place to use in the stew instead of cooking your own. A rotisserie chicken will also save time.

Whatever is on the en. Serves 8.

HAMBURGER AND GRILLED CHICKEN SLIDER BAR Small ground beef patties seasoned with salt and pepper Grilled chicken breasts, cut in half Slider buns (available at local grocery stores) Optional Toppings: American and Swiss cheese slices Crisp cooked bacon Guacamole Pickles Sautéed mushrooms Salsa Lettuce, tomato and onion slices Mayonnaise, ketchup, barbecue sauce and mustard Shape burgers to fit buns. Grill burgers and toast buns. Serve burgers and grilled chicken on slider buns with assorted toppings.

OVEN-ROASTED CORN ON THE COB Nell Samford The corn cooks in the husk without pre-soaking. Remove from oven and pull back the husk, and the silk will come off with it.

6 ears of corn on the cob or more if they fit in your oven.

Water for rinsing corn Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Rinse ears. Place corn cobs in middle rack in oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove corn cobs.

Pull back husks and use the husk to hold the corn.

PARMESAN OKRA Julia Pipes 1 lb. fresh okra, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices 2 Tbsp. olive oil ¼ cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs 2 tsp. Greek seasoning, optional ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese Sauté okra in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 5 to 6 minutes or until crisp and tender. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and seasoning, and cook, stirring often for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.

WHOLE TOMATOES IN HERB VINAIGRETTE 6 whole tomatoes Vinaigrette: 2/3 cups salad oil 1/4 cup vinegar 1 garlic clove,

menu for Independence Day this year at your home, take time to be thankful for America’s freedom and remember those who have served and are serving our country today to keep us free. minced 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup chopped green onions 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper Garnish: lettuce, chopped green onions and parsley To peel tomatoes, drop each one in boiling water for a few seconds and then in cold water.

The skins will slip off.

Cut out stem core.

Mix vinaigrette ingredients. Add tomatoes and marinate for several hours or overnight.

Place tomatoes on a bed of lettuce.

Drizzle vinaigrette over each tomato.

Garnish with green onions and parsley.

LAYERED PEACH DESSERT You can omit the fourth layer of the dessert.

First Layer 2½ cups self-rising flour 2 sticks butter, softened 1 cup chopped pecans, optional Mix flour and butter together; add pecans. Press into the bottom of a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool.

Second Layer 8 oz. cream cheese, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 8 oz. Cool Whip Combine ingredients and spread over cooled crust.

Third Layer 4 cups sliced fresh peaches Spreads peaches over second layer; refrigerate.

Fourth Layer (optional) 1 cup sugar 4 Tbsp. flour 4 Tbsp. peach Jell-O 1 cup water Mix together and cook over medium heat until clear and thick. Cool. Pour over peaches.

Chill overnight.

EASY PEACH ICE CREAM PIE Can also use filling in a graham cracker crust.

Coconut crust: 3 Tbsp. butter 1 can (3 ½ oz.) flaked coconut Filling: 2 cups chopped fresh peaches 1 to 1 1/2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened

Following is an assortment of recipes for creating a celebratory Fourth menu for your family.

Ann Cipperly can be reached at recipes@ cipperly.com Chopped pecans or walnuts, optional Melt butter in a 9-inch pie plate in a 350 degree oven. Mix in coconut and press onto bottom and sides of pie plate.

Bake for about 12 minutes or until coconut is lightly brown. Chill.

Add peaches to ice cream and pile into chilled crust. Sprinkle a few nuts over top, if desired. Freeze until ready to serve.

MOM’S PEACH, BLUEBERRY OR BLACKBERRY CRISP Amy Grilliot The topping is much thinner, sweeter and crispier than a cobbler.

Can substitute blueberries, blackberries or any fresh summer fruit!

6 to 7 medium sized peaches (peeled and sliced) or blueberries or blackberries ¾ cup sugar ½ cup all-purpose flour 5 Tbsp. butter Vanilla ice cream, optional Place sliced peaches in a single layer in a greased 9 x 9 casserole dish. In a mixing bowl “cut” together sugar, flour and butter until mixture is crumbly.

Sprinkle over peaches.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until topping is brown and crisp. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

FRESH PEACH POUND CAKE Best served with vanilla ice cream 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. salt 2 sticks butter, softened 2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups chopped fresh peaches Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 10inch Bundt pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar, shaking out the excess. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in vanilla and beat well.

Add flour mixture gradually, beating constantly until blended. Fold peaches into the batter. Spoon into prepared pan.

Bake 60 to 70 minutes or until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack to cool.

A13 July 1, 2020

O Grows Farmer's Market heating up

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

A14 July 1, 2020

COMICS

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

S

By D. Mark Mitchell

Reopening schools is good news for sports

A

Inside • opelika schools • lee county schools • community sports

War Tampa: the best basketball team you have never heard of

By Wil Crews Opelika Observer

On the Mark

labama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey held a press conference Friday afternoon to announce his plan, ‘Roadmap to Reopening Alabama Schools’.

Dr Mackey (ALSDE), along with ADPH Director Dr. Scott Harris, went through the plan for Alabama public schools to reopen.

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• JULY 14 - Lee County School Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m.

Meetings are held at 2410 Society Hill Road in Opelika.

The two agencies developed the plan as a guidance document for the upcoming school year. The plan meets health and safety challenges schools are facing concerning COVID-19.

The announcement was essential for Alabama children who attend public schools.

However, the Alabama

See SPORTS, page B4

This July Fourth weekend, four Auburn University basketball alumni will play in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) –– a nationally televised winner-takeall basketball tournament with a $1 million grand-prize.

In a reunion of sorts, Bryce Brown and Horace Spencer –– who last shared a court in the Tigers’ 2019 Final Four run –– will be teaming up with former Auburn players Desean Murray and Laron Smith.

Spencer and Smith reunite after spending this past year as teammates in Argentina’s professional league.

While Spencer, Brown and Murray all played together for the Tigers during the 2017-18 season, when they won the SEC Regular Season Title.

Eight more former

Auburn players –– Chuma Okeke, Marquis Daniels, Mustapha Heron, Austin Wiley, CJ Holmes, KT Harrell, TJ Lang and New Williams –– are

supporting the team as boosters.

War Tampa, who, for obvious reasons changed their name from Tampa 20/20, is “a team mixed

with Auburn guys and Florida boys,” according to team General Manager Matt Moschella.

overall guiding principals to navigating the challenges that are expected. The plan is to reopen Alabama schools this fall with in-person learning, including remote instruction availability as needed.

Guiding Principles: According to Mackey and Scott, the following five principles should guide all planning, decision making and execution of plans

to return to school in the 2020-2021 school year.

1. Be transparent.

Share what is known and what is not known, and be clear about what can be controlled and what is outside of a school’s control.

2. Be equitable.

Center decisions on what is best for all students, families and educators.

3. Listen. Bring together diverse

stakeholders and experts to understand realities on the ground and to surface creative solutions.

4. Put safety first.

Leverage science, data and public health leadership to inform people of choices that are made.

5. Be decisive. Given the size and scope of the challenge, schools must move deliberately

Opelika City School Board elects new Alabama State Superintendent discusses chairman and vice ‘Roadmap to Reopening Alabama Schools’ chairman

By Wil Crews Opelika Observer

The Opelika City School Board met Tuesday afternoon and elected current board member and former vice chairman Dr. Kevin Royal as chairman.

Antoine Harvis was elected as vice chairman to fill the void left by Royal.

In other business, the board: - approved minutes from its previous

meeting, held on May 19 - approved personnel recommendations - approved the renewal of contract for Mary Salmon, principal of Southview - approved the renewal of contract for Pam Fourtenbary, principal of West Forest - approved consideration of an assistant technology coordinator position and salary See SCHOOL, page B4

By Michelle Key Publisher

In a relatively brief press conference last Friday, Dr. Eric Mackey, state superintendent of education, and Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer, addressed the plans to bring students back into schools for in-person learning. The plan, named ‘Roadmap to Reopening Alabama Schools’ addresses the

See WAR TAMPA, page B4

See REOPENING, page B5

B2 July 1, 2020

Lady Bison Basketball Earns Top Academic Honors Special to the Opelika Observer

The Lady Bison basketball team of Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC) was named the Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) Academic Team of the Year for 2019-2020.

The team posted a cumulative 3.28 GPA to register the top GPA in their sport among conference counterparts. Head Coach of the Lady Bison is LeMont Herring.

The college’s baseball, softball and volleyball teams also received recognition on the list.

In addition, several SUSCC athletes earned spots on the Spring 2020 Commissioner’s

2019-2020 Lady Bison Basketball Team Academic Honor Roll. Each student on the list maintained a GPA of 3.00 or higher to earn this recognition.

Earning individual recognition were:

Jacey Akin - Softball Tamera Anderson Women’s Basketball Kali Barbour - Softball Kenzie Bayer - Softball Casey Baynes - Baseball

Photo submitted to the Opelika Observer Elexus Bell - Women’s Basketball Ethan Bloodworth - Baseball Ben Bolden - Baseball Collier Bonner - Baseball

Bailee Boyd - Volleyball Beau Brand - Baseball Allie Jane Broome - Softball Jordan Brown - Baseball Logan Brown - Baseball Tori Brown - Softball Kendal Bumpus - Volleyball Evan Burns - Volleyball Alerriya Butler - Women’s Basketball Tyler Byrd - Baseball Kasey Clark - Baseball Michaela Cope - Women’s Basketball Joshua Cotton - Baseball Jordan Cousins - Softball Andrew Cronan - Baseball Sweet Davis - Women’s Basketball Jaden Dye - Men’s Basketball See LADY BISON, page B5

Dixie Youth Baseball back at bat

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

B3 July 1, 2020

July Is “National Make A Difference To Children Month”

I

n July, we teachers and parents begin to see “Back To School Sales!” We look at July as halfway through the summer. I am not sure how “Back To School” will look this year.

The month of July brings a lot of dates to celebrate, such as July 4th, which emphasizes patriotism; Family Reunion Month, National Hot Dog month, National Ice Cream month, National Watermelon month, etc., but my favorite date to celebrate is “Make A Difference in a Child Month.” July is a month when I, as a teacher, try to prepare for my students and classroom needs for the next year.

We as families have had much time during the pandemic to be with our children. We have had time to discern and assess some needs. Children are a Gift and a Promise! In sharing this with you, I’d like to take each letter of “promise” as we realize that your child is a Promise and

a possibility as we explore ways we can encourage each child to be all they can be.

Psalm 139:14– “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Realizing our children are a promise truly makes a difference to children.

P: Praise and encourage your child. Verbal praise is so important for a young child to hear when they have done a good job. Pats on the back or eye to eye contact or a wink saying, “I am proud of you,” mean so very much to children as well as to us adults. Time spent with your child spells LOVE! 1 Corinthians 13:13– “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

R: Reach out to your child. In our world today we spend so much time on the run. In reaching your young child, it is more important to spend free time with them rather

than heading off to too many structured activities. Activities are fine, don’t get me wrong, but just not too many. Free play is so important for young children. Play is a way that children work, grow, and express themselves. It is so neat to let your child swing up to the beautiful sky.

So is just running and walking around the yard or playing at one of our recreational areas, remembering to keep your child safe, social distance, and go by the rules of the park or area. Taking time to make “mud pies” or play house in or under a tree are such wonderful experiences in role playing, learning to interact with each other, and being free to express one’s self.

Play is developmentally essential. Giving your young child time to play and interact with you as their parent, grandparent or caretaker (and with friends) is essential to a child’s happiness and well roundedness.

Psalm 34:8– “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”

O: Optimism is contagious to be around.

Children love to be around happy, joyful, hopeful people! Just like play-doh, young children’s hearts can be molded by our actions and words. In sharing with children, I love the term “POP,” in which the first “P” stands for “Positive,” the “O” for “Optimistic,” and the second “P” for “Peacemaker.” In guiding children to share and make friends, it is

so important to guide them toward being positive. Life is not going to always be a bowlful of cherries, but it is our attitude and how we handle the circumstances of life that counts.

You’ve heard the old expression, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” and it is so true. How to live life no matter how rough the going gets is a valuable lesson not only for a child but an adult. Too, Optimism is just part of that positive spirit. How to be a peacemaker is so important for a child to learn in order to grow and get along with other children by sharing, “giving and taking,” and most of all forgiving someone when they have done wrong.

Ecclesiastes 3:12– “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live.”

M: is Meeting the strengths of your child’s gifts and talents, how they are made and enabling them to be all they can be. Being available to offer them learning sessions and activities that enhance what they are inclined to do is a true gift that every child deserves.

Talking and really listening to your young child will truly win them over, and they will see the love from your heart that you care. Just like we water our summer flowers, we need to nurture our young children so the flowers of confidence and motivation blossom. Ecclesiastes 7:14– “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider

this: God has made the one as well as the other.”

I: Interaction is so important in reaching and teaching a young child. There are several approaches to learning.

1. Visual learning is where a child learns more by seeing pictures or demonstrations. 2.

Reflective learners usually learn best when they are alone. These children are usually observers for a long time in assessing their situations. They may be the children that will separate themselves by playing alone, looking at books by themselves and pondering on new learning situations.

3. Logical learners are geared to learn by following patterns or sequences. We think of ordering numbers and alphabetical sequence when we think of this kind of learner.

4. Physical learners learn best by a lot of activity, such as being active with their hands, feet and the rest of their body. We see these young children doing a lot of pretend play as well as enjoying outside play and games.

5. Relational learners interact and relate well other children. They are very social and love to work in groups. They learn by interacting with their friends. 6.

Musical learners love to sing and hum, and they enjoy playing musical instruments.

When tambourines, bells or cymbals are gotten out they love to march around the room and learn. This kind of learner makes up tunes for everything!

7. Natural learners love the world outside. They are little scientists who love to look closely at nature with all its plants and animals. Usually this kind of learner will migrate to the science table in a classroom.

Jeremiah 29:11– “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”

S: Special– I love to sing songs to the children on just how special they are! Children love to hear their names. We don’t have to celebrate a child just on their birthday but every day! God made them unique with talents, personalities and abilities just their own!

What a gift we can give our children when we encourage them on just how special they are!

E: “Every” is such an important word as we watch our young children grow up so very quickly. Every day is a gift wrapped up in a bow when young children are at the beginning of their lives.

Parents, they grow up so very quickly. In the blink of an eye they are grown and out on their own. Cherish every single day of your young child’s life! Never take one for granted; savor each moment as you watch your promise grow up to be a possibility! James 1:17– “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Beth Pinyerd, Classroom Observer

Huff, Kozan named Srixon/Cleveland Alison Maillard earns CoSIDA Academic Golf All-America Scholars All-America honors

KOZAN Special to the Opelika Observer

By Auburn Athletics

Auburn men’s golfers Graysen Huff and Andrew Kozan

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HUFF were named Srixon/ Cleveland Golf AllAmerica Scholars, the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) announced last month.

To be eligible for Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar status, an individual must be a sophomore, junior or senior academically.

In addition, they must have a stroke-average under 76.0 and maintain a minimum cumulative career grade-point average of 3.2.

For 2019-20 only, they must participate in 40% of the team’s competitive rounds.

Huff earns the honor for the second consecutive season, while Kozan garners the

recognition for the first time in his career.

Huff, a 2020 spring graduate, averaged 71.39 strokes per round and was Auburn’s top finisher twice during the 2019-20 season. He had three top-10 finishes on the year.

The Eagle, Idaho, native touted 11 rounds at or below par, including nine below-par circuits.

Huff had six rounds in the 60s.

Kozan boasted a 71.17 stroke average and secured six top-20 finishes out of seven tournaments played.

The West Palm Beach, Florida, native had 10 below-par rounds on the season, including seven in the 60s.

Photo by: Shanna Lockwood/Auburn Athletics Special to the Opelika Observer

By Auburn Athletics

The postseason accolades continue to roll in for Alison Maillard. The senior diver was one of 46 women selected to the 2020 Academic All-America At-Large Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America

last week.

Maillard, a second-team selection, graduated in May with a degree in industrial and systems engineering from the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. While at Auburn, she was a three-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and a three-time See MAILLARD, page B4

B4 July 1, 2020

Bri Folds signs with Kopparbergs Göteborg FC Special to the Opelika Observer Auburn Athletics

Former Auburn AllAmerican Bri Folds signed a professional contract with Sweden’s Kopparbergs Göteborg FC (KGFC) last week.

“I’m beyond excited for this opportunity,” Folds said. “It’s been a dream of mine to play overseas, and it’s finally coming true with one of the best teams not just in Sweden, but in Europe. The training and friendlies in the first week have been top notch, it’s an incredibly talented team. The girls have been very welcoming, and I can tell it’s going to be a fun season.”

After capping off an illustrious four-year career on The Plains last fall and graduating in December, Folds was selected by the North Carolina Courage with the 36th pick in the 2020 NWSL College Draft, becoming the program's first player selected in the draft since 2012.

“We are so proud of Bri for signing her first professional contract, especially given she is signing with a first-class organization in KGFC,” head coach Karen Hoppa said. “She is certainly ready for the next

SCHOOL >> FROM B1 schedule - approved consideration to add a 12-month bookkeeper salary schedule - approved consideration of health textbooks for K-12 recommended by the textbook adoption

WAR TAMPA >> FROM B1 Among others, joining War Tampa is former Wofford point guard Fletcher Magee, who ended his collegiate career in 2019 as the NCAA’s all-time leader in three-point field goals made; and Walter Hodge, two-time NCAA champion with Florida in 2006 and 07.

Traditionally, TBT features 64 teams, with games played across nine different locations and a grand prize of $2 million; however due to COVID–19, this year, players and staff of a reduced 24-team field will quarantine in Columbus,

MAILLARD >> FROM B3 Winter SEC Academic Honor Roll selection.

She finished with a 3.87 cumulative GPA. It’s the latest honor for Maillard, who was named the SEC

Per Montini / KGFC level, and I’m excited to see her begin her pro career on this world-class stage.”

Having already played in a pair of preseason wins, Folds will be eligible to compete for KGFC in Damallsvenskan league matches beginning July 15. KGFC is based in Gothenburg, Sweden, and has finished runner-up in its league in back-to-back seasons.

The team qualified for the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League, which is scheduled to begin in

November.

“We have been watching Bri and have been interested in her since January and have been in contact with her team ever since,” KGFC head coach Mats Gren said. “We are glad that we now have an opportunity to link her to the KGFC. Bri is an exciting player who is smart, has good ball handling and game intelligence.

She is a type of player who in every way fits our way of thinking and playing football.”

A native of Lakeland, Florida, Folds was a

three-time All-SEC honoree, two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region player and a 2018 United Soccer Coaches All-American, becoming just the sixth player in program history to earn the distinction.

Folds capped off her career ranked in the top 10 in program history in goals (24), assists (25), points (73) and game-winning goals (nine). She is also one of just five Auburn players to rank in the top 10 in goals and assists.

committees - approved consideration of the revised 2020-21 student code of conduct for Opelika City Schools - approved a letter of agreement to extend the current contract for child nutrition produce bid for the 2020-21 school year

- approved the signing of a certificate of affirmation for the reappointment of board member Tipi Miller - reviewed financial reports for May - reviewed the child nutrition report for May. The board also talked at length about technology strategies for

at-home learning in the event that students would not be allowed to return to school at some point during the 202021 school year.

The next meeting of the board is scheduled for July 28 at the OCS Board of Education facility, which is located at 300 Simmons St.

Ohio and take the court for the 10-day fanless event.

TBT began in 2014 and gained publicity in part because of the Elam Ending –– a unique way to end a game which eliminates the game clock at the end play and sets a target score. The NBA recently experimented with the Elam Ending in the 2020 AllStar game.

The Elam Ending renders the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy –– committing fouls on a poor free throw shooter to the purpose of lowering opponents’ scoring –– virtually useless and leads to a cutthroat ending with an emphasis on clutchness and shot-making.

TBT’s winner-take-all pay structure gives fans an unselfish, unique and intense brand of basketball.

In a year when March Madness was cancelled and uncertainty looms over the NBA season’s restart, TBT will deliver the pulsating, nerve-racking and often unforgiving feeling that makes postseason, elimination basketball so appealing.

NCAA tournament legend Malachi Richardson, who helped lead Syracuse on an improbable Final Four run in 2016, Kyle Hines, the only American to ever win four EuroLeague titles, and 18-year NBA veteran Joe Johnson are just a few other names headlining TBT this

summer.

War Tampa is seeded No. 17 and have a first round matchup against House of PAIGN on July 5. If they advance, last year’s champion, Carmen’s Crew (the Ohio State alumni team), await them in the second round.

All games will be shown on ESPN and the schedule is as follows: • First round: July 4-5 • Round of 16: July 6-9 • Quarterfinals: July 10-11 • Semifinals: July 12 • Championship: July 14 To support War Tampa or for more information on the team, visit thetournament.com/ teams/war-tampa.

Female Diver of the Year following the season and also earned First Team All-SEC honors. In February, the senior won her first SEC championship on 1-meter with a school record 364.15 points. She finished

third on the 3-meter to take bronze at the SEC meet.

Maillard collected three CSCAA AllAmerican honors this year after qualifying for the NCAA Championships on all three diving events for

the third consecutive season.

Maillard becomes the 13th Auburn swimmer or diver all-time to be recognized as a CoSIDA Academic AllAmerican and the first since Kyle Owens in 2013.

SPORTS >>

Savarese has maintained a positive yet calm attitude throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The AHSAA has several key meetings in July. The final decision will be made July 22 by the Central Board of Control.

Based on information I have learned, Opelika should have no issues opening the season in Georgia against Callaway High School. It appears neither state will enforce a no-travel ban for outof-state games.

OHS FOOTBALL The OHS football team completed the first phase of opening football in Alabama.

The Dawgs will be off for the July 4 break.

Members of the team will return July 6 for phase two.

So far, no Opelika coach or player has tested positive for COVID-19.

Lanett football head coach Clifford Story tested positive for COVID-19 several weeks ago. Story followed the proper protocol and stayed isolated from others for over 14 days.

The Beulah Bobcats postponed workouts for two weeks after an employee tested positive.

Lanett and Beulah returned to activities with neither school having others test positive.

We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you posted.

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

FROM B1 High School Athletic Association Executive Director Steve Savarese watched and listened intently.

If Alabama public schools are open, athletics remain a possibility for all teams.

The AHSAA released a statement Friday afternoon regarding the reopening plans.

“We appreciate Dr. Mackey and his staff for their tireless efforts. I am looking forward to working with school administrators and with the AHSAA football and fall sports committees which meet July 7 in addition to the Alabama FCA (Football Coaches Association) on July 8 to discuss the ALSDE roadmap and ADPH guidelines,” Savarese said. “The AHSAA will continue to study and produce “best practices” (in conjunction with the AHSAA Central Board, Medical Advisory Board, ALSDE and ADPH) and will present the recommendations to the central board at its July 22 meeting.”

The AHSAA is looking forward to hosting the Kickoff Classic at Crampton Bowl, which kicks off the 2020 football season on Aug. 20 and 21.

AHSAA ATHLETICS The news from Mackey last Friday was good news for the AHSAA. This is a positive step towards seeing high school sports in Alabama.

2408 East University Drive Suite 109, Auburn, AL 36830

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B5 July 1, 2020

Opelika Dixie Boys come out swinging

Photos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

REOPENING >> FROM B1 and make tough choices. Be willing to adapt when needed and be able to adapt quickly.

Plans for school systems: “We are trying to make the best decisions we can with the data we have at the moment,” Harris said.

“As we roll the roadmap out, the path forward as we plan for the upcoming school year, now for the local school systems is to develop those on the ground responses, their [local school systems] plan for what that will

look like,” Mackey said.

“For instance, remote learning; in some communities, about 3% of parents have told us that they will choose remote learning, from day 1… in other communities it’s 80%. So that obviously is a difference in the number of teachers that you’re going to need to do the remote learning.

We are encouraging them [systems] to go ahead and be thinking about how many teachers need the professional development to push out that curriculum, to teach those lessons remotely. You can always overtrain.,” Mackey continued.

While discussing

LADY BISON >> FROM B2 Caleb Edmond - Baseball Noah Elder - Baseball Kelsey Farmer - Softball Haley Fehring - Women’s Basketball Hallea Gibbs - Volleyball Ansley Glover - Softball Neal Gresco - Baseball Joshua Guilford - Men’s Basketball Anna Kate Hare - Softball Allie Higginbotham - Softball Jamyah Jackson - Volleyball Katlyn Jaye - Softball Kelsey Jaye - Softball Reed Jinright - Baseball Wood Jinright - Baseball Ethan Johnson - Baseball Wesley Johnson - Baseball Jamesha King - Women’s Basketball Jack Lahr - Baseball Cameron Land - Baseball Charlie Lanier - Baseball

plans and procedures for keeping schools as clean as possible, Mackey pointed out that many of the policies may already be in place due to implementing sanitation policies during past flu seasons. “Many of these practices have become more normal to us the past few years because of the flu outbreaks.

Public health has been great about helping us think through mitigate of the flu. We have gotten better about thinking about how we mitigate the spread of flu and many of those same practices are things that we will have to put in place on a regular basis this school year,” Mackey added.

Maya Lovings - Women’s Basketball Haley Lyner - Softball Bailey Mara - Baseball Lydia Marshall - Softball Ateria Mcdowell - Women’s Basketball M’kiyah Mitchell - Softball Maddie Morton - Softball Haydon Moss - Baseball Lamonica Noel - Volleyball Jonathan Norfus - Men’s Basketball Ansley Ogletree - Softball Will Patota - Baseball Jayvian Pettit - Baseball Clayton Phillips - Baseball Dylan Pitts - Baseball Miranda Powell - Women’s Basketball Noelle Primus - Volleyball Madison Purcell - Softball Marcus Reid, Jr. - Men’s Basketball Casten Reed - Baseball Nathan Renfroe - Baseball James Richards - Men’s Basketball

Screening for illness: The screening process has to begin at home.

Mackey stressed that parents must screen their children. “We need parents need to check temperature, we need parents to check for symptoms and cough and those kind of things; not put children on the bus, not bring their children to school in a car and drop them off if they are experiencing new onset of symptoms that are unexplained,” Mackey said. “First set of screening starts at home.”

More information on the plans can be found at www.alsde.edu/Documents/ RoadmapParentF­ AQJune262020.pdf.

Izzy Rohr - Softball Logan Ross - Baseball Mitchell Rottier - Baseball Savannah Sands - Softball Cooper Schwalbach - Baseball Jamya Sharp - Women’s Basketball Jeremiah Smith - Men’s Basketball Lance Smith - Men’s Basketball Jake Spivey - Baseball Haylee Stokley - Softball Terrence Taylor, Jr. - Men’s Basketball Abbie Townley - Softball Odyssey Watkins - Women’s Basketball Olivia Whitt - Softball Cade Willingham - Baseball Anna Wood - Volleyball Hope Yancey - Women’s Basketball and Brock Young - Baseball.

For more information about Southern Union Athletics, visit suscc.edu.

1 OUT OF 10

ELDERLY PERSONS AND ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES ARE BEING:

Abused, Neglected or Exploited 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.”

B6 July 1, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICES DISSOLUTION OF CORPORATION In accordance with 10A5A-7.05 of the Code of Alabama, notice is hereby given that Sunshine Real Estate Investments, LLC, was dissolved on June 16, 2020. Any persons with claims against the limited liability company should send written notice to Lonnie G. Simpson, Jr., 1859 Ogletree Road, Auburn, AL 36830. Such claim should set forth the name of the claimant, the address and telephone number of the claimant, the nature of the claim, including, but not limited to, all facts supporting your claim and the date such claim arose. Any claim against the company will be barred unless a proceeding to enforce the claim is commenced within two years after the publication of this notice.

Legal Run 07/01/2020 --------------PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, AL IN THE MATTER OF: THOMAS E. POLLARD, an incapacitated person NOTICE OF FILING OF PARTIAL SETTLEMENT INTERESTED PERSONS TAKE NOTICE that BIRDIE P. PETERSON, as Conservator of THOMAS E. POLLARD, an incapacitated person, has filed her accounting requesting approval of a partial settlement of said Estate.

30 day of July, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. has been set the time to review said accounting. Done this the 23 day of June, 2020.

BILL ENGLISH, PROBATE JUDGE Legal Run 07/01/20, 07/08/20 & 07/15/20 --------------NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY ALABAMA Notice of the filing of Petition for Summary Distribution In the Estate of DOROTHY JEAN KINSER, deceased Notice is hereby given that a Petition for Summary Distribution has been filed in the LEE COUNTY Probate Office by Daniel E. Kinser on June 22, 2020 pursuant to Section 432-690, Code of Alabama and that 30 days after the notice of publication hereof and pursuant to law the Court shall be requested to enter an Order directing Summary Distribution of the estate of said decedent..

BILL ENGLISH, PROBATE JUDGE LEGAL RUN 07/01/20, 07/08/20 & 07/15/20 --------------IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA JUVENILE DIVISION J.D.R. a minor child (DOB: 11/23/2005), Case No. JU 15-175.03 NOTICE OF PETITION & SERVICE BY PUBLICATION NOTICE TO: Christopher Darez Washington, father of J. D. R, a minor child, born at The Medical Center in Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia on 11/23/2005 to Dominic Rudd.. The legal Custody of J. D. R. was vested in the Lee County Department of Human Resources on December 23, 2018.

Christopher Darez Washington must answer the Petition for Termination of Parental Rights of Christopher Darez Washington filed in the Juvenile Court of Lee County, Alabama within fourteen (14) days from the last date of Publication of this notice with the Clerk of Court located at the Lee County Justice Center, 2311 Gateway

Drive, Opelika, AL 36801, or thereafter, a final judgment may be entered in Case JU 15-175.03 terminating his parental rights and placing the child for adoption.

Mary Roberson, CIRCUIT CLERK Hon. Harold S. Patrick Attorney for Lee County DHR 2108-D Gateway Drive Opelika, AL 36801 (334) 741-0809 MARY B. ROBERSON CIRCUIT CLERK Legal Run 07/01/20, 07/08/20, 07/15/20 & 07/22/20 --------------STORAGE TREASURES AUCTION ONE FACILITY – MULTIPLE UNITS Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 1412 Opelika Rd, Auburn, AL 36830 Thursday, July 23, 2020 at 10:00AM Adrieene Barnett Unit 229 1807 York Ave Opelika , AL 36801 3 bedroom home Refridgerator, dryer, desk , mattresses, boxes and household items Leah Edwards Unit N165 3027 Veterans Memorial Parkway Lanett, AL 36863 boxes and small furniture 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 07/01/20 & 07/08/2020 --------------INVITATION TO BID 20030 Sealed bids for the construction of the 2020 Removal of Dead, Dying, or Dangerous Trees sshall be received at the Opelika City Hall Chambers, 204 South Seventh Street, Opelika, Alabama, until 10:00 a.m., local time on Tuesday, July 14, 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. The attention of all bidders is called to the provisions of State law governing “General Contractors” as set forth in the Ala. Code §34-8-1, et.seq.

(1975) and rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. Bidders must be licensed by the Licensing Board for General Contractors when bids are submitted.

Bidders are required to have a State of Alabama General Contractor’s License with a specialty of “Highways and Streets, Clearing and Grubbing, Earthwork, Erosion, Site Work, Grading or Municipal and Utility”. All bidders must submit with their proposal, contractor’s license number and a copy of the license. State law Ala. Code §34-8-8(b) requires all bids to be rejected which do not contain the contractor’s current license number. Evidence of this license shall be documented on the outside of the sealed bid.

All bidders shall possess all other licenses and/or permits required by applicable law, rule or regulation for the performance of the work.

Drawings and Specifications may be examined at the Office of the City Engineer located at 700 Fox Trail, Opelika, Alabama, and phone number: 334705-5450. 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: 2020 Removal of Dead, Dying, or Dangerous Trees LILLIE FINLEY- PURCHASING REVENUE MANAGER CITY OF OPELIKA 204 SOUTH SEVENTH STREET (36801) POST OFFICE BOX 390 (36803-0390) OPELIKA, ALABAMA PH: (334) 705-5120 Legal Run 06/24/2020 & 07/01/2020 --------------INVITATION TO BID 20032 Sealed bids for the construction of the Industrial Boulevard Improvements shall be received at the Opelika City Council Chambers, 204 South 7th Street, Opelika, Alabama, until 10:00 a.m., local time on Tuesday July 14, 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. The attention of all bidders is called to the provisions of State law governing “General Contractors” as set forth in the Ala. Code §34-8-1, et.seq. (1975) and rules and regulations promulgated pursuant thereto. Bidders must be licensed by the Licensing Board for General Contractors when bids are submitted.

Bidders are required to have a State of Alabama General Contractor’s License with a specialty of “Highways and Streets, Clearing and Grubbing, Earthwork, Erosion, Site Work, Grading or Municipal and Utility”. All bidders must submit with their proposal, contractor’s license number and a copy of the license. State law Ala. Code §34-88(b) requires all bids to be rejected which do not contain the contractor’s current license number.

Evidence of this license shall be documented on the outside of the sealed bid.

All bidders shall possess all other licenses and/ or permits required by applicable law, rule or regulation for the performance of the work.

The approximate quantities of said Project are as follows: approximately 60 l.f.

(6”) sanitary sewer force

main relocation, 600 l.f. (1 1/2” – 16”) water main relocations, 2,800 l.f. storm drain (15” – 48”), 8,500 l.f. curb and gutter and curb, 10,500 s.y. concrete pavement/ drives, 4,500 s.y. asphalt pavement, clearing and grubbing, roadway shoulder grading, existing pavement demolition.

Drawings and Specifications may be examined at the Office of the City Engineer located at 700 Fox Trail, Opelika, Alabama, and phone number: 334-7055450. Bid documents may be obtained from TTL, Inc., designated as the office of the awarding authority for this purpose, located at 2890 Rice Mine Road NE. Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. The contact person for the project is Frank Summers, PE. They can be reached at 205561-3778; fsummers@ ttlusa.com. Electronic files (PDF, CAD) will be released upon signature of an electronic release form obtained from TTL, Inc. There will be no charge for electronic files. Hard copy Plans, specifications and Contract Documents may be obtained at the above location upon the deposit of $250.00, which amount does not exceed twice the cost of printing, reproduction, handling and distribution of each set of such documents.

Deposits by prime Contractor bidders are refundable in full upon return of all documents in reusable condition within ten (10) days of bid opening. Additional sets of bid documents for prime Contractor bidders, subcontractors, vendors or dealers may be obtained upon payment of the same deposit. Such deposits will be refunded, less the cost of printing, reproduction, handling and distribution, if all the documents are returned in reusable condition within ten (10) days of bid opening.

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, PurchasingRevenue Manager, City of Opelika, 204 South 7th Street, P.O. Box 390, Opelika, Alabama, 36803-0390. Attn: Industrial Boulevard Improvements Pre-Bid Conference: A Pre-Bid Conference is required for this Project.

The mandatory pre-bid conference will be held by the City of Opelika, Alabama, a Municipal Corporation, in the City Hall Conference Room, 204 South Seventh Street, Opelika, Alabama, at 10:00 a.m., local time on Tuesday, July 7, 2020.

Any Alabama Licensed Contractor wishing to bid on this project as the prime contractor must have a company representative attend this meeting, signing the attendance sign-in-sheet with contact information. Each company will be limited to one (1) representative due to recent health restrictions and proper spacing shall be required during the

meeting. The attendance record will be issued as part of Addendum No. 1 with the meeting minutes.

Failure to attend this meeting will disqualify any Contractor submitting a bid as the prime Contractor.

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 06/24/2020 & 07/01/2020 --------------FORM OF ADVERTISEMENT FOR COMPLETION LEGAL NOTICE In accordance with Chapter I, Title 39, Code of Alabama, 1975, notice is hereby given that Whatley Construction LLC, Contractor, has completed the Contract for T.K. Davis Justice Center Courtroom Finish-Out, located at 2311 Gateway Drive Opelika, AL 36801 for the Lee County Commission, owner, and have made request for final settlement of said Contract. All persons having any claim for labor, materials or otherwise in connection with this project should immediately notify John Randall Wilson, 900 Janet Drive Auburn, AL 36801.

Whatley Construction LLC Post Office Box 137 Opelika, Alabama 368030137 Legal Run 06/24/20, 07/01/20, 07/08/20 & 07/15/20 --------------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 --------------INVITATION TO BID RFP# 20031 Sealed proposals Opelika Sportsplex IP Camera Installation, Low Voltage Rewire, and Fiber Additions shall be received at the Opelika City Hall Council Chamber, 204 South Seventh Street, Opelika, Alabama, until 2:00 p.m., local time on Monday, July 20, 2020, and then publicly opened and read aloud. All interested parties are invited to attend.

Only proposals from competent general contractors will be considered. At the time of contract award, the successful bidder must be a properly licensed general contractor. No proposal

will be accepted from anyone except a qualified Contractor licensed by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors. No proposal will be accepted from anyone except a qualified Contractor licensed by the State Licensing Board for General Contractors.

State of Alabama License Number must be written on the outside of the envelope.

The City of Opelika is requesting proposals from qualified vendors to continue installation on IP based High Definition (HD) security cameras, wireless access points with all associated cabling, and for monitoring activity in City of Opelika owned buildings.

Drawings and Specifications of this proposal may be obtained at the office of the Purchasing Department City Hall 204 South 7th Street Opelika, AL 36801, or they may be obtained from the City of Opelika’s web site at www.opelika-al.gov.

The 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 submitter for the proposal to be accepted.

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

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 Proposals and to waive irregularities.

Envelopes containing proposals must be sealed, marked, addressed as follows, and delivered to: Lillie Finley, PurchasingRevenue Manager, City of Opelika, 204 South 7th Street, P.O. Box 390, Opelika, Alabama, 36803-0390. Opelika Sportsplex IP Camera Installation, Low Voltage Rewire, and Fiber Additions.

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 06/24/20 & 07/01/20 --------------STATE OF ALABAMA IN THE PROBATE COURT LEE COUNTY DOCKET NO. 2020-220 RE: ESTATE OF JAIME H. RILEY, Deceased: NOTICE OF PUBLICATION Letters of Administration of said deceased having been granted to the undersigned on the 18th day of June, 2020, by the Judge of 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.

Mancil L. Riley, Jr., Administrator Claud E. (Skip) McCoy, Jr. Attorney for Administrator Johnson, Caldwell & McCoy, LLC 117 North Lanier Avenue, Suite 201 Lanett, Alabama 36863 (334) 644-1171 Telephone Legal Run 06/24/20, 07/01/20 & 07/08/20

Opelika, L ee County & A labama Politics Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Inside the Statehouse Lee County residents seek help

F

GOP Senate runoff in less than two weeks

olks, we are less than two weeks away from our election contest for our U.S. Senate seat.

The runoff between former Sen. Jeff Sessions and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville may be close and will be interesting.

The two conservatives were in a virtual dead heat in the March 3 GOP primary. Congressman Bradley Byrne, the Republican U.S. Representative from the 1st District, primarily Mobile and Baldwin counties, finished a strong third.

The runoff was initially set for March 31. However, the coronavirus delayed the runoff until July 14.

Therefore, the big question is how did the 15-week delay affect the runoff outcome. It is difficult to say.

However, my guess is that it may have been a salvation for Sessions.

Most pundits and polls indicated that Tuberville had the momentum and was set to win the runoff. The over three-month hiatus may have stymied if not thwarted that momentum the same way that football coaches call a timeout when the opposing team is driving toward a winning touchdown. It halts the Big Mo. Amazingly, the entire campaign has been about Donald Trump and who can cozy up the most to the conservative Republican President. All three frontrunner candidates, Tuberville, Sessions and Byrne, made their campaign pitches not about issues but who can be Trump’s buddy or valet.

Sessions and Byrne both had instances where they both had lapses in

STEVE FLOWERS their obedience to the irrational and irascible Don, so Tuberville’s lack of playing time in the political arena made him the more perceptual slave for Trump.

Tuberville’s entire campaign has been based on his being loyal to Trump. It has paid dividends. He led with 33% to Sessions’ 32% and Byrnes’ 25%. Indeed, as soon as the first primary was over in early March, Trump officially endorsed Tuberville. This endorsement propelled Tuberville into a nine-point lead in the polls in mid-March, which is when the pandemic hit and the election was delayed until July 14.

In the meantime, when the national economic virus shutdown subsided somewhat in mid-May, the campaign resumed. Trump again See FLOWERS, page B14

No ‘Tub for Gov.’, no ‘Gen. Beauregard’, but 2018-2020 slogans still interesting

By Greg Markley For the Opelika Observer

Political signs were relatively prim and proper when I first noticed them in the mid 1960s. Wealthy candidates tended to use their full names, by tradition. Since the late 1960s, however, politicians realize that to be “folksy” is to be more electable. One person who seldom uses his full name is Jeff Sessions.

Sessions is trying to win back his old U.S. Senate seat. His first name honors Jefferson Davis, Confederate president, and his middle (Beauregard) is after a Confederate general. With his Confederate names, voters may think he agrees with the racism of old. I believe Sessions’ strong conservativism is based on ideology, not racism.

After all, he did not choose his names from

his crib!

On July 14, Republicans choose their nominee. It will be Sessions or political newcomer Tommy Tuberville. I like Tuberville’s signage. Instead of a U.S. flag decal, he opts for Alabama’s flag. He reveres America’s flag.

But seeing Alabama’s flag on campaign literature is refreshing.

A former Auburn University football coach, Tuberville planned to run for Alabama governor in 2018. He decided against it when his friend and fellow Republican Kay Ivey became governor, and he was pleased with her stewardship of the state. He even had picked out a campaign slogan: “Tub for Guv.” U.S. Sen. Doug Jones has held Sessions’ former seat in Washington, DC since December 2017.

A democrat in a very republican state, he

faces a stiff challenge from whoever wins the GOP primary. His slogan is “One Alabama for everyone.” This is a positive sentiment that promises Jones will continue to help the state get more diverse and welcoming should he get a full six-year term.

In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Kay Ivey won with the slogan “We steadied the ship.” She was the first female governor elected on the republican ticket. (As lt. governor, she moved up after Gov. Robert Bentley resigned due to a scandal in April 2017.) Her other slogan was “Alabama is working again.” Both of Ivey’s slogans were very good.

Her opponent in 2018 was Walter Maddox.

He has been mayor of the state’s fifth largest city, Tuscaloosa, since 2005. At 47 years old See MARKLEY, page B9

with environmental concerns

By Michelle Key Publisher

Auburn resident Terry Buford brought concerns regarding the Sandhill Recycling Center, which is located on South Hwy. 29 and owned by D & J Enterprises. Lee County residents John Andrew Harris and Arthur Dowdell also spoke regarding some environmental issues allegedly caused by the facility to the surrounding properties, including Buford’s.

Buford has been holding protests recently trying to bring awareness to the conditions. Buford has hired an attorney to assist him in putting a stop to what he says is an illegal trash dump instead of a recycling center for yard debris such as tree stumps, limbs, leaves and roots.

Photo by Michelle Key/Opelika Observer Four LCEMA employees are sworn in during Monday night’s commission meeting.

Commission Chairman and Probate Judge Bill English swore in new Lee County Emergency Management Agency employees at the beginning of Monday night’s county commission meeting. EMA Director Rita Smith requested that she also be sworn in as she had not officially

been sworn in since she was hired in February.

In other business, the commission: • approved the minutes of the commission meeting held on June 8, 2020 • voted to ratify and approve claims and procurement card See LCC, page B9

Smiths Station City Council approves major purchase for City’s Public Works Department Special to the Opelika Observer

The development of the City of Smiths Station’s Public Works Department took a major step forward with the addition of a Bobcat skid steer loader, a purchase that was approved by resolution during Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Council members made a motion to move their Aug. 25 meeting to Aug. 27 due to a scheduling conflict with the municipal election.

The council approved the General Fund Budget for 2020-2021 proposed by Finance Officer Shelby Branton.

“Shelby is about two to three months ahead of schedule in getting this done,” said Mayor F.L. “Bubba” Copeland. “I appreciate her

dedication and efforts to keeping our city’s financial matters in order.”

The council also approved an ordinance re-establishing, enforcing and maintaining the city’s motor fuels tax, which helps fund repaving projects throughout the city. The current tax is equal to two cents on each gallon of motor fuel sold or delivered within the city limits.

The Smiths Station City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month with the work session starting at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m.

Their meetings are held within the council chambers of the Smiths Station Government Center, which is located at 2336 Lee Road 430. For more information, call 334-297-8771.

B8 July 1, 2020

George Allen enters the race Opelika’s Ward 5 Councilman David Canon to seek re-election for Opelika Ward 1 council seat Special to the Opelika Observer

Ward 5 Councilman David Canon has announced his plans to seek re-election to the council.

Canon was elected to the city council in 2010 to complete the remaining two years of Dr. William L. Lazenby’s term following Lazenby’s untimely death. He went on to be re-elected in both 2012 and 2016.

“I pledge to continue to represent fairly and impartially all the constituents of Ward 5 and all other Opelika citizens; and to listen to their concerns, to help solve their problems and will strive to keep Opelika the greatest city in Alabama to live, work, play, raise a family, go to church and to retire [in],” Canon stated in a press release.

Canon said that there are several projects he wants to see through completion before he leaves the city council. Those projects include: • Select route,

CANON complete plans, secure funds and complete the extension of the Sportsplex Connector from Andrews Road to U.S. Hwy. 431.

• Paving the streets in the Industrial Park on Industrial Blvd. that runs from Lake Condy Road to just past Sharpe Street.

• Promote industry for the New Tech Park at the intersection of Veterans Parkway and

US 280.

• Improve efforts to regulate speeding on several streets in Ward 5 and eliminate heavy truck traffic on streets that prohibit heavy trucks.

• Complete repair of the washed out portion of Rocky Brook Road and damage to the dam.

• Help find the best location for an additional public school in the Northside of Opelika and see the construction of the facility within the next four years.

• Finalize location and plans for a new public library.

• Investigate future needs for and location of another cemetery as Garden Hills becomes full.

Completed projects during Canon’s tenure: • The completion of the Sportsplex connector.

• The successful defeat of the proposed granite quarry and completion of the See CANON, page B10

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

Located in Historic Downtown Opelika

334-745-4618

By Wil Crews Opelika Observer

“If elected, I will be a persistent voice for the unheard, regardless of race, age or gender, a promoter of equity for Ward 1 and work for the continued growth of this city,” said George Allen, the newest candidate to announce a run for the Opelika City Council Ward 1 seat.

Allen, a retired, lifelong Opelika resident, said

ALLEN he decided to run after in-depth consultation with his family, former local politicians, business

owners, residents of Ward 1 and other concerned See ALLEN, page B9

Robert Johnson seeks Ward 1 seat

By Wil Crews Opelika Observer

Robert Johnson, senior pastor at Freedom Life Worship Center, has announced his intentions to run for the Opelika City Council Ward 1 seat.

“The thing that really inspired me, is that I see so much potential and opportunity in our community –– especially in Ward 1,” Johnson said.

Johnson wants to re-build Ward 1 from the ground up and from the inside out. To accomplish this, he’s building his campaign on four pillars.

If elected, Johnson’s paramount goal is empowering the people.

With skills training, motivational coaching and mentorship, Johnson believes people can be given the license and confidence to do great things, for themselves and the community.

Secondly, Johnson hopes to change the environment. “If you

JOHNSON change the environment, if the streets are safe, if the community is a vibrant, well-kept community, it gives people a sense of pride and hope,” Johnson added.

“Now they begin to believe that they can be more, do more and have more.”

See JOHNSON, page B10

B9 July 1, 2020

Alabama Sec. of State joins National Task Force on Voting by Mail Special to the Opelika Observer

Last month, the Public Interest Legal Foundation, in conjunction with various other election experts, formally announced the launch of the National Task Force on Voting

by Mail.

Recognized nationally as a “respected expert in the field of election integrity,” Secretary of State John H. Merrill joins a group of national leaders to establish vote by mail standards that will protect the credibility and integrity of the electoral process. He is the only sitting Secretary of State to join the committee.

“As nationwide efforts are currently being made to change the way voters participate in the elections process, it is incumbent on election officials to set up protocols and safeguards to ensure that each and every eligible voter is able to

LCC >> FROM B7 transactions • held the 2nd reading of two vacancies on Lee County Communications District (E911) Board and voted to approve • announced the appointment of James Majors as the new Absentee Election Manager by the Lee County Absentee Election Manager committee as well as voted to appoint County Attorney Stan Martin to represent Majors should he be named in the ongoing litigation involving Circuit Clerk and former Absentee Election Manager Mary Robertson. It is anticipated that Robertson will be dismissed as a defendant since she has resigned as the Absentee Election Manager • voted to set the date of

ALLEN >> FROM B8 citizens.

“I love Opelika, I’ve always done various community services, and this is just another avenue that I could take that I believe could be a help to the people of Opelika,” Allen said.

Allen believes that Opelika is a great place to live. Still, from his years working as a poll worker for elections, Allen has learned that certain citizens’ concerns have gone unaddressed.

If elected, Allen has plans to address some of those concerns, namely the city’s infrastructure and education system.

“One thing that I would like to see is that we would elect members of the board of education… that way I feel they will be more accountable to the people they represent,” Allen added.

Allen has plans for a door-to-door campaign, with the goal hearing the community’s concerns first-hand.

MERRILL participate in free and fair elections,” Merrill announced.

Other members of the Task Force are Public Interest Legal Foundation Board Members Cleta Mitchell of Foley & Lardner LLP, J. Christian Adams of the Election Law Center, Hans von Spakovsky of the Heritage Foundation and a former member of the Federal Election Commission, Dr. John

Eastman of Chapman University, David Norcross, the Chairman of the RNC’s Standing Committee on Rules, and Bill Davis of Foley & Lardner LLP, Pete Hutchison of Landmark Legal Foundation, former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth J. Blackwell, John Fund of the National Review, among many others.

The group will focus on protecting the opportunity for voters to cast a secret ballot, preventing fraud, intimidation or manipulation when voting and providing the ability for voters to cast their ballots in a way that does not compromise their safety, security or well-being.

“Elections are the foundation of American democracy. I am honored to join my colleagues across the country as we move towards securing the individual state voting process nationwide,” Merrill stated.

Aug. 31 as the date of a public hearing pertaining to the right-of-way vacation of Lee Road 179 • voted to approve a request from the Kreher Preserve & Nature Center for assistance in grading their parking area • voted to approve the installation of a 30-foot flag pole with flag at the Command Sergeant Major Bennie Adkins Meeting Center in honor of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Owner and Founder of Flags 4 Vets Jamie Popwell will install the flag and plans to have the installation completed prior to the memorial service for Adkins that has been scheduled for July 25. The commission also approved the use of the center for a private reception to be held for the family and special guests following the memorial service • voted to request the Attorney General’s

opinion on how cost of living pay raises for the elected coroner’s position should be managed • voted to approve a reduction in the speed limit on Lee Road 424 from 45 mph to 35 mph • voted to approve a contract with Dean’s Commercial Two-way, Inc. out of Cataula, Georgia, for the replacement of the Salem Hill Tower. The commissioners voted to approve entering an agreement with the company in an amount not to exceed $314,100 • heard, from County Administrator Roger Rendleman, some proposed personnel policy revisions for the commissioners to review and place on a future agenda for a vote • and voted to approve the low bid from ABS Business Systems in Auburn for a copier and printer services agreement in the amount of $9,318.

Two separate executive sessions were held, and the following actions were taken after each of those sessions: • authorized Revenue Commissioner Oline Price to sign a legal agreement with an attorney for representation in litigation • and voted to approve Rendleman to reject a real estate offer and to list certain county owned former recreational park properties on the govdeals.com website.

The Lee County Commissioners hold a public meeting on the second and last Monday nights of every month.

Meetings are held at 5 p.m. in the commission chambers, located on the second floor of the Lee County Courthouse Annex. Meetings can be viewed online at the county website www.leeco. us. The next meeting is schedule to be held on July 13.

“Of course we will do some social media, but I believe that it is important to meet people,” he added.

In his past, Allen’s work within the community has helped him do just that –– meet people.

“I am a life-long resident of Ward One. I would venture to say over 75% of its residents know me personally through my occupations or my community involvements and will agree that I have the qualities needed to effectively represent them on our City Council,” Allen said.

He’s spent time at the Opelika Parks and Recreation Department, worked with the Lee County Boys and Girls Club during its inception and coached many youth activities.

His commitment to his community did not stop there however; he is currently involved in multiple community undertakings.

Allen is a member and fundraising coordinator of the J.W. Darden Alumni Association –– an organization that specializes in awarding scholarships to deserving high school

graduates.

Additionally, Allen is the president of the J.W. Darden Foundation, who’s mission is to perpetuate the legacy of Dr. J.W. Darden (the first African physician in Opelika) through scholarships and free health care provided by the Darden Wellness Center.

Allen also holds memberships for the Lee County Voters League and a reactivation committee for the Lee County Branch of the NAACP. He currently works at the Covington Recreation Center as a recreation assistant. If elected, he plans to continue working there.

Last but not least, Allen is a member of the Ferguson Chapel CME Church, serving as the adult church school teacher and chairman of the trustee board.

With a slogan of “Count on Me,” Allen believes he is indeed the right person to lead Opelika –– and Ward 1 specifically –– forward.

“I see Ward 1’s needs as Opelika’s needs. I cannot envision Opelika’s growth without the mutual growth

of Ward 1. However, before we can have mutual growth, we must first make all communities equal. Then and only then, can we concentrate on the continued growth of Opelika,” Allen said.

Allen graduated from J.W. Darden High School in Opelika in 1966. He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics from Alabama State University where he became a member of the Omega Phi Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is the loving husband of Dr. Beatrice C. Allen and the father of three boys Kenneth, Cornelius and Tony.

To donate to Allen’s campaign, please contact Jeanette Peters at 334-7456578 or Jeanette.peters@ myops.net.

Allen is running against Jamie Lowe and Alexis Meniefield and Robert Johnson for the Ward 1 seat being vacated by councilwoman Patsy Jones, who served in her role for the last 25 years.

The Opelika Municipal election is set for Aug. 25.

Merrill issues reminder on crossover voting Special to the Opelika Observer

As the runoff election date approaches, it is important to keep in mind the state’s crossover voting law, which has been in effect since 2017. Voters who cast a ballot in the primary election may only vote in that same party’s runoff election.

Voters who did not participate in the March 3, 2020 primary election or who voted strictly on constitutional amendments alone are still able to vote in the July 14 primary runoff election

MARKLEY >> FROM B7 and with a booming city, Maddox was expected to grab in excess of 43% in his contest against Ivey.

He had been nationally recognized for his management of the city after an F-4 tornado.

Was his slogan “Walt” appealing enough? No, because he was not well-known outside Tuscaloosa, and a large “Walt” even with the smaller Maddox in the bottom didn’t help his statewide identification. He should have used something like “Education can work for Alabama” or “A new face for a new era.”

Those alternative slogans may have gained Maddox 3 or 4 percentage points.

Ivey would still have won by a landslide (55% or more). But Maddox would have “cảrried the ball” better for his own future and that of the now insignificant democratic party in the state.

“If the facts are against you, argue the law,” said Pulitzer Prize winning poet and historian Carl Sandburg. “If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell!” This mantra is well-known among lawyers.

The Sandburg quote has relevance among political candidates as well as in courtrooms. Candidates who lack government experience use slogans with words like “change,” “transform” or “ignite.” It would not help their campaign to highlight the facts of their newness to the position they are running for.

If someone has a weak record in

for the party of their choosing.

In addition, Alabamians will have until June 29 to register to vote and until July 9 to submit an absentee ballot application.

If returning by hand, absentee ballots must be delivered to the Absentee Election Manager no later than the close of business July 13. If mailing, absentee ballots must be postmarked no later than July 13.

For questions or concerns, contact the Office of the Secretary of State at 334-242-7200. office (the law and competence aspect), they offer the “facts” that they are improving things, but gradually. Finally, and continuing with Sandburg’s theme, “Where the law and the facts are against you” being theatrical and “pounding and yelling” can help a lawyer win a case or a candidate win an election. A slogan here would be: “Throw the burns out!” which doesn’t need law or facts to succeed.

I recall two very effective slogans I saw in my birth state, Rhode Island. First was for a woman who was elected state representative as an Independent. Two years later, she ran as a Republican and had a challenger for the seat.

Her slogan was “One good term deserves another.” That was a gentle way of indicating she was proud of her record and wanted more time to continue it. She won that election and many more afterward, too.

As Alabama’s U.S. Senate primary looms, Jeff Sessions is behind Tommy Tuberville in polls.

Yet primary elections are tough to predict. Intriguing is the “football” vote, in which Crimson Tide fans might vote against Tuberville because he coached the Auburn Tigers. Or Auburn fans might vote for him just for that reason. President Trump is backing the outsider over his former Attorney General. All the reason for republicans to vote in 13 short days (July 14).

Greg Markley has lived in Lee County for 19 of the past 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.

B10 July 1, 2020

Opelika Kiwanis Club hosts District Attorney Brandon Hughes; Tim Ellen in June

U.S. Chamber of Commerce awards Sen. Doug Jones “Spirit of Enterprise” Award Special to the Opelika Observer

Photo special to the Opelika Observer Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes spoke to club members last week about cold cases. Pictured below are Margaret Mayfield, Hughes and Rickey Elliott.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced that U.S. Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.) was awarded the 2020 U.S. Chamber Spirit of Enterprise Award. This award recognizes members of Congress who have shown their commitment to not only supporting pro-business legislation, but also commitment to bipartisan leadership and constructive governing necessary to move our country forward.

“Pro-growth policies contribute to good jobs and improve the quality of life for the folks I serve, and I am always looking for opportunities to work across the aisle to advance those efforts,” Jones said. “I am grateful to the U.S. Chamber for this honor and I will continue to make it my top priority to improve the lives of Alabamians by championing policies that expand economic opportunity.”

“In these uncertain times with daunting economic and social challenges facing our nation, it is imperative that leaders in Washington are focused on propelling American

JOHNSON >> FROM B8

Photo special to the Opelika Observer Tim Ellen with the Coach Pat Dye Show was our guest speaker sharing memories of Coach Dye. Pictured below Barry Mask, Rickey Elliott, and Tim Ellen.

CANON >> FROM B8 annexation of that land into the city limits.

• The completion of the Opelika High School renovation.

• Continue to revise our zoning policy regulations to meet current needs.

• Completion of the fiber to the home project and the sale of OPS One to Point Broadband.

• The Administration replacing the downtown Christmas decorations.

• Refinancing several general obligation warrants to save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest.

• The completion of several more phases of the streetscape plan.

• The continued revitalization of the downtown business district with new retail and food services businesses.

• Addition of the pickleball courts to the Opelika Sportsplex and Aquatics Center.

• The construction of a new fire station headquarters facility and a new police department and municipal court facility.

About Canon: Canon is a life-long resident of Opelika and is married to Ann Roberts Canon. He has lived in Opelika all his life. He and his wife Ann have two adult children and six grandchildren. He is a member of the First United Methodist Church of Opelika where he has held many leadership positions. He has taught Sunday school and was a member of the Chancel Choir for more than 50 years.

He and his wife Ann are members of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce.

Canon is a graduate of Opelika High School, Auburn University, The Alabama Banking School and the LSU School of Banking of the South. Canon is a retired banker and was affiliated with five local financial institutions during his 38 years in banking – Farmers National Bank, Colonial Bank, Eagle Bank, Charterbank and AuburnBank.

Prior to his banking career he worked in his family’s automotive dealership, Canon Motor Company, for 10 years.

He is a member emeritus and past president of the Opelika Rotary Club and he is a past president of the Opelika Historic Preservation Society, Opelika Main Street, Inc., and United Way of Opelika. He served as a board member and treasurer of the Museum of East Alabama. As a member of the city council Canon has served on the Planning Commission and the Lee-Russell Council of Governments.

Canon said that he loves the city, has enjoyed serving on the Opelika City Council and looks forward to continuing to serve for another term. “There are several seats on the council that will be filled by new council members this year. I think it is important that we [retain] council members that are experienced and can assist new council members as they take their seat on the Opelika City Council,” Canon said.

Ward 5 is geographically the largest of Opelika’s 5 wards. “I ask for your vote and your support,” Canon stated. He can be reached at davidcanonward5@gmail.com

Thirdly, Johnson wants to create opportunities. “If [the people] don’t have opportunities, if they don’t have a choice and if they don’t have a chance… then they’re left pretty much hopeless.”

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Johnson wants to make sure people get connected with those opportunities. “The opportunities can be right under people’s noses, but unless somebody points them to those opportunities, they can go untapped,” Johnson said. “We want to be a bridge for the people. I believe that’s a big part of the responsibility and work of the city council.”

Johnson graduated from Opelika State Technical School in 1987. Now, he is the senior pastor at Freedom Life Worship Center at 108 N 8th St. As a pastor, Johnson’s faith will play a large role in his campaign –– but perhaps not exactly how one would think.

“I would say the greatest role that my faith will have in it, is the faith that I have in people,” Johnson said. “The faith that I have in God, it gives me a perspective to look at every man as being equal. Every person is just as important as the next.”

He began his career as a police officer in Goodwater, Alabama. From there he went to Camp Hill, where he was promoted to sergeant. Johnson then capped off his time

businesses forward to create jobs and economic growth from California to Maine,” said U.S Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas J. Donohue. “As we rebuild our economy, legislators must lead by pursuing bipartisan solutions that create jobs and promote a free enterprise system. I’m proud to recognize these 259 Members of Congress for their commitment to driving opportunity and prosperity in America’s workforce and on Main Streets across the nation.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than three million businesses of all sizes, sectors and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Jones was also awarded the U.S Chamber of Commerce JeffersonHamilton Award for Bipartisanship and the Abraham Lincoln Leadership for America Award earlier this month. Jones is one of only two senators to have earned both honors this year. The announcement came during the First Annual U.S. Chamber of Commerce Governing with Distinction Ceremony.

in law enforcement as a deputy sheriff in Coosa County.

Since his time on the force, the world has certainly changed. From both a national and local perspective, the general attitude that many people hold toward the police force can be described in one word –– distrust.

Johnson hopes to change that, particularly in Opelika.

He wants to bring a sense of connectedness back to the community and he believes it starts with one thing.

“Respect, respect, respect. If you have that proper respect –– that is that everyone is eye-to-eye –– then it opens the door for a place of mutual understanding,” Johnson said. “Then, that opens the door for conversation.”

Johnson left Coosa County and subsequently traded in his badge for his book –– the Bible. He would go on to spend over 15 years as the youth pastor at Darian Missionary Baptist Church. There he worked with children and teens, in a youth group of well over 100 kids, and participated in extensive community outreach projects.

Johnson has now lived in Ward 1 for 12 years. His commitment to community involvement has only strengthened.

Johnson volunteers with New Birth Outreach, where he does empowerment sessions and faith based mentorship.

He is a strong advocate for the Carver community, and he also dedicates his time and resources to the East

Alabama Food Bank and several other community service organizations.

Furthermore, Johnson has helped launch community outreach programs such as The Money School –– which focuses on financial education –– MEND, a coaching and mentorship clergy coalition, and Excel 365, an organization with the mission to encourage young men in the areas of ethics, etiquette, community service, dress codes, teamwork, business, finance and more.

Under the church ministry at Freedom Life, Johnson owns and works with his wife, Allison Johnson, at Emerald Cove Early Learning Center. The two have been married for 26 years and are the proud parents of five children and proud grandparents of seven grandchildren.

As a lasting message to tell Opelika’s Ward 1 why he is the right candidate, Johnson had this to say: “I have the experience. I have a solid vision for Opelika, specifically Ward 1. I have passion for Opelika and Ward 1. I have a strategic plan to bring about change for the best in Ward 1. I have the belief and the faith that we can do it, we will do it, we must do it.”

Johnson is the fourth candidate to announce a run for the Opelika City Council Ward 1 seat.

Patsy Jones is vacating the seat after serving more than 25 years in it.

The Opelika municipal election is set for Aug. 25.

B11 July 1, 2020

LOCAL CLASSIFIED ADS Opelika Housing Development, Inc. is currently seeking highly motivated, experienced, and trustworthy candidates to fill the Full-time position of Accounting Assistant. Duties will include, but not be limited to: •Maintain fiscal records, generate payments, prepare periodic/special reports, operating statements, etc.

1. Process invoices for payment in accordance with established procedures, i.e. code, verify that needed documentation is present, enter data into system 2.Verify that purchases are properly documented and approved in accordance with established procedures

3.Review and process contractor payment requests on a weekly basis 4 Resolve discrepancies in invoices, charges, and payments by contacting vendors, employees, or other appropriate means 5.Process credit rent utility reimbursements in accordance with established procedures 6. Prepare Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) landlord payments and utility payments for participants in accordance with established procedures 7. Assist Senior Accountant with daily accounts receivable reports, including miscellaneous deposits, and take appropriate action

to resolve any underlying problems or issues 8. Coordinate with bank officers to correct any errors resulting from direct deposits, charges, etc. in order to ensure the integrity of the bank account balance 9. Prepare and assist in preparing a variety of periodic and special reports 10. Post tenant rent charges for the beginning of each month.

11. Generate 1099’s annually, in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as needed Education: High school or equivalent (Required) License or certification: • Driver’s License • Ability to be insured under

the Authority’s automobile insurance policy • Ability to be covered under the Authority’s fidelity bond 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 ------------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 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) To apply please visit our office, located at 1706 Toomer Street, Opelika, AL 36801 or complete an application online at http://www.opelikaha. org/Default.asp?ID=123&pg= Employment+Opportunities

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B12 July 1, 2020

Like crossword puzzles? Sudoku?

Play online at www.opelikaobserver.com/puzzles/

B13 July 1, 2020

B14 July 1, 2020

Lee County Voters League to resume meetings via Zoom Special to the Opelika Observer

President Gray is resuming the Lee County Voters League and Youth Organization meetings (via Zoom) next week on July 6.

Participants are asked to use the web address below after 5:45 p.m. to ‘queue in’ so the meeting may promptly begin at its traditional 6 p.m. start time. https://us02web. zoom.us/j/ 89455683879?pwd=cm5qcE8xaDZhb-

jErd05LcmhkMVV1QT09 Meeting ID: 894 5568 3879 Password: 467314 For those who prefer to participate

via phone, the contact number is 1-312-626-6799.

For more information visit the Voters League website: www.lcvotersleague.com

FLOWERS >> FROM B7 inserted himself into the Alabama GOP Senate race by blasting Sessions with yet another vitriolic attack.

Trump asserted that Sessions had asked him four times to be Attorney General.

Finally, Sessions took up for himself and retorted that he never asked Trump for the job.

Folks, I have watched Jeff Sessions’ career as our Junior U.S. Senator for 20 years and prior to that as Alabama’s Attorney General, and I am here to tell you that Jeff Sessions’ truth, veracity and integrity trumps Trump by a country mile. Honesty, integrity and truthfulness is not Trump’s forte. However, it has been Sessions’ during his more than 30 years in public service in Alabama.

In fact, Trump owed more to Sessions than naming him Attorney

General. When Trump began his quest for the GOP nomination, he was given very little chance. Jeff Sessions’ endorsement as the nation’s most conservative senator gave the bombastic, egocentric New Yorker credibility and gave impetus to his race for the White House.

Actually, I said at the time that Sessions’ acquiescence to becoming Attorney General was a step down from being a veteran 20-year U.S. Senator and Chairman of the Judiciary Committee in a safe U.S. Senate seat. You can bet your bottom dollar he is now sorry he accepted the post. It is apparent he is not going to get Trump’s endorsement for obvious reasons.

He would not break the law or do Trump’s bidding, so Trump hates him.

Trump has reaffirmed his endorsement of Tommy Tuberville. Historically, in Alabama politics,

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This week’s puzzle answers:

endorsements by one politician in another political race have not been advantageous. In fact, they have been counterproductive.

Alabamians have inherently resented endorsements. However, in this case and in this race, my guess is that Trump is so popular among Republican voters in Alabama that his attacks on Sessions and endorsement of Tuberville will propel the coach to victory.

In fact, polls show Tuberville with a double-digit lead. He has run a good campaign, staying on point and simply saying, I am going to support Donald Trump.

Have a Happy 4th of July.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist.

His weekly column appears in more than 60 Alabama newspapers.

He served 16 years in the state legislature.

Steve may be reached at www.steveflowers.us.