Opelika Observer -11-25-2020 E-edition

VOL. 13, NO. 8

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

pelika Observer O

Opelika, Alabama

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Geneva Street Now Open Photo contributed by Opelika Main Street

Southern Crossing Named 2020 Downtown Business of the Year Contributed by Opelika Main Street

Photo contributed by the city of Opelika Good news: Geneva Street is now open to traffi c all the way through and the detour is now removed. There will still be temporary lane closures as the contractor fi nishes up work on the roadway and sidewalks. There will be no detours in the foreseeable future. Currently, there is a temporary stop sign on Geneva Street at Stowe Avenue that will remain until all of the construction is completed.

Deadline to sponsor wreaths for Fort Mitchell Nov. 30

By Will Fairless Associate Editor This year, although the annual event will look different because of COVID-19, there will still be wreaths laid on the headstones at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery.

Wreaths Across America (WAA) will be laying wreaths at Fort Mitchell on Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. During that time, the cemetery will be closed to the public; the

wreath-laying ceremony will be recorded.

Wreaths Across America’s annual trip from Harrington, Maine to Arlington has become known as the world’s largest veterans parade, including stops at schools, monuments and veterans’ homes to further the organization’s mission to “remember, honor and teach,” according to its website.

Fort Mitchell National Cemetery is one of thousands of locations

that participate in the wreath-laying every year. There has been a wreath-laying ceremony at Fort Mitchell annually since 2006. “[Our veterans] sacrificed themselves and gave their lives for our country,” said Karrie Schwerin, the location coordinator for WAA at Fort Mitchell. “The least we can do is honor them with a wreath.”

Every wreath that the organization lays to honor those who have See WREATHS, page A2

Longtime Opelika business Southern Crossing was awarded the 2020 Downtown Business of the Year award Friday at the Opelika Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting.

Selected each year by the Opelika Main Street Board of Directors, the award honors an exceptional business that has contributed to the growth and prosperity of downtown Opelika.

“Southern Crossing has been a staple of downtown for well over 20 years,” said Opelika Main Street Executive Director Ken Ward. “This business invested in downtown at the start of our rebirth and has served thousands of customers while also creating dozens of new jobs.”

Previous recipients of the award include Mama Mocha’s Bodega and Taylor Made Designs.

Journals offer affirmation on front, outlet inside

By Will Fairless Associate Editor Khadijah Torbert, an Opelika native now living in Tuscaloosa, started a business this year that she hopes will affect more than just her wallet.

Made Worthy Journal Notebooks LLC was started by Torbert in June 2020, four years after she was divinely inspired to create such a line of journals.

“The idea to have my own journal notebook came to me in a dream,” Torbert said.

Index OPINION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A4

SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B1

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY. . . . . . . .A7

POLITICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7

RELIGION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A13

PUBLIC NOTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . B9

COMICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A16

CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B11

“I truly believe God was pushing me into creating this journal line in 2015-2016 after a terrible breakup.”

She kept on journaling in other brands’

notebooks until she got serious about starting her own business in 2019. The next year, Torbert thought it was the perfect time to introduce the world to her line of affirming notebooks.

“With everything that has gone on from a global pandemic to racial injustice to other things that just happen in life, I felt the time was now, this year, to create the journal in order for people to release in a safe manner,” she said.

See JOURNALS, page A5

A2 November 25, 2020

KOB Announces Yard of the Year Winners

WARD FOUR

WARD FIVE

WREATHS

>>

FROM A1

served must be sponsored by the community.

To sponsor one wreath costs $15; for $30, a person can sponsor three.

“Every year we use this ceremony and event to celebrate those that gave their life for us to live ours,” Schwer-

in said. “What better way during the holiday season to do so than to place a wreath on their headstone, say their name and thank them for the ultimate sacrifice?

I don’t believe enough people of the community know or understand the meaning and reasoning behind this event.”

According to the

pelika Observer

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

WAA website and as of Nov. 19, there have been 1,254 wreaths sponsored for the Fort Mitchell ceremony. That is only 11% of the way to a goal of about 11,000.

“There is nothing sadder than placing some wreaths on headstones then running out and being unable to finish,” Schwerin said.

WARD THREE Photos contributed by Keep Opelika Beautiful Pictured above are the Keep Opelika Beautiful Yard of the Year Winners for Ward Three - Mr. and Mrs. Michael Atkins, Ward Four - Mr. and Mrs. Billy Hoffman and Ward Five - Mr. and Mrs. Blake Boothe. Not pictured are Ward One - Mr. and Mrs. Fred Jackson and Ward Two - Mr. and Mrs. Zach Hendrix

Subscribe to the Opelika Observer Today!

Publisher: Michelle Key Associate Editors: Will Fairless and Hannah Lester Marketing: Woody Ross Photojournalist: Robert Noles Sports Writers: Wil Crews, Rick Lanier and D. Mark Mitchell

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A3 November 25, 2020

Letter to the Editor

I

wanted to provide a summary of the Cancer Event to Remember that the Opelika Observer graciously helped advertise for. This event was a virtual exercise challenge where participants could register for a challenge of either 300, 600 or 1000 minutes of exercise for the month of October. The event benefited the Oncology Wellness Program at the Spencer Cancer Center of EAMC. The premise of the event

was to exercise to take care of yourself while honoring loved ones who have fought cancer. Donations of $50+ got the names of the donor’s honoree on the giveaway, a gaiter. And by registering, you received the gaiter. Beginning October 1, registrants had the opportunity to start logging their exercise. We had 88 people register and 90% of them accomplished their goal by Oct. 31.

Registrants had the

opportunity to follow our Facebook Live exercise classes (4 days a week for the entire month of October) for registering.

We also had a virtual Facebook Live auction on Oct.15 where we auctioned off a few donated items.

Lastly, our registrants could participate live on Facebook or in person for the Geisler workout at Fortify Fitness on Oct. 31 to close down the event. A donation was requested at the

door and all proceeds went to the event.

This event was held on Hanna Geisler’s birthday. Hanna was a personal trainer at HealthPlus with aspirations to move over to the Oncology Wellness Program as a Cancer Exercise Trainer as HealthPlus downsized in February 2020. However, in October 2019, she had to take a leave of absence because she was diagnosed with Leukemia, likely resulting from treatment

of the ovarian cancer she beat a few years prior. In June 2020, despite a hard-fought battle, Hanna lost her life to the disease. She would have been 25 years old Oct. 31. She was the event organizer’s honoree for the event. Her family all followed along from Cincinnati during the Geisler workout. It was a beautiful thing.

Originally, the goal was to raise $5000.

In the past, we had raised much more than that. However, with

COVID hurting a lot of our small business big donors, we felt $5k was a reasonable goal. In the end, we raised more than $12,500.

I just want to say thank you to you and all of our other participants, sponsors and donors. You are making a difference in cancer survivors lives by your generosity.

Emily A. Ansick M.E.d Exercise Physiologist Float EAMC

Wreaths Across America Radio to Air Holiday Greetings from Deployed Troops Contributed by Wreaths Across America During a time of year when families have empty seats at their tables, and deployed troops are missing home, Wreaths Across America Radio (WAAR) airs messages from troops from across the country and overseas, and encourages folks at home, to send a holiday greeting to them in the form of an internet radio greeting.

The “Holiday Greetings” program provides American military families and civilians

the opportunity to extend holiday greetings and thanks to service members and veterans through our international internet radio station at (www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/radio (hashtag #WreathsRadio.) Last year, messages connected many families from all over the globe. Be sure to email your friends and loved ones and let them know about this program.

“The United States currently has 1.3 million active duty members, reservists and guards serving within our borders and abroad.

Additionally, more than

24 million veterans have faithfully served our country in the past,” said Karen Worchester, Wreaths Across America executive director. “I am honored and thrilled to be able to offer these soldiers and their families the opportunity to share their Holiday greetings on air. It’s especially important for sharing love and support for their sacrifices at this special time of the year.”

Anyone can participate by calling (833) 369-1351 to record a short holiday greeting.

Wreaths Radio will play Holiday Greetings onair during the holidays

Revive Plus grant program to support small businesses Contributed by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce Gov. Kay Ivey announced a $200 million grant program, Revive Plus on Nov. 18. The grant program provides support to small businesses, non-profits and faithbased organizations that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These organizations with 50 or fewer employees could be awarded grants of up to $20,000.

The Revive Plus grant program is the second wave of funding for businesses, non-profit, and faith-based organiza-

tions. Through this initiative by Governor Kay Ivey, $200 million of the State’s CARES Act funding is being dedicated to providing grants of up to $20,000 to reimburse qualifying entities for business interruption expenses. The application process for this grant is being administered by the Alabama Department of Finance.

Alabama received approximately $1.8 billion from the CARES Act Fund. $200 million of these funds will be distributed to Alabama’s Businesses, Non-Profits and Faith-Based Organizations as

$20,000 cash grants.

If you have previously received funding through the Revive Alabama Small Business, Non-Profit, Faith-Based and Health Care Provider grants programs, you may apply and if eligible, receive funding.

The award will be in addition to funding you have already received or plan to receive.

Starting on Nov. 23, 2020, Alabama Businesses, Non-Profits and Faith-Based Organizations are encouraged to complete an application through Submittable Online Portal (alabama.submittable.com/submit).

to help bring families, loved ones, members of our military and Americans closer together for the holiday season.

These special messages will be broadcast between Nov. 23 and Dec. 31.

Wreaths Across America Radio was founded in 2014 as a 24/7 Internet stream. Its unique format offers a mix of country, rock, bluegrass and Americana music interwoven with informational and inspiring content about members of the U.S. armed forces, their families, military veterans and volunteers through-

out the country and overseas who support the nonprofits’ mission to remember, honor and teach.

You can sponsor a wreath for $15 at www. wreathsacrossamerica. org/. Each sponsorship goes toward a fresh balsam veteran’s wreath that will be placed on the headstone of an American hero as we endeavor to honor all veterans laid to rest on Saturday, Dec. 19 as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. To find a cemetery near you to support click here.

Wreaths Across

America is the non-profit organization best known for placing veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of our nation’s fallen at Arlington National Cemetery.

However, the organization, in total, places more than 2.2 million sponsored wreaths at over 2,200 participating locations nationwide and offers other programs throughout the calendar year. These programs include The Mobile Education Exhibit , Wreaths Across America Radio and the Wreaths Across America Virtual Concert now streaming on Showcase NOW).

Dream Mentorship annual conference on Dec. 5

By Hannah Lester HLester@opelikaobserver.com

"Dream Mentorship is a curriculum based organization that provides women with the resources, strategies and tools they need to pursue their dreams with confidence and clarity,” said MacJane Crayton, founder and executive director of Dream Mentorship. “Our mentoring programs, courses and events are designed to help women, especially first generation college students and wom-en in vulnerable commu-nities, have a competitive advantage in their career, so they can live the life they truly dream of.”

The virtual conference and party is used to provide resources to women

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in the area to help them in career and professional development.

Crayton will host the event, and there will be four other women invited to speak and share their experiences, including: Connie Rosales, founder of the Esperanza Project; Tiffany Gibson-Pitts, founder and CEO of Girls STEPS, Inc.; Dawn Patton, founder and CEO of Patton Accounting; and Tax and Olivia J. Cook, Ph.D., founder and president of Olivia Cook Enterprises LLC and professor at Texas Southern University.

“Our goal is to build a community to support young women, both those in and out of college or at a startup phase of a business or nonprofit,” Crayton said. “During

this one-day virtual conference, old and new dreams will be ignited, women will be empowered, and a new inspiration to live their dreams will be birthed.”

The conference will help women learn how to balance the responsibilities in their lives, have the opportunity to network and participate in giveaways, among other events.

“We want to help women who have struggled with finding the right resources to help them in their career and professional development, who have questions about their purpose, passion and goals and who wish some-one can show them the blueprint on how to start a business,” Crayton said.

To register, visit www. dreammentorship.org/ dreambrunch.

A4 November 25, 2020

O

Staying home for Thanksgiving

ver the river and through the woods To Grandmother’s house we go We never went over the river.

Or through the woods.

Or even to Grandmother’s house.

At least not on Thanksgiving.

Christmas, maybe.

But not Thanksgiving.

Most of my Mother’s family lived close by, so on Thanksgiving they came to our house because it was less trouble than if they had Thanksgiving at theirs.

They might have gone to my Grandma Jessie’s. Her house was in town, right across the street from the Method-

ist Church so she could attend whenever they opened the doors. But her house was too small for a Thanksgiving gathering, so it fell my family’s lot to host the dinner.

Dinner was always at noon.

At night it was supper, just like it was for Jesus.

The Last Supper, not the Last Dinner.

But I digress.

So, everyone came out to our house.

Not that there were many.

Mama, Daddy, me and brother Bill.

Grandma Jessie and “Buck,” my bachelor uncle who lived with his Mama. He said he took care of her. We felt it was the other way

By Hardy Jackson around.

Aunt Stella and her husband Curtis.

And “Little Mary.”

“Little Mary” was our Old Maid cousin. She started coming after her Mama, “Big Mary,” died. “Little Mary” had money to burn but lived like a bag lady.

She collected stray cats, incarcerated them

in back yard cages she called the “Kitty Motel” and named them after Confederate generals.

When it comes to eccentricities, my family stands second to none.

Mama cooked a ham and a turkey.

Everybody else contributed something.

“Little Mary” brought a dusty tin of Scottish shortbread. Same tin every year. No one ever dared open it.

In addition to being about family, Thanksgiving was about football. This presented a problem.

“Little Mary” and Curtis were big University of Alabama fans, though neither ever attended. “Pickup truck alumni” someone called them.

During the Bear Bryant era they took delight in harassing my Daddy, a fiercely loyal Auburn graduate.

Once they went a little too far. Daddy got mad and told Mama he was calling off Thanksgiving. If Mama invited them anyway, he would take his plate and watch football out in his Poutin’ House.

In an effort to keep the peace, when Mama issued her Thanksgiving invitation, she added that if any guests mentioned football, that would be the last gathering we would host.

Daddy, for his part, agreed to “make nice” as long as the others kept quiet.

So, on the appointed day they came, they

ate and they were gone before kickoff. As the last of them left I heard Daddy humming this Thanksgiving hymn.

Gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing; He chastens and hastens His will to make known; The wicked oppressing now cease from distressing; Sing praises to His name: He forgets not his own.

May your Thanksgiving be merry and bright.

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

Even in 2020, Alabamians find reasons to be thankful

By Solomon Crenshaw Jr.

A

Dothan native is thankful his family church didn’t succumb to COVID-19.

A Bessemer restaurateur is thankful her family restaurant survived its second pandemic.

The head football coach of a North Alabama university is thankful his squad could take the field this fall.

And Miss Jady is still going at 101.

2020 has been a year like no other. There have been infections, hospitalizations and deaths from a virus that has spanned the globe. Across Alabama, health officials urged residents to stay home and told “nonessential” businesses to close their doors.

For many, that loss of business cost them

C

racker Barrel, 6:39 P.M. — we are sitting at a table for our pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal. I am with my wife, my elderly mother-in-law and her fulltime nurse, Carleen.

Carleen is wearing her non-work clothes, her hair is fixed pretty. She is Jamaican. She speaks in a sing-song way. Every few words she calls folks “darling.”

I could listen to Carleen read the White Pages.

There is a deaf boy at a table a few feet from us. At least, I think he’s deaf. He has an electronic device mounted on the side of his head.

He’s using sign language with his parents.

His parents sign responses.

The waitress asks for

their livelihoods.

So much of 2020 has been peculiar. And, in a sense, Thanksgiving will follow that peculiar pattern. Large family gatherings and servings of Grandma’s specialty green bean casserole could be missing, as the state health officer continues to give the regrettable news that staying socially distanced from others is necessary to help stop COVID-19 transmission.

But as the state makes its way toward the fourth Thursday of November, one thing remains constant: Many people still have reasons to be thankful.

Upon this rock Dothan native Joseph Bryant returned to his hometown in early March for a death in his family.

While he was there, he visited Cherry Street African Methodist Episcopal Church, his

home church before leaving 23 years ago to attend the University of Alabama.

“We knew the pandemic was spreading, and we knew pretty soon it was going to be here,” recalled Bryant, who works in communications at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “We knew it was going to come home soon. Everything was looking pretty bleak.

I knew the church had started meeting on the phone, on teleconference. It was just such a sad moment to see the church closed.”

Bryant, 42, found part of a brick from the church embedded in its gravel driveway and dug it out.

“I just sat there for a while and looked at the church, and I took my little brick almost as a goodbye,” he said.

“This is a memento of my church home I

frankly didn’t think could survive this pandemic, being closed and it already had a small congregation.

How could it survive a big blow like this?”

But Cherry Street has survived, embracing technology and social media to maintain the ministry. It is 143 years old — the oldest AME church in Alabama.

The Rev. Joseph Rembert, 72, became the pastor of Cherry Street AME during the pandemic. He admits the membership then was so sparse he wondered where the people were.

“I think that (membership) has slipped much more than just a little bit,” Rembert said. “I came here in May of this year, just several months ago, and I could count the members on my hands that were actually active in my church.”

The pastor said Cherry Street membership had gotten older, and as children got older, they went off to school, found jobs elsewhere and didn’t come back to Dothan.

“I think that really is one of the blessings of the pandemic,” he said. “We found out that just because you move to another city or another state, you don’t have to lose your relationship with the church that you grew up in. What we’ve learned through this pandemic and really making use of the technology that we have is you can be anywhere in the world and be a part of the church.”

The church conducts services via conference calls and Facebook Live. And while church membership — which now includes Bryant’s wife, Kem — totals about

40, the church has about 200 followers on social media. Both Joseph and Kem attend the church’s services online.

Joseph Bryant, a fourth-generation member of Cherry Street who lives in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover, said he was saying goodbye when he visited the church in March. He’s surprised the church, which is two blocks from where he grew up, is thriving.

“I never could have imagined that this pandemic and all the tragedy that it brought would have some blessing in that,” he said. “It forced us to be creative and keeping the church together in a different way. I still have this brick, but the brick now is not a symbol of what used to be. It’s a sym-

more beautiful than mothers and daughters reuniting, I don’t know what it is.

Our waitress arrives at our table. She is soft spoken and sweet. She has curly black hair.

She is taking her son to Disney World this weekend for this ninth birthday. She is a single mother. Twenty-eight years old. Tough as bricks.

My mother-in-law orders fried chicken. My wife orders fried shrimp.

The waitress tilts her head when she hears Carleen’s island accent.

Finally, it’s my turn to order.

“Sir?” the waitress asks me. “You ready to order?”

But I’m not listening.

In fact, I’m barely even here. My mind is with the Mexicans, and the

older couple. I’m thinking about the Air Force man. About our waitress’ son.

I’m thinking about the students from FSU, and their excited mothers.

About families, and how the holidays brings out the best in us — no matter what kind of derailed family we may hail from.

And this boy behind me. I’m thinking about him. The child who speaks with his hands.

Who is young, but strong. A boy who wants catfish, and wants the pleasure of ordering it for himself, by God. This is a beautiful world. A beautiful life.

And I hope you know that it’s you who makes it that way.

Happy Thanksgiving.

See CRENSHAW, page A6

Cracker Barrel his order.

His mother answers, “He’ll have catfish.”

“MOM!” he says with a moaning, “LET ME DO IT!” It’s difficult to get the words out, but he manages.

“I WANNA, KATT, FISH, PLEEEZE, MAAAAA’AAAMM.” This child is pure willpower wrapped in freckles.

The table behind us: an old man and woman.

They are sipping coffee.

They are every old couple you’ve ever seen.

A young man walks into the dining room.

He’s wearing an AirForce uniform.

The couple stands.

“Oh, Ben,” they say in unison.

They embrace. “I missed you so much,” says the woman.

By Sean Dietrich “I missed you, Mom.” On my other side is a Mexican family. Three kids, two adults. The woman is in a fast-food uniform. The young man is in boots, dusty clothes.

When food arrives, they hold hands. They bless their plates in majestic Spanish.

The only word I understand is “amen.”

Across the restaurant: a table filled with young

women. They wear matching red-and-gold jackets, “FSU” is embroidered on their backs.

They are loud, excited drinking their weight in sodas.

Several middle-aged ladies come through the doors, led by a hostess.

The college girls shoot to their feet.

“Mom!” I overhear the girls say.

And if there’s anything

A5 November 25, 2020

Peacemakers and Prayer Warrior Outreach holds rally

Photos contributed by Ward 2 Councilwoman Erica Norris

Apostle Carolyn Morton and the Peacemakers and Prayer Warrior Outreach Ministry held a rally last Saturday in Opelika to promote peace in the community. Awards were given to community members for their efforts within the area. Recipients were Jessica Bryant-Cook, Mary Hawrkuriz and Anne Leader. Opelika's Ward 2 Councilwoman Erica Norris was the guest speaker at the event.

JOURNALS

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FROM A1

CITY OF OPELIKA APPLAUDS ROBINS AND MORTON ON WINNING THE EXCELLENCE IN CONSTRUCTION AWARD FOR THE OPELIKA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND MUNICIPAL COURT BUILDING PROJECT Contributed by the city of Opelika The city of Opelika applauds Robins and Morton on winning the Excellence in Construction Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Alabama for the construction of the new Opelika Police Department and Municipal Court Building.

Mayor Gary Fuller states, “We are extremely proud of the new facility and congratulate Robins and Morton on being recognized for this construction project. The 38,000 square foot facility provides an outstanding work environment for staff collaboration and boasts state-of-the-art technology and equipment for the city to better serve our community.�

Each year, ABC of Alabama provides

the opportunity to its members to compete for honors in the construction industry's premier annual awards program.

The Excellence in Construction awards program is the industry’s leading competition, developed to honor innovative and high-quality merit shop construction projects.

The award honors all construction team members, including the contractor, owner, architect and engineer.

The winning projects, selected from entries submitted from across the nation, were judged on complexity, attractiveness, unique challenges overcome, completion time, workmanship, innovation, safety and cost.

The city also congratulates the entire construction team who worked tirelessly to complete this project on

Torbert’s “Made Worthy� journals, which are meant to be healthy outlets for pouring out one’s emotions, are different in that they each have words of encouragement on their fronts. One cover reads, “It is well within my soul;� another displays on its front, “You are worthy.� “I feel that everyone could use reminders of who they are or just words of encouragement to see and read daily,� Torbert said. “The more you see something and repeat it, you believe it.�

There are nine different journals, eight of which simply have lined paper inside. The ninth is pre-prompted and has an outline for its user to follow.

That ninth showcases Torbert’s favorite bible verse, Ga-

latians 6:9 (“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.�).

Torbert said that the first few months of sales have been tremendous. “The outpouring of love and support thus far from friends, family and those I have never met is mind-blowing,� she said. “It’s an honor to make an impact in the lives of so many.�

Made Worthy notebooks can be purchased at shor. by/MadeWorthyJournalNotebooks?fbclid=IwAR3yhZqhWLHe6tM48kaGJ4gF5Pq2Zgj9EGNptfPINiOKEkEL_ Mu2VEowUF8.

More information about the notebooks can be found at the company’s Facebook page, Made Worthy Journaling (@MadeWorthyJournalNotebook).

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budget and on time. • Robins & Morton – Construction Manager • Seay, Seay & Litchfield – Architect • Freeman & Associates (General Works) • Contractors Steel

Supply • Bradley Heating and Plumbing • Auburn Electric For more information, please contact Leigh G. Krehling at 334.705.5136.

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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.�

A6 November 25, 2020

Point Broadband encouraging switch from cable to streaming

By Will Fairless Associate Editor Point Broadband, a company that offers internet and phone service to customers in nine states (including Alabama), is changing how it approaches “old-fashioned” cable TV service.

According to Todd Holt, the CEO of Point Broadband, the company will be supporting cable TV service for existing customers who use it, but that service will not be offered to new customers, effective Nov. 2.

“We decided not to sell old-fashioned cable TV any longer simply because there’s not much demand for it anymore and there are so many better options these days,” Holt said.

“It’s become an old, obsolete type of platform.

It’s kind of like when folks went from rabbit ears to cable—now folks are moving from cable to streaming.”

Holt added that this phenomenon is not regional; he said that cable providers are losing hundreds of thousands of subscribers around the world every quarter.

Point Broadband is not leaving their customers in the lurch, though: its technicians will still be equipped to handle issues with cable TV, but they are also trained to and

CRENSHAW

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FROM A4

bol of what is and what can be even greater now.” ’Tis the season for COVID and kickoffs There was nothing in the University of North Alabama football playbook about head coach Chris Willis’ contracting COVID-19.

“I’m not gonna lie. I was nervous,” Willis recalled of his bout with the virus in late May, early June.

“Once I found out I had it, I came home and I was just nervous and scared. What is fixing to happen? I did like everybody else. I read up on it and did the things that were asked of me, but still you see all the stuff out there.”

Willis feared for himself, but more for his wife, Tara, and sons, Drew, Beau and Cody.

“All I knew was if you get it, it’s very easy to give it to the next person beside you,” said the coach, who isolated himself from his family.

“We’re just very blessed and fortunate we made it through that.”

No one else in the Willis household contracted the virus, and the father’s bout was relatively mild. But Willis has more reason for thanks, as his Lions football team has been able to play during the fall of 2020, something that was uncertain through the summer

encouraged to help customers make the switch to streaming.

“Fiber is the most robust broadband on Earth today. It’s the type of broadband where many devices can be hooked up to it at once,” Holt said. “As we sell our services, we sell mostly internet data service because of the very robust fiber network that we have, and people can lower their bill by not paying for 250 channels of TV.” Point Broadband technicians have Roku devices available to sell to customers, and the technicians will save

those customers a trip to an electronics store (and a trip onto the web, which can be just as tedious for those who are holding onto cable TV) by setting the devices up.

Point Broadband offers Roku because its remote is more similar to cable TV remotes than other devices or services.

Taylor Nipper, Point Broadband’s vice president of marketing, said, “We’re offering our customers a choice to stay on old fashioned cable tv or to upgrade to a better way to watch tv by communicating through emails and on their bill statements. Customers

can save money on their bill and really have a better TV experience.”

Another way the company is helping its customers with the cable-to-streaming transition, which Holt compared to the landline-to-mobile-phone transition, is by offering a webpage for customers to find out what streaming services they would need to meet all the needs that cable was, plus some more. You can find that webpage at www.point-broadband. com/streaming.

In Opelika, the company will be holding classes to teach people

about the advantages of streaming and to instruct them in how to get rid of cable in favor of the new technology. The classes, for now referred to as “Streaming 101” will be held at the Sportsplex starting in December.

One might wonder what Point Broadband’s motivation is for encouraging customers to switch to a service on which it makes no money. The reason that the switch is advantageous for the company is another reason it is advantageous for the consumer: streaming has fewer issues.

“The gains we get

and even after other programs kicked off their seasons.

The Lions started their campaign on Oct. 3 with a 28-7 loss to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.

“We hung in there with a team who had played three games,” Willis said. “It was our first game, and here we were leaving our bubble to go to another state. There was a lot of what-ifs.

“To me, just standing on the turf field, watching the ball get kicked off, it was almost an emotional victory for us. Just to play that one game, if that’s all we end up playing, to me that was a victory in itself. We’re blessed.

Anytime we get to line up and play a football game, I’m blessed for that reason.”

UNA has been transitioning from Division II to Division I, and playing a season this fall is important in staying on schedule with that transition.

“We’ve just got to get the four games in,” Willis said. “The NCAA has told us that.”

And UNA accomplished its mission.

The Lions renewed an old rivalry as visiting Jacksonville State left Braly Stadium in Florence with a 24-17 victory on Oct. 17. North Alabama traveled to Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and lost 24-13 on Nov. 7. The Lions completed their fourth game on Nov.

21 in Provo, Utah, falling 66-14 to nationally ranked Brigham Young.

think, 20 percent of the business, and it’s grown over time,” Craig said. “But it’s a challenge. We were fortunate to receive one of the PPP (federal Paycheck Protection Program) loans, which really helped because we had so many people we wanted to keep on payroll and we couldn’t afford to because we didn’t have the money coming in. It kind of gave us capital to keep going while our revenues were down so much.”

The old-school restaurant turned to new ways of doing business, partnering with Uber Eats and DoorDash to enhance its online takeout options.

“That would not have happened on the timetable it did were it not for COVID,” she said.

“We definitely had to respond to the fact that people couldn’t eat here. People couldn’t get out anywhere. That was an adaptation, the online ordering … and, of course, the delivery services.”

The Bright Star had the advantage of 300 seats — enough space to provide social distancing when customers could return. And they have returned.

“We have a lot of loyal customers, and we have people that order from us regularly,” Craig said. “They come here every Friday, every Saturday. We have a lot of that. We’ve been here so long that

we have a good customer base.

“It’ll pass. Things always pass,” she said of the pandemic. “In a year and a half, hopefully there will be a vaccine and this will be behind us. In 1918 it passed, so you just have to keep faith and do the best you can.

Learn from where you are, and learn from any mistakes you make.

It’s all about serving the guests. We’ve had to adapt to serve our guests a different way.”

The Bright Star still shines Things were not as bright at The Bright Star. The 113-yearold restaurant in Bessemer lost the face of the business in November 2019 with the passing of maître d’ James “Jimmy” Koikos.

The beloved Koikos had devoted nearly 60 years of his life to running the iconic eatery. Family members couldn’t imagine a more difficult time — until the four-generation restaurant experienced a pandemic for the second time.

The Bright Star, which made it through the Spanish flu about a decade into its existence, felt the pain of so many businesses across the state that either shut down or dramatically cut back.

“We had to settle in and adjust our service,” said Stacey Craig, a member of the family.

“We were closed in March right after St. Patrick’s Day. March 17 through May 9, we were closed, mandated to be closed.”

But the operation at Third Avenue and 19th Street North in Bessemer adapted, adding curbside orders and stepping up its takeout business.

“We pivoted to curbside service and were able to keep, I

101 and still going Mamie Norman is thankful that she celebrated her 101st birthday this year. Fellow members of Birmingham’s Broad Street Missionary Baptist Church feted her with a drive-by celebration, honking car horns and flashing lights as she gave a regal wave from the back porch of the church on Aug. 2, her birthday.

Known to many as Miss Jady, Norman would frequently go to some type of store, chauffeured there by either of her granddaughters, Pam and Karen Steele. The pandemic has reduced her trips to the store.

“I buy plenty,” she said. “I got that from my stepfather. He didn’t let nothing give out in the house. I’m the same way like that.

I don’t let nothing give out.”

Norman is sad because of loved ones who have passed away.

are because it’s a better product. It’s more reliable,” Holt said. “Therefore we have less calls into our call center. Our customers get frustrated less, they call us less—it takes a lot of money to run a call center 24/7.

We become a better company because our customers are gonna be happier.”

Point Broadband also would not have to dispatch trucks to deal with streaming issues as it has to do with cable TV issues.

Nipper pointed out that some people don’t even realize what streaming means. “A lot of people are streaming and don’t call it that,” he said.

“They have Netflix, but they don’t call it streaming. Live TV is now delivered through streaming platforms.

Sports, NBC, SEC Network—you won’t miss anything by switching to streaming.”

Holt said that Point Broadband’s mission is to improve lives with fiber technology. “We get excited when we can help someone,” he said.

“Kids can learn from home; parents may want to work from home. We put the infrastructure in place to do that. And if we can save them money on their bill and they can have some discretionary income… that’s what’s driving us to do that.”

That number includes her son, 81-year-old Charles Steele, who died in April (not from COVID). But the matriarch of her family doesn’t get angry about death.

“No. No. I don’t get angry,” she said. “I tell you what. I think about a long time ago and different things. You know, a long time ago when we were coming up.”

Her granddaughter Pam Steele, who is in her 50s, said she is thankful and truly blessed.

“Nobody really close to me has come down with the disease,” said Steele, an assistant to the director of media relations in the president’s office at the Shelby County campus of Jefferson State Community College.

“I’ve got a portion of my health and strength.

I’ve still got a job to go to. I’ve been able to continue paying all my bills, putting food on the table, no problems with that. I’m blessed other than the loss of my dad, which was a great loss. I’m thankful that I had him as long as I did.”

This story, written by Solomon Cren-shaw Jr., is part of a program funded by the Alabama Power Foundation and admin-istered by the Alabama Press Association Journalism Foundation to support journalists who have been ad-versely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opelika E vents, Society & Food

UPCOMING EVENTS

Betsy Lynne Hall Ledoux shares a taste of “home” ANN CIPPERLY

Southern

Hospitality

A

fter living in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and various places in the United States, Betsy Lynne Hall Ledoux returned to her hometown of Opelika last year with her husband, Nick, and their children. As Thanksgiving approaches, Betsy is grateful for God’s grace in the journey, a season living in her hometown and serving as “Mama” to three little boys, who are the seventh generation on her side of the family born in Opelika.

“Growing up in Opelika felt a bit magical,” Betsy remembered. “We grew up on a lake, so we would often drive home to deer in our front yard and go to sleep to the sound of frogs croaking and crickets chirp-

ing. I loved to walk in the woods with my daddy on the tree farm that had belonged to our family for years.

When I walked the land of our farm as a little girl, I imagined my daddy walking on that same land when he was a little boy.”

Betsy’s grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hall Sr., lived less than three miles from her house. She loved to go to her grandparents’ home and catch fireflies in the backyard, bake cookies, shell butter beans from their garden or walk to the Monkey Park. Her grandma was one of her best friends.

The daughter of Dr. Robert and Vondalyn Hall Jr., Betsy enjoyed family traditions such

as picnics on the living room floor, grand birthday parties with homemade cakes, Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandaddy’s house after church and Easter egg hunts in the front yard with hundreds of eggs.

“Mama created a home that was always open and full of life,” Betsy said. “My sisters and I never hesitated to call Mama to let her know that we were on the way home with 20 other teenagers in tow.

She would say, ‘Wonderful! I’ll start making cookies.’ Anything Mama touched became beautiful. Daddy was my hero, role-model, one of my best friends and one of my favorite people that has ever lived.

“We ate dinner as

Junior League taking orders for poinsettia fundraiser Contributed by the Junior League of Lee County Junior League of Lee County (JLLC) is currently taking orders for its annual holiday poinsettia fundraiser benefitting its mission to empower girls and young women in Lee County. Delivery and pick-up orders are guar-

anteed if secured prior to Nov. 23. Orders can be made online at juniorleagueofleecounty. com or through a JLLC member, or community members may purchase in-person on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Auburn Chamber of Commerce between 9 and 11 a.m., contingent on available inventory. COVID-19 safety measures in

accordance with the state of Alabama will be in effect at in-person pick-up.

This year buyers can choose between red or ivory poinsettias grown locally at Young’s Plant Farm. Two sizes, 6.5 inches and 10 inches, are available for purchase. Proceeds go straight back into the See JUNIOR LEAGUE, page A10

Photo special to the Observer Betsy Lynne Hall Ledoux, who grew up in Opelika, is pictured with her husband, Nick, and their three sons, Matthew Robert, Andrew Louis and John Holyfield. Betsy and Nick both served with Samaritan’s Purse and the United States Agency for International Development in leadership roles in a number of countries around the world before moving back to Opelika last year.

a family every night, and my sisters and I always knew that we were loved. Our closest friends were like family, and Trinity United Methodist Church was a second home for us. We loved it! My sisters and I were blessed with an amazing childhood in Opelika and a sense of belonging to a community.”

Thanksgiving has always been a special time for the family.

“Growing up, it was the holiday that we always spent with Mama’s side of the family on Mema and Pepa’s farm in North Alabama,” Betsy said.

“There were certain dishes that always tasted like Thanksgiving: Mema’s cranberry orange salad, Mama’s cornbread dressing, and Mema’s pecan pies made with pecans from the trees in their backyard.

“We would sit

around the dining room table and listen to stories of our ancestors for hours. The long weekend always included jumping on hay bales, walks in the cow pasture, hikes up Cousin Leroy’s mountain, church and watching the Auburn/ Alabama game. It was so much fun!”

When Betsy was 10 years old, she heard God’s call to serve See CIPPERLY, page A10

Coffee Cat supports female artists and family businesses

By Hannah Lester hlester@opelikaobserver.com

Coffee Cat has made a home for itself in downtown Auburn, as one of the popular coffee shops for locals and students alike.

The shop has been in Auburn for six years, building up to where they are now. It sells

a lot of coffee — but there is a lot more to the shop, too.

“We focus on trying to offer small-batched, locally-sourced or at least responsibly-sourced, made in the US products,” said Madeleine Corbeau, owner of Coffee Cat. These products, however, are usually creat-

ed by small businesses, family businesses or female artists.

Over the last six years, Corbeau said she has always featured female artists, although it was not always on purpose.

“I think I’ve accidentally kind of always See COFFEE CAT, page A10

A8

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A9 November 25, 2020

A10 November 25, 2020

CIPPERLY

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FROM A7

Him in Africa.

“I was in the fifth grade at chapel at Trinity Christian School when I first knew that God had called me to serve Him in Africa.”

After graduating from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky, she spent a year working and interning in Washington, DC. She returned to Auburn University for a master’s degree in public administration.

After graduation, she moved back to Washington, DC, where she served as a presidential management fellow and budget analyst for four years at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

In 2008, Betsy moved to Mozambique, Africa and realized the dream that began for her at ten years old. For a decade, she served in various leadership roles in humanitarian aid and public health: the Deputy Country Director for Samaritan’s Purse in Mozambique, again in Haiti as the International Disaster Response and Preparedness Manager at Samaritan’s Purse headquarters and as a Health Office Division Chief for the United States Agency for International Development in Mozambique.

COFFEE CAT

>>

FROM A7

tried to support women, young women in the community,” she said.

“Whether that’s in their business or artistic efforts or their personal lives.”

The business had to close in March because of the pandemic, but it was able to reopen in July. And at that time,

JUNIOR LEAGUE

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FROM A7

Lee County community to help fund programs aimed at empowering school-aged girls and young women in the area.

“The past eight

She worked on issues like HIV/AIDS, malaria, cholera, maternal child health, nutrition, tuberculosis, agriculture, clean water and sanitation, cyclone and earthquake responses and refugee crises.

Betsy met her husband Nick while responding to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010. Betsy and Nick served as the two Deputy Country Directors in Haiti for Samaritan’s Purse during the earthquake and cholera response. “Nick and I worked hard together as a team,” said Betsy.

“We became best friends and eventually fell in love. We met each other’s families for the first time over Thanksgiving 2010.”

They were married in August 2012 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Opelika. Nine months later, they returned to Mozambique in leadership roles.

In 2018, when Betsy was pregnant with their second little boy, she decided to stay at home with the boys for a season. After their second son was born, they moved to Nepal where Nick served with the United States Agency for International Development to help build back better and stronger after the 2015 earthquake.

Betsy explored life in Nepal with their little boys.

After completing

their work in Nepal last year, they moved back to Opelika.

“When we decided to return to the United States after almost a decade abroad, we knew Opelika was where we wanted to be.”

Nick and Betsy have three little boys: Matthew Robert, 4 years old; Andrew Louis, 2 years old; and John Holyfield, 4 months old.

“Over the past eight years of marriage, our journey has allowed us to live and serve in the capital city of Mozambique, a town surrounded by safari parks in South Africa, a refugee camp in South Sudan, the Himalayan mountains of Nepal, both the mountains and beaches of North Carolina and my hometown of Opelika,” Betsy said. "As we continue to seek to follow Jesus wherever He calls us, we remain forever grateful that in His grace, God has seen fit to give us romance in the midst of the adventure.

“Of all of our adventures, raising our little boys is our favorite adventure and greatest blessing. I have loved the amazing privilege of working on programs that save lives, reduce suffering and share hope around the world, but being ‘Mama’ to our little boys is by far my favorite job that I have ever had. They are a complete joy to my

heart.”

The Ledouxes recently started a business, The Upkeep Team, Inc., a home maintenance company currently focusing on exterior cleaning, including pressure washing, house washing, roof washing, exterior window cleaning and gutter cleaning. A portion of the revenue will be used to help provide clean water in Africa.

“I have been blessed with family members who are my heroes, friends that are as close as family and a love for the various lands that I have called home,” Betsy said. “I love for my kitchen to reflect my heart, and for the food that I cook to be an opportunity to teach our boys about their family and the nations that have impacted our story.

“There are days that I miss my grandparents and daddy, who live in Heaven, more than words can say. On those days, I often cook tastes from Mama, Grandma or Mema’s kitchens.

Somehow pulling out their recipes and smelling the familiar scents from their kitchens make Heaven seem just a little bit closer.

“There are also days that I deeply miss Africa, Haiti and Nepal,” she added. “These lands have become a part of our hearts.

On those days, I cook the familiar tastes

from nations we have loved, and suddenly the ocean seems just a little bit smaller. These familiar tastes from ‘home’ feel a bit like a warm hug. It feels like people that I deeply love are a little bit closer.”

Betsy is enjoying taking her sons to places around Opelika that hold special memories.

“I take them to play at the Monkey Park, and they play and walk on the same land that I did when I was a little girl and their grandaddy and his daddy did before that. When we take them to eat at Zazu’s, we always tell them that this restaurant used to be their great-grandaddy’s store, Hall’s Clothing.

“I love walking by the Lee County Courthouse and showing them where their great-grandparents got married in 1941,” she added. “The boys love watching the trains downtown, and I love telling them the story of how their great-grandaddy jumped on a train on these very tracks to catch their great-grandmother and ask her to marry him that day. I love taking them to Trinity United Methodist Church and showing them the altar where Mommy and Daddy got married.

“Raising our boys in Opelika is like raising them in the midst of their history,” Betsy said. “Because our

family has been here for so long, most of the places that we go hold a special memory for us. Our boys know stories about their grandaddy and great grandparents, and the legacy that they left these boys of love, kindness, community service and most of all loving and serving Jesus.

“Because of the stories, the boys know their legacy and how much they were and are loved by their family. Seeing Opelika through my boys’ eyes is like a blending of generations, history and the future at once.”

Betsy’s favorite part of living in Opelika is being close to family.

They live four blocks from her sister and her family and a few minutes’ drive from “Mama.” After years of being a two-day flight from Opelika, she loves that their 2-year-old wakes up and asks to go to GaGa’s house, and it can happen.

“While I have traveled and lived around the world, Opelika has always been more than just where we live or where our family has grown for generations,” Betsy said. “Deep within me, Opelika has always been a part of me, and I have always been a part of Opelika.”

featuring female artists, or family businesses, became more of a purposeful goal, Corbeau said.

“Not so much because they’re women, but it seems to kind of have naturally happened that the smallbatch entrepreneurs who have the same values as Coffee Cat are kind of naturally women-run,” she said.

Corbeau said that these values are geared toward responsible sourcing, paying their employees a livable wage and looking at business as a personal and spiritual endeavor.

Finding artists and businesses to partner with is natural, she said.

“I’ve lived in Auburn for ten years and so I kind of have a good

base of people just to reach out to and ask,” Corbeau said. “I know a few local artists, if I’m looking for something specific, I usually reach out to who I know first.”

Coffee Cat collaborates with businesses across the nation, not just local ones, to feature female artists.

Often, when featuring artists who put a

lot of work into the product, Corbeau said she doesn’t like to take much profit off of it for herself.

“I did almost nothing for it and I think that the profits that I get from it is the gratification of knowing that I’ve connected two people who maybe would not have connected before,” she said.

Some of the products that the shop currently displays are syrups from Harbin Hollow in Tennessee; syrup from Meadowland Syrup in Oregon, which is a mother-daughter team; hand-painted stickers from Wild Flower Paper Co. in Montana; macrame and embroidery and honey from an Auburn student’s company, Eddie’s Bees.

months have been challenging both for our organization and our community, which is why we are more excited than ever to bring holiday cheer to those in our community, all for a great cause,” said Danielle Allison, president of Junior League

of Lee County. “The annual holiday poinsettia fundraiser is Junior League of Lee County’s main fundraising event for the year, and we appreciate the support of our community in giving back to further our mission.”

For nearly 22 years, JLLC has trained and developed hundreds of women leaders in Lee County to effect meaningful change through service and leadership in local organizations, schools, government and businesses. JLLC has invested more than $200,000 back into the local community and performed more than 3,000 direct volunteer hours to support the efforts of other organizations aligned with its mission, including Girls Scouts of Southern Alabama, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County, Girls on the Run, I Am My Brother’s Keeper, Women’s

Hope Medical Clinic and Storybook Farms.

The Junior League of Lee County, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women

and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League of Lee

County’s mission is to serve school age girls and young women in the local community by empowering them to build confidence and offering resources to help them overcome their challenges.

Ann Cipperly can be reached at recipes@ cipperly.com.

A11 November 25, 2020

RECIPES MAMA’S CORNBREAD DRESSING 3 cups crumbled cornbread (see cornbread recipe below) 2¼ cups chicken broth 5 pieces of wheat bread 1½ cups milk 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 eggs ½ cup crushed cornflakes 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup chopped celery ½ cup water 1 stick butter or margarine Soak cornbread in chicken broth. Soak bread in milk and whip bread slices and milk with fork until slightly mushy.

Combine soaked cornbread and soaked bread with soup, eggs, and crushed cornflakes. Stir until well blended.

Boil onion and celery in the water and butter until soft.

Add to the cornbread mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour in a greased pan in a metal pan. If you bake in Pyrex or glass, lower oven temperature to 300. This serves 10 to 12 people.

MAMA’S CORNBREAD 2 cups finely ground self-rising cornmeal ½ cup self-rising flour ½ tsp. baking soda 2 cups buttermilk 1 large egg ¼ cup Crisco All Vegetable Shortening Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients together and blend well.

Add buttermilk and beaten egg. Stir until ingredients are wet and blended. (Over mixing will cause the bread to crumble too much.)

Place shortening in a seasoned cast iron 12 inch skillet and place in the oven until hot and the shortening is melted (approximately 5 minutes). Remove the skillet from the oven and pour the melted shortening into the cornbread mixture.

Stir. Immediately pour the mixture into the hot skillet. The mixture should sizzle when it touches the skillet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until the top is browned.

You can also use half the mixture for a corn pone in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and use the other half of the mixture for flap jacks. To make flap jacks, drop large spoonfuls of cornbread batter on a

grilled and cook like pancakes.

MEMA’S CRANBERRY SALAD 1 lb. fresh cranberries 3 oranges, seeded and chopped 2 cups sugar 3 – 3 oz. pkg. cherry Jell-O 1 can crushed pineapple (20 oz.), undrained Grind fresh cranberries and oranges together. Cover with sugar and let stand overnight in the refrigerator.

Mix Jell-O according to pkg. directions, using half of the water called for on the package.

Add pineapple.

Mix with cranberry mixture. Put in mold or oblong dish and let congeal in the refrigerator until firm.

MEMA’S PECAN PIE 1 cup sugar 1 cup light Karo syrup 3 eggs 1 stick melted butter 1 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. vanilla 1 – 1½ cups chopped pecans 10 inch pie crust Mix all ingredients except pecans together to form the pie mixture. Place pecans in a 10 inch unbaked pie crust.

Pour pie mixture into the pie crust on top of the pecans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 55 minutes or until set. The pecans will rise to the top as it bakes.

Can make ahead and freeze.

PAPAW’S CORN PUDDING This is a Thanksgiving must on Nick’s side of the family.

3 cans whole kernel corn (drained) 3 cans creamed corn 3 Tbsp. cornstarch 3 eggs 1 cup milk ½ - ¾ cup sugar Mix cornstarch, milk, eggs, and sugar in separate bowl. Then combine that mixture with the corn. Bake in a 9 x 13 casserole dish at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes or until set.

Grandmommy Jerry’s Sugar Cookies Our family on Nick’s side has made these cookies for at least four generations. We love to decorate them for Christmas starting on Thanksgiving weekend.

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter 2 tsp. milk 1 tsp. vanilla 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 2 tsp. baking powder 3 ½ cups flour Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla and mix well. Mix dry ingredients separately. Then fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients a little bit at a time in a big bowl.

When fully mixed, shape dough into large balls, wrap in Saran Wrap, and chill until firm enough to roll with a rolling pin.

The ball of dough can be made ahead of time and frozen.

If frozen, thaw in refrigerator on the day you will make the cookies.

Roll dough and use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.

Bake at 350 for approximately 8 minutes or until golden. Set on rack to cool. Decorate with colored frosting and/or sprinkles.

SHRIMP AND GRITS This is the first meal Betsy made for Nick.

2 cups water 2 cups half and half 1½ cups whole milk ¾ to 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup Quaker old fashioned grits ½ tsp. garlic salt Freshly ground sea salt Freshly ground pepper 1 lb. shrimp 2 Tbsp. butter 2 cloves sliced garlic Topping Selections: Cooked and crumbled bacon Sauteed mushrooms with garlic Chopped cherry tomatoes Cooked andouille sausage cut into small pieces Caramelized onions Sauteed red, green, and yellow bell peppers Freshly grated parmigiana Reggiano cheese Fresh spinach sauteed with chopped garlic and freshly ground sea salt Steamed asparagus chopped into small pieces Chopped Scallions Freshly ground sea salt Freshly ground pepper Combine 2 cups water, 2 cups half and half, and 1 cup milk in pot. Bring to a rapid boil. Slowly stir in grits and gar-

lic salt. Reduce heat to medium low and cook uncovered, whisking frequently, until grits are creamy (approximately 20 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir in the finely grated sharp cheddar cheese and ½ cup whole milk. Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste.

Peel, devein, and remove tails from shrimp. Sautee shrimp and sliced garlic in butter until the shrimp turns pink.

Spoon grits into bowl. Place 4 to 5 shrimp on top.

Set up as a buffet with the various toppings for the shrimp and grits.

Allow guests to choose and add their own toppings to the bowl of shrimp and grits.

Serve with a light garden side salad.

SIMPLE BRUSSELS SPROUTS 1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil ½ tsp. freshly ground sea salt (add more or less to taste) ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper (add more or less to taste) Cut ends off of Brussels sprouts, remove outer leaf, and chop each Brussels sprout in halves or quarters.

Saute chopped Brussels sprouts in extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until the Brussels sprouts become slightly tender and start to brown. Add freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

CRANBERRY CHEESE LOG APPETIZER 16 oz. goat cheese ¼ cup craisins, chopped 1 cup salted cashews, finely chopped Crackers (we like Ritz whole wheat crackers) Mix goat cheese and chopped craisins. Roll into a ball or log. Place finely chopped cashews in a bowl. Roll cheese ball through cashews to cover entirely.

Serve with crackers, using a butter knife for spreading.

HAITIAN RICE AND BEANS (DIRI AK PWA) Betsy and Nick ate this meal almost every day for over a year when they

served in Haiti.

2 cups basmati rice 1 cup dry red kidney beans 8 cups water 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbsp. butter 1 large yellow onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 chicken bouillon cubes (can use vegetable bouillon cubes to make the dish vegetarian) ¼ tsp. ground thyme ¼ tsp. ground cloves 13½ oz. can coconut milk Place 1 cup of beans and 1 cup of water in a soup bowl. Let beans soak overnight. The beans will absorb the water.

In a large pot, add 8 cups water, the beans that had soaked overnight, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper, and 1 Tbsp. olive oil.

Bring to a hard boil. Reduce the heat and cook uncovered on medium heat until the beans are tender but whole (approximately 60 to 90 minutes).

Once the beans are cooked, strain the water into a separate container for later use.

In another large pot, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil to medium high heat.

Add crumbled chicken bouillon cubes, thyme, and cloves and sauté until bouillon cubes are dissolved (approximately 30 seconds), stirring constantly. Add the diced onion and sauté until onion is soft. Add minced garlic and sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Add 3 ¼ cups of liquid from the beans. Use the liquid to deglaze the pan. Add 1 can of coconut milk and the basmati rice. Bring to a hard boil.

Add beans and 1 tsp. salt. Mix gently. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid (approximately 25 minutes). Add 1 Tbsp. butter and fluff rice and beans as the butter melts.

Traditionally, a whole scotch bonnet pepper is added to the liquid when cooking the rice and removed before serving.

However, because

we have varying levels of spice preferences in our house, we leave the pepper out, and let people add hot sauce to their preferred levels.

Serve with sides of sliced avocados, fried plantains or plantain chips, and hot sauce (preferably a Caribbean hot sauce).

MOZAMBICAN MATAPA 2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped 2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 2 cloves chopped garlic 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped 2 cups water ½ tsp. salt ½ cup salted peanuts, crushed into a powder 1 - 13 ½ oz. can coconut milk 1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp 2 Tbsp. butter ½ tsp. garlic salt Add peanuts to blender or food processor. Pulse in blender until the peanuts become a fine powder. (Traditionally in Mozambique, the peanuts are ground by hand in a mortar and pestle.)

Add coconut milk to peanut powder in blender a little bit at a time. Pulse each time you add a little bit of coconut milk. Keep adding the coconut milk and blending until you have added the full can. Pulse until the mixture is a smooth, creamy consistency.

Set this mixture aside for later use.

Sauté finely chopped onion and tomato in olive oil until onion is soft. Add garlic and spinach.

Sauté for 2 more minutes. Add 2 cups water and salt. Cook in the pan over medium heat for 30 minutes. (In Mozambique, matapa is traditionally made with cassava leaves. In the United States, we usually use spinach leaves since cassava leaves are difficult to find.)

Add peanut powder and coconut mixture to the pan of spinach, onion, tomato, and garlic. Mix well. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer uncovered, stirring regularly for approximately 90 minutes.

Once the matapa is done, place melt butter in a separate pan.

Place shrimp in the melted butter, sprinkle with the garlic salt, and sautéed shrimp until they are pink.

Serve matapa over basmati rice. Top rice and matapa with sauteed shrimp.

Add freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

A12 November 25, 2020

First Baptist pastor and new Opelika resident loving life in East Alabama

By Will Fairless Associate Editor Paul Dunbar moved to Opelika at the beginning of this year to become the new kids pastor at First Baptist.

He didn’t come from elsewhere in Alabama, nor did he move from another state in the Southeast; he and his wife drove 1,200 miles from Artesia, New Mexico, with their four daughters and two dogs. “My wife drives a 12-passenger transit van,” Dunbar said.

“We’ve gotta keep them spaced out to where they can’t hit each other all the time.”

Dunbar was an Army kid who moved around among several states and countries before settling in San Angelo, Texas. That moving around has proved a valuable experience, as he offered sage commentary on the regional differences among chicken fingers, chicken tenders and chicken strips: “At the end of

the day, they’re all the same thing: strips of chicken fried.”

He played college football at Angelo State University then coached football for a few years, which explains why he has the names of each of the First Baptist staff members on magnets, arranged like a depth chart on a white board in his office.

Dunbar went from being a high school coach and teacher to doing full-time ministry when he was 30. “[My wife and I] felt the lord moving in our life and we realized that he was moving us somewhere. My wife has always had an affinity for the South,” he said. “She found this job, I applied, and sure enough, we fell in love with each other.

God just called us to the wonderful big swamp, Opelika.”

Dunbar is officially the pastor for children from first through sixth grades, but he’s overseeing the ministry to

those younger than that as an interim pre-kindergarten pastor while First Baptist looks for a permanent one.

He said that God has been preparing him to work with kids his whole life, from coaching youth sports at 16 to earning a degree in education at all levels.

His goal at First Baptist is to get the kids of the church to have a relationship with Jesus.

“Our mission statement here—it’s been my personal mission statement—is to partner with parents to help kids come to know Christ,” Dunbar said.

“We want to partner with parents so kids come to know Jesus, so kids come to grow with Jesus and then kids are able to go and share Jesus.”

He first arrived in Opelika in February and was here without the rest of his family for more than a month.

After they finally arrived in March, his children only got four

days in school before shutdowns due to COVID-19. “On paper, it looks terrible, but it has just been amazing,” Dunbar said.

He was forced to think outside of the box to introduce himself to the First Baptist community and begin his ministry with the kids.

He and the rest of the staff began making four to five videos a week to be shared on First Baptist’s Facebook and YouTube pages (the following is a link to the First Baptist Church Opelika Kids webpage, at which links to those Facebook and Youtube pages can be found: www.fbcopelika.com/ kids) “We did Zoom meetings with kids, we did drive by packet pickup, we did a virtual Vacation Bible Study where we had 2,500 people from around the world participating,” Dunbar said.

Now that things have started to open back up, Dunbar is able

to minister to kids in many more ways. He places an emphasis on keeping kids connected with their parents with regard to their relationships with God. He and Dr. Jeff Meyers, who is the senior pastor at the church, preach the same message to the kids and adults, although separately and with Dunbar’s adjusted to be suitable for his audience. He hopes that this encourages families to talk about what they heard on Sunday.

Dunbar’s weeks are packed with events for kids and with plan-ning them (for which he shuffles the names on his depth chart); in addition to Sunday school with more than 300 kids, he has weekly programs on Wednesdays, he tries to serve breakfast to teachers at some local schools every Monday, and he’s currently helping organize a live nativity scene for Dec. 16.

Dunbar spoke very

highly of Opelika.

“Man, this is a wonderful place,” he said.

“Every time we drive, my wife goes, ‘I can’t believe we live here.’

If you google where we came from, visually, it wasn’t very pretty.

Here, it’s green, and there are hills, and it rains a lot. It’s been amazing.”

The trip to the nearest Chick-fil-A to Artesia took two hours, and the city itself is 30 years younger than First Baptist. “You don’t know you’re in a rural place until you leave a rural place,” Dunbar said.

The Dunbars have explored the Opelika-Auburn area, making notable stops at Chewacla, Cheaha and Lake Martin. Niffer’s is Dunbar’s go-to burger spot, and he essentially has a weekly appointment at Breezeway because, as he said, “It’s right around the corner, it’s greasy,” and perhaps most importantly, “their chicken fingers are good.”

A13 November 25, 2020

M

Seeing and Seeking

oses had pleaded with God to see His glory (Exodus 33:18).

If you read the chapter you’ll see it wasn’t a frivolous, fawning request for a cool spiritual experience — it was the fervent appeal of a desperate man thrust into leading a stubborn and obstinate generation of people into a strange, new land. Moses was sure he could not do this without Yahweh’s presence with them, and he needed assurance from God. When God revealed Himself to Moses, He came down in the cloud that covered the taber-

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.

• 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 Sundays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. A Mass is also held on Sundays 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.

• Union Grove Baptist Church In-person gathering with social distancing. Masks are available.

Sunday worship is at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Wednesday worship is at 6:30 p.m.

Services are streamed live on Facebook — the page is UGBChurch • First Baptist Church Opelika The following are held in-person and online on Sundays.

8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship and Message at The Worship Center 9:45 a.m. Sunday School Hour 11 a.m. Contemporary Service at The 3:16 Center 6 p.m. Evening Worship and Message at The Worship Center 6:30 p.m. Church on Chadwick at Chadwick Lane in Auburn To watch services online, go to fbcopelika.com/media

nacle and “stood there with” Moses and proclaimed His covenant name of Yahweh (34:5).

Then He put Moses in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand when He passed by so that visually all that Moses could see was God’s “back.” But verbally God used His words to fully describe His glory to Moses. He spoke of Himself as “compassionate . . . gracious . . . slow to anger . . . abounding in love and faithfulness . . . maintaining love to thousands . . . forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (v. 6-7). This verbal unveiling is repeated numerous times throughout

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

the Old Testament.

John tells us in 1:18 of his gospel that the person who has “seen” Jesus knows God (and His glory — v. 14, 17:5). Jesus tells Phillip the same thing in 14:8. For all the benefit it was to share

the wonderful revelatory words with Israel, John wants us to know that for the world, those words became flesh in the person of Jesus. Jesus is God using all His words!

We know Him. We have seen His glory.

Yes, we’ll see it on a far bigger stage one day in a way we cannot grasp now, but for all of that, John is uncompromising that we know Him and have seen His glory.

What remains is for us to remain in that glory.

What remains is to understand the way we can live in this muddled mess of a world and be a blessing to others is to lose and then find ourselves in the

glory of Christ in God. That’s why Moses made the request that He did.

That’s why John wants us to understand what we see in Jesus.

Glory is more than a theological construct to help us grasp the infinite awesomeness of deity; it provides us with the perspective for seeing and seeking.

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. (Romans 2:7).

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

"The LORD... delights in those whose ways are blameless."

— Proverbs 11:20

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

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 Union Grove Baptist Church 4009 Lee Road 391, Opelika 334-749-0461 CHURCH OF CHRIST Church of Christ at First Baptist Church 301 S. 8th St. 334-745-5715 First Baptist Church Impact 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

Cunningham 2660 Cunningham Dr., Opelika 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 5165 Lee Road 270, Valley 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

METHODIST Auburn United Methodist Church 137 South Gay St., Auburn 334-826-8800 Beulah United Methodist

PRESBYTERIAN Trinity Presbyterian Church 1010 India Road, Opelika 334-745-4889

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 334-7418675 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 334-7495386 Beauregard Full Gospel Revival 2089 Lee Road 42 334-745-0455 Christ Church International 1311 2nd Ave. 334-745-0832 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 334-7411006 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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603 Pleasant Drive Opelika, AL 36801 749-1333 Mon- Sat 7am-8pm Sun 12pm-6pm

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

A14 November 25, 2020

OBITUARIES James William Lauderdale James William Lauderdale, 65, of Opelika passed away Nov. 18 at EAMC. Visitation was held on Nov. 20 at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home. Funeral services were at 11 a.m. Nov 21 at Jeffcoat-Trant Chapel with burial in Garden Hills Cemetery. Pastor Michelle Mouriski officiated.

Mr. Lauderdale is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Daisy Lauderdale; sister and brother-inlaw, Mary and David Davis; granddaughter, Kaylee Lauderdale.

He is survived by his wife Vickie Hall Lauderdale; children: Tiffany (Adrian) O’Neal, Kim (Josh) Bledsoe, Shane Lauderdale, Cliff Lauderdale;

sister, Jeanett (Buddy) Ogles; 7 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews.

Marzelle Wheat Hambrick Wheat Hambrick, 92, of Opelika, passed away Nov. 17 at her residence. Visitation was held on Nov. 20 at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home. with a graveside service following at 2 p.m., at Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Camp Hill with Reverend David Bradshaw officiated.

Mrs. Hambrick was a member of Farmville Baptist Church of Auburn.

Mrs. Hambrick is preceded in death by her husband, Frank H. Hambrick; son, George David Wheat;

siblings: Mary Bell, Earline Roberts, and Ben Pringle. She is survived by her daughter-in-law, Sue Wheat; brother, Fred (Faye) Pringle; grandchildren: John Stanley (Donna) Adcock, Jr., William Phillip Adcock; great-grandchildren: William (Sarah) Adcock, Sarah Grace Adcock, Frances (Zachary) Allen; and 5 great great-grandchildren.

Jean “Miss Moses” Henderson Jean “Miss Moses” Henderson of Opelika was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on April 18, 1927 and passed away at East Alabama Medical Center on Nov. 18, 2020. She was 93 years old, despite claiming to be 98.

Jean was a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Miss Moses was a member of the Red Hat Society at Arbor Springs.

She was preceded in death by her son, Randy Henderson; husband, of 49 years, Billy Henderson, a stillborn grandchild; parents Waverly and Margaret Frazier.

She is survived by her daughter, Donna Jean Henderson; grandson, Christopher Lee-Danzey Henderson; granddaughter-in-law, Joy Ann Dojan; (4 great grandchildren) niece, Chellis Daniel and Nephew, Walter Williams; siblings, John W. Frazier (Judy), Dr. Sarah Glenn Allison, Thelma Rainey, Marie Kaney (Joey).

Visitation was held in the Parlor at Fred-

erick-Dean Funeral Home on Nov. 23, 2020.

A funeral service was held on Nov. 23, 2020 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home with Bishop Curtis Hanson and Pastor Rick Hagans officiating. Interment followed at Garden Hills Cemetery.

Phillip “Larry” Medli Larry passed away Nov. 19, 2020 at Bethany House.

Larry was born in West Point, Georgia on Aug. 30, 1940. He proudly served in the United States Army.

He later retired from the United States Post Office as well as Loomis Fargo. Larry was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Rufus and Sarah Medlin; brothers, Gary, Eugene, and Johnny Medlin.

He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Betty Medlin; daughters, Robin (John) DuPaul, and Angela (James) Stewart; grandchildren, Jimmy Hammock, Sabrina (Tory) Baggett, and Hayley Adams, as well as 3 great grandchildren; sister, Marie Wharton, and brother, Bruce Medlin.

Visitation was held in the Parlor at Frederick-Dean Funeral Home on Nov. 23, 2020. A private family funeral service was held with Pastor Frank Hayes officiating.

Interment followed at Garden Hills Cemetery.

A15 November 25, 2020

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A16 November 25, 2020

COMICS

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

S

S

Inside • opelika schools • lee county schools • community sports

Auburn beats Central, advances to semifinals

By Wil Crews sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com

On the Mark

By D. Mark Mitchell

S

Saraland ends Opelika football season

araland defeated Opelika 46-27 last Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the 6A State Football Playoffs. The Spartans offense was too much for the Bulldogs.

Saraland led 14-0 in the first quarter, 26-6 at halftime.

The SHS offense rolled to a 26-6 first half lead on their way to scoring 46 points, the most against OHS this season.

Saraland scored two touchdowns early in the first quarter on runs of 15 and 40 yards. Opelika’s first score came on a 30-yard pass from Finley to Will Beams, making the score 14-6.

The Spartans scored two more touchdowns before halftime – a 6-yard run and a pick six.

Eric Watts opened the third quarter with a 7-yard touchdown run, but Saraland answered with a touchdown on a 76-yard pass. The Bulldogs’ JD Tolbert scored on a 10-yard run, making the score 32-20 heading to the fourth quarter. The Spartans then answered by scoring two more touchdowns to squash any thoughts of a Bulldog comeback. OHS tacked on one final touchdown

with less than a minute remaining in the game.

OHS Basketball The OHS Girls’ Basketball Team is 2-1 after three games of the 2020-21 season. The Lady Bulldogs under head coach Devin Booth opened the season with a 59-44 win over Gasden City. Kaitlyn Bryant scored 25 points, and Haley Sanders added 20 in the win.

OHS defeated Handley 75-70 in overtime.

Bryant scored 24 points, Haley Sanders added 23 points, and LeDajah Hughley chipped in 13 points. Hewitt-Trussville beat OHS 57-34 for the first loss of the season. Haley Sanders scored a game-high 18 points, while Kaitlyn Bryant added 11.

Opelika’s athletic website does not have any info posted on the Boys’ Basketball Team.

I will update the Boys’ results and schedule in the coming weeks.

I hope each of you has a Happy Thanksgiving!

If you know of someone in need of a Thanksgiving meal, go to the First Baptist Church Opelika website (fbcopelika. com), and reserve a free meal on Thanksgiving See SPORTS , page B4

The Auburn faithful piled into DuckSamford Stadium on Friday as Auburn High held Central to a season-low in points and beat the Red Devils 35-17 to advance to the AHSAA Class 7A state championship.

Down two scores and clinging to life late in the fourth quarter, Central was unofficially sent home packing when Auburn running back JT Rogers gashed the Central defense for a championship-berth-clinching 60-yard rushing touchdown.

It was Rogers’ second score of the game on a night where he was held relatively in check.

Still, it was enough to seal an AHSAA Class 7A championship matchup against defending state champion Thompson on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

The Auburn win meant more than most as Central bounced the Tigers from last season’s playoffs in the same round.

From the start of the game, Auburn High looked determined to deny history a chance at repeating itself.

Central took the opening kickoff to

the 50-yard line. The Auburn High defense wasted no time getting after the Red Devils and quickly forced a punt. The Tigers then began their first drive on their own 17-yard line, and they swiftly moved the ball down the field. The Tigers finished off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run from senior defensive end/fullback George Wright. Central responded immediately on its next drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass: a slant from quarterback Caleb Nix to receiver Jackson Meeks.

With 0:57 remaining in the first quarter, the two teams were

deadlocked at 7-7.

After trading punts on both teams’ next possessions, the Central defense forced the first turnover of the game when Auburn High quarterback Matthew Caldwell was intercepted on a heavily contested downfield throw.

Central took over near its own 30-yard yard line and managed to inch the ball to other side of the field before the Auburn defense forced a fourth down.

Central settled for a field goal and took its only lead of the game, 10-7, with just over four minutes left in the half.

See AUBURN, page B5

Glenwood’s perfect season ends in title game

By Wil Crews sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com

The Glenwood Gators’ bid at a perfect season came to an agonizing end on Friday as they fell in the AISA Class AAA State Championship game, 38-21, to the Pike Liberal Arts Academy Patriots inside Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.

Since their first game in September,

Glenwood has looked a cut above its opponents and destined for a state title. Their dominance included an early season 26-7 win over Pike.

However, on Friday, the Gators were held to a season-low in points and lost their first game of the season – in the biggest game of the season.

The game was a shootout through two quarters, with the two

teams heading to halftime tied 21-21. The Gators would be shut out in second half, and Pike quarterback Mayes White would lead his team to a convincing win.

The Gators offense looked like their normally potent selves to begin the game.

Running back Kyle Robichaux put the Gators in scoring position with a 36-yard

run, and quarterback Jackson Griner found receiver Rodanda Beauchamp for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The Gator defense quickly forced a punt to give the ball back to Glenwood, but Pike scored its first touchdown on a 40-yard pick six. The interception didn’t seem to affect Griner as he found Beauchamp again on

Taking Steps Forward

By Hannah Lester hlester@opelikaobserver.com

A new sign in front of the Auburn University Student Center is a physical example of progress on Auburn University’s campus.

Friday afternoon the

university rededicated the student center to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia Harold Melton.

Melton was Auburn University’s first African American SGA President and is the first African American after

whom the university has named a building.

“I never thought that I would get involved with SGA, or certainly become SGA President, never thought that I would be on the See MELTON, page B4

See GLENWOOD, page B3

B2 November 25, 2020

Beauregard High softball players sign with Chattahoochee Valley Community College

Photos contributed by BHS Front row L-R: Adrene Williams (grandmother), Mikayla Williams, Teresa Williams (mother) and Bre Whatley (sister). Middle Row Standing L-R: Coach Katherine Brown, CVCC Coach Gary Miller, Coach Kathy McDonald, BHS Principal Richard Brown Jr. Back row L-R: Coach Shane Lake, Camarcus Williams (brother), Mike Williams (father), M.J. Williams (brother), BHS Head Coach Scott Meadows, Coach Terry Welch and Coach Joseph Hawkins.

Front row L-R: Corey McDonald (father), Madison McDonald, Kathy McDonald (mother) and Matthew McDonald (brother). Back row L-R: Coach Shane Lake, BHS Head Coach Scott Meadows, CVCC Coach Gary Miller, Coach Joseph Hawkins and BHS Principal Richard Brown Jr.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK The City of Opelika is proud to sponsor the Opelika High School Player of the Week.

We applaud you for your HARD WORK and DEDICATION on and off the football field.

SENIOR RB JD TOLBERT,

Wide Receiver Radonda Beauchamp Jr., who had 5-yard and 59-yard touchdown catches.

WHO HAD TWO RUSHING TD'S IN OPELIKA'S FINAL GAME.

IT’S THE OPELIKA WAY.

GO DAWGS!

of the

Week Congratulations from

Lee Co. Revenue Commissioner Oline Price

#myOpelika • #beOpelika www.opelika-al.gov 2018 observer

Opelika 215 S. 9th St. Opelika 334-737-3655

Smiths Station 2366 LR 430 Ste. 140 Smiths Station 334-664-0296

Auburn 1266 Mall Pkwy Auburn 334-737-7298

B3 November 25, 2020

Happy Thanksgiving Eve

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Ecclesiastes 3:1.

‘T

was the night before Thanksgiving, and all in our hearts are reflections of a year that has been so different and, yes, quite difficult.

How can we model and encourage gratitude and hope on this Thanksgiving Eve? I hope these few last-minute suggestions enrich your Thanksgiving blessings!

Young children love doing holiday acrostics. This is a wonderful activity for family gatherings. I am going to share a Classroom Observer’s Thanksgiving Acrostic that I hope will give you ideas of blessings you and your children can build on.

Thankfulness of celebrating each day in God’s world.

Togetherness this Thanksgiving may be done in low numbers,

by Zoom or by calling family members

and friends because of COVID-19. My own extended family, which has met together every year for as long as I can remember, cannot come together this year.

Realize that togetherness is more than just being together physically. Togetherness is truly caring for other people from the heart, by loving them, caring for them and praying for them. Children love to reach out to their families by sending cards, drawing pictures and making gifts for their family and friends.

Hope helps us continually face difficult and discouraging times.

The heart of hope is prayer. God leans in and hears a child’s prayers.

HE leans in to hear our prayers and encourages us through gentle understanding and whispers that things will get better. Children seem to reflect this hope with a sparkle in their eyes.

GLENWOOD>>

searching for a miracle.

The miracle would never come as Griner was intercepted again on the ensuing drive to effectively end Glenwood’s title aspirations. The Patriots added a 20-yard field goal that would round out the scoring. In total desperation, Griner threw a risky pass on the next Glenwood possession and was intercepted for the third time on the night with just over a minute remaining.

Glenwood’s 2020 season ended in disappointing fashion, with the Gators losing in the championship for the second consecutive season, but nothing can overshadow their dominant run to the title game. Even with the loss, the Gators outscored their 11 opponents 457 to 160.

It was still a wildly successful season for Glenwood, who captured their first region title and first season with double digit wins since 2001.

Pike, who’s only lost to Glenwood in the regular season, won its first championship since going backto-back in 2008 and 2009.

FROM B1 the next drive – this time for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Pike answered on its next drive with a 13-yard rushing touchdown from White to tie the game at 14 with nine minutes to go in the half.

Robichaux got his first touchdown of the night – and the final of his impressive season – with just under six minutes left in the second quarter on a 19-yard rushing touchdown.

From there, the Pike defense would shut out the Gators, and the Patriot offense would do enough to clinch the title. Pike tied the game just before half, after White led the Patriots down the field before finding his receiver for a 14-yard touchdown pass.

The third quarter was a defensive chess match before White undid the Gator defense with a crushing 94-yard touchdown run. Griner was then picked early in the fourth quarter before White led a resilient Pike drive that ended in an 8-yard rushing touchdown for the Patriot quarterback.

Pike extended its lead to 35-21 and left Glenwood

This sparkle of hope is a contagious heartfelt attitude of gratitude.

Americans in the early days! “Lest you Forget” is a way to connect our Thanksgiving celebration to the first harvest feast and celebration that brought pilgrims and Native Americans together.

This special time of looking at history can be enhanced by reading books to your children.

Too, this is an excellent time to share about their family history and traditions; children love to hear stories of when their parents and grandparents were children having Thanksgiving.

This is a good time for your children to understand gratitude for those who have gone before us in making our lives better. Too, I looked at “A” as a way of looking at Answered prayers during this past year. When children remember how God answered their prayers, it builds their faith. It is a stockpile of evidence that God does hear our prayers. Children absolutely love to hear and read the Psalms.

Psalms 118 verse 21 says, “I will praise You, for You have answered me, And have become my salvation.” Too, our young children can begin right now in putting Psalm 100, verse 4 to heart as we all celebrate Thanksgiving this year.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise, Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”

Nature is something

that has become very special to all of us as we have had to slow down during this pandemic. We have stopped completely and looked around and observed God’s beautiful world.

One of my favorite hymns is “This Is My Father’s World” (text by Malthie D. Babcock and the music by Franklin L. Sheppard). Families, please Google this beautiful song that reflects listening to God’s world, seeing God’s world and expressing gratitude and thanksgiving to our Father in Heaven, who made us a beautiful world to live in. This is a song that has a tune that is so easy for children to sing and put to heart when they are doing outdoor activities and adventures in nature.

Children love to observe nature!

Kindness is a fruit of the spirit that young children love to talk about and show. During this time of desperate needs, kindness has been shown in our community. The kindness we have seen this year spells Love to our children. It shows that we care for each other. During this Thanksgiving time we can reflect and thank God for the acts of kindness that people have shown our families this year. Too, we can let folks who have shown us kindness know that by expressing gratitude verbally or in written cards.

Serving others.

Thanksgiving is a time for us to share the

harvest of blessings that God has provided for us during this year.

This may be food, time, talents and care. Young children love to help!

Including them in family projects of serving others provides a deep sense of gratitude in their lives of helping others.

Good: This is teaching our young children to do the right thing for the right reason. During these times of uncertainty, we can teach our children valuable life lessons to hang on to a rope of good when they are disappointed or discouraged. When we reach out to others in goodness, this dissolves a spirit of self-pity and bitterness. Children are thinking of others rather than themselves.

Identity: I love teaching the Bible verse 139:14 to young children: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made, Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”

Starting with infants and toddlers, young children love to see themselves in the mirror. They laugh, grin and point when they see a reflection of themselves. Though very young, they know that they are special to God and their families. They are unique!

Values: Young children have such open hearts to learn values early in their lives. We have to take the time to teach them what is right and wrong. Laying this foundation early in their lives is a gift that makes

their growing up years easier as they journey to joy in being happy and helping others.

Individuals: Now is the time to truly get to know and appreciate family members and friends. To teach young children early in life to listen to others, help others and love others for who they are and how God made them is such a valuable life lesson! During this year, we have truly had time to get to know our family and friends.

Name: I tie this in with identity and individuals. Everyone loves to hear their name called. This might be a time that you can share and talk with your child why you named them the name that they have.

Children truly enjoy how their parents came up with their names.

God: Psalm 95:3: “For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods.” Our God created us, gave us life, His forgiveness, grace and goodness!

Truly this is the main reason we express gratitude this Thanksgiving!

I pray that all families will have a wonderful, safe Thanksgiving. Our attitude of gratitude is truly a reason for family worship during this season where God walks before our families in guiding us in hope as we look up to Him to give us strength and direction. What a life lesson we can teach our children this Thanksgiving.

God Bless, Classroom Observer, Beth Pinyerd

La Cantina’s “Tacos & Touchdowns” party this Saturday Contributed by La Cantina

Join La Cantina for a day of food, fun, family and friends and enjoy downtown Opelika and one of the best rivalries in college football, the Iron Bowl.

Get your South of the Border f lavors just north of the tracks at La Cantina.

There will be a mini golf course out

front on the sidewalk presented in coordination with Auburn Backyard Entertainment, so be sure to bring the family.

La Cantina will also be grilling out front and making street tacos on the sidewalk for anyone walking the downtown area and wondering where those delicious smells are coming from. And of course margaritas

and beer will be available from the patio bar.

La Cantina is located on the corner of N. Railroad and S. 9th Street, just a block from the Gameday viewing area sponsored by the city, so it’s the perfect day to start a new “tailgating” tradition with family and friends.

Enjoy the restaurant’s “fresh take on TexMex” on its

covered patio and watch the game, or get your favorite foods to go - maybe even try one of La Cantina’s convenient Taco Kits for a group of 4-8.

This Saturday will be a great time to be in downtown Opelika! Call 334203-1418 for more information or stay connected on the La Cantina Facebook page.

B4 November 25, 2020

Opelika Dawg Pound playing through the pandemic

By Wil Crews sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com

If you’ve watched any football in 2020, you’ve become accustomed to players missing games due to COVID-19. Well, Anthony Bryant, the founder of the youth football group, the Opelika Dawg Pound, says that COVID-19 “affected the whole season,” for his youth football teams too.

Two shutdowns, missing players, lost practice time and the lack of safe community service opportunities has put a slight damper on the Dawg Pound’s 2020 season.

An Opelika native, Bryant started the Opelika Dawg Pound in 2017 through the work of his non-profit, the Knee High Foundation.

At its inception, the Dawg Pound consisted of only 22 boys and one youth football league team. Now, it has expanded to include over 100 children, four youth football league teams and a cheerleading squad.

Bryant uses The Dawg Pound to foster the Knee High Foundation’s mission to mentor, serve and

MELTON>> FROM B1 supreme court and you can imagine, I never imagined this kind of moment,” Melton said.

“I do thank the Lord. I do thank the Lord that He led me to this place, because it was exactly what I needed, for spiritual, educational and social growth.”

The Auburn University Board of Trustees voted unanimously during its September meeting to rename the building as the Harold D. Melton Student Center.

The student center has never had an official name, said Bobby Woodard, senior vice president for Student Affairs.

“Thousands of folks have been working in and visiting this beautiful building, especially on game days, which we have simply just called the student center,” he said. “That all changes today.”

Melton served as the SGA president from 1987-1988.

“During his tenure from 1987-1988, he worked to improve student life at Auburn and his perspective was impactful in ensuring he would not be the last

SPORTS >> FROM B1 Day compliments of Greater Peace Baptist and FBCO. The meals will be served inside the OHS cafeteria.

alley.

The twilight of the 2020 Dawg Pound is now upon Bryant and his teams. The Dawg Pound still has three more tournaments coming up: one over Thanksgiving, the next one in Pensacola and one just before Christmas. For the children, the football is only part of it; the good habits they learn and the community service that they do through the Knee High Foundation provide an innumerable amount of other benefits. Bryant said that’s what make his teams unique.

“I would like to thank the community and my sponsors for their support and their donations,” Bryant said. “My children are grateful; it allowed them to get different things like uniforms and just being able to travel. We are in our third year, so we are still in the beginner phase. Whether it’s word of mouth or monetary, whatever ways, just continue to support us because we are the only team in the area that’s doing the things that we do… And it’s not just football.”

uplift youth with structure and guidance in a nurturing environment. Specifically relating to football, the Dawg Pound hopes to drastically reduce violence and let youth use sports as a vehicle to bolster their academics and give back to their respective communities.

Of course, they still want to win football games. But the coronavirus has made that a greater challenge than ever.

When shutdowns hit Alabama in March, Bryant and his teams shut down too. “We weren’t allowed to do anything,” Bryant said. At the start of the season, the Dawg Pound missed out on their conditioning sessions, couldn’t travel and were forced to miss their first tournament.

“It really hurt us in our prep time, our practice time and our bonding and chemistry,” Bryant said.

While the pandemic has been hard for everyone, Bryant went on to say it has been particularly hard on his 5 to 6-year-old program. “You know, my babies, they’ve never played contact

sports in their life,” Bryant said. “They are still learning the game of football.

COVID kind of shut us down from being able to really teach them the game of football.”

Additionally, the 12U team – filled with many players who were on the original Dawg Pound team in 2017 – have been no exception to the struggle. “[They] were some of the ones who caught it the worst,” Bryant said. “This was a very promising year for us due to the talent we had.” Some kids were

pulled from the team due to coronavirus concerns – something Bryant said he completely understands – and the squad was left admittedly depleted.

As much as the coronavirus affected the Dawg Pound, many of the Knee High Foundation’s regular community service projects were put on hold too. The coronavirus prevented them from visiting veterans and nursing homes and from delivering Christmas presents to St. Jude.

In spite of the pandemic, they still

managed to find a way to serve. Bryant said the foundation donated 1,000 book bags for back-to-school and $1500 in scholarships for local seniors. They also participated in some socially-distanced volunteer work like trash pickup.

Additionally, the Knee High Foundation typically gives local youth a number of activities to do outside of football. Some of them were cancelled due to concerns over the virus, but Bryant said they still managed a camping trip and even a day at the bowling

African American SGA President here,” said current SGA President Ada Ruth Huntley. “He was a part of paving the way for many student leaders to come, including myself.”

After his Auburn graduation in International Business, Melton attended the University of Georgia Law School. Before he became the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, Melton served as the Executive Council to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

“Chief Melton is the walking, talking, living, breathing, embodiment of the Auburn Creed,” Woodard said. “An Auburn man through and through. I can think of no better way to recognize him than naming this building in his honor. This beautiful building finally has a name on it. I am, for one, proud to work in the Harold D. Melton Student Center.”

Melton said that he received a call from the university in August letting him know they hoped to name the student center after him.

“Once I realized they were naming this whole big thing [after me], I was just shaking,” Melton said. “…

There were a couple of thoughts that ran

through my head. One of the thoughts was just the meaning of what this is for a name, your name, and I thought back to Dean Foy.” Melton said that he has memories of Foy walking through Foy Union to interact with students.

“It was more than his name on the building, he took that as a role, an assignment,” Melton said. “ … I remember him coming up and saying ‘hi’ and ‘how you doing, you have everything you need?’”

Melton said he also recalled the experience of Harold Franklin, the first African American student at Auburn University.

“I can’t compare my experience here at Auburn to Harold Franklin’s experience,” he said. “What he had to do here was basically endure. He had to endure, he had to suffer.

And ultimately this university is doing what it takes to make sure he got what he deserved and I’m proud of what the university is doing in that regard.”

Running for SGA President was not an exercise in endurance, Melton said, but a fun and exciting experience with friends.

There were those, however, who told him

not to run, who said his friends would not stand by his side, who said that the university would not want him as SGA president, he said.

“When I had the privilege of winning, my friends were with me, the university was with me,” Melton said. “They were not embarrassed.

In fact, they pushed me forward.”

Last year’s SGA President Mary Margaret Turton started the initiative to rename the student center after Melton, said Board of Trustee Member Elizabeth Huntley, who co-chaired the task force to approve the dedication.

Ada Ruth Huntley, who is also Elizabeth’s daughter, was able to complete Turton’s work.

“What I want to point

out is that it was a white, female SGA president that pushed the initiative for this student center to be named the Harold Melton Student Center,” Elizabeth said.

“And then it was the first African American female SGA president that’s finishing it out.

And we often talk about black history in this country when I think we need to change our tune and call it gray history.

“Because when we look back on all of the advancements that have occurred in our society, that have advanced diversity efforts, that have advanced humanitarian efforts, it’s always been that side of American that’s the good side. That believes in all of us. That looks at the character of a man and determined

that that character should be celebrated. And that’s what significant to me about this day.”

The group, along with Trustee Bob Dumas, presented Melton with an official proclamation for the dedication of the Harold D. Melton Student Center.

“I always like to start by saying, it’s a great day in the life of Auburn University,” said Auburn President Jay Gogue. “This is a really, really, really great day in the life of Auburn University and I want to thank all of you for being here today …

“We make real history today. And I just simply want to say that, Chief Justice Melton, you actually honor Auburn by allowing us to honor you today. Thank you.”

On behalf of my Mother (Bettye), my two brothers (Keith and Lance) and the entire Mitchell family, I want to take this opportunity to thank the many people who

reached out with words of encouragement and prayer after the passing of my father (John L. Mitchell).

I also want to say thank you to the staff at EAMC, Dr. Kev-

in Jackson, Dr. John Mitchell, David Pate, Dr. John Stewart, Dr. Wallace, Dr. Reamer, Dr. Deckich and the many nurses, medical techs and others who helped my father

during the last four years.

Special thanks to First Baptist Church and Pastor Dr. Jeff Meyers for always being available when our family needed prayer

and support and to EAMC President Laura Grill and Chaplain Laura Eason for their support during the last year of my father’s life.

RIP John L. Mitchell

Photo by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer

B5 November 25, 2020

Area Football Update: four sent home, one still alive, one crowned champion

By Wil Crews Sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com

There were six area teams still playing for their playoff lives on Friday. When the last whistle blew, one had won state, one had clinched a berth in the state championship game and four were sent home with their 2020 seasons coming to an end.

The first team to play was the Chambers Academy Rebels from LaFayette, who were in the state championship for the sixth straight season. The rebels fell

in last year’s championship game, but, this year, the Rebels captured their second state title in program history after a thrilling end-to-end 36-34 victory over the Escambia Academy Cougars. Up three points and with just over five minutes left in the game, Chambers Academy perfectly pulled off a fake punt on a fourthand-6 at its own 47-yard line. Three plays later, the Rebels converted a third-and-27 after completing a precise downfield pass. The next play was a 28-yard

touchdown pass that gave Chambers its two-score lead late in the fourth. Escambia managed to score one more time but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick. Chambers Academy then kneeled the game clock out and left Cramton Bowl in Montgomery with a 10-1 record and a 2020 State Championship Title.

Soon after Chambers won a state title, two other area teams faced off for a shot at one.

Central and Auburn High met at DuckSamford Stadium

in a rematch of last year’s semifinal game.

After losing in last year’s playoff matchup, Auburn got its long-awaited revenge.

The Tigers sent Central home packing, beating the Red Devils 35-17 and clinching a berth in the ASHAA Class 7A Championship Game. For more on the Auburn/Central game, turn to page B1.

While Auburn and Chambers Academy deservedly celebrated their wins, four other area teams – Opelika, Glenwood, Lanett and Central – were left in

the inglorious shadow of defeat.

Lanett saw their season end with a 2821 quarterfinal loss to Leroy in the AHSAA Class AA playoffs. The teams were tied at 21 going into the fourth quarter, but Leroy’s go-ahead score in the fourth quarter was the difference. Lanett had a chance to tie the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter but came up short when Leroy sacked the quarterback on fourth-andgoal from the 14-yard line. Lanett can hang their heads on a great

season in which they finish 10-3 and champions of Region 4 in Class AA. You can find more information on the playoff loses of Opelika, Glenwood and Central, on page B1.

There’s just one more week left of Alabama High School football, and it’s a blessing that we have gotten this far. The only area team still in play is Auburn High, which plays defending 7A champion Thompson on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. in BryantDenny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Tigers show grit vs. Florida at Auburn Fall Invitational Courtesy of AU Athletics

There was a certain toughness to the Auburn swimming and diving team on the second day of the Auburn Fall Invitational as they battled Florida on both the men’s and women’s sides in Thursday night’s finals.

“I’m really pleased and excited with the performances tonight,” Auburn Head Coach Gary Taylor said. “I thought we lacked a little bit of energy this morning, and I really challenged the team to come back out tonight and be vocal, be energetic.

“I thought we had some really good performances leading off with our women’s 200 medley relay getting the win in that event.

Really good swims

by Kensley Merritt, Carly Cummings, Abby Gibbons and then coming home with AJ Kutsch – 1:37.53, a really solid performance for this time of the year.”

The women carried that momentum into the 400 IM, where freshman Hannah Ownbey swam a lifetime-best 4:12.50 to finish third.

Junior Emily Hetzer placed fourth in the 400 IM and then took fourth again two events later, leading Auburn in the 200 freestyle.

The Tigers scored another victory in the women’s 100 butterfly with senior Jewels Harris earning an NCAA B cut time at 52.76.

“We got a big performance tonight out of Jewels Harris getting our win individually on that end,” Taylor said. “Abby Gibbons

runner-up in that event as well, so that was an important and eventful swim there. Exciting to get that.”

On the men’s side, junior Brogan Davis swam a lifetime best (48.11) to finish fourth in the 100 butterfly.

He touched just behind teammate Matthew Yish, who took third in the event at 48.08.

The Auburn men enjoyed another strong performance in the 200 freestyle with freshman Mikkel Gadgaard, junior Christian Sztolcman and freshman Michael Bonson finishing 2-3-4.

For the second straight day, freshman Reid Mikuta showed off his ability. After an impressive swim on the second leg of the medley relay, he backed it up with a second-place finish in the 100

breaststroke, where he paced the Tigers with a time of 53.28.

“What can you say about Reid Mikuta, our freshman? He showed out on the medley relay earlier, comes back tonight and goes toeto-toe with the SEC champion from last season,” Taylor said. “53.2, solid performance by the freshman right at his lifetime best. I thought he was backed up well in the A final by the other freshman, Alejandro Flores.”

In the 200 backstroke, Merritt and Lleyton Smith both placed second for their respective teams.

Merritt, a freshman, swam a 52.48 to lead off the winning 200 medley relay and then followed that with a 53.57 in the championship final of the 100 backstroke.

The Tigers capped the night with two second-place finishes in the 800 freestyle relay.

DIVING Junior Conner Pruitt placed first for the second straight day, winning Thursday’s 3-meter event with 405.83 points. Sophomore Skip Donald finished third for the Tigers with 340.88 points, narrowly missing his personal best, while senior Logan Andrews was fourth.

For the women, sophomore Ashlynn Sullivan followed her victory Wednesday with a second-place finish on 1-meter. Sullivan scored 237.90 points, edging out teammate Maia Goldstein, who took third with 235.73 points. Sophomore Gretchen Wensuc finished fourth.

WHAT’S NEXT The Tigers and Gators will wrap up the Auburn Fall Invitational on Friday with prelims beginning at 9 a.m. CT, followed by diving at 11 a.m. and finals at 4 p.m.

The swimming events include the 1650 free, the 200 back, the 100 free, the 200 breast, the 200 fly and the 400 freestyle relay. The divers will compete on platform.

SCORES (DAY 2)

Women 1. Florida: 347 2. Auburn: 291

Men 1. Florida: 346 2. Auburn 306

Auburn volleyball concludes fall campaign Contributed by AU Athletics

In the final match of the shortened fall season, Auburn volleyball (0-8, 0-8 SEC) fell in straight sets to Tennessee (4-4, 4-4 SEC) inside Auburn Arena Thursday evening.

The first set was a back-and-forth affair from the opening serve

AUBURN>> FROM B1 The next two Auburn possessions would swing the game in their favor. To end the half, Caldwell became Auburn’s all-time single season passing touchdown record holder (19) with a 7-yard pass to Rogers who took a catch in the flat and ran it seven yards for the score. Auburn regained the lead at 1410 and that where the score sat headed into halftime.

To open the second

with seven ties before the media timeout. A 4-0 run by the Lady Volunteers separated the two squads, giving Tennessee a 11-15 lead at the timeout.

Auburn answered out of the break with two kills from junior Tatum Shipes and a block from senior Chesney McClellan and freshman Jackie Barrett to force

Tennessee to use its first timeout of the set.

Service errors plagued both teams after the timeout, but Tennessee found a late advantage and won the set 20-25. The Lady Volunteers would take the final two sets by 12-25 and 14-25 finals.

Shipes recorded a season-high 12 kills for her second

double-digit kill effort of the season. The outside hitter added one block and added seven digs. Senior Jaeden Brown, earning her first start at outside hitter this season, came on late in the match with six kills. She also added a lone block.

Middle blockers McClellan and freshman Audrey Douglas were Auburn’s most

effective hitters, as the duo closed the night with hitting percentages of .400. McClellan racked five kills while Douglas tallied four.

Douglas led the team with two blocks.

At setter, Barrett dished out 27 assists and added one block and seven digs.

Senior right side Lauren Dorrell led the defense with a

career-high 12 digs, her first double-digit dig performance of her career. Dorrell added one block and four kills. Junior Bella Rosenthall closed the night with nine digs.

Auburn will return to the court in the spring. Final details on SEC spring volleyball will be announced by the league office at a later date.

half, Auburn capitalized on a chance to stack back-to-back scores on the Red Devils. Before long, Auburn had the ball on the two-yard line and running back Amauri Hutchinson punched it in to open the game up and give Auburn the 21-10 lead.

Central made it clear they weren’t going lay down and accept defeat on its next possession.

To this point in the game, Auburn had contained the typically explosive Central offense.

But with just over five minutes left in the third

quarter, Central ball carrier Gerald Davis broke a 65-yard rushing score to cut the Tigers’ lead back to four.

The play swung momentum in Central’s favor, but Auburn took the hope straight out of Central’s imagination on its next drive.

The rushing duo of Rogers and Hutchinson moved the offense into scoring territory, and Hutchinson plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard score – his second of the night – to give Auburn the 28-17 lead with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter.

As the fourth quarter began, Auburn was in full control of the game until Caldwell was sacked and fumbled the ball near the 50-yard line, giving Central another lifeline in the game. There was no time for concession breaks on Friday as Auburn’s Powell Gordon strip-sacked Central quarterback Trey Miles on the next play to give the ball back to the Tigers.

The ensuing drive ended unceremoniously; it was a shame because Auburn successfully converted

a fake punt on fourth down. Regardless, the Auburn defense showed their resolve again and forced Central to punt the ball right back to the Tiger offense. Rogers then killed off all hopes of a Central comeback with a 60-yard rushing touchdown that sent the Auburn faithful into a fever – the cure for which was a state championship berth.

The Tigers had extended their lead to 35-17 with just over three minutes left and would see out the win from there.

The Auburn defense left the field making one final resounding statement as Sam Snyder intercepted the Central quarterback for the defense’s second turnover of the game.

The Tigers will now head to the AHSAA Super 7 State Championship Game for the first time under Head Coach Adam Winegarden and for the first time as a program since 2013. They face the defending champion Thompson Warriors, who have scored a team-record 575 points this season.

B6 November 25, 2020

Loaded 2021 softball signing class boasts championship experience

Courtesy of AU Athletics

Gold medals, multiple state and national championships highlight some of the staggering accomplishments of Auburn softball’s decorated 2021 signing class, as head coach Mickey Dean announced the addition of nine student-athletes on Wednesday.

“We are extremely excited about our 2021 class,” Dean said. “It is filled with power hitters, speed and game experience at the highest level. All of them have won several championships at the high school, travel ball and international levels.”

The 2021 softball signing class, poised to be one of the best in the country, features catcher Jessie Blaine, outfielders Kenadie Cooper and Abbey Smith, infielders Bri Ellis, Riley McNemar, Rylie Moody, Nelia Peralta and Rose Roach and catcher/infielder Aubrie Lisenby. Four of Auburn’s signees are ranked within the top 20 of Extra Innings Softball’s Signing Rankings with two making the cut in the top 10.

JESSIE BLAINE Hometown: Wentzville, Mizzouri.

High School: St. Dominic High School Club: Iowa Premier Gold Position: Catcher Highlights: Ranked as the No. 14 recruit of the 2021 class by Extra Innings Softball … completed her senior season at St. Dominic High School … bouncing around the country as part of a military family, also competed at San Clemente High School and Quantico High School … closed her senior season at St. Dominic with a .521 average at the plate … recorded 37 total hits, including 13 doubles, two triples and nine home runs for a 1.140 slugging percentage… scored 40 runs and totaled 37 RBI … drew 27 walks and struck out just once in 71 atbats for a .657 on-base percentage … also an all-state performer in basketball … anchor behind the dish for the 2019 Team USA U17 National Team … helped the team win gold at the Pan American Games … competes for Iowa Premier Gold on the club scene.

Dean on Blaine: “Jessie brings power with her bat and a cannon in her arm. She has played at the highest levels, including for the Team USA Junior National

program.”

KENADIE COOPER Hometown: Newnan, Georgia.

High School: East Coweta Club: East Cobb Bullets Position: Outfield Highlights: Ranked the No. 22 overall recruit and No 4 outfielder of the 2021 class by Extra Innings Softball … held a batting average over .400 in all three of varsity seasons, including a career-high average of .556 in 2017 … totaled 24 doubles, eight triples, six home runs and 36 steals to earn AllState honors last season … led East Coweta to the 2017, 2018 and 2020 Georgia 7A State Championship …

East Coweta finished the 2019 GHSA State Tournament in the Elite Eight … 2017 and 2018 High School Softball National Champion … a two-time First Team All-Region selection … 2018 All-County Team … 2018 and 2019 Georgia 7A All-State selection … GHSA Junior All Star Game invitee … member of the National Honor Society, BETA Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes … academically ranked in the top six percent of her class … competes for East Cobb Bullets club team… won multiple national championships on the club scene, including the 2019 Triple Crown National Championship and the 2016 ASA National Championship … held a batting average above .400 over her last three club seasons.

Dean on Cooper: “Kenadie has speed and a strong arm roaming the outfield.

She has very good power and can turn a single into a double with her speed.“ BRI ELLIS Hometown: Houston Texas High School: Memorial High School Club: Impact Gold Position: Infield Highlights: Ranked the No. 20 recruit of the 2021 signing class by Extra Innings Softball … holds a career .421 batting average with 80 hits, 99 RBI and 104 runs scored in her three seasons at Memorial High School … has slugged 31 career home runs with 25 doubles and two triples for a 1.036 slugging clip … slugged 13 home runs as a freshmen en route to a .392 batting average … held a .515 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage as a freshman … added 37 RBI

… tabbed 15-6A AllDistrict Newcomer of the Year and Memorial High School’s Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year … nominated as North Houston Softball Player of the Year …

Slugged 12 homers as a sophomore to record a 1.049 slugging clip coupled with a .612 on-base percentage … closed her sophomore season with 45 RBI and a .415 batting average … selected 17-6A First Team All-District … voted sixth place for Vype Magazine Softball Player of the Year … in her shortened junior season, knocked nine home runs and totaled 20 RBI in just 14 games … closed the season with a .457 batting average … added a .623 on-base percentage and a 1.171 slugging clip … named Vype Magazine’s Preseason Player of the Year … member of the National Science Honor Society … 17-6A Academic All-District and 15-6A Academic All-District selection … competed for Impact Gold club team … over the 2020 summer season, recorded 13 home runs, 52 RBI with a .476 batting average and .818 slugging clip … named to the 2020 Extra Innings Softball AllSummer Team … 2020 Sparklers/Fireworks Texas Region 18U Champion.

Dean on Ellis: “Bri brings a great deal of success in big games after hitting several home runs in national tournaments. She’s a great glove playing the corner positions.”

AUBRIE LISENBY Hometown: Huntsville, Alabama.

High School: Bob Jones High School Club: Birmingham Thunderbolts Position: Catcher/ Infield Highlights: The top-ranked recruit of the 2021 class from the state of Alabama, according to Extra Innings Softball … also ranked the seventh-best recruit in the country and the third-best catcher by Extra Innings Softball … a five-year varsity starter … enters her senior season tied for the most home runs in Bob Jones High School history … a five-time all-state catcher (three at Bob Jones, two at Randolph High School) … reliable behind the plate with only two errors over the 2019 season for a .993 fielding percentage … voted to the Alabama North/ South All-Star Team … closed her COVIDshortened junior season with the most home

runs to at-bat ratio in the country with nine homers in 40 at-bats … led Bob Jones in slugging percentage (1.071) and RBI (20) last season … member of the Junior National Honor Society and the National Honor Society … been a member of the Birmingham Thunderbolts organization since 2010 … helped the Bolts win the USA 18U Gold Nationals, the only Bolts’ team to win a national championship at that age division … first premier team to win Atlanta Legacy Showcase Tournament, one of the top three tournaments in the country.

Dean on Lisenby: “Aubrie is one of the most consistent hitters I have seen, showing power to all sides of the field. She is a catcher/corner who knows the game very well.”

RILEY MCNEMAR Hometown: Galena, Kansas.

High School: Galena High School Club: Aces Fastpitch – Kansas City Position: Infield Highlights: Earned first team and second team All-State honors for Galena High School … selected first team All-Conference in back-to-back seasons … junior season was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic … held a .534 batting average over the 2019 campaign … closed the 2018 season with a .506 average at the plate … member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Club and Family Career and Community Leaders of America … is a National Greenbush Leadership Academy graduate … staple on the Galena Honor Roll … served as the Student Council President … participated in the Connect Mentorship Program … competes for Aces Fastpitch club team … over her club career held a .469 average … named Aces Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.

Dean on McNemar: “Riley is a power player both offensively and defensively. She plays with great strength and confidence.”

RYLIE MOODY Hometown: Douglasville, Georgia.

High School: Chapel Hill High School Club: Tennessee Mojo Position: Infield Highlights: A four-time first team All-State selection at Chapel Hill High School … won multiple All-Region honors over her career …

compiled a .475 batting average over the last four seasons … West Georgia School Sports All-Area Softball First Team selection the last three seasons … tabbed as the No. 80 recruit of the 2021 class by Extra Innings Softball … member of the Key Club … also competes for Tennessee Mojo club team.

Dean on Moody: “Rylie is a versatile player capable of playing infield and outfield. She is a consistent hitter, showing power gap to gap.”

NELIA PERALTA Hometown: Wellington, Florida.

High School: Wellington High School Club: Birmingham Thunderbolts Position: Infield Highlights: Ranked the No. 6 recruit of the 2021 class by Extra Innings Softball … tabbed 2019 Florida 8A All-State honoree after holding a .416 batting average with 22 RBI, 35 hits, five home runs and 12 walks … posted a .522 on-base percentage coupled with a .828 slugging clip and 1.351 OPS … earned 2019 All-County 8A Palm Beach County honors … member of the Science National Honors Society and the Spanish Honors Society … competes with the Birmingham Thunderbolts club organization … over the Atlanta Legacy tournament, held a .656 average with three homers and 18 RBI … posted a .458 average with three home runs, 13 RBI and an .808 on-base percentage at USA Gold Nationals … closed the 2020 summer season with a .371 average with seven home runs and 38 RBI … added a .453 on-base percentage and .691 slugging clip.

Dean on Peralta: “Nelia is a former baseball player who has tremendous athletic ability. She has a powerful bat and a high-level understanding of the game.”

ROSE ROACH Hometown: Elburn, Ill. High School: Kaneland High School Club: Tennessee Mojo Position: Infield Highlights: Tabbed the No. 32 recruit of the 2021 signing class by Extra Innings Softball … selected to the 2019 Extra Innings Softball 16U All-Summer Team … 2018 First Team AllState selection … 2019 Daily Chronicle Player of the Year … closed the 2019 season with a .537 average with eight home runs, 47 RBI and 44 runs scored … also

competes for Tennessee Mojo club team.

Dean on Roach: “Rose is a middle infielder with exceptional speed and quickness. She is a force to be reckoned with as a triple threat from the left side.”

ABBEY SMITH Hometown: Austin, Texas High School: James Bowie High School Club: Tennessee Mojo Position: Outfield Highlights: Ranked as the No. 39 recruit of the 2021 signing class by Extra Innings Softball … named a two-time Bowie High School’s Most Valuable Player … a twotime Austin ISD Top Performer … a twotime First Team AllDistrict 6A selection … a two-time 6A District All-Academic Team member … a two-time All-CenTex Team honoree … held a .575 batting average and .609 on-base percentage as a freshman at James Bowie High School … was a perfect 23-for-23 in stolen base attempts … closed her freshman campaign with a .947 fielding percentage … 6A District Newcomer of the Year … named All-State 6A

by Texas Girls Coaches Association and Texas Sports Writers Association … followed up with a strong sophomore performance with a .574 average and .630 on-base percentage … posted a .969 fielding percentage … was perfect on the base baths with 25 steals … 6A District Offensive Player of the Year as sophomore … added 6A All-State honors by TGCA … selected a First Team All-American by Extra Innings Softball … over her shortened junior season, held a .584 batting average, .653 on-base percentage and turned in a perfect fielding percentage … also went 19-for-19 in steal attempts … competed in volleyball and track, winning multiple district championships in each … leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes … serves as a class officer … member of the Student Leadership and National Honor Society … competes for Tennessee Mojo club team … won the 2020 USA Softball Junior Olympic Cup Championship … closed the 2020 season leading the team in batting average (.464), onbase percentage (.562), hits (58) and steals (43).

Dean on Smith: “Abbey is an outfielder with electric speed.

She’s a difficult hitter to defend with her elite base-running skills.”

B7 November 25, 2020

Isaac Okoro drafted No. 5 overall by Cleveland in 2020 NBA Draft Contributed by Auburn Athletics

Dreams became reality for for mer Aubur n star Isaac Okoro Wednesday night when he was chosen with the No. 5 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Okoro’s selection is tied for the third-highest selection in program histor y behind only Chris Mor ris (No. 4, 1988) and Chuck Person (No. 4, 1986).

Charles Barkley was chosen No. 5 in the 1984 NBA Draft.

The Powder Springs, Ga. native became the f irst one-and-done player in program histor y.

“I feel like it was my work ethic,” Okoro said. “I stayed in the gym early mor nings and late nights, always f inding a coach to go to the gym with me and get shots up. I feel like I just got better ever y day.

“I put the work in ever y single day. I had people around my circle that helped me out. I feel great and blessed to be here.”

Okoro was just

the sixth player in Southeaster n Conference histor y to be named All-SEC, AllDefensive and All-Freshman in the same season.

“Character counts,” Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl said. “He’s a winner. He’s the best defensive player in the draft. He can guard 1 through 5. He can keep little point guards in front of him, and if he switches off on the inside, you’re not going to big-boy him. He can get downhill and he can score through

contact. The ball doesn’t stick in his hands. When that ball moves, if he’s open, he’s going to shoot it or he’s going to drive it or he’s going to move it along.

“He’s going to do what the coach asks him to do. He’s not going to come into Cleveland and go, ‘this is who I am.

Use me the way I am supposed to be used.’ He’s going to say, ‘Coach, what do you want me to do?’ and he’s going to go do it.”

Following Okoro’s No. 5 selection and

Chuma Okeke’s No. 16 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Aubur n has produced back-toback f irst round draft picks for the f irst time in program histor y.

Okoro averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, two assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks in 31.5 minutes per game while star ting 28 games as a f irst-year player in senior-laden lineup. The Tigers posted a 25-6 record during the 2019-20 campaign.

Okoro scored in double f igures 20 times and was

named the SEC Freshman of the Week twice, becoming just the four th freshman in program histor y to ear n the conference distinction two times in a season.

Okoro is the second Tiger to be drafted by the Cavaliers, joining Mike Mitchell, who was taken with the 15th selection of the 1978 NBA Draft. Along with Mitchell (1978-82), for mer letter men Eddie Johnson (1985-86) and Wesley Person (1997-2002) both played for the Cavs.

Auburn men’s basketball program to forgo postseason for 2020-21 season

Contributed by AU Athletics

The Auburn men’s basketball program will forgo postseason competition for the upcoming 20202021 season. The NCAA and the

SEC have been notified.

The athletics department and university administration, in conjunction with Coach Bruce Pearl, made the decision after careful deliberation and in light of

the ongoing matter that surfaced in fall 2017 regarding former assistant coach Chuck Person. Auburn has cooperated with the NCAA and will continue to do so.

We regret the

impact this decision has on our student-athletes, yet it was made in the best long-term interest of the program. Because of the ongoing matter, we will not comment further but hope for swift

consideration and resolution of the matter.

“This was a difficult decision but the right decision,” Pearl said. “I hate it for our current players. They lost the opportunity for the postseason

last year because of COVID, and now they will miss the postseason again. It’s a twoyear postseason penalty for them.

However, we need to take this penalty now to put it behind us.”

Auburn, Tuscaloosa mayors make annual Iron Bowl wager Contributed by the city of Auburn

This football season, the mayors of Auburn and Tuscaloosa are entering into yet another wager on the Iron Bowl to benefit a local charity. In this

annual bet, the mayors agree that the losing team’s mayor will donate to a charity of the other city’s choice.

This year, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders has selected the United Way of Lee County as his charity.

If the Auburn Tigers win on Nov. 28, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox will donate $100 to the United Way of Lee County. However, if the Alabama Crimson Tide wins, Anders will donate $100 to Maddox’s

chosen charity, the Tuscaloosa Pre-K Initiative.

“I’m excited to stand behind the Tigers and do some good for the communities of Auburn and Tuscaloosa,” said Anders. “Regardless of the final score of

the Iron Bowl, this friendly competition is a great reminder for all of us to support and care for those in need right in our backyards.

All that said, War Eagle!”

Dating back to 2005, the annual

wager first began between former Auburn Mayor Bill Ham and Maddox.

The Tigers and the Crimson Tide will face off at BryantDenny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 2:30 p.m.

B8 November 25, 2020

Photos by RPhotos by Robert Noles/Opelika Observer Opelika High School varsity girl's basketball take on the Handley Tigers last week. OHS defeated the Tigers 75 - 70.

Opelika, L ee County & A labama Politics

B9

November 25, 2020

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Doug Jones’ annihilation reaffirms mantra that winning the Republican nomination for statewide office in Alabama is tantamount to election

T

he defeat of Democrat Doug Jones in our United States Senate seat race is easy to explain. It is a Republican seat. Alabama is one of the, if not the, most Republican states in America.

The nation is totally divided into clearly defined ideological tribes.

You are either a right-wing conservative Republican or a left-wing liberal Democrat. There are very few true independent voters.

In Alabama there is an overwhelming majority of conservative Republicans. These two tribes vote a straight Republican ticket or a straight Democratic ticket. A good many just pull the straight ticket lever.

Jones never had a chance. Many of us, who are longtime political observers, were curious as to whether Jones would toe the liberal Democratic line when he got to Washington or moderate somewhat and try to throw the Republican conservatives a bone or two. He stuck true to his colors and philosophy. Doug Jones has always been a liberal national Democrat, and he stayed true to his beliefs.

Having been an upfront political observer and participant of Alabama politics for the past 40 to 50 years, I have known most of the significant political players on the Alabama political stage during those years.

Even though Doug Jones and I are around the same age and attended the University of Alabama, I never got to know him well. He was on the periphery as a party politician. He was always an ardent, card-carrying, loyal leader of the Democratic party.

He was a stalwart Democrat when they were the majority party. Then when most folks left to become Republicans, he stayed and became more avid. He was a real Democrat.

Over the years, Jones never strayed from proudly espousing that he was a liberal national Democrat.

STEVE FLOWERS He openly and ardently supported George McGovern, Walter Mondale, Joe Biden several times, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Jones is a true-blue, liberal, national Democrat. Most of us were surprised when he came out of his backroom political party role and private law practice to run for public office. He was shrewd enough to see the possibility that in a special election with a polarizing, tarnished candidate, he could squeak out a miraculous win in a special election to a U.S. Senate seat from Alabama as a Democrat.

Many of us watched the irascible demagogue George Wallace dominate Alabama politics. Wallace would make numerous Don Quixote forays into presidential politics, spitting out the message, “There ain’t a dimes worth of difference between the national Democratic and Republican parties,” and he was actually pretty close to right.

However, folks, I am here to tell you that today in 2020 there is a lot of difference, philosophically, in the national Democratic party of Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, Elizabeth Warren and Doug Jones and the national Republican party of Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Ted Cruz and See FLOWERS, page B11

Nov. 28 declared Small Business Saturday

By Michelle Key Publisher

Nov. 28 is Small Business Saturday and during last week’s city council meeting Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller issued a proclamation of such to encourage citizens to shop in and support the small business community in Opelika.

In other business, the council: approved requests from Opelika Main Street and the Opelika Chamber of Commerce for the Snow Much Fun Christmas Extravaganza on Dec. 5 approved a request from Opelika Main Street for Christmas in a Railroad Town on Dec. 11 approved a request from Brick and Spoon Restaurant for a retail liquor and beer on-premises license. held a public hearing regarding the rezoning of 89.5 acres in 900 Block N Uniroyal Road held a public hearing regarding the rezoning of 38.3 Acres in the 3000 Block Columbus Parkway approved a request from Opelika Main Street for a sidewalk closure on Nov. 28 in front of La Cantina in conjunction with the outdoor football viewing event being hosted by Opelika Main Street and the Chamber of Commerce

approved a bid for Influent Sewer Rerouting for Eastside Wastewater Treatment Plant approved a bid for Bypass Pump Installation at the Uniroyal Lift Station approved the purchase of platinum hosting and security software for the IT department approved the purchase of eight 2021 Chevrolet Tahoes for the police department approved a tax abatement extension for Mando approved a service agreement with Motorola Solutions, Inc. approved a service agreement with Gartner, Inc. approved an annual appropriation contract with Alabama Council on Human Relations approved an annual appropriation contract with AO Discover! approved an annual appropriation contract with EAMC approved a contract with Seely & Long Associates, Inc. for YIPP Grant Administration Services held the first reading to amend the Zoning Ordinance & Map in order to rezone 89.5 acres located at 900 Block N. Uniroyal Road voted to suspend the rules required two readings and voted to amend the Zoning Ordinance & Map pertaining

to annexation of 38.3 acres in the 3000 Block of Columbus Parkway and to annexation of the same 38.3 acres held the first reading for a lease agreement with Level-Up Towers, LLC for the purpose of erecting, installing and operating a telecommunications tower in Floral Park held the first reading of the conveyance of real property owned by the city of Opelika to SMB Land, LLC in the amount of $250,000 voted to appoint Erica Norris to the Alabama Council on Human Relations for a term ending Nov. 4, 2024 voted to reappoint Marvin Bolinger to the Celebrate Alabama Improvement District Board for a term ending Aug. 5, 2026 voted to reappoint Jervis Hairston to the Celebrate Alabama Improvement District Board for a term ending Aug. 5, 2026.

The Opelika City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday nights of every month in the Municipal Court Building located at 300 Martin Luther King Blvd. in Opelika. Meetings are open to the public and start at 7 p.m. with work sessions being held prior to the meetings.

Meetings can also be viewed via the city’s YouTube channel (OpelikaCityGov).

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B10 November 25, 2020

B11 November 25, 2020

“Plantations” are still here, even on my undergrad degree from up north M

y name, home state, type of degree, the college president’s name and signature and the chairman of the Board of Regents are all on my sheepskin from Rhode Island College. The state’s full name is there, too: State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

What?

“Plantations” still part of the name in liberal Rhode Island? And in 1980? How about still in 2020, in the state where Puritan minister Roger Williams founded Providence Plantations, the colony? And all this when Southerners are still blamed for all of the slavery in America since the 1600s?

Here’s good news: With 53%-47% support, voters opted on Nov. 3 to remove the words “and Providence Plantations,” which were part of the state’s legal title since May 4, 1776. The vote was 230,812 approving the name change, with 206,008 opposed. Ten years ago, the only previous time the voters got a say,

Ocean State residents rejected it by more than 3 to 1: at 250,466 to 71,162.

How did this this finally happen, after futile legislative debate since 1975 and the 2010 rejection?

And why did so many voters NOT want a change to help the state’s image? The primary reason for the change is the racial injustices we have had and the impact of Black Lives Matter.

The second reason is that the extent of slavery in RI is higher than earlier known, so the term “Plantations” offends more now because its ugly side is revealed.

“I think Rhode Island has turned a page,” said state Rep. Anastasia Williams, who had helped draw attention to the question — and to Rhode Island’s role in the slave trade.

“It means Rhode Islanders have joined forces and embraced the fact that we are, one. Period,” she told the Providence Journal’s Tom Mooney.

Rhode Island has 59,000 African Americans, which

is 5.4% of the state’s population. African Americans make up 13.4% of the U.S. population. People who oppose jettisoning the word “Plantations” from all state buildings and documents say it won’t have a big impact upon anyone’s life — not even in the African-American community.

“If you go back and look at the actual history behind the word, it’s not necessarily the same as what was going on down South,” said Richard Lee, a retired educator from Jamestown.

“I’ve always enjoyed it because being a true Rhode Islander, I’ve always said, ‘Hey, we’re the smallest state with the largest name,’ so we kind of had that as kind of a talking point when it comes to Rhode Island history,” he told the Providence Journal.

Yes, it is a small state, but one with a very large slave enterprise in the 1700s and early 1800s.

Paul Davis of the Providence Journal wrote a series of articles in 2006 about the slave trade in Rhode

Island and especially Newport. His wide research found that the sloops and ships Endeavor, Success and Wheel of Fortune hosted slave captains who made more than 1,000 voyages to Africa from 1725 to 1807.

“They chained their human cargo and forced more than 100,000 men, women and children into slavery in the West Indies, Havana and the American colonies,” Davis wrote in Slavers and the Slave Trade in Newport.

“The traffic was so lucrative that nearly half the ships that sailed to Africa did so after 1787 — the year Rhode Island outlawed the trade.”

Coastal cities Bristol and Narragansett, too, had slave transport and sale operations, as did Providence. Davis emphasized, “Rum fueled the business. The colony had nearly 30 distilleries where molasses was boiled into rum. Rhode Island ships carried barrels of it to buy African slaves, who were then traded for more molasses in the West

By Greg Markley Indies which was returned to Rhode Island.” The term “Plantations” referred to a group of settlements, properties that did not resemble Southern plantations in intent.

While Rhode Islanders were voting Nov. 3 to eliminate references to “plantations” on government documents and buildings, Mississippians voted 2-1 to replace the Confederate battle f lag with a magnolia-centric design. The magnolia design has a circle of 20 stars representing Mississippi, America’s 20th state.

The official nickname for Mississippi is The Magnolia State. The magnolia is also Mississippi’s state f lower and state tree. The state

nickname and f lower are featured on Mississippi quarters.

The Clarion Ledger noted that a larger five-point star at the top is a nod to Native American tribes. The MS Department of Archives and History noted that the magnolia blossom is “a symbol long-used to represent our state and the hospitality of our citizens.”

Installing new f lags is worth it for Mississippi to right past wrongs and gain tourists. Getting new stationery is a small price for erasing “Plantations” in public places in Rhode Island. But if you want to rob me of my politically-incorrect 1980 college degree, you will do it with cold, dead hands.

Greg Markley has lived in Lee County for 21 years, on and off. He has master’s degrees in education and history. He taught politics as an adjunct in Georgia and Alabama. He was U.S. Army Europe Journalist of the Year (1993) for articles from Croatia, Germany and Macedonia.

Auburn Council votes against annexation and ‘no parking’ zones

By Hannah Lester hlester@opelikaobserver.com

The Auburn City Council met Tuesday night and voted against annexing 93.96 acres located on 1100 Ensminger Road.

Brett Basquin, representing The Mary W. Vinton Trust, who requested the annexation, spoke during the citizens’ communication to encourage the council to approve the annexation ordinance.

The applicant planned to turn the acreage into residential lots, Basquin said, but keep it rural at the same time.

Each lot would

FLOWERS>> FROM B9 Richard Shelby.

The chasm is deep and wide. Jones voted right down the line with his liberal Democratic colleagues. Even voting against Trump’s two conservative Supreme Court appointments for no reason other than that they were conservative and

have been about three acres.

“This is going to be a high-end, large lot subdivision per say,” Basquin said.

The planning commission denied recommendation because the property is located outside of the city of Auburn’s optimal boundary line.

The property owners and representatives argued that the line should be evaluated anyway.

Ward 4 Council Member Beth Witten said she was against annexing the land.

She said she ran for council to help observe the boundary lines and believes that

although the property might now be on the septic system, eventually those homeowners will want to receive the same services as other homeowners in Auburn.

“The fact that we have unanimous denial recommendations from both the staff and the commission and then a lack of support from the school board is significant,” said Ward 2 Council Member Kelley Griswold.

Griswold said he was contacted by residents in the area who asked the council not to approve the ordinance.

No-Parking: The council also voted against

establishing ‘no parking’ zones on Sanders Street.

Andrew Parmer spoke during citizen’s communications to urge the council against creating the zones. He said that his construction crews have made parking difficult on Sanders Street but it will be finished by December. He has tenets on Sanders Street and has encouraged them to be mindful of parking, he said.

Mayor Ron Anders said that the owners of the property that is being renovated were against the potential ordinance. Two other residents also were

against the ordinance, he said.

“If the citizens can work out the parking problem over there, I certainly would be in favor of allowing them a chance to do it,” said Ward 8 Council Member Tommy Dawson.

Other Business: The council approved a restaurant retail liquor alcohol beverage license for Beyond the Wok. The council approved a restaurant retail liquor alcohol beverage license for El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant.

The council approved a contract with Cisco Smartnet for

over $72,000 for hardware and software.

The council approved a contract with Hyland Software to implement OnBase record management for over $220,000.

The council approved a contract with Otto Environmental Systems (AZ), LLC. For 1,120 ninety-five gallon roll-out carts for almost $50,000.

The council approved a contract with Evergreen Erosion Control, LLC. for work in Sam Harris Park/ Westview Greenway for over $335,000.

The council approved a resolution to demolition a structure at 610 Clark Ave.

Republican appointees.

The question is, would it have made any difference in Jones’ reelection chances had he compromised his liberal Democratic philosophy and voted with the Republican majority on some key votes? The answer is a resounding no. He would not have won with a “D” behind his name in a red Republican state in a pres-

idential year, regardless.

More than likely over 60% of the votes cast in the Heart of Dixie were straight Republican ticket voting.

Jones has to be respected for sticking to his principles. He is a good and honest man with a lot of character and integrity. He just thinks and believes differently than an overwhelming number

of his fellow Alabamians. He stayed true to the old political maxim that you dance with the one that brung you.

He got and spent $18 million dollars of leftwing money in his race against Roy Moore, mostly from California.

He allied and voted with his California donors over his nearly three-year tenure. They figured he was their

third senator, so they rewarded him with $25 million this time. He was able to outspend Republican Tommy Tuberville $25 million to $7 million. Even with an ungodly amount of California money Jones could only garner 40% of the vote.

This race reaffirms the mantra and hard fact that winning the Republican nomination

for a statewide office in Alabama is tantamount to election in the Heart of Dixie.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at www. steveflowers.us.

B12 November 25, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICES IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA REESE JEFFERY ARNEZ, ECHOLS ANN LAVONIA DESHAWN, TENNEY MIKE, Plaintiffs, V. FREMAN STEPHEN, SPRATLIN LAURA, GARGUS TAMMY, Defendants Case no.: CV-2020900405.00 ORDER TO SERVE BY PUBLICATION The Plaintiff having made a Motion for Service by Publication supported by the Affidavit of JEFFERY REESE, ANN ECHOLS, AND MIKE TENNEY, stating that the names and addresses, who might claim any right, title or interest in the property described in the complaint are unknown and after due diligent inquiry are still unknown and it appearing that the Plaintiff has filed a Complaint seeking equitable remedy for title to land in Lee County, Alabama.

It is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that whom might have a claim to said lands, answer the Complaint of the Plaintiff by the 25TH day of December, 2020, or thereafter a judgment by default may be rendered against the said Defendant.

It is further ORDERED that this Order and notice be published once a week for four successive weeks in the Opelika Observer, a newspaper of general circulation in Lee County.

Done this the 29th day of October, 2020. /s/ HON. JACOB A. WALKER III – CIRCUIT JUDGE Legal Run 11/4/2020, 11/11/2020, 11/18/2020 & 11/25/2020 -------------IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN RE: THE ESTATE OF ADRIENNE MCPHAIL, DECEASED CASE NO: 2020445 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT TO BE PUBLISHED

BY CO - PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES Letters Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to HAYDEN HOFFMAN AND STEFAN SIERRA, on the 4th day of November, 2020, by

the Hon. Bill English , Judge of Probate 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. BY: James E. Hall, Attorney for Co - Personal Representatives.

Legal Run 11/11, 11/18 & 11/25 -------------IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA MOTORS ACCEPTANCE CORPORATION Plaintiff vs.

SHARONDA BUTLER Defendant Case Number: SM061235 NOTICE OF PUBLICATION TO: SHARONDA BUTLER You are hereby notified that on 10/11/2019 a Garnishment was filed against you, listing T­ MOBILE USA INC as Garnishee. You have the Right to Claim Exemption from Garnishment.

By Order of Publication entered by the Court and notice be published once a week for four consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation. Defendant must respond to this publication and make their answer known to the Court 30 days from the last date of publication so that monies withheld by the court can be disbursed to Plaintiff’s counsel.

District Civil Court of Lee County 2311 Gateway Drive.

Room 104 Opelika, AL 36801 Of Counsel: Motors Acceptance Corporation PO BOX 468 Columbus, GA 31902 (800) 899-6669 Legal Run 11/11/20, 11/18/20, 11/25/20 & 12/02/20 -------------NOTICE TO CREDITORS ESTATE OF KATHRYN A. DAIGLER, DECEASED CASE NO. 2020-436 PROBATE COURT, LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA

NOTICE TO CREDITORS Take Notice that LETTERS TESTAMENTARY of the Estate of KATHRYN A. DAIGLER are hereby granted to Kevin Daigler and Nancy Sack, on the 29th day of October, 2020, by the Honorable Bill English, Judge of the Probate Court of Lee County, Alabama.

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

KEVIN DAIGLER Legal Run 11/11/20, 11/18/20, 11/25/20 -------------IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN TH E MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BRENDA F. REESE, Deceased CASE NO. 2020-390 NOTIC E OF APPOINTMENT LETTERS OF AD MINIS T RATION o f s a id d e c e a s e d h a vin g be e n granted to the undersigned on the 27th day of October, 2020, by Hon. Bill English, 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 with in the time allowed by law or the same will be barred .

ARCHIE OTIS REESE, JR. Administrator Legal Run 11/11/20, 11/18/20 & 11/25/20 -------------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 Auburn University- Leach Science Center Basement Build-Out- AU Project # 17-410, located at Leach Science Center, Auburn, AL 36832 for the Auburn University Facilities Management, 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 Stacy Norman Architects, 126 Tichenor Ave, Auburn, AL 36830.

Whatley Construction LLC Post Office Box 137 Opelika, Alabama 36803-0137 Legal Run 11/11/20, 11/18/20, 11/25/20 & 12/02/20 -------------IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF BETTY F. BOTSFORD, DECEASED. CASE NO. 2020-461 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE Letters Testamentary of said deceased having been granted to Thomas M. Botsford III, Elizabeth Botsford Nolan and Regions Bank, personal representatives, on the 6th day of November, 2020, by the Honorable Bill English, 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 same within the time allowed by la w or the same will be barred.

Attorney of Record: Richardson B. McKenzie Ill, Esq. Gilpin Givhan, PC Post Office Drawer 4540 Montgomery, Alabama 36103-4540 (334) 244-1111 – Telephone This 16th day of November, 2020 Bill English, Judge of Lee County, Alabama Legal Run 11/25/2020, 12/02/2020 & 12/07/2020 ------------ORDINANCE NO. 029-20 ORDINANCE ANNEXING CERTAIN PROPERTY INTO THE CORPORATE LIM-ITS OF THE CITY OF OPELIKA (Barbara F. Van Hooser Property located at 3001 Columbus Parkway) WHEREAS, Barbara

F. Van Hooser (hereinafter referred to as the “Petitioner”) being the owner of the property hereinafter described, heretofore filed a Petition for Annexation (the “Petition”) with the City of Opelika, Alabama, a municipal corporation, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, requesting the annexation of certain property owned by the Petitioner as more particularly described below; and WHEREAS, Petitioner is the owner of all of the land described in her Petition; and WHEREAS, the territory to be annexed is contiguous to the existing corporate limits of the City of Opelika and does not embrace any territory within the corporate limits of another municipality, and when annexed into the City of Opelika will form a homogenous part of the City; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Opelika did find and determine that it is in the best interest of the public that said property be annexed into the City of Opelika and it did further determine that all legal requirements for annexing said real property have been met pursuant to Sections 11-42-20 through 11-42-24, Code of Alabama (1975).

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Opelika, Alabama as follows: Section 1. The City Council of the City of Opelika, finds and declares as the legislative body of the City of Opelika that it is in the best interest of the citizens of the City of Opelika, and the citizens of the affected area, to bring the territory described in Section 2 of this Ordinance into the corporate limits of the City of Opelika.

Section 2. The following described property be, and the same is hereby annexed into the corporate limits of the City of Opelika, Alabama, and the boundary lines and corporate limits of the City of Opelika, Alabama shall be extended, altered and rearranged to include within the corporate limits of the City of Opelika in addition to the territory now included therein, all the

following territory, to wit: Commence at the Northeast Corner of Section 15, Township 19 North, Range 27 East to Lee County, Alabama, and run thence South along the East line of said Section 15 for 1,131.0 feet to a point on the Southerly margin of U.S. Highway #280, this being the point of beginning of the tract of land here to be described and conveyed; from said point of beginning, continue South along the East line of said Section 15 for 1,561 feet to a point; run thence West for a distance of 1,320.7 feet to a point; run thence North 00 degrees 41 minutes West for a distance of 1,091 feet to a point; run thence East for a distance of 742.3 feet to a point; run thence North for a distance of 550.1 feet to a point on the Southerly margin of U.S. Highway #280, run thence South 82 degrees 00 minutes East a distance of 597.2 feet to the point of beginning.

The above described property contains 38.3 acres, more or less, and is located at 3001 Columbus Parkway (U.S. Highway 280 East).

Section 3. A map or plat of a survey describing the territory annexed and showing its relation to the corporate limits of the City of Opelika shall be attached to this ordinance, marked Exhibit “B” and made a part hereof.

Section 4. The Clerk of the City of Opelika is hereby authorized and directed to file with the Probate Judge of Lee County, Alabama, a certified copy of this ordinance, together with a certified copy of the petition of the property owner and the Clerk is further directed to take all necessary and proper steps to perfect the annexation of said territory herein described.

Section 5. This ordinance shall be published as provided by law in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Opelika, Alabama.

Section 6. The territory described in this ordinance shall become a part of the corporate limits of the City of Opelika upon publication of this ordinance as set forth in Section 5 above.

ADOPTED AND APPROVED this the 17th day of November, 2020. /s/ Eddie Smith PRESIDENT OF THE

See PUBLIC NOTICES, page B13

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B13 November 25, 2020

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICE>> FROM B12 CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OPELIKA, ALABAMA ATTEST: /s/ Russell A. Jones CITY CLERK TRANSMITTED TO MAYOR on this the 18th day of November, 2020. /s/ Russell A. Jones CITY CLERK ACTION BY MAYOR APPROVED this the 18th day of November, 2020. /s/ Gary Fuller MAYOR ATTEST: /s/ Russell A. Jones CITY CLERK Legal Run 11/25/2020 -------------ORDINANCE NO. 028-20 ORDINANCE TO PREZONE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 3001 COLUMBUS PARKWAY (U.S. HIGHWAY 280 EAST)WHEREAS, Barbara F. Van Hooser, as the owner of certain real property located at 3001 Colum-bus Parkway within the unincorporated area of Lee County, Alabama, has requested that said property be prezoned to a R-3 District (Low Density Residential District) prior to annexing into the City of Opelika; and WHEREAS, said real property is located on the south margin of Columbus Parkway (U.S. Highway 280 East), and is more particularly described as follows: Commence at the Northeast Corner of Section 15, Township 19 North, Range 27 East to Lee County, Alabama, and run thence South along the East line of said Section 15 for 1,131.0 feet to a point on the Southerly margin of U.S. Highway #280, this being the point of beginning of the tract of land here to be described and conveyed; from said point of beginning, continue South along the East line of said Section 15 for 1,561 feet to a point; run thence West for a distance of 1,320.7 feet to a point; run thence North 00 degrees 41 minutes West for a distance of 1,091 feet to a point; run thence East for a distance of 742.3 feet to a point; run thence North for a distance of 550.1 feet to a point on the Southerly margin of U.S. Highway #280, run thence South 82 degrees 00 minutes East a distance of 597.2 feet to the point of beginning.

The above described property contains 38.3 acres, more or less, and is located at 3001 Columbus Parkway (U.S. Highway 280 East).;and WHEREAS, at the regular meeting of the Planning Commission on September 22, 2020, the Commission did recommend to the City Council that said property be zoned to R-3; and WHEREAS, due notice of said proposed pre-zoning has been provided to the public as required by law through publication; and WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Opelika after due consideration, and upon consideration of the recommendation of the Planning Commission, finds and determines

that the application for pre-zoning of the above described real property is proper and in the best interest of the citizens of the City of Opelika, Alabama.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Opelika, Alabama as follows: Section 1. Zoning.

That the above-described real property is hereby pre-zoned to a R-3 District (Low Density Residential District). Upon annexation of said property, the property shall be assigned the R-3 district and the zoning ordinance and zoning map shall be amended to reflect said zoning.

Should the annexation not occur prior to the expiration of this pre-zoning as set forth in Section 4, this pre-zoning shall have no effect and the property shall remain in the unincorporated area of Lee County, Alabama.

Section 2. Repealer.

All other City ordinances or parts thereof in conflict with the provisions of this Ordinance, in so far as they conflict, are hereby repealed.

Section 3. Severability. The provisions of this Ordinance are severable. If any provision, section, sentence or part thereof shall be held unconstitutional or invalid, such decision shall not effect or impair the remainder of said Ordinance, it being the legislative intent to ordain and enact each provision, section, paragraph, sentence or part thereof separately and independently of each other.

Section 4. Effective Date and Expiration Date. This Ordinance and, in particular the pre-zoning shall take effect after the date of its approval by the City Council of the City of Opelika and publication as required by law.

Pursuant to the Code of Alabama (1975), §11-52-85, the zoning of the property shall become effective upon the date the territory is annexed into the corporate limits. If any portion of the territory is not annexed into the corpo-rate limits within 180 days of the initiation of annexation proceedings as provided by law, then this prezoning shall be null and void. Should the prezoning become null and void, the applicant may reapply for pre-zoning at any time as long as an annexation petition is pending.

Section 5. Publication.

This ordinance shall be published as provided by law in a newspaper of general circulation in the City of Opelika, Alabama.ADOPTED AND APPROVED this the 17th day of November, 2020. /s/ Eddie Smith PRESIDENT OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OPELIKA, ALABAMA ATTEST:

2020. /s/ Russell A. Jones CITY CLERK ACTION BY MAYOR APPROVED this the 18th day of November, 2020. /s/ Gary Fuller MAYOR ATTEST: Russell A. Jones /s/ CITY CLERK Legal Run 11/25/2020 -------------STATE OF ALABAMA, NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE COUNTY OF LEE Default having been made in the payment of the indebtedness secured by that certain mortgage dated the 4th day of April, 2019, executed by Russell W. Herring and Bobbie J. Herring, to Phenix Girard Bank, Phenix City, Russell County, Alabama, which mortgage was recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Lee County, Alabama, in Book 4458 at Page 982 et seq., and the undersigned has elected to declare the entire indebtedness secured by the said mortgage to be due and payable as provided in said Mortgage and Note, and notice is hereby given that pursuant to law and the power of sale contained in said mortgage the undersigned will sell at public outcry to the highest bidder for cash in front on the main entrance of the Lee County Courthouse, Opelika, Alabama, on the 17th day of December, 2020, during the legal hours of sale, the following described real estate located in Lee County, Alabama, to-wit: All that lot, tract or parcel of land containing 20.72 acres, more or less, location in Section 28, Township 18 North, Range 30 East, Lee County, Alabama, designated as “Parcel A1” on a map or plat entitled “Plat of Property Division for Russell Herring” recorded in the Office of the Judge of Probate of Lee County, Alabama in Plat Book 39, Page 177.

Subject to easements and restrictions of record.

This sale is made for the purpose of paying the indebtedness secured by said Mortgage, as well as the expenses of the foreclosure, including attorney’s fees and publication.

This foreclosure is subject to any and all liens, encumbrances, or mortgages, if there be any, which are prior to the mortgage referred to herein.

THE LAW OFFICE OF JAMES E. HALL By: JAMES E. HALL ATTORNEY FOR: PHENIX GIRARD BANK 1619 BROAD STREET PHENIX CITY, AL 36867 (334) 298-3001 Legal Run 11/25/20, 12/02/20 & 12/09/2020

CASE NO. MARY ETHEL BEATON IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Notice of the filing of Petition for Summary Distribution In the Estate of MARY ETHEL BEATON, deceased Notice is hereby given that a Petition for Summary Distribution has been filed in the LEE COUNTY Probate Office by Jack Lenard Beaton on November 10, 2020 pursuant to Section 43-2-690, 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 11/25/2020 -------------NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING CASE NO. 2020-468 IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Notice of the filing of Petition for Summary Distribution In the Estate of MARION T. LANGLEY, deceased Notice is hereby given that a Petition for Summary Distribution has been filed in the LEE COUNTY Probate Office by Sherryl Joy Langley Barrow on

NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING

-------------CITY OF OPELIKA ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT DECEMBER 8, 2020 9:00 A.M. MEETING CHAMBERS OPELIKA MUNICIPAL COURT 300 MLK BOULEVARD A. VARIANCE 1. David Pharris, 2406 Samuel Lane, Requesting a 5 foot variance from the 25 foot minimum front yard setback requirement, and requesting a 10 foot variance from the 25 foot minimum rear yard setback requirement.

2. The Cotton District, LLC, 101 N. 8th Street, Requesting a 10 foot variance from the 10 foot minimum side yard setback requirement and Requesting a 17 foot variance from the 30 foot rear yard minimum setback requirement.

NOTE: 1. The City of Opelika complies with the American with Disabilities Acts.

2. The City of Opelika will make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

3. If you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the ADA Coordinator 72 hours prior to the meeting at ADA@opelika-al.gov or (334)705-2083.

Legal Run 11/25/2020 -------------NOTICE OF COURT PROCEEDING CASE NO: 2020-478 IN THE PROBATE COURT OF LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Notice of the filing of Petition for Summary Distribution In the Estate of JACK SHEPPARD, deceased Notice is hereby given that a Petition for Summary Distribution has been filed in the LEE COUNTY Probate Office by Benjamin Jack Sheppard on November 20, 3030 pursuant to Section 43-2-690, 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 11/25/2020

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-------------/s/ Russell A. Jones CITY CLERK TRANSMITTED TO MAYOR on this the 18th day of November,

November 18, 2020 pursuant to Section 43-2-690, 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 11/25/2020

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Raise your blinds to let the sun help heat your home.

B14 November 25, 2020

Like crossword puzzles? Sudoku?

Play online at www.opelikaobserver.com/puzzles/

B15 November 25, 2020

2020 • WWW.OPELIKACHRISTMAS.COM • #MYOPELIKACHRISTMAS

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY

Start Your Christmas Shopping!

November 28 Normal shopping hours

CHRISTMAS IN CAMELOT

Month of December • 4:30 - 10 p.m.

Off of Rocky Brook Road

DECORATIONS SWAP & BIG BOOK SALE

December 5 • 10 a.m. - Noon Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library

SNOW MUCH FUN CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA

Featuring a Reverse Walking Parade, Snowfall & Christmas Tree Lighting December 5 • 4:30 - 6 p.m.

Courthouse Square opelikachamber.com

VICTORIAN FRONT PORCH TOUR

Driving Tour December 9 - 13 • 5 - 10 p.m.

Bike Tour December 10 • 6 p.m.

Walking Tour December 12 • 6 - 9:30 p.m.

Pooch Tour December 13 • 12 - 2 p.m.

(Pups are welcome to stroll the tour.) victorianfrontporchtour.com

VICTORIAN FRONT PORCH TOUR HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE RIDES

December 9 • 5 - 8 p.m.

December 10 • 5 - 8 p.m.

December 13 • 2 - 5 p.m.

December 13 • 6 - 8 p.m.

Provided by Friends of the Library Purchase tickets at opelikalibraryfriends. com

COLLINWOOD LUMINARIES

December 18 • 5 - 9 p.m.

53rd Anniversar• Off of 10th Street Rain date December 19 • 5 - 9 p.m.

FA-LA-LA FESTIVAL TO GO

December 19 • 10 a.m. - Noon Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library

CHRISTMAS MOVIE MARATHON CHRISTMAS IN A RAILROAD TOWN December 23 • 10 a.m. - Close

December 11 • 5 - 8 p.m.

Sponsored by AUBURN OPELIKA Lifestyle Group opelikamainstreet.org

OPELIKA THEATRE BREAKFAST WITH SANTA

Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library New movie starts every 2 hours

OPELIKA THEATRE NEW YEAR’S EVENT RAISING THE CURTAIN CABERET FUNDRAISER

December 31 • 7 - 9 p.m. & 11 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Southside Center for the Arts (1103 Glenn) Reservations 334-663-4480 or 334-663-2593 Presented by Opelika Theatre w/ Auburn Knights OPELIKA THEATRE WINTER SHOWCASE opelikatheatrecompany.com December 13 • 3 - 4 p.m.

Sportsplex Amphitheater Please take personal responsibility by Donations only wearing masks and social distancing opelikatheatrecompany.com December 12 • 9 - 11 a.m.

Southside Center for the Arts (1103 Glenn) opelikatheatrecompany.com

when attending events. Thank you.

OPELIKA THEATRE SANTA’S O’TOWN CHRISTMAS BALL

December 17 • 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Mothers & Sons (ages 4-8) Fathers & Daughters (ages 4-8) December 18 • 6:30 - 8 p.m.

Mothers & Sons (ages 9-13) Fathers & Daughters (ages 9-13) Southside Center for the Arts (1103 Glenn) opelikatheatrecompany.com

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: City of Opelika • Opelika Parks & Recreation • Lewis Cooper Jr. Memorial Library • Opelika Chamber of Commerce • Opelika Main Street • Victorian Front Porch Tour • Auburn-Opelika Tourism • Opelika Theatre Company

B16 November 25, 2020

Anna Hovey named vice president of business development Contributed by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce

The Aubur n Chamber is excited to announce Anna Hovey has been promoted to vice president of business development.

Before joining the staff in 2015 as the director of business development & special events, she ser ved as both a volunteer and board member.

In this role, Hovey will strengthen relationships within the business community, allowing her to deepen connections to help provide more opportunities for members.

Through these opportunities, this will allow the chamber to enhance their current programs and potentially create more to meet needs.

Hovey will use her creative talents and strong customer service skills to contribute to this position.

“I am so thankful for this opportunity,” Hovey said. “I look forward to focusing

more on listening to our members for ways we can connect them to others and be an even greater resource for them.

I want to develop deeper relations with the intentions of making our community even stronger.”

For the time being, Hovey will continue to be charged with planning and executing current Auburn Chamber programs and events, while also developing new programming to meet the

changing needs of the 1,000+ members of the chamber.

Additionally, she oversees the Auburn Chamber Diplomat and Auburn Young Professionals programs.

“Anna’s energy and enthusiasm has benefited our chamber greatly in the past five years since she’s joined our team,” Lolly Steiner, president of the Auburn Chamber, said. “Her thoroughness and organizational skills have brought about

a fresh and new perspective.”

A graduate of Auburn High School and Auburn University, Hovey looks forward to contributing to the city she loves and calls home.

In 2019, Hovey graduated from the Institute for

Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce foundation, receiving the recognition of IOM. Currently, Hovey is a loaned executive for United Way of Lee County, Inc. Additionally, she

is a 2012 graduate of Leadership Lee County and has served on the boards of Leadership Lee County, East Alabama Mental Health, the Women’s Philanthropy Board and as chair of the Auburn Preservation League Christmas Tour of Homes.

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This week’s puzzle answers: