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2022 — APA DIVISION D GENERAL EXCELLENCE DESIGNATION — 2023 COVERING LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Vol. 16, No. 05 Opelika, Alabama Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023 Your local publication created 'for local people, by local people.'
www.opelikaobserver.com
Opelika prays over leadership
BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER HGOLDFINGER@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA— Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller welcomed residents, city employees, public servants and others to the 19th annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast early Tuesday morning. After a homemade breakfast, the Lee County Opossum Orchestra kicked
things off, then several speakers were welcomed before the crowd. Fuller said the tradition began with a new mayor and council, and he said they thought it was a good way to begin. “It went pretty well, so we did it again the next year, and here we are 19 years later,” he said. “Folks, our purpose then and now
has not changed. I’m asking for your prayers and divine guidance not only for me, but for every member of the city council.” Todd Rauch offered the opening prayer, followed by the Opossum Orchestra’s performance of "Cripple Creek" and "America the Beautiful." Dr. Nolan Donald, senior pastor at Opelika First Methodist Church,
offered a prayer for the city of Opelika. “This morning we gather, and we thank you for the incredible blessings and gifts you have given to us, far more numerous than we can even begin to recount,” Donald said. “Lord, we thank you this morning for the gift of this incredible community and the
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
PHOTO BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER / THE OBSERVER
Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller invited the community to join him in a morning of prayer over the city and leadership Tuesday morning. This was the 19th annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast.
Community mourns passing of LCSO deputy
PATRICK LAMAR YARBROUGH BY OBSERVER STAFF EDITOR@OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
LEE COUNTY — The Lee County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) shared that it has lost one of its own. Corrections Deputy Patrick Lamar Yarbrough was involved in an a motor vehicle accident Oct. 10 and passed away, Friday, Nov. 3. “It was Oct. 10, there was an accident reported to us, a vehicle accident reported to us on US 280 at the intersection of Lee Road 175, this is really right in the middle of what’s considered the Salem community, or downtown Salem if you wanna say,” said Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones. “And it was reported to us at about 10 o’clock on the night of the 10th and when units arrived, of course, at See YARBROUGH, page A5
See PRAYER, page A6
Loachapoka receives new post office, set to open soon PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER Loachapoka's new post was delivered last week and is expected to be open by the end of the month. Loachapoka has been without its own post office for four years.
BY ANITA STIEFEL ANITAS@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
LOACHAPOKA— After several delays, Loachapoka is finally getting its new post office. According to Mayor Ricky Holder, the project has been in the works for several years.
“In October of 2021, [the U.S. Postal Service] closed our post office,” Holder said. “They had been leasing part of a building from a catering company, but the catering company wanted to expand into that space. They told them a year ahead of time [in October 2020] that they weren’t going
to renew the lease.” With no facilities in town, anyone in Loachapoka who needed postal services had to drive to Notasulga. “They moved all of our post office boxes to Notasulga, because the Auburn Post Office didn’t have room,” Holder said. “It was
an inconvenience.” Construction on the new post office was delayed “because of red tape, because of Covid, because of the increase in cost of building materials,” he explained. The project had to be re-bid numerous See LOACHAPOKA, page A2
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