SPORTS, B1
FAITH, A7
LOCAL, A8
See photos from Dadeville youth’s opening day
Nation has detoured from ‘In God We Trust’
Tallapoosa County Board of Education honors nurses
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VOL. 122, NO. 15
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2019
Mayor announces cemetery expansion getting this new ground plotted out and platted out to either allow or ask to save for a combination for cremation,” Smith Dadeville Mayor Wayne Smith said at said. Tuesday’s city council meeting the city Smith appointed five people to a is preparing new ground for cemetery committee to talk to other cemetery areas and is interested in making space supervisors and do surveys. for cremations. “We’re going to get a survey to “The process of cremation is getting personally conduct and lay out where more popular so we’re talking about somebody would want to pay for a By GABRIELLE JANSEN Staff Writer
whole plot,” Smith said. “We’re just going to put three (spots out) for cremation.” In other actions, the Dadeville City Council: • Unanimously approved the back-toschool sales tax holiday July 19-21. • Unanimously approved recreation center rentals. • Was reminded April 19 is a city
employee holiday for Good Friday. • Heard from resident Linda Pritchard about a burned nuisance property on Hatcher Street. Pritchard said she did not like seeing it from her porch every day. Smith told her to file a report with the police first. • Heard from resident Mickey Forbus about adding a road patch at the corner of East South Street and 49th Street.
County sends Willow Point private road district to legislature By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Ron Colquitt / For The Record
Lenny and Mary Arnold have taken care of 101 foster children over 27 years. Mary retains painful memories of being passed over by couples when she was an orphaned child and decided she wanted to help children without parents.
Fostering love: M By RON COLQUITT For The Record
ary Arnold recalls being “lined up like cattle” when she was 5 years old and hoping she would be chosen from the lineup to be adopted by a loving couple. That painful memory still lingers for Arnold, 62. But it’s led to her and her husband, Lenny, fostering 101 children over the past 27 years. The 101st, and last, is a 9-year-old girl living with them near Alexander City.
“Married couples would come and they would look you over from head to toe and just decide if you had the right color of hair, color of eyes and decide if they were going to adopt you,” Mary Arnold said. “They would look you up and down and decide if they wanted you. They would pick one and the rest of us was sent back to our room. I got to where I refused to come out of my room because I knew I wasn’t going to be picked.” Arnold was the youngest of five siblings. The oldest, a girl, was 9. She said her mother died when she was 5 and her father ran away because he was an
Local couple has fostered 101 children over a quarter century alcoholic. “He severely abused me,” she said. “I was not a nice child, I was angry. I hated adults, didn’t trust adults, and pointed out that they were mean, hateful and lied. My family was ripped apart in front of me. I was raised in the (foster care) system.” Arnold was bounced from foster home to foster home until she was 18, when she met and married Lenny, now 63, who is an ordained minister and pastors New Concord Baptist Church in Dadeville. The couple have two biological children and one adopted child. See FOSTER • Page A5
Willow Point roads could be the subject of an amendment to the Alabama Constitution after the Tallapoosa County Commission approved Monday a request to create a private road maintenance district. “I was contacted by Russell Lands and received documentation (about a constitutional amendment),” commissioner Steve Robinson said. “Basically it is a constitutional amendment to authorize Willow Point to assess a road maintenance charge on their residents.” The amendment, if ultimately approved by the legislature and a statewide referendum, would create a private corporation to collect maintenance fees from residents in the district and perform maintenance, repair and construction of roads and bridges in Willow Point Estates. County attorney Thomas Radney said he sees no liability to the county in the proposed amendment. “These will remain private roads,” Radney said. “At the request of Russell Lands, these roads will be their responsibility to maintain. I don’t see any downside to the county.” Longtime Tallapoosa County Revenue Commission employee Paula Burton, who has retired, was honored by See COMMISSION • Page A5
County would lose on annexation of Miner’s Cove But many feeder roads in the area lead homeowners out to U.S. Highway 280 by way of Sturdivant Road, much of which is currently Alexander City stands to benefit from out of the city limits and would remain in the property taxes through the annexation of county if the annexation is approved by the lakefront property near Sturdivant Creek and legislature. the new Miner’s Cove development but at what Currently, 48 lakefront homes are either on cost? Sturdivant Road or off one of the roads leading The city would not annex Sturdivant Road, to Lake Martin from Sturdivant Road. Of those which services the area, nor pay for its upkeep. 48 homes, 21 are currently in the city limits Tallapoosa County is currently responsible for including all the homes on Lake Point Drive maintaining the road, which is in rough shape. and Lake Point Circle and six on Forest Hills “We’re only taking the parts we’re annexing,” Road, according to documentation provided by Alexander City public works director Gerard the city. Brewer said. “That would be a little part of the The new development could create 80 new south side of the bridge and then the bridge and homes at full buildout along the south side of See ANNEXATION • Page A3 everything from there back (to the railroad).” By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
Today’s
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Cliff Williams / The Record
Only portions of Sturdivant Road will be annexed into Alexander City under the current proposal.
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