SPORTS, PAGE B1
LOCAL, PAGE B6
Baynes has eyes on record book despite streak ending
Operation Combat Bike Saver expands into county
INSIDE TODAY: SPECIAL SECTION HONORING LOCAL DOCTORS
The Tallassee Tribune DEDICATED TO THE GROWTH AND PROSPERITY OF THE GREATER TALLASSEE AREA
TALLASSEE, AL 36078
50¢
March 27, 2019
TALLASSEETRIBUNE.COM
VOL. 120, NO. 13
Unemployment falls in county State sets record low rate of 3.7 percent STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
Alabama reached a new record low unemployment rate in February and Tallapoosa, Coosa and Elmore counties
also saw their unemployment rates drop, according to the Alabama Department of Labor. Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted February unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, down from January’s
3.8 and below February 2018’s rate of 4.0. “We’ve shattered employment records for nine months in a row now,� ADL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington said in a release. “People are continuing to join the labor force with the expectation that they will get a job — and they’re getting jobs. “More than 27,000 Alabamians are
working now than a year ago and they’re bringing home more money in their paychecks, which is great news for our economy.� Tallapoosa County’s unemployment rate fell from 4.6 percent in January to 4.3 percent in February, Coosa County’s fell from 4.6 to 4.1 and Elmore County’s dropped from 3.8 to 3.3. See UNEMPLOYMENT • Page A3
Child saved after vehicle drives into Coosa River
TPD to apply for $25K grant for computers By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
Since taking office, Tallassee Mayor Johnny Hammock, the Tallassee City Council and department heads have collected over $1 million in grant funding and the total continues to climb. Police chief Matthew Higgins said his department would seek additional funds through a Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation Grant to pay for updated technology. The $25,000 grant would replace outdated computers older than three to five years, “which anyone who deals with computers knows it’s basically a doorstop,â€? Higgins said. If the grant is approved, Higgins said the city will not have to contribute any money for the department’s See COMPUTERS • Page A3
Body pulled from river; 2 arrested By CARMEN RODGERS and DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writers
Cliff Williams / The Tribune
A diver surfaces at the boat ramp in Gold Star Park in Wetumpka on Thursday night after searching for a car that ran into the Coosa River while eluding law enforcement.
Two people have been arrested, another died and a 2-year-old child was rescued after a car plunged into the Coosa River at Gold Star Park in Wetumpka during a police chase Thursday night. The body of a male was pulled from the river late Thursday night and eyewitnesses said law enforcement officials took two adults, one male and one female, into custody. Another eyewitness said an See RIVER • Page A3
THS gives $4K to Lee County tornado victims
The Tallassee High School Student Council presented Tallaweka Baptist Church pastor Isaac Kervin and the Elmore Baptist Association’s Dr. Ray McKenzie with a check for $4,000 that will go directly to victims of the recent Lee County tornado.
Today’s
Weather
69 41 High
Low
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
The Tallassee High School Student Council presented Tallaweka Baptist Church pastor Isaac Kervin and the Elmore Baptist Association’s Dr. Ray McKenzie with a check for $4,000 that will go directly to victims of the recent Lee County tornado. The EF4 tornado with estimated 170 mph winds devastated Beauregard and killed 23 people. Not long after the tornado struck, students and faculty at See TORNADO • Page A3
Carmen Rodgers / The Tribune
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