Tallassee Tribune Nov. 22 2023

Humane Society of Elmore County News Shelter is thankful for all its supporters

By REA CORD HSEC Executive Director

It seems we were all just lamenting the long hot summer and now here we are at Thanksgiving week. We hope everyone is able to spend some time this week with family and friends and reflect on all we have to be grateful for.

We ask that you please thank our extremely dedicated staff who are there 365 days per year caring for 300+ pets/day and doing all they can to give them better and brighter futures. Our volunteer board members give tirelessly of themselves to ensure the present and future of our shelter. Our Tail’s End Thrift Store is 100% volunteer run and we cannot thank them enough for their dedication and hard work as all of our store’s proceeds go to our shelter and the animals in our care. Of course, all who donate and shop at the Tail’s End Thrift Store contribute greatly, and we hope everyone continues their wonderful patronage.

We so appreciate all veterinarians and their staff for helping pets and educating their owners to help those pets live healthier and longer lives. And an often-unsung group that deserves our thanks are the animal control

Pet of the Week - Ryder

officers who work to protect the public and help animals in need.

We have a most wonderful group of dog exercisers who show up daily to help our dogs spend fun time out of their kennels for their physical and mental health. And to our foster families who open their hearts and homes to help us save even more lives we are incredibly grateful. So our pets can be posted online and be seen, we are indebted to our intrepid volunteer photographers and so appreciate their time and talent every week taking photos.

Of course, as a nonprofit we are incredibly grateful to our donors and supporters as it certainly takes money, food, supplies and more to keep our doors open and care for 300 animals on any given day. We are indebted to all the individuals, businesses and civic groups who help us through donations, sponsorships and event support and we truly appreciate how your efforts help us be the best shelter we can be as we all work together to save lives.

Special thanks to our adopters for opening their homes and hearts to our shelter pets and giving them time to adapt to their new lives. We are indebted to the public who supports our mission directly and indirectly; your

moral support for the welfare of animals is important to all of us in the sheltering community. For those we may never meet but who love and care for your pets, keep them safe at home, make sure they are a part of your family and cherish them, you have our utmost thanks as you are the homes we strive for every day as we do adoptions.

Our final and most heartfelt thanks go to all the wonderful animals that ask so little of us but give so much in return. Our pets enhance our human lives in so many ways and we are grateful for the selfless love, joy and companionship they bring to our homes and families.

We hope everyone has a family filled Thanksgiving. So our staff can also enjoy some time with family, the shelter will be closed Thursday and Friday but will be back on Saturday. Tail’s End Thrift Store, however, will be open for Black Friday sales so stop by for great deals throughout the store (remember all Christmas décor is half off this month).

We hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Rea Cord is the executive director of the Humane Society of Elmore County.

Ryder is an 11-monthold Catahoula/Husky mix who weighs about 50 pounds. He is a super dog and he does have lots of energy so he needs to go to an active family/owner. Ryder is good with children. He loves playing fetch, knows sit and shake, and loves toys. We were told he was good with cats but his higher energy play might not be well-liked by many cats. Ryder would be an outstanding running/hiking buddy.

The Humane Society of Elmore County’s adoption fees are $100 for dogs and $50 for cats under 1 year old. Cats over 1 can be adopted by approved adopters for

a fee of their choosing. This adoption fee covers the mandatory spay or neuter, basic immunizations, deworming, microchip, heartworm check for dogs, rabies vaccination if old enough and a free health exam with your participating veterinarian.

If you are interested in meeting Cola or any of the pets at HSEC, the first step is to fill out an adoption application online. Once approved, you will be contacted by someone from the humane society. HSEC is located at 255 Central Plank Road in Wetumpka. The phone number is 334-567-3377 and the website is www. elmorehumane.org.

Council approves nonprofit appropriations, still no police pay increase

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Some nonprofits will get a little funding from the City of Tallassee. At the same time, the discussion of pay for certified police officers to increase retention and recruitment is still being considered. At last week’s Tallassee City Council meeting, councilmembers followed Mayor Sarah Hill’s recommendation to appropriate $4,500 to local nonprofits.

“We did our job and passed a budget; we appropriated funds,” Hill said. “We need to clean up a few things for appropriations for nonprofits. We received a lot of different requests. We can’t give at the level we would like to.”

The nonprofits were allotted $6,300 in the budgeting process. The council approved giving $2,000 to the House of Love and Mercy, $1,000 to the Butterfly Child

Advocacy Center in Elmore County, $500 to the Tri-County Child Advocacy Center in Tallapoosa County, $500 to Star Seeds and $500 to Tigernation.

The action left about $1,700 for the council to appropriate at a future date in fiscal year 2024.

“We always leave a little bit of money to help our sports teams that might have to travel in and out of the state,” Hill said.

The council approved amending the fiscal year 2024 budget increasing funding for the Tallassee Redevelopment Authority. The agency has received $3,780 per year

for the last several years mainly to go toward grass cutting at the west side mill. The council action increases TRA’s funding to $10,000 for the year with the idea about $4,000 is spent on grass cutting and $6,000 is to be used as seed money to help with fundraising.

“They made a request of additional funding to help in recruitment of retail efforts of the city,” Hill said. “I thought it was great they were willing to hit the ground running.”

Hill said the city wasn’t in a position to fund the TRA’s full request.

“I think it would be best to let them get the money for grass cutting but also some seed money so they can do fundraising on their own,” Hill said. “It will let them increase their visibility and raise money for things the city doesn’t have to come up with.”

Councilmember Terrell Brown asked if the city staff had come up with a proposal to help increase

See COUNCIL, Page A5

Tallassee Talks

Preparing for a holiday without a loved one

In a lot of ways, I consider myself lucky.

Obituaries: 35 cents per word with a $25 charge for picture per paper (Herald, Observer, Tribune). Obituaries are only accepted via the funeral home in charge of arrangements. We do not accept obituaries from individuals.

Weddings, Engagements, Anniversaries, or Birth

Announcements: These significant family events or milestones are 35 cents per word and $25 for a photo and must be emailed to us at announcements@thewetumpkaherald.com. Include name and telephone number. The text for the announcement must be in the body of the email (not as an attachment) and photographs must be sent as a .jpeg attached to the email. Announcements will appear within 10 days in The Herald or The Tribune.

I’m lucky because up until now, I’ve never fully understood the grief and loss of a very closed loved one. Of course there have been people I’ve mourned and people whose deaths have affected my life permanently.

But having to prepare for the first big holiday after the death of an immediate family member is a new kind of grief I’ve never known before.

I expect Christmas will hit harder because that’s “our” holiday as a family. Typically on Thanksgiving, my husband and I visit my family up north or spend it with my best friend’s family. But Christmas is the holiday Charles’ family celebrates together. We host Christmas Eve dinner and Dylan has stayed with us every Christmas since he left for the military.

I expect putting up his stocking will strike my heart in pain and setting his place at the table will bring an extra set of tears as well. I only ever spent one Thanksgiving with Charles’ family; it was our first together. As a sports editor, it was always so hard to travel for Thanksgiving so my extended family’s dinner was put on the backburner for a few years.

On that first Thanksgiving, Charles and I had been together for only about six months, and it

was the first time meeting his extended family. I remember being so intimidated because at this point in our relationship, I knew he could be the one. I knew I had to make a good impression. Luckily Charles has a slew of brothers and sisters plus his dad who I had all met before, so I had a few familiar faces going in. But I’ll always remember having to explain what my name actually was after Dylan introduced me as “Samantha,” and said that must be Charles’ other girlfriend, an inside joke between the three of us that made no sense to the older generation of course.

Dylan was always playing jokes on me, but somehow those jokes always made the situation more comfortable. It’s ironic how someone so young could be such the glue of holding a family together.

Since that first Thanksgiving, the family has gone its separate ways on the holiday - so to speak. Many of the siblings go to their in-laws, like we typically do. But this will be the first Thanksgiving at home in Alabama for me since that one with Charles’ family. This year, we’ll plan to have a small

dinner at home and visit with as much family as we can.

But the grief and sadness of knowing one of those visits will be to a gravesite is almost too unbearable.

Someone said to me recently, “You don’t have to go on Thanksgiving.” And that’s true. Dylan would understand; everyone would understand if we didn’t. If it was just too much. But somehow not going makes his death feel even more real. Somehow has to be there to celebrate Thanksgiving with Dylan; we wouldn’t have it any other way. There has been a lot of loss around Tallapoosa County over the last several months. I keep thinking about poor Lexi Dowdell having to celebrate holidays without her brother, the families of all those victims. I think about Amanda Brewer and the rest of Kade Senn’s family, knowing they’re in the same boat as us: It’s the first big one without them. It’s impossible to know when the last holiday is going to be for any of us. Always remember to soak in as many positive memories as you can, and for those who are preparing for their first big holiday without a loved – or any holiday, really – my heart is with you.

Lizi Arbogast Gwin is the managing editor of Tallapoosa Publishers Inc.

Schoolchildren all over the United States know the story. In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers on board. These people were a mixed bunch of religious separatists who sought to freely practice their Protestant faith in what they called the New World. The New World also brought the promise of prosperity.

For 66 uncomfortable days, the voyagers crossed the Atlantic Ocean before dropping anchor at Plymouth Rock, near Massachusetts Bay. The Pilgrims of the fledgling colony associated themselves with friendly Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe, in particular their chief Massasoit. One year later, when the Pilgrims wished to celebrate their first successful harvest, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited the Wampanoag Indians to celebrate with them – creating the “first Thanksgiving.”

This may not have been the first Thanksgiving, however.

In 1565, 60 years before Plymouth Rock, a Spanish fleet planted a cross on the beach and celebrated Mass at the settlement known as St. Augustine. 800 set -

tlers shared a festive meal with the Timucuans, who were native to the area. Still, the Plymouth Rock story persists as the official start of this uniquely American holiday tradition.

Some other important dates of note: one happened in 1924, when department store R.H. Macy & Co. held a big Christmas parade on Thanksgiving Day to celebrate the expansion of its Herald Square superstore. Macy’s signed a contract with NBC to broadcast the parade, and this year is the 100th anniversary of that association.

In 1953, an employee at C.A. Swanson & Sons overestimated the public’s appetite for turkey and was left with 260 tons of extra frozen birds. The TV dinner was born when Swanson decided to order 5,000 aluminum trays and recruited an assembly line of workers to compile a turkey dinner complete with side dishes like mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes and fruit cobbler.

The tradition of sending a turkey to Washington goes back to the 1940s, when farmers would bring the president a turkey. Famously, only 10 days before his death in 1963, President John F. Kennedy was the first president to pardon a turkey.

So then it is appropriate Americans have been giving thanks at this time of year ever since, with a major push from President Abraham Lincoln declaring it a national holiday in 1863. President Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday to the fourth Thursday in November in 1941, where it remains.

Sometimes it seems grace and gratitude are in short supply. May we thoughtfully consider what it means to be not only a Tallasseean, but an Alabamian; not only an Alabamian but an American; not only an American but a citizen of the world. And while one is thinking of others, be thankful for them, too – the ones who make you mad or the ones who hurt your feelings just as much as the ones who make you smile or the ones who are in your care.

This beautiful prayer was found online: “Father in Heaven, Creator of all and source of all

MICHAEL BIRD Columnist

LIZI GWIN Managing Editor

Alabama’s first bourbon distillery to open in 2024

By JOSH BOUTWELL Troy Messenger

It’s been a long road but Alabama’s very first legal bourbon whiskey distillery attraction, Conecuh Ridge Distillery, is planning for a May 2024 opening as the complex in Troy nears completion.

Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce the official state spirit of Alabama, Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey. The moonshine whiskey was made famous by former moonshiner Clyde May, a native of Alabama.

After proudly serving his country in the Army’s 77th Infantry in World War II – earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart – Clyde May returned home to Alabama and became known as one of the “most wanted” moonshiners in the state. His original still was set up close to Pike County in nearby Bullock County.

While Clyde May died in 1990, his son, Kenny May, launched the legal Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey in 2001 and it became the official state spirit of Alabama in 2004.

While Conecuh Ridge Distillery has bottled and produced its products outside of Clyde May’s home state of Alabama over the years, it will now return to Troy, Ala., when it opens in 2024.

Conecuh Ridge Distillery will produce numerous products, including Clyde May’s Alabama Style Whiskey, Clyde May’s Straight

Bourbon, Clyde May’s Cask Strength, Clyde May’s Straight Rye Whiskey and Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

The facility will feature not only the distillery but also a bottling plant, a restaurant and bar, tasting rooms, a retail shop, and a barrelhouse to age barrels of whisky. All of that will be part of tours that will be featured at Conecuh Ridge Distillery.

The distillery will create approximately 50 new jobs in Pike County once its fully up to capacity.

Steve May (no relation to Clyde May) serves as vice president and general manager of the Conecuh Ridge Distillery. Prior to joining Conecuh Ridge, May served as director of marketing operations for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Tennessee.

During his tenure there, he oversaw significant growth in the distillery’s retail sales and annual guest

ed the week of Thanksgiving with little to no interference to school traffic.

pay for certified police officers. Currently, officers start at just under $18 per hour. Recent increases at the Millbrook Police Department start officers at $20 per hour. The Elmore County Sheriff’s Department is above that.

“I am still calculating that,” Hill said. “It’s the next priority and next thing to be brought to the finance committee.”

Public works director James Garner updated the council on several ongoing projects. He said the sewage lagoon project is expected to be finished by the first of the year. The same can be said for the gas line replacement being done with funds from a 2020 bond issuance.

Garner also said the emergency project to cover exposed gas and water lines on Friendship Road should be complet-

Hill told the council the city’s bond rating from Standard and Poors is an ‘A’ thanks to the work by city staff during and after the issuance of 2020 bonds for utilities.

Hill requested the council enter into an executive session during the council’s work session to discuss economic development. It returned to normal meeting 15 minutes later. During the council’s regular meeting, it authorized the mayor to negotiate with retail recruiter NextSite to enter into a contract to recruit businesses to Tallassee. The city had previously been using Retail Strategies at a cost of $30,000 per year.

NextSite helped with the Publix project in Alexander City. It is also beginning to work with other government entities in Elmore County for retail recruitment.

count, which grew from 191,000 to over 300,000 annually. That growth also added to the economic growth of the area. During his tenure, the Jack Daniel’s Distillery invested more than $25 million in capital improvements at the site, as well.

“I was responsible for marketing operations for the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, one of the largest tourist attractions in Tennessee,” May said. “Before the pandemic, we had over 300,000 people a year taking tours there and 190 employees just in marketing. It had an enormous economic impact on the area and it’s our hope that we can do similar things in Troy.”

The distillery will offer five different types of tours when it opens with prices ranging from $20 to $45. Tours will begin at the Clyde 240, Clyde May’s original moonshine still, which was named so because it took $240 worth of

IN OTHER ACTION THE TALLASSEE CITY COUNCIL:

• Approved a proclamation declaring November as National Home Health and Hospice Month.

• Approved minutes of the Oct. 24 meeting.

• Updated the hours of

copper to make the still. After learning the history of May and Conecuh Ridge Distillery, tourists will get to tour the entire distillery facility and process.

“We will be very family friendly. If you bring your children you can take a tour that doesn’t include any alcohol,” May said. “We have a little bit of everything going on here. We are not just a tourist attraction but a full-fledged distillery with a bottling plant that will produce Clyde May’s Whiskey and Conecuh Ridge Whiskey.

“We’ll be buying local grain grown in Alabama. Our corn will come from farms right here in this area. We’ll sell our spent grain, which is very nutritious, to local cattle farmers.”

Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said he believed the distillery would bring a unique tourist experience to Troy.

“The Conecuh Ridge Distillery will provide a quality tourism destination and investment on the north side of Troy,” Reeves said. “It will be a unique opportunity for those traveling through Troy as well as those within a few hours who would like to take a weekend or even a day trip to see our community and the Clyde May Brands’ process. I have no doubt it will be a distinctly fun experience.”

Steve May said the distillery is planning for a May 2024 opening, but weather and other issues may push that back. Regardless, Summer 2024 looks like it

city parks to sunrise to sunset.

will see the opening of Alabama’s first whiskey distillery that will be located off Highway 231 where 3 million cars travel annually.

The next meeting of the Tallassee City Council is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 12 Councilmember Bill Hall was absent from the meeting.

The Conecuh Ridge Distillery, the first bourbon distillery in Alabama, is set to open in 2024.

The power of words

gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge but the mouth of the fool gushes folly,” (Proverbs 15:1).

Scripture goes on to reference our eyes, ears, hands, feet, heart and mind. All of this reminds me of a little song I learned in Sunday school many years ago.

“O be careful little tongue what you say, O be careful little tongue what you say. For the Father up above is looking down in love, so, be careful little tongue what you say.”

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his or her life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell, but no man can tame the tongue. These are strong

JACKIE WILBOURN Columnist

words as found in James, Chapter 3. With the tongue, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the image and likeness of God. We have blessings and cursing coming from the same mouth. It has been said that what comes out of the mouth is usually an accurate index of the health of our heart. Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

The wise man in Proverbs 15 teaches us, “The breath by which we express our deepest desires, instincts, and opin -

ions may produce helpful and pleasing fruit.”

The great young Jonathan Edwards penned a number of Resolutions around the theme of the tongue. Resolved, never to say anything at all against anybody. Resolved, in narrations never to speak anything but the pure and simple verity (truth). Resolved, never to speak evil of any.

A stain inflicted on a young person by a mature believer — a stain that might have proved impossible to wash out, is often imposed without thought. It has been asked, “How do you know whether a man is a Christian?”

The answer is that his mouth is “shut.” You do not begin to be a Christian until your mouth is shut, is stopped, and you are speechless and have nothing to say.

Tallassee Churches

“O be careful little tongue what you say, O be careful little tongue what you say. For the Father up above is looking down in love, so, be careful little tongue what you say.”

(Exposition of Banner of Truth, 1970).

Oftentimes we do not think before we speak and many people have been turned away from God by “jabber” that has no significance. Recently, I found an acronym for training ourselves to think before we speak. THINK! T-Is it True? H-Is it Helpful? I-Is it Inspiring? N-Is it Nec -

essary? K-Is it Kind? Always remember to ask, “Does it Glorify God?”

The Father up above is looking down in love, so be careful little tongue what you say.

Jackie Wilbourn, member of Bethel Baptist Church, is a chaplain with the Alabama Baptist Disaster Team.

Dalton MiDDleton SportS eDitor dalton.middleton@thewetumpkaherald.com

www.TallasseeTribune.com www.TallasseeTribune.com

Tallassee swimmers qualify for state championship

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

The Tallassee swim team will have a large showing at the state championships.

Tallassee competed in the AHSAA Class 5A Central Sectionals this weekend in Birmingham, and the Tigers had a great showing all the way around.

Three individual swimmers placed and qualified for the state championships in five separate events, while five relay teams will also make the trip and try to earn a state championship.

The state championship races are Dec. 1-2 at the Auburn University Aquatic Center.

“Our swimmers did an outstanding job

HITTING THE ROAD

By HENRY ZIMMER Sports Writer

The Reeltown Rebels continue to win – and they’re hoping not to stop anytime soon.

Sitting at 11-0 after two fairly commanding playoff victories, the Rebels next draw their sights to a road trip down to Cottonwood. The Bears are 10-1 this season and have playoff wins over Luverne and Isabella. Cottonwood is unlike many of the team’s Reeltown has played this year, according to coach Matt Johnson. And this week of preparation will be unlike any other for the Rebels.

“You want to be practicing during Thanksgiving,” Johnson said. “We are fortunate to

have this opportunity. What we are seeing this week is a totally different style of football.”

The Bears are coming off a one-point win over Isabella but have largely blown by teams this season. Cottonwood has scored 417 points and allowed just 187, including two shutouts. Last year, the Bears were 5-6 and eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. This year, they were their region’s No. 1 overall seed and the seventh ranked team in all of 2A.

“They don’t do a whole lot of crazy stuff which is the sign of a good team,” Johnson said. “They have really done well at their craft. The kids are bought into it. To turn the program around like that in one year is a testament

to how well those kids are bought in.”

Cottonwood likely is about to face its toughest test all season when Johnson’s team comes to town. In the playoffs, Reeltown has outscored Wicksburg and Thorsby 82-28. Reeltown has not allowed a team to eclipse 18 points all season and has scored in the 40s or higher in all but two of its games.

Johnson said there wasn’t one particular reason his offense is so potent and his defense so stout. He chalked it up mostly to the fact that the guys who start on offense also start on defense, and his best players are consistently making plays on both sides of the ball. See REBELS, Page A9

FILE | THE TRIBUNE

Reeltown looks to continue its record-setting winning streak by winning its 12th straight game against Cottonwood on Friday.

Tallassee’s Thornton off to hot start

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

this weekend at the AHSAA Central Sectionals Meet,” Tallassee coach John Mask said. “There was a lot of time dropped this weekend, and we are so proud of all their hard work this season. Congratulations to our swimmers who advanced to state.”

Leading the pack is Alabama signee and seven-time state cham-

pion Macey Stewart, who is trying to win the last two events of her high school career. She placed first place in both the 100meter freestyle and the 100 backstroke in the qualifying races. She has won both of those events in each of the last three seasons and won the backstroke

By HENRY ZIMMER Sports Writer

The Reeltown girls basketball season has had a unique start to its year.

With the Rebel football team still in the playoff mix, the Reeltown girls have been without both of their coaches. Head coach Will Solomon is still helping coach football as is assistant coach Travis Lee. That means the varsity team has been practicing alongside JV and the junior high squads and will do so until football season ends.

“I am very fortunate because the junior high coaches are practicing everybody,” Solomon said. “I am very blessed that they are helping practice, and it’s even helping the younger girls. It’s a good thing with football, though.”

Solomon has already had to cancel and move back games at the start of the season due to football and will contin-

ue to have to as long as the football team keeps winning.

The only games Solomon is really worried about are the late season area games, but he certainly could like a few tune up contests before then.

“We will hopefully get a couple games under our belt before area play,” Solomon said. “We were supposed to play a week after Thanksgiving, so it really is week to week. As we win in football, we will just move games around and go from there.”

In the few chances Solomon has been with his team, he has liked what he has seen. Reeltown must replace six seniors, including multi-sport star Ashley Flurry and center Yonna Kimble, who plays for Shelton State.

“Each senior we had last year brought something different to the

It’ll be hard to find someone who has had as good of a start to their season as Tallassee junior Rowen Thornton has. Thornton, the Tigers’ top returner on the boys basketball team, has been nearly unstoppable as Tallassee is off to a 2-1 start to the season. Thornton is averaging 24 points per game through his first three matchups, good for third across the entire state of Alabama after the first week of the year and first overall in Class 5A.

Marbury then added 17 points in a win over Booker T. Washington. In the team’s only loss, he one-upped his careerhigh with a 28-point performance.

He scored a careerhigh 27 points in the season opening win over

For his scoring prowess, Thornton is this week’s Elmore County Player of the Week. Thornton is one of the most experienced

players on the Tallassee roster this season. At 6-foot-4, the junior was a regular starter last season where he earned All-County honors for his play averaging 10 points and six rebounds per game.

He scored in double digits only nine times

FILE THE TRIBUNE

Reeltown girls basketball coach Will Solomon will have to wait to fully join his team, as Solomon continues to coach Reeltown football through the playoffs.

Rebels face the unknown vs. Cottonwood in Round 3

FILE THE TRIBUNE

Tallassee swimmer Macey Stewart, a University of Alabama signee, will try to win her eighth and ninth career state championships on Dec. 1. She will race in the 100-meter backstroke and the 100-meter freestyle.

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SENIOR DUO TO LEAD ELMORE COUNTY GIRLS

By DALTON MIDDLETON Sports Editor

he Elmore County girls

Tbasketball team is looking to get back into the postseason, and it’s looking to its senior duo of guard

Kyasia Brown and forward Emily Mason to get it there. Brown and Mason are both returning to the Panthers after All-County seasons last year.

Mason was named to the Second Team after averaging 13.8 points per game while Brown was an honorable mention selection averaging 5.5 points and 3 assists per game.

“They bring an experience that is invaluable for a team,” first-year head coach Kyle Caldwell said. “They’ve played against tough pressure and good competition and that’s very helpful for the entire team. They’ve been there before so we can trust them more than you can with a firstyear player.” Brown and Mason won’t be the only players playing big roles on the team.

Cherish Foye is a sophomore who is starting at a guard position opposite of Brown, while Addison Hicks and Kaden Edwards will both play big minutes inside the paint.

In the season opening win over Horseshoe Bend on Friday night, Hicks recorded one of the better stat lines for the Panthers as she led the team in rebounds, both offensive and defense, and

she had a handful of steals.

Avery Hull will also play big minutes, while Caldwell is expecting Addy Peadon to step up on the court as well.

“We are just trying to get everybody familiar with their role and attacking that responsibility at practice,” Caldwell said. “We just want them to get better.”

The Panthers missed the playoffs last year after going winless in area play

and only getting three wins in the entire season. With Caldwell now leading the team, he is hoping they can turn the program back around and right the ship.

Area play will not be as tough as Holtville graduated and lost some key players that helped the Bulldogs reach the playoffs for the first time in school history, and Marbury lost two of its top three scorers from a year ago and two of its top four rebounders.

Both teams had great seasons a year ago as Marbury reached the third round of the playoffs and Holtville lost in the first round.

With key players out on both teams, Elmore County will have a chance to reach the postseason again with some consistent play.

“We just have to take good care of the basketball and limit mistakes,” Caldwell said. “Sometimes being slower is g ood in basketball so we will slow down the pace and limit the turnovers. Obviously we have to shoot better than we did at the free throw line,

and we have to get more deflections and turnovers on defense.”

Area play doesn’t get started until Jan. 12, and in the meantime, Elmore County will face a grueling schedule.

In non-region play, the Panthers have two matchups against Wetumpka and matchups with Stanhope Elmore and Chilton County, all Class 6A teams.

They will also face Trinity, St. James and ACA which are always solid programs out of Montgomery.

The Panthers started their season last week with a big win over Horseshoe Bend to start the year.

“The expectations are to just compete for 32 minutes,” Caldwell said.

“I want the girls to give everything they have. We have some girls with a lot of experience and we sprinkle that in with some young girls. They’ll play some different roles and we have to get them comfortable and familiar with the tempo we want before area play begins.”

DEFENSE

Continued from A1 ELECT Continued from A1

do check ins and outs, attendance, report cards and anything else they need me to do.”

There are also the tables for school programs, helping the janitorial staff and keeping an eye on students in ISS.

Wiggins said growing up gave her all the experience she needed for the job.

“Pretty much whatever comes at us, I handle,” Wiggins said. “I grew up with six brothers.”

Beacher said the school wouldn’t be what it was without Wiggins.

“She is plugged in everywhere,” Beecher said. “She does a phenomenal job assisting the teachers in their everyday transitions.”

Wiggins isn’t sure when her real retirement will come, but in the meantime she will continue to greet everyone at the school as she has done for the last six years.

“It’s crazy you work all your life, retire only to come back and find the job you like the most,” Wiggins said. “I really like my job. I told them I will stick around until you tell me to go or I can’t physically do it.”

ARRESTED

Continued from A1

enforcement noted a bulge in her jeans and asked Gregory about it. She admitted it was methamphetamine.

In a bag on Gregory were multiple bags of methamphetamine. The total weight of the controlled substance was approximately 40 grams.

Law enforcement searched Gregory’s car and found a medicine bottle turned into a bong, a torch and digital scales with narcotic residue. The car also contained assorted bags full of tools.

Gregory was booked into the Elmore County Jail on charges of trafficking methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, attempting to elude and resisting arrest. Gregory has a $1,515,000 bond available to her. If she is able to post the bond in Elmore County, she would then be taken to the Tallapoosa County Jail on the bond revocation. According to court records Gregory has more than a dozen drug related charges over the last three years.

won’t be able to cast a vote for him.

The federal courts imposed a new congressional district map on the state in October after the Alabama Legislature failed to satisfy the courts with two minority districts. Elmore County is now in District 6 and will share a representative with Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Shelby County and parts of Jefferson County. Republican Gary Palmer of Hoover is the incumbent. He was first elected to the position in 2014.

Qualifying for the Democrat and Republican parties ended last week. The Alabama Republican Party said Ken McFeeters and Gerrick Wilkins qualified for the Republican primary seeking the seat as well. According to the Alabama Democratic Party, Elizabeth Anderson qualified for the primary.

Elmore County voters will have to select which party’s primary they will vote in; if there is a runoff, voters can’t vote in a different runoff election. Anderson will face the winner of the Republican primary in November 2024.

DOWNTOWN

Continued from A1

Mosher owns a dress shop on Ann Street. Just recently the sidewalk in front of her store was torn away to be replaced as part of the TAP streetscape project downtown. She is pleased with the work.

“Downtown is looking great,” Mosher said.

“I walk that block quite frequently. If you start on Ann Street now you

REFLECTION

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Although the Democratic Party does not have anyone seeking a state office in Elmore County, the Republicans do.

• Alabama Court of Civil Appeals Place2 Chad Hanson and Stephen Davis Parker are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

• Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2 Rich Anderson and Thomas Govan are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

• Alabama Public Service Commission President Robert L. McCollum and Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

• 19th Circuit Court Judge Place 1 Bill Lewis is qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

• 19th Circuit Court Judge Place 4 Dee Dee Calhoon, Nicole Clark and Jacquelyn Tomlinson are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

• Elmore County Circuit Clerk Michael Dozier is qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

• Elmore County Probate Judge Jason Britt and Vicki Bonner Ward are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

can see what it is like in progress. But when you go around the block and see what it is going to be.”

In the last 10 days contractors have started to install asphalt. The final wear layer is one of the last steps in the project. Even without all the asphalt in place and ongoing construction, Mosher said she likes the transformation.

“It is unbelievable,” Mosher said. “They have done a fantastic

have for one another, our family and friends. Dear Father, in Your infinite generosity, please grant us

ELMORE COUNTY COMMISSION

District 1 Henry Hines and Byron Mulder are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

District 2 Brad Davis, Brent Langley and Jennifer Bennett are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

District 3 Dennis Hill is qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

District 4 Bart Mercer is qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

District 5 Jacqueline Long Thomas is qualified to be on the ballot in the Democratic primary. Desirae Lewis Jackson is qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

ELMORE COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION

District 2 Wendell Howell Saxon is qualified to be on the ballot in the Democratic primary.

District 3 David Jones is qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary.

District 7 Jason Lett and Justin Pack

job. We are going to have a new city.” The ALDOT TAP streetscape project was in the planning stages more than five years ago and was estimated at the time to cost $725,000 with Tallassee providing a 20 percent match.

With many of the city utilities downtown being 40, 50 or more years old, it was decided the gas, sewer and water lines needed to be replaced before putting

continued graces and blessing throughout the coming year. This we ask in the Name of Jesus, Your Son and our Brother. Amen.” And so, let us pause to be grateful to that all-powerful and ever-living God

are qualified to be on the ballot in the Republican primary. Primary elections will be held on March 5. The deadline to register to vote is Feb. 16 if hand delivering, or postmarked by Feb. 17 if mailing. Feb. 19 is the last day to register to vote electronically. The absentee ballot deadlines for the primaries are Feb. 27 by mail and Feb. 29 in person. Absentee ballots must be hand delivered by March 4 or received by noon, March 5 if mailed. If necessary, primary elections will be held on April 16. The deadline to register to vote is April 1. April 9 is the last day to apply for an absentee ballot by mail and April 11 in person. The last day to hand-deliver absentee ballots is April 15 and absentee ballots mailed must be received by noon April 16.

The General Election is Nov. 5. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 21. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 29. To apply for an absentee ballot in person, the deadline is Oct. 31. Nov. 4 is the last day to deliver an absentee ballot in person, and mailed absentee ballots must be received by noon Nov. 5.

fresh asphalt over them. In December 2021 city leaders approved a $1,493,925 bid for infrastructure under the streets. It also approved the demolition of the Hotel Talisi. Earlier this year the council approved a bid for the streetscape and repaving in the amount of $1,884,752.40. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) provided $1.1 million in grant funding for the project.

who has allowed us to live in such a beautiful place; who has granted us the grace to get by under sometimes difficult circumstances; and whose Master Plan our lives are but a part.

The city’s match for the grant totals $205,000 but the city is also funding the repaving of the streets. With the work entering the final stages, Mosher believes the work will make downtown Tallassee attractive to many and not just to shop. “Get ready because everybody is going to want to come,” she said. “It is better than I could have ever dreamed.”

Michael Bird is a music teacher for Tallassee City Schools and co-hosts the “Saturday Morning Show with Michael Bird and Scott Adcock” on WACQ-AM 580 and FM 98.5.

Elmore County’s Kyasia Brown is one of two returning seniors for the Elmore County girls basketball team. Brown is coming off an All-County season last year where she averaged 5.5 points and 3 assists per game.