BY MICHELLE KEY PUBLISHER LEE COUNTY — January 2025: New Milestones, Transitions and Obstacles January opened with a milestone moment for Auburn and the state as Auburn University student Abbie Stockard, a Vestavia native and nursing major, was crowned Miss America 2025 in Orlando on Jan. 5. Stockard, who previously earned the Miss Alabama title, won a $50,000 scholarship and plans to spend her year-long reign traveling for public...
BY HILTON KNIGHT IN LOVING MEMORY OF BARBARA M. KNIGHT OPINION — I have fond memories of my childhood as the ninth of 11 children. The times I cherish most are the times of an older sister allowing me to sit on her lap for hours and reading poetry she loved. I would often take the poetry to her. She immediately knew what I wanted, and she would patiently place me in her lap and for hours read the poetic writings of Whitman, Emerson, Poe,...
BY DANIEL SCHMIDT THE OBSERVER OPELIKA — Opelika High School must now look for a new head football coach after Bryan Moore abruptly resigned at an emergency Opelika City Schools Board of Education meeting on Dec. 19. Moore, who was named OHS’ 22nd head coach on Dec. 19, 2023, leaves after just two years on the job and 16 days after leading the Bulldogs to a runner-up finish at the 7A state championship game. In a written statement, OCS...
CONTRIBUTED BY THE OAKS AGENCY AUBURN — HappyPaw Doodles is a family-run boutique dog breeding company operating out of Atlanta, Georgia and Auburn, Alabama owned by Dr. Ana Adams, DMV and Annslee Hillyer. They are welcoming new litters and seeking two guardian homes to host select breeding dogs. Dr. Adams brings a wealth of knowledge in veterinary science with over 25 years of experience and is one of the only animal reproduction...
BY KADIE TAYLOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA — Axe Marks the Spot and the Opelika Rage Room are teaming up to provide one location for community fun. With the renovations completed, the business owners are working to reorganize and best accommodate customer fun in the shared space. “I talked with Alex from Rage Room, and we decided that bringing another activity downtown would be beneficial to the community,” said Axe Marks the Spot owner Emily Key. “I...
BY KADIE TAYLOR THE OBSERVER OPELIKA — Main Street America and American Express are collaborating to offer eligible small business owners the chance to receive a $20,000 grant through the Amex Shop Small Grants Program. These grants will help small businesses innovate, grow and support their communities. Applications are already open and will close on Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. CT. Recipients will be notified in March and will have a six-month grant...
Community
BY MICHELLE KEY PUBLISHER OPELIKA — The Opelika Police Department wrapped up its third annual Shop With a Cop event by taking dozens of local students on a special holiday shopping experience last week. This year’s event served 59 students from...
CONTRIBUTED BY STATE OF ALABAMA DHR MONTGOMERY — The Alabama Department of Human Resources is excited to announce that the first round of Alabama EBT cardholders are now receiving new, chip-enabled EBT cards. The new cards will greatly increase...
CONTRIBUTED BY MAX CREDIT UNION ALABAMA — MAX Credit Union is honored to be recognized as one of the 40 Best Companies to Work For in Alabama, a distinction it has received consecutively for the past twelve years. This honor demonstrates MAX's...
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