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June 23, 2008
Testimony begins
Medical examiner testified that James Heard was shot six times.
Local couple to wed on live TV
Local couple to wed on live TV
Valley police on alert after suicide, threat call
Valley police on alert after suicide, threat call
Opelika Police Department reports
Opelika Police Department reports for the weekend.
AU names Associate Provost, Vice President for research
After a national search, Auburn University President Jay Gogue announced today that John M. Mason has been named Associate Provost and Vice President for Research.
Carlin, counterculture comedians dean, dies at 71
George Carlin, the dean of counterculture comedians whose biting insights on life and language were immortalized in his “Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV” routine, died of heart failure Sunday. He was 71.
Auburn man selling meth gets prison
An Auburn man convicted of running a methamphetamine distribution ring is headed to federal prison
GOP frets Barr could play spoiler in prez race
A fiery former GOP congressman who gained national prominence for doggedly pursuing impeachment of President Clinton has some Republicans worried he’ll play spoiler in a tight presidential contest. Bob Barr’s Libertarian Party bid for the White House is the longest of long shots. Combined with the surge in turnout among Democrats during the primaries and a difficult political climate for Republicans, they see what could be a recipe for trouble for the GOP.
Record corn prices mean more expensive meat, dairy
Raging Midwest floodwaters that swallowed crops and sent corn and soybean prices soaring are about to give consumers more grief at the grocery store.
In the latest bout of food inflation, beef, pork, poultry and even eggs, cheese and milk are expected to get more expensive as livestock owners go out of business or are forced to slaughter more cattle, hogs, turkeys and chickens to cope with rocketing costs for corn-based animal feed.
June 22, 2008
AU professor offers tips to help beat the heat
Saturday marked the official beginning of summer and one Auburn University professor is offering his advice on how to beat the heat.
Murder trial under way at Justice Center
The trial for Rosemary L. Newsome began today with jury selection and opening arguments.
LaFayette’s statue plans moving ahead
Unlike many of the punches Joe Louis Barrow threw against his opponents in the ring, an effort to create a statue in the fighter’s honor is something one local group hopes people actually see coming in the near future.
June 21, 2008
Aunt Bird reaches 100
Some of her friends affectionately refer to her as “Ms. Minnie”, “bird” or Aunt Bird, but Birdie Peterson simply knows her as her grandmother, Ms. Minnie Alberta Moore
Swanson. This Sunday, Swanson will celebrate her 100th birthday.
Toomer’s oaks get face-lift
On Saturday, the two landmark live oaks at Toomer’s Corner got a face-lift.
East Alabama feels pinch of doctor shortage
Need a doctor? So does everyone else. Along with the rest of the country, the Opelika-Auburn area has a shortage of primary care physicians.
Stage set for Saudi oil conference
JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia — The U.S. energy secretary said Saturday that insufficient oil production, not financial speculation, was driving soaring crude prices.
Portions of West Glenn Avenue and Donahue Drive will close June 24
Alabama Power will close parts of West Glenn Avenue and Donahue Drive on Tuesday, June 24.
Sidewalks in Downtown Auburn to close this week
Several sidewalks in Downtown Auburn will close for cleaning and maintenance Sunday, June 22, through Thursday, June 26.
June 20, 2008
Corn prices to go up
The flood waters in the Midwest will go down and corn prices will go up, according to two agricultural economists at Auburn University.
Philanthropy has its day at Lee-Scott
Philanthropy. For some, it’s easier to spell it than to actually put into practice.
Alabama unemployment up
MONTGOMERY — Alabama’s unemployment rate jumped to 4.7 percent in May, but remained below the national unemployment figure, according to figures released Friday
Fawn rescue season starts early
Kim Bond, a veterinarian at All Creatures Veterinary Clinic in Auburn, names the orphaned fawns that are brought to her like hurricanes — alphabetically. This year she may make it through the entire alphabet.
UPDATED: Pawlowski named Auburn head baseball coach
Updates with Pawlowski press conference.
When John Pawlowski awoke Friday morning, he was the head coach at the College of Charleston.
But that was about to change.
A 7:30 a.m. text message from Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs kick-started an extremely busy day for Pawlowski. By 1 p.m, he was on a plane headed for Auburn.
A few hours after that, he was standing in front of a podium in the AU athletic department, being introduced as Auburn’s new baseball coach.
With about a dozen Auburn players and an equal number of reporters looking on, he opened his press conference with a “War Eagle” — “That’s the chant, right?” he joked — and followed with a list of his expectations.
“We’re going to be blue-collar, hard-nosed, tough kids who are going to play hard to the final out,” Pawlowski said. “They’re going to go to class; they’re going to get an education, which is going to go far and beyond the playing fields.
“That’s the No. 1 priority. We’re going to recruit kids who are going to do the right things, both on and off the field.”
Pawlowski was 338-192-1 in the past nine seasons at Charleston, where he led the Cougars to three NCAA Tournament appearances, a Super Regional and four Southern Conference titles.
He earned Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2004, 2005 and 2007.
“I spent nine great years there,” he said of Charleston. “We did a lot of positive things, both on and off the field.
“It was a very, very exciting time for us, but when this opportunity came up, I said, ‘Man, I want to jump on this opportunity.’”
Pawlowski replaces Tom Slater, whose May 17 resignation led to a month-long search for a replacement.
Auburn was 115-113 in the Slater era. AU finished 28-28 last season and 11-19 in Southeastern Conference play.
The Tigers haven’t made the NCAA Tournament field since 2005 and haven’t played in the SEC Tournament since 2003.
Pawlowski is looking forward to changing those trends. In his introductory press conference, he made sure to mention Omaha, Neb., site of the College World Series. Auburn hasn’t made a CWS since 1997.
“With the players they have in place, and the commitment these guys have made, there is no reason why Auburn baseball can’t climb to the top and get back to Omaha where they need to be and compete for a national championship,” he said.
But on-field success isn’t his only goal.
“We’re going to move this program onward and upward, and I’m excited to be part of it,” Pawlowski said. “Our goals are going to more than just winning championships — the SEC championship and going to Omaha.
“Our goals are going to be to recruit quality student-athletes, both on and off the field.”
This wasn’t Pawlowski’s first involvement with AU. He interviewed for Auburn’s head-coaching opening in 2004, when the university tabbed Slater.
“I thought the whole thing went very well,” Pawlowski said of his 2004 interview.
“It wasn’t meant to be at that time. … The opportunity came back around this time, and they called and I said ‘I hope it works out this time.’”
This time, Pawlowski was one of about a dozen candidates to interview with Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs. The two men met Tuesday, and Jacobs made the offer early Friday morning.
“It’s been a great process getting to know John, his determination and his desire to win,” Jacobs said Friday. “We’re extremely proud that he is now going to be a member of the Auburn family.”
Pawlowski’s Auburn contract runs for the next five seasons and will pay him $300,000 per year. The contract features several incentives, including a $15,000 bonus for a SEC championship, $20,000 for making the College World Series and $60,000 for a national title.
A standout pitcher at Clemson from 1983-85, Pawlowski was a sixth-round pick of the Chicago White Sox in 1985. He played eight seasons of professional baseball with the White Sox, California Angels and Baltimore Orioles organizations.
After finishing his professional career in 1992, he returned to Clemson to complete his degree in industrial education.
Pawlowski served as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at his alma mater from 1994-1998. He also worked one season as the pitching coach at Arizona State before taking the Charleston job in 2000.
“You look at a guy that’s been a professional in the game, played in the ACC, coached in the Pac 10 and coached in the ACC, recruited the Southeast, energetic and has the values that reflect Auburn people — it was a grand slam for Auburn,” Jacobs said.
A native of Johnson City, N.Y., Pawlowski has three daughters: Christine, 16; Mary Louise, 13; and Jenny Caroline, 7.
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Theft reported from Smiths Station home
A man reportedly entered a Smiths Station home Thursday at approximately 6:30 p.m. and stole $3,000 worth of electronic items, including a laptop computer, two flat-screen televisions and cameras, according to a report released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Department.
Vehicle taken at gunpoint not yet recovered
A vehicle taken at gunpoint from a woman Thursday evening at Outback Steakhouse in Opelika has not yet been recovered, according to Opelika Police Capt. Allan Elkins.
Ted Little: Special session enjoyed success; general session did not
The special session that ended May 31 was everything that the regular session should have been.
Editorial: AU online voting venture worth looking into for state
The time is now for Alabama to take special measures in fighting voter fraud.
Retrial of death row inmate turned into 18 years of delays
More than a decade ago, a frustrated judge vowed there would be no more delays in the stalled retrial of death row inmate Shep Wilson Jr. But the postponements only continued: a mental evaluation, a sick attorney, changes of judges and prosecutors, and a blizzard of legal papers. By the time he died in prison last week of liver failure, Wilson had waited a total of nearly 18 years without ever getting a new trial in the slaying of a teenage store clerk.
House to vote on war funds
The Democratic-led Congress finally appears ready to give President Bush $162 billion in long-overdue funds for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
If it passes as expected, the measure would put to rest Bush’s long-standing battles with the Democrats over war funding. At the same time, Democrats would win help for the unemployed and a remarkably generous increase in GI Bill education benefits for military service members.
June 19, 2008
Loachapoka summer program celebrates Juneteenth
Loachapoka Elementary and Middle Schools’ summer program celebrated Juneteenth on Thursday. June 19 is considered the date when the last slaves in America were freed in 1865.
