This letter is in response to Bob Mount’s column in Tuesday’s paper. Not only do I have a differing opinion about priests and celibacy but also find offensive some of the ideas put forward in this column.
One issue I would take is the presumption that as Mount defined “… the problems of sex abuse by Catholic priests …” are greater than the problems of sexual abuse by other religious leaders.

Apparently, Jay Gogue has been Auburn University’s informal president since his first day in office at Samford Hall last July. Auburn officials sent word this week that Gogue will be formally installed as the university’s 18th president today.

The Opelika Public Works Department will hold a public hearing Tuesday for its Community Development Block Grant one-year plan. The public hearing will be held at the Opelika Public Works facility, 700 Fox Trail, at 4 p.m. CDT.

A Lee County Circuit judge today sentenced a 17-year-old convicted of murder to 50 years in prison, restitution and $15,000 in fines. 

RALEIGH, N.C. — Not since 1988 has North Carolina had much of a voice in choosing a presidential nominee. Back then, it joined several Southern states to help pick Al Gore, a neighbor from Tennessee.

BIRMINGHAM — Even though April 15 has passed, the Internal Revenue Service is reminding people that more than 500,000 retirees, disabled veterans and others in Alabama who normally do not have to file a tax return that there is still time to submit a 2007 return to receive an economic stimulus payment.

To say that their bonds of sisterhood and community service are deeply rooted would be an understatement .

MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Senate needs to end a long-running filibuster over a Macon County gambling bill and get to work on issues affecting the entire state, Gov. Bob Riley said Wednesday.
Riley told the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce that with only eight days remaining in the 2008 legislative session, time is running out for the Senate to address significant issues. Riley urged chamber members to contact their legislators.

Advocates rally for statewide smoke-free law

The Smiths Station man accused of killing Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk did not appear in a Lee County courtroom as expected Wednesday morning.

AU trustees to consider new strategy

Two recent incidents in Auburn involving money scams have law enforcement officials reminding residents — if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Hundreds of innocent, good-hearted people in Lee County will be arrested and locked up Thursday — just for doing the right thing. The mass community sting operation is part of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Executive Lockup, a fundraiser for the MDA South Alabama-Pensacola office.

The bridge will close to through traffic Thursday morning.

WASHINGTON – The choice of Gen. David Petraeus to lead Tampa-based U.S. Central Command will provide a larger playing field for the general who has become the face of the war in Iraq.

Auburn Junior High School’s softball team finished their season with a win against Russell County Junior High School on Monday.

A preview tonight of this year’s CityFest will offer a sneak peek of the fun to come.

WASHINGTON – With state governments pressed for money, many Southeast governors are drawing praise from an education advocacy organization for setting aside more money for pre-kindergarten programs.

WASHINGTON — Turns out Hillary Rodham Clinton ‘s victory Tuesday came with a cash prize. In the hours after winning Pennsylvania’s Democratic presidential primary, Clinton’s campaign said she raised $3.5 million, marking her best overnight performance ever.

Ignite Auburn, Auburn University’s student group dedicated to raising awareness about the hazards of smoking, is holding its second annual “Kick Butts Day Carnival” Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Hickory Dickory Park in Auburn.

A 74-year-old woman was robbed following a money scam in Auburn on Tuesday.

The phone rang. Stirring a pot of sticky split-pea soup with one hand, I grabbed the receiver with the other. Somewhere in the process of mixing and talking, I noticed a blob of bile green liquid trickling down my favorite shirt. In a nook between the refrigerator and cupboard, an assortment of aprons hung forgotten and unused.

World food collection agencies are beginning to hit the panic button. The price of rice has doubled in the last five weeks, and food prices have risen by 83 percent in the last three years, according to The World Bank.

Let me see if I have this straight: Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller makes a unilateral decision to change the design of the Frederick Road widening project that will delay the beginning of project and require redrawing of plans, which will add to the cost of the project, not to mention the wasted time, effort and money already spent. 

ATLANTA — Delta Air Lines Inc., the nation’s third-largest carrier, said Wednesday its loss widened in the first quarter to a whopping $6.39 billion because of soaring fuel prices and the steep decline in the company’s market value.

“Keep your little grimy hands off of my machine.” That’s the message legislator DuWayne Bridges, R-Valley, gave fellow House of Representatives members from the Statehouse floor Tuesday. Bridges’ voting machine was used by another lawmaker last week to support a proposed constitutional amendment that would repeal grocery taxes. Bridges, who said he was on an industry-hunting trip to Asia last week, said he never would have voted for the legislation.

No action was taken Wednesday morning at the Lee County Courthouse in the case against a Smiths Station man accused of killing Auburn University freshman Lauren Burk.

Opelika High School students deserted their classrooms for the outdoors Tuesday to take part in environmental science and conservation lessons in honor of Earth Day.

Railroad Avenue will be closed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Beehive Road Bridge will be closed beginning Thursday.

Five men carrying handguns entered an Opelika residence Monday night, but nothing was taken and no one was injured, according to police.