Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023
Covering Lee County, Alabama
An award-winning publication created 'For local people, by local people.' Vol. 15, No. 14
Opelika, Alabama
Local Youth Become Sheriff for A Day PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY LCSO
PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY LCSO
Fifteen-year-old Dustin Merritt inspects evidence as part of his Sheriff for the Day experience with the Lee County Sheriff's Department. BY WIL CREWS AND KENDYL HOLLINGSWORTH
Seven-year-old Cole Catrett (right) and his friend participated in the Lee County Sheriff Department's Sheriff for the Day campaign on Jan. 3.
Inaugural Street Food Saturday a Success PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
BY WIL CREWS SPORTSCREWS@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
OPELIKA — Opelika’s street food culture continues to grow. While many by now are familiar with the Opelika Chamber of Commerce’s Food Truck Fridays, which take place on the first and third Friday of every month in downtown Opelika, there is a new food truck-centered event gathering the attention of the masses: Street Food Saturday. “I’d ask the community that if this is what you are looking for … I don’t know how to say it … but this is for you,” said Rick
Hughes Barbeques food truck was at the inaugural Street Food Saturday event, hosted Jan. 7 in Opelika at Twin City Mason Lodge #76.
Lanier, orchestrator of Street Food Saturday. Street Food Saturday is
a new, street-food-centric event that will take place on the second and fourth
Saturday of each month. See FOOD, page A2
LEE COUNTY — Two students in Lee County had the opportunity last week to be “Sheriff for the Day” with the Lee County Sheriff’s Department. The department announced the Sheriff for the Day contest on its social media pages on Oct. 14, 2022, asking parents who have a child who dreams of being in law enforcement when they grow up to register online. Seven-year-old Cole Catrett and 15-year-old Dustin Merritt were the randomly selected winners of the contest. The two joined Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones and other Lee County Sheriff’s Department personnel for an entire day — Tuesday, Jan. 4, and Wednesday, Jan. 5, respectively — to get a behind-the-scenes look at what the county sheriff’s department really does. “The whole purpose of doing this is it’s geared to our community involvement and particularly in developing relationships with our student population,” Jones said. “Just having that relationship that brings them in and says, ‘Hey, we are just like everyone else. We have to go to the grocery store and pay bills. We have dogs and cats as pets.’ It’s just humanizing us. It’s a chance for a one-on-one relationship.” COLE CATRETT Seven-year-old Cole, an elementary student in Opelika, dreams of being a “SWAT guy” when he grows up. Decked out in his own SWAT team uniform, he came prepared to learn all about local law enforcement on Tuesday, Jan. 4. After being sworn in at 10 a.m., Cole and his friend Wyatt got a tour of many different facilities in the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and took part in their own training. See SHERIFF, page A3
Special Election Coming Up in February - B9
Business Licenses Are Due in Opelika - A3
CONTENTS
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OPINION ................. A4 ENTERTAINMENT ...... A7 RELIGION .............. A12 OBITUARIES ........... A13 COMICS .................. A16
SPORTS ................... B1 POLITICS ................. B9 PUBLIC NOTICES ..... B12 CLASSIFIEDS .......... B13 PUZZLES ................ B15