Sweepstakes — Scan This >> $5,000 The Gallery On Railroad Update — A3 IN THIS ISSUE BUSINESS NEWS A3 | SOCIETY A9 | OBITUARIES A13 | COMICS A16 SPORTS B1 | POLITICS B9 | PUBLIC NOTICES B12 | PUZZLES B14
2022 — APA DIVISION D GENERAL EXCELLENCE DESIGNATION — 2023 COVERING LEE COUNTY, ALABAMA Vol. 15, No. 43 Opelika, Alabama Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 Your local publication created 'for local people, by local people.'
www.opelikaobserver.com
PHOTO BY EMILY KEY / FOR THE OBSERVER
PHOTO BY ROBERT NOLES / THE OBSERVER
Mr. Gatti's is Back!
ZACHARY J. "BUBBA" SORENSON
Mourning One of the Best
Mr. Gatti's, a chain pizza restaurant with ties to the local area dating back to the 1970s, opened its new location in Opelika on Monday, July 31. Photos and more information can be found on page A2.
'Keep That Legacy Going' — Byron’s New Owners Step In AUBURN — Ownership of well-known Auburn restaurant, Byron’s Smokehouse, is changing hands. After more than 30 years, Glen Gulledge, owner of Byron’s, is passing off his business to Kevin Tudhope. Kevin has been friends with Gulledge for many years — both of them having grown up in Auburn. It was around May when Gulledge let Kevin know that there were people interested in buying Byron’s. “They were looking at the possibility
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED TO THE OBSERVER
BY HANNAH GOLDFINGER HGOLDFINGER@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
BY MICHELLE KEY MICHELLE@ OPELIKAOBSERVER.COM
Kevin Tudhope and his family pose outside of Baumhower's, one of the family's many businesses.
of possibly selling it, so during that conversation, it just kind of evolved to us talking about whether I would be willing to do something like that,” Kevin said.
Kevin is no stranger to the business world. He and his wife, Julie, own local UPS stores, a mortgage company and a local Baumhower's franchise. “He knew I’d been
coming in there since I was a young child and I knew Mr. Byron and I knew [Glen] and we just felt like it would be a good fit,” he said. See BYRON'S, page A8
Summer of Fun — A5 | Winner's Photos
OPELIKA — Known as the guy who always had a smile on his face, Opelika Firefighter Medic Zachary "Bubba" Sorenson died in a single-vehicle crash early morning, Saturday, July 29.
The Opelika Fire Department (OFD) issued a public statement on its Facebook page later that morning and as word spread through city, hundreds of people shared their thoughts and memories of Sorenson. "Bubba set the See SORENSON, page A4
Baxter Plant to Close
CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF OPELIKA
OPELIKA — Last week, local Baxter leadership notified city of Opelika officials that the company planned to stop production at its manufacturing plant in Opelika. This news will impact
nearly 500 employees. Baxter leadership emphasized that this outcome is not a reflection of the quality of employees and business climate in Opelika, but was brought on by global market conditions that have impacted See BAXTER, page A3
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