Issuu

SPORTS, PAGE B1

INSIDE, PAGE A5

Tallassee shows off in Wetumpka OTA

ECLECTIC, PAGE B6

New businesses could lead to more

Man in hospital after Chimney Rock jump

Dedicated to the Growth and Prosperity of the Greater Tallassee Area

TALLASSEETRIBUNE.COM

VOL. 126, NO. 29

JULY 17, 2024

Tallassee, was sentenced Wednesday to two years in the Montgomery County Jail, A former employee of Alli- split to serve one year day ance Insurance Group will for day for first-degree theft spend a year in the Montfrom the City of Montgomgomery County Jail and pay ery. more than $500,000 in resti“Stealing from a city, a tution following a guilty plea community, deprives citizens to theft. of having their own taxpayer Kelli Sayers Burt, 44, of dollars put to good use,” Ala-

bama attorney general Steve Marshall said in a release. “Make no mistake, this was not a victimless crime, and I am pleased with the strong message sent by the court.” Burt was indicted by a Montgomery County Grand Jury in April and pleaded guilty May 20. She is a former employee

of Alliance Insurance Group and was assigned to handle the health insurance claims for the City of Montgomery’s employees. According to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, Burt used the identities of city employees between 2017 and 2024 more than 330 times to divert insurance reimbursements

$1.00

Tallassee resident sentenced for theft

TPI STAFF Staff Report

into her own bank account. Her repeated targeting of the City of Montgomery resulted in a loss to the city of more than $465,000. In addition to Burt’s jail time, she is required to pay $514,741 in restitution to her former employer and the employer’s insurer once she is released.

Thompson family approaches council for solutions By MELODY RATHEL Multimedia Reporter It has been almost three months since Michael Thompson was last seen. Since his disappearance April 21, the family of Michael Thompson has sought multiple

avenues in an attempt to find him. At the last Tallassee City Council meeting, Thompson’s sister Joanne Wright approached the council to see if there were any more possibilities for search efforts. See COUNCIL, Page A6

ALIEN INVASION AT THE FILE | TPI

The family of Michael Thompson is continuing to search for him as he has been missing since April 21.

TALLASSEE LIBRARY By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

Free meals for all students returns to Tallassee By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor All students in Tallassee City Schools will once again have access to free breakfast and lunch during the school day. The meals are being provided through the

USDA’s Community Eligibility Provision. “Our district qualified again to operate under CEP,” Tallassee City Schools Child Nutrition Programs coordinator Carol Wright said. “This is our second year on it.” See MEALS, Page A6

reen aliens, blue aliens and foreign spaceships have invaded the children’s section of the Tallassee Community Library. Area children had

friendly encounters with aliens they constructed during the summer reading program “Adventures Start at the Library.” “We are trying to encourage reading, especially in children with the summer program,” Tallassee Community Library

director Margaret Lumpkin said. “We are trying to let the children know reading can be entertaining.” Just a few weeks ago the children were creating spaceships that could See LIBRARY, Page A6

CLIFF WILLIAMS | TPI

Children participating in the summer reading program at the Tallassee Community Library created UFOs and aliens at last week’s program. When finished children could blow on the straw and inflate the alien making it come to life.

Today’s

Weather

94 73 High

Low

THURS: HIGH 92 LOW 71

Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.

CALL US! 127 Company Street • Wetumpka, AL

334.567.7811