Valley Times News September 30, 2014

ON LOCATION IN LaFAYETTE — "Mississippi Burning" is no longer the only movie to be filmed on location in downtown LaFayette. In recent days, the portion of U.S. 431 that runs past the west side of the Chambers County Courthouse has been blocked off while scenes are being shot for "White Water," the story of a nine-year-old African American boy in 1963 Opelika, Ala., who was obsessed with tasting the water from a "whites only" drinking fountain. Written by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, "White Water" is being directed by Rusty Cundieff. It has a release date of February 2015. The film crew's art department has done an amazing job of making the downtown street look vintage 1963 with an Opelika Bus Depot that has "colored" and "whites only" entrances, storefronts from the period, cars from that era parked along the street and a bright yellow "Cleve- land Avenue" bus on the street corner outside the courthouse. While scenes are being shot, local police are directing traffic around the site. For some local residents, it's been interesting to hang around and watch. For some local merchants, though, the disruption of traffic has not been good for their business. (Photo by Wayne Clark) Carter cleared in ethics case For some third graders, reading is key to future Participation is growing for Boys and Girls Clubs Voter registration deadline is Oct. 6 The Valley Times-News WEST P OINT TIMES-NEWS www.valleytimes-news.com VOL. LXIV NO. 151 — Vol. 5 No. 250 Lanett, AL 36863 — West Point, GA 31833 Telephone 334-644-1101 10 Pages 50¢ September 30, 2014 TUESDAY Todayʼs Bible Thought When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the in- terior and arrived at Ephesus. Then he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Acts 18:27-19:2 YESTERDAY’S TEMPERATURES ............ High 77°............. Low ..... 70°.............. Today at 8 a.m. 68° RAINFALL (measured at West Point Dam) Yesterday.. 0.04”.... September .... 4.02”.... Year ...... 31.64” WEST POINT LAKE LEVEL....... Today .... 631.37...... Yesterday ....... 631.37.... Generation...... 1-7 p.m. National Weather Service Local Forecast Today, partly cloudy. Highs in the lower 80s. Tonight, mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s. Wednesday, partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s. Wednesday night, partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Thursday, partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. Thursday night, cloudy. Slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then chance of thunderstorms after mid- night. Lows in the upper 60s. Chance of rain 40 percent. Friday, thunderstorms likely in the morning, then chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. QUICK CHECK Fall Dining/Entertainment Guide Inside ATLANTA — Secre- tary of State Brian Kemp is reminding Georgians they must be registered to vote by Oct. 6 in order to partic- ipate in the Nov. 4 general election. This leaves less than one full week before the deadline. “Every Georgian should have the oppor- tunity to vote in the Nov. 4 general election,” said Kemp. “The good news is that it is easier than ever to get registered to vote or to change your registration information.” •See VOTING, page 10 HAMILTON — The Harris County Chamber of Commerce in- vites the public to attend the Busi- ness After Hours Airport Open House on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. This has become an annual event for the whole family, and is pre- sented by the Harris County Cham- ber of Commerce and the Harris County Commissioners. The event is sponsored by W. K. Dickson & Associates, the county’s airport consulting firm. W. K. Dick- son has assisted the county with many airport improvements. "We hope folks will join us for an evening of networking, food and fun at what has become our most popu- lar Business After Hours event," said Jayson Johnston, Chamber president. “As in year’s past, we have sev- eral local pilots who will be bringing out their planes and offering free short plane rides to take in the Har- ris County sights by air.” The Pine Mountain Volunteer Fire Department will be cooking on site this year and providing food. They will be accepting donations to sup- port the department. They will also be on hand with their ladder truck for kids of all ages to explore. The airport is located at 789 Sky Meadow Drive in Pine Mountain. For further information please con- tact the Harris County Chamber of Commerce at 706-628-0010. By THE TIMES-NEWS BACKING THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB — The Kiwanis Club of Valley recently made a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chambers County. Accepting on behalf of the club was Jerome Bailey (at center), board member. At left is Bobby Ann McCollough, program chair, and at right, Jake Thompson, club president. (Photo by Wayne Clark) COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The games, ice cream and play rehearsals that 9-year-old Joshua Rowell expe- rienced during summer school this year weren't just for fun. Joshua, like thousands of Ohio third-graders, had missed a state lit- eracy target on a standardized test. He faced being held back in third grade unless his reading skills im- proved. As fellow summer school students at Clinton Elementary School re- hearsed their "Three Little Pigs" play, Joshua said activities like play- ing word games, making recipes and practicing play scripts helped, but he also had to work on reading at home. "Because of my homework, I would have to read 80 or 60 minutes," he said. Across the nation, the 8- and 9- year-olds in third grade are increas- ingly feeling the pressure. Since the idea was pioneered in Florida in 2002, automatic retention for unsatisfactory third-grade reading scores has spread to at least nine states, according to the Tallahassee, Florida-based Foundation for Excel- lence in Education, which tracks the movement. In 10 other states, third-grade retention laws have certain caveats, such as giving parents a final say or requiring reading intervention before students can be held back. •see THIRD GRADE, page 10 The Associated Press Open House at airport set VALLEY — After going through a down period in terms of participation, things appear to be picking up for the Chambers County Boys & Girls Club. "We picked up a lot in participation over the last year," said Board Member Jerome Bailey at a recent meeting of the Kiwanis Club of Val- ley. "Our (Langdale site) director, Kim Dozier, has been doing an excel- lent job. "We had between 105 and 110 kids each afternoon all summer long, and we're now having at least 55 kids every session on week day after- noons." A retired law enforcement officer with more than 30 years experience in Chambers County, Bailey today works for the local drug court while running a barbecue catering business. This is his first year as a B&G Club board member. Bailey said the search is under way for a few more active board members, and plans are to have the Lanett and LaFayette units up and running again within the next year. "We make sure our kids are safe," •See B&G CLUBS, page 10 By WAYNE CLARK Times-News News Editor By THE TIMES-NEWS ATLANTA (AP) — The state ethics commission has dismissed a complaint accusing Democratic candidate for governor Jason Carter of violating state law by sending fundraiser invitations during the legislative session. The commission re- sponded to former state Sen. John Douglas in a Sept. 25 letter, saying that the complaint was rejected because Carter didn't solicit donations for his own campaign against Gov. Nathan Deal. State Sen. Carter sent invitations for a New York fundraiser and cocktail reception to benefit the Demo- cratic Party of Georgia's Victory 2014 fund, an activity that is permis- sible under the state’s campaign finance regu- lations. The Associated Press

Valley Times News September 30, 2014

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