Community

Planning Commission expected to see short term rental ordinance as soon as February

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | January 15

Commission members decided to not include zones that are predominantly single-family homes. City staff is working to rewrite the ordinance as so not to include those zones at all in the ordinance.

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Auburn teen arrested for alleged burglary

By Evan Mealins | Editor-in-chief | January 13

Police arrested an Auburn teen for allegedly robbing $2,500 worth of property near Aspen Heights, a student housing complex off of Dean Road.

Enhanced risk for severe weather in Auburn on Saturday

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | January 10

The Auburn-Opelika area is expected to experience severe weather on Saturday between 2 and 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Driving for Uber: the college edition

By Charlie Ramo | Community Writer | January 10

A responsible college student with a full class schedule works many hours each week doing schoolwork. Still, many students look for a job to make money during the school year, and some students turn to the flexibility found in companies like Uber.

Citizens raise concerns with City Council over HealthPlus Fitness closure

By Charlie Ramo | Community Reporter | January 8

The Auburn Parks and Recreation Master Plan includes plans to add an aquatic center to the Boykin Community Center, though the Council did not know whether it would meet the needs of the citizens that spoke Tuesday night.

Demolition begins on historic Cullars house

By Jack West | Editor-in-Chief | January 7

Construction workers began tearing down the Cullars house, a historic Auburn home, on Tuesday morning.

Point Broadband to expand to Auburn

By Charlie Ramo | Community Writer | January 5

Point Broadband will soon expand its service area to include parts of Auburn and other parts of Lee County. The City of Opelika sold the original fiber network in November 2018.

Police searching for suspect involved in Friday night shooting incident

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | January 4

Police said they are attempting to identify and locate a suspect wanted in connection to a shooting incident that occurred Friday evening.

Valley man arrested on murder charges after remains found in Lee County Sunday

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | December 30

Male human remains were found in a well at a Lee County residence Sunday night while Lee County sheriff’s deputies served a search warrant, according to a release from Lee County Coroner Bill Harris.

Boards allow residents to voice opinions

By Sydney Sims | Community Writer | December 28

Many residents are involved in Auburn’s local government, but their names don’t appear on the local election ballot every four years. These residents are appointed to serve on one of Auburn’s 22 boards and commissions.

Judge revokes Bramblett suspect's bond

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | December 18

The teen arrested in connection with the death of Rod and Paula Bramblett had his bond revoked and will be heading to rehab.

City Council plans for start of new decade

By Cory Blackmon | Community Reporter | December 18

The earliest start date for the moratorium is Feb. 27, 2020. That date is only possible if everything proceeds according to plan, City Manager Jim Buston said.

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Blanchard case: Second suspect has charges dropped

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | December 17

The second suspect in connection to the disappearance of Aniah Blanchard had his charges dropped Tuesday.

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Tornado watch issued for Auburn area until 4 a.m.

By Eduardo Medina | Editor-in-chief | December 16

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for the Auburn area until 4 a.m.

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Severe weather possible Monday evening through Tuesday morning

By Plainsman Staff | December 16

Severe weather will be possible Monday evening through Tuesday morning in Auburn, according to the National Weather Service.

Teen charged in killing of Rod and Paula Bramblett involved in more traffic violations since fatal crash

By Plainsman Staff | December 13

Johnston Taylor, the 16-year-old arrested in connection to the deaths of Rod and Paula Bramblett, could have his bond revoked because of more offenses involving the teen since the fatal crash.

Annual Auburn Christmas Parade sets holiday season in motion

By Cory Blackmon | Community Reporter | December 11

Organized by the Auburn Downtown Merchants Association, over 70 different organizations, local businesses and community groups participated in the parade.

Opelika police investigating possible case of child abuse

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor | December 10

Monday afternoon the police department received a complaint from a parent of a student at the school.

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Pride organization responds to US Senate candidate's comments about Christmas parade participation

By Elizabeth Hurley | Community Editor and Evan Mealins | Editor-in-chief | December 9

U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville took to Facebook Monday morning to denounce local LGBTQ organization Pride on The Plains' participation in Saturday’s Christmas Parade in Opelika.

Opelika strives to meet ADA requirements with renovations

By Charlie Ramo | Community Writer | December 8

To keep up with requirements, Opelika has recently reworked intersections along 10th Street, providing sidewalk accessibility through curb cuts and pedestrian signals, as well as repairing current sidewalks, Rice said.