Italian casting company comes to Auburn

2a S.p.A, an Italian casting company, celebrated the Grand Opening for their facility located in Auburn, Alabama.

Construction outside Haley Center to repair window leaks

Many have seen the construction going on around the Haley Center and wondered what for. The construction is for the 5th-9th floors of the tower.  Joe Ruscin, campus architect, said they are redoing the windows for the 5-9th floors.  "We are redoing the caulking around the windows and resealing the glass in the frames, so that we can prevent window leaks that have been occurring," Ruscin said.  Martha Koontz, the communications specialist with facilities management, said this will improve the Haley Center.  "A few windows had leaks, and we don't want them doing any damage," Koontz said.

Pizza chain to roll into the former Bank Vault location

Pizza Chain to roll into the former Bank Vault location Rachael Taylor- News Writer The Bank Vault closed at the beginning of the summer, but it will not be empty for long. Pieology, a casual pizza chain, has started construction on the building and hopes to open around early September, according to Joshua McBride, director of operations for Segovia Aslan Enterprises.

Newk's comes to Heart of Auburn shopping center

Newk's Eatery is the latest establishment opening its doors in the Heart of Auburn shopping center, having opened Monday, June 8.  Ton Cox, director of operations for Newk's in Auburn and Opelika, said the company was received so well at the Tiger Town location that they wanted an Auburn location. "Great idea to get into Auburn," Cox said.

Gov. Robert Bentley removes Confederate flag from state capital grounds

Gov. Robert Bentley removes Confederate flag from state capital grounds Gov. Robert Bentley ordered the removal of Confederate flags from the state capital grounds Wednesday morning, June 24, according to a report by AL.com.

Auburn named to President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

Auburn University was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, the highest federal honor a higher education institution can receive for service work, for the fourth consecutive year.

Incident reports from June 19-22

Parking Services to use license plate recognition in place of hang tags

Faculty and staff will begin parking registration for 2015-16 on July 1, but will not be the same as usual.

Heat advisory issued for Lee County from noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday

The National Weather Service in Birmingham issued a heat advisory for Lee County among other counties across west and central Alabama from noon, Tuesday, June 23, to Wednesday, June 24 at 9 p.m.

Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to start June 30

The Auburn Police Division is participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign to reduce drunken driving from June 30-July 5.

Opelika Road lane closures to begin June 22

Opelika Road will be reduced to one lane starting Monday, June 22, according to a press release issued by the City of Auburn. Lanes will be closed for placement of the surface treatment and final surface. Traffic will be detoured around Opelika Road during the work. Travelers are advised to use caution take alternate routes to avoid delays, according to the release.

Alabama No. 1 in nation for aquatic biodiversity

Alabama is number one in the nation for diversity of freshwater mussels, fishes, crayfish, snails and turtles, according to Dr. Scot Duncan.

South College Street rezoning delayed for 3 weeks

The City Council did not unanimously pass a resolution to rezone parts of South College Street, meaning the vote will be delayed until the next meeting, July 7.  Forest Cotten, planning director for the City of Auburn, said the plan was similar to the Renew Opelika Road project. "We targeted the South College corridor, specifically, because it's a strip commercial corridor, much like Opelika Road, it's just a new generation of it," Cotten said. Currently, the area is a Comprehensive Development District (CDD), and it is the most permissive district in terms of use, according to Cotten.

Former Auburn University laboratory technician pleads not guilty to date rape drug distribution

Stephen Howard, former Auburn University laboratory technician, was indicted earlier this month on six charges including possessing with an intent to distribute 1,4-butainediol, which converts to the date rape drug when ingested.

Lighting improvements made to the construction area downtown

The construction downtown this summer poses obvious complications, such as the intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue being closed.

Incident reports from June 9-15

The following incidents were reported to the Auburn Police Division from June 9-15:

Museum namesake, Jule Collins Smith dies

Jule Collins Smith, the person the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is named for, died Saturday, June 13 in Houston. Smith was born in Auburn and enrolled in Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1946.

Sigma Tau Gamma to live in former Sigma Chi house

The Sigma Chi house on Magnolia Avenue is no longer sitting vacant, the brothers of Sigma Tau Gamma have recently moved in. “They moved in on Monday, June 1,” said John Carvalho, faculty adviser for Sigma Tau Gamma.