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Council looks at open-container law

By Laura Maxwell / ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | March 4

The Magnolia Avenue Roadway Lighting Project and further discussion concerning alcohol consumption on city property were approved at Tuesday's City Council meeting.Twenty light poles will be installed along the south of Magnolia Avenue by June.The University is also interested in aligning sidewalks and staircases with crosswalks and installing more signs to direct pedestrians toward crosswalks in an attempt to encourage pedestrian safety.The city is waiting to see if jaywalking continues after these measures are implemented before taking further action.Council member Sheila Eckman brought up allowing special events permits which would allow people to walk around with wine for specific events.Wine would be the only form of alcohol permitted.

People of The Plains: Holzmeister Burns Track

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | March 4

Carrie Holzmeister is an unassuming English teacher at Columbus Technical College."Cho Cold" is a brawling roller derby skater.And both inhabit the same slight, brunette frame.Holzmeister began her journey to becoming "Cho Cold" after a few years of boredom in Auburn."(When I got into roller derby), it was a total whim," Holzmeister said.

Third in a Series: 'I Will Not Do it Again'

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | February 25

Suihan Wu had just finished having coffee at Cambridge Coffee with some friends. It was close to 6 p.m. on March 25, 2009, and she was walking toward the library because she had a test she needed to study for.

Toomer's Ten keeps on rolling

By Drew Thompson / ASSISTANT CAMPUS EDITOR | February 25

Free rides from Wednesday through Saturday night are being offered by the Toomer's Ten transit system."We run a charter for the SGA," said Rex Huffman, manager of transit services at Auburn University.

Student makes meal plan change

By Maxwell Newfield / ASSOCIATE CAMPUS EDITOR | February 25

With more than a dozen options for food on campus, it can be hard to imagine someone not having enough options for their daily meals, but it does happen.Sometimes, a student may not want any of the food available on campus because they have exhausted the variety of what they eat.In other cases, a student may run out of options because they have a restricted diet due to health concerns.

Ala. cities lead recession recovery

By Derek Lacey / WRITER | February 25

Alabama, along with 14 other states, is actively recovering from the recession, according to a report compiled by Moody's Economy.comMississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and South Carolina were also listed as recovering.There were 34 states listed as moderating.

Bills offer job, tax incentives

By Daniel Chesser / ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR | February 25

Two bills are being proposed by Gov. Bob Riley that will address tax credits and job creation.According to the 2010 State of the State address, Riley proposed these bills a year ago and they were declined.Riley said the House Education Appropriation Committee is stalling reintroduction of these bills."They are not being held up," said Democratic Rep.

Genetic tests may affect birth rate

By Laura Maxwell / ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | February 25

Many inherited diseases seem to becoming less prevalent as a result of genetic testing, according to research by the Associated Press.However, an article about the research said this might be because many women terminate pregnancies when they discover their child will have a disease.A bill sponsored by Sen.

ComPlan2030 plans land use, transportation

By Laura Maxwell / ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR | February 25

"Great places are not created by accident" is the theme for CompPlan 2030.It was on a PowerPoint presentation at Tuesday's city council meeting.CompPlan 2030 is a plan for land use and transportation for Auburn.Right now, the project is in the "issues and needs identification" phase, meaning it is trying to gather input from the community and learn what problems need to be addressed.This is the first long range comprehensive plan in the area in more than 10 years.Input has been gathered from two public meetings and a focus group of students at Auburn High School.More than 120 people have contributed ideas for new and, hopefully, improved transportation plans for the greater Auburn area.Justin Steinmann, the project manager, overviewed the results of public input at the meeting Tuesday night.The top six categories citizens' imagined for the best possible Auburn fell under were transportation choices, workability, character, heritage, connectivity and parks and open space.Furthermore, Steinmann said potential challenges include planning and development, infrastructure, growth management, environmental sustainability, housing and the character of Auburn.

Strikes, spares benefit boys, girls

By Daniel Chesser / ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR | February 25

Adults gathered to roll some rocks and raise funds for charity Friday afternoon.Auburn Lanes bowling alley held the 3rd Annual Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Lee County Bowling Tournament Feb 19."Everybody does golf tournaments, 5-K's and 10-K's," said Alex Muncie, chairman of the event.

Sustainable beans brew in new venue

By Crystal Cole / STAFF REPORTER | February 25

Mama Mocha is now serving coffee to The Plains with a double shot of sustainability.Sarah Barnett opened Mama Mocha's beanery inside the Gnu's Room Saturday.

Witte molds minds, metal

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | February 25

The second Saturday of almost every month Jim Witte swaps his dry-erase board and textbooks and instead teaches his students with a steel hammer and anvil.As the anvil rings with every blow of the hammer, Witte, associate professor of adult education, demonstrates how to shape scorching red pieces of metal.But Witte has not always enjoyed the practical creativity of metalwork as he does now.Before he started blacksmithing, he spent his spare time working as a woodcarver."I've always avoided metalwork because trees lived at one point," Witte said.

$105 Million Grant Funds Railroad Hub

By Jessica Shaddix / WRITER | February 24

Plans to build a rail hub in McCalla have begun to unfold after a $105 million federal grant was given to the Departments of Transportation in Alabama and Tennessee.The area was selected for the project after an extensive site search of the Birmingham region.According to Norfolk Southern, the railway transportation company building the hub, the McCalla site is the only location that meets the necessary criteria for the hub.

Sasser Takes 2010 SGA Presidency

By Staff reports | February 22

In the SGA presidential runoff between Brad Cink and Kurt Sasser, Sasser is the president elect with 57 percent of the student votes. With a total of 5240 votes, Sasser had 3011 votes while Cink had 2229 votes.

Woman hit by SUV outside Plainsman Park

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | February 22

Woman hit by SUV outside Plainsman Park

SGA Announces Election Results

By Staff reports | February 18

Brad Cink and Kurt Sasser will participate in a runoff over the weekend for the SGA president position. Ashley Nichols was named vice president. Spencer Moore was named treasurer.

Auburn Celebrates Business Partnership with Germany

By Daniel Chesser / ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR | February 18

The City of Auburn hosted the 12th AlabamaGermany Partnership dinner and business forum at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, Wednesday night.

Second in a Series: How Important Are Aesthetics?

By Ellison Langford / News Editor | February 18

Haluk Yapicioglu was released from a rehabilitation facility Wednesday and is doing well after being struck by a car two weeks ago, said Barbara Swanson of the College of Engineering.Yapicioglu is a post doctoral fellow in the College of Engineering. He was struck by a car while crossing Magnolia Ave at approximately 8:23 p.m. Feb. 4.Yapicioglu is the first victim of a pedestrian-vehicle accident in Auburn this year.