opelika observer Information

We feel honored and blessed to have succeeded in our endeavor to create and maintain a newspaper for this community that focuses solely on this community. What we say in our motto, "By local people, for local people," is exactly what we mean. While economic indicators and employment trends tell us that journalism and newspapers are not economically sound investments in these times, we tend to disagree, as we have seen this community welcome this paper and its mission with open arms. A great deal of the credit goes to our team of owners, the local folks who had the brainstorm to start this crazy scheme in the first place. In addition to our editorial board owner/members (Editor Fred Woods, Henry Stern and Jimmy Collins), other stalwart local citizens like Charles Whatley, Kay Wiley, Roger and Ronnie Justice, John Rice, Calvin Rhodes, Bill Young, Leroy Stewart, Dennis Hamlet, Robert Dudley, Charles Lawler and Steve Benson helped bring about the genesis of the Opelika Observer. Men like Doug Horn, Roy McClure, Fred Woods and Bill Trant serve on our management committee and Dr. Buddy Bruce, DVM, is our management committee chairman and publisher. Without the vision of these individuals, the paper never would have come to be. However, without the hard work of a few other individuals, it might not have continued to exist. Our associate editor Hilary Hawks is the real powerhouse behind our printed issue. She designs most of the paper, places and bills ads, draws up and bills legals, handles customers, balances the books, corrals columnists, edits stories and does generally anything and everything necessary to make sure this paper comes out every week and looks its best. Without her and her talents, we'd have folded long ago. She's the unsung hero of our outfit and credit is more-than due her way. Veteran local news writers like our political writer Greg Markley and the always-popular Ann Cipperly helped lend us their credibility and delighted our eyes with stories we never knew existed. Our current crop of new staff ...