The Frequency

Lee County voters will see one name for sheriff on the Nov. 3 ballot: Republican Cam Hunt. A grassroots group wants them to add another.

Hunt beat Sheriff Jay Jones, in office nearly three decades, in May’s Republican primary by 307 votes. No Democrat is running.

A group calling itself Write In Jay Jones for Lee County Sheriff describes itself as independent of Jones and his campaign. One founder told WTVM that about 1,000 stickers and hundreds of yard signs have gone out. Jones says he is humbled but not involved, and that he has only explained how write-in voting works when people asked. “I have not asked for any votes,” he said. If enough voters write him in, he told WTVM, he will honor the will of the people.

Hunt has urged voters to turn out. Alabama Republican Party Chairman Scott Stadthagen posted: “If you’re a Republican, you support the nominee,” CNAW2 News reports.

Secretary of State guidance says to write the name by hand on the write-in line and fill in the bubble beside it. Stickers and stamps are not accepted on the ballot. Spelling can be close, but officials must be able to tell who the voter means, and a last name alone is not enough. When only one candidate is printed, the guidance says, write-in votes are counted only if they exceed that candidate’s total. Here, that means Jones would need more write-in votes than Hunt gets. Voters can also request a count. That guidance dates to 2022, and current rules may differ.

On a write-in line, penmanship counts.

Integrea Community Health Systems plans a 12-bed inpatient mental health facility on 25th Avenue off U.S. 280 in Phenix City. It would be the first of its kind in Russell County.

The project will cost $4.5 million. The State of Alabama is providing $1.75 million, about 39%, and Integrea may use part of it on construction. Rep. Chris Blackshear, R-Phenix City, helped secure the money, WRBL reports. Neither WTVM nor WRBL said how the remaining $2.75 million will be covered.

The facility will offer crisis stabilization and expand outpatient therapy, medication management and substance use treatment. Integrea has served East Alabama for more than 60 years and runs centers in Tallapoosa, Chambers, Russell and Lee counties.

Patients now go to Opelika, where residents of all four counties share a 16-bed facility. Integrea CEO Jimmie Dickie called the new facility “a huge step in filling the critical gaps that exist in this community.”

Integrea announced the project Oct. 5. Construction is expected to begin before the end of the year and take about 12 months, with an opening in late 2027.

The governor’s office announced Oct. 21 that Gov. Kay Ivey approved $27 million in Public School and College Authority (PSCA) funds: $22 million for Auburn University and $5 million for the new Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences. The money comes from interest that has accrued since the original 2020 issuance, for capital expenses.

Auburn will use its share to establish the Kay Ivey Institute for Civic Leadership, AL Reporter reports. Ivey called Auburn “my alma mater” in the announcement and has awarded more than $1.9 billion in PSCA funds during her tenure. AL Reporter’s story did not say how the healthcare school will use its $5 million.

On Oct. 23, Auburn held the grand opening of its $224 million STEM and Agricultural Science Complex. It spans 265,000 square feet in three connected buildings, took more than six years of planning, and is the university’s largest research and education construction project. The state allocated $50 million through the PSCA. WTVM did not identify the other funding sources.

Smiths Station Mayor Richard Cooley died Saturday, Oct. 24, the city said in a statement. He was 79. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family.

Cooley joined the City Council in 2004 and took office as mayor in late 2023. His four-decade career in public education took him from teacher to assistant principal, principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent. He served in the Air Force, including a tour in Vietnam, and was president of the Tan Son Nhut Association, a national group for Vietnam veterans. The city’s website credits him as one of the leaders in the push to incorporate Smiths Station.

“We are deeply saddened by this tremendous loss,” Mayor Pro Tem Victoria Green said. “Mayor Cooley loved this city and its people.”

Initial reports did not say how the mayor’s seat will be filled.

Funeral services are today, Thursday, Oct. 29, at 11 a.m. at Smiths Station Baptist Church, with visitation at 10. Burial with military honors follows at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Loving Touch Assisted Living, a veterans home in Smiths Station.

Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Oct. 27 that Alabama is joining the Federal Trade Commission and 19 other states in a lawsuit against Dollar General Corp. The FTC announced the suit Oct. 26.

The complaint alleges the retailer charged customers more at the register than the prices on shelf tags, price labels and advertisements. It says this went on for years at thousands of stores and cost shoppers millions of dollars. It also alleges Dollar General received tens of thousands of consumer complaints, knew about the problem and did not adequately fix it. Alabama’s claims include violations of the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

“The price on the shelf is supposed to be the price you pay,” Marshall said.

Dollar General disputes the claims. In an Oct. 26 statement, the company said it aims for complete accuracy between shelf and register, acknowledged “occasional price discrepancies,” and said it will “defend this litigation vigorously.” The announcements did not specify the relief sought or how many Alabama stores are involved. A complaint is an allegation, not a finding.