YEAR IN REVIEW Top 10 stories of 2014

Barry Moore acquitted

Coffee County State Representative Barry Moore was acquitted after a three-day trial and seven hours of deliberation by a Lee County jury Oct. 30.

Moore was found not guilty on all counts after being charged with two counts of first-degree perjury and two counts of providing false statements during testimony he gave to a special grand jury in January in connection with an investigation into House Speaker Mike Hubbard.

City Council passes sales tax increase

Despite a request to delay the vote, the Enterprise City Council unanimously passed an ordinance during a July 15 meeting to raise the city’s sales tax to 9 percent.

The decision came after two joint work sessions and a pubic hearing with the Enterprise City School Board where the school board reviewed its 20-year capital plan and requested the city’s assistance financially in seeing it through.

The $26.5 million capital plan includes the construction of a new junior high school and creating safety and security upgrades among the system’s schools.

Ninth grade moves to EHS, EJHS to close its doors

Enterprise City Schools Superintendent Dr. Camille Wright announced Feb. 14 that ninth graders from Dauphin Junior High School and Enterprise Junior High School would be attending Enterprise High School when school started in August.

During a special called meeting of the Enterprise City Board of Education April 8, board members unanimously made the decision to decommission EJHS and move all its eighth grade students to Dauphin Junior High.

Alabama Aircraft Support breaks ground on $12 million facility, ACP opens Enterprise headquarters

Alabama Aircraft Support welcomed Gov. Robert Bentley and other state and local officials Jan. 17 to break ground on a new hangar that will provide 200 new jobs for the Wiregrass.

The $12 million, 60,000 square-foot facility, located at the Enterprise Municipal Airport, will make an estimated annual impact of $18 million.

Eight months later, Enterprise welcomed Advanced Carrier Products to town.

The company, which supplies core metal inserts to neighboring HS Automotive Alabama, as well as other automobile supplies, held an official ribbon cutting Sept. 25.

Enterprise, former city prosecutor sued

Sherry McCormick filed a lawsuit in Coffee County Circuit Court Nov. 21 charging “invasion of privacy, fraud and misrepresentation, negligent entrustment and supervision, vicarious liability, defamation and slander,” by the City of Enterprise, former city prosecutor Josh Pipkin and his wife.

All the Circuit Judges in the circuit have recused themselves from hearing the case.

EBOE votes to buy land for new Coppinville

Building a new Coppinville Junior High School came a step closer to reality as the Enterprise Board of Education voted unanimously Aug. 25 to buy 30 acres of land opposite Sorrells Funeral Home for approximately $450,000.

First veterans’ treatment court kicks off

A veterans’ treatment court for Coffee and Pike Counties took a step closer to reality as the new program was outlined at a press conference in Circuit Judge Jeff Kelley’s courtroom Oct. 27.

The court will serve as an alternative for active duty military as well as veterans’ non-violent offenders in the circuit.

Hundreds of voters receive wrong ballot

Candidate for House District 89 Joel Lee Williams formally announced that he would not seek a recount of the votes cast in the race for Alabama House District 89, marking an end to a controversial three-week period that saw multiple issues arise in the tabulation of ballots. 

The city of Level Plains is divided into District 89 and District 93 and during the Nov. 4 election, voters did not receive the ballots for the District 89 race between incumbent Alan C. Booth and his challenger Williams.

Dale County Probate Judge Sharon Michalic confirmed discrepancies with the results. “There were two styles of ballots there, some voters did not receive the correct ballot,” Michalic said. “We don’t have a count on how many ballots were incorrect. However, we know there were some discrepancies.”

ESCC President resigns

Alabama two-year college Chancellor Dr. Mark Heinrich met with the faculty of Enterprise State Community College March 5 to inform them that ESCC President Dr. Nancy Chandler had tendered her resignation and that he would be responsible for the administration of the college until an acting president was appointed.

Chandler had worked with the Alabama Community College System for more than 25 years.

EHS hosts state’s first out of courtroom naturalization ceremony

Enterprise High School joined forces with the U.S. District Court of the Middle District of Alabama to host the state’s first naturalization ceremony outside of a courtroom May 9.

The ceremony was officiated by U.S. District Judge Mark Fuller, a 1997 EHS graduate.