Every score from Friday and Saturday in one place: Opelika opened region play with a 38-21 win over Enterprise, Auburn High edged Carver-Montgomery 23-16, and Auburn slipped past Baylor 17-16 in Atlanta while Alabama rolled 48-10. Full table of area results, records and game reports. Read More
Auburn Opens Concourse Hall as Enrollment Pushes Toward 35,000
Auburn University has opened Concourse Hall, its newest residence hall, as the campus works to keep pace with a student body that has grown by roughly 4,000 in four years. University housing officials told The Auburn Plainsman the addition stems directly from Auburn's rapid enrollment growth: about 31,000 students in 2022 compared with roughly 35,000 today. The new hall adds beds at a time when on-campus housing demand routinely outstrips supply and pushes more students… Read More
Golesh Calls Auburn ‘OK at Best’ in Opener as Tigers Turn to Saturday’s Home Debut
Auburn's first win under Alex Golesh came with a blunt review from the head coach. Meeting reporters Monday after the Tigers' 17-16 escape against Baylor in the Aflac Kickoff, Golesh said he thought his team was "just OK at best," while calling the tight finish a useful early measuring stick. Golesh said he was glad the opener came against a quality opponent — "the earlier you can find that out, the better" — and singled… Read More
EAMC Opens Stroke Training Sessions to Area EMS Crews This Month
East Alabama Medical Center is opening its doors to Emergency Medical Services personnel this month for two free "Stroke Education" sessions aimed at sharpening the front end of stroke care — what happens between the 911 call and the hospital door. The sessions are scheduled for Monday, Sept. 21, and Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Opelika hospital. The training is geared toward paramedics and EMTs who make the first assessment and routing decisions for stroke… Read More
Auburn School Bus Driver Indicted in 2025 Crash That Killed Business Owner; Supporters Say She Had a Medical Crisis
A Lee County grand jury has indicted the school bus driver involved in a fatal Nov. 18, 2025, crash in Auburn, and the case is now drawing attention well beyond east Alabama. Theresa McCloud, 75, was indicted on charges of homicide by vehicle and criminally negligent homicide following an investigation by the Auburn Police Department's Traffic Homicide Unit, according to the city of Auburn. McCloud was arrested on the indictments on Sept. 3 and taken… Read More
Auburn Man Charged With Incest, Rape and Sodomy in Lee County Juvenile Case
The Lee County Sheriff's Office arrested a 42-year-old Auburn man on Friday on a series of felony sex charges involving a juvenile. Investigators charged Walter Sarkneko Barnett with one count of incest, two counts of second-degree sodomy, one count of second-degree rape and one count of second-degree sexual abuse, the sheriff's office said. Barnett was booked into the Lee County Detention Center, where he was held on a $146,000 bond. The sheriff's office said additional… Read More
Columbus Man, 66, Killed in Motorcycle Crash on Opelika’s 2nd Avenue
A 66-year-old man from Columbus, Georgia, died after his motorcycle collided with an SUV on 2nd Avenue in Opelika on Friday afternoon, according to the Opelika Police Department. Police said an officer who was driving on 2nd Avenue, near North 3rd Street, witnessed the crash at about 2:12 p.m. on Sept. 4. The motorcyclist was found unresponsive in the grass near the roadway. Medics rendered aid at the scene, but the man was pronounced dead.… Read More
Opelika Police Report: Aug. 21 – Sept. 3, 2026
The Opelika Police Department's incident and arrest information for Aug. 21 through Sept. 3, 2026: 10 DUI arrests, plus theft, fraud and property reports across the city. Names have been omitted from this summary. Read More
Upcoming Events & Dates — Week of September 7, 2026
Week of September 7, 2026 — Opelika & Auburn area Sep 7: Labor Day — most Opelika and Auburn city offices closed; garbage, trash and recycling routes run one day late all week. Sep 8: Lee County Board of Education work session (4 p.m.) and board meeting (5 p.m.). Sep 8: Dancercise — 9 a.m., Southside Center for the Arts auditorium (not library-sponsored). Sep 8: O Grows Farmers Market — Tuesdays, Glenn Street across from… Read More
Rural Health Advisory Group Digs Into the First $144 Million in Alabama Grants
September 1, 2026 — Montgomery, AL A week after Gov. Kay Ivey announced 138 grants totaling more than $144 million from the federally funded Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program, the advisory group overseeing the effort met to work through how the money will be administered. The awards touched five of the program's 11 initiatives: $60.8 million for rural health, $34.5 million for rural workforce, and $7.8 million each for mental health and rural health practice,… Read More
Jones Presses Tuberville to Divest AI and Data Center Holdings, Pitches Stricter Ethics Rules
September 2, 2026 — Birmingham, AL Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones used a Birmingham press conference Wednesday to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville over stock trades and holdings in companies tied to artificial intelligence, data centers and the utilities that serve them, and called on Tuberville to sell those investments. Jones laid out a set of campaign planks on data centers and stock trading — including tighter ethics and disclosure rules for statewide officials… Read More
Parks and Rec’s Fall Lineup: Flag Football, Noon Tunes and a Haunted Trail Ride
September 4, 2026 — Opelika, AL Opelika Parks and Recreation's fall Park Bench activity guide is out, and the calendar fills quickly once school settles in: swim lessons, flag football and youth basketball registration anchor the athletics side, with basketball sign-ups closing Oct. 19. On the events side, the fall edition of Noon Tunes returns to Courthouse Square — bring a lunch, a chair and an hour — with Chris McDaniel on Oct. 14 and… Read More
