Southern Union State Community College is running noncredit real estate licensing courses this fall at its Opelika campus, aimed both at people entering the profession and at newly licensed salespeople finishing Alabama's post-license requirement. The 60-hour Real Estate Pre-License course covers agency relationships and contracts, property ownership, finance, valuation, conveyance, marketing regulations, property management and real estate math, and prepares students for the state salesperson licensing exam. It meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to… Read More
Category: Opelika Schools
Four Southern Union Trade Students Win $2,000 Building Futures Scholarships
Four Southern Union State Community College trade students received Alabama Community College System Building Futures Scholarships at an Aug. 31 ceremony: Chloe Shores, Jameson Lackey, Sam Smith and Brysen Pugh. Building Futures is a $100,000 joint initiative of the Alabama Community College System and Alabama's Resource Conservation and Development Councils. Fifty students were selected statewide, each award valued at $2,000, intended to help recipients continue their education or move into the workforce or the military.… Read More
Alabama Community College Enrollment Closes In on 100,000 Students This Fall
Alabama's two-year colleges are on the verge of a milestone: 99,083 students were enrolled in for-credit courses for the fall 2026 semester as of Tuesday, according to figures presented to the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees on Wednesday morning. That is a 1.9% increase over the final fall 2025 headcount, and system officials said registration is still open, leaving a real chance the number tops 100,000 for the first time. The system's 24… Read More
Southern Union Names Richard Pike Dean of Health Sciences
OPELIKA — Southern Union State Community College has named Dr. Richard Pike dean of health sciences, effective Sept. 1, following the retirement of Dean Rhonda Davis. Pike is a Southern Union graduate who earned an associate degree and his EMT certification at the college before adding a bachelor's in political science and public administration from Troy University, a master's in emergency management from Jacksonville State and a Doctor of Science from Faulkner University. He joined… Read More
Lee County Superintendent Mike Howard to Retire Dec. 31; Board Weighs Search Timeline
LEE COUNTY — Lee County Schools Superintendent Mike Howard told the Board of Education on Tuesday, Sept. 8, that he will retire effective Dec. 31, roughly halfway through the 2026-27 school year. Howard, hired by the Lee County board in December 2023 after serving as superintendent of St. Clair County schools, called the job "a significant honor and a highlight of my 27-year career in education, which began as a special education teacher and coach."… Read More
Auburn Researcher Turns to AI to Map ‘Forever Chemical’ Risk on Farmland
September 3, 2026 — Auburn, AL An Auburn University researcher is using geospatial artificial intelligence to help identify where PFAS — the long-lived industrial compounds known as "forever chemicals" — are most likely to reach farm fields and the food grown on them. The work, out of Auburn's College of Sciences and Mathematics, pairs mapping data with machine learning so that testing dollars can be aimed at the highest-risk acreage instead of spread thin across… Read More
Opelika Teen Facing Terrorist Threat Charge Arrested on 15 Counts of Possession of Child Pornography
OPELIKA, Ala. – The Opelika Police Department has arrested 18-year-old Jacob Scott Howell on additional charges following an ongoing criminal investigation, the department said in a media release Thursday. Howell was arrested Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, for Making a Terrorist Threat, First Degree, after an investigation into a planned violent attack against Opelika High School . He posted bond and was released from the Lee County Jail later that afternoon. During the course of that… Read More
Opelika Police Arrest 18-Year-Old, Charge Him With Threatening Attack on Opelika High School
Opelika police say Jacob Scott Howell, 18, planned a violent attack on Opelika High School. He is charged with making a terrorist threat, first degree. Read More
Ten Marching Bands Fill Bulldog Stadium for Band-O-Rama 2026
August 25, 2026 — Opelika, AL The annual Band-O-Rama showcase drew ten high school marching bands from Auburn, Opelika and beyond to Bulldog Stadium at Opelika High School on Tuesday night, with the Auburn University Marching Band opening and closing the program. Gates opened at 6 p.m. and performances began at 6:45. Admission was free, with bands from Auburn High School, Lee-Scott Academy, Central High School and Beauregard among those on the field. Source: Opelika-Auburn… Read More
Opelika City Schools Leaders Headline Chamber’s Business Over Breakfast
August 19, 2026 — Opelika, AL Opelika City Schools took the stage at the Opelika Chamber's Business Over Breakfast on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Superintendent Dr. Kevin Davis, Opelika High School Principal Kelli Fischer, Athletic Director Craig Montel and the Bulldogs' head football coach represented the district. The monthly Chamber breakfast gives local employers a direct look at district priorities early in the school year, from academics and facilities to athletics and workforce partnerships. Source: Opelika… Read More
Southern Union Adds Women’s Flag Football This Fall
August 18, 2026 — Opelika, AL Southern Union State Community College will join the ranks of Alabama Community College Conference women's flag football programs this fall as the sport is added to the college's athletics offerings. Flag football has been one of the fastest-growing sports in Alabama at both the high school and two-year college levels, and Southern Union's entry gives Opelika-area athletes another place to keep playing after graduation. Source: The Opelika Observer /… Read More
