Here are this week’s top stories from the Ledger-Enquirer
1. Three adults, two children killed in crash west of Phenix City: Three adults and two children were killed Monday morning in a head-on collision between two vehicles on U.S. 80 west of Phenix City. Russell County Coroner Arthur Sumbry Jr. said the victims were from Albany, La. Carrie Jones, 32, and her two children, Trinity Jones, 7, and Jackson Jones, 4, were killed. Twin sisters Judy Madere and Trudy Herbert, 58, also died in the crash.
2. Taco Bell employee who refused service to deputies fired: Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said July 17 that he has been told by corporate management at Tacala, which owns the Phenix City Taco Bell on Highway 280, that the employee who refused service to two of his deputies the night before has been fired. There was also an apology. Jones said the deputies told him the cashier told the deputies that the restaurant does not serve law enforcement officers.
3. Top 5 techniques of an excellent teacher: On May 6, the day after he was named the Muscogee County School District 2016 Teacher of the Year, the Ledger-Enquirer visited Stefan Lawrence’s classroom at Carver High School to learn why the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation selected him among the 53 nominees. But we aren’t education experts, so we asked English teacher Sheryl Green of Jordan Vocational High School, the district’s 2015 Teacher of the Year, to read a transcript of Lawrence’s lesson and provide us with an analysis.
4. Local contractor Lon Alexander dies at 81: Local contractor Lon Alexander Jr., who took a business his father started in the 1950s and built it into one of the city’s top paving and site preparation companies, died Wednesday night at Columbus Hospice following a brief illness. He was 81.
5. Sunday Interview with Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith: Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith has risen through the Army Reserve ranks since graduating from the University of Oregon in 1986. A career Army officer, she spent most of the last year at Fort Benning commanding the 98thTraining Division. She is now with the Eighth Army in Korea directing the relocation of its headquarters. Recently, she sat down with the Ledger-Enquirer to talk about her career — and her personal life.
This story was originally published July 23, 2016 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Here are this week’s top stories from the Ledger-Enquirer."