Jacque Kochak-Auburn Villager Kevin Bell with his mother Debbie Allen, and Betty Burgess.

Telling Kevin Bell's story
Kevin Bell first noticed something wrong when he was just a little boy in kindergarten. When he ran around at recess, his joints locked up and he fell. Bell was diagnosed with Freiderich's ataxia when he was just 7. Over the years, the genetic disease has stolen the use of his arms, legs and hands, most of his eyesight and some of his hearing. Bell used a wheelchair by the age of 10, and needed the help of a scribe in school by the time he was 11. By the age of 16, a guide dog accompanied Bell to school.
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Headlines

Tuition increase won't close AU's budget gap A 25 percent tuition increase would be required to make up the state of Alabama's funding shortfall to Auburn University in fiscal 2010, according to AU's executive vice president, Don Large.

Merchants say give blood, get prizes Volunteer blood donors in Lee County will get a chance to give blood and save lives at the Downtown Auburn Merchants Association and Tiger Communications blood drive, scheduled for 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, at the Baptist Campus Ministries, located at 135 N. College St.

Former AHS star now in starting role at UAB When Brandon Carlisle was narrowing down his university choices, his mother Mae was hoping he would stay close to home. Schools from across the South showed interest in the versatile athlete who helped AHS become 6A Region 3 champions in 2004. But, as all coaches know, if mom isn't happy, nothing else matters.

SummerNight This Friday night, downtown Auburn will be transformed into a showcase for local artists, musicians and entertainers as SummerNight 2009 unfolds from 6 p.m. till 9:30 p.m.

How will Kia affect Auburn? In the midst of a crushing recession, Kia Automotive in nearby West Point, Ga., is hiring hundreds of workers at its $1.2 billion, 750,000-square-foot assembly plant. That's just 30 miles from Auburn.