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THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • APRIL 27, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.14
Boart family protests shooting By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The Boarts family, whose daughter Mellissa Boarts, was shot by Auburn police earlier this month protested outside of the Auburn Police Department Saturday and demanded video footage released as well as the
names of the officers said to be involved. The mother and father of Mellissa, Terry and Michael Boarts, from Wetumpka, along with her twin sister Melinda walked the street with signs in front of the APD along with a dozen or so protestors. “That was my twin
sister,” said Melinda, 36. “We’re trying to bring awareness, I think some people don’t even know about this situation.” They shouted slogans and talked with passersby on a heavily trafficked day as the Kenny Chesney concert began only a few streets down at Auburn University.
A few tense moments occurred as police came and went from the station and the protestors confronted them chanting slogans like “Quit killing our kids,” or “Release the names, release the video.” The Boarts family was
Corey Arwod / The Herald
The Wetumpka family of the woman who was shot and killed by Auburn police earlier this month protested outside of the APD Saturday See PROTEST • Page 3 along with close to 20 protesters.
Nearly three tons of trash eliminated in lake cleanup
High school seniors visit courthouse for government day events
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
High school seniors from Elmore County schools convened in Wetumpka at the County Commission building to learn about the various facets of county government, its services and the departments that provide them on County Government Day. Roughly 300 students started the day’s four-hour introduction into county governance by gathering for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new courthouse annex, and then packing See GOVERNMENT • Page 5
Motorcycle wrecks during charity ride By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Both police and Wetumpka Fire Department officials confirmed that a motorcycle wreck over the weekend killed the rider after he struck oncoming traffic, however there is a different reason how and why the accident occurred according to the motorcycle See WRECK • Page 3
Corey Arwood / The Herald
The committee members and past students and graduates of W.B. Doby High School stand in front of the historic marker placed in front Wetumpka Elementary School to acknowledge its past as a segregated school known then as W.B. Doby, for the school’s principal. In the picture from left to right are: Mattie Howard, Andre Jackson, Linda Leonard Green, Reba Glasper Steele, Yancey Mitchell, Eula Myree, Robert Sims, Katrina Gill and Winfred Wise.
HISTORICAL MOMENT Civil Rights monument placed at Wetumpka Elementary
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A historic marker has been unveiled at Wetumpka Elementary School to mark its role as a segregated school from 1963 to 1970, when it was known as W.B. Doby High School, for its principal Welton Blanton Doby. On Saturday around 200 people gathered in the school’s activity center for a ceremony before the unveiling. A committee of past students and graduates of W.B. Doby came from across the country to what the leader of the effort, Winfred Wise, called “a family reunion, a class reunion and a historical event all wrapped up in one.” “This school looks exactly like it did when we were here with a couple additions to it but it’s still the same structure,” said Wise, who
is from Atlanta. He said they had been working on the event since January and some of W.B. Doby’s past students came from Massachusetts, California and Ohio to attend. “Professor Doby was a big figure as far as education for blacks in Elmore County back during segregration years and they named this school for him,” said Wise. “He was our principal at Elmore County Training School and this is a great honor for him to have this designation there because the school was named in his honor but as you can see there’s nothing in that building that says W.B Doby High School.” He said even at the time the school was operating as W.B. Doby, his name was not present at the building, and the sign installed on Saturday was the first time his name had been on the property. See HISTORY • Page 3
The leader of the annual effort to clean up and maintain Lake Jordan said nearly three tons worth of trash were removed from the lake by upwards of 300 volunteers in a lake cleanup day last Saturday. Barbara Dryer, with the Lake Jordan Home Owners and Boat Owners Association, said it was close to as many volunteers as the group had seen at one time She said they picked up “a tremendous amount of trash,” in their efforts alongside Alabama Power. However the number was lower than the previous year, which Dreyer said led her to question the total, given the sheer quantity of garbage taken from the lake Saturday and the amount of volunteers removing it. She has overseen the yearly effort since 1999 and said the increase could be attributed to the frequent heavy rainfall of the previous year leaving the lake at See CLEANUP • Page 3
Corey Arwood / The Herald
Volunteers at the Lake Jordan cleanup effort brought boatloads of trash to shore and went out again for another, while volunteers threw the haul into a garbage truck.
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