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THURSDAY • AUGUST 18, 2016
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 27, No. 33
The race for town council
Candidates share their views for the future
By COREY ARWOOD and WILLIAM CARROLL Staff Writers
MAYOR
Incumbent Mayor Gary Davenport
is facing off against current Place Five Councilmember Wanda Estes for the town’s top spot.
1. Tell me about your background, what should the voters know about you and your candidacy? Davenport said he has deep roots in Eclectic. Having lived in the
town for 21 years, he said he and his wife were co-owners of Eclectic Emporium, with children, who had graduated from the Elmore County School System. Davenport said he was an independent business owner, and had been with Nationwide Insurance for 38 years with offices in four locations across the Central and Southeast portions of the State.
Enrollment up at Elmore County Schools
See SCHOOL • Page 3
Today’s
Weather
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
William Carroll / The Observer
Several volunteers work to pack and load bags of shoes Wednesday morning at the Eclectic Public Library as part of its fundraising program. Below, 4,050 shoes packing into the back of a trailer will now make their way to Haiti.
A WORLD OF SHOES Eclectic Library’s footwear donation on its way to Haiti By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
The Eclectic Public Library had a little extra time to collect shoes for its fundraising activities and ended up collecting 4,050 shoes, some 1,500 shoes over the goal the library set for itself back in April. The library had teamed with Funds2Orgs, an organization that collects shoes for families around the world. As part of the arrangement the library agreed to collect 2,500 shoes, which would earn the library approximately $1,000. As part of the deal, the library had until the end of June to collect the 2,500 shoes. As the deadline passed, the library had obtained some 3,700 pairs of shoes. “They didn’t come and pick up the shoes right away,” Eclectic Public Library Director Betty Coker said. “So we just kept on collecting shoes.”
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
The UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences is conducting a study aimed to decrease the gap between research and practice by partnering with Community Hospital to improve the dissemination and implementation potential of a physical activity program (BEAT Cancer). This program has been proven to help cancer survivors become more physically active. The objective of the study is to develop an implementation toolkit to help rural healthcare providers implement this program. This project will extend the program’s reach and its potential to reduce health disparities in rural cancer survivors.
The study is funded by the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIH is one of 11 agencies that compose the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Cancer Institute was established under the National Cancer Institute Act of 1937 and is the Federal Government’s primary agency for cancer research and training. The National Cancer Act of 1971 broadened the scope and responsibilities of the NCI and created the National Cancer Program. Over the years, legislative amendments have maintained the NCI authorities and responsibilities and added new information dissemination mandates as well as a requirement to assess
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The annual Taste of Eclectic is scheduled for September 19. The event will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. Like last year’s event, this year the Taste of Eclectic will be held at the Elmore County High School Cafeteria. This is the 18th annual Taste of Eclectic. Eclectic the Beautiful hosts this event and the main objective of this fundraiser is the promotion of patriotism. The group oversees Veteran’s Park and this is the sole fundraiser for the organization. “We are trying to do our best for the park,” said Patty Dunson, with Eclectic the Beautiful. “We pay for insurance and the electricity at Veteran’s Park.” With over twenty sponsors this event is sure to have something for everyone. Vendors include Little Caesar’s, Nails, Must Stop Café, Boomer T’s, Cotton’s BBQ, Cozumel, Cost Co, Zaxby’s, Creek Casino, Kountry Kitchen, Central Store, El Gran, Sam’s Club, Wal-Mart, 1220 Café, Grumpy Dogs, Blue Bell and Champs BBQ. According to Dunson, some of these vendors will deliver food for this event and others will donate refreshments and other needed supplies. Every year the group spends numerous hours recruiting these vendors. “Our ladies make a personal visit to each vendor,” she said. “They take a form with them explaining the importance of this fundraiser.” With the list growing longer by the year, this event has become a staple for area residents and some have said this is the social event of the season. The price for admission is still $10 for adults and $5 for children. “In 18 years we have never changed See TASTE • Page 3
Community hospital needs participants in cancer study
Low
FRIDAY: HIGH 89 LOW 74
On Wednesday morning, the truck from Funds2Orgs came to Eclectic and a representative from the organization, as well as several area volunteers loaded a total of 167 bags, containing 4,050 shoes onto a large hauling See LIBRARY • Page 3
88 73 High
Estes said she has lived in Eclectic for 26 years, and taught at Elmore County High School for 12. Prior to that, Estes said she had owned her See CANDIDATES • Page 5
Annual Taste of Eclectic set for Sept. 19
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Elmore County schools have added in excess of 200 new students according to the most recent statistics provided by the district. Elmore County Schools Superintendent Dr. Andre Harrison told the Elmore County Board of Education that enrollment numbers were up in all schools countywide as of the sixth day in school with the exception of Eclectic Elementary and Eclectic Middle School. Harrison said that the numbers the district has run show over 200 more students attending school in Elmore County district wide. Harrison said that the district is currently looking at the number of teachers it has for students and analyzing capacity numbers for a number of schools. One of the examples of a school showing tremendous growth was Holtville Middle School. Harrison said that HMS grew from 489 students at the end of last year to 559 students, creating a question as to the number of teachers
“I’m very fond of Eclectic, and chose to live here because of the type of town it is and the sanctuary it offers,” said Davenport.
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the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice. According to Kim Vest with Tallassee’s Community Hospice Care, this study is important to Tallassee and it’s residence because the focus is on rural areas as well and improving patient care in these areas. “Improving the well being of cancer survivors in rural areas,” she said. The study involves participation in three meetings facilitated by the UAB Exercise and Cancer Research Team. The meetings will be held at Community Hospital. The first meeting is scheduled for August 29th with time to be announced. Please contact Kim Vest at 334-283- 4250 if you are interested in participating.