Panthers take ‘no quit’ mantra to ACA
Not a fan of high-pressure tactics
Area Calendar Inside!
Eclectic Observer Page 4
Page 2
Page 10
The
THURSDAY • AUGUST 25, 2016
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 27, No. 34
New council members join incumbents
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Eclectic residents voted Tuesday and decided to keep their incumbent mayor and council people, two for a third term. However they will also have two new council members by default as a new four-year term unfolds. Across the ballot the races had relatively close margins of victory - 30 to 50 votes.
Incumbent mayor Gary Davenport was reelected for a second term over his opponent and past District 5 council member Wanda Estes with a vote total of 169-120. “I’m very happy that the citizens have desired to put me back in there so that we can continue work on making the town a safer and better to place live,” Davenport said in a phone call on Wednesday. There are two new council members who ran unopposed for Place 1 and 5, Jackie Stearns and David Goodwin.
In Place 2 Charlie Powell was reelected for a third term over his competition Chrissy Calhoun at 156-126. “I feel it’s a great honor and I’m going to do all I can to help Eclectic move forward, make it a better place for all the citizens,” said Powell. Another third term council seat went to the Place 4 race winner, Linda Reed. She along waith Powell are setting out on 12 years with the council. Reed said she felt positive about the
See ELECTION • Page 3
Leadership conference teaches kids life lessons
Community support for Maroon Machine pours in
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
Fans of the Maroon Machine were finally able to see the band in action Friday night during Elmore County High School’s football game against Montgomery Academy. By spotlighting the evolution of gaming, this year’s half-time show was a crowd-pleaser. Because the halftime performance focuses on gaming, the band was in need of a television. Originally, Mr. Vittore thought of using a projector for the display. However, none of the projectors were powerful enough to create a quality picture. Therefore, the choice was made to combine four 65” televisions to create a screen large enough to wow the crowd. With the help of Jackson Dean, a junior at Elmore See BAND • Page 3
council members this term. “We’re all looking forward to four good years of working together,” said Reed. “I think we got a good group of people.” On the new council, Davenport said they were going to continue on the path they had set in previous terms with a main focus set on “financial responsibility.”
Carmen Rodgers / The Observer
Tractor Supply Company announced it will open the doors Saturday, Sept. 3 for the first time to customers. This comes after months of construction to the remodeled building in Patton Plaza Shopping Center.
BUDDING BUSINESS
Tractor Supply Co. slated to open Sept. 3
By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
Many have watched the progress as Tractor Supply Company has transformed the façade at Patton Plaza Shopping Center. A newly constructed fence already houses farm equipment in the parking lot as TSC announced that the Tallassee location would open Sept. 3 at 8 a.m. TSC will employ close to 15 full-time and part-time positions. This will be a spacious
facility with 24,600 square feet. This footage includes the sales floor as well as space for support service. “Tractor Supply looks forward to being a member of the Tallassee community,” said District Manager Brantley Felintin. “Tallassee is a great fit for Tractor Supply due to the horse owners and part-time hobby farmers in the area.” TSC will offer a wide variety of items, See TRACTOR • Page 5
The Council on Substance Abuse hosted its first Leadership Conference in Elmore County and approximately 30 students participated in a range of activities geared towards teaching them preventative measures to reduce the possibility of alcohol and drug abuse. COSA-NCADD Executive Director Shereda Finch said the conference was the first of its kind in Elmore County, and she hopes that the program will expand and continue in the future. “The COSA was awarded additional contracts by the (Alabama) Department of Mental Health, including funds for prevention,” Finch said. “With those funds we started to do a number of things with respect to prevention and the Leadership Conference is one of those projects.” According to Finch, four speakers spoke on a variety of topics. Sebastian Goodson was the motivational speaker for the group according to Finch, he spoke about making the right types of decisions and avoiding poor decision-making processes that can ruin ones life. See LEADERSHIP • Page 5
ITS donates $57,000 to local charities By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Wetumpka company Information Transport Solutions made four area charities very happy Tuesday morning as it presented a total of $57,000 in checks to representatives from the respective charities. The honored recipients included: Family Sunshine Center, Alabama Parent Education Center/ Imagination Library, Jason Michael Hilty Memorial Scholarship and the Coosa Outdoor Worship Center. The funds donated to the charities were part of an ITS sponsored golf tournament. The tournament
has been hosted by ITS for 10 years and this year was organized by ITS employee Jackie Ragan. According to ITS employee Arrie Selby, $32,000 of the funds for the charities were contributed by ITS as part of the golf tournament with another $25,000 being donated by a private contributor as matching dollars. ITS President Quincy Minor said that the donated amount was the largest ever and voiced the importance for ITS to contribute to the community. “We believe in giving back to the community,” Minor said. “Especially organizations that give See DONATION • Page 3
Today’s
Weather
93 72 High
Low
FREE ESTIMATES!
Hedging, Fall Cleanup, Leaf Removal, All Yard & Lawn Maintenance
FRIDAY: HIGH 94 LOW 72
(334) 309-4422 • (334) 580-7879
Submitted / The Observer
Representatives from Information Transport Solutions stand with representatives from four area charities that were given $57,000 as part of ITS’ annual golf tournament.