INSIDE TODAY SEHS Boys, Wetumpka girls take county titles
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‘I am not a hunter, no sir . . I am not.’
OPINION, PAGE A4
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THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • DECEMBER 14, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.47
Enslen: County’s probate judge should be licensed attorney
By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor
Elmore County Probate Judge John E. Enslen told the Elmore County Commission recently he believes that being a licensed attorney should be a requirement for future probate judges in the county.
“I am here tonight to respectfully ask that you serve the best interests of the citizens of Elmore County by passing a resolution which requests our local legislative delegation to have the Alabama Reference Service draft a proposed law for your further consideration – a law that would require the probate judge of Elmore County to be a licensed attorney,” Enslen told the
Commission. Enslen, who is 70, is in his first term as Elmore County’s probate judge. He is a licensed attorney of more than 30 years. However, he told the Commission that he would not seek re-election, so his advocacy for the requirement is not a self-serving attempt at winnowing out competition. See ENSLEN • Page 3
David Granger/ The Herald
Elmore County Probate Judge John Enslen is nearing the end of the fourth year of his six-year term. He says that he will not run for re-election, but is advocating that his replacement should required to be a licensed attorney.
County Board of Education hears request for higher pay for staff
Christmas on the Coosa draws large afternoon crowds By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor
The crowds may have been light on Saturday morning at Wetumpka’s ‘Christmas on the Coosa’ events, but they grew as the day went along, according to Tiffany Robinson, events and tourism manager for the City of Wetumpka. “I think everything went great all week,” Robinson said. “We were pleased with how things turned out. “On Saturday, the crowds were just a little light in the morning. We don’t have any final numbers in, but the crowds in the afternoon appeared comparable to what we’ve had in the past. There were a lot of people in town on Saturday afternoon and evening.” Robinson said the event’s newest attraction, the Santa wakeboardMORE ing show, PHOTOS! was See page 9 inside! well-received. “We may make a few tweaks in the future,” Robinson said. “We’ve got some ideas. But I think it was really well-received. The kids seemed to enjoy seeing Santa performing on the wakeboard.” See COOSA • Page 9
Today’s
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MARKETING MAGIC WHS takes top prize in marketing in South’s BEST robotics meet
By DAVID GRANGER Interim Managing Editor
Wetumpka High School’s BEST robotics team has “owned” the marketing competition at the South’s BEST robotic championships, held yearly in Auburn. It’s what they do. The WHS team took top honors in the marketing competition again at the most recent South’s BEST Robotics championship, held at Auburn University Dec. 3-4. “We’ve taken first in the marketing competition for several years now,” said the team’s coach and advisor Virginia Vilardi, who also serves as the science department chair at the high school. “We have a team of students who market the robot and the company to a team of judges. They have 15-20 minutes and they have to be persuasive. That’s sort of the thing we take pride in and own.” “Bingo” was the name of this year’s robot. In the Auburn competition, he was required to plant corn seeds, harvest and
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David Granger / The Herald
Landry Staves, right, explains the Wetumpka High School robotics class’ electric car as other WHS students look on.
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deliver ripe corn, hydroponic tomatoes and hydroponic lettuce, secure loose pigs and feed them, and turn on a water valve. “Bingo” was one of 58 robots to compete in head-to head matches. The Wetumpka team also did well in the team exhibit competition, where it placed third. But more than just the accolades, the students gain hands-on knowledge about the STEM disciplines – science, technology, engineering and math. Junior Emily Pinkston got involved in robotics after her sister, three years older, participated. “My sister started in it as a freshman and I just followed in her footsteps,” Pinkston said. “I’ve gained a better knowledge of STEM, a larger appreciation. It’s kind of introduced me to what I want to do, which is pathology, and opened me up to STEM disciplines including the medical field.” Landry Staves, a senior in the program, See ROBOTICS • Page 3
The Elmore County Board of Education held two meetings recently, one special called and the other regularly scheduled, where expulsions were decided, reports made by officials, officials sworn in and the superintendent announced the end of his term. There was little on the special called board meeting outside of a number of expulsions and the acceptance of minutes from previous meetings, however the new Chief School Financial Officer Jason Mann made an impassioned argument on the need for higher pay for support staff with the schools. He proposed that to begin with the accounting staff having the option of taking special training courses annually, which would amount to a $1,000 supplement to their regular pay. Mann said the courses were offered through the University of Alabama and would train the bookkeepers in “every account function possible.” He said the conferences were “hands on,” specifically for local school bookkeepers. Mann said he saw the need for the “supplement” after comparing their salaries to that of other county school systems. He said it would equate to about $12,000 this year for all of the accounting staff who qualified, and ultimately on the highest end it could near $30,000 total for potentially 15 bookkeepers. He said he learned about the policy See EDUCATION • Page 3
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