What’s happening in the area? EVENTS, 7
Players return to diamond SPORTS, 8
Walls divide morality today OPINION, 4
Eclectic Observer The
WEDNESDAY • FEBRUARY 6, 2019
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 30, No. 6
BOE explores superintendent raise By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Although the 2020 elections are still two years away, the Elmore County Board of Education took time to look at potentially approving a raise for superintendent Richard Dennis during the Jan. 28 meeting. Administrative assistant Jean
Czerpak said board members looked at the salaries of superintendents for neighboring systems to compare where the Elmore County system stands. By law, Czerpak said the board must make a decision at least 18 months before the next election if they want to proceed with a raise. “They have to vote on this by March,” Czerpak said. “They will dis-
cuss it more at their February meeting and we could see them reach a decision then as well.” In an effort to keep tax revenues in the county, the board approved a pair of resolutions regarding tax millage used for county schools. The first called for a special election to renew taxes collected under Amendment 3 of the Alabama Constitution, while the second request-
ed a special election for a different tax to take the place of one currently collected. Dennis said all school districts across the state are required to have 10 mills of tax for funding, with systems falling short of tax mills approved in a public vote covered by the state under Amendment 778. If the special vote See SUPERINTENDENT • Page 3
Elmore County DHR looking for more foster parents By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
‘BUSINESS AS USUAL’ Landfill ruling another blow to Ashurst Bar and Smith communities By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer
A
fter a federal court ruled the Environmental Protection Agency had ignored complaints of racial discrimination connected with a landfill operating in a predominantly black neighborhood in Tallassee, the EPA closed the complaint, allowing the Stone’s Throw facility to remain open. “In a nutshell, what it means is (Stone’s Throw Landfill) will continue business as usual,” said Ronald Smith, a member of the Ashurst Bar/Smith Community Organization (ABSCO). See LANDFILL • Page 5
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File / The Observer
In an effort to convince people to become foster parents, February has been designated Foster Care Awareness Month by the Elmore County Department of Human Resources. DHR representatives will spread information about foster care to Elmore County residents to not only better educate them on what being a foster parent entails and also inform them how to become foster parents. “We have some papers we’re printing up to stick in church bulletins with information on how to become a foster parent and when the classes we offer start,” Cathy Tylicki with the DHR said. “We have also contacted the mayor and city council of Wetumpka for a proclamation about foster care.” Tylicki said she and others with DHR are willing to go into the community and speak with churches and civic groups, share information and encourage citizens to consider becoming foster parents. “These children are from the community and we need to support our community,” Tylicki said. “Some of them are going to grow up and stay in this community. We want them to be productive adults and productive citizens. This is one way to do that.”
Stone’s Throw Landfill is contaminating the surrounding area, residents say.
See FOSTER • Page 2
Latter-day Saints donates $10K to disaster relief fund By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Representatives of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints presented Wetumpka city officials with a $10,000 check for the Elmore County Disaster Relief Fund on Friday morning. In welcoming church officials to the area, Elmore County Commissioner Troy Stubbs explained how the fund was set up in the aftermath of the April 2011 tornado outbreak and was reactivated shortly after the Jan. 19 tornado hit Wetumpka and Elmore County. “We’ve never really seen anything like that before,” Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said. “We’re making progress. Years ago, the people at See DONATION • Page 3
Donald Campbell / The Observer
Commissioner Troy Stubbs, third from left, explains to representatives from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints more about the destruction caused by the Jan. 19 tornado.
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