Area coaches react to new classifications. See Sports, Page 10. Wetumpka, AL 36092
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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • JANUARY 23-24, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 11, NO. 4
Disaster assistance approved for Elmore County By JOHN W. PEELER Managing Editor
The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that federal disaster aid has been made available to Elmore County and 38 other Alabama counties affected by the severe storms from Dec.
23-31, following the announcement of the president’s declared state of disaster for Alabama. What that means for residents of Elmore County is federal funding is now available to help offset repair or replacement of county and municipal facilities damaged by the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds
and flooding. “The recovery process is ongoing, and this federal aid help will ensure Alabamians have resources available to rebuild their lives from the December severe weather outbreak,” Governor Robert Bentley said in a press release Thursday. “I appreciate FEMA’s quick
response in approving the disaster assistance. We will continue to work to ensure Alabamians have every resource available to rebuild from the December storms.” Elmore County Emergency Management Agency Director Eric Jones said the news the affected counties, including
By CORY DIAZ Staff Writer
See CROWDING • Page 2
See ASSISTANCE • Page 2
Traffic accidents claim the lives of two
Board of Education to look at Redland crowding The Elmore County Board of Education will try to come up with short-term fixes for Redland Elementary School’s student crowding by their next regularly scheduled monthly meeting. After fielding several concerns from parents and Redland community members regarding the school’s current student population at Tuesday’s BOE monthly meeting held at RES, the board agreed to formulate a list of possible short-term fixes to bring up for discussion in February. “We’ll try to come back next month with ideas and solutions,” Andre Harrison, Elmore County board of education superintendent told the crowd in excess of 100. Opened for area kindergarteners through sixth-graders in August 2009, with eight classrooms added
Elmore County, would be eligible for assistance was both good and bad. “It’s bad we had a bad week (in December) and we sustained the damage … but, it’s great news for the jurisdictions that sustained the damage because it
Officials say both accidents are being investigated, no foul play suspected STAFF REPORTS The Herald Staff
Cntributed / The Herald
Carolyn Tyus told the story of her son’s death Wednesday to more than 500 11th- and 12th-graders in the gym at Stanhope Elmore High School in Millbrook. Her testimony was part of an Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board’s initiative to combat underage and binge drinking.
Two separate accidents Thursday claimed the lives of two motorists in Elmore County. In Millbrook, a 54-year-old woman was killed in a three-car crash in the 2500 block of Alabama Highway 14 around 4:30 p.m. The female victim was pronounced dead on the scene. A 48-year-old man and a minor in a second vehicle were transported to a Montgomery hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson said injuries to the individual driving the truck that collided with the victim appeared to be minor in nature. “I believe he had some broken ribs and a laceration or two,” Johnson said. He said a vehicle traveling westbound crossed into the eastbound lanes and hit two vehicles, including the vehicle of the 54-year-old woman. Johnson said it took several hours to clean up the accident scene. “Right now the accident is still very much under investigation,” Johnson said. “Anytime you have a situation like this involving a fatality
UNDER AGE, UNDER ARREST
Program warns students of perils of underage drinking STAFF REPORTS The Herald Staff
For Carolyn Tyus, “the call” came about 2 a.m., while she was away in Orlando on a class trip with her daughter. Her son, Renota, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, was gone — killed by a drunk driver whose blood alcohol content was more than three times the legal level for intoxication. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare. “And the worst part, I have his best friend with me — my 12-year-old
daughter,” she said. “They were two peas in a pod. So now, I have to figure out how do I wake her up and tell her that her best friend in the whole wide world is gone — her big brother. The chaperones helped me wake her up to tell her. And she lost it. She just literally lost it.” Tyus, of Montgomery, told the story of her son’s death Wednesday to more than 500 11th- and 12th-graders in the gym at Stanhope Elmore High School See UNDERAGE • Page 2
See ACCIDENTS • Page 3
Construction worker dies in accident at Wetumpka Municipal Airport to install a drainage ditch, was fatally injured. “During that installation, An employee of a contract one of their crew was …fatalconstruction company doing ly injured … by one of the business under the name of concrete drain (pipes) striking David Bulger, Inc., died in a him,” Hafley said. work-related or industrial acciHafley said the incident dent Wednesday while working happened around 4:30 p.m. on a construction project at the Wednesday and more details Wetumpka Municipal Airport. would be released pending notiDetective Mike Hafley of the fication of family. Wetumpka Police Department Lindsey Williams, a said a worker for the construcpublic affairs officer for tion company, which was hired By JOHN W. PEELER Managing Editor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Atlanta, identified the construction company as David Bulger, Inc. who also does business as David Bulger Construction, Inc., out of Montgomery. Lindsay said an OSHA official was currently investigating the scene. Calls to contact David Bulger, Inc., of Montgomery for comment were not returned at press time.
pka m u t e W
A contract employee of a construction company doing business under the name of David Bulger, Inc., died in a work-related or industrial accident Wednesday while working on a construction project at the Wetumpka Municipal Airport. John Peeler / The Herald
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