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Bulldogs clamp down on ECHS, WHS. See Sports, Page 12. Wetumpka, AL 36092

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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • JANUARY 30-31, 2016

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

VOL. 11, NO. 5

Wetumpka woman loses life in house fire Fire chief says this is the first fire fatality in Wetumpka since 2009 By JOHN PEELER Managing Editor

A Wetumpka woman died in a house fire early Thursday morning in Wetumpka. State fire marshal spokesman Steve Holmes said the victim, 62-yearold Ruby Carter, died and another individual, 58-year-old Donnie Lee Brown, was severely injured in the fire attempting to rescue the deceased and was taken to Jackson Hospital in Montgomery for treatment. The City of Wetumpka Fire Department, Santuck and Holtville

volunteer fire departments responded to the scene of the fire at 402 Marshall St. in Wetumpka to extinguish the fire. Wetumpka Fire Chief Greg Willis said the initial call came in indicating there were four people trapped in the triplex. “The wall between the two downstairs units slowed down the fire downstairs (and allowed the people to get out of the other unit),” Willis said. Willis said Santuck and Holtville volunteer fire departments responded for mutual aid and in all, 37 firefighters were on the scene. “We had a tremendous amount of

help,” Willis said. “”The police department was just two blocks down and they were a tremendous help controlling traffic and keeping the area clear … we had a lot of equipment and people … .” Holmes said the investigation indicates the cause of the fire was combustible material being placed too close to a space heater in the living room. Holmes said although it is only January, there have already been 21 fire deaths in the state. Wetumpka Fire Chief Greg Willis said this is the first fire fatality in Wetumpka since 2009.

John W. Peeler / The Herald

Fire oﬀficials responded Thursday to the scene of the fire at 402 Marshall St. in Wetumpka that claimed the life of 62-year-old Ruby Carter of Wetumpka.

Agencies take next steps toward federal assistance

Long found guilty in 2014 murder

By CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writer

Now that Federal Emergency Management Agency and Alabama Emergency Management Agency officials met with officials from Elmore County for a Joint Preliminary Damage Assessment, the county is now eligible for FEMA assistance and local, state and other governmental agencies can now begin the process of applying for the available funding needed to repair and replace property or infrastructure damaged during the late December flooding. To begin the process of applying for public assistance, applicants should go to www.grants.ema. alabama.gov. “It’s an online form that starts the process,” said Eric Jones with the Elmore County EMA, “For them (government entities) to start working with a project officer to develop project worksheets.” Project managers from FEMA will then follow-up on the grant applicants. That process includes checking the proper paperwork and makes sure it is litigable claim and See ASSISTANCE • Page 2

STAFF REPORTS The Herald Staff

See RELAY • Page 2

See MURDER • Page 2

Corey Arwood / The Herald

Emcee DJ Ziggy introduced local band, 3 in 1 at the Wetumpka Relay for Life Battle of the Bands fundraiser. The overall winners of the Wetumpka Relay for Life Battle of the Bands fundraiser was Montgomery artists, BPM.

ROCKING OUT CANCER

Relay for Life Battle of the Bands kickoff event a jamming success By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

The Battle of the Bands kicked off the Relay for Life Thursday in Wetumpka and nine bands performed for dollar donations to determine the crowd favorite. A panel of judges made up of chamber of commerce members, city officials and organizers of Wetumpka’s River and Blues Music and Arts Festival judged for the overall winner. The winner would go on to play at the River and Blues festival in July. The crowd favorite was a local band with a 15-year-old female lead singer, that the emcee of the event, DJ Ziggy, raved about. Their band, called 3 in 1, garnered just under

The star that impacted Wetumpka By JOHN W. PEELER Managing Editor

USPS 681-260

$500 dollars worth of votes. Judges voted for a Montgomery-based band, BPM, as the overall winner by only a half-vote lead on blues band Automatic Slim. It was the kickoff event of the year for the community chapter of the charity for cancer research. Cancer survivors and the family members of those who had died from the disease spoke about their personal experiences and the importance of funding research through the Relay for Life and it’s “fight” against cancer. The bands were mostly local with a mix of rock, pop, rap and even some no nonsense blues by a band out of Birmingham named Automatic Slim. One by one they took the stage and performed to a full audience in the Wetumpka Civic Center.

District Attorney Randall Houston’s office has obtained a guilty verdict for Jadrian Long in the Oct. 2014 Elmore County murder of 25-year-old Denard Williams. “I’m very pleased with the fact that the jury came back with a guilty verdict. I think my assistant DA’s did an outstanding job with a very difficult Long case,” said Houston. Long turned himself in after fatally shooting the Montgomery man several times in the chest Oct. 5, 2014. Williams died from the injuries at Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery. In a 2014 interview, Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson said the shooting was the result of an ongoing feud between the two men. “According to witnesses at the scene, the victim and offender have a history of

With one look at the City of Wetumpka, it would be hard to believe the city eventually sprung from one of the biggest natural disasters in the state — a meteor strike more than 80 million years ago near the end of the Cretaceous period and the age of dinosaurs. Each year, the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission and the City of Wetumpka sponsor crater events that offer a unique educational learning

opportunity for those interested in planetary science. Events this year begin Feb. 25-27 and will include lectures, tours, video and a new exhibit. “The Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission only conducts this in-depth tour one time per year,” said Marilee Tankersley, Wetumpka Impact Crater publicity chairman. “We go on private property and have Auburn University Geology students and local tour guides to help people understand See CRATER • Page 2

Contributed / The Herald

The city of Wetumpka sprang from a meteor strike more than 80 million years ago.

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