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The hamster wheel of justice goes round and round
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THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • JULY 20, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.26
Police chief halts meeting with local NAACP By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A meeting between the president and vice president of the Elmore County NAACP chapter was called off by the Wetumpka police chief abruptly and deferred to the mayor’s office after nearly a week of scheduling. And a request by a council member for open talks with police at the last city council meeting seemed to reveal contradictions in community outreach efforts. The president of the local NAACP chapter, Bobby
Mays, had been in talks with WPD Chief Danny Billingsley through email and had immediate success in his initial attempts to set up a meeting, according to email documents. The topic was loosely set on recent events both across the nation and at home involving police and the communities they patrol. The purpose of the discussion was described by Mays as an attempt to preempt and prevent such incidents occurring in Wetumpka, and Elmore County. The conversation was anticipated to revolve around
what could be done on the local level to better community relations and prevent instances of violence whether by police, as in recent shootings of Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile of Minnesota, or acts, in their wake, directed toward police; such as the recent incidents at Dallas and Baton Rouge. But what was described by Mays and his vice president Michael Waters initially as an absolute openness to talks saw a sudden and marked shift in tone. See MEETING • Page 3
Council votes on two items, WPD officials speak
County board votes on raises again By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A bid for Company Street repairs by a local construction firm was approved by the city council and new radios were voted on for the Wetumpka police, at Monday’s city council meeting. In old business, permission was granted to buy 30 Motorola r765 handsets for $275 each at roughly $8,250 altogether for the WPD in ongoing radio systems upgrades. Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis, who said he was filling in for the absence of Public Works Director, Tex Grier, gave an update on Company Street. He said a 60-calendar-day project was set for construction to the road and drainage systems, which would allow the city to work around Stoddard’s Bait and Tackle. City clerk Candy Masters read the bidders and their bids. There were three total, one was See COUNCIL • Page 5
Today’s
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See FESTIVAL • Page 3
See SCHOOL • Page 5
Corey Arwood / The Herald
Some “homegrown reggae” was passed around by Montgomery band BPM.
River Fest growin’ like a gator tail By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
The Wetumpka River and Blues Music and Arts Festival packed downtown Wetumpka with crowds who braved the heat, and later the rain, for a spicy gumbo of eclectic tunes, tastes and trinkets. City officials involved in the planning of the event said there was an estimated 10-to-
Wetumpka Elementary School receives grant for new playground By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
THURSDAY: HIGH 98 LOW 75
12,000 who attended the festival Saturday. “I feel it was a complete success, everything ran smoothly, we didn’t have any issues arise besides a little bit of rain,” said Tiffany Robinson, who is one of the long-running main architects of the event. She said that still did not put “too much of a damper” on the night though.
The Elmore County School Board again revisited the issue of employee wages, previously discussed during the board’s June 27 meeting, Monday evening. Board member Joey Holley made a motion to rescind the 2016-2017 salary schedule approved at the June 27 meeting. The board then discussed the issue further before approving a recommendation submitted by Elmore County Schools Superintendent Andre Harrison. At the June 27 meeting, board members seemed confused about recently passed House Bill 121. Board Chair Larry Teel originally opposed a four percent across the board increase,
The recent grants from the Alabama Department of Education through the Department of Early Childhood education continue to pay dividends as Wetumpka Elementary school will be getting a new playground structure for Pre-K students. According to Elmore County Schools Interim Assistant
Superintendent for Elementary Education/Federal Programs Claire Moore, some $30,000 of the grant funds were specifically earmarked for new playground equipment for the new Pre-K program. Wetumpka Elementary School Principal Bonnie Sullivan said the school is seeking to build a “natural playground,” which will include a tricycle trail including a toll booth, a play area including a double slide, See PLAYGROUND • Page 3
William Carroll / The Herald
The recently completed tricycle track located at Wetumpka Elementary School. The track is part of a grant received from the Alabama Department of Education for the school’s new Pre-K program.
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