INSIDE TODAY 2016 All-Area Softball Team
‘I do believe in the First Amendment rights.’
Sports, Page 12
Opinion, Page 4
Community Events
Inside, Page 2
THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • JUNE 8, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.20
Police video sparks backlash
By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
WANT TO SEE THE VIDEO?
Recent actions of Wetumpka police are under scrutiny after a video was published online that appeared to show officers in an exchange with a local man who was filming the police department. Wetumpka police said on Tuesday the department had to
The video can be found at https:// youtu.be/a8B-OW4SoIM. Need more information? Contact Keith Golden at bamafootballfirst@ gmail.com
shut down its phone lines due to an overload of calls from across the country in response to the
video. It was posted online by a Coosada man who maintains a YouTube channel of videos in which he records mostly public agencies, such as police and corrections departments for what he calls “First Amendment Audits,” or tests. Submitted / The Herald In the video, a man, off camera, This grainy image taken from video shot by Keith Golden shows the conclusion of See VIDEO • Page 3 an incident that Golden said he captured as part of a “video audit” of the Wetumpka Police Department.
Three-vehicle wreck leaves multiple injured on Highway 231
Bait shop fate determined at city council meeting By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
Several longstanding issues were voted through at the last city council meeting, but not without vocal opposition from council members, who themselves had been long-standing opponents of the issues throughout their time on the council. Out of the eight scheduled items on the agenda, half were dedicated to the Company Street closure and the city’s attempt to acquire the building of a local business, Stoddard’s Bait and Tackle, located in an area slated for repairs on the street. The council voted to move into executive session, and reconvened after roughly 15 to 20 minutes to vote on items 1 – 4 of the agenda. Ultimately the offer was See COUNCIL • Page 11
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By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer
A three-vehicle wreck on U.S. Highway 231 heading toward Wetumpka has resulted in multiple injuries and was said to have trapped two women in their vehicles, who had to be extracted by first responders. Northbound traffic was backed up as far could be seen while first responders from Montgomery County tended to the victims and appeared to take details from the drivers and passengers involved. On the southbound side of the highway traffic was rerouted altogether. A life flight helicopter was on standby in the middle of the roadway, and Haynes ambulance could be seen speeding in the direction of the scene. Someone was wheeled into an ambulance from a badly damaged black Honda Accord, which sat in the middle of the highway. On the opposite northbound side sat a large white pickup truck, what appeared to be a Chevrolet make, and also seemed badly damaged. See ACCIDENT • Page 11
William Carroll / The Herald
Above, retired Wetumpka High School teacher Joe Brown prepares to cut the ribbon on the garden center that now bears his name Monday morning. Below, Brown speaks to the assembled crowd at the school Monday for the dedication of the Joe Brown Garden Center.
A DEDICATED EDUCATOR
Wetumpka High dedicates Joe Brown Garden Center
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Former agriculture teacher and Future Farmers of America advisor Joe Brown was recognized for his 38 years of service to Wetumpka High School as the school named its garden center after the retired educator See FFA • Page 5
New Ivy Creek Cafe opens at Elmore Community Hospital
JAKES event promises fun activities for youth By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Saturday at Fort Toulouse State Park the Elmore County Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will host its annual JAKES event with registration for the event starting at 7 a.m. JAKES, which stands for Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship is a program started by the NWTF in 1981
USPS 681-260
Submitted / The Herald
Kids learn to build bird houses at the 2015 Elmore County JAKES See JAKES • Page 5 event.
The Ivy Creek Café is now open to the public for lunch and the hope is it will eventually expand into breakfast and dinner options as well in the near future. The café inside the Elmore Community Hospital is now upgraded, with a new menu and new options for patients, families of patients and local diners. See CAFE • Page 5
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