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Wetumpka, AL 36092
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SATURDAY-SUNDAY • MAY 7 - 8, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 11, NO. 18
Answers sought in Tallassee Mill fire By COREY ARWOOD and CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writers
Flames engulf the structures that were part of the old Mount Vernon Mills complex in Tallassee. Investigators are calling the fire suspicious and are still searching for more answers. Eric Hill / Special
The historic Mt. Vernon mills of Tallassee were still smoldering Friday, two days after having been engulfed in flames, preventing investigators from entering the grounds to begin the search for whatever clues remain from the intense heat of the blaze. At this time there is a joint-investigation between the State Fire Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, and Tallassee police and fire departments. A public information officer with the State Fire Marshals, Steve Holmes, said the agency had begun questioning witnesses, but have not been able to enter the scene
due to how unsafe the remaining structure, and unsupported stone walls are. He attributed some reasons for the intensity of the heat to the structure’s age, dating back to 1839, and the materials that were used, like heart of pine, otherwise known, Holmes said, as fat lighter. “The materials that were used in the mid 1800s, it was sturdy but quite flammable,” said Holmes. The age added to how flammable the materials were, he said, due to how dry and tender the woods were. The building itself had recently come into new ownership as of only a week ago. See FIRE • Page 7
Leni’s Law a lesson in faith, persistence Family of Wetumpka child for which bill is named celebrate passage and signing of new law By WILLIAM B. CARROLL Managing Editor
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed HB61, also known as Leni’s Law, Wednesday, ending a long process to approve a medical treatment, which has been a godsend for many Alabama families. In signing the legislation, Bentley said in a press release, “As a physician, I believe it is extremely important to give patients with a chronic or debilitating disease the option to consider every possible option for treatment. With Leni’s Law, citizens in Alabama will have access to cannabidiol that may help with treatment. Through a study at UAB (University of Alabama-Birmingham), we have seen the benefit of cannabidiol to help with chronic seizures. I hope we will be able to collect information that will determine the efficacy of this substance in other chronic debilitating diseases.” With the Governor’s signature, the law will be effective June 1, ending for many families a battle that began several years ago, including the family of law namesake Leni Young, 4. Young and her family lived in
Wetumpka during at least part of the legislative fight over approval of the use of cannabidiol, but after suffering a setback, the family chose to move to Oregon in order to legally obtain the drug. According to Wayne Young, an Alabama native, the decision to move was a necessary one, after years of working with doctors to help their daughter. “Leni suffered a major stroke in utero,” Young said. “We initially kind of noticed something wasn’t quite right after about a month or so. We did an MRI at UAB, which discovered that she had approximately 85 percent brain damage caused by the stroke. Young said that if such difficult prognosis was not enough, their daughter started to get what he described as “pretty severe seizures” about six months later. Leni, who is small for her age, also suffers from microcephaly and cerebral palsy, as a result of the stroke, which affects her motor skills and the use of her muscles. “She has a wide range of issues that she contends with,” Young said. The worst issues though
Special / The Outlook
Above, father Wayne Young with daughter Leni, while below the Young family, from left to right, Shea, William, Wayne holding Leni, Amy and Thomas.
surround the violent seizures that Leni is forced to deal with. Young noted that at one point his daughter was suffering from as many as a dozen seizures per day. “At one point, we were told by doctors that her quality of life was virtually non-existent and we were told to call in hospice,” Young said. “We discussed a number of possible methods to let her go including the suggestion that we withhold nutrients.” Young said the suggestion that he effectively starve his daughter to death led him to seek out other options. It was during this period See LENI • Page 3
SE Alabama Community Band to perform Monday
Wetumpka Main Street group submits application By WILLIAM B. CARROLL Managing Editor
By LIZ ELY Staff Writer
The Southeast Alabama Community Band is scheduled to perform in Wetumpka for the second time on Monday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at Wetumpka High School. The concert is free and open to the public, and the performance will feature a repertoire of music known throughout the country and worldwide. Professor of Music at Troy University James Smith, who serves as conductor and Musical Director of the band, anticipates the performance will draw in crowds eager to hear timeless favorites. “It will be an evening of family fun entertainment, it’s that simple. It’s a lighthearted concert that people of all ages can enjoy. From swing and jazz related Submitted / The Herald music, our band can play basically anything,” Smith James Smith, conductor and musical director of the Southeast Alabama said. “We always anticipate a big crowd, and the last Community Band during one of the band’s recent performances. The band time we played in Wetumpka we had an audience of See BAND • Page 3 will be performing a Wetumpka High School Monday at 7 p.m.
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The Wetumpka Downtown group is moving forward with its plan to create an officially designated Main Street association in the city, and with some guidance from Main Street Alabama President and State Coordinator Mary Helmer. The Main Street program is a national program that stresses public-private partnerships, broad community engagement, and strategies that create jobs, spark new investment, attract visitors, and spur growth. The focus of most community Main Street programs is on restoration and reinvigoration of downtown areas in the respective communities. Currently, according to its website, Main Street Alabama has 16 officially designated Main Street programs with 27 cities, of which Wetumpka is a member, listed as network communities. See APPLICATION • Page 3