Wildcats hold the fort in season opener. Sports, Page 8 Wetumpka, AL 36092
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THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 11, NO. 43
Council passes $11 million budget Gill questions cuts to Boys & Girls Club, city schools
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
The Wetumpka City Council on Monday night approved an $11 million budget for fiscal year 2017 over objections from one council member concerning cuts to appropriations for school and afterschool programs.
Kent
The council approved the budget with a single amendment made by Rebecca Wingett Thornton, council member for District 3. Thornton’s amendment allowed for the addition of a $7,500 appropriation by the city to the Elmore County Economic Development Authority (ECEDA) and a commitment
to consider an additional appropriation in the spring. The vote on the budget was 3-1 with Percy Gill of District 2 voting against and Steve Gantt, council member for District 4, absent. Gill’s objections centered on the budget’s cutting out an appropriation to
the Boys & Girls Club and slashing appropriations to the city schools. Last year, the council appropriated $40,000 to the Boys & Girls Club and a total of $89,000 – $55,000 through an educational technical pledge, $14,000 to Wetumpka High School and $10,000 See COUNCIL • Page 3
Sheriff office warns of phone scam
Noland
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Totty
Warren
Five captured in Haynes Road robbery
Special / The Herald
Above, a second grade class Coosada Elementary were the winners of the contest for who could collect the most items in the canned food drive.
Feeding the hungry
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Coosada Elementary collects items for troops
Elmore County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested four Elmore County men and a Tallassee woman who allegedly lured a man to a Haynes Road location where he was robbed and eventually shot. Arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and shooting into an occupied vehicle were Kendall Stone Kent, 16, of Tallassee, Linsey Totty, 25, of Tallassee (the female) and Charles Warren, 20, of Wetumpka. Christopher See ARREST • Page 2
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Coosada Elementary’s Parent Teacher Organization has spent the last ten days on a collection effort for our troops overseas, the collection effort has been so successful that the containers brought to hold the items collected are not sufficient to contain all of the items. PTO President Aidin Tackett said the idea for the drive came about as a way not only to honor the troops, but to do something different. “We have a lot of military families who have kids that go to our school,” Tackett
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said. “A lot of our PTO board is made up of military spouses. So we got together and talked about a bunch of different things we could do. We decided we wanted to support an Alabama unit currently stationed overseas.” Tackett said that the group found a unit out of Birmingham that is deployed to an overseas location. “They are a surgical unit, when we called their guard commander we asked what they needed,” she said. “We were told that they miss snacks from home that they cannot get there.”
Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin warned Friday morning of a scam where individuals identifying themselves as representatives of the sheriff’s department – sometimes claiming to be Franklin himself – are falsely soliciting donations by phone. “We are seeking help from other law enforcement entities to help us identify these people,” Franklin said. The sheriff said the callers are claiming to be soliciting funds for the sheriff’s department to buy new equipment. “We want everyone in Elmore County to know that we do not solicit funds in that manner,” Franklin said. “We get our funds from the general fund of Elmore County. We are not soliciting funds by phone, we have never solicited funds by phone and we will not ever solicit funds by phone.” Franklin said some of the callers are even impersonating him. “One of them called someone that I know and he told them, ‘I know Sheriff Franklin and you don’t sound like Sheriff Franklin,’ and (the caller) hung up. “We just want people to be aware that this is going on, not to fall for it and that we’re working to find out who is responsible.”
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Four new county commissioners were sworn in Wednesday morning at the Elmore County Courthouse in downtown Wetumpka while well over 100 family, friends and area residents looked on. Prior to the official start of the new commission’s term, four new members were sworn into their positions while the fifth spot remains unfilled thanks to the recent resignation of District 4 Commissioner Joe Faulk. The newly elected members include: Kenny Holt (District 1), Cecil “Mack” Daugherty (District 2), Troy Stubbs (District 3) and Earl Reeves (District 5). After the swearing in ceremony, the members selected Stubbs as commission chairman. Stubbs then selected Daugherty as his vice-chair. Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin then spoke with the new commission about a matter that has See COMMISSION • Page 3
Clay Boshell REALTOR®
William Carroll / The Herald
Four new Elmore County Commissioners were sworn in Wednesday morning during a special ceremony prior to the commission’s first meeting of the new term. They are (from left to right) District 5 Commissioner Earl Reeves, District 3 Commissioner Troy Stubbs, District 2 Commissioner Cecil “Mack” Daugherty and District 1 Commissioner Kenny Holt.
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Page 2 • NOVEMBER 19-20, 2016
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND
Obituaries Keith Michael “Mike” Bowar BOWAR, Keith Michael “Mike” a resident of Wetumpka, Alabama, formerly of Faulkton, South Dakota passed away Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at the age of 84. Funeral services will be held Sunday, November 20, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Thelma Baptist Church with Rev. Doug Chappelle and Rev. Bill Lee officiating. Burial will follow at Antioch Baptist Church Cemetery with Gassett Funeral Home of Wetumpka directing. Mr. Bowar is preceded in death by his 1st wife, Madeline Bowar. He is survived by his wife, Sara Bowar, son, Chris (Joyce) Bowar, daughters, Lisa Bowar-Pendley, Hope (Charlie) Ford, stepdaughter, Karen (Karl) Youngblood, brother, Eugene Bowar, sisters, Hazel Holt, Gwen Sullivan, grandchildren, Lauren (Jerin) Stewart, Skye (James) Bridgmon, Brooke Ruttan, Christopher Bowar, Madeline Pendley, Maeghan Youngblood, Keith Pendley, Trey (Kennedy) Ford, Hunter (Tyler) Parsons, Katie Ford, and three great-grandchildren, Tessa Black, Liam Bridgmon, and Layne Ford. Active pallbearers will be Christopher Bowar, Keith Pendley, Trey Ford, Jake Walker, James Bridgmon, and Karl Youngblood. Honorary pallbearers will be the members of Witness Sunday School Class. Mr. Bowar served his country with the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He retired after 26 years of service with the Montgomery Police Department and later retired from the U.S. Marshals office. Visitation will be held Sunday, November 20, 2016 from 1:00 p.m. until service time at Thelma Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to Thelma Baptist Church, 810 Weoka Road, Wetumpka, Alabama 36092. A heartfelt thank you to all volunteers that took Mike to Dialisys every week. Online Guest Book available at www.gassettfuneralhome.net
Anita D. Griffith April 3, 1960 November 15, 2016 Anita is preceded in death by her father, Wendell M. Griffith, her brother, Wendell (Lamar) Griffith. Loved ones still touched by her presence are her mother, Gracia Griffith, her brother Larry Griffith, her children, Trey and his wife, Skylar Wall expecting her first grandchild, Derek Wall, Hayley Wall & Jennifer Griffith; numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews; Her beloved Griffith fur babies, Bella and Phoebe; she was also considered a second mother and safe haven to a host of friends and loved ones who became her extended family. Anita is unlike any other person that you could ever hope to meet. There are no clichés, common or familiar phrases that you can try to use to describe her. There are no words to describe the amount of joy and laughter that she shared; the incomprehensible ability she had to touch people that had the pleasure of meeting her just once or knowing her throughout her life. Anita was strong, charismatic, lovely, supportive, energetic, full of mischievous laughter, fierce loyalty and was quite the inventive beach connoisseur. She loved her family, Alabama football and the Good Lord. If by some unimaginable reason you cannot place who she is as you read this: She was THE Madame Court Reporter Extraordinaire, you could hear her, before you could see her – and she could make you smile before you even laid eyes on her. She has been 39 for the past 15+ years, worked hard to stay “brown as a biscuit”, tanned from her beloved beach; she always had to have “cuhluh”, wearing red lipstick with a flourish. She could stretch a dollar farther than anyone, beat anyone in cards, Scrabble or pool, yet still stay humble; shake your hand and say, “Good Game” like any great sportsman. She loved to fish, play games and laugh. She loved her children with a fierceness and she never allowed any friends to think that they did not have a place to go, a meal to eat, or a roof over their head. When you were in, she had you. Good or bad, in trouble or doing well, she had you – and there was never a question of whether or not you had someone to turn to. If just to talk, ask for advice or help – she had you. Do not question why this bright force of life was taken so soon from us, because her work is not done. There were strangers that were in desperate need of strength, vitality and health to continue their “work” here, that our Lord knew only Anita could supply to them. Our devastating loss was an opportunity for others to experience something strong, willful vibrant and thriving. Do you know why? “‘Cause she wanted to’.” Anita IS because she continues to touch lives through organ donations. Just as she added life and love to us while here, she has added life and love to those in need that now may enjoy additional time with family and friends because of her amazing generosity and care for others. On November 15th, Anita saved 7 lives; she answered prayers and created miracles for others in need. She will continue to increase the quality of life for countless others in the coming days, weeks and months. Sleep Well, Our Beautiful Angel. Trahan Family Funeral Home of Milton is in charge of arrangements. A memorial service will be held at Woodbine Baptist Church in Pace, FL on December 3, 2016 at 11 a.m. with Brother David Lewis officiating. For those attending, please bring a note with a special memory of Anita to share with her family.
Submitted / The Herald
Members of the NAACP committee for Louisiana disaster relief efforts pose with some of the items collected for those in need in the state hit during the summer by extreme flooding. Pictured from left to right are Eloise Mays, Estelle Marshall, Hannah Henderson and Annie Hollenquest.
Elmore County NAACP collects items for disaster relief By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
The Elmore County Branch #5026 of the NAACP has been hard at work recently to collect paper goods for disaster relief victims in Louisiana, specifically those who are still suffering after flooding in August displaced thousands of area residents. Branch President Bobby Mays said that the committee in charge of the drive was working on final preparations for the items to be sent to Louisiana. Committee member Estelle Marshall said that the idea to do the drive came out of a desire to help those suffering in Louisiana. “We wanted to be able to help,” she said. “We wanted to reach out, it
is just one of those things you want to do for those people who are going through this.” Marshall said that the group had a good response to the disaster relief drive and that many of the donations came from community members who are not current members of the NAACP. Fellow committee member Eloise Mays said that the group had received over 250 donations of paper towels and donations of over 350 rolls of toilet paper. The group had also received around $100 for the purchase of additional good that had not been spent as of Tuesday evening. Committee member Hannah Henderson said, “This is a good gesture to help people in need, it is always good to give. Branch Vice President Michael
Waters said that the group reached out to the state of Alabama’s Emergency Operations Center and they provided a contact in Louisiana for the branch to determine what precisely people needed. Waters said that the local branch was instructed that paper goods and water are things that people always need and are logistically easier to distribute to those in need. “There is an inclination on people’s part that they want to give,” he said. “In many situations though they want to donate clothes or other items of that type. Those kinds of items cause problems logistically for emergency agencies to get out to people.” Anyone interested in providing additional paper goods or funds may send those items to the NAACP at 815 Grier Rd. in Wetumpka.
Chamber members learn more about area businesses By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
Four local businesses got their opportunity to share their stories Tuesday as part of the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce’s Fall Luncheon at the Wetumpka Civic Center. According to Chamber Director Gerry Purcell, the businesses were chosen based upon their uniqueness and the fact that they offer services to a broad range of people both in Alabama and around the U.S. The four businesses that were selected to be part of the luncheon were PharMix Rx, 832 K-9’s Deputy Dogs, Gulf States Mobility and B&B’s Health Boutique. During the luncheon each of the four businesses was given a brief opportunity to speak about what they do and what types of services they offer. Pharmacist Holli Anthony, who owns PharMix Rx with her husband Patrick, said that her business is a compounding pharmacy and a health and wellness store. For those not familiar with the concept, compounding is the creation of customized medication for patients. Anthony said that unlike a
traditional pharmacy PharMix does not sell manufactured medications. She said that her goal for the business is to be the area’s health and wellness resource company. Another health based company is B&B Health Boutique, whose owner, Natacha Graham said that her business caters to women, specifically those who have suffered as the result of cancer. Graham’s business offers traditional items for women and those hard to find items, specifically prosthetics and bras designed for women who have had mastectomies. Graham said that before she opened her business in downtown Wetumpka, many of her customers either traveled to Birmingham to get what they needed or simply did without. B&B also has a charitable arm that seeks to help cancer survivors. Gulf States Mobility also seeks to help those who are in need. The company sells wheelchair accessible vehicles and performs vehicle and home modification work for people with disabilities. According to owner James Garrett, the business is one of only eight in the state of Alabama certified to perform the type of work the company provides. The final business on display was 832 K9’s Deputy Dogs. The
program, which originally started in Florida, breeds bloodhounds for police and companion work throughout the U.S. Owner Donna Wilson said she has been with the organization for over nine years and that the group is relocating its breeding facility to Wetumpka. Wilson said that the program is seeking volunteers in the form of foster families, who can take the dogs from about seven weeks of age until around seven months of age and acclimate the animals to all sorts of common stimuli in anticipation of their eventual training. Wilson said the group is also looking for volunteers for a whole host of other needs as a weaning facility will need helpers to help bring the animals into the world. During the presentation, Purcell also asked the panel of business owners a series of questions about their businesses and permitted a few questions from the audience. For those interested in learning more about the businesses they may contact the following numbers: For Pharmix call 334-478-3522, for Gulf States Mobility call 334-5146590, For B&B call 334-478-5090, for 832 K9’s contact 334-235-7149.
Arrest
continued from page 1
Patrick Watson, 19, and Sam Noland, 24, of Wetumpka, were arrested on Friday on identical charges. The five suspects are currently being held in the Elmore County Jail. On the morning of Friday, Nov. 11, at approximately 7:30 a.m., the sheriff’s department received a call from a man who had wrecked his gray Ford Fusion into a pond on the 800 block of Haynes Road. The victim also said he had been robbed, Lowery said. The victim said he had gone to the 900 block of Haynes Road to meet a female when four males approached his vehicle and at least one of the individuals asked for a cigarette,
according to Lowery. It was at that time multiple suspects produced handguns and one of the suspects entered the vehicle in attempt to rob the victim, who fled the scene with the suspect in the vehicle. While in the vehicle, the suspect fired his gun, grazing the victim’s chest, Lowery said. The victim later wrecked into the pond and the suspect fled the scene, Lowery said. Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said on Friday morning that the woman the victim had gone to meet was allegedly Totty and that he had been set up by the suspects.
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ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND
Commission
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NOVEMBER 19-20, 2016 • Page 3
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been ongoing for the last several months, namely the consolidation of area communities’ dispatch services with the sheriff’s services. Franklin said that the initial contract between the town of Eclectic and the county was approved on September 26 and was approved by the Eclectic Town Council on October 3. Franklin said he was coming before the commission to request that they amend the county’s budget in order to accept payment from Eclectic. County Administrator Grace McDuffie said that the budget amendment would be for three dispatch positions to be reimbursed by funds provided by Eclectic. The commissioners unanimously approved the budget modification measure. Commissioner Holt then presented a request to the commission to procure bids from area firms for an audit of the commission’s financial records. Commissioner Daugherty said that there is a State Examiner of Public Accounts audit, which should be available soon and therefore he didn’t wish to expend taxpayer dollars unnecessarily for a separate accounting. Holt made the point that he was just seeking bids and that the commission was under no obligation to accept those bids. The commission ultimately voted 4-0 to approve seeking bids from: Aldridge Borden & Company, Jackson Thornton and Warren Averett to perform audits of the commission’s financial records. In other matters before the commission: • Commissioners approved meeting a holiday schedules for the upcoming year. • County Engineer Richie Beyer gave the commission information on activities of the County Highway Department including information on the status of county roads and upgrades made on county roads during Beyer’s service as county engineer. • County Emergency Management Agency Director Eric Jones said that his agency is in the process of updating the county emergency plan and the entity’s standard operating guidelines.
Left, the kindergarten class poses for a photo after their food drive fundraiser. Above, the first-grade class gathers for their photo after participating in the drive. Submitted / The Herald
Food Drive From that Tackett said that the PTO decided to break the food items up into groups and created a contest for the students at Coosada Elementary to participate in. Different food items were designated for each of the different colored pods at the school. The school is divided into five colored pods: red, green, yellow, blue and purple. The red pod was responsible for sweets, green for flavored drink packs, yellow for chips and other similar food, purple was responsible for bringing dry foods such as trail mix, dried fruit etc. and blue was responsible for bringing cereals, pop tarts and other breakfast items. The pod that brings in the most items will receive a pizza party at the school in their honor. Tackett said that items submitted by students would
Council each to Wetumpka Middle and Wetumpka Elementary schools – to Wetumpka’s public schools. Gill put forth a motion that failed to gain a second that would have reinstated the $40,000 appropriation to the Boys & Girls Club and included $25,000 appropriations to each of the three Wetumpka public schools. Gill’s proposal would have also cut the city’s appropriations to ECEDA and Elmore County Search and Rescue ($2,500). Gill also questioned a budget increase of $88,000 in professional services from $162,000 to $250,000. “As you know we’ve grown the budget for several years now prior to this one, using the same budget over and over again,” responded city finance director Julie Creel. “That budget was $162,000 for professional services. We, in the last year, have spent close to or a little bit over $250,000. … So we were trying to get to a budget that is as close to the numbers as possible.” Gill continued to press Willis on defunding the Boys & Girls Club. “I’m still having a hard time understanding why, out of all the proposed funding appropriations, the Boys & Girls Club is the one that someone – and, Mayor, since you presented the budget – decided that was not worthy of continuing to be funded,” said Gill. “I would not say it is not worthy,” Willis responded. “I would say the money is simply not there.” Willis said the cut to the Boys & Girls Club was not the only budget cut in his proposal and that it was the result of a thorough review of budgeting priorities at a time when the city must be financially prudent. “For eight years that I’ve been here as mayor, expenses have risen and the revenues have pretty well remained level or stable,” Willis said. “In the last audit that was done, on the very back page of the audit, it went back 10 years and gave us a breakdown of this. The recommendation of the audit said you cannot continue doing what you’re doing the way you are doing it
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be matched by the PTO. “Every food item that is brought in by our students,” our PTO is matching,” she said. “We are going to make a group Wal-Mart trip and try to buy everything that has been provided by the students.” After all the items were collected the blue pod came home the winner of the contest. Tackett said now the PTO will work to box all of the items and try to get the packages to the troops prior to Christmas. “We just want to show our support for our military,” she said. “Especially for us having so many military families. It (the project) helps put things in perspective for the kids. I think it also helps to teach them respect for our military.”
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because you are going to get in trouble. You are going to hit a wall.” Willis went on to mention a 1-cent set aside passed near the end of Jo Glenn’s mayoral tenure and how it had benefitted the city in economic hard times, but also pointed out that the city gets three cents of every dollar spent in Wetumpka to help operate the city. He compared that amount to the five cents per dollar that surrounding cities Montgomery, Tallassee, Prattville and Eclectic receive. After the meeting, a disappointed Gill said his objections to cutting funding for the Boys & Girls Club and schools is the importance of investing in human capital as a tool in economic development. “The most important part of economic development is investing in people,” Gill said. “And if you’re going to say you’re interested in economic development, you have to invest in people and, particularly, you have to invest in your youth.
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“Unfortunately, the budget was proposed by the mayor and, unfortunately, you had council members that agreed with that budget. So it’s not just the mayor, it’s also the other council members that, in my opinion, need to take a long look at what I will call their business acumen.”
Steve Baker, Publisher William Carroll, Managing Editor Opinions expressed in guest columns and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the management of The Wetumpka Herald
Page 4 • NOVEMBER 19-20, 2016
OPINION
“Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.” --Thomas Jefferson
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ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND
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A fun workplace is paramount to sanity T
he other day at the office, after another funny comment from one of my fellow staff members, I began thinking how important it is to have fun at work. Generally we have a lot of fun here at the Herald. We joke with other quite a bit and have fun and interesting discussions about local leaders and a variety of story topics. Music is something you’ll hear quite a bit here at the office, not any we create of course, but an eclectic mix of whatever happens to be playing at any given time. It hasn’t always been that way. All of us, at one time or another, have had a job or jobs that we hated for one reason or another. Sometimes a bad job can be one that requires more work than we are capable of, or perhaps one where the supervisor is an absolute pain. I’ve been in the newspaper business for over four years now. Before that I spent 10 years as
WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
an attorney in Arizona. At first I really enjoyed being an attorney. For the first six years or so I was a drug prosecutor, which was actually pretty fun at first, especially working with the officers in our narcotics unit. After a while though the cases became pretty much the same and the challenge had disappeared in the work. After that I moved into private practice, which again was ok at first but eventually became so mind numbingly tedious that I just couldn’t take it anymore. I needed a definite change of pace and a job that was actually fun. Interestingly, the other day I was at home for a late lunch in latter portion of the afternoon and for some reason I had the television on Dr. Phil (I normally never watch the
show). During the show he was interviewing Fox New Channel’s Megyn Kelly. Kelly had a similar experience to mine. She worked for many years as an attorney in Chicago, where she said she had reached the pinnacle of success, but didn’t feel very successful and so she decided to work in broadcast journalism instead of the law. Now of course Kelly is famous and makes quite a bit more than I do, but our lives have taken similar paths. During the interview she spoke about she wasn’t really happy with her life and at one point actually prayed she’d have an accident in her vehicle to shake her life up. While I have never wished death upon myself, there were times where I would have rather stayed in bed than gone to work. Sometimes the life I had before seems so far away compared to the life I have now. I really enjoy the news business, I think
the fact that I never know what will happen from one day to the next is the most exciting part. That coupled with the fact that we have the opportunity to do good work by keeping the public informed about what is going on in their community is an important part of why this job is meaningful. Also my staff is great. We have a fun, hardworking bunch here and I think everyone looks forward to coming in each and every day. I know I do. So as you go to work next week ask yourself, is this where I am supposed to be? Is there somewhere I might be happier and perhaps more successful? It is a question I asked myself over five years ago and I am happy I came up with an answer. For those who already love their jobs congrats. For those who are looking for more keep striving, eventually you will find what you are looking for.
334-567-7811 • Fax 334-567-3284 email: news@thewetumpkaherald.com THE WETUMPKA HERALD (681-260) is published twice weekly on Wednesday and Saturday by Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc., 548 Cherokee Road, Alexander City, AL 35010. Periodical postage paid at Wetumpka, Alabama. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wetumpka Herald, P.O. Box 99, Wetumpka, AL 360920099. ISSN # 1536-688X. We reserve the right to refuse to print any advertisement, news story, photograph or any other material submitted to us for any reason or no reason at all. •Obituaries - $.25 per word per paper. Additional $15 charge for a photo per paper. (Herald, Weekend, Observer, Tribune). •Weddings/Engagements - $.25 per word per paper. $15 charge for a 2-column photo. •Birth Announcements - $.25 per word per paper. $15 charge for a photo. SUBSCRIPTION RATES (includes Wednesday & Saturday) One Year in Elmore, Tallapoosa or Coosa County: $50 One Year Elsewhere: $75 The publisher reserves the right to change subscription rates during the term of subscription at any time. To subscribe or if you miss your paper, call 256-234-4281. © 2016 Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved and any reproduction of this issue is prohibited without the consent of the editor or publisher. ADMINISTRATION Steve Baker, publisher steve.baker@thewetumpkaherald.com William Carroll, managing editor william.carroll@thewetumpkaherald.com NEWS Corey Arwood, staff writer corey.arwood@thewetumpkaherald.com Carmen Rodgers, staff writer carmen.rodgers@thewetumpkaherald.com Cory Diaz, sports editor Cory.Diaz@TheWetumpkaHerald.com. . . . . . . . . Ext. 306 SALES Molly Brethauer, marketing consultant molly.brethaur@TheWetumpkaHerald.com. . . . . Ext. 313 Stacy Adams, marketing consultant stady.adams@thewetumpkaherald.com . . . . . . . Ext. 305
A salue to ‘The Maine Man’
I
’d been to Maine once before, kind of. My unit stopped there coming back from the land of sand in 2008. I don’t usually count airports when tallying up places I’ve visited, but that layover had an asterisk next to it. The flag-waving, soldier hugging Maine Troop Greeters were there welcoming us home as we entered the airport. Not only that, I had a bowl of real New England clam chowder—not any of that canned stuff. The whole experience was so great that I actually bought a t-shirt at the airport. Who does that? Not me. But, I did. Those pleasant memories took place in Bangor, which is where the Maine Speech Language Hearing Association’s conference was and where I was supposed to fly into; however, once I boarded my flight and sat down, I realized I’d booked my flight for Portland. Hey, it could have been worse. At least it wasn’t Portland, Oregon. I rented a teeny tiny car and drove the two
JODY FULLER Guest Columnist
hours to Bangor. It wasn’t a bad drive at all. I thought the foliage was spectacular but apparently I missed its peak by about two weeks. After checking into my hotel, I hopped in my go-cart and went down to a restaurant on the Penobscot River. Since the association was handling my meals, I was able to get what I wanted. If not, I would’ve been eating Ramen noodles in my room. I ordered clam chowder and lobster rolls. It was so ridiculously good. The manager walked by, noticed my Auburn jacket, and belted out a “War Eagle!” Those are always pleasant words to my ears no matter where I am. The best part was when he mentioned, without knowing where I was from, that he had a friend and fellow Marine from Opelika. I knew it was
legit, because he pronounced Opelika correctly. It just happened that I’d just talked to that friend on the phone two weeks earlier, so we took a selfie and sent it to him. It truly is a small world; you just have to be willing to talk to others to figure that out. I always like to get out and see the sights and meet the local folks wherever my travels take me. There was a crusty old sergeant I once served with who said, “When in Rome, do what the Romanians do.” I’m not sure what the Romanians do in Rome, but I know I sure had a good time in Bangor. The people there are solid. Hospitality doesn’t solely belong to the south. The conference itself was fantastic. I met many friendly, smart, and caring professionals who wake up each day just to improve the lives of others. I wasn’t sure they’d understand me, but it had nothing to do with my stutter. They don’t get very many southern accents up that way. Thankfully,
I received a lot of positive feedback. After my part, some of the ladies invited me to dinner at a restaurant across the street, but first they had to go back to the hotel, which was also across the street. I went on over to the restaurant. Have you ever had to wait on a woman? Have you ever had to wait on seven of them at one time? It was like waiting in dog years. I started to walk back but didn’t get very far when I saw the Magnificent Seven coming my way. I had an amazing trip. I had great food but more importantly, I met great people, and, in my opinion, life is only as good as the people you meet and surround yourself with. I’d say I’ve been blessed in that department. Jody Fuller is a comic, speaker, writer and soldier with three tours of duty in Iraq. He is also a lifetime stutterer. He can be reached at jody@jodyfuller.com. For more information, please visit www.jodyfuller.com.
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NOVEMBER 19-20, 2016 • PAGE 7
Area Calendar November 20
A community Thanksgiving service will be held at the Wetumpka Civic Center starting at 6 p.m. Area churches will share prayers of thanksgiving and come together as one community in preparation for the season. Everyone is encouraged to bring a snack item to share with others.
January 10, February 4 and March 14
The Wetumpka Public Library, along with the Elmore County Museum, invites veterans and family members to sign up and participate in a free monthly reading discussion program on the experience of war, beginning September and ending in March. Discussions will be held in the Elmore County Museum from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: January 10th, February 14th, and March 14th. All books and films will be provided for each participant in advance of each discussion. Recent veterans of the global war on terror are particularly encouraged to participate.
November 14-21
Eclectic United Methodist Church will serve as a dropoff location for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child—the world’s largest Christmas project of its kind. During National Collection Week, Nov. 14 – 21, Eclectic residents will donate shoeboxes—filled with school supplies, hygiene items, notes of encouragement and fun toys, such as a doll or soccer ball—for Operation Christmas Child to deliver to children in need around the world. This year, Eclectic residents hope to contribute
several hundred shoebox gifts toward the 2016 global goal of reaching 12 million children.
December 11
Hillside Baptist Church (405 Old Montgomery Highway, Wetumpka, AL) invites you to enjoy a traditional “home” celebration of Christmas at 11 a.m. The program will explain the Christmas Story through both dialogue and your favorite Christmas carols! For more information please contact the church at 567-9695.
December 13
Calvary Baptist Church Wetumpka will be offering Grief Share “Surviving the Holidays” from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. They will be meeting in the fellowship hall. Please contact the church office at 567-4729 or visit our website at www.calvarybaptistwetumpka.org for any questions concerning this matter.
ONGOING EVENTS CHILD FIND: The Tallassee City School System is launching its annual campaign to assist children— birth to age 21—who have disabilities and may need special services. The campaign urges parents, service providers, and concerned citizens to contact Child Find, a program to locate, identify and evaluate children with disabilities or children who are believed to have disabilities. The Tallassee City School System wishes to notify you of the availability of special education services in our public schools. If you have questions regarding
our programs, or if you wish to refer a student, please contact Lynell Carr at (334) 283-5675 or Child Find (Alabama Department of Education) at 1-800-548-2547.” AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL: A Photographic Celebration of Places, Faces and Activities is the new exhibit featuring Libby Christensen, John Jacobs, Wayne Atchison, Mit Fontaine, Kay Brummal, Sue Mehearg and Barbara Bryan. The gallery is opened from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday at the Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery 408 South Main Street in Wetumpka. The exhibit will close on January 20, 2017. SATURDAY NIGHT JAMBOREE: Every second and fourth Saturday of the month is the Highway 231 Saturday Night Jamboree at the Alabama League of the South Cultural Center Building at 12814 Highway 231 North in Wetumpka. There will be country, gospel, and rock and roll music in a good atmosphere. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. There will be line dancing, no alcohol, no smoking and no charge. Donations accepted for upkeep of the building. Contact Ray Funderburk at R&R Music and things at 334-991-4682 or 224-850-9804 with questions. SANTUCK FLEA MARKET: First Saturday, MarchDecember, dawn to 2 p.m. in the area surrounding Santuck Baptist Church. An outdoor flea market with booths featuring arts, crafts, antiques, novelties, imports, food and more. Free admission to the public with free parking available. For info, call 334-567-7400.
PAGE 8 • NOVEMBER 19-20, 2016
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ELMORE COUNTY WEEKEND
EDGEWOOD SEASON OPENERS George’s career game lifts ‘Cats over Sparta
By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor
Cory Diaz / The Herald
Above, Edgewood Academy junior guard Reece George (4) fights through a Sparta Academy defender to put up a shot during the Wildcats’ season opener Tuesday at home. Below, Edgewood Academy sophomore guard C.J. Weldon (10) lifts up a shot over a closing Sparta Academy defender during Tuesday’s season-opening loss at EA.
Reece George turned in a career performance to lead Edgewood Academy to a 55-45 season-opening win over Sparta Academy at home Tuesday. The junior recorded his first double-double, piling up 33 points and 11 boards, keeping the Wildcats (1-0) ahead in a tight contest throughout. “Reece had a very good game,” EA boys basketball coach Chris George said. “He rebounded the ball late in the game, they fouled him and he made his free throws. “We got to get more scoring from other people, from Clayton (Brown), Brady (Davidson), Austin (Patrick). We can’t just sit and watch, we have to make sure we’re all in it.” The next highest scorer was Brown with 8 points, while J.C. Bush tallied 5. Opening the campaign with Reece George and Brown, the only two players returning from last season’s state championship squad, providing on-court leadership, Chris George he hopes their performance fuels the younger teammates. “I think it gives them confidence that he’s backing up what leadership he leading with. He’s not just saying it, he’s doing it on the court,” the coach said. “I also think it sets the example for them he’s been in gym a lot over the summer, after last season, he had that burning desire to be the leader and play more minutes. He worked for it and it’s paying off. “Hopefully, it’ll spur the young guys and see if Reece can do it, we can do it. We don’t have a superstar on our team. We’ve got 12 guys playing together, that’s how we’ll overcome our season.” EA plays Hooper Academy Nov. 28 at home.
Lady Wildcats start season 0-2 Offensive woes stymied the Edgewood Academy girls varsity basketball team to start the season as it fell to Sparta, 58-49, at home Tuesday and at Abbeville Christian, 34-25, Thursday. The Lady Wildcats (0-2) shot below 30 percent from the field in both contests, missing layups and uncontested jumpers. “I told the girls at our first practice that defense was our emphasis because I worry about us being able to score consistently,” first-year EA girls basketball coach Chris George said. “We have the players to put the ball in the basket, but if it’s rushed and our feet are not set, if it’s not a rhythm shot, we struggle to score.” Junior point guard Kaitlyn Sampson led Edgewood with 16 points versus Sparta, but managed just 31 percent shooting. Senior forward Kevi Hansen, who missed the Abbeville game and will sit out a couple of weeks due to a finger she injured in the season opener, added 12 points and 12 rebounds versus Sparta and sophomore C.J. Weldon has 11, going 1-for-7 from 3-point range. As a team, EA collected 11 steals and George said the defensive end of the floor is where his team can overcome its offensive inconsistencies. “Trying to turn defense into offense through the press, offensive rebounds and tip-outs. We’ve got to turn people over and rebound well,” George said. “And we have to be tough for other teams to score on us. That’s how we’ll win this year. Plus, we’re a young team – I wouldn’t say inexperienced, just inexperienced with me.” The Lady ‘Cats return to the hardwood Nov. 28, hosting Hooper Academy at 6 p.m.
State tourney trio to lead Tribe wrestling team this season By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor
David Crunkilton wants to take Wetumpka wrestling above and beyond anywhere it’s ever been before. His first time as a wrestling coach, heading up an Indian team that features three state tournament qualifiers in seniors Trent Holley, John Ellis Rawls and sophomore Cole Blackwell, and a program that sports three state champions in the last three seasons, Crunkilton didn’t shy away from his expectations. “We have a lot of talented wrestlers,” Crunkilton said. “I would like to take at least eight to state. Of course, we’d love more, anywhere from eight to 11 -- if I could take all 14, that’d be fantastic. But roughly, eight to 11 would be my goal. “They’ve met expectations so far, they haven’t wanted to quit, they’ve always wanted to go above and beyond so far in practice. I love their attitude, hopefully they’ll keep that up.” Last season, Holley placed runner-up in the Class 6A, 220-pound division, while Blackwell and Rawls fell short of a top-five showing in 126-pound and 195-pound, respectively. Collectively a younger squad this year, the
Tribe has benefited from its state tourney trio. “The guys that went to state last year are very impressive. They work really hard every practice, they’re the team leaders, they’re the ones pushing everybody else,” Crunkilton said. “I feel like they push themselves enough as it is, but I push them that much more. I want them to be able to go above and beyond, and I would to see all three of them win state, all of them are capable of at least qualifying and placing, if not winning state this year.” Crunkilton noted Kyler Adams, Avery Pyles, Kaleb Jones, James Stroh, Mason Blackwell and Logan Townson as Tribe wrestlers he’s watching this season. With what he calls a loaded weight-class lineup, the first-year coach welcomes the pressure. “Of course there’s pressure because there are high expectations for me to take a team that’s been successful and make them that much more successful. But at the same time, the kids work so hard, they know what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished, and they want to get back there,” he said. “So it’s a little easier at the same time because they want to get there, too.” Cory Diaz / The Herald WHS opens the 2016-17 season Tuesday at home versus Carver-Montgomery and Sidney Wetumpka seniors and state qualifiers John Ellis Rawls, left, and Trent Holley spar during the Lanier. team’s practice Thursday.