INSIDE TODAY Adams resigns as Holtville head coach
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Excited about the return of Frontier days
Opinion, Page A4
Sports, Page B1
THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • NOVEMBER 2, 2016
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 118, NO.41
Faulk set to plead guilty Dec. 1
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
Joe Faulk, Elmore County Commissioner for District 4, will plead guilty to the charge of use of his official position or office for personal gain, according to papers filed with the Circuit Court of Elmore County on Friday.
According to the documents filed with the court, Faulk will enter his plea to the “non-capital felony offense” before Judge Glenn Goggans on Dec. 1. According to information filed on the case by Assistant Attorney General Kyle Beckman, Faulk “did intentionally use” multiple checks or currency from Financial Marketing Concepts Inc. and County RX Card, LLC, “to obtain personal gain for himself and such use and
gain were not specifically authorized by law.” The information filed by the attorney general does not give any financial value of Faulk’s personal benefit and Faulk’s agreement to plead does not legally exclude the lessening of the charge to a misdemeanor, which would allow him to keep his position on the commission. Financial Marketing Concepts Inc. is
a company, headquartered in Ponta Vedra Beach, Florida, that, according to its website, works “in partnership with cities, states, counties, townships, groups and associations nationwide” to develop “the
Faulk
Big Fish Bites Cancer raises event over $11k
REPORT: Officer’s speed ‘primary contributor’ in fatal wreck
By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
The Wetumpka police officer involved in the U.S. 231 crash that killed a Wetumpka woman on Saturday, Oct. 22, was the “primary contributor” to the crash and his speed was the “primary contributing circumstance,” according to a preliminary crash report on the accident, released on Friday by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Elaine Merritt, 52, was killed in the accident that the report says occurred at 3:55 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Cambridge Avenue. She was turning left in her 2016 Honda Pilot off Cambridge Avenue to head north toward Wetumpka when the 2010 Dodge Charger Wetumpka police cruiser driven by Officer Andrew William Bass struck her vehicle. The report does not include any estimate of Bass’ speed at the time of the accident. However, a diagram of the accident included with the report indicates that the impact of the crash occurred in the middle turn lane that divides 231 at that location, that the See WRECK • Page A5
See ETHICS • Page A5
File / The Herald
Alabama Frontier Days returns with re-enactors to stage a living history tour of life from roughly 1700 to 1820 in central Alabama. The event is geared towards students in the 4th grade and seeks to provide context for students currently studying Alabama history.
FINAL FRONTIER Frontier Days returns for its 20th year By WILLIAM CARROLL Managing Editor
For the 20th year running, Alabama Frontier Days will return to Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson
Bustling around the Boo Festival
with a living history exhibit that attracts fourth grade students and parents from all over the state. According to Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park Director Ove Jensen the
event first started in 1996 and is the largest event of its kind in the state. “The event is geared towards fourth graders,” See FRONTIER • Page A3
The first ever Big Fish Bites Cancer event held at Jackson Lake Island in Millbrook was a huge success as event organizers said the fundraiser brought in around $11,500. Holly Carter, one of the event organizers said that the idea for the fundraiser began about a year ago. “My husband and I have lost family members to cancer,” Carter said noting that her mother, a cancer survivor has gone through a double mastectomy. “We got her into kayaking and eventually an informal group of kayakers who were cancer survivors formed.” Carter said that the group was aware of the Chicken Salad Chick Foundation, which was created in 2014 by Kevin and Stacy Brown is a group dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem. See CANCER • Page A8
Mayor says Cotton Festival draws 4,000 By DAVID GRANGER Staff Writer
David Granger / The Herald
William Carroll / The Herald
Kids pick out candy at the Realty Connection booth at Millbrook’s annual Boo Fest Saturday morning.
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This 1929 Nash, owned by Paul Blackwell of Irondale, was among the dozens of antique vehicles entered in the car show at the 24th Annual Cotton Festival in Eclectic. An estimated 4,000 people were on hand to enjoy a host of vendors and activities at the festival.
GOT JUNK! One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Sell your clutter in the Classifieds.
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It was an unusually warm late October day, but that didn’t stop thousands from making the trek to downtown Eclectic to enjoy the 24th annual Cotton Festival on Saturday. According to Eclectic Mayor Gary Davenport, an estimated 4,000 people visited the festival throughout the day, with vendors selling all sorts of wares ranging from old collectible coins to handmade items, tasty treats ranging from shaved ice to shrimp and grits and events like a car show, an art show, a Kids Zone and the annual Alabama See COTTON • Page A3