SPORTS, 9
OPINION, 4
EVENTS, 8
Foster thriving after shoulder surgery
Reader: Don’t get shut out on election day
See the area calendar inside today
Eclectic Observer ALABAMA’S BIGGEST WEEKLY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL EDITION INSIDE TODAY
The
WEDNESDAY • OCTOBER 17, 2018
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 29, No. 42
Holton’s trial date reset
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
The trial date of an Elmore County teenager who was indicted for the 2016 slaying of his father has been rescheduled for the third time. The trial of Jesse Madison Holton, 19, who currently lists an address on Highway 231 in Titus is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 22 under presiding judge Sibley Reynolds. Madison Holton’s trial was initially scheduled for March, and then reset for June. Madison Holton was initially arrested and charged with two counts of murder by the Elmore County Sheriff’s office on Sept. 12, 2016, the day after he was said to have fatally shot his parents, Jesse Michael Holton and April Owenby Holton. At the time of his arrest, Holton listed an address on Lindsey Road in See HOLTON • Page 2
‘Seeing the town together’
County commission establishes accounts for feeding inmates
Alabama Cotton Festival draws thousands to Eclectic
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
The 26th annual Alabama Cotton Festival attracted a record number of visitors and residents alike to the town of Eclectic on Saturday. Mayor Gary Davenport estimated that between 7,000 and 8,000 people flocked to Eclectic’s downtown area, making the turnout roughly seven times Eclectic’s population of 1,100. According to Davenport, the Cotton Festival is held each year to commemorate the town’s roots in the cotton industry. “That’s basically what built this town. We had cotton gins here and we had a train track run through here, where cotton came in and cotton came out,” Davenport said. “We do this to recognize everything that cotton did for this town.” See FESTIVAL • Page 3
Amalia Kortright / The Observer
Top: The winning chicken crosses the finish line. Middle: Eclectic library director Betty Coker leads the String Alongs during their performance on the festival’s main stage. Above: Stanhope Elmore art teacher Mindy Buckley presents the paintings local veterans and students collaborated on earlier this year.
Water runoff requests spark debate at commission work session
Today’s
Weather
76 54 High
The Elmore County Commission unanimously voted to establish three bank accounts for funds that go toward feeding jail inmates and state prisoners in the county. According to Commission chair Troy Stubbs, the account will be opened with Primesouth Bank, and Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin will be authorized to oversee the funds. “The governor basically wants to make sure that money is not mingling with any other money, so when the state wants to come and audit, it’s very clear,” Stubbs said. During the commission’s work session, prior to the meeting, the item was added to the agenda at the request of Stubbs. “We are making an effort to assist the sheriff in following the guidance given by Gov. Kay Ivey regarding the funding for feeding of state prisoners,” Stubbs said. “Gov. Ivey has made a specific mandate that those funds are accounted for and followed and tracked very closely.” In other business, the commission: –Entered into an agreement to provide See INMATES • Page 2
By AMALIA KORTRIGHT Bureau Chief
Low
THURS: HIGH 76 LOW 56
Amalia Kortright / The Observer
Wetumpka resident Judy Robertson debates with commission chair Troy Stubbs about water runoff coming from county roads onto her property.
Where Superior Service is Standard
Gassett
Funerals On Site Cremations Pre-Needs • Monuments
Funeral Home & Crematory, LLC
Celebrating 40 Years of Service!
A Wetumpka woman made several requests of the Elmore County Commission concerning water runoff onto her property during an Oct. 9 work session. Judy Robertson, who resides on Pine Forest Drive, said her property has “suffered severely,” due to water runoff from her street and Jasmine Hill Road. Over the course of eight years, Elmore County Commission chair Troy Stubbs said they have been approached
by Robertson multiple times concerning the issue. During the work session, Robertson asked the commission to revise the drainage route on Jasmine Hill Road, open two driveway culverts on Pine Forest Drive, open one culvert at her driveway, ensure ditches are at the proper levels, remove the wire caging in front of her residence, remove a man-made “land disturbance” in a ditch in front of her residence and open a driveway culvert on Bush Hill Drive. Commission chair Troy See WATER • Page 2
Joe Al All Allen len Gasse len G Gassett, assett tt, tt Founder 1942-2009
(334) 567-8433 www.gassettfuneralhome.net • 204 East Charles Avenue, Wetumpka, AL 36092