Eclectic Observer
IVEY SEES PROGRESS, CHURCHES REGROUP, HOW TO HELP, MORE NEWS INSIDE
The
WEDNESDAY • JANUARY 23, 2019
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
Vol. 30, No. 3
Moving ahead
Willis: It’s time ‘to dream about Wetumpka’
#We2Strong: The true meaning of community
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By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Following the loss of the senior center and heavy damage at police department headquarters, the Wetumpka City Council Tuesday approved replacing some of the equipment lost in Saturday’s tornado. After receiving quotes on what it would take to replace the three computers lost at the senior center and 18 computers at the police department, the council approved a cap of $25,000 to replace the computers and purchase auxiliary equipment needed to run them. Mayor Jerry Willis gave the council an See WILLIS • Page A6
Today’s
Weather
63 36 High
Cliff Williams / The Observer
A rainbow, above, appeared shortly after Saturday’s tornado destroyed much of Wetumpka, top.
ou cannot get used to seeing that kind of destruction — trees through windows, roads shut down, horrified looks on everyone’s face. This is not what you want to see in CCALEB A LE B your community. TURRENTINE I saw the same things in Sports Writer Tuscaloosa in 2011 and in Tupelo in 2014. I assisted in relief efforts at both of those places but Saturday’s tornado destruction was different. This is my town, my people, my community. The first few hours were spent in shock as I avoided downed power wires, held my breath See #WE2STRONG • Page A6
Church’s building destroyed but congregation still standing By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
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THURS: HIGH 49 LOW 30
First Presbyterian Church has been a staple at the corner of Bridge and Main streets in Wetumpka. Saturday, the antebellum building came tumbling down in the EF2 tornado but not the church, whose influence has been felt in the community and beyond even before the steeple was built in 1856. Pastor Jonathan Yarboro said every church in the area invited the congregation to worship with them Sunday morning. First Baptist Church, whose buildings across the street were also damaged, also extended an invitation, but Yarboro politely declined all of them. “My gosh how are y’all going to have church tomorrow?” Yarboro said some asked. “I said, ‘What the hell is wrong with you? We aren’t going to have church, we are going to be the Cliff Williams / The Observer church like we have always been.’” See CHURCH • Page A7 Wetumpka’s First Presbyterian Church lost its sanctuary but the congregation still met Sunday.
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Helping hands Volunteers descend on Wetumpka following Saturday’s tornado By CARMEN RODGERS and DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writers
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Cliff Williams / The Observer
Volunteers check in at the Elmore County Department of Human Resources on Sunday morning.
Lizi Arbogast / The Observer
Volunteers were looking to help out in any way they could over the weekend.
Donald Campbell / The Observer
Middle: Leanne Crews, center in glasses, and other employees from Coosa Cleaver grill up hamburgers Monday afternoon for volunteers and first responders cleaning up after Saturday’s tornado. Above: Jeneé Jones with River Perk Coffee watches the coffee and hot chocolate stand the coffee shop set up for volunteers and first responders helping clean up.
path of destruction was left behind in Wetumpka after Saturday’s twister but it didn’t take long for images of the devastation to make their way to social media, where they were shared by thousands. The next day, area residents and beyond were moved to action. Elmore County Emergency Management, with the assistance of a volunteer group, set up a registration station at the Elmore County Department of Human Resources building. Coordinators opened the doors at 8 a.m. Sunday and people began coming in by the dozens to help their neighbors with cleanup efforts. Tammy Spencer, of HandsOn River Region in Montgomery, said more than 500 people showed up before noon Sunday to lend a hand to victims of Saturday afternoon’s storm. Monday afternoon, that number had more than doubled. Elmore County Commissioner Troy Stubbs said 730 volunteers were registered Sunday and another 300 Monday. According to Spencer, while the majority of the volunteer cleanup efforts are centered in downtown, HandsOn River Region sent several helping hands into all of the affected areas. “We have chainsaw teams, people with heavy equipment,” Spencer said. “We also sent five chainsaw teams with a total of 50 people out into the areas where there were trees down and trees on houses. They are cutting up the trees and removing trees and tarping houses.” Before going out to lend a helping hand, volunteers had to take a brief safety course, and Spencer said there are a few things to consider before registering. “They need to be 18 to volunteer without a guardian or parents signature,” Spencer said. “(People ages) 14 through 17 would need to have a parent or guardian that comes with them and stays with them in order for them to volunteer.” HandsOn River Region is the largest team assembled of volunteers but it certainly isn’t the only one. John Cordell, a member of the Alabama Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, said 10 people were deployed from the Montgomery Baptist Association to help. They were mostly chainsaw crews, helping to clear large trees out of people’s yards. “It’s important because we’re told to be doers and not just hearers of the word,” Cordell said. “And we’re told to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I would love for somebody to come up here and do this if this were my house, so as a representative of Jesus Christ, I can’t do nothing but come up here.” Members of the Red Cross of Montgomery also set up shop at Wetumpka High School, which opened its doors as a shelter throughout the week. The Church of the Highlands and Bridge Church provided food at the shelter. In downtown Wetumpka, the businesses that survived the storm were open to help in the recovery effort. “There were a lot of us here when it happened Saturday,” said Leanne Crews, a bartender at Coosa Cleaver. “We decided that night to do what we could to help. A friend of the owners brought the grill. We started cooking early (Sunday) morning. “We’ve been cooking up burgers for volunteers, first responders and those affected by this. We’ve had a lot of people helping out. Flowers Bakery donated buns, and some people have even donated the hamburger meat.” Grumpy Dog owner Wil Lanum offered free lunches to volunteers and first responders Monday. “We all recover together,” he said. “We fed the whole city of Wetumpka (Monday). We offered free lunch to volunteers and first responders, those affected and those just passing through. Everybody’s welcome today.” The owners of River Perk also did their part, giving out free coffee throughout the weekend and into Monday. “I feel it’s a responsibility of us downtown,” River Perk Coffee owner Johnny Oates said. “We’ve got a great volunteer base here. There’s a great love of the community. It’s a blessing to me to serve someone else.” The spur-of-the-moment help right after the tornado was stunning. “Within 30 minutes probably, people just showed up with chainsaws,” said Leslie Mattox, who lives on Green Street, where six large fallen trees rendered it impassable. “Out here in the pouring rain, they were clearing the road. They were just random people; we didn’t know a single one of them.” For those would like to help with the ongoing recovery efforts but cannot volunteer, Spencer said the Central Alabama Community Foundation is accepting monetary donations that will be given in full to Wetumpka. “One-hundred percent,” Spencer said. “Nothing will be taken out of it.” To give to the foundation, go to https://cacfinfo. org/category/news/. There are also plenty of other ways to contribute; Stubbs said people can call 211 locally or bring donations of food, clothes and household goods to Adullam House and Faith Baptist Church, and nonperishable food to the Elmore County Food Bank. For more information about how to donate through the Central Alabama Community Foundation, call CACF president Burton Crenshaw at 334-264-6223. Lizi Arbogast contributed to this report.
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JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE A3
Gov. Ivey sees progress in Wetumpka 1,000 volunteers in city helping recovery from tornado; curfew lifted, schools reopen By JIMMY WIGFIELD Managing Editor
With the radiant sun shining on shredded homes, churches and businesses, Wetumpka continued to bind its wounds Monday in the aftermath of Saturday’s tornado, helped to its feet by a swarm of more than 1,000 volunteers and a visit from Gov. Kay Ivey. “This is a day we can give thanks to God Almighty for no loss of life,” Ivey said after her tour of the mangled area on the west bank of the Coosa River. There were signs of progress throughout Monday. A curfew in
place since the tornado struck was discontinued, the Bibb Graves Bridge over the river was reopened to traffic and Wetumpka City Schools reopened at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to police chief Greg Benton. A four-way stop on the west side of the bridge at West Bridge Street and South Main Street will be in place with an officer directing traffic during peak hours in the morning and evening until a traffic light is reinstalled, probably by the end of the week, Benton said. Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said he hopes most traffic signals will be rehung by See IVEY • Page A9
Jimmy Wigfield / The Observer
Gov. Kay Ivey, center, greets Wetumpka councilmember Lewis Washington Sr. on Monday afternoon as she walked through areas heavily damaged by Saturday’s tornado.
Local officials give update on tornado relief By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
Cliff Williams / The Observer
Saturday’s tornado damaged Edwin Johnston’s two homes and two RVs but he found a way to laugh, as an $800 shed he owns didn’t have a scratch.
Finding the positive Man finds way to laugh despite 2 homes, 2 RVs damaged By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer
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dwin Johnston maybe the luckiest unlucky man in Wetumpka. Johnston can laugh about Saturday’s tornado, despite trees falling onto his Tallassee Highway home while he rode out the storm inside. “I was standing in the kitchen window in shorts cutting up deer meat when a tree crashed into the house,” Johnston said in his yard Sunday morning. “I made it to the door and stood in the frame. That was the best I could do.” It is not the only home Johnston owns that was damaged by the Saturday afternoon EF2 tornado. He said his neighbor picked him up to take him to downtown. They parked on Green Street and walked across the Bibb Graves Bridge to check on his other home. “I literally had to crawl under trees to get out,” Johnston said. “I moved here a year ago. I have a house in town just a block from where everything was just leveled. That house is still standing on Tuskeena Street, but the windows are
“All this stuff, the cheapest shed, an $800 building doesn’t have a scratch on it. Is that not hiliarous?” — Edwin Johnston Tornado survivor out and the doors are blown in. With the amount of damage, it will likely be totaled.” The Tallassee Highway home is Johnston’s childhood home. “I actually grew up here,” Johnston said. “This is my parents’ house. I just renovated everything inside the house from top to bottom. The exterior being
brick and a metal roof didn’t need any work – it does now.” It is not the first time the Tallassee Highway home has been damaged by storms. “Twenty-three years ago when (Hurricane) Opal came through, an oak tree fell,” Johnston said. “It cracked the bricks on this side, but it shifted the entire house enough to crack sheetrock on the other end of the house.” Saturday’s tornado blew most of the roof off Johnston’s home and blew down trees all around his property causing more damage to other property, including two vintage Airstream RVs. “That was in mint condition,” Johnston said of a travel trailer visible from his yard. “It’s a ’74 model. It is two axle and 28 feet long. Now it has tree over it and through it. There is another one parked in a shed. The shed has collapsed around it. It is a three axle and is the biggest they make.” Johnston lost several utility trailers but one thing did not get damaged. “All this stuff, the cheapest shed, an $800 building doesn’t have a scratch on it,” Johnston said. “Is that not hilarious?”
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Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis held a press conference with local officials Sunday morning at Wetumpka City Hall. They gave updates on the damage around downtown but opened with a statement of gratitude for the response from people around the county and around the state. “First of all, I’d like to thank all the mayors in the river region that have reached out to us to offer their assistance and sending their workers and first responders in here to assist us,” Willis said. “It’s been awesome the support that we’ve had. We have suffered a tremendous amount of damage. This is something we have never had here before so it’s quite an adjustment for us and what we’re dealing with.” The city is still determining the amount of damage done around the metro area. John De Block from the National Weather Service in Birmingham was at the press conference to get into the specifics of the storm. “Thus far we’ve seen damage from wind speeds of 120 to 130 miles per hour,” De Block said. “That puts us on the high end of an EF-2 tornado. We’re going to continue to survey the damage throughout the day and make a final assessment once we survey all of the damage.” Based off information from the radar, De Block said he believed the storm started near the river and had a width of about 300 yards. After fully surveying the damage, the NWS said the tornado covered 18.2 miles and had a max width of 700 yards. Willis also introduced Elmore County Commissioner Troy Stubbs to discuss the specifics of the relief efforts in downtown. Stubbs wanted it to be clear the professional first responders are hard at work and need space but he did not overlook the amount of support from around the community. “The tremendous amount of damage was right here in the immediate metro area of Wetumpka but the storm continued on a track outside of the city limits and into some residential areas along Tallassee Highway See UPDATE • Page A7
JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE A4
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‘But as soon as you start to get scared, it was over.’ Survivors recall how they felt when tornado hit “We put pillows over our heads then we heard this strange noise. I kept thinking to listen for the train because you always hear people say it sounds like a train, but I never really heard that. It was more of — I tried to explain it to my friends — it was kind of like the wind was roaring at you. It was just strange. But as soon as you start to get scared, it was over. Right after, everything was totally quiet. We couldn’t hear any wind. It went totally quiet.”
— Leslie Mattox, lives on Green Street with husband Jason “I came out and looked on the front porch, and it was just raining. All of a sudden, the wind picked up and I thought, ‘I need to get the flags in because they are going to blow off the front porch.’ About that time, the wind started going the opposite direction, and I hightailed it back in the house.”
— Heather Norton, lives on West Bridge Street “I was actually sleeping, and my brother (Antonio) grabbed us and told us to get down. It was very quick. It felt like a herd of bulls just ran through the house and all you heard was glass shattering everywhere around us.”
— Keonna Russell, lives on Tuskeena Street “It was just really weird. I don’t know how to explain it. It was green in the sky. It was like a really weird pea green afterward, and it was very eerie. I told my husband, ‘We can’t go out there. It’s too quiet.’ We got a poster that was in our front yard from somewhere. It was the weirdest thing; it was a Hannah Montana, you know Miley Cyrus, poster, not even wet, totally dry, and it just landed in our front yard.”
— Deborah T yree, lives at Cotton Lakes in Wetumpka “We heard the wind and the rain hitting the awning, and we got the customers and employees down to the basement. By the time I got everybody out of the dining room and downstairs, my front doors blew open and at that point, a window blew out. And I was just standing there, and it was done. I mean, it was maybe 15 seconds.”
— Paul Norton, owner of Coaches Corner
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JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE A5
Photos by Cliff Williams & Caleb Turrentine /
The Observer
First responders and area residents were on scene after Saturday’s EF2 tornado hit the city of Wetumpka, damaging everything in its path. Although homes and city structures were demolished, there were no casualties. More than 1,000 volunteers have been working since Saturday to clean up the debris and rubble.
PAGE A6 • JANUARY 23, 2019
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
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Willis
continued from Page A1
update on tornado recovery and damage. “We had up to 35 homes damaged or destroyed,” Willis said. “We had up to 15 commercial buildings damaged or destroyed.” Willis said programs at the senior center will resume next week at the Elmore County Hospital cafeteria. Due to heavy damage at the police department, Willis said law enforcement will temporarily use space in the city administrative building on South Main Street. While there is still much to be done, Willis said progress has been made and the city should be thinking about where it wants to go in the future. “A lot of work has been done so far,” Willis said. “We need to dream about Wetumpka.” In other action at the meeting: • The council briefly discussed an agreement to get a stable surface on a pathway between the Wetumpka Sports Complex and the Riverwalk. The pathway, which would receive an 8-foot wide concrete surface, would be funded through a $60,000 grant. After the discussion, the council approved a motion to move forward with an agreement with the state to begin the process. • The council also approved moving forward on an addition to the city’s personnel policies and procedures manual regarding drug and alcohol testing. The new method would allow for faster testing and save the city nearly $200 per month. After several questions posed by councilmember Lewis Washington, including some of the wording used in the addition, the motion passed, along with a new consent form for testing and a supplement to the policies and procedures regarding testing.
Cliff Williams / The Observer
Hal Yeager / Governor’s office
The Wetumpka Police Department, above, and the senior center, left, were damaged in Saturday’s tornado. Gov. Kay Ivey, left center, spoke to media, officials and community members at a press conference Monday. After receiving quotes on what it would take to replace the three computers lost at the senior center and 18 computers at the police department, the city council approved a cap of $25,000 to replace the computers and purchase auxiliary equipment needed to run them. Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis gave the council an update on tornado recovery and damage at Tuesday’s meeting.
#We2Strong around open gas lines and tried to find a way to do my job without seeming like I was overwhelmed. But to be honest, I was overwhelmed. And that does not happen very often. I live less than a mile away from the majority of the damage in downtown Wetumpka and I never heard the tornado. I was shaken about how much worse it could have been for me. After walking around some of the sites, I had to make it across the bridge to the Herald office. I successfully made it to Green Street but then decided I had to go back across to the site of the worst destruction. On my walk back toward the bridge, I was stopped by a woman outside of one of the downtown shops. She had a different attitude than I expected. Her smile was contagious and she could not stop pouring her thanks after hearing there were not any major injuries. She recognized me from a Facebook Live
continued from Page A1 video and told me to be safe as I continued to walk around town. Before I walked away, she thanked me for doing what I was doing and keeping everyone informed. “What am I doing?” That’s all I could think. “There are thousands of people trying to get into the town to volunteer their services, and I haven’t cleaned up a single piece of debris.” But that’s when it all clicked with me. I understood the true sense of
community, and I saw every bit of it over the next 24 hours. Everyone has a part to play to help the community recover, and that was clear this weekend. The first responders were leading the way but the number of individuals who walked into the worst areas was astounding. There was never an individual working alone, and you couldn’t walk 20 yards without running into people offering you coffee or water. From the outside,
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you may have thought Wetumpka was at its lowest points. But if you saw what I saw, you knew the community has never been more alive. After having severe damage at its building, the First Baptist Church in Wetumpka held its services at the Civic Center on Sunday morning. Everyone has heard the following concept before but it resonated this weekend. “You know Wetumpka First Baptist as a cam-
pus or a building,” FBC pastor Dr. James Troglen said. “But look around you. These people are what Wetumpka First Baptist is.” That doesn’t just apply to churches; it can also be meant for a community. Businesses, homes and church buildings were all lost, but the community is still there. The damage cannot be undone but it will not be the defining point of this recovery. The outpouring love and unity over the
past few days already show this community will be back stronger. As pictures and videos flew through social media over the weekend, one hashtag caught my eye: #We2Strong Of course, I love a good pun but this one was more than that. This one made me believe. And so does this community. Caleb Turrentine is a sports writer at The Herald and The Observer.
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Church Yarboro told his congregation Sunday’s meeting at the Wetumpka Depot is just what the members needed. While the pastor had prepared a formal message like he does every week, Yarboro chose to speak from the heart. “I hope you have felt the incredible outpouring of love that our sisters and brothers not only in this community but everyone who has heard has already begun to shower upon you; that will continue,” Yarboro said. “Prepare to be overwhelmed at the outpouring of love. Know where it comes from. It comes in part as a repayment for the love you have shown and our church has shown for 183 years.” The congregation asked Yarboro if things such as the church bell had been found. “The bell was in the middle of the yard,” Yarboro responded. “The Bible next to the pulpit has been recovered. The guy who brought it out said, ‘It looks perfect, but one of the pages is torn.’ I told him it was like that before the tornado.” Yarboro continued to joke with the congregation. “It looks like the contents of my office got sucked up and sent somewhere,” Yarboro said. “My Jesus action figure is liable to fall at someone’s feet. When it does, you’re going to hear stories of the second coming.” Yarboro said his bass was found safe and sound. “It was under my desk right where I left it,” Yarboro quipped. “It is tough. It hasn’t been in a case in 35 years and it is not now. It it is still in tune.” Despite the destruction, Yarboro shared some the positives to come from the disaster. “Who was it that said we needed to clean out that closet?” Yarboro asked. “Done! The closet is clean.” Yarboro also asked the congregation to be thankful. “As a church family, we are beyond blessed this happened on Saturday and not Friday or (Sunday),” Yarboro said. “The room that has the least amount left of is the nursery. If you are searching for a reason to feel blessed, that is enough. What you need to be focused on is the feeling of blessing you have. It comes from God. We are blessed beyond measure.” Yarboro said another blessing is no one was in the sanctuary. He said he could not assure officials no one was in there as the door is left open to anyone who wants to come in and pray. The only thing Yarboro could assure first responders of was no one from the church family was in the building. But the responders searched the sanctuary and found it to be empty. Yarboro’s prayed with those gathered at the church’s service, thanking God for what He had done and asking for His support in the church’s future. “You have surrounded us with blessings already,” the pastor prayed. “We can say God is good. Since 1856 people have worshipped in a sacred space. That space has been a beacon to this community, literally and spiritually. The literal beacon has been taken away but it will come back. The spiritual beacon cannot be taken from us because it comes from You. We know Your work through First Presbyterian is nowhere near complete here.”
JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE A7 continued from Page A1
Cliff Williams / The Observer
Top: The First Presbyterian Church in Wetumpka made sure to hold its service Sunday, despite the destruction of its building. Above left: A member of the First Presbyterian Church brings in a hymnal recovered from the church following the Wetumpka tornado. Above right: Pastor Jonathan Yarboro gives a sermon to members of the congregation gathered at Sunday’s service at The Wetumpka Depot.
Caleb Turrentine / The Observer Cliff Williams / The Observer
The First Presbyterian Church was destroyed in Saturday’s tornado but that did not Two church members share a hug Sunday. stop the congregation from having church Sunday.
Update and other roads,” Stubbs said. “We are making sure it is safe for our citizens to travel about and, most importantly, for our essential services, utilities and law enforcement to get around the community to serve everyone.” Stubbs and Willis both said there has been an outpouring of support from other officials around the river region. Stubbs said there have been numerous people and groups already looking for ways to volunteer around the community. The county’s EMA director Keith Barnett was also on hand and directed anyone needing information to call 334-567-6451. “We are still fielding calls for damage and calls from people wanting to serve,” Stubbs said. “We are encouraging all reports of damage to come to the emergency operations center … People can call to report damage and call if they have a volunteer group. We are trying to organize that as much as possible so we can get the pieces back together. I cannot say enough about our community and everyone’s desire to serve.” Willis said there was a total of 25 homes in the city limits damaged
continued from Page A3 to destroyed as of 10 a.m. Sunday. Offcials were still trying to assess the total damage but one of the focuses was around the police department’s building on the corner of Marshall and East Coosa streets. “We lost our police station; it was pretty well taken out,” Willis said. “We’re making plans today on how we’re going to set that up and move forward. “We don’t know how long it’s going to take. I think we had five police cars in this that were damaged or destroyed. One was a brand-new vehicle that had just been put online. We’ll have to work through all of that. We may have to borrow some police cars from someone but we’ll move forward.” Surveying the damage will become clearer over the next few days as the cleaning efforts continue. “We’ll get out numbers in place and figure out exactly where we are,” Willis said. “We’re still trying to document everything we’re doing. We have to do that for FEMA to see if it will be something that will involve them.”
Cliff Williams / The Observer
Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis, center, speaks at Sunday’s press conference following the tornado in Wetumpka on Saturday. City and county officials are focused on how to get the area back into normal operation as much as possible.
PAGE A8 • JANUARY 23, 2019
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Joey Jones / For The Observer
Saturday’s EF2 tornado damaged many structures, including First Baptist Church in Wetumpka. The church held its service at the civic center Sunday.
First Baptist Church in Wetumpka holds first service after tornado By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
T
he First Baptist Church in Wetumpka suffered severe damage to its building during Saturday’s tornado. The congregation was not able to meet at its building Sunday morning but it still held its services at the Wetumpka Civic Center. “I was not sure what to preach about this morning,� FBC pastor Dr. James Troglen said during his sermon. “I just knew we needed to have services. The church needed to meet.� The services started with five songs from the congregation’s worship band. Each of the songs delivered a strong message of keeping trust in Cliff Williams / The Observer God and the speakers on The First Baptist Church in Wetumpka suffered severe damage to its building during Saturday’s tornado. However, that did not Sunday morning echoed keep the congregation from meeting. The church held services on Sunday at the Wetumpka Civic Center. that. After taking its weekly offering, the services continued with Troglen’s sermon. He began by going through some OPIOID ADDICTION of the specifics of the HAS NO AGE LIMIT. damage at the building before getting into the Public notices from IT’S OK TO ASK FOR HELP. lesson. Alabama newspapers He expects the build ‡ $FFHVV SXEOLF QRWLFHV VWDWHZLGH ing’s newest branch, ‡ )5(( PDQXDO VHDUFKHV the Impact Center, to be gone but he is hoping to ‡ 6HDUFK E\ NH\ZRUG FRXQW\ RU SDSHU save some of the lum ‡ 0XOWL FRXQW\ RU FURVV UHIHUHQFH VHDUFKHV bar from the rafters in S NEIGHBORS COUSINS NEPHEWS FIRST RESPO the old chapel. Parts of the building have been standing for more than 150 years and survived public notice affects you through the Civil War. 24/7 Helpline Troglen continued by thanking the outpouring 844-307-1760 of support from around COURAGEFORALL.COM the local community and from other Baptist a message of the Alabama Department of Mental Health congregations around
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the country. He also wanted the members of the neighboring buildings, including the First Presbyterian congregation, and said they would be in the church’s prayers. Once the lesson began, Troglen focused on passages from the book of Job. The message was about focusing on the positive things you have been blessed with rather than the trials you have to face. “We don’t have control over what happens to us,� Troglen said. “We do have control of what happens in us.� Troglen said he wanted to give out a message of hope. He wanted it to be clear the next step is giving all of the pieces to God and allowing him to work through the disaster. “This is not the first big thing this church has had to face,� he said. “This church is almost 200 years old. It’s not the first storm and it will not be the last. It will not be too much for us and that’s God’s promise. Realizing that will change so much.� Troglen closed with a story from the day of the storm. After he began surveying the damage at the building, he saw a man who had a different attitude than most people. “He told me he can’t wait to see what we can do now,� Troglen said. Despite all the damage done to the building and to houses of several members, Sunday’s service relayed a message of hope and trust.
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JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE A9
Hal Yeager / Governor’s office
Gov. Kay Ivey surveyed the Wetumpka tornado damage Monday. Ivey, center, walks through the areas of Wetumpka most severely damaged by Saturday’s tornado with Elmore County EMA director Keith Barnett, far right, and Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis, left.
Ivey today. Ivey, who one week earlier had stood on the steps of the state Capitol for her inauguration, walked cautiously to avoid glass, nails and tree branches on streets in the city’s most heavily damaged area. She walked past the ruins of the historic First Presbyterian Church and the seriously damaged First Baptist Church alongside Willis in contemplative silence. “It’s been a tough few days,” Willis said. “It was difficult the first few times I saw it to keep my composure. It broke my heart to see the (Presbyterian) church.” Ivey also stopped at several damaged homes along the way to thank volunteers for helping clean up and to encourage homeowners. “Anybody want a shovel or a rake?” the governor asked after shaking hands with volunteers from Tallassee. Later, standing behind the demolished Fain Senior Center on Cotton Street, Ivey said God spared Wetumpka from a much worse fate. “It’s just about as bad as I thought it would be,” Ivey said over the incessant grinding of
continued from Page A3 chainsaws chopping up trees toppled by the EF2 tornado’s estimated 120 to 130 mph winds. “Yes, we lost a lot of property, so there is a lot of discomfort in the area. There is a lot of devastation, 35-plus homes damaged or unlivable, the First Baptist Church, the First Presbyterian Church. Thank goodness no lives were lost. That’s a blessing. We can replace things but not people. I’m grateful it was no worse than it was.”
Process to seek federal relief begins
Emergency Management Agency officials began preparing for damage assessments in Elmore County, which could take several weeks, to determine if the affected areas qualify for federal disaster funds. Elmore County EMA director Keith Barnett said to qualify, cumulative damage must exceed $7 million. In many cases, Barnett said insured property does not count in that total. “This is not a fast process,” Willis said. “We will have to assess everything and find out what the totals come to and find out what we
qualify for.” Willis is optimistic the shock of the destruction will soon fade into an era of stimulating reconstruction. “You spend those years working to build and then all of a sudden you see it’s gone,” he said. “But guess what? It gives us an opportunity now, an opportunity to do something else. We’ll build it back and probably better than it ever was before. We’re excited about that challenge.” The Wetumpka Fire Department reported to Willis on Monday afternoon 30 homes and 15 commercial buildings had suffered significant damage or worse. That includes the Wetumpka Police Department, which is relocating upstairs in the city administration building. Benton said “hardly anything” was salvageable from police headquarters, including the loss of five patrol vehicles. But four police officers who had been in the squad room about five minutes before the tornado struck were saved from certain death. “They heard about the tornado and left just
before,” Benton said. “The room they were in was demolished.”
Back on the streets
Willis said he hopes all streets will be reopened by Tuesday. “We’re waiting on the state to hang the traffic signals that fell down,” he said. “It’ll be pretty tough turning them loose without traffic signals. Traffic has been horrendous. Once we get the streets open, then we’ve got to get debris off the right of ways and we’ll have to close streets while we’re doing that.” Willis said he is concerned about predicted rain Wednesday slowing the cleanup. “Pray that the rain will leave us alone and give us one more day because we can get a lot done in one day,” he said. The Alabama Department of Transportation declared the Bibb Graves Bridge structurally sound and safe, Willis said, and power and cable have been restored to the west side of the river. “The power company has done an outstanding job,” Willis said. “The transmission lines came across the river in two places. All the lines were
Obituaries Mr. Jimmy W. Jones Mr. Jimmy W. Jones, 73, of Eclectic, passed away January 20, 2019. He was born November 7,
1945. The family will receive friends on Sunday, January 27, 2019, from 1 - 2 p.m. at Linville Memorial Funeral Home. He is survived by his wife, Peggy Jones; son, Mike Jones (Beth); daughter, Denae Jones Lowe; and
Dr. Gary Harrelson will begin seeing patients (ages 5 & older) on January 3, 2019 at Tallassee Family Care located at 115 Herren Hill Road, Tallassee, AL 36078. Dr. Harrelson graduated from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in 1981 and completed his Family Medicine Residency in 1984. Before relocating to Tallassee, he practiced in Auburn, AL, caring for patients from the tri-county area. With more than 37 years of Family Practice experience, Dr. Harrelson looks forward to serving our community and meeting the healthcare needs of your family.
grandchildren, Blake Jones and Raney Jones. Online condolences at www.linvillememorial.com. Linville Memorial Funeral Home Eclectic, Alabama
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in the river.”
Mayor recalls beauty; volunteers pour in
Along the west bank in the area of the bridge, there was little to attach power lines to, including the two churches. Willis wistfully recalled the First Presbyterian Church, a famous landmark in the city. “It was 163 years old and it’s been captured on canvas probably more than any other scene in our county,” he said. “When they would paint the bridge, they would always capture the church in the background. We hope they put it back with kind of the same theme or maybe the same look it had before. Saturday morning, I was coming down the hill behind the courthouses and I looked over and I could see the church steeples and thought, ‘Man, this is beautiful.’ How many places have this, the river and the bridge?” Ivey and Elmore County Commissioner Troy Stubbs said they were astounded by the
How to submit obituaries
number of volunteers who had come to help Wetumpka. “That’s special,” Ivey said. “You all have got a lot to be thankful for and you’ve got a lot of hard work ahead. I take great comfort in knowing neighbors are helping neighbors in large numbers. And you have got it so well coordinated that you can be effective and not duplicate.” Stubbs said 730 volunteers were registered Sunday and another 300 Monday. “We made a decision to stop registering volunteers as of lunchtime today,” Stubbs said. “We are overwhelmed with the number of people down here working. In some areas, we don’t have enough work for them to do. They’ve made such quick work. We are not even 48 hours from the storm and we have already made tremendous progress. “We have witnessed a community truly coming together. I can’t say enough about the fellowship, the relationships, that are built in a time like this.”
Obituaries can be submitted to The Observer from funeral homes by email at obits@thewetumpkaherald.com or by fax at 256-234-6550. For more information, call 256-234-4281.
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PAGE A10 • JANUARY 23, 2019
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
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Donald Campbell / The Observer
Guests at Tuesday with Kelly listen intently to Cookie Knott, top left, of the Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery talk about the latest exhibition on display at the gallery.
Tuesday with Kelly celebrates new exhibition By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Local art lovers met at the Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery Jan. 15 for the first Tuesday with Kelly event of 2019 and welcomed a new exhibition to the gallery’s collection. “This is a very exciting exhibition we have here,” the gallery’s Carol Hickman said. “We have art from both collectors and creators featured.” Cookie Knott was the special guest speaker and talked about the exhibit, titled “Broader Horizons.” Knott described it as being the third in a series combining pieces from local collectors and works donated by the artists themselves. The artwork featured in the show features artists from other parts of the country and from around the world, including a piece created by an artist from Zimbabwe.
Approximately three years ago, Knott said the gallery’s curator began trying to think of ideas for rotating exhibits and began asking art collectors around the area if they wanted to submit artworks. “The gallery was overwhelmed by the submissions sent in,” said Knott, adding there were too many to have just one exhibit. Over the weekend, Knott and Hickman said they, along with other volunteers, spent time carefully planning where each work would go in the gallery. A handful of students from Auburn-Montgomery were also on hand to help hang the pieces. Some of the art on display for “Broader Horizons” includes paintings of European streetscapes, photographs of landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge, and portraits of people from around the world. No matter how simple or intricate
each piece is, Knott said there is much more to them than simply being a painting, sketch or photograph of a person or place outside of the Southeast. “Some of these paintings are more than just a portrait,” Knott said. “A lot of these works have interesting stories tied to them.” Stories behind some of the artworks included a decorative doll similar to those seen in Spain during festivals or celebrations and how the work prepared by the artist from Zimbabwe was done on scrap paper taken from cigarette cartons found in the garbage. Along with the discussion about the latest exhibition, a new addition to this year’s series of events is the bicentennial moment. With Alabama celebrating 200 years of statehood in 2019, Tuesday with Kelly participants can learn about art and Alabama history.
Confederate Memorial Park to hold new living history event
Annual Wetumpka Impact crater tour scheduled for Feb. 23
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Confederate Memorial Park in Marbury will step back in time again Saturday as the park gears up for a new living history event. “This event is called ‘Winter Quarters, 1862,’” Calvin Chappelle with Confederate Memorial Park said. “We have done other living histories before but this is the first event of its kind here at the park.” The event will feature more than 100 reenactors going through the daily routine of a soldier’s life during the winter months, when fighting would die down and officers would keep their men active through drilling and other activities to keep the soldiers in fighting shape, ready to strike out again when spring arrived. During the living history event, the reenactors will drill and demonstrate what life was like while in winter encampments. Military musicians will participate as well, using bugle and drum calls to wake the reenactors up and call them to meals, among other signals. While the reenactors involved in the living history are coming from the area and locations farther afield, Chappelle said they would all be portraying the same unit — Company I of the 22nd
Fittingly, the first bicentennial moment of 2019 featured a short presentation from Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission member Marilee Tankersley on the crater. “This is the oldest history we have here in Elmore County,” Tankersley said. According to research done at the crater, a series of tsunamis caused by the impact deposited soil traditionally found south of Montgomery along the rim of the crater, Tankersley said. At the same time, with research being done regularly at the site, she said more is being learned about the 85-million-year-old event every year. Hickman mentioned some of the upcoming exhibitions at the gallery, including “Southeastern Visions and Voices” opening April 30, an exhibit of art from AUM students beginning in July and a traveling exhibit from the Alabama Humanities Foundation arriving in October.
By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Submitted / The Observer
More than 100 reenactors will be participating in the ‘Winter Quarters, 1862’ living history event at Confederate Memorial Park, showing visitors what life would have been like for Civil War soldiers in winter encampments.
Alabama Infantry Regiment, also known as the “Pike Grays.” “The reenactors will be going through the daily life of being in winter quarters but they will be able to stop and talk with visitors,” Chappelle said. “This will be a completely immersive event. It’s a great opportunity for guests to see something like this.” The reenactors will arrive Friday and leave Sunday, and Chappelle said the best
time for guests to witness the living history will be Saturday. The museum, which charges for admission, will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the free living history will begin at dawn Saturday and conclude at dusk. For more information about “Winter Quarters, 1862,” the park can be reached at 205-755-1990 and its website is https:// ahc.alabama.gov/properties/ confederate/confederate.aspx.
The Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission is preparing for its annual tour of the crater on Feb. 23, giving guests a closer look at what happened when a meteor slammed into the earth 85 million years ago just east of downtown. “We have been doing these tours since the late 1990s,” commission publicity chairman Marilee Tankersley said. “Our tours used to be two hours, which was too long for some people but too short for other people.” There will be four sessions held in this year’s tour of the crater, beginning at 9 a.m. Tours will also be held at 10:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. The tour will begin at the Wetumpka Administration Building, with guests listening to a short lecture and watching a brief video about the crater. After this, guests can ride one of five vans and be driven around the crater. Tankersley said there are five places the tour visits, with signs put up at each location. “We have experienced drivers and we have geology students from Auburn who participate as guides,” Tankersley said. As each van accommodates 10 people, participation in the tour is limited to 200 guests.
Registration costs are $20 for adults and $10 for children under 12, although the tour is not recommended for very small children. Tankersley said NASA scientists have visited the crater, and a number of scientists and geologists have gone on the tour in the past and been fascinated by what they see, including how the soil at the crater changes and is different from the earth around it. For those interested in learning more about the ongoing research at the crater, Tankersley said Dr. David King, Jr. from the Auburn University Department of Geosciences will speak at the Wetumpka Administration Building at 7 p.m. Feb. 21. King’s lecture is free and open to the public. Tankersley said much of the current research at the crater is centered around when some of the soil brought to the crater from more than 30 miles away by impact tsunamis slid from the rim down into the middle of the crater. Current speculation suggests it could have happened within days of the impact or it could have been several million years later. To make reservations for the Feb. 23 crater tour, contact Valencia Smith at the city administration building at 334567-5147 or send an email to vsmith@cityofwetumpka.com.
Sports
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Visit our sister website: TallasseeTribune.com JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE B1
The
Observer
DOUBLE-EDGED SPLIT Tiger finish regular season sweep of rivals
By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
Caleb Turrentine / The Observer
Elmore County freshman CK Bolton attempts to finish off a fast break with a layup during the second half of Friday night’s win over Tallassee.
Tallassee’s boys basketball team defeated Elmore County for the fourth time this season on Friday night behind a balanced scoring effort from the team’s backcourt. Senior Jaleel Dumas led the way, scoring 11 of his game-high 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Tigers pulled away for a 45-31 victory. “It means a lot to us and to the students that were here,” Tallassee coach Keiven Mixson said. “We appreciate the students coming out to support us and they helped get us through this game too. We heard them all game. It’s always nice to beat a rival four times.” The Tigers (18-4) never trailed in the game but the game was very different from the teams’ first three meetings. Tallassee won each of the first three games by an average of 21.3 points. On Friday night, the Tigers jumped out to a 7-2 lead after two minutes of play but the Panthers wanted to slow the game down to their speed. Elmore County coach Rodney Taylor wanted his bigs to stand at the See BOYS • Page B5
ECHS caps off busy week with rivalry win By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
The Elmore County girls basketball team needed to reenergize its season but the busiest week of the year was going to bring some challenges. The Panthers knocked off Tallassee 51-39 on Friday night, grabbing their fourth win in five days to improve their record to 13-7. “I feel like we haven’t really left the gym this week,” Elmore County coach Amy Rachel said. “At the beginning of the week, I said we needed to finish off Friday with four wins and that’s exactly what they did.
I was proud of their effort.” The Panthers defeated Horseshoe Bend and Montgomery Catholic on the road to open the week before returning home for two rivalry games. Elmore County finished off a season sweep of Holtville with a 50-2 victory Thursday night behind 12 points from CK Bolton. On the following night, Elmore County defeated Tallassee for the third time this season. Madison Traylor scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season. “We had some great games and great competi-
LIZI ARBOGAST Sports Editor
Hurts makes right decision for himself
W
hen Jalen Hurts entered the 2018 SEC Championship and brought Alabama back from the ashes against Georgia, you’d have thought Christ himself had walked out on the field in Atlanta. Hurts was lauded as this amazing player and human being who put his team before himself and who elected to stay true to the Crimson Tide despite the fact his starting job was stolen by young gun Tua Tagovailoa. He was put on a pedestal and called an inspiration. All of those things may very well be true in Hurts’ case. But what did they get him? Sure, he was the golden hero for a few weeks, but did he earn back his starting job? No. Did they earn him a chance to compete for Alabama in the College Football Playoffs? Nope. And while I’m all about putting your team before yourself, there’s a fine line of when a player should be selfish. In my book, Hurts has every right to be selfish, and his transfer to the University of Oklahoma is absolutely the See ARBOGAST • Page B2
tions,” Rachel said. “We had some young girls that were able to step up and get some good minutes and good production. I think we’re right on track where we want to be.” Traylor scored seven points in the second quarter as the Panthers outscored Tallassee 17-6 to take a 12-point halftime lead. Bolton hit a 3-pointer with less than a minute to go in the half to extend the lead to double figures and it didn’t dip below 10 points for the rest of the night. “We have struggled with executing some things that we have drawn up and trying to get them to mentally get
the concept we’re trying to do on the court,” Rachel said. “Tonight, I saw a lot of light bulbs going off and that’s a big plus.” The Tigers continued to fight into the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 11 points on multiple occasions. Sinclair Cole hit her third 3-pointer of the game with 6:30 to go in the game but the Panthers still held a 40-29 lead. Cole led the Tigers with 17 points and seven rebounds. Bolton knocked down two 3-pointers on back to back possessions as the Panthers pulled away in the fourth quarter. She See GIRLS • Page B5
Caleb Turrentine / The Observer
Elmore County’s DJ Patrick (4) rises to block a shot attempt from Tallassee’s Kalvin Levett on Friday night.
Panthers turn to individual goals By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
Elmore County was one of the final 16 teams standing in the AHSAA duals tournament in Class 1A-5A. The Panthers finished second in their region to set up a meeting with Saint James on Thursday night but fell 66-18 as their pursuit for an appearance at the duals state championship ended. “We were here a couple of years ago so it’s good to be back and be competitive,” Elmore County coach Jared Jones said. “We switched up our lineup a little bit to try to take a chance on getting some points that we didn’t last time. We knew if we didn’t switch up, it would be a similar result.” The Panthers already had two losses to Saint James during the regular season but tried to mix up their starting lineup for Thursday night’s match. Chayanne
File / The Observer
Elmore County’s Chayanne Sanchez, left, was one of the few Panther wrestlers to pick up a victory against Saint James at the AHSAA duals tournament.
Sanchez, Jeffrey Purcell and Jacob Taunton each moved up a weight class as Elmore
County tried to grab an advantage against one of the top teams in the state.
Taunton and Sanchez both earned victories against See WREESTLING • Page B2
Elmore County Player of the Week
Dumas leads Tigers to back-to-back victories By CALEB TURRENTINE Sports Writer
Tallassee ran into its first adversity of the season when its 15-game winning streak ended with a loss to Prattville Christian in December. After that loss, the Tigers dropped two of their next three games as the struggles began to stack up. Senior Jaleel Dumas found a way to step up as he helped Tallassee grab back-to-back wins last week. He finished second on the team with 14 points in
Thursday’s night area win over Valley before scoring a game-high 15 points the following night in a rivalry win against Elmore County. He is the Elmore County Player of the Week. “He’s been playing well,” Tallassee coach Keiven Mixson said. “I’m not sure when it started but the last three or four games, he’s been one of our better players. He’s really stepped up.” After already grabbing three wins against the Panthers this season, Tallassee entered Friday night expecting a victory.
However, things did not come that easy and the Tigers led by only six points entering the fourth quarter. “Coach told us we needed to come out hard,” Dumas said. “It was a close game but I knew we were better. We just needed to function as a team so when the game started flowing more, it started coming to me.” Dumas came alive in the final frame as his efforts helped push the lead to its largest of the night. He started with See DUMAS • Page B2
PAGE B2 • JANUARY 23, 2019
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
THE ECLECTIC OBSERVER
Arbogast
continued from Page B1
right decision for him. Hurts did everything for Alabama. He was nearly flawless during his two-year career as a starter for the Tide, finishing with a 26-2 record. He led them to back-to-back College Football Playoff championships, and he was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. But Hurts had one bad game. His 2017 championship performance against Georgia was less than stellar, I’ll admit that. He couldn’t seem to find his targets and looked overwhelmed in one of the biggest games of his life. OK, but it was one bad game. All summer long, Alabama coach Nick Saban told fans and the media Hurts was performing up to par, that he and Tagovailoa were in fierce competition. Now, who knows? That could’ve just been coach speak from Saban, but it’s hard to imagine Hurts’ one bad performance somehow negated everything he had done for Alabama up to that point. It’s hard to imagine if Hurts had’ve been the starter for the Tide this season they wouldn’t have gone just as far. But that being said, Hurts was named the backup for 2018, a role he took willingly — well, maybe not willingly, but he did so with dignity. And even still, Hurts finished with more than 750 passing yards as a backup. He still continued to tack onto his already gaudy numbers, and finished his career at Alabama with more than 5,500 passing yards, 48 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions — nine of which came when he was a freshman. Now, onto Hurts’ decision to transfer to Oklahoma. Again, I truly respect the fact Hurts stayed with Alabama for this season; I respect the fact he had the “next man up” mentality and was ready to step in at a moment’s notice. I’m glad he got his moment in the sun one last time as an Alabama quarterback. All that being said, Hurts no longer owes Alabama anything. College football players, in general, don’t owe their teams anything. This is a topic for another column, but let’s just remember for a minute how much money Hurts is making for the University of Alabama and how much money he is getting in return. At the end of the day, college football is a business, and even though these players aren’t getting paid, they have to act like businessmen. It’s not personal. Hurts has an opportunity to play at Oklahoma, something it was clear he no longer had at Alabama. I’m sure Hurts loved his time at Alabama but what he loved most about it was playing football. Moreover, Oklahoma is a legit team with regular opportunities to compete for national championships, which is where Hurts wants to be. The idea of Hurts going to Maryland, or even Miami, was ludicrous. Sure, he could’ve been the savior for either of those programs, but even if he turned them around so completely, he wasn’t going to compete for a title there. Also, Lincoln Riley’s system seems to be much better suited for Hurts, and let’s also remember the last two Heisman Trophy winners have been quarterbacks who have transferred to Oklahoma for their final seasons. This is exactly the right decision for Hurts, and his respect for and from Alabama and its fans shouldn’t be lost because he needed to make the right decision for himself. Lizi Arbogast is the sports editor of The Observer.
Brian Tannehill / For The Observer
Elmore County’s Austin Downey (4) and DJ Patrick (22) compete with a slew of Holtville players for a loose rebound during Thursday night’s game.
Panthers pull together to muzzle Bulldogs By GRIFFIN PRITCHARD For The Observer
W
hile the Elmore County Panthers have shown success in flashes, against rival Holtville — the second opponent of seven over a 16-day stretch — they found their form and picked up the 76-68 victory in boys basketball action Thursday night. Dre Patrick paced the Panthers hardwood attack with a 24-point outbreak. “That’s the first time we’ve scored 70 points all year long,” Elmore County coach Rodney Taylor said. “We’ve had a hard time scoring. I thought we did a really good job of stretching things out and attacking the basket.” Austin Downey added 23 and Shakwan Bickley added 17. While the points were flowing for the home team, the visitors had their hot shooters. Drake Baker and Braxton Buck combined for 24 points. Dajon Reeves chipped in with 13 in the second half. “We let them hang around,” Taylor said. “Drake’s just a big ole monster inside and we tried to take away Buck and Reeves — their best players. I thought, for the most part, we did a great job tonight.” Leading up to the win, the Panthers had been in the 50s six times highlighted by a 56-point effort in a loss the night before to Montgomery Catholic. Holtville and Elmore County matched each other shot for shot. Patrick opened the game with a 3-pointer and Braxton Buck matched him on other end. Overall, ECHS was 5 of 19 from beyond the arc. “We are not the best shooting team,” Taylor said. “I was proud that we started attacking the basket. Once we were able to stretch the lead, we started getting baskets either from the baseline or the
Brian Tannehill / For The Observer
Elmore County’s Cheyenne Thornton drives to the net against Holtville on Thursday night. The Panthers picked up an easy 50-2 victory.
wing going on.” The Panthers pushed ahead 10-7 midway through the opening period. Then neither team could buy a bucket. Both teams turned up the volume in the second quarter. “When you don’t score easy, the more you are able to get transition baskets, so I really wanted us to push the pace,” Taylor said. “There for a little bit, we
were in turnover city.” Elmore County expanded its lead to 16-11 then 25-22. The Panthers kept up the pressure applied offensively and took a 32-24 lead into the intermission. The third quarter was loud and uncomfortable for the visitors as the Panthers outscored the Bulldogs 20-16 See BASKETBALL • Page B6
Wrestling Saint James but the Panthers won only one other match. Taunton pinned his opponent in the first period at the 132pound level while Sanchez (152) and Garrett Moseley (220) grabbed pins in the second period of their bouts. “We knew we would have to do something extraordinary,” Jones said. “Moving the lineup around and we got a couple of pins we weren’t expecting, but they’re a great team. If they don’t win the next one, I’ll be surprised.” Saint James went oon to beat Tallassee in the quar-
continued from Page B1 terfinal matchup to advance to this week’s state championships in Birmingham. Meanwhile, the Panthers turned their focus to some of the individual goals they have for the rest of the season. “We have a couple of dual matches left for (regular) season purposes but we set our goals on our individual stuff now,” Jones said. “We still have some competition but most of the classes are set so we’re looking forward to it.” Elmore County returned to the mats over the weekend for an individual tournament
at St. Clair County. Jones had high expectations for the tournament and his team delivered. Moseley grabbed the highest finish for the Panthers but fell in the 195 championship match against Alexandria’s Christian Knop. Moseley grabbed three wins on the day to improve his overall record to 38-3 this season. Sanchez and Taunton each finished in fourth place at the tournament. Elmore County wrestlers combined for a 25-21 record at the tournament.
Dumas
Caleb Turrentine / The Observer
Tallassee’s Jaleel Dumas (3) scored 15 points vs. ECHS
Despite the shift toward individual goals, Jones said he was impressed with the strides the team has made this season. Finishing second in the region was never going to be a simple task and the Panthers rose to the challenge. “At the beginning of the year, we had so many injuries, I didn’t know how it would go,” Jones said. “We’ve done really well but we’ve got eight seniors so we really should have. We’re not satisfied with it but I’m happy with where we are.”
continued from Page B1 a steal and made one free throw after being fouled at the rim just 13 seconds into the quarter. With 6:40 to go in the game, Dumas knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night to extend Tallassee’s lead back to double digits. After a short offensive drought, Dumas returned with two consecutive baskets, including another 3-pointer with 3:35 left in the game “He bailed us out of a bad situation,” Mixson said. “Without his points, I don’t know where they would have come from. Jamicah (Humphrey) and Sandarius
(Hughley) weren’t looking to score a lot, we couldn’t get the ball into Tyrek (Turner) so we needed someone and he came through.” Dumas finished off his night with another steal and layup to give the Tigers a 17-point lead, which the Panthers could not overcome. In the six minutes with Dumas on the court in the fourth quarter, Tallassee outscored its opponents 11-0 and all of the points were scored by Dumas. “My adrenaline was rushing,” Dumas said. “When I see the ball and I can go get it, I’m going to get it. That’s
my mindset. I didn’t know how many points in a row I scored; it just happened.” Dumas added five rebounds and two steals to fill the stat sheet. Tallassee hopes Dumas can continue his run of form into the postseason as the Tigers look to grab an area title for the second consecutive season. “This is going to build our confidence going into the end of area play,” Dumas said. “The season is about over with these regular season games, so we just need to build our confidence and build our chemistry as a team.”
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JANUARY 23, 2019 • PAGE B3
Trump, Shelby set conservative track for courts
R
egardless of what happens in Donald Trump’s administration over the next two years, he will have a proven record of success as president, especially among conservative Americans. One of the most important accomplishments of any president is the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. Folks, Trump has appointed and had confirmed two members of the Supreme Court in two years, a remarkable achievement. Justices Neal Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh will have an immense impact on American laws and values for more than likely over two decades, long after Trump is dead and gone. Both Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are young, in their early 50s and will be part of many landmark rulings that will profoundly affect American public policy. Trump’s selection of these two extremely well-qualified jurists were wise. They are considered mainstream, moderate conservatives with the perfect educational and judicial background and experience. Kavanaugh’s confirmation was more controversial because his choice is a pivotal swing vote that tilts the Supreme Court to a conservative majority. Gorsuch was an even swap, a conservative for a conservative, replacing the late Justice Anton Scalia. Kavanaugh’s appointment was critical. The liberal Democrats had to go to the wall and declare all-out war by whatever means to derail and delay the Kavanaugh confirmation because the Supreme Court swung to becoming a conservative tribunal
STEVE FLOWERS Columnistt with Kavanaugh; it previously had four liberals and four conservatives, with Kavanaugh replacing the swing vote of Justice Anthony Kennedy. Make no mistake, the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice is very political. The liberals had to resort to extreme measures to preserve the possibility the Republicans could lose their control of the U.S. Senate which gives consent to a president’s SCOTUS appointments. In today’s extremely partisan politics, lines are drawn and both sides go for the jugular vein. Therefore, the only way for Trump to be successful in placing two conservative justices is because he has a Republican majority in the Senate, which has some very adroit veteran GOP leaders such as Mitch McConnell, Chuck Grassley and Alabama’s Richard Shelby paving the way. Speaking of Shelby, he has masterminded and orchestrated a legendary coup of his own when it comes to our U.S. federal judges in Alabama. In conjunction with the Trump administration, Shelby has placed six new federal judges in Alabama, all young and conservative. This Shelby/Trump triumph has secured 20 to 30 years of dominance of conservative federal judges in the
Heart of Dixie. During the Obama years, at least six federal judgeships became vacant in Alabama. President Obama appointed replacements but Sen. Shelby and former Sen. Jeff Sessions sat on them and refused to allow them to be confirmed, keeping them vacant due to partisan gamesmanship. Shelby and Sessions hoped a day would come when a Republican president could place these lifetime appointments into conservative hands. Sen. Shelby and his former chief of staff, current BCA president Katie Britt, spent the entire year of 2018 interviewing, vetting and selecting these judges to assure they were young, conservative, qualified and confirmable. They have indeed accomplished this lifetime feat for Alabama. Liles Burke and Anne Marie Axon are the two new judges for the Northern District; Emily Marks and Andrew Brasher will join conservative Chief Judge William Keith Watkins in the Middle District; and the Southern District will have two new Trump-Shelby appointees in Terry Moorer and Jeffrey Beaverstock. Shelby has further enhanced his legacy for decades to come and has placed an indelible stamp on the federal judiciary in Alabama with these judicial appointees. Steve Flowers’ weekly column appears in more than 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the Alabama Legislature. Flowers may be reached at www.steveflowers. us
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Down-home auto racing: Decades of tradition
I
hadn’t been out on this part of the Old Selma Highway in over half a century, but locating the Montgomery Motor Speedway was easy enough. Unlike many sports/ entertainment venues, it’s still around, and numerous signs direct racing fans to the slightly-longerthan-half-a-mile asphalt oval. The route to the speedway was the same as it had been in the earlyto-mid-1960s, when my father and other adults would occasionally take my brother, me and our friends to watch hot rods roar around the track, creating a din so loud that conversation was impossible, even if we were screaming at each other. The primary drivers in such times were the founders of what became known as the Alabama Gang in automobile racing lore. There were the Allison brothers—Bobby (#312) and Donnie (#88)—Red Farmer (#F97), Friday Hassler (#15) and others like Sonny Black and Dave Mader (Black would die in 1964 from injuries he sustained in a wreck at Pensacola’s Five Flags Speedway). As I recall, the automobiles were in a category called Modified Sportsman. There was also the opportunity to laugh at and berate a local perennial also-ran named Bill Bazzell, who was sort of like a redneck grease-monkey version of Bob Uecker. Bazzell was usually way down the list of finishers, but one memorable Saturday night, he actually won one of the qualifying heats. This must have excited him in a big way, because he wrecked in the main event, totaling his automobile. The track acquired the pretentious moniker of Montgomery International Speedway ca. 1962. Under the auspices of legendary
WILLIE MOSELEY Columnist promoter Bob Harmon, numerous unique racing events were presented, including competitions that brought in frontline NASCAR Grand National drivers like Richard Petty. There was also the invasion of “skeeter cars” from another part of the country. Those vehicles were a bit more minimalist in their construction and sported giant airfoils. Several races were held at M.I.S. one summer in which the cars from the two genres competed against each other, and it was an exciting and successful initiative. The last event I’d attended at Montgomery International Speedway wasn’t a race. The Yardbirds, an English rock aggregation that was one of the latter-day bands in what history has termed the British Invasion, performed at M.I.S. two nights in a row, June 4 and 5, 1968, during what would turn out to be their final concert tour. They were set up on a flatbed trailer on the main straightaway, and the second night, the show promoters compelled the band to play a few extra songs for a dance contest, of all things. The Yardbirds broke up a few weeks later. Former lead guitarist Jimmy Page soon formed a new band called Led Zeppelin, which recorded its first album that fall. All of the preceding recollections were obviously on my mind during the drive to the facility, which is now once again known as
the Montgomery Motor Speedway. Another memory manifested itself when I turned right onto the long, straight road to the track and its parking facilities…because I was driving on what had been a drag strip. M.I.S. had presented drag races as well, but the slam-bang action on the oval was always more popular. A conversation with the M.M.S. general manager, Stan Harrison, revealed the bank of the track is 8 degrees on the straightaways and 13 degrees on the turns. We discussed Red Farmer, who is now in his 80s and is still occasionally racing at the (dirt) short track in Talladega. Harrison also rightfully noted how automobile racing still thrives in the Deep South, as short tracks abound all over Alabama and neighboring states. The sport has an almost-century-old tradition below the MasonDixon line; it’s not like some types of other recent spectator-oriented diversions like arena football or minor league ice hockey. Down here in Bubbaland, those ventures often don’t last too long. The track and grandstands appear to have been well maintained over the years. The spectator area is divided into a “family section” (alcohol prohibited) and an “adult section” (alcohol allowed). I stood in the grandstand area for several minutes, recalling the noise, flashy colors, and motion of jalopies careening around the paved oval in front of me over half a century ago. A damp mist seemed to enhance the wraith-like recollections. I found myself wishing that my sense of smell could detect a spectral odor of oil, smoke, and gasoline. Willie Moseley is a regular columnist for Tallapoosa Publishers.
PAGE B4 • JANUARY 23, 2019
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PUZZLES & HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 20-April 19) You naturally choose the correct action. Because you take a risk without hesitation, some people observing you might feel as though the wind is knocked out of their sails. However, they admire your clarity. You simply are sure of yourself and know what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing. Your spontaneity works for you. Tonight: Do not push. Call it an early night. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Once again, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d prefer working from home. If possible, follow through on that thought. Because this need keeps rearing its head in your life, you also might want to consider developing a home-based business. Honor this desire; you might be much happier. Tonight: As you eye options, brainstorm with a dear friend. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) You might be taken aback by a close associate and his or her willingness to suddenly trust and take a leap of faith. You admire this person and show it. Goodwill and honesty build an even stronger bond between you and this person. The end result could be surprising and totally unanticipated. Tonight: Order in. CANCER (June 21-July 22) Observe a tendency to go overboard in some area of your life. You might go out of your way to please someone, or you easily might go on a spending spree to ease some tension. Whatever you choose, you will have a tendency to go to extremes. Tonight: Ready to recycle and have some fun. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Your spirit naturally encourages taking risks and having fun along the way. Remember that not every risk that feels good will pay off. In the near future, be more discerning. You could be surprised by what an expert might share with you. Tonight: Catch up on paperwork. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You might feel as though you want to take a back seat in a touchy situation. Before coming to a conclusion, listen more; however, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to ask a question or two. A close partner or loved one shares his or her perspective. You could be surprised by what
this person says. Tonight: Nap, then decide. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) Use the daylight hours to the max. You Ă&#x201E;nd a meeting to be signiĂ&#x201E;cant and important to your well-being. You also discover how much support you have from your immediate circle regarding a new venture. Know that you can achieve this goal; however, a surprise also might be part of the journey. Tonight: Do not burn the midnight oil. Go to bed early. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) Your playful manner draws the attention of others. Optimism surrounds a meeting at work or within your community. Your energy might not be stable, and you could be subject to highs and lows. Take a break if you need to; however, attempt to stay on course. Tonight: Celebrate a change of plans. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) Allow optimism to lead you, but follow through on details and reach out for more advice. If done well, your research could deĂ&#x201E;ne the path to a successful project. Refuse to be corned by an assertive personality in your life. Tonight: A force to behold. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) One-on-one relating allows greater Ă&#x2026;ow and insight. As a result, your perspective and plans could veer in a new direction. Use time as an ally. Your inner voice encourages you to step forward and take the lead. Tonight: Go with the good times. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Defer to a key person in your life. You might not agree, but the difference in opinions might not be as critical as you think it is. A friend has some important information or possibly a bit of gossip for you. Listen, then decide how signiĂ&#x201E;cant the news is. Tonight: Leave stress behind. Hook up with a loved one. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Dig into work. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allow distractions to play a role. You will note how much you accomplish in such a brief time. Clear out as much as you can. Your more playful side or personality emerges late in the day. Tonight: Say â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? to an invitation.
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JANUARY 23, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ PAGE B5
Girls continued from Page B1 Boys finished with 14 points to go with three rebounds and two steals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Getting a support system around Madison is going to be a key for our success from here on out,â&#x20AC;? Rachel said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When CK can be productive on the offensive side of the floor, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely a plus for us.â&#x20AC;? Bolton, a freshman, matched her season-high in points and reached double figures for the fifth time this season. The games against Holtville and Tallassee marked the first time this season she made multiple 3-pointers in back-to-back games. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I saw her mature tonight,â&#x20AC;? Rachel said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She struggled a little bit at the beginning and has been out of control at points so I challenged her the last couple of games to get focused on the court. At her age, you can get out of control but I definitely saw her grow up on the court tonight and we need that right now.â&#x20AC;? Elmore County is out of the running to host the Class 4A Area 5 tournament but is currently tied for the No. 2 seed with a 2-2 record. The Panthers hope to carry some momentum from their strong week into the end of the regular season.
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top of the key with the ball to force Tallassee to spread its defense. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought we did what we had to do,â&#x20AC;? Taylor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get up and down the floor with them so we wanted to spread them out. We were only down two at halftime which is where we needed to be. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we had to do to try to stay in the game.â&#x20AC;? The Panthers (4-16) had one possession which lasted more than two minutes but Tallassee was still able to build a double-digit lead after Jamicah Humphrey knocked down a 3-pointer to end the first quarter. Humphrey knocked down two shots from beyond the arc in the opening frame and finished the night with 12 points. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We just let them play through it. When weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re up 7-2 and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to hold the ball, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to let them hold it to conserve some energy. (Taylor) had to do what he had to do but we want to play basketball and the fans want to see a game.â&#x20AC;? In the second quarter, the Panthers grabbed more control of the tempo of the game. The Tigers began extending its man defense and it opened up cutting lanes and shots from the perimeter. Junior Keshawn Benson came alive in the second quar-
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Elmore Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shakwan Bickley (13) looks to get past Tallasseeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jamicah Humphrey during the second half of Friday nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s game.
ter as the hosts began cutting into the lead. Benson, who led the Panthers with 11 points, hit three 3-pointers in the final four minutes of the first half to cut Elmore Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deficit to 21-19 at halftime. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was big because we were down early in the game but he got on fire,â&#x20AC;? Taylor said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He brought us back. If we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make some sloppy turnovers, we might have had the lead at halftime.â&#x20AC;? Tallassee would take control with its defense in the second
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PAGE B6 • JANUARY 23, 2019
TheWetumpkaHerald.com
THE ECLECTIC OBSERVER
Shoe Station holding relief fundraiser Saturday STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
To support those affected by the Jan. 19 tornado in Wetumpka, Shoe Station is hosting a fundraiser for The Central Alabama Community Foundation’s Wetumpka Tornado Relief Fund on Saturday. The fundraiser will take place at Shoe Station stores in Montgomery, Prattville and Opelika. On that day,
Shoe Station is collecting funds for CACF and matching donations dollar for dollar. Shoe Station’s corporate donation will have a $5,000 cap. The Central Alabama Community Foundation recently established the Wetumpka Tornado Relief Fund to assist citizens impacted by the Jan. 19 tornado. Funds will be used to support immediate, as well as longterm, needs of citizens in Elmore County. CACF, along with its
affiliates, serves Elmore, Autauga, Macon, Montgomery, Lowndes, Pike, Coffee, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties. “Central Alabama Community Foundation will serve as a collection point for financial donations from individuals who are willing to help our citizens,” community foundation president Burton Crenshaw said in a press release. “We will continue to work with nonprofits and faith-based
organizations who are providing both immediate and long-term services to the people who have lost so much.” To make a donation to the Wetumpka Tornado Relief Fund, visit participating Shoe Station locations on Jan. 26, go to www. cacfinfo.org and click “Give Today” or mail a check payable to CACF, 114 Church Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 and reference Wetumpka Tornado Relief.
More than 200 attend annual bridal event By AMY PASSARETTI Elmore County Living Editor
T
wo brides and their squads faced off on the dance floor Sunday to win six bridesmaids’ dresses, six groomsmen tuxes and $500 off a wedding dress at the Third Annual Bridal Extravaganza in Wetumpka hosted by King Bridal & Formal Boutique. Along with friends and family – and a few willing grooms – 135 brides-to-be passed through Jasmine Hill Gardens in search for just the right additions for their big days. “I feel like the day went well. My biggest takeaway is that the brides come out of this with some great ideas and have some fun,” said LaToya King, owner of King Bridal & Formal Boutique. All brides who attended walked away with a gift bag from The Knot filled with lots of goodies and samples, along with the opportunity to win some great prizes. Tonya Terry from WFSA emceed the event and kept the crowd entertained as she helped give away exciting gifts to brides, including gift certificates and gift baskets, use of a conference room, a photo booth for the wedding day and many others. DDV Travel out of Tuscaloosa sponsored travel vouchers; Amir Léon offered $550 off photography and videography; and $300 was given to a lucky bride from Bonita Dent Event Planning and Designs. The one-stop shopping event included vendors gathered from all over, including Columbus, Georgia; Tuscaloosa; Montgomery, alongside local Wetumpka businesses promoting their services. “It’s all about helping each other in our businesses. We have every possible resource accounted for here from initial engagement leading up to the wedding day,” King said. The variety of merchants on site ranged from invitation suppliers, event centers, event planners, formal wear, jewelry, DJs to catering, photography, massage therapy, makeup artistry and more. “I like that the brides gets ideas from different vendors,” King said. “Bringing those vendors together is great networking time for them as well. Some even collaborate on projects afterward.” The dance floor doubled as a runway for the fashion show, where 10 ladies modeled a variety of wedding dresses and formal dresses to inspire certain styles for those in attendance. All clothing and accessories on parade could be purchased at King Bridal & Formal Boutique. Normally held at the Wetumpka Civic Center, the event was moved to Jasmine Hill to showcase it’s venue opportunities. “We can hold receptions up to 500 people in the wedding garden, which has a raised stone alter and
Amy Passaretti / The Herald
Top: There were more than 200 attendees at Jasmine Hill Gardens on Sunday, with 135 of them being brides. Right: Models showed off possible wedding dress and bridal party attire that is available through King Bridal.
a decorative arch,” Jasmine Hill Gardens owner Jim Inscoe said. As part-sponsor of the event, Inscoe was on-site to provide details of the picturesque gardens and what wedding opportunities are available. Two $500 gift certificates for the Jasmine Hill venue also were given away. The Fitzpatrick cottage, named after the original owners, can be rented for about 125 people. “We include so much engagement in the day because we want people to come out and have a good time,” King said. “Wedding planning can be so stressful, so why not have a little fun first?”
“Wedding planning can be so stressful, so why not have a little fun first?” — LaToya King King Bridal & Formal Boutique owner
Basketball and carried a 6-0 run and a 54-44 lead into the final frame. That six-point run turned into an 11-2 run punctuated with a Patrick dunk at the 5:38 mark. Miscues and missed opportunities, however, slowly siphoned the Panthers momentum. Baker got hot, sinking two free throws then a pair of jumpers to pull the Bulldogs to within a basket, 62-60. “We had some defensive breakdowns that allowed them to cut it close, and we made some mistakes,” Taylor said. “Like when we threw that pass from one corner over into the lunchroom. But, we found a way to win.” Elmore County extended its
continued from Page B2 lead to 64-60, but a turnover led to a Holtville hoop. Leading 66-64 late, the Panthers strung together a 10-2 run to secure the victory. Holtville added a pair of late buckets. “The boys needed this win,” Taylor said. “Last year they went 1-22 and Holtville beat them last year. We’ve swept them this year so we’ve sown up at least No. 3 in the area. I’m glad we are in that position because it means we are playing somebody in the area tournament on the neutral floor. The kids needed this and I’m glad they got it.” What set the Panthers apart from their green-clad rivals over the course of the game was free-throw shooting.
Elmore County was 16 of 23 from the stripe. “Downey did a great job driving and if he makes all his shots, that makes us close to 90 percent shooting,” Taylor said. “We had some big rebounds to seal the game. Dalton Odom had a couple of runaway layups to close out the game for us.” In the girls game, Elmore County had 10 Panthers record at least a basket in the 50-2 victory over the visiting Bulldogs. Ashanti Gray scored the lone Bulldog basket midway through the third period. CK Bolton (12 points) and Bri Ann Autrey (9 points) led the Panthers as coach Amy Rachel pulled her starters early.
Brian Tannehill / For The Observer
Elmore County boys basketball coach Rodney Taylor discusses a play during a timeout against Holtville on Thursday. The Panthers scored more than 70 points for the first time this season to down the Bulldogs.