July 3, 2018 The Wetumpka Herald

Granger: boss and friend Mitch Sneed will be missed by many

Quail Walk Golf Course entering final days of operation

Countywide cleanup set for next Saturday

OPINION, A4

SPORTS, B1

LOCAL, A6

The Wetumpka Herald Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898

Wetumpka, AL 36092

WEDNESDAY • JULY 3 2018

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

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VOL. 120, NO. 27

Council passes tax increase at town hall

By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor

After a town hall meeting to afford citizens the opportunity to comment on a proposed one-cent sales tax increase, the Wetumpka City Council convened its first-Monday meeting and, moments later, passed the tax 5-1 despite calls for a delay of the vote and a less formal

town hall meeting.

Steve Gantt was the sole dissenting vote among the council members.

“I see no problem with their asking for a delay of the vote,” Gantt said.

“I’ve already met with JacksonThornton and it was a very productive meeting. …Whatever the council votes to do, I’ll do my best to work toward the best interest of this city, but I don’t

see a problem with us tabling this, at least until the next meeting.”

Gantt’s statements came after several people in the town hall asked for such a delay, some citing citizens who would have spoken being out of town or spending valuable time with family for the July 4 holiday.

“Thirty minutes has been allocated to this open public forum, which is

being held in the middle of a long holiday observed by many of the city’s citizens. Most of the people I contacted to attend this meeting were on vacation out of town,” said Edwin Johnston, who also presented a laundry list of other concerns he had with the tax in the meeting. “In addition to my following comments, I request that the See INCREASE • Page A5

Coosapalooza Brewfest set for July 21

Holton seeks youthful offender status in murder case

By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor

By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor

Main Street Wetumpka and the City of Wetumpka are working together to bring yet another summer celebration to the downtown area.

The inaugural Coosapalooza Brewfest, set for July 21, will bring music to multiple downtown stages, craft beers from at least 15 Alabama breweries, local vendors and downtown dining options.

“After the success of several recent downtown events, the downtown merchants got together and want to have another event to highlight our downtown,” said Jenny Stubbs, executive director of Main Street Wetumpka. “And since our promotion committee is dedicated to this facet of Main Street revitalization, the all joined in on our committee.

“Thankfully, the Coosa River Craft House already See BREWFEST • Page A5

David Granger /

SIGHTS SET HIGH Officials and community members cut the ribbon at Pro-Line Motosports Friday, June 22.

The Herald

PLM owner Malone has been at the top before, wants to return

By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor

B

randon Malone has seen the bottom.

And now he’s convinced he’s got the formula to return to the top.

The president and CEO of one of Wetumpka’s

newest businesses, Pro-Line Motorsports, went, he says, from a millionaire to being almost penniless.

“In 2016, I completely went belly-up on a $14 million company,” Malone said. “Not even a dollar left. The way that they did it was they See MALONE • Page A3

Missing boy’s body found in Coosa early Friday

Today’s

Weather

92 74 High

Low

WEDNESDAY: HIGH 91 LOW 73

By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor

The body of a 15-year-old boy missing in the Coosa River since Wednesday was located early Friday morning by an off-duty Montgomery firefighter.

The search for Antavious Love, who disappeared in the river while swimming with friends, was supposed to resume at 8 a.m. Friday.

However, the firefighter arrived early, took his boat out and spotted Love’s body caught in a tree See MISSING • Page A2

Madison Holton of Eclectic, accused in the murders of his mother and father, appeared before Judge Sibley Reynolds on Thursday seeking youthful offender status.

According to court records, Reynolds currently has the matter under advisement.

Youthful offender hearings are closed by Alabama statute. But Thomas J. Azar Jr., Holton’s attorney, said Thursday afternoon he was pleased with how the hearing went.

“It being a closed hearing, I can’t say too much about what went on, but I will tell you I feel very good about the hearing,” Azar said. “The judge just said he would get an order out. That could be as early as today or who knows when. And, unfortunately, he’s under no time constraint.”

Mandy Johnson, an See HOLTON • Page A2

CONTACT US 334-567-7811 Fax: 334-567-3284

File / The Herald

Search teams were called out of the water near Gold Star Park Thursday at around 2:30 p.m., but when back searching Friday, the body of 15-year-old Rantavious Love was found before 7 a.m.

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Page A2 • July 3, 2018

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

The Wetumpka Herald

Obituaries Billy Max Beatty BEATTY, Billy Max, age 87, passed away at his home peacefully on Sunday, July 1, 2018 after a long battle with chronic bronchitis, COPD, and pneumonia.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 5, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. until the service to follow at 2:00 p.m. The visitation and service will be located at Mt. Hebron Baptist Church, Elmore, AL. He was born in Louisville, AL on January 17, 1931 to W. Dolphus and Doris Price Beaty. He graduated from Louisville High School in Barbour County in 1949. In 1953, he graduated from Auburn University in three years with a BS degree in pharmacy.

After graduating from Auburn, he began working with his uncle, A.J. Price, at Price Apothecary in Jackson Hospital. He later worked with Price Drug in downtown Montgomery, where he later became part owner. He owned City Drug on Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, AL. After practicing pharmacy for 55 years, he retired in August of 2011. He had a great love for his customers.

He was an avid reader of American History and the founding of our country. He and his wife, Doris, traveled to 49 of the 50 states, only missing North Dakota.

Besides reading and traveling, he enjoyed gardening, fishing, attending Auburn football games, and spending time on Lake Mitchell. He was a die hard Auburn fan. He and his wife attended all of the Auburn football games for many years, both home and away.

Billy was a faithful member of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in Elmore, AL for many years. He was a member of the Montgomery Quarterback Club until his illness. He was also a former member of Montgomery Rotary Club. He was a member of the Auburn Alumni Association as well. He was a dedicated member of the Alabama Pharmacy Association for his entire career.

Billy was preceded in death by his parents, W. Dolphus and Doris Price Beaty, and his sister, Martha Beaty Pemberton. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Doris Peddy Beatty, his brother William D. Beaty and his wife Pat of Selma, AL, and Dr. Larry Beaty and his wife Janet of Dothan, AL, his daughters, Millie (Jeff) Myer and Linda (Tony) Denson, granddaughters Melissa Myer and Jenny (Matt) Thomason, and great granddaughter Anna Thomason. Other special family members include his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, James Hester Peddy and Margaret Peddy Skinner.

Pallbearers will be Sheldon Darnell, Ed Strickland, Jeff Perkins, John Helms, Richard Beck and Bill Bryan. Honorary pallbearers will be Co-Ed Sunday School Class #2 of Mt. Hebron Church, Buel Harms, James Hester Peddy, James Dozier, Vann Watkins, Jimmy Truitt, John D. Murphy, Jimmy Mercer, Carl Davis, Jim McGriff, Stan White, Wayne Teal, Wayne Dozier and Dr. Kirby Parker.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Mt. Hebron Baptist Church Building Fund, P.O. Box 279, Elmore, AL 36025, or to Hospice of Montgomery, 1111 Holloway Park, Montgomery, AL 36117.

Wetumpka Memorial Funeral Home directing.

How to submit obituaries Obituaries can be submitted to The Herald from funeral homes by email at obits@thewetumpkaherald.com For more information, call (256) 234-4281.

Searchers gather at Gold Star Park before resuming their search for 15-year-old Antavious Love Thursday morning.

Love was found Friday morning by an off-duty Montgomery firefighter.

David Granger / The Herald

Missing

continued from page A1

about 200 yards south of the Gold Star Park boat launch.

“I guess the water was lower than it was yesterday,” Wetumpka Police Chief Greg Benton said.

“I guess it had dropped just low enough to allow him to get hung up on a tree.”

Love’s body was located at about 6:30 Friday morning, Benton said, an hour and a half before the search was scheduled to continue.

Divers and others had already searched the river for parts of two days, beginning shortly after Love was reported missing to Wetumpka police just after 4:30 Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday’s search was suspended at approximately 7:40 p.m. because of darkness and last Thursday’s search was suspended at 2:30 p.m. due to impending bad weather, which eventually brought

heavy rain, lightning and power outages to the area.

According to Benton, Love and three friends were swimming in the Coosa near where a road was recently cut to assist in the construction of a pedestrian bridge that is part of the Wetumpka Riverwalk project. Love’s friends told authorities they saw him enter the river and he appeared fine, but when they looked back again at about 4:30 p.m., he was gone.

An abundance of emergency personnel representing city, county and state agencies were on hand last Thursday to assist in the search, including Wetumpka fire and police departments, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Emerald Mountain Fire Department, Haynes

Ambulance, Holtville/Slapout Search and Rescue, dive teams from the Millbrook, Montgomery and Prattville fire departments, Santuck Fire Department, Search and Rescue of Elmore County and others.

Benton said the search was being conducted with five dive teams, three sonar-equipped watercraft and numerous searchers.

Until the weather forced it down, a Haynes Ambulance helicopter could be seen Thursday combing the area from the air.

Benton said the river’s swift currents last Tuesday and Wednesday made the Coosa especially dangerous when Love ventured into it.

“When that river’s flowing like it was on Tuesday and Wednesday, there’s no need for you to get in it,” Benton said.

Holton

continued from page A1

assistant district attorney who represented the state, said she could not comment on the closed hearing.

Holton, 18, is charged with the Sept. 11, 2016 deaths of his mother and father, April Owenby and Michael Holton, a former mayor of Eclectic who stepped down from that office due to what he said were “family issues.” Unless he is granted youthful offender status, Madison Holton will be tried as an adult.

One grand jury refused to indict Madison Holton on charges that he killed his mother, but a second one did.

Since the deaths of his parents, Madison Holton has seen his bond, originally set at $1 million, cut to $300,00 and then to its current amount of $150,000.

In addition, Owenby’s father and brother, Charles Owenby and Michael Evans, have publicly asserted their belief the deaths were a murder-suicide and that Michael Holton killed his wife, then turned the gun

JULY 17TH Runoff

on himself.

“It was definitely abundantly clear that (Michael Holton) wanted to kill himself,” Evans told The Herald in August, citing a sixto-eight page suicide manifesto that Holton wrote and Evans said the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office found.

Azar said an expert has examined the note and determined that the handwriting is that of Michael Holton.

However, Elmore County Sheriff Bill Franklin said days after the crime that Michael Holton “did not have a self-inflicted gunshot wound.”

“It is apparent that he was shot close contact, but in the back of his head – not self inflicted,” Franklin said at the time.

“The only other person in the house that had means is (Madison Holton).”

Evans also contends that Michael Holton was a drug user and that drug use contributed to his decision to step down as Eclectic’s mayor and may have played a role

★ ★ Vote

in the violence of Sept.

11.

Also in August, The Herald obtained the toxicology report on Michael Holton’s body that indicated three opioid or opioid-like substances, including hydrocodone and oxycodone, were found in his system at the time of his death.

Conversely, Franklin contended early in the investigation that Madison Holton had a “self-proclaimed” issue with becoming “agitated” if he had not used marijuana and Adderall.

Even the timeline of the crime was unusual, with sheriff’s deputies making two trips to the Holton residence, first after a call from Michael Holton and approximately a halfhour later after a call from Madison Holton.

At about 4 p.m. on the day of the shooting, Franklin said his department received a call from Michael Holton who, along with Owenby, was upset because

★★

Madison had thrown a party the previous night at their house. Michael Holton said party-goers had “trashed the house” and deputies later found drug paraphernalia and evidence of drug activity.

ECSO deputies responded to the Holton residence, arriving a short time later, and spoke with Michael Holton in the front yard, Franklin said. Holton told deputies he was trying to discipline his son. Madison was handcuffed and sitting on the couch when deputies arrived.

Franklin said Madison did not speak while deputies were there. After a search during which deputies took photos and confiscated drug paraphernalia, officers informed Michael Holton he could go to the juvenile probation office the next morning to sign a petition against his son, Franklin said. Holton indicated he would do so.

Franklin said authorities got another call about 20-25 minutes later. Madison Holton had gone to a neighbor and told them something happened at his parents’ house and that there was an argument of some kind.

When authorities arrived at the Holton residence the second time, Michael Holton was dead and Owenby was taken to a Montgomery hospital with severe head trauma, Franklin said.

April Owenby later died from her injuries.

Madison Holton was arrested the day after the shootings.

JULY 17 TH Runoff

MICHAEL DOZIER

• 69% of voters in the June primary that voted in the circuit clerk’s race voted for a change!

• I will be a FULL-TIME circuit clerk.

• Juries will be ordered within the time-frame prescribed by law and paid on time.

• I understand the importance of working with the judges, district attorney’s office, attorneys and all law enforcement offices in the county to make the clerk’s office effective and productive.

CIRCUIT CLERK ELMORE COUNTY Paid for by Michael Dozier Campaign • P.O. Box 613 • Wetumpka, AL 36092

The Wetumpka Herald

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

July 3, 2018 • Page A3

David Granger / The Herald

Pro-Line Motorsports opened Saturday, June 23 with a car show, live music, a burnout contest and more. Above, guests mingle after the ribbon cutting held Friday, June 22.

Malone came in and they said, ‘Hey, you owe a lot of money to a bank or whatever and we’re taking every paid-for asset you’ve got’ and I had a couple of million dollars in paid-for assets. It was because I was an incorporated company, but also a publicly traded company and from that company’s board, you know, they pretty much served me papers that said, ‘Sorry, you’ve really done nothing wrong’ – I’d only missed two payments, but my payments were like $50,000 a month. So when you’ve got that kind of money that’s going out as a payment to a bank, they don’t waste time to still the process.”

Malone eventually was recipient of a judge’s order to freeze all his assets. He went to court and was able to salvage $100,000 from the sale of those assets. He says at that time he didn’t think he wanted to live.

“God does things to you to humble you in your own area,” Malone said. “When I first got into business in 2006, I knew God very well. I was a devout Christian who went to church all the time and never missed anything. And when I started making money and selling companies

continued from page A1

and selling stock I didn’t ever go to church, started having affairs on my wife and got divorced. And God gave me signs. He’d take a little bit here and a little bit there, but I’m so hungry and determined that you could take a little bit away from me and I’m still gonna recover. It would have to be taking it all. And he did.”

It’s a captivating and sad story about how the young man who spent time as a child in foster care made good only to have a fortune disappear. But it’s one from which Malone has benefitted.

Chief among those benefits is that his business demise led him to meet his current wife, Kelly. Divorced previously, Malone can barely find the words to explain what she has meant to him since their meeting.

“God knows when to put certain people in your life and when he put my beautiful wife Kelly in mine, he did just that,” Malone said. “After I got saved again in the middle of November 2016, I met my wife on Black Friday of that year at Perry’s Steakhouse. I was getting gift certificates for my sales guys at Tameron Honda in Birmingham

where I was sales manager. We talked for a minute, but never exchanged numbers or anything. The next day on the Quad in Tuscaloosa – and, if you’ve ever been there, you know it’s very big – it just so happened that, right next door to our big tent, the Superior Hyundai and Nissan tent was set up. There was Kelly, the lady I met the night before at Perry’s.

We’ve probably not spent a week apart since.”

But even Kelly can only take so much. A few days prior to ProLine’s grand opening, she said she let Brandon know that she was very much ready to “get the show on the road.”

So Saturday, Malone, the reborn businessman exhausted from long nights in preparation, opened ProLine with a car show, live music, a burnout contest and more.

“I didn’t even try to sell anything,” he said. “I just wanted everyone to see our store and see what we had.”

What they have is cars, off-road accessories, everything you need for your everyday ride and much, much more.

And if they don’t have it, there’s a

chance they can make it for you.

“The thing is we’re not just a parts company or only doing cars or trucks,” Malone said. “We actually have our only manufacturing label.”

What’s more, Malone has put together a fabulous and talented team of professionals that Malone says was “the hardest thing about putting this business together.”

“I had to have the right people with the right attitudes, but also the right knowledge in their particular specialty,” Malone said. “But where attitude is concerned, everybody works hard, so we’ve got to work harder. I don’t want our phone ringing more than twice. If you’re supposed to work and you’re going to be late, don’t bother coming. I’m tough, but we’ve got to be the best in our business.”

In addition to what PLM displayed on Saturday, there’s more to come.

Malone promises an outdoor venue for everything from mud races to live music is on the way adjacent to his new store.

“We want to bring something to Wetumpka that it’s never seen,” Malone said.

Steve Baker, Publisher David Granger, Managing Editor Opinions expressed in guest columns and letters to the editor do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the management of Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc.

Page A4 • July 3, 2018

Opinion

“Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it.”

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Mitch Sneed will be missed by many

I

first met Mitch Sneed some 15 years ago when he was editor for the Opelika-Auburn News and I was media relations manager at Auburn University. There was almost an instant mutual respect between the two of us.

Little did I know then that, some years later, he would hire me at the Alexander City Outlook after my job at Auburn Montgomery (I had left Auburn to become a special assistant to the chancellor there) was abolished.

But he did. It took only one phone call, one meeting with Mitch and then-publisher of The Outlook, Kenneth Boone, Mitch’s endorsement and I was hired.

We grew close, closer almost daily. We were close in age, had similar interests (sports and politics, just to name two) and both loved newspapers.

I last saw him on Thursday. He was the same old Mitch. Jovial, but with a definite serious side.

I lost my friend and boss Sunday. Mitch died from head trauma he received in a car accident at Cherokee Road and U.S. Highway 280 in Alexander City on Saturday morning. He was stopped at the intersection and was rear-ended by a car traveling at a high rate of speed. He was lifeflighted to Birmingham’s UAB Hospital almost immediately.

I heard about it early Sunday morning and got the dreaded text Sunday night.

DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor If you didn’t know Mitch, you missed something. In Alexander City, he was the rare newspaper man that fell in love with and immersed himself in his adopted town. He loved the city and he was a champion for it. He loved its people and he loved the proximity to the lake – everything about it.

I can’t imagine him ever leaving there, even for his home in his native Georgia.

Mitch also loved his family – his wife, Cyndi, and his two daughters. He and Cyndi ate lunch together almost every day. I heard him on many occasions express his love and/or concern for his daughters and talk about the old days when he coached them in softball. Those memories always made him smile.

Hurting as badly as I do, I can’t imagine how Cyndi and the girls must feel.

I went through a pretty rough time a couple years back with my health. One morning in the midst of that, Mitch recognized something wasn’t right with me and got me to the hospital.

I wanted to stay at work, but he insisted on driving me to the

emergency room. He may have saved my life. And he was always there for my wife during the whole lengthy episode.

Working with Mitch was like working with a machine. He would pound on that keyboard as if just the computer’s fear of his mighty keystrokes would make it cough up a story. He knew every shortcut that a journalist might take, but used none that would result in the compromise of a story. And, as a boss, he could be tough, but you could count on him to always be fair.

In a week that had already seen the gunning down of five journalists in Annapolis, Maryland, the untimely death of Mitch Sneed was the last thing that I expected and has had a far greater effect on me. I’m not ashamed to admit to all of you out there that I loved the man.

And I will miss him.

Every day.

Please keep his family in your prayers. A holiday is a tough time to lose a loved one.

Any time is a tough time for a family, a friend, a newspaper family or a city to lose a man like Mitch.

Rest in peace, my brother.

David Granger is the managing editor of Tallapoosa Publishers’ Elmore County newspapers. He can be reached at david.granger@ thewetumpkaherald.com

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ADMINISTRATION Steve Baker publisher@thewetumpkaherald.com David Granger, managing editor david.granger@thewetumpkaherald.com NEWS Carmen Rodgers, staff writer carmen.rodgers@thewetumpkaherald.com Spencer Main, sports writer spencer.main@theweutmpkaherald.com SALES Marilyn Hawkins, marketing consultant marilyn.hawkins@TheWetumpkaHerald.com Ext. 309

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Trump takes heat for Obama era immigration policy

T

he latest in the left’s shrill attempt to undermine Trump is showing pictures of Obama-era detention centers with kids in chain-linked areas.

Then they wax sanctimonious about how it is so cruel and that Trump is evil. They feel that acting with fake outrage gives them virtue.

The media, which is the Democrat Party now, have tried this tactic for two years to undermine Trump. But he stands up to withering, misplaced blame and lies, and he just grows stronger. The jackals in the media, “deep state” and academia have become unhinged.

Dems in N.Y. most recently went after the Trump Foundation, saying it is so bad it is almost as corrupt as the Clinton Foundation.

Now this fake “Auschwitz-like” detention of illegal-immigrant kids has made them act all hot and bothered. But it’s not working. If the left is going to get their jaws around Trump, they are going to need a bigger porn starlet.

Strengthening the border, postObama “Deporter in Chief,” has not been easy. Trump wants the wall he promised us, and Dems go out of their way to deny him everything. Trump says in speeches, “The Great Wall of China worked!” Which is true; you hardly see a Mexican in China.

So without “the Wall,” he has done everything legally (all of which Clinton/Bush/Obama did) to deter illegals at our border. Few of these kids come in with their parents; most are taken on the treacherous trip across Mexico by coyotes. The kids are used as shields to protect traffickers; most are not related, as they often claim. Putting kids in a very nice government facility with AC, cartoons on TV, good food,

RON HART Columnist health care, hygiene classes and education is somehow Auschwitz?

My dad was a Marine; when he saw the facility on TV he said his barracks were not nearly as nice.

Hell, Chicago housing projects are not that nice.

I bet if we make these kids from war-torn areas go to Chicago, they would prefer to go back home for safety.

In reality, illegals are costly to taxpayers. Schools, welfare, hospitals, crime, etc. end up costing us. Currently, DHS and FBI estimate that 32 percent of U.S. prisoners are “known or suspected” aliens. Each one costs us about $40,000 a year to imprison, and countless more to arrest and prosecute.

We need an immigration policy that works. I am proimmigration...legal immigration.

The left conflates any desire to control immigration with hatred of foreigners - one of the many false premises that fuel their rhetoric.

If you think unchecked immigration will not change a country, ask our Native Americans. My ancestors did not come here from England in 1752 just to see this country overrun by foreigners! They came here legally, seeking a better life than they had in Europe and to get away from having to watch soccer.

Europe is a disaster because of immigration issues. London had so much immigrant crime (odd given England’s strict gun control laws) that Mayor Saddiq Khan had to outlaw knives. There is an

object lesson for America: If you don’t regulate your borders, you will eventually have to regulate your cutlery.

Chain migration should end. It’s a system where only the children of parents and grandparents who are already here are admitted, no matter how bad they are.

Government adopted the policy from Piedmont Driving Club.

It always ends an argument and creeps me out when Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Attorney General Jeff Sessions start using the Bible to make their immigration political points. Maybe they feel the presence of Jesus all around them.

If so, they must be in a Home Depot parking lot.

It is important we maintain fair trading arrangements with Mexico.

It produces oil, tequila, Corona beer, spring break venues and a lot of weed. Mexico is also the top producer of Arizonans. Liberals in California do not have to worry too much about poor migrant workers invading LA. They have a built-in wall that keeps them out: $4500 a month rent for twobedroom apartments.

The truth is border protection is a complex matter, full of government confusion that only the coyotes understand how to manipulate. They show up and get arrested. Deportation hearings can take years, so they just disappear into America and don’t show up.

It is so confusing when they do show up. Two illegal Mexican men appeared for a deportation hearing in a Los Angeles court and the judge instinctively married them.

Ron Hart is a libertarian op-ed humorist and award-winning author. Contact him at Ron@ RonaldHart.com or @RonaldHart on Twitter.

The Wetumpka Herald

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Increase

July 3, 2018 • Page A5

continued from page A1

city council not vote on raising the sales tax for a minimum of 30 days to allow for a proper town hall meeting in which the public and business owners can provide comments and/or objections to the city’s proposed tax increase.”

Jack McDaniel, a citizen of the city for 20 years and a retired accountant with the State, spoke against the tax.

“This tax increase that you’re looking at doing is going to hurt businesses in this town,” McDaniel said. “I know with Internet sales your revenues have dropped, but this isn’t going to bring them back. This is going to encourage people to go away. You currently get three cents (the city’s cut of the current total eight-cent sales tax). You’re asking for an extra penny. What you’re risking is the three you’re currently getting. What these people are risking is the gross sale, because a citizen can leave this town and buy food elsewhere and do other business elsewhere. Don’t tax the town. Grow the town. Get businesses in here. Get more retail in here. I encourage you to not increase my tax.”

Eric Hyde, the president of the Chamber of Commerce board, said the chamber was neutral on the tax increase, but stressed better communication from the city.

“I don’t have a lot to say,” Hyde said.

“I sent you a letter. The board met and there were about four points they wanted you to take a look at. I think the biggest one is just communication. The mayor and I sat down this morning and, I’ll be honest with you, I’d like to sit down and – there’s a whiteboard, you did a great job this morning explaining what was going to go on. … I think the biggest point in our entire letter though, is just communication.

Maybe if we stop or slow down just a little bit and make sure that we’re communicating.”

Julianne Purcell, wife of Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gerry Purcell, also made a plea for the delay of the vote on the tax increase.

“Having been a conservative voter for a number of years, having a sales tax

increase is rarely something that promotes growth,” said Purcell. “Historically speaking, I think it tends to shut growth down. … Thanks for the opportunity to have a town hall meeting and really vet this with the citizens. I would like to encourage you, council and Mr. Mayor, to delay this vote. This is Fourth of July holiday and … many of the folks that would like to come and speak about this are probably at the lake or on vacation somewhere and that’s important, keeping family time together to celebrate the independence of our country – which is ironic that the town hall meeting is during the week of the Fourth of July and the independence of our country was to keep from being beholden to undue taxes. Just the pinnacle of irony. … And I mean that in jest.”

Purcell went on to call for more such meetings, but asked that those meetings be less formal with no limits on speakers’ time and, perhaps, held at other venues with the council out among the people.

Former councilman Percy Gill also made some comments, beginning with asking the council when the city was going to get some aquatic opportunities for its children so that lives – like that of Antavious Love, who drowned in the Coosa River last week – would not be lost and children could swim in a facility with lifeguards.

“I want to ask you, Mr. Mayor,” Gill said, “how many more lives do we have to lose in this city? How many more young kids do we bury before you take leadership on this issue? … We still do not have a pool or anything to keep our kids safe in a city that has a river running straight through downtown.”

In other action, the city council: • Voted unanimously to approve an monthly expenditure of $96.61 for a security light for Fire Station One; and • Voted unanimously approve the minutes of its June 13 and June 18 meetings.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the city council is July 16.

Kenneth Boone / The Herald

Sneed was struck from behind in his Ford F150 by a Honda Accord Saturday morning and air lifted to UAB Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries Sunday night.

TPI newspaper editor Sneed dies following crash

By CLIFF WILLIAMS Staff Writer

TPI newspaper editor Mitch Sneed died Sunday night as result of injuries sustained in a Saturday morning automobile accident.

Sneed A Ford F150 driven

by Sneed, 57, was struck from behind by a Honda Accord at the intersection of Highway 280 and Highway 63.

“Mr. Sneed was stopped at the time of the collision,” Alexander City Deputy Police Chief James Easterwood said. “His vehicle was pushed into the intersection.”

The rear bumper of Sneed’s truck was pushed under the crushed bed of the truck.

Sneed was airlifted to UAB Hospital for treatment Saturday morning before succumbing to his injuries Sunday evening about 8:30 p.m.

The Honda Accord sustained

major damage to the front of the car and the driver sustained minor injuries.

Easterwood would not speculate as to the cause of the accident.

“The accident is still under investigation at this time,” he said. “We are still mapping the scene and collecting data from the vehicles.”

Sneed was a beloved part of the TPI family and will be deeply missed by staff and the community.

Visitation will be Saturday from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. with a funeral service to follow at 3 p.m. CT at Faith Temple Church in Alexander City.

Editor’s note: Funeral arrangements will be posted to alexcityoutlook.com when finalized. A special section in tribute of Sneed will be published in Saturday’s Alexander City Outlook.

Brewfest

continued from page A1

bridge” from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“This will be something never done in Wetumpka and we’re thrilled about it,” Stubbs said.

There will be two entryways to the festival – one near Coaches Corner and the other near the Coosa River

had some ideas cooking and they all came together in the concept of the Coosapalooza Brewfest.”

The event will take place on Orline Street between Coaches Corner and Coosa River Craft House.

“That’s an area we like to call Merchants Alley,” Stubbs said. “It’s the area people always see when traveling across the bridge from the west to the east side of town and thanks to the concerted efforts of business owners, local artists, city

and county personnel and Main Street, we’re finding ways to beautify what will be an amazing space. We can’t wait to show it off to those who attend Coosapalooza.”

The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. and will feature live music at Coaches Corner from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be live music near the Coosa River Craft House from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Jeff & The Johnsons will headline the event and will play near the walkway “under the

Craft House. Brewfest ticket booklets will be available for $20 and those 21 and over will be able to redeem the tickets for full-sized brews.

Breweries expected to be represented include Railyard, Trim Tab, Red Clay, Yellowhammer, Avondale, Ghost Trail, Good People, Straight

to Ale, Back 40, Black Warrior, Folklore, Goat Island, Old Black Bear, Fairhope and Rocket Republic.

“There are a few more

that we’re waiting on to ‘officially’ confirm,” said Stubbs.

All of the breweries will offer samplings at the event.

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Building the Future, One Student at a Time

Page A6 • July 3, 2018

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

The Wetumpka Herald

Free countywide cleanup set for next Saturday STAFF REPORT TPI Staff

To better serve local citizens, the Elmore County Commission continues to partner with Advanced Disposal to host free Countywide Cleanup Days.

Six cleanup sites are open on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Five sites will remain the same each month.

The next clean-up will take place July 14.

The sixth site will rotate between the Town of Elmore annex building and the Town of Coosada post office to provide convenient service for the southwestern portion of the county. Elmore County residents are invited to bring household and lawn trash to any of the cleanup sites listed below.

All tree limbs must be no longer than four feet and no more than six inches in diameter. Items that will not be accepted include appliances, batteries, paints or thinners, oils and gases. These events are not for contractors as the cleanup is designed for residents to dispose of items larger in size or quantity than their residential containers accommodate. This service isn’t intended for residents to dispose of multiple loads or trailer loads of household garbage. This service is not intended for the disposal of commercial business-generated garbage.

The Elmore County Commission offers this service free of charge to citizens. For more information, please contact Advanced Disposal at (334) 252-0458 or the Elmore County Highway Department at (334) 567-

File / The Herald

Advanced Disposal employees unload a trailer loaded with yard debris in the parking lot of the Elmore County Judicial Complex during the March County Cleanup effort. The next cleanup is set for July 14.

1162.

Drop-off locations include: • CEWSA Redland Road facility, located near the intersection of Dozier, Firetower and Redland roads. Follow Redland Road north. Location is on the left just before Windy Ridge Road.

• Coosada Post Office, 5798 Coosada Rd, Coosada. Open even months only. From Wetumpka, follow Alabama Highway 14 west to Coosada Parkway. Turn left on Coosada Parkway. Follow Coosada Parkway south to Coosada Road. Turn right

on Coosada Road and Coosada Post Office is on the left. From Millbrook take Coosada Road to Coosada.

Coosada Post Office is on the right.

• Town of Elmore annex, 485 Jackson St., Elmore. Open odd months only. From Wetumpka, follow Highway 14 west toward Millbrook. Turn right on Highway 143 North in Elmore.

Turn left on Jackson Street. Follow Jackson Street south to the Town Hall on right and location is in the parking lot before Town Hall. From Deatsville, follow Highway 143 south, turn right

CommunityCalendar July 7

“How to Research Family History,” 9 a.m. – Noon, Old Elmore County Courthouse, Commerce Street, Wetumpka.

The presenter will be Carolyn Piper. Come and add to your genealogical toolbox.

July 10

An Evening with Bruce Pearl, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Wetumpka Civic Center. Doors open at 5:30 for social time and autographs.

Dinner is at 6:30. Tickets are $25 and available now at Collier Ford, Market Shoppes or available by mail to JP Martin, 328 Jordan Beach Road, Wetumpka, 36092. Deadline to purchase tickets is July 3.

July 10-Aug. 4

SWAG Summer Enrichment Camp, Mondays through Fridays, Noon-3 p.m., Rodgers Chapel AME Zion Church, 609 W. Bridge St., Wetumpka.

SWAG is a free four-week camp for 4th-8th graders designed to enrich life skills, provide druguse prevention education and help develop healthy attitudes.

For more information about the camp, contact Muhammad Hasan or Savannah Webster at 334-262-1829. SWAG is sponsored by the Council on Substance Abuse – National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency (COSA-NCADD).

July 14

“African American History,” 9 a.m. – Noon, Old Elmore County Courthouse, Commerce Street, Wetumpka. The presenter will be Regina Strickland. Come and find out more about the history of African Americans in Elmore County and Alabama.

• Countywide Cleanup Day, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Advanced Disposal will provide disposal bins at Central Elmore Water and Sewer Authority in Redland, Town of Elmore Annex, Emerald Mountain Equestrian Center, Holtville High School, Old Highway Dept. Building in Kent and the Elmore County Judicial Complex. No household or industrial refuse will be allowed.

Ongoing events:

Rent an historical location for your celebration from the Red Hill Historical Preservation Association, Inc. It rents out the almost 100 year old Red Hill School building for your special occasions. Take your wedding vows or have the reception in the auditorium where Hank Williams performed! Have your family reunion where many of you might have attended school.

Contact Paula Castleberry at 334-541-2474 or email her at mcasby53@windstream.net.

• The Wetumpka Public Library hosts preschool activities and Story Time every Tuesday and Friday morning at 10 a.m.

• The Kelly Fitzpatrick Memorial Gallery is located at 408 South Main St. in downtown Wetumpka and will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment. On the third Tuesday of each month, a “lunch & learn” event called Tuesday with Kelly will be held at noon. To schedule a tour call Cookie at 334.567.0050. For more information, visit thekelly. org or friend us on Facebook.

• The Eclectic Public Library hosts activities at 2 p.m. every Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. every Saturday for area children. The programs are free and include stories, rhymes, dress up, dance and music.

• Santuck Flea Market operates from daylight until 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month from March until December. The location is 7300 Central Plank Road, Wetumpka.

• The Elmore County Branch #5026 of the NAACP meets at 6:30 p.m. every third Tuesday (the executive committee) and every fourth Tuesday (full membership) at the Martin Luther King Center located at 200 N. Lancaster St. in Wetumpka.

• The DAC Foundation exhibit located at 219 Hill St. in downtown Wetumpka will be open each Monday and Wednesday from 10:00 am until 12:00 pm.

and by appointment. To schedule an appointment call 334513-1086. For more information, visit DixieArtColony.org or us on Facebook.

• Celebrate Recovery meets at Grace Point Community Church, located at 78223 Tallassee Highway, every Tuesday night at 6:15 p.m. All are welcome! These meetings are a safe and loving environment for individuals seeking to conquer their hurts, habits, and hang-ups! For more information visit gracepoint.info.

• Celebrate Recovery meets at Journey Church, located at 2960 East Cobbs Ford Road every Monday at 5:30 p.m.

There is a meal and childcare provided. Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered 12-step for anyone struggling with addiction or life-challenging issues. Call Larry at (334) 832-5714 or visit myjourneychurch.com for more information.

• Celebrate Recovery meets each Thursday evening at 6:15 p.m. at Santuck Baptist Church, located at 7250 Central Plank Road. This is a Christ centered 12 step program for anyone struggling with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Call (334) 5672364 for more information.

• Fresh Start Recovery meets every Thursday from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church Wetumpka located at 306 W. Tuskeena St. Fresh Start Motorcycle Ministry began when God laid it on the heart of a lifetime biker to minister to those with his background.

All are welcome, not a requirement to own/ ride a motorcycle.

Format used is the Holy Bible.

For information contact ministry leader Paul Henderson at (334) 201-5428.

• Gamblers Anonymous meets Saturdays at 6 p.m. at Cedarwood Community Church, located at 10286 U.S. Highway 231 in the Wallsboro/ Wetumpka community. Call (334) 567-0476 for more information.

on Jackson Street. Follow Jackson St. south to the Town Hall on right and location is in the parking lot before Town Hall.

• Elmore County Judicial Complex, 8935 US Highway 231, Wetumpka.

Take Alabama Highway 231N across from Tutwiler Prison. Take second left into the Judicial Complex north parking lot. From Alabama Highway 231S take the 1st right into the Judicial complex north parking lot.

• Emerald Mountain Equestrian Center. From Rifle Range Rd turn onto Peace Church Road. Turn left on Old Ware Road. Location will be on the left just before Emerald Mountain Parkway.

• Holtville High School, 10425 Holtville Rd., Holtville. From Wetumpka, follow Holtville Rd. (Highway 111) north to Slapout.

Location is in the front of Holtville High School. From Deatsville, take Highway 143 south to Coosa River Road. Follow Coosa River Road north to Holtville Road (Hwy 111).

Turn right onto Holtville Road.

Location is in the front of Holtville High School.

• Kent - Old Highway Department.

From Tallassee, follow Highway 229 north toward Kent. Turn left at the 4-way stop onto Chana Creek Road (CR-44). Location is 100 yards on the right across from the softball field.

From Eclectic, follow Chana Creek Road past Weldon Road. Location will be on the left just before the intersection of Highway 229 and Chana Creek Road across from the softball field.

Submit calendar items: Participate in your Herald

and Observer by calling 256-234-4281, faxing them to 256-2346550, sending your event to the.editor@thewetumpkaherald.com or logging on to http://www.thewetumpkaherald.com/.

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The Wetumpka Herald

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

July 3, 2018 • Page A7

Don’t let your pet get spooked on the Fourth

By REA CORD HSEC Executive Director

We want to share a huge shout out of thanks to Elizabeth at Blue Ridge Animal Clinic and her very special dog, Phoenix, for their fantastic 3rd annual Yappy Barkday (Birthday) Party for Phoenix that resulted in a load of supplies and right at $2500 for our shelter! Isn’t that simply fantastic!

Elizabeth adopted Phoenix from our shelter and Phoenix has a very rare condition that will likely shorten her life, but Elizabeth is making sure that she is living a most loved, happy and cherished life while she is here.

Phoenix couldn’t have been adopted by a more perfect person and we are humbled not only that Elizabeth and the crew at Blue Ridge Animal Clinic worked so hard, but by so many pet-loving clients and friends who donated such an incredible amount of money to help us keep being there for pets in need like Phoenix.

Muy bella to the owner and staff of our own local Casa Napoli Restaurant for working so hard on our behalf on June 20, resulting in almost $600 and a load of supplies raised to help our animals. The food was delicious and the camaraderie from so many fellow pet lovers and shelter supporters was simply fantastic. Thank you so much to the Casa Napoli family for working so

hard to make this happen and to all who came out to support both Casa Napoli and our shelter.

We hope for lots of celebrations this Wednesday in honor of the 4th of July but also need to caution pet owners to be fully prepared to keep your pets safe and secure during all the noise and flashes of fireworks.

The simplest way to keep your pet(s) safe on the 4th - bring them inside before any fireworks start and keep them in until well after all the flashes and bangs are finished.

They may still be scared and hide in a quiet spot in the house, but at least they will be safe at home. If your pet cannot come in the house, then consider containing it in your garage or shop or barn as long as it isn’t so hot to be dangerous to your pet. And make sure any hazardous materials are safely out of reach of your pet no matter where they stay. Once the fireworks are done you should then be able to safely let your pet back outside, but it will be safest to wait until the next morning if you have fireworks-loving neighbors.

There is no better time than right now to make sure your pet has identification on their collar - rabies tag, personalized ID tag (which we can make in the shelter in a few minutes for $10) or your phone number written on their collar in indelible ink. Microchips are

permanent (collars & tags can come off), so schedule an appointment with your veterinarian to have your pet microchipped as all area shelters scan found pets for chips. And all adopted shelter pets in our area are chipped so there is a good chance a found pet could have a microchip.

If your pet does become lost (or you find a pet), please call us at the shelter at 334-567-3377 as soon as possible so we can take a report (leave message if we are closed). Facebook is also an excellent resource to help lost and found pets so please go to our “Lost & Found Pets in Elmore County, AL” Facebook page to post pics and info. There are also Lost & Found Pet pages for all the counties and many towns around Elmore County and we advise that you post your missing pet to every area page you can. Perhaps most important is posting a photo of your pet and a phone number where you can be reached in the event you are out and not on Facebook. We cannot stress enough the difference photos make in reuniting pets and their families, so if you don’t have any, take them without delay! You can also email information and pics to us at hselco@bellsouth.net as we do print all of those and keep in our Lost & Found files and will check email even on the days we are closed.

Hunting, fishing for a new degree?

Auburn to offer degree in wildlife enterprise management we anticipate 25-30 students in each incoming class for a total of around 120 students in the program.”

Students who enjoy the outdoors Auburn is one of two universities will want to explore Auburn in the country to create this type of University’s new degree program program, with Kansas State being the that provides the education and skills other. needed for a variety of careers in “We developed our program based hunting and fishing industries. on our interviews with experts in the “The degree will help develop hunting and fishing lodge management Auburn students as future leaders in industry,” said Mark Smith, the W. outdoor enterprises nationally and Kelly Mosley Environmental Associate internationally,” Auburn President Professor of Wildlife Management Steven Leath said. at Auburn and specialist with the Auburn’s Board of Trustees Alabama Cooperative Extension approved the new wildlife enterprise System. “They gave us a list of skills management degree at its June 8 that the ideal graduate needs.” meeting. Official enrollment will Ditchkoff and Smith consulted with begin in fall 2019 pending approval by sporting organizations such as John the Alabama Commission on Higher Burrell’s High Adventure Company, Education this December. a global leader in outdoor recreation Students will take classes across facilities. High Adventure has the Auburn campus, primarily in locations around the globe, from the the School of Forestry and Wildlife United States to Argentina to Africa.

Sciences, College of Human Sciences “One exciting aspect is that students and the Harbert College of Business. can apply for internships,” Ditchkoff Courses will include wildlife said. “High Adventure has numerous management, hotel and restaurant internships ready for our students. management, accounting and We expect to have 75-100 internships marketing, to name a few. In addition each year for our students at High to earning the new bachelor’s degree, Adventure and other companies. students will earn a minor in business. Students on internships will gain “Graduates will hit the ground valuable, on-the-job training. It is not running with lodges, hunting for class credit but is for experience. preserves, fishing resorts, outdoor Students will not pay tuition during experience companies and many other those semesters.” types of consumptive-use businesses,” Burrell, president of High school of forestry and wildlife Adventure, added, “We can’t get sciences dean Janaki Alavalapati said. qualified employees fast enough, and According to the Outdoor Industry that limits the business opportunities Association’s 2017 report, The we can consider. We are extremely Outdoor Recreation Economy, excited about this new major that will consumer spending on outdoor shape these young professionals.” recreation contributes $887 billion to Graduates of the Auburn program the U.S. economy, employs 7.6 million will be in an excellent position to join Americans and generates $125 billion outdoor companies, from an individual in tax revenues. landowner’s operation to larger “We hope to attract students from corporations. across the country as we bring the “It could be in a range of places outdoors inside the classroom,” said like single-owner hunting or fishing Stephen Ditchkoff, the William R. and operations in the southeastern United Fay Ireland Distinguished Professor States, a corporate retreat facility of Wildlife Ecology and Management focused on outdoor experiences or in Auburn’s School of Forestry and even an African safari outfitter,” Smith Wildlife Sciences. “In five years, said.

STAFF REPORT TPI Staff

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Pet of the Week – Dottie Dottie is a six-month old Hound mix girl who is just a love. She is bouncy, playful and very attentive. Dottie and her two brothers (Cody & Bennett) should be in the 40-pound range when fully grown and are just happygo-lucky pups who would be happy to get into mischief with most any family.

Our normal adoption fees are $100 for dogs and $50 for cats under one year old; cats over one year old can be adopted by approved adopters for a fee of their choosing. This adoption fee completely covers the mandatory spay or neuter, basic immunizations, de-worming, micro-

chip, heartworm check for dogs, rabies vaccination (if old enough) and a free health exam with your participating veterinarian.

To meet all the great pets at our shelter come to 255 Central Plank Road, Wetumpka. For more information, go to our website at www.elmorehumane.org, email us at hselco@bellsouth.net or give us a call at 334-567-3377.

We are open for adoptions this week Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Wednesday for 4th of July, back open Thursday and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Page A8 • July 3, 2018

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

The Wetumpka Herald

What did you say?

T

he soccer World Cup is described as the planet’s biggest sporting festival.

This year it is being played in Russia. Because the Russian team lost some games late in the regular season, the Russian people were very critical and said ugly things about their team.

Guess what? A politician launched a bill that would make it a criminal offense to criticize the country’s national soccer team. That’s right.

Vitaly Milonov is behind a bill that will set fines of $160 on anyone found guilty of “verbally tormenting” the team.

His reason is that such criticism lowers national moral. He says, “Our players are ours regardless of how good they are.” He told the Pravda Newspaper, “Here, some idiots make fun of them and spoil their pregame moods.

Therefore when our team loses, we should blame those who

AME ZION Mt. Zion Chapel AME Zion 2340 Crenshaw Rd., Wetumpka 5674413 Rogers Chapel AME Zion 709 W. Bridge St., Wetumpka 567-8144 Jackson Chapel AME Zion 4885 Coosada Rd., Coosada Jones Chapel AME Zion 2414 Ingram Rd. (Co. Rd. 3), Elmore ABUNDANT LIFE Abundant Life Church 9301 U.S. Hwy 231., Wetumpka 5679143 ASSEMBLY OF GOD Agape Tabernacle Assembly of God 1076 Kowaliga Rd., Eclectic 541-2006 Bethel Worship Center

insulted our players.”

Soccer is the biggest sport in the world. Each soccer game is important, but not as important as the game of life. Words in the game of life influence whether people win or lose. I believe we’re living at a critical point in history, where as an American, each of us needs to examine carefully how we use our words. In the game of life, are our words helping lead people to victory or defeat?

Remember reciting sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me? That is not the truth. Words have the power to hurt or to heal. Words have the power to build up or tear down. Words have the power to guide or to leave astray. Words can encourage or discourage.

Words can bring joy or sorrow, laughter or tears. Words can hurt us, and words can hurt others.

JOHN ED MATHISON Faith columnist The French are taking a step forward. They recently passed a new French law under which men can be fined up to $880 if they whistle at or make offensive comments to a woman on the street.

With the wide use of social media, things are written that should never be written. I believe that we are at a point in our history now where we must guard our words and be encouraging. If we offer a critical word, it must be constructive criticism. Years ago, Benjamin Franklin said, “If all printers were determined not to print anything until they were sure it would offend nobody,

there would be very little printed.” Ben Franklin’s words may be more important today than when he said them.

The wise man Solomon said, “Some people like to make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise soothe and heal.”

(Proverbs 12:18) “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words cause conflicts.”

(Proverbs 15:1) “Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.” (Proverbs 18:17) “Those who love to talk will suffer the consequences.

Many have died because the wrong thing was said.”

(Proverbs 18:21) You have immense power with your words. Please choose them carefully. Representative Diana McCarthy offered the following prayer in the Arizona House of Representatives: “Lord, make all our words gracious and tender today for

Area Churches

11117 U.S. Hwy 231., Wetumpka 5675754 Crossroads Assembly of God 2534 AL Hwy 14., Millbrook 285-5545 First Assembly of God 3511 Shirley Ln., Millbrook New Home Assembly of God 5620 Caesarville Rd., Wetumpka 5692825 BAPTIST Abraham Baptist Church Millbrook Antioch Baptist Church 1115 Antioch Rd., Titus 567-2917 Beulah Baptist Church 2350 Grier Rd., Wetumpka 514-2881 Blue Ridge Baptist 4471 Jasmine Hill Rd., Wetumpka 567-4325

Wallsboro United Methodist Church

Brookwood Baptist Grandview Rd., Millbrook Calvary Baptist 504 W. Osceola St., Wetumpka 5674729 Central Baptist 3545 W. Central Rd., Wetumpka 5412556 Coosada Baptist 20 Kennedy Ave., Coosada Deatsville Baptist 184 Church St., Deatsville Eclectic Baptist Church 203 Claud Rd., Eclectic 541-4444 Faith Baptist 64 Chapel Rd., Wetumpka 567-4417 First Baptist Church 205 W. Bridge St., Wetumpka 567-5191 First Baptist of Elmore Hwy. 14 Co. Rd. 74, Elmore

Galilee Baptist 95 Old Georgia Rd., Wetumpka 5674178 Good Hope Baptist 1766 S. Fleahop Rd., Eclectic Goodship Baptist 1554 Hwy. 143, Millbrook 285-0094 Grace Baptist Old Montgomery Hwy., Wetumpka 567-3255 Grandview Pines Baptist 346 Deatsville Hwy., Millbrook 285-5125 Green Ridge Baptist 288 Turner Rd., Wetumpka 567-2486 Harvest Baptist 2990 Main St., Millbrook Hillside Baptist 405 Old Montgomery Hwy., Wetumpka Holtville Riverside Baptist 7121 Holtville Rd., Wetumpka 514-5922

R Rev. Kim Webb, Pastor

8000 Titus Road Titus, AL

Ric R c Rickey Luster, Mu M Music Director

Sunday Services at 11a.m. ___

Sunday Sc Sunday Schoo School.........10:45 hool a.m. g Worship........9:30 p Morning a.m.

Chiildr Chi ld en’ n’ss Chur C hurrch. ch. h ... .....9 ..99:30 :3 a.m.

Children’s Church......9:30 Tu T ueesd u day B ibl blle Stud b dy.. y..... .. ....Noon on n Tuesday Bible Study.........Noon

Minister Dr. John Brannon

There is Harmony at Harmony United Methodist Church!

You Will Receive a Warm Welcome at This Friendly, Christ-centered Church.

NURSERY PROVIDED FOR ALL SERVICES

*Please Join Us*

SUNDAY WEDNESDAY Sunday School...................8:45 am Fellowship Meal...............5:00 pm Kids’ Activities.................6:00 pm Worship Service..............10:00 am Youth Worship..................6:00 pm Evening Worship..............5:00 pm Prayer & Bible Study.......6:15 pm Visit us at fbcwetumpka.com

SANTUCK BAPTIST CHURCH 7250 Central Plank Road “A Family of Families”

••••

Rev. Anthony Rhodes, Senior Pastor Sarah Swedenburg, Worship Ministries Derek Blankenship, Student Ministries

B.R. Johnson, Senior Pastor Larry Gore, Adm. & Counseling Randy Godfrey, Education Matt Fallin, Worship

SUNDAY SERVICES Sunday School...........9:30 a.m.

Morning Worship.....10:30 a.m.

Small Group...............5:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY SERVICES Prayer Meeting...........6:00 p.m.

Student Worship........6:00 p.m.

Calvary Kids...............6:00 p.m.

F rst

Cedarwood Community Church

10286 U.S. Hwy. 231 Wallsboro, AL (334) 567-0476

www.worshipcedarwood.org

© UNITED METHODIST

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tomorrow we may have to eat them.”

Let’s revive civility.

Offer words of praise and encouragement. It doesn’t do any harm to smile and say, “Good morning” even if it is raining. Pay a compliment. Say something good about America, sports teams, the company you work for, politicians at all levels of government, your family, your church, etc.

Russia and France are taking biblical concepts and turning them into new rules. I propose for America an old rule – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29) What did you say?

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Sports

Visit our sister website: TallasseeTribune.com July 3, 2018 • Page B1

The

Herald

CLOSING THE DOORS Quail Walk Golf Course entering final days of operation

By SPENCER MAIN Sports Writer

The Quail Walk Golf Course is closing its doors for the final time Sunday. The move comes after 10 years of ownership under Wetumpka native Earl Singleton.

“It’s been a great journey,” Singleton said. “I’m not closing it because I’m having to close it. I’m closing it because I’m tired.”

The 78-year-old took ownership of the golf course in 2008. After 10 years of constant upkeep he decided it was time to walk away from the hard labor.

“I wish I was younger, I’d keep it open,” Singleton said.

The 18-hole course started as a business opportunity but ended as a passion project.

“This has been a different experience than most of my other businesses,” Singleton said. “The people of Wetumpka

Spencer Main / The Herald

Earl Singleton took ownership of Quail Walk Golf Course on July 8, 2008. Exactly 10 years later, he’s closing the course.

have really been good to us. I learned to love them and it’s been a real pleasure dealing with the people from Wetumpka.”

Trees lined every fairway with the Coosa River setting up traps along the back half of the course. Its natural beauty will be framed in the minds of

longtime customers.

Frank Haggerd has been golfing for only two years but frequents Quail Walk as much as possible.

“My favorite hole is probably 15. You have to go over water. It’s a challenge,” Haggerd said. “That’s my favorite because I get to hit more balls.”

For pro shop manager Glenn Mobles, Quail Walk felt more like a second home than his place of work. After moving across from the course, he became a club member in 1989. When he wasn’t working the front desk, he was swinging his clubs across the lush fairways.

“I’m going to miss all of the people I know,” Mobles said. “I can’t go anywhere in Wetumpka without running into somebody that I know because of the golf course.”

Mobles said the course drew interest for its attractive layout.

What started as a farming project turned into a fullservice golf course.

“Local guys had made it See QUAIL • Page B2

Pair of seniors step up as Edgewood leaders

By SPENCER MAIN Sports Writer

The coaches were nowhere to be seen. The players were running through drills and sweating through the summer.

“That’s not normal.

Typically, we have one or two guys out there,” Edgewood Academy football coach Rusty Mason said. “But today we were shorthanded, so we just did the best we could in terms of filling in. It says a lot about our older guys leading.”

The Wildcats have here before. The team spent about two months wondering who its next coach was going to be.

The two seniors, Tyler Abernathy and Hunter Bowdoin, made sure lessons wouldn’t be lost.

“We made sure everybody was doing what they were supposed to,” Bowdoin said. “We’ve been out here since eighth grade.

So, we know what’s expected and what we need to be doing out here, even if we don’t have a coach.”

Coach or no coach, the players will show up. More importantly, the players will practice.

As Mason spent the afternoon watching film inside the football facility, players worked on their routes outside in the stifling sun.

“I think it kept all the players that were going to be here, regardless of whatever coach came in,” Abernathy said.

“I think it made us a little stronger, being here without a coach, holding this together, being here with just us two seniors and all the players.”

Abernathy and Bowdoin occasionally act like coaches themselves rather than teammates to the new group of talent.

“We have to get vocal at times just to keep everybody in place and keep everybody quiet and make sure they know what they’re doing, doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” Bowdoin said. “But other than that, they usually know

Spencer Main / The Herald

what needs to be done and what’s expected of them.”

When Mason took over as head coach, he didn’t have to work hard to instill his philosophy into the players.

“I’ve learned more in these two months than I have in my entire football career,” Abernathy said. “I like how he breaks everything down specifically. My running back drills, he’s going to make sure we are running right, we’re tucking the ball in right.

He’s teaching new routes, he’s teaching new concepts.”

After finishing 1-9 in 2017, the Wildcats are eager to push the program in a new direction.

“I think I’m surprised by how fast our guys have picked stuff up mentally,” Mason said.

“These kids know how to work, and it says a lot about the coaching before us really.”

The two seniors haven’t spent the summer worrying about wins and losses. They are focused on fine tuning fundamentals before finishing their final season of high school football.

“It’s always fun working with these younger kids because these younger kids are going to be the ones that rebuild this program,” Abernathy said.

The rebuild works at different levels. As Abernathy and Bowdoin prepare their peers,

Stanhope’s Kadin Anderson wasn’t always given the ball, but it didn’t stop him from playing with maximum effort.

Stanhope’s Kadin Anderson is ready for the spotlight

By SPENCER MAIN Sports Writer

Spencer Main / The Herald

Top: Alex Johnson flips his fingers for a tight spiral during an Edgewood Academy summer workout. Above: Edgewood Academy’s Bradley Boone leaps for a catch during last week’s summer workout.

Mason is working to retool his roster. The skills are the same but the talent levels are different.

“With coach Mason, I believe everybody believes in what he’s trying to do,” Bowdoin said. “I really believe if everybody will buy in to what he’s trying to put out there, that we’ll be pretty successful this year. I believe in the process that he’s trying to put into this

program.”

The process takes a lot of patience and a lot of practice. The Wildcats hope to achieve both by the summer’s end, even if that means working without coaches present.

“We talk to them about leading and giving them four or five things to work on before we go outside,” Mason said. “I appreciate the guys leading it that way.”

When the beast is hungry, he puts on his spikes and heads out for a hunt. His target is heavily guarded but the beast still finds a way to his prey.

Kadin Anderson isn’t a monster but he plays like an animal. The towering senior takes opponents to task, leaping high into the air and coming down with the flyting football.

“I always felt like if I had the ball in my hands, I have the game in my hands,” Anderson said. “I always felt like that and I still do.”

The Stanhope wide receiver hasn’t always been a dominating force on the field. As a youngster, he’d watch friends make the highlights.

Now the offensive weapon is primed for a breakout season.

“Instead of being physically good, he’s learning how to mentally do stuff,” Mustangs coach Brian Bradford said. “He’s learning how to run routes. He is always coming up with questions and stuff like that on how to get better.”

Anderson started as a defensive end but wanted more contact with the football.

To earn playing time, the tall and skinny kid would use every ounce of his weight, bursting See ANDERSON • Page B2

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Games to Watch

Edgewood begins 2018 with new coach

By SPENCER MAIN Sports Writer

With a new coach and a new season, it will be pivotal year for Edgewood Academy’s football team.

Edgewood returns two seniors and a crop of young talent in 2018. This season’s slate of games will test the fresh faces and push the leadership of the hardened veterans.

“We know there are some really good teams in the area,” Edgewood coach Rusty Mason said.

“They’ll be some that we have identified. We open up with Northside. Autauga will be good. Lakeside will be good.”

Here are Edgewood’s games to watch in 2018:

Week 0: Northside Methodist Academy Knights Spencer Main / The Herald

has group PLAYERS Edgewood of youngsters, 2 strong TO WATCH: seniors for 2018 season

Edgewood Academy senior Tyler Abernathy will be key to the Wildcats’ success in 2018.

By SPENCER MAIN Sports Writer

The 2018 Edgewood Academy football team is a mystery.

With two seniors and a crop of underclassmen, new coach Rusty Mason will have to experiment with his roster before he builds the right combination of youth and experience.

Here are the Wildcats’ players to watch.

Hunter Bowdoin: Bowdoin is the first half of Edgewood’s senior leadership.

Mason hasn’t named a starting quarterback but it won’t matter for Bowdoin, the center and anchor of the offensive line. It will be up to Bowdoin to command and control the offense, as the players around him develop into their roles.

With a shortage of experience, Bowdoin’s role becomes that much more valuable. The center understands the angles of attack and counters with different levels of protection. It will be Bowdoin’s main responsibility to protect the quarterback from incoming pass rushers.

“Hunter Bowdoin is a really good football player on any level, it doesn’t matter where he’d play,” Mason said. “I’ve coached 6A, 7A ball down to 1A ball. He’s a good football player.”

Tyler Abernathy: Abernathy is the other half of the Wildcats’ core.

Expect Abernathy to see time on both sides of the field.

As a running back, Abernathy provides a stable source of playmaking ability to an offense

Quail

Regardless of the opponent, the first game for Mason will reveal the identity of his team. Players show their skills in summer workouts, but the season opener will give the new coaching staff a glance at the character of the Wildcats.

“That will be our first game but you know certainly right now It’s just getting to that first game,” Mason said. “That’s kind of the crucial mark.”

Northside Methodist Academy heads into 2018 with hopes of improvement on both sides of the ball. In his first season as Knights head coach, George Kennedy couldn’t muster a single victory, as Methodist Academy finished 0-10 last year.

Mason will look to open up his offense against the Knights defense, which allowed 39 points per contest in 2017. The two teams haven’t played since going head-to-head in 2014 and 2015. Edgewood won both contests, scoring more than 60 points in each game. The Knights failed to put up big numbers, as they scored six points in 2014 and 16 in 2015.

“There are some good teams on our schedule.

We certainly know that,” Mason said. “But with the players trying to get used to us and us being able to get used to them, for us Game 1 is huge for us right now.”

Week 8: Lakeside Chiefs

Spencer Main / The Herald

With only two seniors returning in 2018, coach Rusty Mason will rely on fresh talent in his first season as Edgewood’s head football coach.

filled with fresh faces and raw talent. As a linebacker, Abernathy will have to command the field and provide a path for younger Wildcats to step-up.

“I think it starts with our two seniors,” Mason said. “Those kids are really good players.”

Kaleb Varner: Varner is a dynamic receiver with lots of potential heading into the new season.

With a new coach, changing philosophies can be difficult, but Varner turns any fresh

continued from page B1

with their farm equipment,” Mobles said.

“It’s just such a unique place. Pretty much every hole, it’s right out there in front of you. A lot of golf courses you have blind fairways.”

Gerry Purcell, the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce director, hasn’t lost hope in the potential for Quail Walk to reopen in the future. With a strong base of customers, the course has too many assets to stay closed for too long.

“Quail Walk is a significant asset to Elmore County and Wetumpka,” Purcell said. “It’s our hope that a new owner would emerge to resume operations. We are certainly grateful to Earl for making it accessible to our residents for the last 10 years.”

Singleton said he put an estimated $650,000 back into the course’s operational costs to keep it afloat.

The high price was worth the warm welcoming from returning families and friends.

“We’ve got people coming in from all the surrounding communities,” Singleton said. “It’s a family place. We have a lot of children, everybody comes and swims and plays golf. It’s a pleasure dealing with the customers.”

Even though Singleton’s family is happy to see him take a break from work, it’s a bittersweet moment for all involved.

“Well, everybody has mixed emotions,” Singleton said. “They’re happy I’m going to retire and hopefully take life easy. But nobody is happy the place is closing. I’ve got some really good employees and it makes me sad for them.”

game plan into a simple switch.

His playmaking abilities will open up space for Abernathy in-between the tackles.

A new quarterback can create growing pains within the offense but Varner will act as a safety valve for whoever Mason starts as the signal caller. The junior has solid route running and the skills to create space in the second level of any defense.

When opponents load the box, Varner will make them pay by finding the weakest link in any defense.

Lakeside will be one of the Wildcats’ toughest tests in 2018.

Jimmy King will look to continue the Chiefs’ recent success in his first season as head coach. The Chiefs finished the 2017 regular season 6-3, with a 4-1 region record. After a 35-34 victory against Jackson Academy in the first round of the playoffs, the Chiefs were eliminated in the semifinals by Autauga Academy, losing 63-28.

The Wildcats and Chiefs started the series in 1984 but haven’t played since 2015. The two times Lakeside defeated Edgewood were the opening pair of matchups in 1984 and 1985. With an eight-game winning streak on the line, Mason will be tasked with continuing the Wildcats’ recent dominance against the Chiefs.

Week 9: Autauga Academy Generals

Former Edgewood coach Bobby Carr looks to repeat as AISA-AA Region 2 champions in his second season as Autauga’s head coach.

In Edgewood’s second to last game of the seasoon, Mason will have the chance to make his mark on the program.

The two teams have beaten each other in bunches over the course of four decades. The Wildcats lost 11 of the first 12 matchups against the Generals but won six straight before forfeiting in 2016. The Generals hold a 25-12 series lead but Mason will look to continue Edgewood’s recent success against Autauga Academy. Mason not only looks to win games in his first season as head coach, he hopes to win the trust of parents and players.

If Edgewood can find ways to win in these three games, Mason will have the program headed in a positive direction.

Anderson through blocks and creating space for his teammates.

“They always wanted me to play defense. I always wanted to score touchdowns,” Anderson said. “When they threw me the ball for the first time, I just felt like it was amazing.”

After spending weeks without cradling his most prized possession, Anderson thought about finding a new love.

“I got tired of going to practice and not getting the ball,” Anderson said. “I came in after a practice. I came home and cried.”

He soon realized individual sacrifice must come before personal success.

“I wasn’t always given the ball, but I always gave it my all,” Anderson said.

Coaches and teammates quickly caught on to Anderson’s physical and mental development. The first time he started on varsity was the first time he ever lined up at wide receiver. His abundance of raw talent quickly turned Anderson into an offensive-weapon.

Anderson’s route-running often leaves a trail of tripped-up cornerbacks.

When defenders are focused on his size, Anderson uses his skill to sidestep his opponents.

“He’s more mentally tough than the rest,” quarterback Kerenski McGhee said. “He’s stronger. When he wants the ball, he’ll get it.”

When McGhee needs an outlet, he turns to his close friend for support.

“When I know nobody else is open, I can throw him a jump ball,” McGhee said. “I know he’ll catch it. I have a lot

continued from page B1

Spencer Main / The Herald

Kadin Anderson didn’t start at wide receiver until his sophomore year of high school. However, he plays like an experienced pass-catcher.

of faith in him.”

Their faith in friendship helps them dominate between the hashmarks.

Teammates take time to mesh together, but the dynamic duo didn’t need a season to synchronize their skillsets.

“You go through it together. You’re pouring blood, sweat and tears into it together so it kind of makes you as one,” Anderson said. “He trusts me on some balls I don’t even trust myself on.”

Most players don’t enjoy the pain of playing. Anderson feeds off the intoxicating feeling of football.

“I’ve never been scared,” Anderson said. “I kind of like getting that first hit, just to see how you are going to

feel.”

Scouts see size but Anderson is looking to showcase his entire body of work.

“Physically he’s changed,” Bradford said. “Last year he was no muscle tone. He’s got a lot faster, a lot more confident.”

Anderson only has one season’s worth of guaranteed playing time.

As he prepares for the future, the tenacious pass-catcher hasn’t lost sight of the precious seconds he spends in the present.

“I wish I could go back and do it all over again,” Anderson said. “These moments are the ones you don’t get back.”

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