March 6, 2019 Wetumpka Herald

Page 1

NEWS, A5

SPORTS, A7

LOCAL, A6

McDowell named Rotary Club speech contest winner

2019 All-County Boys Basketball Team inside

Wetumpka Elementary kicks off Super Citizens

THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898

Wetumpka, AL 36092

50¢

WEDNESDAY • MARCH 6, 2019

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

VOL. 121, NO. 10

Suspect arrested Police arrest Wetumpka man in connection with string of break-ins By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer

A suspect was arrested by the Tallassee Police Department in connection with a string of break-ins across Elmore County in recent weeks. Jack Thomas Hight Williams, 22, of 420 McDonald Drive in Wetumpka was picked up by the Tallassee Police Department after Williams attempted to break into a convenience store in Kent, authorities said. Eclectic Police Williams Department chief Robert Head said a handful of break-ins occurred over the span of two nights a few days apart. On the first night, Head said Russell Do it Center and Piggly Wiggly, as well as a couple other businesses, were broken into. “A surveillance camera at Russell Do it Center caught an image of the suspect,” Head said. “After we reviewed the footage, we put the image on Facebook to see if the public could help identify the suspect.” A few nights later, Head said there was another handful of break-ins in Eclectic. Following these incidents, he said the suspect traveled to the Kent community and attempted to burglarize the Eagle convenience store there. During this incident, a witness spotted the suspect and began to tail him while calling police. While the call went to Eclectic, Head said they were able to immediately turn around and alert the

Annual festival brings joy to Wetumpka Photos by Cliff Williams / The Herald

T

he 2019 Order of Cimarrón Mardi Gras Festival was held in Wetumpka on Saturday. Humane Society of Elmore County director Rea Cord was the grand marshal. Many people enjoyed watching the parade and getting goodies from the floats among other activities. Above: Ava Armstrong, 4, of Montgomery gets her face painted at the festival. Right: Beads are thrown to the crowd. See more photos on A3.

See ARREST • Page A2

Ground broken on River Region Medical Center

Wetumpka City Council approves annexation for 231 property By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer

By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer

Local officials and stakeholders braved rainy conditions Friday afternoon for the groundbreaking ceremony of the River Region Medical Center in Wetumpka. Dr. Spencer Coleman of Ivy Creek Healthcare said plans call for the medical center to be completed in approximately one year. “This is a great day for Wetumpka,” Mayor Jerry Willis said. “This is a great day for Elmore County and a great day for the River Region.”

Donald Campbell / The Herald

Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis, Cary Cox with the Elmore County Economic Development Authority, Dr. Martin Lyons and Dr. Spencer Coleman with Ivy Creek Healthcare and others officially break ground Friday afternoon on the new River Region Medical Center in See GROUNDBREAKING • Page A2 Wetumpka.

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A parcel of land on Highway 231 that will soon be transformed into the River Region Medical Center now within the corporate limits of the city of Wetumpka after the Wetumpka City Council approved a motion to annex the property during Monday night’s council meeting. During its last meeting, the

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