SPORTS, PAGE B1: McLING EARNS FOURTH TRIP TO MOTOCROSS NATIONALS
THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper Est. 1898 | thewetumpkaherald.com WEDNESDAY, JULY 21, 2021 | VOL. 123, NO. 29 | $1.00
Ivy Creek donates use of building for DHR foster care By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
Submitted / The Herald
Members of the Serve Team at Montgomery’s Church of the Highlands.
Ivy Creek Healthcare is lending its resources to help make a difference in the lives of Elmore County children in foster care.
The healthcare organization has indefinitely donated the use of one of its building located in Holtville to the Elmore County Department of Human Resources. The arrangement was made See IVY’S CLOSET • Page A3
Walmart theft suspect briefly escaped Millbrook police custody
2 killed in wreck STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
On Wednesday, July 14, a Walmart theft suspect was able to slip free from handcuffs and briefly escape police custody. The ordeal began at Butler Millbrook’s Walmart when Millbrook police officers responded to the business in regard to a theft in progress. As officers arrived on scene, Walmart’s loss prevention personnel told officers that the offender fled the business on foot.
Briana Wilson / The Herald
Above: Volunteer Judas Jackson helps clear tree limbs from the property at the historic Second Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday.
See ESCAPE • Page A3
Deatsville woman charged with burglary in Millbrook STAFF REPORT TPI Staff
A 24-year-old Deatsville woman has been arrested by the Millbrook Police Department in connection to a residential burglary that took place on June 11. Brooks On June 11, Millbrook police officers responded to the 3000 block of Gober Road in regard to a burglary and theft of property. The complainant told responding officers that Ana Maria Brooks allegedly broke into the residence, damaged electronics and household goods, stole a firearm and then fled the residence in a See BURGLARY • Page A3
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Clean up effort continues at historic Wetumpka church By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
T
he clean up effort continues at Second Missionary Baptist Church as volunteers gathered there on Saturday, July 17, for phase two of the clean up project. Church member Betty Smith said the clean up effort is much needed. The church purchased land years ago to serve as a space for the church’s youth department, but in recent years the space has become overgrown with weeds. The church is rich in history. It was created after the Civil War when African American congregants of the Coosa River Baptist Church left to establish their own church. A plot of
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A two-vehicle crash that occurred at approximately 8:17 a.m. on Thursday, July 15, has claimed the lives of two people. Katie S. Foshee, 39, of Montgomery, and 32-yearold Donald C. Williamson, of Wetumpka, were critically injured when the 1989 Chevy Blazer they were in left the roadway, re-entered the roadway and then struck a 2020 International MV607. Williamson was the driver of the Blazer and Foshee was a passenger. The wreck resulted in road blockage on Alabama 143 near River Oaks Boulevard. All lanes of Alabama 143 and Interstate 65 north, near the 176 mile marker, were blocked for several hours. See WRECK • Page A2
Wetumpka bookstore starts pen pal program with sister city By BRIANA WILSON Bureau Chief
land was donated and the first church was erected in 1887. However, a violent storm destroyed the building in 1899. Despite the devastation, members rallied and rebuilt the structure in the same year. During the fight for Civil Rights, the church served as a meeting place for Civil Rights activists and leaders, and commencement ceremonies for the Elmore County Training School, which educated the area’s black children, were also held at the church. In August, the church will celebrate its 134th anniversary. Smith said the church doesn’t have the manpower needed to clean
Downtown Wetumpka’s Sweet Home Books is teaming up with a Laurel, Mississippi bookstore to offer a pen pal program to area residents. Diane Castro, owner of Sweet Home Books, said she was contacted by Sonya Dykes, the owner of Laurel’s The Bookstore in the Window, about the idea to start the pen pal program. “Residents in both cities have had the similar yet unique experience of having their hometowns featured on television,” Castro said. “Because of our shared experience, Wetumpka and Laurel have become like sister cities. The goal of this is to provide a platform for people to get to
See CHURCH • Page A6
See PEN PALS • Page A6
Flea Market & Antiques 5266 U.S. Hwy. 231 • Wetumpka, AL (Winn Dixie Shopping Center • Behind KFC)
OVER 100 BOOTHS
Booth space available starting at $118 per month for 6’ x 10’
334-567-2666