March 29, 2017 Wetumpka Herald by Tallapoosa Publishers

INSIDE TODAY

Wetumpka baseball falls to T.R. Miller

SPORTS, PAGE A8

244-7778

Springtime means fish tales and true ones are best

OPINION, PAGE A4

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

Wetumpka, AL 36092

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WEDNESDAY • MARCH 29, 2017

THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM

VOL. 119, NO. 13

County task force to monitor prison legislation By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor File / The Herald

Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka would remain open under the details of the prison reform bill recently passed by the Alabama Senate, now headed to the state’s House of Representatives.

An Elmore County task force is keeping a close eye on legislation related to prison reform in Alabama as it makes its way through the Alabama legislature. According to Elmore County Commission

Chairman Troy Stubbs, a member of the group, the Elmore County Prison Task Force is watching the legislative progress of prison reform with an eye toward “protecting the interests of Elmore County.” “What we are doing as a county – and this is not limited to the county commission – we are working closely as a group with our prison task force, which See PRISON • Page 2

Girl Scouts don’t duck

One party out for downtown building

Summon aid for feathered friend By DAVID GRANGER Managing Editor

By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

A local Girl Scout troop took action Friday when, on the final school day of their spring break, they came across a feathered friend in need of their help. According to Jana Munro, troop leader of Wetumpka’s Girl Scout Troop 8090, the girls were working toward their Take Action badges, designed to show their power in the community, by picking up trash in Gold Star Park when the scouts noticed that one of the ducks wasn’t acting normally. “As we finished picking up the trash,” Munro said, “we started walking over toward the ducks and, you know, picking up a little bit more stuff and one of the girls said something about one of the ducks. Then all the girls came running over to me and they said, ‘Miss Jana! Miss Jana! Something’s wrong with that duck.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean something’s wrong with it?’ and I did notice See SCOUTS • Page 2

Corey Arwood / The Herald

Members of Girl Scout Troop 8090 are shown here with Wetumpka animal control officer Mitch Williams and Trooper the Duck at Gold Star Park on Friday. The scouts called animal control after finding the duck at the park entangled in fishing line and with a fishing hook stuck in his mouth. Williams removed the hook and Trooper gleefully joined the community of ducks at the park. Scouts from Troop 8090 are, left to right, Victoria Taylor, McKenna Price, Victoria Woodall, Emily Munro and Isabella Taylor..

A downtown building previously at the center of debate between the City of Wetumpka, a local children’s charity and the former county commission remains vacant as the new commission works on the issue, according to a county official. Commission Chair Troy Stubbs of District Three said the commission is aware of the situation between the city and Adullam House Ministries over the Thames Pharmacy (old Board of Education) building on East Bridge Street. However, the list of interested parties has since decreased. Recently Adullam House notified The Herald by email it had withdrawn its interest in the building. “However, we do want to clarify that we are not ‘amid fight for building’,” wrote Phillip Powell. “On the contrary, we are quite a distance from any such notion. We are very content for the city to do with the Tulane Building as they see fit.” See BUILDING • Page 8

Hampton Inn completion date in question By COREY ARWOOD Staff Writer

Construction appears to have met a standstill at a large-scale development downtown, one that has since its beginning been touted by officials who said it would be a major economic boon for the city. The project was started around three years ago at the construction site of

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years or until portions of the investment had been recovered. The initiation date was set in the project agreement for February 2014 and its completion was scheduled for July 2016, but in that time Edwards said problems had arisen at the site, David Granger / The Herald the most recent being a legal dispute Shortly after the Hampton Inn logo was bolted to between a number of parties involved the facade of the planned South Main Street hotel, in the construction of the Hampton Inn, work stopped seemingly due to litigation between the owners and plumbing contractors, frustrating city See HOTEL • Page 3 officials and others.

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what is slated to be a Hampton Inn hotel off South Main Street. The property sits one lot over from the City Administration Building and behind it is a segment of Gold Star Park’s Riverwalk. City Attorney Regina Edwards said the property was part a larger acquisition by the city and was sold to an investment company with the incentive it would rebate lodging tax over a few

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PAGE A2 • MARCH 29, 2017

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

THE WETUMPKA HERALD

Prison

continued from page 1

was established over a year ago when Gov. (Robert) Bentley first proposed his prison bill, to monitor the situation. We’re having regular discussions and we’re communicating very closely with Sen. (Clyde) Chambliss, primarily because he was one of the driving forces behind the bill that passed the Senate. “We feel that it’s most important that we have up-to-date information and are proactive in our response as a county. Our primary objective is to protect Elmore County.” Formed more than a year ago, the prison task force includes representatives of the Elmore County Commission, the Elmore County Economic Development Association, the Central Elmore Water and Sewer Authority and the Wetumpka Water Board. Stubbs said Sen. Clyde Chambliss and other interested citizens have also been participating in the meetings. The bill that Chambliss and other senators supported that passed in the state Senate called for the construction of three new prisons, two by county authorities who would then lease the facilities to the state and one by the state itself. It did not call for the closure and replacement of Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, but did allocate monies that could be used for its renovation. The cost of the bill was estimated at $325 million, far less than the $800 million legislation originally proposed by Bentley. Stubbs said the Elmore County group believes that the bill that passed the Senate has a “very, very strong likelihood” of being replaced or changed in the House and that, as a result of that likelihood, the task force is in no hurry to react. “We feel like the best way to protect Elmore County right now is to protect our jobs and that is one of our responsibilities as a whole, this entire group, and we’re taking that very seriously,” Stubbs said. “But we’re not overreacting and we’re not doing anything drastic to respond to the bill that has only passed the Senate and has a very, very strong likelihood of being changed in some way in the House.” As passed, the Senate bill would result in the clo-

sure of three or possibly four Elmore County men’s prisons and facilities – Draper, Elmore and Staton correctional facilities in Elmore and, potentially, Frank Lee Community-Based facility in Deatsville. The loss of these facilities would impact both local jobs and entities which are large providers for the prison system, particularly local water and sewer service providers Central Elmore Water and Sewer Authority and the Wetumpka Water Board, according to Stubbs. While the Senate bill says little about Tutwiler, Stubbs doesn’t believe that any bill that passes the House will similarly ignore the facility. “Right now, the bill that passed the Senate doesn’t even mention Tutwiler. It virtually bypasses Tutwiler completely. If that’s the case, it would mean that Tutwiler would remain in Elmore County and would continue to move on business as usual. Now, that is very unlikely that remains that way. We know that there is going to be movement to address Tutwiler in the House. What that movement entails remains to be seen. And we’re trying to prepare ourselves for anything that might come about with regards to Tutwiler and in regards to our men’s prisons.” Part of the reason Stubbs believes that Tutwiler will likely be more directly addressed in any House bill is the difference in the bill that passed the Senate and the bill originally introduced by Bentley last year and reintroduced earlier this year. The move from a new women’s megaprison to a relatively small allocation for improvements at Tutwiler may cover ground too vast to be overlooked by House members, he said. “There is a sum of money (allocated in the Senate bill) that the state would use to address or improve several prisons across the state,” Stubbs said. “There is $23 million, I believe, allocated to the improvement of Tutwiler. My suggestion is, I don’t know if that will be enough for the people in the House. You’ve got to remember that the original bill last year and then the bill that was reiterated and reintroduced this year included a completely new, state-of-the-art megaprison for women. You go from that to we’re going to

build multiple state-of-the-art megaprisons for men and we’re not going to do that for women – that may not be sufficient. But that’s all speculation.” Stubbs went on to say that it’s not the job of the task force to decide whether megaprisons are the answer to Alabama’s prison-overcrowding problems or whether those problems are as severe as some say, but to be prepared to respond in the best interest of Elmore County if and when legislation regarding the state’s prison system is passed. “I don’t view it as choosing a side or whether I agree or disagree whether we should have megaprisons, whether I agree or disagree if we have overcrowdedness in the prisons,” Stubbs said. “I have my own personal feelings about that, but from a county perspective as far as protecting our county, we just have to be prepared for whatever the legislature does. So that’s what we’re doing. “We are actively watching, meaning that we’re not just occasionally watching the news or reading the paper. We are meeting regularly with members of our state delegation, we are meeting regularly with other leaders in our community and having discussions about these matters. We will in the near future be having discussions (with Elmore County’s House delegation, Mike Holmes, Reed Ingram and Beckman). We’ve been focused on the Senate because that’s where the bill started. Now that there’s something in play that will go to the House, we will begin our discussions and express our position to them. Hopefully, we’ll have very good communications with them regarding the progress of the bill and any changes that are anticipated so that we can respond accordingly.” Stubbs said the Elmore County Commission would appreciate feedback from the community during this legislation-monitoring process. “My hope is that we’ll be able to get the pulse of the community and be able to do what’s best for Elmore County,” Stubbs said.

Scouts

continued from page 1

that it had isolated itself from all the rest of them.” Munro said to get a better look, she took her camera and zoomed in on the duck. “Once I zoomed my camera in, I told the girls, ‘It’s got a fish hook in its mouth,’ and they were like ‘What are we going to do?’ I asked them what they thought they should do because we’d been talking about the power of speaking out in the community and doing the things that can help the community and I said, ‘This is a prime example of being powerful. What can you do to be powerful in this situation?’” Munro and her scouts decided the best thing to do was to call the non-emergency number at the Wetumpka Police Department. “I wasn’t exactly sure who to call either,” Munro said. The WPD dispatched animal control officer Mitch Williams to the park to help rescue the duck from its fishing-line-and-hook trap. “He came out and he caught it,” Munro said. “It was kind of funny because when he caught him, we all looked at him and he was in bad trouble. He had line around his neck, around his feet and, of course, the hook in his mouth.” Williams, who has been an animal control office for only five months, said it was his first time to be called to rescue a duck in Gold Star Park. “Somebody was just careless and got their line tangled up or something and left it there with the bait on it,” Williams said. “The duck thought it was for him.” Munro’s first inclination was to take her scouts and leave and that she would just call later and check on the duck, which the scouts eventually named

a k p m u Wet

“Trooper.” “The girls were all ‘Can we go? Can we go?’ So I asked him if he minded if we tagged along behind him and he said, ‘No, no, come on.’ So we got to Bryson’s (Veterinary Clinic) and they were kind of busy. One of the girls at the front desk was talking to the animal control guy and they were trying to come up with a plan. The animal control officer ended up taking the duck back outside and said, ‘I guess I’ll take him to the animal shelter and see if someone can help me get the hook out.’ And I said, ‘I’ll help you. Just tell me what I need to do because I’ve never done this before.’ Here I am, the Girl Scout leader and I have to step up and show my girls this is what you do. “While he was holding the duck, I tried to get the hook out of its tongue, but it was at the back part of his tongue toward its throat and I told him, ‘It’s not coming out. It’s hooked really, really good.’ It was obvious that somebody had hooked the duck and just didn’t want to deal with the duck. So he took the pliers and he cut the hook in half so that we could get it out. Once we got it out, we all trailed each other back to the park and the girls watched him get released.” Munro said Williams told the scout group that many times people put bread on their hooks to catch fish and the ducks see the bread and, thinking its food for them, go after it, end up getting hooked and then, not wanting to deal with them, cut their lines and move on. “My girls said, ‘Well that’s dangerous for these ducks. They’re community ducks.’ So they started getting vocal about talking about it. I told them the only thing we can do is spread the word. I asked if they

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wanted me to go home that night and contact a couple of the newspapers and we’ll see if we can get the word out there and they were like, ‘Yeah, that would be great.’ “It was a really good learning experience for the girls and it was very exciting to know that we were able to save the duck because it was hooked so bad that it had stopped eating, it wasn’t getting in the water, it had isolated itself and it was pretty tangled up.” Munro said the ducks release was a joyous event for all involved – the scouts, Trooper, even the geese who coexist in the park with the ducks. “Trooper was so excited. Whenever (Williams) caught it, it didn’t fight him. It was so docile the whole time we were trying to get the hook out of its mouth. When we got back to Gold Star Park and he went to pull him out, that poor little duck’s feet started flapping up and down like he wanted to go swim. It was really fighting to get away then, because it was like, ‘Hey, I’m good to go.’ “Once (Williams) put (Trooper) on the ground, it took off running and started flapping its wings. You could just tell it was happy. All the geese were going crazy, doing that honking noise that they do. It was kind of like a homecoming song. The girls said, ‘Listen, Miss Jana, it’s like a homecoming song. They’re happy to see him, too.” I was trying to video him as he was going back to the water, but I got attacked by one of the geese. It bit me in the tail end trying to protect the ducks. Maybe that goose deserves a Take Action badge, too.

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THE WETUMPKA HERALD

TheWetumpkaHerald.com Flora Nell Smith

Obituaries Dorothy Jean Pruitt

PRUITT, Dorothy Jean, passed away in her home on Saturday, March 25, 2017 at the age of 79. She is preceded in death by her parents, Franklin E. Head and Lula G. Head; and her granddaughter, Amber Pruitt. Survivors include her husband, Bobby C. Pruitt; three sons, Milton (Becky) Pruitt, Bobby (Sara) Pruitt, Jr., and Marion (Virginia) Pruitt; three daughters, Bobbie (David) Thomas, Becky (friend Marcus Moore) Smith, and Ann (Ted) Bamberg; one sister, Katie Lindsey; twenty grandchildren and thirty-seven great grandchildren. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 from 6:00 to 8:00 from Wetumpka Memorial Funeral Home Chapel. Funeral services will be Wednesday, March 29, 2017, from Ebenezer Bible Church at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Buddy Darnell officiating. Mrs. Pruitt will lie in state one hour prior to funeral services. Interment will follow at Ebenezer Cemetery. Pallbearers include Wesley Thomas, Glenn Thomas, Barry Harrelson, Chase Smith, Tony Bamberg, Russell Atchison, David Pruitt and Michael Pruitt. Honorary pallbearers include Timothy Bamberg and Kaiden Pope. Wetumpka Memorial Funeral Home directing.

Smith, Flora Nell, 90, loving wife, Mother and Grandmother went home to be with the Lord peacefully and surrounded by loved ones, Saturday, March 25, 2017. She was born on February 3, 1927 in Elmore County and resided in Wetumpka. She was known to her grandchildren and great grandchildren as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nannyâ&#x20AC;?. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 2:00 p.m. at Gassett Funeral Home with Pastor Steve Nulph officiating. Burial will follow at Union Congregational Christian Church. The family will receive friends one hour prior to services. Our Mother was preceded in death by our Father and her husband of 52 years, who was the love of her life, Rev. Leonard E. Smith, her parents Claudie and Jessie Gray, siblings: Herman Little, Hazel Jones, Lorene Knight and Melvin Gray. The family would like to thank Lake Martin Hospice for the loving care that was given to our Mother by Dr. Melissa Thompson, Linda Segrest, Lori Apparcel and Dee Barker. We would also like to thank Pastor McKinney who was always there to uplift us and Mama with Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Word and a special song. Also, a special thanks to Brenda Derrick who we could trust and depend on to sit with Mama whenever we needed her. All of you, over the past

Hotel

MARCH 29, 2017 â&#x20AC;˘ Page A3 years, have become family to us. Her beautiful life will forever be cherished in the lives of her children, Brenda (David) Goins, Jimmy (JoAnne) Smith, three grandchildren, Andrea (Kevin) Woods, Wes (Elizabeth) Smith, Chris (Elizabeth) Smith, six great grandchildren, along with numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends. In honor of their grandmother, great grandmother and dear friend, pallbearers will be: Wes Smith, Chris Smith, Kevin Woods, Cason Woods, Colton Adams, Fred Reese and Kenny Williams. We all hope and pray to live a life worthy of noting and we can say for certain our Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was. She was a wonderful mother and grandmother and we are all truly blessed to have had her in our lives. We love you Mama and you will be greatly missed. This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t goodbye for us, but let us leave it at, until we meet again. We love you. Online Guest Book available at www.gassettfuneralhome. net

continued from page 1

which ultimately grounded progress on the structure to a halt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All of a sudden they stopped,â&#x20AC;? said Edwards. Edwards said since the initial negotiations of the property transaction, she had not been that involved with issues surrounding the hotel. And she said, like Mayor Jerry Willis has also said numerous times, it was anticipated to help with the development of the Sports Plex and its visitor traveling teams, plus the bass tournaments and others who might not be able to book a room at the Wind Creek Casino Hotel. Rumors began circulating about the project, and last week on a locally focused social media site. City officials chimed in rebutting several commenters who were guessing at reasons why work had stopped. Some guessed a mold infestation was the culprit, others a funding shortfall while the thread turned to questions of property ownership. City officials went on the defensive, some more aggressively than others. City Economic Planner Lynn Weldonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook profile commented, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you (name stricken) for doing the research and clarifying the comments above. The hotel will be finished. Rumors and assertions should not be written or spoken unless you have the facts. Our town has suffered and will continue to suffer until the people who spread untruth are silenced by the facts.â&#x20AC;? And Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aide Tiffany Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook profile commented, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes lots of rumors and little facts.â&#x20AC;? According to the Secretary of Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business registry the hotel is owned by HI Wetumpka LLC. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;registered agent nameâ&#x20AC;? on the property is listed as a Kishor Desai, while other members and organizers are Kirit Patel, Ketan Patel and Amit Patel. The formation date as stated was Jan. 23, 2014, and addresses are listed in Montgomery and Marietta, Georgia. Another organizer on the document is Charles Edmonson of Montgomery. Edmonson said he is the acting attorney for the investors and was aware that the construction was taking longer than expected. He said he was scheduled to meet with the investors this week on its progress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know that there was some type of dispute with the contractor about a material supplier that contends they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t paid,â&#x20AC;? said Edmonson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Or were not due to be paid if the materials werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly as order(ed) â&#x20AC;Ś The proprietors are adamant about getting it resolved and getting the hotel finished.â&#x20AC;? Asked about the rumors of mold and money problems, Edmonson said he knew nothing of those and was only aware of the dispute regarding the material supplier. He said the contractor used by the investors had completed a number of their projects some of which were in New Orleans and the two had always had a â&#x20AC;&#x153;great relationship.â&#x20AC;? The investors, according to Edmonson, were only incidentally named as owners in the suit, which originated between the plumbing company and the general contractor.

But he said it had mostly been resolved at this point and his clients were no longer in any litigation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been resolved, all of the parties have been dismissed,â&#x20AC;? Edmonson said, adding that there still might be â&#x20AC;&#x153;one or two litigants fighting it out.â&#x20AC;? The parties named in lawsuit, according to court documents are: defendant Ahearn Construction Inc. out of New Orleans, defendant Professional Plumbing & Piping, LLC. Of Opelika and the plaintiff, Consolidated Pipe & Supply Co., Inc. of Birmingham. The documents appear to indicate that Professional Plumbing & Piping was ordered to pay $27,532.90 to the plaintiff. Calls were made to the lawyers representing all of the parties, but only Ahearn was reached. He said his clients were also no longer involved in litigation. Edmonson said of the delays, â&#x20AC;&#x153;There were some timelines that were envisioned which the hotel had to be completed â&#x20AC;Ś thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a source of unpleasantries,â&#x20AC;? and he said he the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concern is warranted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they are getting agitated at this point it is probably because they want it finished.â&#x20AC;? He also said in the initial phases of its construction there were setbacks by way of easements and other processes involving the city, but overall he described the relationship as â&#x20AC;&#x153;very cooperative, very supportive.â&#x20AC;? About the investors, Edmonson said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re good businessmen. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done numerous projects. They know what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing,â&#x20AC;? and they â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;Ś have developed numerous hotels around the southeast and have always done a very good job of it.â&#x20AC;?

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OPINION

Page A4 • MARCH 29, 2017

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Springtime means fish tales and true ones are best

was a college student on break from Auburn, a scrawny 20ish-year-old schmuck looking for something to do on the cheap. My late father had the perfect idea. He, my brother and I would go deep-sea fishing, his treat. So we loaded up and headed south. Usually, back in the day we went fishing out of Destin with one of the Marler family captains (the neatly pressed Ben or the much more disheveled, salty old fisherman-like Dave), but this time I’m pretty sure we left out of Panama City. It was a party boat and, as we headed toward the first stop, someone came around offering chances in the big-fish jackpot. Naturally, as a college student, I was broke. My father and my brother paid their entries and I, not knowing what else to do, made a deal with Dad. “If you’ll put me in,” I told him, “I’ll split it with you if I win.” Naturally, there wasn’t a chance in Hades that I was going to catch the biggest fish out of all landed on that boat that day. But, then, I thought, stranger things have happened. And they happened that day. I was near the rear of the boat. I watched as a guy fishing next to me did something interesting. As he would catch small mingo snapper, he would cut

We reserve the right to refuse to print any advertisement, news story, photograph or any other material submitted to us for any reason or no reason at all. •Obituaries - $.25 per word per paper. Additional $15 charge for a photo per paper. (Herald, Observer, Tribune). •Weddings/Engagements - $.25 per word per paper. $15 charge for a 2-column photo. •Birth Announcements - $.25 per word per paper. $15 charge for a photo. SUBSCRIPTION RATES (includes Wednesday) One Year in Elmore, Tallapoosa or Coosa County: $50 One Year Elsewhere: $75 The publisher reserves the right to change subscription rates during the term of subscription at any time. To subscribe or if you miss your paper, call 256-234-4281. © 2016 Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved and any reproduction of this issue is prohibited without the consent of the editor or publisher. ADMINISTRATION Steve Baker publisher@thewetumpkaherald.com David Granger, managing editor david.granger@thewetumpkaherald.com NEWS Corey Arwood, staff writer corey.arwood@thewetumpkaherald.com Carmen Rodgers, staff writer carmen.rodgers@thewetumpkaherald.com Cory Diaz, sports editor Cory.Diaz@TheWetumpkaHerald.com. . . . . . . . . . Ext. 306 SALES Brandy Bowman, marketing consultant brandy.bowman@TheWetumpkaHerald.com. . . . . Ext. 313 Stacy Adams, marketing consultant stacy.adams@TheWetumpkaHerald.com . . . . . Ext. 305

Managing Editor

out their backbones and drop the heads and the filets into the deep. He was catching quite a few grouper – smallish grouper, but good eating. I had neither the patience nor the sharp knife to do what this fellow was doing. So I tried something similar. As I caught the small mingos, I would hook them through both lips and drop the entire fish to the bottom. A couple of mingos into my new strategy, it happened. The end of my rod bent toward the water violently and I could feel something fighting me. “You’ve got bottom,” Dad said, thinking I’d gotten hung up. Then a deckhand came by and reached out and grabbed the end of my rod. “That ain’t bottom,” he said, and in the next breath yelled, “Loaded pole!” At the deckhand’s direction, I kept the button on the electric reel pegged and worked the pole as best I could. Eventually, there was a huge flash of mottled gray near the surface. When the fish’s open mouth broke the water’s

Granger is the managing editor of the Elmore County newspapers for Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc.

Letters to the Editor Reader responds to voter ID use to prevent voter fraud Dear Editor,

THE WETUMPKA HERALD (681-260) is published weekly on Wednesday by Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc., 548 Cherokee Road, Alexander City, AL 35010. Periodical postage paid at Wetumpka, Alabama. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wetumpka Herald, P.O. Box 99, Wetumpka, AL 360920099. ISSN # 1536-688X.

DAVID GRANGER

surface, I almost fainted. The deckhand got a gaff hook and lifted the 42-pound grouper onto the boat, tagged him and threw him in the ice bin. “It’ll take a nice one to beat that one,” the deckhand said, and, for the rest of the day, when he heard the cry of “loaded pole,” he’d check the fish out and come and update me on my standing. It felt good when I held the $84 in my hand later that afternoon. But I kept quiet. Dad did, too. “He’s going to let me keep it,” I thought, thinking maybe Daddy knew, as a college kid, I needed the money. We’d made it just back into Alabama when, eyes still on the highway, Dad asked me, “Don’t you owe me some money?” Darn it! I grumbled, begged to keep it all, but he would have none of it. A deal was a deal, he maintained. I gave him the money. “Heckuva fish,” Daddy said, smiling as he stuck the two 20s in his pocket. It’s springtime, folks. Time to gather some new fish tales. Just remember: the truth makes the best story.

Although my normal practice is not to identify the author of any prior article to which I may be responding, I’m making an exception here. I’m responding to the letter “Voter ID requirement is meant to combat fraud,” submitted by John Hazel of Deatsville. If truly intended to combat fraud, any reasonable thinking person would think that fraud must have been identified. I’ve researched as best as I can and the evidence simply isn’t there to document ‘in-person’ voter fraud in Alabama or any other place in this country to any substantive degree that would warrant photo ID requirements. While any fraud is unacceptable, the most evident I found was that less than .1% of ‘in-person’ voter fraud had been documented prior to last year’s presidential election. According to the Washington Post, individual cases in Iowa, Illinois, Virginia, Texas, and Florida were the only documented cases of either absentee or ‘in-person’ voter fraud in last year’s presidential election.

Four cases!!! Even if you add room for error or newspaper bias, what would you have? A somewhat larger percentage of fraud may be found in connection with voter registration which is not to be confused with actual voting. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let’s move on to the real issues where the rubber really meets the road. Many people, most of them white American males, are concerned with the “browning of America” and the prospect of them losing more elections as a result of “those folks” casting their ballots for “folks who don’t look like them.” Studies have shown that if you “encumber the process” many folks will opt to avoid the cumbersome process and stay home and not vote. This is also why there is so much hoopla over the immigration issue in America. Clouding or covering this issue with niceties such as eliminating fraud, or safeguarding our borders from criminals, felons, or the “riff raff” of the world is nothing but a smokescreen when what is driving all of this is the fact that certain segments of our

country are “doing all they can to keep the status quo the status quo.” Hardly any ethnicity in America today is “original,” said another way, most all of us who are here today came here from somewhere else. The people who came to this country from Italy, France, England, Israel, Poland, etc. all came here with one general aim in mind: to make a better life for themselves and their families. Why begrudge that to those from Mexico, Somalia, Cuba, Haiti, or other South American places? On the surface, I just might agree with Mr. Hazel’s assertion that “There’s no reason why every adult citizen should not have a picture ID.” I’ll withhold that agreement, though, until every accused is truly presumed (and treated) innocent until proven guilty.’ Let me know when that happens! Sincerely, Bobby L. Mays Wetumpka AL

Tailgate sittin’ brings back lots of memories

unday afternoon, I found myself sitting in the bed of Loretta, Lucy’s 1978 Ford pickup truck. While sitting in the bed was nice, it didn’t stir up a lot of memories. On the other hand, sitting on the tailgate and on the side certainly conjured up days gone by. When I was kid, we spent a lot of time in the backs of trucks, and it wasn’t exactly safe, either. It wasn’t cool to sit on the hump above the tire. We used to ride down the road while sitting on the tailgate, and I don’t mean just piddling along. We’re talking 35-45 MPH. Sometimes if we hit a bump, our feet would drag on the road. My cheap, thin-soled shoes, known as “pie crusts” to the local kids of my era, didn’t last too long. Even more dangerous than that was when we sat on the side of the truck while it was in motion. What were the grownups thinking? We survived, hence the good memories. It was just a different time. As toddlers, barely able to walk, we’d walk around inside the car as it was going 55 MPH down the interstate. My dad lived in Montgomery, and I remember the speed limit capping out at 55. We didn’t wear seatbelts. I was in the backseat most of the time. Sometimes I was lying underneath the back window. If my mama slammed on the brakes, I just rolled. My brother, who was sit-

JODY FULLER Columnist

ting or standing in the passenger seat, got the extended arm from her. It always seemed to have worked. She even passed down that mama-reflex down to me. My dog gets it all the time. While sitting in the bed didn’t stimulate memories of yesteryear, it did create new ones, such as Lucy spraying me with sunscreen after pulling it directly from the cooler. I hadn’t hollered like that since the morning in 2004 when I woke up in Iraq with a mouse on my face. You see, that’s a memory. The radio in the truck is somewhat challenged, so I backed up my SUV, popped the tailgate, and tuned in to my favorite country music radio station, although it can sometimes be hard to find country music, even on country radio, but that’s a different story altogether. We fired up the grill and cooked a handful of Nathan’s hot dogs. Those are the best darn storebought hot dogs anywhere. I like to cook them to where they are almost burned. When topped with mustard, kraut, cheese, Wickles Pickles relish, and fresh onions from George’s Farmers Market,

well, it might just be the best darn hot dog, period. Lucy picked at me for washing my plate. It wasn’t just any plate; it was a fancy coated paper plate. I barely got it dirty, and I didn’t even lick it. I just made my hot dog carefully. I wanted all the toppings in my belly. Lucy got real hot and decided to take a dip in the pool. No, we don’t have a fancy salt water pool. We don’t have a traditional rectangular pool, and we don’t even have one of those high-dollar above-the-ground pools. Nope, not us. We have a $9 kiddie pool from Walmart. “You can’t hide class,” my uncle always says. We like it, and so do the dogs. Next week, we’ll be jumping through a sprinkler. Talk about memories. Most of the afternoon was spent on or around Loretta’s tailgate. It was nothing fancy. It was simple, sweet, silly, and so much fun. We thanked God for all the blessings in our lives, including our faith, family, friends, freedom, food, fancy coated paper plates, and this second chance at making lifelong memories. Jody Fuller is a comic, speaker, writer and soldier with three tours of duty in Iraq. He is also a lifetime stutterer. He can be reached at jody@jodyfuller.com. For more information, please visit www.jodyfuller.com.

THE WETUMPKA HERALD

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

MARCH 29, 2017 • Page A5

Today’s church needs to be the New Testament church

n the midst of our political and global situation that we find ourselves in today, there is an increasing need for the Christian Church in America to step forward and be the Church that is talked about in the New Testament, Acts chapter two. We see pockets of those who are being the Church, yet many want to make statements of what is wrong or hammer our local, state, and national governments to fix all our problems. All the while, the majority of our churches are declining in membership and witness while becoming irrelevant to our culture. Granted, we do need our local, state, and nationally elected leaders to do the right things in helping all people get to a better place. Some of our national leaders talk of spending enormous amounts of money to build a wall along the border of Mexico. It has been when walls came down that life has been improved for all. Jesus came into the world to tear down walls of those things that separate us. Jesus is a

bridge builder. The Church is called to do the same. Do we need to have better controls of who comes and goes along our United States borders? Absolutely! However, when we target an entire group of people for the actions of a few, is that profiling? So Church, where is our witness? We need to be about building relationships with people that are different from us, feeding the poor not because we expect anything from them, but it is the Christian thing to do. People of influence: instead of building walls, why don’t we put those efforts in education, eradicating homelessness, drug addiction, and prison reform? Providing health care to all people opens yet another hotly contested debate. The issues are overwhelming and debate on them is dividing us into winners and losers. Change in our culture happens when we can directly impact these tragedies that are at a crisis level. Jesus calls us to be reformers. Therefore, Church, what are we going to do? For my

DAVID GRAVES United Methodist Church

tribe of United Methodists, our Social Principles guide how Christ followers seek to be the New Testament Church. In fact, these principles call us to advocate for health care for all people. The national proposals around immigration, education, and caring for people go against most everything the United Methodist Church advocates. However, if we expect government to solve our issues, we will be a very frustrated and divided people. We are already there! We need Christian leaders to step forward to be bold and courageous in creating opportunities for positive change in our communities. Moreover, we need those who sit in our sanctuary seats each week to do their part as well. Perhaps a local church or group of churches in a small town is

being called to purchase a hospital and make a difference which could change a whole community. Several community hospitals are being targeted to close due to lack of funding. What if the Church acquired them and did a greater work than ever before? Can we begin to imagine? The bottom line is, we need to be the Church. The Church is you and me. I am in my seventh month as a Bishop in the United Methodist Church where I moved to Montgomery to serve central and south Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. I have traveled all over my assigned region. I have witnessed many remarkable ministries taking place from churches of all denominations and sizes. But I have seen extreme poverty, deplorable prison conditions, struggling school systems, homelessness, and the mentally ill who roam our streets while in and out of jail. I have seen those who have much and those who have nothing. We can get frustrated, fearful, argumentative, and

angry. Sometimes we should get angry, but we just can’t stay there. Again, I ask the question, what are we going to do about it? For me and as a leader in the United Methodist Church, I want to win people to Jesus, see the unseen, help transform lives, and change this corner of the world to be a better place for all people. If we in the Church do our part, just perhaps those in power will come to us to seek a way forward. It has happened before in our history, and it can happen again. It begins with each of us being all that God created us to be in a world that desperately needs us to be the Church! Bishop David W. Graves serves as the Resident Bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. The conference is comprised of eight districts, over 600 pastors and churches with a membership total of approximately 140,000 persons.

Area Churches AME ZION Mt. Zion Chapel AME Zion 2340 Crenshaw Rd., Wetumpka 567-4413 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 567-9143

Wallsboro United Methodist Church 11066 U.S. 231, Wallsbooro

Rev. Ryan Johnson Pastor Rickey Luster, Music Director Sunday School....10:45 a.m. Morning Worship....9:30 a.m. Children’s Church.... 9:30 a.m. Thur. Night Service....6:00 p.m. You will receive a warm Welcome at this friendly, Christ-centered Church. NURSERY PROVIDED FOR ALL SERVICES

Wallsboro United Methodist Church 11066 U.S. 231, Wallsboro

ASSEMBLY OF GOD Agape Tabernacle Assembly of God 1076 Kowaliga Rd., Eclectic 541-2006 Bethel Worship Center 11117 U.S. Hwy 231., Wetumpka 567-5754 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

Wetumpka Church of Christ 408 West Bridge Street

Jason Chesser Minister Sunday Prayer and Fellowship.......8:30 a.m. Bible Study.............9 a.m. Worship service...10 a.m. Wednesday Bible Study........7 p.m.

Visitors Welcome At All Services

large...

Pastor

...with the right kind of advertising.

NURSERY PROVIDED FOR ALL SERVICES

• Alexander City Outlook • Dadeville Record • Wetumpka Herald • Eclectic Observer • Tallassee Tribune

256.234.4281

95 Old Georgia Rd., Wetumpka 567-4178 Good Hope Baptist 1766 S. Fleahop Rd., Eclectic Goodship Baptist Hwy. 143, Millbrook Grace Baptist Old Montgomery Hwy., Wetumpka 567-3255 Grandview Pines Baptist Deatsville Hwy., Deatsville Green Ridge Baptist 288 Turner Rd., Wetumpka 567-2486 Harvest Baptist 2990 Main St., Millbrook

First

“And we know that Presbyterian allChurch things work 100 W. Bridge St. together for good to thoseJonathan who loveYarboro God, Rev. to those who are the Sunday School..9:45 am Morning called Worship..11 according toam His567-8135 purpose.”

Harmony United Methodist Church 8000 Titus Road Titus, Ala.

Sunday Services at 11 a.m. Minister Dr. John Brannon There is Harmony at Harmony United Methodist Church!

– Romans 8:28

“In the name of the Lord Jesus – Welcome.”

Please join us.

Mountain View Baptist Church

has been made

Rickey Luster, Music Director

You will receive a warm welcome at this friendly, Christ-centered Church.

3545 W. Central Rd., Wetumpka 541-2556 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

Many a small thing

Rev. Ryan Johnson

Sunday School..........10:45 a.m. Morning Worship........9:30 a.m. Children’s Church.......9:30 a.m. Wed. Night Service.....6:30 p.m.

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 5674325 Brookwood Baptist Grandview Rd., Millbrook Calvary Baptist 504 W. Osceola St., Wetumpka 567-4729 Central Baptist

567-4458 1025 Rifle Range Rd.

504 Osceola Street 504West West Osceola St. 334-567-4729 334-567-4729 •••• Anthony Rhodes Rev.Rev. Anthony Rhodes, Senior Pastor Senior Pastor Sarah Swedenburg, Worship Ministries

Need your business to

STAND OUT

Derek Blankenship, Tammy Student Driver:Ministries

from the crowd?

Children's Director

SUNDAY SERVICES SUNDAY SERVICES Sunday School...........9:30 a.m. Sunday Worship.....10:30 School........9:30 a.m. a.m. Morning MorningWorship.......6:00 Worship... 10:30p.m. a.m. Evening Evening Worship..... 6:00 p.m. WEDNESDAY SERVICES WEDNESDAY SERVICES Prayer Meeting...........6:00 p.m. Supper.....................5:30 p.m. Choir PrayerRehearsal.........6:45 Meeting........6:15 p.m. p.m. Student Worship........6:00 p.m. Choir Practice..........7:00 p.m. Calvary Kids...............6:00 p.m.

CEDARWOOD COMMUNITY CHURCH 10286 U.S. Hwy. 231 Wallsboro 567-0476 www.worshipcedarwood.org

Roger Olsen, Pastor Sunday Bible Study..........9:00 AM Sunday Worship.............10:00 AM We are a Congregational Christian Church which, in the name of Jesus, invites all to worship with us. Nursery Check out our Facebook page

Call us, we can help!

334-567-7811

• • • • •

Santuck Baptist Church

7250 Central Plank Road 7250 Central C Plank Road “A Family of Families” “A Family of Families”

B.R. Johnson, Senior Pastor Larry Counseling Larry Gore, Adm. & Counseling Randy Godfrey, Education Education Chad Middlebrooks, Students Amy Pugh, Director of Matt Fallin, Worship Children & Preschool Amy Pugh, Children & Students Preschool Chad Middlebrooks,

SUNDAY SUNDAY Sunday School........9 & 10:30 a.m. Sunday School............9 & 10:30 a.m. Worship...................9 &&10:30 Worship........................9 10:30a.m. a.m. EveningCelebration.................6 Celebration...........5 p.m. Evening p.m. WEDNESDAY/FAMILY NIGHT WEDNESDAY/FAMILY NIGHT Programs for every age Programs 6:15 -- 7:30 p.m. 6:15

Wetumpka Herald Eclectic Observer Tallassee Tribune Alexander City Outlook Dadeville Record

Anthony B. Counts, Pastor Angie Gallups, Worship Leader Billy Reinhardt, Min. of Students SUNDAY Morning Worship... ....10:30 Sunday School.............9:15 Youth Choir .............. ....5:00 Evening Worship..........6:00 WEDNESDAY Fellowship Meal............5:45 Preschool/Children’s Choirs.........................6:00 House of Prayer............6:30 Preschool/Children’s Missions........................6:30 Youth Bible Study.........6:30

Send your church news and happenings to: news@The Wetumpka Herald.com _________ Call Brandy Call Jayne or Shannon at 567-7811 to advertise your church’s services in this space

PAGE A6 â&#x20AC;˘ MARCH 29, 2017

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

THE WETUMPKA HERALD

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Rev. Anthony Rhodes â&#x20AC;˘ Senior Pastor Sarah Swedenburg â&#x20AC;˘ Worship Ministries Derek Blankenship â&#x20AC;˘ Student Ministries

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MARCH 29, 2017 • PAGE A7

Tribe falls to 3A No. 1 T.R. Miller, ends tourney 2-2 By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor

Wetumpka opened the game with backto-back base hits and eventually scored first in the top of the first inning, but No. 1 T.R. Miller turned the tables and did what No. 1 teams do. The Tigers, topranked club in Class 3A and undefeated at 19-0, capitalized on two Indian errors to gain the lead in the third and plated four straight runs en route to the 6-2 victory in the WHS Spring Break Tournament finale Saturday. “I was excited to get to play somebody that was a top-ranked team, get out here and compete,” WHS baseball coach Mark Davis said. “Started the game out well with two base hits, we were fired up. Then, we have one error here and there, the tables turned and we had to play on the defensive side instead of the offensive side.” In its two previous tourney contests, Wetumpka (12-9) was able to fight out of early 1-0 deficits to win versus Prattville, 6-5, Thursday and

Cory Diaz / The Herald

Wetumpka junior third baseman Hayden Shepherd (11) misjudges a throw as T.R. Miller’s Drew Williamson (10) safely slides into third during Saturday’s game at Bazemore Field.

Dadeville, 4-1, Friday. Juniors Hayden Shepherd and Jon Holbert recorded 10 and nine strikeouts, respectively, and limited both teams to eight total hits to earn victories on the mound. Even in the walkoff, 7-6 loss to St. James to open the tournament

Thursday and the defeat to T.R. Miller, WHS starters James Duer and senior Hayden Pickens, respectively, kept the Indians in the games late. “Pitching-wise guys stayed out there on the mound. We got quality innings out of our top four guys and got

out there and battled, competed,” Davis said. “I told the team today we got to do the little things right. We got to catch it, throw it and at the plate do what we’re supposed to do to move runners over and score runs.” Senior centerfielder Jacob McClellan

and Holbert started the game with hits against T.R. Miller before senior Dylan Norton bunted them over and junior catcher Max Champion scored McClellan with a sacrifice fly. McClellan finished the game with two hits and reached base a team-high

three times against the Tigers’ Stokes Jennings, who had the complete game win. “Your seniors are the ones who are the backbone of the team. They have to step up, key situations, and Pickens did that today,” the coach said. “He gave us a chance to be in the game. Jacob, same thing, he has improved so much being the leadoff guy and getting on base. He’s scrappy in that box and one of the guys you can count on if you need a baserunner to get on. No matter how he gets on, he finds a way. That’s what you got to do to be a senior and playing 6A baseball.” Coming off solid games against strong opposition, Davis likes where Wetumpka is as it begins area play against Opelika this week. “I think they understand what they have to do to give themselves a chance. This tournament was built and made for teams that we have faced in this tournament to get us ready. I think we are.” WHS traveled to Opelika Tuesday and hosts the Bulldogs Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Evans becomes first Holtville all-state player in 20 years By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor

Twenty years. In 1997, the Holtville boys basketball program was in its heyday, a year removed from winning its last state championship and the last year a player (Willie Ezell) made the allstate team. The 2016-17 season saw the HHS team strike a few program streaks off the books in large part due to senior point guard Brant Evans. This postseason, he erased another record, becoming the first Holtville All-State basketball player in 20 years, landing on the Class 4A third team at guard, announced by the Alabama Sports Writers Association March 18. Evans pieced together the most successful season for the program in two decades, averaging 21.2 points (595 total points in 28 games) and seven assists per game and shot over 40 percent from the field. The

5-foot-10 guard led the Bulldogs to 13 victories on the season, the most in a season in 11 years, to their first area title in seven seasons, to their first Elmore County championship game appearance and the team’s first tournament title in recent memory, winning the Munford Christmas Tournament. HHS boys basketball coach Cortes Mitchell said he was not surprised his “floor general” was named to the All-State team. “He was the team heartbeat,” Mitchell said. “I’m not surprised because of the way he led our team this year. He’s our floor general and with the stats he put up, I’m not surprised at all. “This is big for us going forward. Anytime you get a guy on the allstate team, that’s one of the best 15 players in the state, it’s big for our program. Hopefully, this will give our guys something to strive for and they realize that if you put in the hard work, anything can happen.”

Cory Diaz / The Herald

Holtville senior point guard Brant Evans (3) drives to the hoop and leaps between two Tallassee defenders this past season. Evans was named third team all-state March 18 by the ASWA.

WHS boys tennis off to hot start By CORY DIAZ Sports Editor

Cory Diaz / The Herald

Wetumpka senior Caleb Walker returns the ball against Auburn Tuesday.

Intrasquad competition has strengthened the Wetumpka boys tennis team, fueling the team’s best start in history, winning seven of its first nine matches in 2017. Challenging one another in practice plus the improvement in skill level led the Indians (7-2, 1-2) to victories over teams they have never beaten before in Valley, Chilton County, Sylacauga, as well as Benjamin Russell, 7-2, in their Class 6A, Section 2 opener back on March 7. WHS defeated 7A Auburn’s junior varsity squad, 7-2, Monday at home. “They’ve all been challenging each other for positioning on the team,” WHS tennis coach Scott Walker said Monday. “So they’re pushing each other which is something you try to do anyway. When I have the seeding set after the initial tournament, they challenge each other during the season. “It keeps them on their toes because you can get comfortable when they know a guy below them is trying to pass them. I think in doing that, they tend to get stronger during the season. And they’re playing some tough teams, too. Our skill level has gone up quite a bit.”

Freshman No. 1 seed Jay Teel, along with fellow freshmen Pierson Waite, Jordan Wilson and Jake Walker have picked up some big wins this season and have helped Wetumpka improve as a squad. Senior Caleb Walker edged fellow senior A.C. Bradley for the team’s fifth a couple of weeks ago, but both are undefeated in singles matches this season. The Indians have dropped their last two Section 2 matches to Dothan, 5-4, and Northview, 7-2, but Scott Walker thinks his team can advance out of the section tournament April 20 and get to the state tournament. They rounded out regular season section play at Opelika Tuesday. “Section is tough this year now that we have Dothan, Northview in there and Opelika in there and they’ve been tough. To have made it past Ben Russell, for the time being, they would beat us every time we played in past,” the coach said. “This year, we won pretty strong. I think that’s the thing. Each year we have a new benchmark. And this year, when we beat them, it was a good one to pass. “There were some close matches we lost to Dothan, 4-5, that could make a difference. Couple of close ones in Northview match we could turn around.”

PAGE A8 • MARCH 29, 2017

TheWetumpkaHerald.com

THE WETUMPKA HERALD

Legislative power has usurped that of governor

ast week we handicapped some of the potential horses in the upcoming 2018 Governor’s Race. We mentioned Judge Roy Moore, PSC President Twinkle Cavanaugh, Agriculture Commissioner John McMillan, Secretary of State John Merrill, State Treasurer Young Boozer, State Senator Del Marsh and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. Some others that may be considering pursuing the brass ring of Alabama politics are Lt. Governor Kay Ivey, Supreme Court Justice Jim Main, Jefferson County Commission President David Carrington, Trump’s Trumpeter in the State Perry Hooper, Jr., Huntsville State Representative Jim Patterson and ADECA Director and former Prattville Mayor Jim Byard. You can also add former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville to the mix of possible gubernatorial candidates. All of these aforementioned horses would run as Republicans in the 2018 Gubernatorial Derby. It is assumed that only a Republican

STEVE FLOWERS Columnist

can win statewide office in Alabama and that next year’s June 2018 GOP primary is tantamount to election. Therefore, it is only a 15-month race to election for governor. The late Lucy Baxley was the last Democrat to hold statewide office in Alabama. She lost reelection to the PSC in 2012. It has been almost two decades since a Democrat has captured the governor’s office. Donald Trump carried Alabama with almost 63 percent of the vote. It is thought by most political prognosticators that a Democratic candidate can at best get 40 percent of the vote in the Heart of Dixie. However, there are several brave souls who are diehard Democrats and may be bold

enough to test that theory. One of these emboldened is Parker Griffith, who ran as the Democratic nominee against Robert Bentley four years ago in 2014 and received 36 percent of the vote. Griffith is a personable, former oncologist, State Senator and Congressman from Huntsville. He seems dedicated to making the plunge. The most mentioned Democratic candidate is former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb. She was elected to the State Supreme Court in 2012, which was the last time a Democrat won statewide office in Alabama. She is seriously considering the race for governor. She could be handicapped by the fact that she quit in the middle of her term on the Court and a Republican was appointed by the governor. State Representative Craig Ford who has served as House Minority Leader is considering a run for governor. Like Griffith, Ford is likeable. He is one of the few remaining white Democrats

left in the Alabama House of Representatives. In fact, if Ford vacated his seat to run for governor a Republican would probably take it. The wildcard in a potential Democratic field might be the popular young mayor of Tuscaloosa, Walt Maddox. He considers himself a Democrat. Maddox is well thought of in the Druid City, which is a more populous and vote-rich area of the state than most folks realize. If he got strong support from Tuscaloosa coupled with the ADC and New South endorsements, it could propel him to the Democratic nomination. He would bring to the dance a sterling record of achievement as mayor of Tuscaloosa. However, if he has to go through a bruising primary he may come to the prom beat up and broke. Not to mention that the Prom King/Queen is highly favored to be a Republican. He would be hard-pressed to raise campaign money in the fall campaign. Most of the bets would be placed on the Republican.

Building The nonprofit had been in talks with the county for use of the building, appearing a number of times both at county commission and city council meetings. The city expressed its interest to the previous commission shortly after it became known the county was hearing pitches regarding ownership of the building. Stubbs said the current commission was not involved in any talks with any party over the structure at present. The property was far from the top of the commission’s agenda, Stubbs said, especially given the situation that arose early on with the removal of former District Four commissioner Joe Faulk. Stubbs said awaiting a governor’s appointment to the District 4 spot then catching up on other items took precedent. “The previous county commission chose not to act,” said Stubbs. “We kind of set the reset button on it.” Stubbs said the commissioners had received a similar notification from the Adullam House while in Washington, D.C. at the National Association of Counties Legislative Conference earlier this month. The nonprofit describes its purpose to be caring for the children of incarcerated men and women and has housing facilities and schools in Wetumpka. It was reportedly looking into the downtown building to serve as a sort of public face for the organization and to provide office space. They have since relocated their Adullam House Thrift Store to a location off

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Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist.

continued from page 1

Firetower Road and acquired additional spaces at the location. There are also stipulations on the use of the Thames building through legal documents left by the original property owner in the late 19th century, Horatio Tulane. Tulane was a prominent local businessman in the area during the late 1800s and of the same Tulane family as the New Orleans’ university. The historic account states he left the property to family members in a will which created a trust that, after their death, went to the county and the revenue from which was to be used for charity for care of the indigent and economically disadvantaged. The Tulane Charity Fund of Elmore County was supposedly created for this purpose and whatever amount generated from the property was supposed to be used for that sole purpose perpetually. An issue arose between the city and Adullam House around the city’s intended use of the facility. The nonprofit fit the description of the property’s intended charitable use, but the city eyed it for the purpose of funding its Downtown Redevelopment Authority. Burton Ward is the President of the Central Alabama Community Foundation, which oversees the Elmore County Community Foundation. The ECCF states as its goal the administering of charitable funds that makeup grants provided to nonprofits in the county. Ward said she had never heard of the

Tulane Charity Fund, but then also said the purpose of the ECCF was such that it would not fall under its oversight. However, working with charitable donations, Ward said, regarding how they handle donated properties and wills, “If somebody gives us property we have a fiduciary liability to adhere to those instructions.” She said the stipulation that cleared them of following those instructions relied on the existence of its conditions. If they were no longer in existence, they then did not apply and the instructions were nullified. In this instance, Ward said that would be the economic conditions that create indigence, meaning as Ward said, “unless homelessness goes away,” then the conditions remain. County Administrator Grace McDuffie said there were two properties left in the will, one the Tulane or old Board of Education building and the other at the Elmore County Pregnancy Center. She said the will was a 3-4 page handwritten document. “So what the county has done in the past, we give to those types of entities by far more than what the legacy brings in,” said McDuffie. She deferred comment on its legal ramifications to the county attorney. However, attempts to reach him were unsuccessful. City planning and Project Director David Robison made the initial presentation to the county on the city’s behalf last year. He said the Downtown Redevelopment Authority was still interested in the property and he was unaware of Adullam’s withdrawal. He said at the time the city had just been selected into Mainstreet Alabama. Also the DRA was just developed and in need of a funding source in order to borrow or issue bonds. The city proposed three options and Robison said its preferred option was a land-swap trade for the building for undeveloped city-owned land by the courthouse. He said there would be no city money involved. After the acquisition, Robison said the RDA would be responsible for renovations and could then lease it to a business, whether restaurant or retail, securing it funding to pursue grants. He said he felt through the city attorney they had found a way around the charity clause in the will. “A lot of people (were) throwing out (the) idea it’s a deed restriction, it’s not. It’s in the will,” said Robison. He said the city’s interpretation was that the property could be sold, but proceeds from any such sale had to be devoted to its charitable purpose. However that still leaves the question

open, that if the city does not pay anything to the county, what money would go to its purpose? “From the beginning, the City of Wetumpka has expressed its commitment to honoring the intent of the Tulane Legacy,” Robison said. He provided three points, saying one, the county was told in the past it could never sell the building and it must be used only for/by the poor and needy of Elmore County. Two, “based on our research – including reading the Tulane’s actual will - we believe that the county could sell the building or lease it at a market rate for commercial use, but that any proceeds from such sale or rents must be deposited into a county-administered charity fund named in Tulane’s honor.” And lastly, in their presentation, the city offered to cover any legal costs incurred by the county in obtaining a declaratory judgment on discussing ways to contribute to the charity fund. “Our whole point in this is to develop critical mass,” Robison said. “The more commercial uses you have in one area, the more consumers it attracts.” According to Elmore County Revenue Commission property tax map data the total value of the building and the land is $128,840. It is located in the same strip of buildings, on the corner lot, as Mayor Jerry Willis’ barber shop, and the law offices of the city attorney. The Fain Theater sits farthest it, owned by Tim Coker of CPM who has done project-management work for the city at the sportsplex and MLK Center sites. Down the other side, are multiple properties owned by Realtor Tucker Robinson, chair of the RDA and Ron Drinkard also on its board. Robison said the city was not in the business of buying up downtown. “The city does not want to take over properties,” Robison said. He said the RDA, on the other hand, could do things the city could not by way of acquiring the locations and renovating them, thus raising their value market value, aiding revenue generation in alternate ways. But Robison said the city cannot do anything until the commission comes to a resolution. Stubbs said, “We’re just kind of evaluating what the options are.” But he said he the expected completion of the new county courthouse around August or September would essentially vacate the county entirely from the surrounding properties of the Thames-Tulane building. Stubbs said the remaining county operations nearby, through the Veteran’s Affairs and mental health offices, would then be consolidated at the new courthouse.

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This brings us to another chapter in the governor’s race. The folks who wrote our 1901 Constitution intended for the power in state government to be rested in the hands of the legislature. During the Wallace years, George Wallace had immense power over the legislature. This usurpation of power has incrementally declined over the years. It has culminated with a decimation of gubernatorial power. The last two governors, Bob Riley and Robert Bentley, have been rendered irrelevant by the legislature. Special interests have taken note of this transfer of power and their money has followed. Campaign money that used to go to the governor’s race now flows to legislative races. It is not unusual to see House seats cost $300,000 and state Senate races rise to $1 million. It is going to be a great election year. See you next week.

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THE WETUMPKA HERALD

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THE WETUMPKA HERALD

Spring means influx of pup, kitty litters By REA CORD HSEC Executive Director

Huge thanks to everyone who voted in the Wind Creek Facebook Winner’s Express $125K Giveaway Contest to help us win $5,000 for our shelter! We were given the official notification last week and will be at the Wind Creek Montgomery on April 7 to receive our money. We are going to use this money to help us build a new, larger and much needed food storage building at our shelter this year. Thank you, Wind Creek and all of our supporters. Our Tails End Thrift Store crew is pulling out all the stops again this Saturday, April 1, with massive sales of clothing to help get ready for the big swapout of winter to summer clothing. Make sure to stop by between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for some super deals. Please thank our volunteers for their endless hard work operating our Thrift Store as all proceeds go to our shelter to ensure we can be there for all the pets that come to us needing our help. We hope you have your calendar marked for our 12th annual Wags & Whiskers Auction on Friday, July 28. Big change this year is the location, which will be

at the Wind Creek Wetumpka Entertainment Center. This new location will give us even more room for the huge variety of auction items that will be available. Our audience will not only stay busy during the live and silent auctions, but there will be delectable food provided by Wind Creek, door prizes and fun for everyone. All the proceeds go to our humane shelter to help ensure we can continue our work and be there for the public and so many pets in need. We not only want everyone to make sure to mark July 28 to join us, but we are also accepting items for our auction. Our auction always has something for everyone from jewelry to furniture, pet items to sports memorabilia, antiques to art and so much more. If you would like to donate an item to our auction please contact our Auction Committee Chair, Chris Sisson at silentauction@elmorehumane. com. All donated items are taxdeductible and support a great cause (though we may be a bit biased). Spring is upon us as the influx of litters is right around the corner. Many puppies and kittens are brought to us too young to not only be taken away from their mothers but also to be adopted as we do not

adopt puppies or kittens until they are at least eight weeks old. While we love and care for all our pets as best we can, the shelter is simply not the optimal environment for itty bitty babies and there are a number of good reasons for puppies and kittens to stay longer with their moms. Puppies and kittens weaned too early are often at a nutritional disadvantage and also face developmental challenges since they learn a lot of lessons from their mothers and siblings as they grow. These are the potential teenage dogs and cats with health and behavior challenges down the road – some of which are cute, some irritating and some may result in that pet being given away, abandoned or taken to a shelter eventually. If you do have a litter of puppies or kittens you need to bring us, we ask that you please let them nurse up to six weeks (can start supplementing them with wet food a week or two earlier) and then continue to keep them at home until they are 7-8 weeks old. This will help their immune system develop and also help us be able to place them for adoption quicker. As pets are adopted, it not only saves their lives, but the lives of others who also desperately need their space.

Pet of the Week – Chase Chase is a wonderful one-year-old male yellow Lab who came to us when his previous owner developed allergies. Chase is about 65 pounds, playful and energetic but settles down quickly and loves attention. He is particularly great with children. He is supposed to be housetrained and is good with female dogs, unsure about kitty cats. Our 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, microchip, heartworm check for dogs, rabies vaccination (if old enough) and free health exam with your participating veterinarian. To meet all the great pets at our shelter come to 255 Central Plank Road in 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.