SPECIAL SECTION HONORING DOCTORS DAY SECTION INSIDE SPORTS, LOCAL, PAGE B1 PAGE A6 Indians grab 3 wins at tourney
Ivy Creek celebrates 2nd ribbon cutting
THE WETUMPKA HERALD Elmore County’s Oldest Newspaper - Established 1898
Wetumpka, AL 36092
50¢
WEDNESDAY • MARCH 27, 2019
THEWETUMPKAHERALD.COM
VOL. 121, NO. 5
Chamber celebrates 30 years at annual dinner By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
Friends and members of the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce filled the Wetumpka Civic Center last Tuesday night for the chamber’s annual dinner and awards ceremony celebrating 30 years of promoting the area.
“The chamber is very important to us,” Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said. “They help meet the needs of this city.” Willis said the city wants the organization to be a part of the discussion on how to best move Wetumpka forward and rebuild in the aftermath of the Jan. 19 tornado.
Following the interview, I could tell she was definitely the right person for the job.” During the dinner, Fain and outgoing chamber president Eric Hyde presented awards to a number of local businesses in attendance, all of which are Challengers for the chamber. See CHAMBER • Page A3
Following Willis’ comments, event emcee Dennis Fain recognized longtime chamber executive director Jan Wood for her service to the community and the organization. “We’re so proud to have Jan here tonight,” Fain said. “I interviewed her for that position while I was serving as the treasurer of the chamber board.
Titus resident prepares for annual Relay for Life event
First responders look for evidence that might have come from a car at the boat ramp at Gold Star Park in Wetumpka Thursday night after the car eluded law enforcement and drove into the Coosa River. Cliff Williams / The Herald
Wood has raised nearly $90K for organization in 30 years By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer
The Relay for Life organization has become one of the most recognizable groups to raise money for cancer patients and survivors. Titus resident Bubba Wood said he enjoys taking part in the local Relay for Life event and he has been highly successful in raising money for the organization. “This will be my 30th Relay for Life,” Wood said. “Since I started participating, I have raised nearly $90,000. Currently, I’m about $2,500 short of that.” Wood’s involvement with the organization began when a friend invited him to take part in a Relay for Life event in the Birmingham area. Since then, he has enjoyed doing all he can with the group, including participating in the Tri-City Relay for Life, which brings together participants from the Millbrook, Wetumpka and Prattville areas. In previous years, Wood joined with his fellow church members at Faith
Child saved after vehicle drives into Coosa River Body pulled from river; 2 arrested after incident in Wetumpka
custody. Another eyewitness said an unidentified man dove into the water and saved the child. The Alabama Department of Corrections confirmed its officers were conducting a surveillance operation Thursday evening when the subjects fled, leading to a pursuit that ended when the vehicle drove into the river. Arrested were Rufus Brown, 31, and Jonisha Jordan, 21, both of Montgomery, the ADOC said. Agents of the ADOC observed the suspects parked See RIVER • Page A3
By DONALD CAMPBELL and CARMEN RODGERS Staff Writers
Two people were arrested, another died and a 2-year-old child was rescued after a car plunged into the Coosa River at Gold Star Park in Wetumpka during a police chase Thursday night. The body of a male was pulled from the river late Thursday night and eyewitnesses said law enforcement officials took two adults, one male and one female, into
See RELAY • Page A2 Holtville Elementary School principal Chris Holley watches as some of his third-grade students work on a lesson, properly identifying geometry terms like ‘point,’ ‘ray’ and ‘line segment.’
Holley builds rapport with all students Editor’s Note: This is the eighth in a series profiling school principals in the Elmore County School System. By DONALD CAMPBELL Staff Writer Building students up, encouraging them to do their best and achieve greatness is an important part of being a teacher or a school administrator. To accomplish this task, Holtville Elementary School principal Chris
Holley spends much of his work day visiting classrooms and engaging students, making sure they are working hard on their lessons no matter what that may be. “I enjoyed teaching but I felt serving as an administrator would allow me to have a greater impact on all the students in the school,” Holley said. Holley said he has spent all 13 of his years in education in the Elmore County system. He started as a See HOLLEY • Page A2
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