Don Fletcher

No problems expected with annexation
By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer The City of Atmore’s plan to annex a three-mile stretch along Alabama 21 into the city, thereby bridging the gap between downtown and Rivercane, is expected to pass through the Alabama Legislature with little or no problem.The area to be annexed includes all the commercial, agricultural and forest land located west of Alabama 21 and north of Escambia County Middle School, as well as that…
Wobbly walker charged with meth possession
Bostic By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer An Atmore man was arrested January 24 on a felony drug charge after he was unable to keep his balance as he walked along Alabama 21, inside the city limits.Police reports show that a city police officer saw Samuel Bostic, 47, as he stumbled into the roadway near Waves Car Wash around 1 a.m. The officer watched Bostic for a brief period and noticed…
No parole for child enticer
Roberson Pratt By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer An Atmore man, convicted four years ago of enticing a child under the age of 12 for immoral purposes, was one of three local men turned down for parole during recent hearings by the Alabama Board of Pardons & Paroles (ABPP).Ricky Terrell Pratt, now 24, was arrested in 2017 and sentenced in 2019 to serve 10 years in prison after he pled guilty…
Atmore man arrested for sex crimes against child
Jones Gates By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer An Atmore man was arrested January 26 and is charged with committing sex crimes against a young member of his family over a period of several years.Vonsha Jones, 29, of Atmore was arrested by Atmore police and processed into the Escambia County Detention Center. He is charged with one count each of sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12, first-degree…
State’s unemployment rate increased only marginally in 2022
Special to Atmore News Gov. Kay Ivey announced recently that Alabama’s preliminary, seasonally adjusted December unemployment rate is 2.8 percent, up slightly from November’s 2.7 percent rate, and significantly lower than the 3.1 percent recorded in December 2021.December 2022’s rate represents 63,412 unemployed persons, compared to 63,004 in November 2022 and 69,434 in December 2021. The state had 56,418 more employed residents in 2022 than it did the previous year,…