Author: Don Fletcher

Don Fletcher

Former Atmore resident drowns
News Staff Report Donald Ray Helton died doing one of the two things he loved most in life. The 79-year-old Cantonment man, who was born in Huxford and lived part of his life in the Atmore area, was a diehard University of Alabama football fan and an avid fisherman. He was enjoying the second passion when he lost his life. Helton’s body was discovered August 2 by Florida Fish and…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Mural dedication is Friday
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Emily Harp is happy with the fact that artist Patti Gillespie finished ahead of schedule her conversion of the outer wall of Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce headquarters into a work of art, except for one thing. The early finish has forced Harp, the Chamber’s executive director, and her staff to hurry in order to put together a dedication ceremony for the 12-feet-by-30-feet painting…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Atmore receives FAA grant
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) reported last week that Atmore Municipal Airport was among the 23 local facilities throughout the state that will share more than $13.5 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants. The grants range from $2.64 million for the Huntsville International-Carl T. Jones Field Airport to $72,000 for the local landing strip. They are funded through the Airport and Airway Trust Fund…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Questions surround man’s death
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Why did a Monroe County man steal a bobtail truck from a Beatrice lumber yard on July 31? Why did he fire an automatic rifle at lawmen who pursued the stolen semi-cab through four counties? Finally, why did the man leap to his death from one of Interstate 65’s tallest bridges after deciding to end the chase? The answers to those questions and others…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Chamber mural project ‘moving swiftly’
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer When Emily Harp, the enthusiastic executive director of Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, was looking for someone to paint a mural that would serve as the focal point for a proposed project to enhance the attraction of downtown Atmore, she only had to look about 65 miles to the south. Patti Gillespie, a Crestview, Fla. artist who specializes in murals and whose works have…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago