Author: Don Fletcher

Don Fletcher

Gehman removed from SRC
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer When Jerry Gehman was appointed in 2016 as Alabama’s gubernatorial designee on the Southern Rail Commission, he couldn’t have been happier. A strong advocate for the return of passenger rail service to the Gulf Coast, the Atmore businessman and railroad enthusiast had found the perfect platform for that advocacy. When he was stripped of his SRC membership last week due to criticism of Gov.…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Deadly derecho
Thankfully, only minor damage here By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Most people not schooled in meteorology had probably never heard of a derecho when local skies began to darken last Thursday, June 28, and most probably still don’t know exactly what a derecho is. But residents of Atmore and the surrounding area got a brief glimpse that day of the power and fury such a weather phenomenon can bring.…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
When Alberto came calling in ’94
My mind immediately traveled back about a quarter-century when weather forecasters announced in May that the 2018 hurricane season’s first named storm, Alberto, was trying to stir up some trouble in the Gulf. I didn’t realize until recently that the names of hurricanes and tropical storms are recycled every six years (unless one is retired), so I was surprised that Alberto had returned. This season’s debut storm didn’t cause much…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Petting zoo finale a big hit with summer readers
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Each of the special weekly presentations that were part of Atmore Public Library’s 2018 Summer Reading Program featured at least one animal. Each included some interaction between those animals and the youngsters who were part of the program. But the number of creatures and the degree of interaction increased significantly during the June 18 season finale, which was presented by Uncle Joe’s Rolling Zoo…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago
Fourth person charged
2nd woman arrested in Walnut Hill slaying By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Authorities in Escambia County, Fla., arrested last week a fourth suspect — the second woman charged — in connection with the June 3 slaying of a Walnut Hill man and the near-fatal shooting of another. According to the Escambia County Jail website, Jessica Nichole Thomas, 30, who lived at the Highway 164 residence where the shootings took…
by Don Fletcher access_time6 years ago