Don Fletcher

Farms, not beaches, for AU students during spring break
While most of their peers were frolicking on Florida beaches, 28 students from Auburn University’s College of Agriculture spent their spring break on a tour of the state’s diverse farming and farming-related operations. The group traveled more than 1,200 miles and visited 19 different agri-businesses as part of Alabama Ag Expedition, sponsored by Alabama Wheat and Feed Grain Producers. Among their stops was Tri-County Peanut’s drying plant, just off Butler…
WEU’s ‘smart meters’ detect leaks, generate savings
West Escambia Utilities, the supplier of water to local homes and businesses, is now employing computerized water meters that can detect potential leaks, in turn lowering the cost of reading meters and saving the utility’s customers significant amounts of money. The new meters have been in place for several months, but WEU Manager Kenny Smith said utility personnel are still learning how to most effectively use them to their greatest…
Double DUI – Both drivers charged after 2-vehicle crash
A violent two-vehicle crash that happened March 17 on Alabama 21 sent two teens to hospitals and both drivers to jail. The wreck occurred around 6:25 p.m. at the state highway’s 4.8-mile marker, just in front of Dixie Catfish Shack. Atmore police directed traffic around the crash and through the restaurant’s parking lot until the roadway was cleared more than an hour later. According to reports filed by Alabama State…
City-wide cleanup Saturday
For the third straight year, Atmore city officials and residents will celebrate the arrival of spring with a Saturday, March 24, city-wide cleanup that will not only help beautify the community but will also help citizens get rid of many items that are not easily disposed of. Mayor Jim Staff said city officials want to get as many old tires, paint cans, electronics and similar items off the sides of…
Four sentenced in $4 million casino theft
An Atmore man was one of four defendants, all former employees of Poarch Band of Creek Indians, who was recently sentenced to serve time in federal prison for their role in a scheme that netted more than $4 million in ill-gotten funds from Wind Creek Casino in Montgomery. Federal Judge L. Scott Coogler ordered in the case of USA v. Haynes et al that Jacob Byrd, 33, of Atmore serve…