Author: Don Fletcher

Don Fletcher

‘Short list’ paving projects ongoing
Three of worst rural roads in D-4 on tap for next round By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer By midweek more than half the roads on Escambia County District 4 Commissioner Brandon Smith’s “short list” of resurfacing projects will have been checked off. The first phase of an ambitious plan to address all the county’s rural roads that need repairs or new surfaces has been ongoing for more than a…
by Don Fletcher access_time7 years ago
Gehman named one of Delta’s best
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Joe Gehman, who developed a love for aviation while growing up in Atmore, also learned the value of treating people with respect. That combination recently led to Gehman being recognized as one of the best of the best at what he does. Gehman, who currently serves as duty manager for Delta Airlines at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, was recently selected by his fellow company employees…
by Don Fletcher access_time7 years ago
Opioids and the foster care crisis
Facing out-of-county, out-of-state placements By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Adults across the nation have fallen victim to the addictive powers of opium-based prescriptions and other substances — some legal, some not. And, while the focus of the national pandemic has been on the effects these substances have on those adults, the real losers have been the children of the addicts. Escambia County, Alabama, has seen its share of opioid-driven…
by Don Fletcher access_time7 years ago
Fayard is Miss Indian Alabama
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer Emily Fayard, a first-generation Poarch Band of Creek Indians descendant, was recently selected by a panel of judges from the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission and Alabama Intertribal Council as Miss Indian Alabama 2019. The young beauty, chosen from among numerous entries by members of state or federally recognized Native American tribes in Alabama, is the daughter of Bryan and Candice Fayard of Flomaton. “We…
by Don Fletcher access_time7 years ago
Passenger rail service still on table, but still long way off
By DON FLETCHER News Staff Writer A November 14 public meeting to discuss the return of passenger rail service to lower Alabama left a lot of questions unanswered, but gave a glint of hope that the project would eventually bear fruit. Brian Smart of global consultant AECOM, representing the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, was the moderator for the meeting, which was sparsely attended, possibly due to lingering…
by Don Fletcher access_time7 years ago