Don Fletcher

Outdoor warning system fully operational
By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer Atmore City Council members learned near the end of their July 22 meeting that after tests were conducted and necessary modifications made, the city’s first outdoor emergency warning system is now fully operational.Jerry Gehman of G&H Systems, the company that installed the Federal Signal system, told city governors that the warning siren is now linked to the National Weather Service (NWS), which will automatically trigger…
Felony arrests
Mixture of embalming fluid, GHB leads to drug arrest By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer Whiting Nelson Schinasi Boutwell Atmore police discovered when responding to a report of a possible drug overdose, that the Atmore woman who supposedly overdosed had been drinking a mixture of Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and embalming fluid, a cocktail commonly known as “Scoot.”GHB is an illegal drug sometimes used as a “party drug” because it produces feelings of…
Twice-convicted killer executed
Gavin By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer After the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute, hand-written appeal, twice-convicted killer Keith Edmund Gavin was put to death by lethal injection last Thursday, July 18, at William C. Holman Correctional Facility (HCF) outside Atmore.The nation’s high court reportedly reviewed the case around 5:15 p.m. before issuing a denial, and the execution commenced at 6 p.m., its scheduled time. Gavin, 64, was officially pronounced…
Students, parents benefit from 8th Back to School Boost
Hundreds receive free uniforms, school supplies, food A volunteer waits to wave the two lanes of vehicles forward as those in front moved from station to station. By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer Atmore’s 8th annual Back to School Boost (B2SB), held last Saturday (July 20) at Escambia County Middle School, wasn’t much different from the previous seven events. And that’s a good thing.As they had in each of the past…
Atmore man killed in I-10 crash
By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer A 56-year-old Atmore man was killed Tuesday, July 9, when he ran off the shoulder of Interstate 10 near Madison, Fla. and his truck overturned.Florida Highway Patrol reports indicate that the unidentified man was traveling westbound, towing a boat, when he inexplicitly drove his truck off the roadway around 1:28 a.m., near mile marker 251.According to FHP reports, after the truck ran onto the paved…