NewsDon Fletcher

Phone scammers bilk local resident out of “10s of thousands” of dollars
By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks sees it every year. People, most of them elderly, come to police headquarters or call city detectives because they’ve fallen victim to a phone scam or other scheme.Brooks said he is still mystified that such attempts to separate individuals and families from their money are so effective.“It’s been going on forever and ever,” Brooks said. “You’ve got these robocalls now,…
SpaceX cargo craft’s reentry triggered ‘sonic boom’
By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer Officials of both SpaceX and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have confirmed that the sonic boom heard and felt across southwest Alabama and northwest Florida last Tuesday, December 17, was caused by a SpaceX Dragon supply craft returning from space on its way to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico.Such occurrences have been fairly common in different areas during the 31 trips…
No parole for Brewton drug dealer
Thomas By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer A Brewton man, convicted here four years ago for dealing drugs, was denied parole during recent hearings by the Alabama Board of Pardons & Parole. It was the second time since December 2022 that he has been turned down.Rasheen Ja’Darius Thomas was convicted in 2020 on three counts of distribution of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to serve 15 years on the first…
4th death
Father of Ashley St. victim suffers fatal heart attack By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer The death count from two fatal shootings that took place here on the first weekend of the month has increased to four, as family members of one victim say another family member has died as a direct result of the second lethal assault.Atmore resident Scottie McNeil, 54, father of 25-year-old Juwan McNeal, suffered a fatal heart…
‘About 5,000’ enjoy Christmas parade, despite trains
Santa was in town Saturday for the parade. By DON FLETCHERNews Staff Writer Last Saturday, for the third time in two weeks, Atmore’s downtown area was virtually crawling with local residents and out-of-towners as Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Twilight Christmas Parade drew a crowd estimated by Police Chief Chuck Brooks as “about 5,000.”The mass of humanity crowded three- and four-deep along downtown sidewalks from Ridgeley Street to the…