Tuesday, December 30, 2014

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for Dec. 30, 2014

SEVEN YEARS AGO
JAN. 3, 2008

“The Citizens for a Clean Southwest Alabama (CCSA) plan to hold a one-year anniversary celebration on Saturday to mark the group’s first year of work against a proposed landfill in Conecuh County.
“According to organizers, the event will begin at 11 a.m. at the Lenox Community Center.
“CCSA members organized in January 2007 when the development company Conecuh Woods expressed interest in constructing a proposed landfill in Conecuh County.”

“Henry Peters, 33, of Belleville has been charged with murder in connection with the death of Calvin Mitchell of Belleville.
“Mitchell’s body was found on Dec. 19 and while his exact cause of death has not been determined, investigators have ruled the death a homicide, Conecuh County Sheriff’s Investigator Sharon Caraway said.”

“A two-vehicle accident on Christmas day on Interstate 65 claimed the life of a Repton woman, according to Alabama State Troopers.
“Cynthia McGill Till, 60, of Repton was killed in a two-vehicle accident about one mile south of Atmore on I-65 in Escambia County. the accident took place around 2:35 p.m. near the 57-mile marker. Till was driving a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the time of the accident.”

22 YEARS AGO
JAN. 7, 1993

Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 5.08 inches of rain in Evergreen during the month of December 1992. Total rainfall for 1992 was 70.08 inches. He reported a high temperature of 71 degrees on Jan. 3 and a low of 41 degrees on Jan. 2.

“Members of the City of Evergreen Fire Department battle heat and smoke from a blaze that erupted Tuesday at Silk International Floral Imports. Business owner Bill Durant said he was cleaning the windows on the exterior of the building when the blaze apparently began. When he entered the front of the building, hot air rushed by him and he saw flames shooting up the back wall. Mr. Durant called the fire department. He credited the fire department officials with averting what could have been a disastrous situation and containing the fire in a storage room of his building. Smoke and water damage was reported throughout the building. Smoke also filled neighboring buildings. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.”

“Amtrak officials are preparing to shut down the Gulf Breeze Line, the twice daily passenger train which services Evergreen and other towns in south Alabama.
“The Gulf Breeze makes two daily stops in Evergreen. It begins its journey each day at 7:55 a.m., leaving Mobile headed north. Making stops in Bay Minette, Atmore and Brewton, the approximate arrival time at Evegreen’s Depot each morning is 9:43 a.m. Leaving Evergreen, it makes stops in Greenville and Montgomery before ending its route in Birmingham at 1:30 p.m.”

37 YEARS AGO
JAN. 4, 1978

“1977 was a ‘dry’ year: The year just ended was another ‘dry’ one compared to recent years, although total rainfall for the year was only slightly less than for 1976. According to Earl Windham total rainfall for 1977 was 55.12 inches, compared to 56.29 inches in 1976, both years being dry ones when compared to 1975 when approximately 111 inches of rain fell.
“Both the 1977 and 1976 totals were close to the normal rainfall for this area.”
Windham also reported that .75 inches of rain on Dec. 29, 1977, a high of 59 on Dec. 26 and a low of 20 on Dec. 26.

“Rescue Squad finds hunter: The Conecuh Rescue Squad, all unpaid volunteers, located and rescued a lost hunter Monday night. Dennis Monk was reported missing by his hunting companion about 6:15 p.m. in the Murder Creek swamp area.
“His companion reported that he thought that Monk had crossed the creek hunting for his dogs. The Rescue Squad with the help of other searchers located Monk’s position about 10:30 p.m., but it was one o’clock Tuesday morning before they were able to bring him out of the swamp area.
“The Rescue Squad members said they were happy to help rescue Monk, and expressed appreciation to the Alabama State Troopers, Sheriff Edwin L. Booker and his staff, Evergreen Police Chief Jimmy Hawsey and his officers and others who helped in this mission.”

52 YEARS AGO
JAN. 3, 1963

From “Front Page, Upper Left Corner” by Bob Bozeman – “Well, 1962 is now history. It was quite an eventful year, starting off with a bang when Col. John Glenn orbited the earth. It was a big year for me too, right from the start when my latest tax exemption arrived in January, he was a boy and promptly named RGB III.”

“Evergreen will get dial phones in ’64: Evergreen’s telephone system is to be converted to dial operation. Announcement of the conversion is made today by J.D. Kaylor, Brewton, group manager of Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company.
“Kaylor estimates that the conversion will be completed the latter part of 1964 when local patrons will begin dialing numbers.
“Evergreen is one of the last cities of its size in the state to go to dials and one of the last exchanges of its size in the country to still be operated manually.”

“Dr. Edwin White Hagood, age 76, member of a prominent Conecuh County family, died Wed., Dec. 26, in a Dothan hospital.
“Dr. Hagood was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. T.S. Hagood who lived near Evergreen. He was the youngest and last survivor of nine children reared by the Hagoods. Several of them were Baptist ministers and a brother, the late Dr. Hagood, practiced medicine here for many years. Dr. Hagood’s last church was in Columbia where he served for a number of years until his retirement.”

67 YEARS AGO
JAN. 1, 1948

“T.J. Howard Charged With Killing Brother-In-Law: T.J. Howard, age about 30, is lodged in the county jail charged with the killing of his brother-in-law, M.C. Ferguson, age about 35. The killing occurred in the Nymph community Christmas night at the home of Joe Howard.
“It is said that both men were drinking and the unfortunate affair was no doubt caused by this. Ferguson was stabbed in the breast just below the collar bone and died while being brought to Evergreen for medical treatment. Howard placed Ferguson in his car immediately after the stabbing and started here with him.
“Howard was arrested by Sheriff W.D. Lewis and his deputies at his home shortly after Ferguson died.”

“Geneva High School Building Dynamited: GENEVA, Ala., Dec. 29 – Sheriff W.P. Register reported today that the 20-room Geneva High School building had been dynamited Christmas Eve and that he was investigating the possibility that a ‘bunch of boys’ set off the blast as a ‘prank.’
“Register said a deputy state fire marshal was coming here today to assist him in the case.
“The officer said all windows in the building were shattered and that ‘considerable repairs’ would have to be made before the school could be reopened after the Christmas holidays.
“’I haven’t found any evidence yet to indicate who did the work, but my own idea is that a bunch of boys did the thing as a sort of a prank,’ he said.
“Register said the explosion was set off about 10 p.m. and that there was no one in the building at the time.”


“Estelle Taylor, nine-year-old daughter of Mrs. Albert Taylor, died at Carter Hospital Friday night at result of injuries sustained when she fell from a moving automobile Friday morning. The tragic accident occurred in the Sandcut community.”

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