12 YEARS AGO
MARCH 29, 2012
Local weather reporter Betty Ellis reported .20 of an inch of rain in Evergreen on March 22 and .21 of an inch on March 23.
Unusual tracks found at Loree: When Buddy Raines set off for
Evergreen from his home in the Loree community last Thursday morning, the
sharp-eyed 62-year-old spotted something unusual in a cornfield near his home.
At first, he thought that someone had driven a motorcycle
across the corn that he’d planted the previous Sunday, but upon closer
inspection, he could tell that it was no motorcycle.
“Whatever it was wasn’t so heavy that it mashed into the
soft dirt or messed up the rows very much,” Raines said. “Whatever it was, the
track wasn’t there during the day on Wednesday. This was done sometime
Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.”
Raines wondered if the track may have been left behind by a
large snake like the exotic anacondas and pythons that have begun to plague
Florida in recent years.
The track stretched all the way across the field and was 12
to 13 inches wide. The track was just deep enough to flatten the tops of the
furrows in the field. There also appeared to be a line in the tracks that
indicated that it may have been caused by an animal with a tail.
Individuals who examined photos of the unusual track offered
up a number of theories about what could be responsible. Animals mentioned
included various snakes, alligators, snapping turtles, gopher tortoises,
beavers, peacocks and otters.
18 YEARS AGO
MARCH 27, 1997
Harry Ellis of Evergreen was honored recently by WSFA-TV for his continuing contribution as a Storm Team Weather Watcher. Harry attended an appreciation dinner for the 31 Weather Watchers who call the WSFA Storm Center regularly, reporting weather data from their respective hometowns. WSFA’s Chief Weathercaster Rich Thomas commended him for ‘the part he plays in helping the Storm Team report accurate weather information from all around WSFA’s coverage area… especially during severe weather.’ Beginning in May, WSFA will recognize the Weather Watchers on the air for the work they do.
Crack in County Rd. remains a mystery: As the Conecuh County
crack widens, the plot thickens over what is causing this unusual geological
condition.
A thick, slippery layer of clay is getting the blame for the
condition that has been drawing attention to the Repton area.
Emergency Management Agency coordinator Billy Mims said the
apparent fault line appeared sometime between 5 and 6:30 a.m. March 18 and it
has been spreading ever since. The crack in the ground is located on County
Road 73, 4.8 miles east of Repton in the Springhill community.
As of last week, it was 300 yards long and as much as 60
feet wide in some places with varying depths of five to 23 feet.
41 YEARS AGO
MARCH 24, 1983
Local weather observer Earl Windham reported 1.21 inches of rain on March 15; .41 on March 16 and .34 on March 17. He reported a high temperature of 76 degrees on March 15 and a low of 29 on March 13.
McArthur Thompson is still missing, in spite of a massive
widespread search for him by the Evergreen Police Department, Conecuh Sheriff
Edwin Booker’s staff, the State Troopers and the Alabama Bureau of
Investigation. Thompson, a black male, approximately six feet tall, 175 pounds,
who drags one foot, was last seen about four weeks ago, according to his
mother, who reported him missing.
Sheriff Booker said that all law enforcement agencies,
including Conservation Department Enforcement Officers, were still working
around the clock trying to locate the missing man. The sheriff also said that
Larry Fluker, local NAACP leader, had offered the help of his organization and
had “spread the word” in communities over the county.
Mack was last seen by some of his associates on March 11,
1983. The strangest thing about the case of missing Mack is that he was
scheduled to appear in court as a prosecuting witness.
Trial of cases on the State Bar Criminal Docket, Conecuh County, are scheduled for trial next week. Circuit Court will begin Monday morning at 9 o’clock in the courtroom of the Conecuh County Courthouse with Judge Robert E.L. Key presiding.
67 YEARS AGO
MARCH 28, 1957
Unidentified Gigantic Balloon Found On Needmore Farm
Monday: No Clues Are Given On Object’s Identity: A huge plastic balloon at
least 150 feet long was found near Needmore Monday afternoon by the wife of a
farmer. Upon being notified, the balloon was investigated immediately by the
Conecuh County Sheriff’s Office.
The gigantic balloon had fallen in a densely wooded area
on the farm of Wilson and Martha Cross and was draped over several scrub pine
trees. It looked like a huge tent, at least 40 feet long, and at the widest
part about 25 feet. The remainder of the balloon was called up on the ground.
On following up the call by Martha Cross, Deputy Mancil
Pearce called for the assistance of Probate Judge Lloyd Hart, game warden W.A.
Thames and Leon Salter, who is a Colonel in the National Guard, and several men
to help bring the object back to the Court House.
Officials were very puzzled with the only explanation
being offered that perhaps it was a weather balloon of some type. Local
officials were not the only ones perplexed however as officials of the U.S.
Weather Station in Montgomery and Maxwell Air Force Base could offer no
explanation either.
Deputy Sheriff Mancil Pearce expressed the desire to unfold
the object and see just exactly how big it would be. Speculation by witnesses
on the scene was that if unfolded, the plastic would be big enough to cover the
Conecuh County Courthouse.
86 YEARS AGO
MARCH 24, 1938
High School Boy Sustains Fractures Of Both Arms: Bobby
Jones, 13-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. R.H. Jones, sustained fractures of both
arms just above the wrists at noon Tuesday when the bicycle which he was riding
collided sidewise with a truck driven by Richard Brassell. The accident
occurred on Perryman Street where Shipp Street intersects.
Young Jones and a number of other boys were riding toward
the business section of Perryman while the truck was going north on Shipp
Street. Neither saw the other in time to avoid the collision. Young Jones, when
he saw that a collision was inevitable, threw out his hands to catch the weight
of the impact which caused fractures of both arms. Both bones of the right arm
were broken while only one was broken in the left. The ligaments of the left
were badly injured it is said. He also received a number of other minor bruises
and sprains.
Riddle Will Speak Here Next Tuesday Night: Elsewhere in this issue will be found an advertisement announcing that Senator D. Hardy Riddle of Talladega, candidate for governor, will address the voters of this county at the courthouse on Tuesday night, March 29, at 7:30 o’clock. He extends a cordial invitation to all to come out and hear him.
Work has been started on the paving project from Greenville to the Butler County line on the Greenville-Luverne section of Alabama Highway No. 10.
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