FOUR YEARS AGO
JULY 10, 2008
“Conecuh County suffered its third and fourth traffic fatalities of 2008 on Friday when a one-vehicle accident on Interstate 65 claimed the lives of two Houston, Texas residents.”
“Castleberry Mayor J.B. Jackson announced Monday that he has qualified to seek re-election as Castleberry’s mayor.”
“Luther Upton, 61, of Evergreen announced Tuesday that he has qualified to run for the District 3 seat on the Evergreen City Council during municipal elections on Aug. 26.”
“Bill Ferguson, Conecuh County’s veterans’ service officer, was named to the highest office in the state American Legion at the 90th state convention June 27 in Huntsville.”
“Grant Chaney has joined the staff of Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority as Vice President of Existing Industry.”
“Homer E. Chavers has announced his bid for re-election to the Evergreen City Council’s District 1 seat.”
“Jennifer ‘Toni’ Rabb announced this week that she will run for the Evergreen City Council District 4 seat during the city’s municipal election on Aug. 26.”
“Conecuh County Engineer Winston Foshee told the county commission yesterday morning that the closed bridge on County Road 6 could re-open next week.”
19 YEARS AGO
JULY 8, 1993
“It may not have been enough, but growers appreciated the 1.91 inches of rain that fell on Conecuh County during the month of June.”
“Joan Baggett, the Repton native who was appointed assistant to the White House political affairs director under Bill Clinton’s administration, has been named to succeed her boss in a shake up in the nation’s capitol hoped to restore order to the administration.”
“Two lawsuits have been filed in Conecuh County Circuit Court by the families of the two people killed in the May 19, 1993 tragic accident on Interstate 65 in which the County Road 22 overpass collapsed and fell across the southbound lane of the interstate.”
“The Evergreen City Council put the ball back in the court of Natural Decorations Inc. Tuesday night by agreeing to make an offer to the owner of the Semcor property if NDI will agree to purchase the vacated McGehee Street property for an agreed upon amount.”
“Local officials joined officers and members of the Evergreen-Conecuh County Chamber of Commerce and business leaders at Roadway Express Inc. last Thursday for ‘Business After Hours.’ The company located on U.S. Highway 84 west of Evergreen, served refreshments for those attending. Pictured at Roadway are Mayor Lomax Cassady, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rosalyn Skipper, Roadway Manager Mike Fordham, State Representative Jimmy Warren and Chamber of Commerce President Mark Williams.”
34 YEARS AGO
JULY 12, 1978
“Ole Earl thinks he is a poet: Maybe the heat got to him, or it just might be a result of ‘dog days,’ but, whatever, Ole Earl Windham turned in this bit with this weather report this week: ‘Dear Ole Bob: You had cool weather, cold weather, warm weather, hot weather and rain. What you need is a cold glass of lemonade. Hickory, Dickory, Dock, the Mouse ran up the Clock. Ha!’
“The weatherman reports 1.07 inches of rain on July 3, .08 on the 5th, .49 on the 6th, and .05 on the 9th.”
“Woodrow W. Robinson of Paul qualified last week as a candidate for Member of the Conecuh County Commission, District 2, Place 3 in the Democratic Primary Elections of Sept. 5 and 26.
“A native and lifelong resident of Paul, Robinson is a disabled veteran of World War II. He is a member and deacon of the New Providence Baptist Church and a Master Mason, Dean Lodge at Brooklyn.”
“Stanley Mitchell of Route C, Evergreen, has qualified as a candidate for State Representative, House District No. 93, in the Democratic Primary Election of Sept. 5.”
“John Elvin Burch, Route 2, Castleberry qualified last Thursday as a candidate for the Conecuh County Commission, District 2, Place 3, in the Democratic Primary Elections of Sept. 5 and 26.”
49 YEARS AGO
JULY 11, 1963
“Daring robber hits Repton bank for $34,070 Tuesday: Law enforcement officers over a wide area of South Alabama and Northwest Florida are on the lookout for a middle-aged white man who robbed the Union Bank of Repton of $34,070 at noon Tuesday.
“(Bank cashier Carl W.) Ryals was alone in the bank when the bandit walked in about 12:22 p.m. Two women employees were out for lunch, and the bank president, A.E. (Bill) Kelly, had stepped next door.”
“Eddie Rankin, age six, of Route F, Evergreen, was killed Monday afternoon when he dashed into the path of a 1962 Ford, driven by Mrs. Velma Worlds of Route 1, Castleberry. Trooper Cargile said that it was impossible for Mrs. World’s to avoid hitting the child.”
“Over $6,800 in vacation pay was issued to Evergreen Textiles Inc. employees June 28. This vacation pay was shared by some 74 percent of the 184 people employed by this company in Evergreen.
“The Fourth of July is one of the five paid holidays observed by this company. Pay for this day amounted to approximately $1,800.”
“It will be ‘open house’ at the Conecuh County Hospital Sunday afternoon from two to five o’clock. The public is invited to come at that time and see the results of the renovation program recently completed.
“Hospital Administrator Jack Hethcox said that the project included the modernization of the heating system, painting of the entire hospital both inside and outside, remodeling of the business office, new draperies in every room, new furniture for the waiting room, admitting office and the administrator’s office.”
64 YEARS AGO
JULY 8, 1948
“Wiley Thomas, age 57, well known resident of the Herbert Community, fell dead at the old Convict Camp near Evergreen about noon Tuesday.”
“Hale and hearty and still going strong, Evergreen’s oldest citizen, Mr. John Cunningham observed his 99th birthday on Wed., July 7, by driving down to Evergreen Club and partaking of a birthday dinner planned and given for him by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives and friends.
“Although Mr. Cunningham was born in 1849, 12 years before the War Between the States and in the same year gold was discovered in California, he is still in very good health.”
“Funeral services for S-Sgt. Donald E. Oliver, who was killed in France on July 25, 1944, will be held Friday at 10 a.m. at London Church with Rev. C.L. Weekly officiating, Cope Funeral Home directing.”
“Funeral services will be held for Lt. Winton D. McIntyre at Memorial Cemetery, Mobile, Wed., July 14, at 1 p.m. with full military honors.
“Lt. McIntyre, son of Mr. and Mrs. O.R. McIntyre, former residents of this county, but now of Prichard, Ala., was killed in New Guinea April 9, 1944, during the recent war.
“Lt. McIntyre was well known in Evergreen, where he finished high school in 1940.”
Monday, July 9, 2012
Daily Weather Observations for Mon., July 9, 2012
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.00 inches.
Humidity: 79 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Scattered clouds. Moon visible. Light fog in the distance, dew on the ground.
Winds: 0.1 mph out of the East-Southeast (Calm).
Barometric Pressure: 29.57 inHg
Week to Date Rainfall: 0.0 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 2.25 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 41.45 inches
Local Weather Alerts: None.
NOTES: Today is the 191st day of 2012 and the 20th day of Summer. There are 175 days left in the year. Today is the seventh day of Dog Days.
And Remember - "A summer fog for fair, a winter fog for rain, a fact most everywhere, in valley or on plain."
Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Grisham's 'The Litigators' tops mass market paperbacks best-sellers list
"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn replaced "Wicked Business" by Janet Evanovich as the No. 1 book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.
"The Litigators" by John Grisham replaced "Afraid to Die" by Lisa Jackson as the No. 1 book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.
"Cowards" by Glenn Beck remained the top book on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list for the third week in a row.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James retained its place atop the trade paperbacks best-sellers list for the thirteenth week in a row.
There are three books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They (along with their place on the list) include "Bloodline: A Sigma Force Novel" by James Rollins (3), "Summerland" by Elin Hilderbrand (4) and "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson (6).
There are four books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Leading Culture Change in Global Organizations" by Daniel Denison (8), "What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me" by Rielle Hunter (9), "Becoming Sister Wives" by Kody Brown (11) and "I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me" by Joan Rivers (14).
There are 11 books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "The Litigators" by John Grisham (1), "Split Second" by Catherine Coulter (2), "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks (3), "Family Affair" by Debbie Macomber (4), "Private Games" by James Patterson (5), "Summer Nights" by Susan Mallery (6), "Midnight Promises" by Sherryl Woods (7), "The Silent Girl" by Tess Gerritsen (8), "Once Burned" Jeaniene Frost (11), "Gun Games" by Faye Kellerman (13) and "Summer People" by Elin Hilderbrand (15).
There are five books on this week’s trade paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "The Litigators" by John Grisham (5), "The Coming Home" by Karen Kingsbury (6), "Vision: Your Pathway to Victory" by Gordon D'Angelo (7), "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles (12) and "Home Again" by Kristin Hannah (14).
As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
2. "Wicked Business" by Janet Evanovich
3. "Bloodline: A Sigma Force Novel" by James Rollins
4. "Summerland" by Elin Hilderbrand
5. "Calico Joe" by John Grisham
6. "The Age of Miracles" by Karen Thompson
7. "The Storm" by Clive Cussler
8. "Mission to Paris" by Alan Furst
9. "Porch Lights" by Dorothea Benton Frank
10. "11th Hour" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
11. "A Dance with Dragons" by George R.R. Martin
12. "The Innocent" by David Baldacci
13. "The Third Gate" by Lincoln Child
14. "Canada" by Richard Ford
15. "Stolen Prey" by John Sandford
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Cowards" by Glenn Beck
2. "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed
3. "The Amateur" by Edward Klein
4. "Killing Lincoln" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
5. "The Skinny Rules" by Bob Harper with Greg Critser
6. "An American Son" by Marco Rubion
7. "It Worked for Me" by Colin Powell
8. "Leading Culture Change in Global Organizations" by Daniel Denison
9. "What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter, and Me" by Rielle Hunter
10. "The Great Destroyer" by David Limbaugh
11. "Becoming Sister Wives" by Kody Brown
12. "Barack Obama" by David Maraniss
13. "Unintended Consequences" by Ed Conard
14. "I Hate Everyone...Starting with Me" by Joan Rivers
15. "What the (Bleep) Just Happened" by Monica Crowley
MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "The Litigators" by John Grisham
2. "Split Second" by Catherine Coulter
3. "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks
4. "Family Affair" by Debbie Macomber
5. "Private Games" by James Patterson
6. "Summer Nights" by Susan Mallery
7. "Midnight Promises" by Sherryl Woods
8. "The Silent Girl" by Tess Gerritsen
9. "Explosive Eighteen" by Janet Evanovich
10. "Afraid to Die" Lisa Jackson
11. "Once Burned" Jeaniene Frost
12. "The Unexpected Husband" by Debbie Macomber
13. "Gun Games" by Faye Kellerman
14. "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" by Seth Grahame-Smith
15. "Summer People" by Elin Hilderbrand
TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James
2. "Fifty Shades Darker" by E.L. James
3. "Fifty Shades Freed" by E.L. James
4. "Bared to You" by Sylvia Day
5. "The Litigators" by John Grisham
6. "The Coming Home" by Karen Kingsbury
7. "Vision: Your Pathway to Victory" by Gordon D'Angelo
8. "In the Garden of Beasts" by Erik Lawson
9. "To Heaven And Back" by Mary C. Neal
10. "Kill Alex Cross" by James Patterson
11. "The Drop" by Michael Connelly
12. "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles
13. "The Last Boyfriend: Book Two of the InnsBoro Trilogy" by Nora Roberts
14. "Home Again" by Kristin Hannah
15. "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett
In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.
Daily Weather Observations for Sun., July 8, 2012
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.00 inches.
Humidity: 78 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Scattered clouds. Moon and jet contrail visible.
Winds: 0.1 mph out of the East (Calm).
Barometric Pressure: 29.61 inHg
Week to Date Rainfall: 2.25 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 2.25 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 41.45 inches
Local Weather Alerts: None.
NOTES: Today is the 190th day of 2012 and the 19th day of Summer. There are 176 days left in the year. Today is the sixth day of Dog Days.
And Remember - "When windows won't open and salt clogs the shaker, the weather will favor the umbrella maker."
Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Is the 'Act of Valor' novel better than 'Act of Valor' the movie?
Released in theatres on Feb. 24, “Act of Valor” was directed by Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh. The cast includes actual U.S. Navy SEALS as well as Jason Cottle, Emilio Rivera, Roselyn Sanchez, Nestor Serrano and Alex Veadov. The movie’s rated R and has a run time of an hour and 50 minutes.
The movie also features real life U.S. Navy Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen. I have to admit that I didn’t know much about these service members before watching “Act of Valor.” I was interested to learn that the sailors in SWCC (pronounced “swick”) are tasked with maintaining and operating the numerous small craft used during special ops missions, especially those carried out by SEALs. Most of what they do involves getting the SEALs into and out of mission locations, including shallow water areas where large ships can’t travel.
If you haven’t seen “Act of Valor,” here’s the basic plot. As the CIA closes in on an extremely wealthy, South American arms dealer, the dealer has a CIA agent killed and another kidnapped for interrogation. The Navy SEALS are called in to rescue the captured agent and are eventually called on to foil a nefarious plot to smuggle a number of high-tech weapons across the border into the U.S.
This movie was negatively reviewed early on, but you couldn’t tell it from the box office returns. Shot on a budget of around $12 million, the movie raked in over $80 million. I’m not surprised that it did so well at the theatres because it’s a fine action movie. If you like movies with lots of gun play, this movie will not disappoint you. There are also loads of helicopters, jets, submarines and aircraft carriers if you enjoy that sort of thing.
A lot of people associate this movie with best-selling thriller writer, Tom Clancy. The screenplay for the film was actually written by Kurt Johnstad. The connection with Clancy comes in with a novel that was released along with the film called “Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor.” While this novel bears Clancy’s name, it was actually written by Dick Couch and George Galadorisi. Basically, Clancy lent his name to the book, which was bound to have helped sales.
I haven’t read the book, but I’d like to. If it’s as good as the movie, then it’s pretty good. It appeared on the Publishers Weekly’s mass-market paperback best-sellers list for seven weeks earlier this year. It first appeared on the best-sellers list on Jan. 26, debuting at the No. 10 spot on the mass-market paperbacks best-sellers list. It climbed as high as No. 4 in the weeks following the movie’s release.
In the end, how many of you have seen “Act of Valor”? What did you think about it? What was your favorite part? Why? How many of you have read the novel? What did you think about it? Let us know in the comments section below.
Daily Weather Observations for Sat., July 7, 2012
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.00 inches.
Humidity: 71 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Scattered clouds.
Winds: 0.1 mph out of the Northeast (Calm).
Barometric Pressure: 29.55 inHg
Week to Date Rainfall: 2.25 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 2.25 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 41.45 inches
Local Weather Alerts: None.
NOTES: Today is the 189th day of 2012 and the 18th day of Summer. There are 177 days left in the year. Today is the fifth day of Dog Days.
And Remember - "Fish bite least with wind in the east."
Readings taken at 0700 hrs Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834°N Lon 87.30131°W. Elevation: 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Which of Clive Cussler's adventure books is your all-time favorite?
“Medusa,” which was co-authored by Paul Kemprecos, is the eighth book in Cussler’s NUMA Files series, which features Kurt Austin. Austin is the Team Leader of the National Underwater and Marine Agency’s Special Assignments Division. First released in June 2009, “Medusa” involves the disappearance of a secret, deepwater government research lab, where scientists were studying a rare and unusual jellyfish called the Blue Medusa. The stakes become high when Austin and his colleagues are charged with finding the missing lab in order to help stop a deadly virus that threatens to spread out of China and around the world. The research into the Blue Medusa holds the key to a cure that could save humanity.
By my count, this is the twelfth Cussler book that I’ve read, so I’ve got a long way to go in my quest to read all of his books. Those that I’ve read include:
- The Mediterranean Caper (1973)
- Iceberg (1975)
- Vixen 03 (1978)
- Pacific Vortex (1983)
- Sahara (1992)
- Inca Gold (1994)
- The Sea Hunters: True Adventures With Famous Shipwrecks (1996)
- Flood Tide (1997)
- Golden Buddha (2003)
- White Death (2003)
- Sacred Stone (2004)
- Medusa (2009)
Of those 12, I would say that “Inca Gold” was my favorite, followed by “Sahara.”
Those that I haven’t read include:
- Raise the Titanic! (1976)
- Night Probe (1981)
- Deep Six (1984)
- Cyclops (1986)
- Treasure (1988)
- Dragon (1990)
- Shock Wave (1996)
- Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (1998)
- Atlantis Found (1999)
- Serpent (1999)
- Blue Gold (2000)
- Valhalla Rising (2001)
- Fire Ice (2002)
- The Sea Hunters II: Diving the World’s Seas for Famous Shipwrecks (2002)
- Trojan Odyssey (2003)
- Black Wind (2004)
- Lost City (2004)
- Dark Watch (2005)
- Polar Shift (2005)
- The Adventures of Vin Fiz (2006)
- Skeleton Coast (2006)
- Treasure of Khan (2006)
- The Chase (2007)
- The Navigator (2007)
- Artic Drift (2008)
- Plague Ship (2008)
- Corsair (2009)
- Medusa (2009)
- Spartan Gold (2009)
- The Wrecker (2009)
- The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy (2010)
- Crescent Dawn (2010)
- The Lost Empire (2010)
- The Silent Sea (2010)
- The Spy (2010)
- Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt (2011)
- Devil’s Gate (2011)
- The Jungle (2011)
- The Kingdom (2011)
- The Race (2011)
- The Storm (2012)
- The Thief (2012)
In the end, how many of Cussler’s books have you had a chance to read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Which of his books is your all-time favorite and why? Let us know in the comments section below.
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