Temp: 60.4 degrees F (15.8 degrees C)
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.4 inches
Humidity: 84 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Overcast.
Winds: Winds out of the South, Southeast.
Week to Date Rainfall: 2.1 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 2.4 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 2.4 inches
NOTE: 30th day of Winter, security light still on, ground wet from recent rain.
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.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Was December UFO report an International Space Station sighting?
It’s the third Thursday of the month, so today I’m giving you an update on UFO reports in Alabama from the past month, courtesy of the Mutual UFO Network.A search for UFO reports in Alabama between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31 on MUFON’s website, www.mufon.com, resulted in only one report from within our state.
According to the witness, the sighting took place on Dec. 14, but they don’t say where it occurred except that it took place somewhere in Alabama.
“I was walking my dog and looking at the sky,” the witness said in their statement. “I saw a bright object in the sky. It looked like a star, but it was moving.
“There were five airplanes in the sky,” the witness wrote. “This object did not look like them. There were no flashing, colored lights.”
The witness watched the object for about 10 minutes until he walked with his dog behind a house.
“As I walked out from behind the house, it (the object) was gone,” he said. “I don’t know if it was the ISS (International Space Station) or a satellite, but I would like to know.”
This report is interesting because the object that the person reporting seeing could very well have been the International Space Station. The ISS can easily be seen from your own backyard if you know when and where to look. It does look unusual, and if you didn’t know what you were looking at, you might just think that you’re seeing a UFO.
If you’d like to see the ISS for yourself, you can track its appearances by visiting http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/, the Web site for NASA’s Human Space Flight program.
The site is simple and easy to use if you’d like to try it. Just visit the site and click “Go to Country” under “Sighting Opportunities.” If you choose the United States (as most of you will), then the site will take you to another page where you have to select the state or territory where you’re located.
If you’re in Alabama, select Alabama and on the next page, select the city closest to you. When I checked the page last Thursday, there wasn’t an option for Evergreen, but Andalusia and Monroeville were among the selections. For our purposes, that’s close enough.
The next page will give you the times in which the ISS will be visible from your location on days when sighting opportunities are possible. The site will also tell you in which direction to look to see the ISS “approach” and “depart.” It also gives you an idea of how many minutes the ISS will be visible. Keep in mind that the weather will have to cooperate if you hope to see it.
Before closing out this week, I just want to put it out there again that I would be very interested to hear from any readers of The Courant who have witnessed a UFO in Conecuh County. I think a lot of other people would be interested in hearing your story too, and I’d be willing to accept your report on an anonymous basis if you’d be more comfortable with that arrangement. You can contact me by e-mail at courantsports@earthlink.net or by phone at 578-1492.
The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 19, 2012
15 YEARS AGO
JAN. 16, 1997
“The defending Class A state champion Sparta Academy Lady Warriors defeated Bullock Memorial Academy 69-45 to win the Bullock Memorial Basketball Tournament held January 10th and 11th in Union Springs. Members of the Lady Warriors are Sally Hartley, Jennifer Coker, Monica Morrison, Aundria Griffin, Heather Booth, Jenny Harper and Kristin Smith, assistant coaches Al Etheridge and Russ Brown, Jill Pate, Andrea Ward, Ashley Hammonds, Nikki Jones, Cass Ralls, Shelley Bell and Head Coach Richard Brown. Aundria Griffin and Andrea Ward made all-tournament and Nikki Jones was the Tournament MVP.”
“Sparta Warriors defeat Lakeside School 86-53: Sparta Academy destroyed Lakeside School, 86-53, in the Bullock Memorial Basketball Tournament held Fri., Jan. 10, and Sat., Jan. 11, at Union Springs. The Warriors finished in third place in the tournament.
“Chad Morris scored 23 points to lead the way for the Warriors. Joining him in double figures were Chris Kervin with 19 points, Rod McIntyre with 16 points and Josh Pate with 14 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Warriors were Seth McIntyre with six points, Jason Robinson six points and Craig Waters two points.”
“Sparta Lady Warriors beat Escambia Academy: The Sparta Academy Lady Warriors defeated Escambia Academy, 68-47, in a game played Tues, Jan. 9, at Sparta. Aundria Griffin was the leading scorer for the Lady Warriors with 25 points.”
30 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1982
“Jackets win Excel Classic: The Lyeffion High School Yellow Jackets escaped with a last second, one-point win over the tough Blue Devils of Castleberry’s Conecuh County High on Friday night and went on to win the Excel Classic Tournament. Lyeffion defeated Frisco City, 82-77, in the semi-finals and ran away from host Excel, 90-66, in the finals.
“The Jackets held an 11-point third-quarter lead over Castleberry, but the Blue Devils led by Jeff Castleberry’s nine points and tremendous hustle by him and Donald Likely quickly narrowed the margin. With only nine seconds left, Castleberry held a 60-59 lead.
“The Jackets inbounded the ball and moved the length of the court to set up the final shot. Freshman George Bradley’s shot from the corner with one second left was dead center, and Lyeffion won, 61-60.
“Andrew Maxwell had 27 points, and Michael Grace and Troy Stallworth 11 each to lead Lyeffion scoring. Bobby Blount with 12 rebounds and Grace with 10 controlled the boards. Donald Lee handed out four assists.
“Because of the weather, the planned three-day tournament was condensed into two with semi-finals and finals played Saturday. At one o’clock, led by the outstanding shooting of Troy Stallworth with 30 points and Michael Grace with 27, Lyeffion defeated Frisco City, 82-77. Grace also grabbed 20 rebounds, and Blount, 18. Lee had 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
45 YEARS AGO
JAN. 19, 1967
“Castleberry hosts county cage tourney: Coach Wayne Pope’s Conecuh County High School Blue Devils will host the annual Conecuh County Basketball Tournament Friday and Saturday. They are favored to win the meet.”
“Quarterbacks honor Aggies Friday night: Members of the 1966 Evergreen High Aggie football squad will be honored at the Evergreen Quarterback Club’s annual Football Banquet Friday night at 7:30 at the high school cafeteria.
“Coach Bobby Freeman of the Auburn University coaching staff will be the featured speaker. An all-stater at Decatur High School, Freeman was one of the Tigers’ most exciting runners while at Auburn. Freeman was named SEC Back of the Year in 1954 and led the conference in total offense in the same year.
“Wayne Frazier, former Evergreen High and Auburn great, will also be present at the banquet and speak briefly. Frazier earned all-state honors in high school and signed with Auburn after being courted by a larger number of colleges. He was a standout center and linebacker for the Tigers and earned three varsity letters.
“Following graduation, Frazier signed with the San Diego Chargers and later played with the Houston Oilers. This year he played with the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs and as he was not bothered by injuries for the first time had his best year in pro ball. Sunday he played an outstanding game for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.”
60 YEARS AGO
JAN. 17, 1952
“Repton High Edges Beatrice High, 44-42: At the end of a well fought battle the Repton Bulldogs found themselves on the big end of a 44-42 score.
“Repton led most all the way by a slim margin until late in the fourth quarter when Beatrice gained a four-point lead. With the clock running out, Repton hit a couple of field goals and two free shots to regain the lead and win. Burt led the Repton players with 15 points. Simpkins paced the losers with 19 points.”
“Aggies Lose Another Pair of Close Ones: Coach Wendell Hart’s Evergreen Aggies were in a rut this week following another pair of losses by narrow margins.
“Last Friday night, the Monroeville Tigers edged the locals, 49-48, and Tuesday night, Beatrice slipped by them, 57-51.
“The Monroeville team came from behind to win a real thriller played in Monroeville. The Aggies started like a house afire and were hitting their shots from all over as they piled up a big lead in the first quarter. The Tigers got in the game in the second period and from the half on it was nip-and-tuck to the final whistle. Shirley Frazier topped the Aggies with 12 points.
“Tuesday night, the Aggies lost to Beatrice in the first quarter as they got off on the wrong foot and fell way behind. From the start of the second quarter on the Evergreens made a gallant come back attempt but couldn’t close the gap. Shirley Frazier supplied the punch for the locals , slipping 27 points through the cords.”
75 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1937
“Green Hawks Journey To Georgiana Tonight: Boasting a string of four straight victories, the Evergreen Green Hawks, local amateur basketballers, meet a string independent team at Georgiana tonight.
“The Hawks trimmed McKenzie Monday night by a score of 32-38.
“Trailing 26-28 with four minutes left to play, the Hawks put on a spirited rally in the closing minutes to pull away from the visiting aggregation.
“Seabrooks, sensational goal-shooting forward, was high scorer with 11 points.
“The Hawks defeated Castleberry 29-25 last Friday night on the Castleberry court with Bill Seals and Ed Johns pacing the locals.
“Future home games of the Green Hawks will be played at Castleberry, the local court being unavailable to the town team.”
Compiled by Lee Peacock from past issues of The Evergreen Courant.
JAN. 16, 1997
“The defending Class A state champion Sparta Academy Lady Warriors defeated Bullock Memorial Academy 69-45 to win the Bullock Memorial Basketball Tournament held January 10th and 11th in Union Springs. Members of the Lady Warriors are Sally Hartley, Jennifer Coker, Monica Morrison, Aundria Griffin, Heather Booth, Jenny Harper and Kristin Smith, assistant coaches Al Etheridge and Russ Brown, Jill Pate, Andrea Ward, Ashley Hammonds, Nikki Jones, Cass Ralls, Shelley Bell and Head Coach Richard Brown. Aundria Griffin and Andrea Ward made all-tournament and Nikki Jones was the Tournament MVP.”
“Sparta Warriors defeat Lakeside School 86-53: Sparta Academy destroyed Lakeside School, 86-53, in the Bullock Memorial Basketball Tournament held Fri., Jan. 10, and Sat., Jan. 11, at Union Springs. The Warriors finished in third place in the tournament.
“Chad Morris scored 23 points to lead the way for the Warriors. Joining him in double figures were Chris Kervin with 19 points, Rod McIntyre with 16 points and Josh Pate with 14 points. Rounding out the scoring for the Warriors were Seth McIntyre with six points, Jason Robinson six points and Craig Waters two points.”
“Sparta Lady Warriors beat Escambia Academy: The Sparta Academy Lady Warriors defeated Escambia Academy, 68-47, in a game played Tues, Jan. 9, at Sparta. Aundria Griffin was the leading scorer for the Lady Warriors with 25 points.”
30 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1982
“Jackets win Excel Classic: The Lyeffion High School Yellow Jackets escaped with a last second, one-point win over the tough Blue Devils of Castleberry’s Conecuh County High on Friday night and went on to win the Excel Classic Tournament. Lyeffion defeated Frisco City, 82-77, in the semi-finals and ran away from host Excel, 90-66, in the finals.
“The Jackets held an 11-point third-quarter lead over Castleberry, but the Blue Devils led by Jeff Castleberry’s nine points and tremendous hustle by him and Donald Likely quickly narrowed the margin. With only nine seconds left, Castleberry held a 60-59 lead.
“The Jackets inbounded the ball and moved the length of the court to set up the final shot. Freshman George Bradley’s shot from the corner with one second left was dead center, and Lyeffion won, 61-60.
“Andrew Maxwell had 27 points, and Michael Grace and Troy Stallworth 11 each to lead Lyeffion scoring. Bobby Blount with 12 rebounds and Grace with 10 controlled the boards. Donald Lee handed out four assists.
“Because of the weather, the planned three-day tournament was condensed into two with semi-finals and finals played Saturday. At one o’clock, led by the outstanding shooting of Troy Stallworth with 30 points and Michael Grace with 27, Lyeffion defeated Frisco City, 82-77. Grace also grabbed 20 rebounds, and Blount, 18. Lee had 12 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
45 YEARS AGO
JAN. 19, 1967
“Castleberry hosts county cage tourney: Coach Wayne Pope’s Conecuh County High School Blue Devils will host the annual Conecuh County Basketball Tournament Friday and Saturday. They are favored to win the meet.”
“Quarterbacks honor Aggies Friday night: Members of the 1966 Evergreen High Aggie football squad will be honored at the Evergreen Quarterback Club’s annual Football Banquet Friday night at 7:30 at the high school cafeteria.
“Coach Bobby Freeman of the Auburn University coaching staff will be the featured speaker. An all-stater at Decatur High School, Freeman was one of the Tigers’ most exciting runners while at Auburn. Freeman was named SEC Back of the Year in 1954 and led the conference in total offense in the same year.
“Wayne Frazier, former Evergreen High and Auburn great, will also be present at the banquet and speak briefly. Frazier earned all-state honors in high school and signed with Auburn after being courted by a larger number of colleges. He was a standout center and linebacker for the Tigers and earned three varsity letters.
“Following graduation, Frazier signed with the San Diego Chargers and later played with the Houston Oilers. This year he played with the AFL Champion Kansas City Chiefs and as he was not bothered by injuries for the first time had his best year in pro ball. Sunday he played an outstanding game for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.”
60 YEARS AGO
JAN. 17, 1952
“Repton High Edges Beatrice High, 44-42: At the end of a well fought battle the Repton Bulldogs found themselves on the big end of a 44-42 score.
“Repton led most all the way by a slim margin until late in the fourth quarter when Beatrice gained a four-point lead. With the clock running out, Repton hit a couple of field goals and two free shots to regain the lead and win. Burt led the Repton players with 15 points. Simpkins paced the losers with 19 points.”
“Aggies Lose Another Pair of Close Ones: Coach Wendell Hart’s Evergreen Aggies were in a rut this week following another pair of losses by narrow margins.
“Last Friday night, the Monroeville Tigers edged the locals, 49-48, and Tuesday night, Beatrice slipped by them, 57-51.
“The Monroeville team came from behind to win a real thriller played in Monroeville. The Aggies started like a house afire and were hitting their shots from all over as they piled up a big lead in the first quarter. The Tigers got in the game in the second period and from the half on it was nip-and-tuck to the final whistle. Shirley Frazier topped the Aggies with 12 points.
“Tuesday night, the Aggies lost to Beatrice in the first quarter as they got off on the wrong foot and fell way behind. From the start of the second quarter on the Evergreens made a gallant come back attempt but couldn’t close the gap. Shirley Frazier supplied the punch for the locals , slipping 27 points through the cords.”
75 YEARS AGO
JAN. 21, 1937
“Green Hawks Journey To Georgiana Tonight: Boasting a string of four straight victories, the Evergreen Green Hawks, local amateur basketballers, meet a string independent team at Georgiana tonight.
“The Hawks trimmed McKenzie Monday night by a score of 32-38.
“Trailing 26-28 with four minutes left to play, the Hawks put on a spirited rally in the closing minutes to pull away from the visiting aggregation.
“Seabrooks, sensational goal-shooting forward, was high scorer with 11 points.
“The Hawks defeated Castleberry 29-25 last Friday night on the Castleberry court with Bill Seals and Ed Johns pacing the locals.
“Future home games of the Green Hawks will be played at Castleberry, the local court being unavailable to the town team.”
Compiled by Lee Peacock from past issues of The Evergreen Courant.
2011 Casey Award winner for best baseball book to be announced on Monday
Book lovers in the audience will be interested to read that the winner of the 2011 Casey Award will be announced on Monday. Given annually since 1983 to the best baseball book of the year by the editors of “Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine,” this year’s slate of finalists includes 10 books.
This year’s finalists are:
- “The Art of Fielding” by Chad Harbach
- “Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game” by John Thorn
- “The Big Show: Charles M. Conlon’s Golden Age Baseball Photographs” by Neal McCabe and Constance McCabe
- “Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball Longest Game” by Dan Barry
- “Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella” by Neil Lanctot
- “Fenway 1912: The Birth of a Ballpark, a Championship Season and Fenway’s Remarkable First Year” by Glenn Stout
- “The Greatest Minor League: A History of the Pacific Coast League, 1903-1957” by Dennis Snelling
- “The Kings of Casino Park: Black Baseball in the Lost Season of 1932” by Thomas Aiello
- “21: The Story of Roberto Clemente” by Wilfred Santiago
- “56: Joe DiMaggio and the Last Magic Number in Sports” by Kostya Kennedy
This week marks the 45th anniversary of the first Super Bowl, a game that included a player from Evergreen.
Wayne Frazier, who starred as a lineman at Evergreen High School and Auburn University, started at center for the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I on Jan. 15, 1967. That game was played in the Los Angeles Coliseum, and the Green Bay Packers went on to win the game, 35-10.
A crowd of 61,946 fans watched the game, which also included gridiron legends, Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi.
Speaking of the Super Bowl, this year’s field of NFL playoff teams was narrowed over the weekend as four teams survived the divisional round of the playoffs.
On Saturday, the brutal reality set in for the Denver Broncos as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots demolished them, 45-10. Earlier that day, the overachieving San Francisco 49ers edged out New Orleans, 36-32.
On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Houston Texas, 20-13, and the New York Giants outgunned the Green Bay Packers, 37-20.
This coming Sunday, the four teams left will compete for the NFC and AFC titles.
The Ravens and the Patriots will battle it out for the AFC title Sunday at 2 p.m. on CBS. The Giants will take on the 49ers for the NFC title Sunday at 5:30 p.m. on FOX.
Even though I’m pulling for the Ravens due to their strong Alabama connections, I think the Patriots will be too much for them to handle. And despite the fact that the 49ers ended New Orleans’ strong run, I look for the 49ers to beat the Giants.
If that comes to pass, that’ll set up a New England-San Francisco Super Bowl, and it’s hard to imagine New England not winning that game.
The Super Bowl will be played on Sun., Feb. 5. It’ll kick off at 5:30 p.m. and will be televised on NBC.
Daily Weather Observations - Jan. 19, 2012
Temp: 36.9 degrees F (2.7 degrees C)
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.1 inches
Humidity: 75 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Clear with trace clouds.
Winds: Winds out of the East, Northeast.
Week to Date Rainfall: 1.7 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 2.0 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 2.0 inches
NOTE: 29th day of Winter, crescent moon visible overhead.
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.
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 0.1 inches
Humidity: 75 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Clear with trace clouds.
Winds: Winds out of the East, Northeast.
Week to Date Rainfall: 1.7 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 2.0 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 2.0 inches
NOTE: 29th day of Winter, crescent moon visible overhead.
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.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
This week's movie picks are 'Underworld: Awakening' and 'The Ides of March'
It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.
Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this week include:
16-Love (PG): Directed by Adam Lipsius and starring Lindsey Shaw, Chandler Massey, Keith Coulouris, Susie Abromeit and Lindsey Black.
Haywire (R, Action, Suspense): Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Michael Douglas.
Red Tails (PG-13, Action, War): Directed by Anthony Hemingway and starring Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston, Tristan Wilds and Lee Tergesen.
Underworld: Awakening (R, Action, Horror): Directed by Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein and starring Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, Stephen Rea, India Eisley and Charles Dance.
New DVD releases for the week of Jan. 17 include:
Abduction (PG-13, Suspense): Directed by John Singleton and starring Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs and Maria Bello.
Arena (R, Action, Suspense): Directed by Jonah Loop and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Nina Dobrey, Kellan Lutz, James Remar and Daniel Dae Kim.
Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (R, Comedy): Directed by Tom Brady and starring Nick Swardson, Christina Ricci, Stephen Dorff, Don Johnson and Edward Herrmann.
Courageous (PG-13, Drama): Directed by Alex Kendrick and starring Alex Kendrick, Kevin Downes, Ken Bevel, Ben Davies and Rusty Martin.
The Ides of March (R, Drama): Directed by George Clooney and starring Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Paul Giamatti.
Kevin Hart: Laugh At My Pain (R, Comedy Performance): Directed by Leslie Small and starring Kevin Hart.
Killing Bono (R, Comedy): Directed by Nick Hamm and starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan, Krysten Ritter, Pete Postlethwaite and Peter Serafinowicz.
If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be "Underworld: Awakening," and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be "The Ides of March."
In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.
Daily Weather Observations - Jan. 18, 2012
Temp: 41.0 degrees F (5.0 degrees C)
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 1.6 inches
Humidity: 77 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Overcast.
Winds: Winds out of the North, Northeast.
Week to Date Rainfall: 1.6 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 1.9 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 1.9 inches
NOTE: 28th day of Winter, security light still on.
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.
Rainfall (past 24 hours): 1.6 inches
Humidity: 77 percent (Humid)
Conditions: Overcast.
Winds: Winds out of the North, Northeast.
Week to Date Rainfall: 1.6 inches
Month to Date Rainfall: 1.9 inches
Year to Date Rainfall: 1.9 inches
NOTE: 28th day of Winter, security light still on.
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.
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