50 Years Ago…

By Staff
GOOD MORNING FRANKLIN COUNTY
Today is Friday, September 29, 2006. Expect sunny skies this afternoon with a high of around 71. On this day in history:
1829 – The Greater London Police Department, later known as Scotland Yard, is officially sanctioned by Parliament.
1915 – A hurricane in the Mississippi Delta claims the lives of 275 people.
1930 – Lowell Thomas begins his 46 year career as a radio newscaster.
1936 – Radio broadcasting is used for the first time in a presidential campaign.
1951 – CBS television broadcasts the first football game in color, a college game between California and Penn.
1953 – "Make Room for Daddy" premiers on ABC television.
1960 – "My Three Sons" premiers on ABC television.
1969 – "Love American Style" premiers on ABC television.
1986 – Mary Lou Retton announces her retirement from gymnastics.
1996 – The Nintendo 64 gaming system goes on sale in the United States.
People celebrating birthdays today include: actress Emily Lloyd is 36; actor Tom Sizemore is 45; actor Andrew Dice Clay is 49; television personality Bryant Gumble is 58; Grammy Award-winning composer Mike Post is 65; Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa is 66; singer Jerry Lee Lewis is 71; actress Anita Ekberg is 75; and former pro football coach Bum Phillips is 86.
FOOTBALL FEVER
Tonight it is week five of the high school football season across Franklin County. Go out and support your favorite team. Game time temperature should be around 63 degrees, dropping to 59 degrees by the end of each game. The schedule for Friday, September 29, includes:
Phil Campbell at Phillips
Hackleburg at Red Bay
Austin at Russellville (Homecoming)
Tharptown at Saint Bernard
Vina at Mount Hope
LOVING THE
21st CENTURY
The latest in rechargeable batteries is the USBCells. These AA batteries have a flip-open head that reveals a USB plug. Just plug the batteries in your USB port on your computer and charge away. The USBCells have a greater capacity than traditional rechargeable batteries but take about the same amount of time to recharge. Unfortunately, the USBCells are not yet available in the United States but should be soon. A pack of two AA USBCells will sell for around $25.
EASY ARREST
The Associated Press reports that a Des Moines, Iowa, police officer recently made one of the easiest arrests of his life. Polk County Chief Deputy Mark Burdock was looking out his office window at the county jail and saw a man walking down the road with freshly harvested marijuana plants under his arm. Aaron Janssen continued to walk at a slow pace even when he was yelled at by the deputy. When Deputy Burdock finally stopped Janssen he discovered that he was also carrying two bags of processed marijuana tied around his ankles and one bag inside his sweater. The chief deputy helped Janssen continue his leisurely walk, right to jail where he was arrested on charges of drug possession.
CROCODILE DUNDEE
They don't play around in the Northern Territory of Australia. A man walked into a bar, approached another man and asked for some of his beer. When refused, the man walked home and got his almost three foot long swordfish bill then went back to the bar and stabbed the other man. Police say it is the first recorded swordfish bill stabbing incident in the history of Australia. The man who was stabbed is recovering from his wounds. The stabber went to jail and was charged with aggravated assault, doing a dangerous act while intoxicated, unlawfully causing bodily harm, and going armed with a dangerous weapon. The swordfish was not charged with any crime.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Nielsen Media Research reports that a milestone was recently reached in the American home. For the first time in the history of this country, the average home has more television sets than people. The typical American home has 2.73 television sets but only 2.55 people.
FAITH?
Pastor Franck Kabele told his congregation in the western African coastal town of Libreville that he had received a revelation that if he had enough faith he could walk on water like Jesus. His congregation accompanied him to the beach where he proceeded to walk across a portion of water that was about 2 miles across to land. Pastor Kabele walked into the water until he was completely submerged. He never surfaced. So was it a bad revelation, a lack of faith, or the inability to swim?
STEALING THE BAIT
The Dallas, Texas, police department spent a lot of money equipping a "bait" car to help them catch car thieves. The car, equipped with cameras, a tracking device, and an engine-kill switch, was recently stolen and police can't find it. The remote tracking system went bad. One police spokesman said that when that tracking system gets back up and running they are going to catch those crooks!
AND FINALLY
Four Detroit men are in jail today after a car hijacking that went wrong. The men stole the car from a woman who was sitting on a curb by her vehicle. The thieves did not get very far. The woman was sitting on the curb because she was waiting for a tow truck to come and fix her flat tire. Three of the men were arrested by police at the scene and another was picked up the next day. (from The Tennesseean.com)
Richard Parker is Minister of Students and Education at First Baptist Church in Russellville. You can e-mail him your comments at RParker@russellvilleFBC.org.