50 Years Ago…

By Staff
State Highway Workers Off
About 170 Franklin County employees of Alabama Highway Department remained off the job this week after being laid off in a legal impasse termed "politics, pure and simple," by Rep. W.E. Oden.
Franklin and the six other Alabama counties whose roads are maintained by the state have laid off employees following a ruling last week by Circuit Judge Walter B. Jones, according to Rep. Oden.
Judge Jones' ruling backed up an opinion by Attorney General John Patterson that public improvements require open bidding and can not be covered by purchase contracts.
Rep. Oden said Franklin County was losing two miles of paved roads per day due to the ruling, which he charged was merely a case of the attorney general "trying to make a lot of headlines to further his campaign for governor."
Wright to Head Bay Scout Drive
Ernest Wright has been named the Red Bay Boy Scout Finance Drive chairman. The drive will kick off Tuesday, Oct. 16, with a breakfast at the Red Bay Hotel, and will end Saturday, Oct. 20.
The following men have been selected as team captains: Loyd Ray, Troy Truelove, Clyde A. Jackson, Wheeler Beasley, Arthur Finch, C.F. Brown.
Jaycees Plan to Bring Hypnotist Here
A professional stage show, "Hypnotic Marvels," will be brought to Russellville Saturday, Nov. 3, by Russelville Junior Chamber of Commerce.
The show will feature Professor George Singer in an evening including demonstrations of hypnotism.
The Grammar School Auditorium will be used for the show and tickets will go on sale soon.
Professor Singer is a nationally known hypnotist and has appeared nationally before theater, radio and television audiences.
Rain Halts Work on City Streets
Reports that Russellville Street Department workers had been laid off until the new Council office were unfounded, Mayor Hayes Malone reported Monday night.
Mayor Malone said employees did not work Monday because of rainy weather.
Tuesday, he added, he had ordered the crew cut from 12 to 10 since the state has taken over city streets.
Motion to Halt Plumbing By City Employees Fails
A move to stop city employees from engaging in the plumbing business after hours failed before Russellville's new City Council Monday night.
The issue came up when Councilman Neal J. Sibley made a motion "to notify all city employees that when they've finished the jobs already started–that's it. They will do no more outside jobs if they intend to stay on with the city."
Mr. Sibley's motion died for lack of a second.
"I don't see too much objection to it on their off days," Mr. McAlister said.