50 Years Ago

By Staff
GOOD MORNING FRANKLIN COUNTY
Today is Friday, February 25, 2005. Teachers will love the fact that today is Quiet Day across the country. Expect partly cloudy skies today with a high of 55 degrees. On this day in history:
1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first revolving barrel multi-shot firearm.
1862 – President Lincoln introduces the nation's first paper currency.
1901 – JP Morgan establishes US Steel Corporation.
1913 – The 16th Amendment, authorizing income tax, is ratified.
1932 – Adolf Hitler is granted German citizenship.
1964 – Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) TKOs Sonny Liston to win the world heavyweight boxing title.
1982 – The final episode of "The Lawrence Welk Show" airs on television.
1994 – Former boxing champion Jersey Joe Walcott dies in New Jersey at the age of 80.
COOKIE MONSTER
I am sure by now you have heard about the two teenage girls in Colorado who were sued for delivering cookies to the home of a neighbor. Taylor Ostergaard, 17, and Lindsey Jo Zellitti, 18, of Durango, Colorado, decided to do a good deed and bake cookies for their neighbors. They knocked on the door of Wanita Young around 10:30 one night, left some cookies and a note on the doorstep, and left. Ms. Young said the knock caused her to have an anxiety attack and she had to go to the emergency room. She sued the girls for $900 and Judge Doug Walker awarded Ms. Young the money.
That all happened three weeks ago and here is an update on the story. People from around the country have sent the teenage girls enough money to not only pay off Ms. Young but to help them fund other neighborhood projects as well. The Young family says they receive up to 100 phone calls each day, mostly from people harassing them for filing a lawsuit against the neighborly teenagers. Ms. Young has had to take a leave from her job as a store greeter because of the anguish caused by the situation. In a recent interview Wanda Young said if she had to do it all over again, she would stick by her decision to sue the girls.
FICTION LITERATURE
The first baseball preview magazine to hit the shelves for the 2005 season is Athlon Sports which is based in Nashville, Tennessee. You know that these magazines put different covers on their product for different parts of the country. Around here we get an Atlanta Braves cover touting the teams revamped pitching staff. A quick look inside and these so-called experts pick the Braves to finish fourth in their division. Athlon Sports predicts the Phillies, Marlins, and the gosh-awful Mets will all finish ahead of the Braves. WRONG!!!!
The Atlanta Braves finished first last year and here is what has changed about the team. They lost pitcher Russ Ortiz and picked up one of the best pitchers in baseball, Tim Hudson. They lost Jaret Wright and will return John Smoltz to the starting rotation. J.D. Drew and Charles Thomas are gone from the outfield and that will hurt but watch the resurgence of former Brave Brian Jordan and Raul Mondesi.
The most important thing is that the Atlanta Braves front office hasn't changed and the coaching staff with Bobby Cox and Leo Mazzone return for another year. Write it down and bank on this: The Atlanta Braves will win the National League East. Other predicted winners include:
NL Central – St. Louis
NL West – San Diego
AL East – NY Yankees
AL Central – Minnesota
AL West – Seattle
PARTING SHOTS
Almost two months ago on New Year's Eve, Paul Kelvin Hardy broke into a home in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and robbed a couple of $540. Hardy then ordered Annie and Everett Fogle to sit on a sofa while he pointed a gun at them with one hand and held a hatchet in the other. Almost an hour later Hardy noticed a piano and ordered Mr. Fogle to play two songs while he, Hardy, sang. Feeling good, the crook got in a festive mood, started playing with his gun, and asked about ordering some pizza. Soon after, the police moved in and arrested Hardy without incident. The thief was in no mood to resist because while playing with his Colt .45 he accidentally shot himself in the leg. Since the phrase shooting yourself in the foot means don't ruin your chances, I guess you could say Hardy shot himself in the foot by shooting himself in the leg.
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.