Tuesday, June 3, 2014
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The annual Free Fishing Day, when the public can fish without a license, has been set for Saturday, according to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
There is an exemption of the usual fishing license requirement on that day. Some lakes may still require fees and permits, and the owner's permission is required to fish private ponds.
Free Fishing Day is part of the 2014 National Fishing and Boating week, which continues through Sunday.
FORT PAYNE, Ala. - A weekend summer class, Wilderness Survival 101, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at DeSoto State Park near Fort Payne.
Participants will be introduced to skills specific to the lower Appalachian mountain range and spring weather conditions. Topics include clothing, kits, shelter, fire, water and rescue. The class is open to adults and youths. Those under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Meet at 9 a.m. Saturday at the park's Country Store. Class ends at 3 p.m. Sunday.
KNOXVILLE - Authorities are investigating the death of a Maryville man who was struck by a train in Blount County.
According to WBIR-TV, the Blount County Sheriff's Office received a call just before midnight Saturday that a man had been hit by a train.
Officials said Jeffrey Wane Collins, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Over in Roane County, two people were killed and two others were critically injured Friday evening when their car was struck by a train in Harriman.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Huntsville police said a cab driver was robbed at knifepoint.
WAFF-TV reported that the driver picked up two men near Springtime Boulevard and drove them to Meadowbrook Drive around 3 a.m. Sunday. The driver told police the men had a knife and took cash from him before running away.
Police say one of the men cut the cab driver with the knife. A passerby saw the driver and called police, who took the cabbie to a hospital to be treated for minor cuts to his neck and arm.
ISLAMORADA, Fla. - A 19-year-old Alabama high school graduate who is confined to a wheelchair and legally blind was still beaming Sunday, the day after he reeled in a 105-pound swordfish off the Florida Keys.
In September 2008, Logan Prickett, of Montgomery, had a near-fatal medical crisis that left him with severe motor-control deficiencies. But Prickett returned to school and in late May graduated among the top 10 students in his high school class.
For a post-graduation trip, his mother chartered a boat. On Saturday, Prickett used an electric-assist reel and cranked a 105-pound swordfish to the boat.
"Logan had the biggest smile of anyone I've ever seen," said boat owner Nick Stanczyk. "I cried. It's the happiest I've ever felt for someone catching a fish."