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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Dec 31, 1957
Page
1
Local forecast calls for tonight winds 12 to 20 mph with scattered showers then turning colder. Lows near 32 tonight with highs around 40 tomorrow. Winds diminish but remain brisk as pattern changes. Red Cross closed January 1. city services operate as usual.
The city council approved a revised water rate schedule effective January 1 with bills rising in February to fund a 50 percent expansion of the water system. The project, costing about 2.12 million, adds a larger treatment plant, two one million gallon tanks, and new mains. Warrants will be paid from the higher rates, and the rate tiers detail the new charges per thousand gallons.
A year review highlights 1957 local headlines across Decatur including droughts and floods affecting crops, United Fund totals, industrial progress, a power controversy, tornadoes and plane crashes, sewer and water expansion, a flu epidemic and a mayoral resignation.
In 1957 Morgan County records show marriage licenses total 218 and divorces 180 by year end, with early months tracking 1956 levels while the final four months saw fewer marriage intentions. Monthly figures for 1956 are listed for comparison.
City and Wheeler EMC bargaining for suburban Decatur power service remained at a conference stage. Attorneys from both sides in Huntsville reported no decisive progress while noting ongoing talks to resolve jurisdiction and expansion issues. Local economy recaps show 1957 building permits surpassing six million dollars amid steady employment.
Democratic leaders lauded Eisenhower’s science education proposal yet said it falls short. The plan envisions about 1.0 to 1.25 billion over four years with state matching, funding 10 000 scholarships annually and boosting math science teaching, equipment, and pay. Senate sponsor Sen. Fulbright noted limited grants and fellowships as part of the package.
The article highlights Mars' increasing brilliance as a major sky event this year, noting it lies about 215 million miles from Earth now and will approach within 46 million miles in November. It also reports Tennessee River readings at Keller Memorial Bridge, yesterday’s temperatures, and short term forecasts including cloudiness, showers, and colder conditions.
The 1958 March of Dimes drive in Morgan County starts with the Blue Crutch sale in Decatur and Hartselle on Saturday. The Decatur sale is run by the Business and Professional Women's Club under Mrs Bill Lindsey. The Hartselle event is sponsored by the American Legion with Mrs Jean Horton directing.
In 1957 the fourcounty area of Morgan Limestone Lawrence and Cullman recorded 37 highway fatalities down from 51 in 1956. Morgan County had 13 deaths, Decatur rose to 3, Limestone 8, and Lawrence 4 as overall deaths dropped year over year.
The Decatur Daily will publish early tomorrow so staff may take the afternoon off for the New Year holiday with family and friends. News tips should be called in between 7 30 and 10 10 30 a.m. Offices close after noon.
The local Internal Revenue Service office launches the new year by promoting self help for tax returns. IRS official Watson Bradley says taxpayers fill out forms with guidance from staff, increasing efficiency. The Decatur office hours are 8 am to 4 30 pm, Monday through Friday, with extended weeks through January to April 15.
Walter L. Penney 73 died Monday afternoon after three weeks in Baugh Wiley Smith Hospital. Funeral services were today at Westminster Presbyterian Church at three o'clock. Interment followed in the city cemetery. Survived by wife, two sons, three brothers and two sisters. Born August 19, 1884 in Huntsville, he moved to New Decatur in 1904 and built a business in insurance and real estate.
Morgan County launches a major anti polio vaccination drive starting January 6 for all children under 20. Two injections will be offered two weeks apart with a planned third shot seven months later. 175 000 doses funded by federal funds must be used by February end. Morgan's under 20 immunization rate is only about one third placing the county 55th in the state. 53 polio cases have been reported in Alabama this year with 44 paralytic and nine of ten paralytic cases unvaccinated. The effort, supported by the county medical society and polio association, begins with school visits and expands to rural areas.
The 1957 De catur year saw city hall push for expanded utilities including water sewer and electric services amid rising needs and funding questions. The three-phase expansion totals about 4 270 000 with sewer upgrades prompted by federal state anti dumping rulings, laying groundwork for continued growth.
In 1957 fires killed at least nine people across Decatur and the four county area. Dorothy Ann Townsend age 2 and Bobby Jo Townsend Jr age 3 died when a fire gutted their mother's apartment at 518 Madison Street North on March 2. Eva E. Carter a mussel fisherman died after a cat in his trailer near Cove Springs caught fire June 2. Mrs Dock Norrell 45 and Mrs John Elmer Green 40 perished in a flaming auto on August 14 south of Huntsville in Morgan County after a rear collision. Freddie Gene White four months old suffocated January 8 when flames engulfed a three room frame house while his mother milked nearby. Mrs Martha Reeves and daughter Sharon age 2 died in the ruins near West Point unity in Cullman County. Bennie Lee Reeves 69, father- See DISTRICT On Page 2.
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