Historical Review 2016

A Look Back: 1983 Historical review
By Chris Cooper
ccooper@
newsdemocratleader.com
Each year, the NewsDemocrat & Leader
publishes a look back
in history. A browsing
of sorts at the standout
headlines in a particular
year of Logan County.
This year we have
selected the 1983 NewsDemocrat. This year was
published by Al Smith
Communications. At the
time the Executive Editor
for the paper was Virginia
Page. Most articles were
written by Jim Turner or
Tim McKenzie. Photos
were more then likely
the work of Leslie Page.
In 1983, the NewsDemocrat was printing
right here on the square
in Russellville where the
current paper is located.
There was a very active
pressroom and more than
two dozen employees.
In 1983, there seemed
to be many more
weddings, tobacco was
a popular topic in the
pages and school news
was prevalent. It wasn’t
uncommon for Marie
Turner’s Environmental
Coroner to make
1983 front page News-Democrat
front page, nor for a
corespondent column.
In 1983, Russellville
had a busy walk-in
theater located where the
Fourth Street Theater
is now. In 1983, the
Village Cinema featured
ET, Christine, Sudden
Impact, The Toy, Tootsie,
Spring Break, Private
Lessons, The Outsiders,
Gandhi, Flashdance and
Bustin’ Loose.
Grocery stores such as
Russellville Foodtown,
Houchens and Auburn’s
Food Centre advertised
weekly specials including
$1.49 per pound for
bacon, $1.78 per pound
for full cut round steak,
$1.68 for 18 ounces of Jif
peanut butter, $1.58 for
an 8 pack of RC, and a
$1.78 for a six roll pack
of White Cloud bathroom
tissue.
Clothing stores
included Wrights, The
Louisville Store, Klein’s,
The Clothes Tree, and
Edwards. Then there
was Hancocks, Sherwin
Williams, Hayes Shoes,
Oak ‘N’ Ivy, Northern
Nursery, and Dollar
General.
Captain D’s sold a
Chipper dinner for two
for $3.69 and a pair of
Converse tennis shoes
that now sell for close to
$50 were $15.99.
Some of the headlines
for 1983 were as follows:
Council wants HCA to
build hospital within city
The Russellville City
Council is concerned
about the effect the
building of a new hospital
outside the city limits
could have on the public
treasury. Members of
the council made it clear
they are not necessarily
objecting to the sale of
Logan County Hospital
to hospital corporation
of America (HCA). But
they said the loss of
revenue from the payroll
tax at the hospital could
be devastating to a tight
budget if the hospital
is not in the municipal
boundaries. Estimates
by city officials range
from $30,000 to $55,000
in city revenues, which
would be lost if the
hospital were not located
inside Russellville.
Chapman unhappy
with state
Using strong terms,
County Clerk Kenny
Chapman decried
recent changes in
policy by those who
make statewide
decisions which affect
his office. Chapman
was speaking to Logan
Fiscal Court. He said
he feels the Department
of Transportation is
“cheating” the clerks and
the people they serve,
and he accused the
Department of Revenue
of “just plain stealing and
cheating the taxpayers.”
His complaint with the
highway department is
that the state is supplying
insufficient computers
for the licensure and
title work on vehicles.
He talked about the
long lines at his office
windows that he can do
nothing about because
of a lack of enough
computers and slow
service in Frankfort.
He said the DOT will
not allow clerks to rent
computers, even if the
county pays for it.
Russellville approves
legalized liquor
Russellvillians invited
to a “bring your own
bottle” party soon will
be able to stop by the
neighborhood liquor
store and oblige their
hosts’ request. By a 152vote margin Russellville
voters approve the
legalized sale of alcohol
beverages within the city
limits, breaking a “dry
spell” of over 40 years
here.
Advocates approving
the referendum
successfully contended
that Logan County has
never been dry, that
bootleggers have supplied
illegal alcohol here for
decades, thus robbing the
Proudly serving our community since 1983
2016 Historic & Review
2 Tuesday, June 21, 2016
From left to right are, W.P. Sosh, Lon Soch and Marie Sosh.
public coffers of revenue
and making booze
available to teenagers.
Bomb found in post box
(related to alcohol
referendum)
Federal agents
from the U.S. Postal
Inspection Service
and Alcohol-TobaccoFirearms Division were
in Russellville Monday,
January 31, investigating
a bomb type device with
a note attached which
was found in a local
drop off box in front of
the Post Office Saturday
afternoon, January 29.
Russellville Police
received a call from
Assistant Postmaster Ben
Linton around 3:58 p.m.
Saturday about some
type of possible explosive
device which a postman
had located in the box.
Police Sergeant
Tommy Allen, assisted
by Kentucky State
Police, went to the post
office where a dynamite
blasting cap with several
feet of wire attached
was found, along with
a tag attached to a note
which read, “Vote Logan
County Dry Feb. 1 This
is a warning and we hope
you will read between the
lines. We have 70 cases
of glyro dynamite stored
just off Ninth Street.
Station owner joins dad
in public service credo
No drastic format
changes are planned
for either WRUS-AM
News-Democrat & Leader
Charlie Ray
or WAKQ-FM says
Lon Sosh, new owner
of the radio stations in
Russellville. Sosh and his
father W.P. “Winky” Sosh
announced that Lon, who
has owned 20 percent
of the stations, had
bought the remainder
of the stock from his
father and from Roth E.
Hook of Aliceville, Ala.,
pending approval by the
Federal Communications
Commission.
The new owner, who
has been general manager
of the FM station, as
well as an air personality,
a sportscaster and
advertising salesman,
said he is filing an
application for a power
increase for WRUS from
the present 500 watts to
2,500 watts, which would
give it one of the more
powerful AM signals in
the state.
ARCO job seekers
line up early
It wasn’t just a local
gathering of people
looking for jobs, and
it wasn’t even a mere
regional gathering.
Rather there were people
from most parts of the
southeastern part of the
country and elsewhere
who waited in line just
for an application to
work at the new ARCO
Aluminum plant in Logan
County.
Over 300 people
had lined up Monday
morning at the
Russellville CityCounty Park where
representatives of the
Bureau for Manpower
Services were screening
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applicants. Some 20
people from Scottsboro,
Ala. arrived Sunday
afternoon and camped
out on the porch of
the Sportsman Club
Building at the park.
As the parking lot
jammed full around noon
Monday, people arrived
as far away as Texas and
Illinois.
Body found; man jailed
Kentucky State Police
have found the skeletal
remains of what is
believed to be the body of
Joyce Marie Scott on the
Oren Beck farm, which
she and her husband Roy
Lee previously owned
near Auburn.
Mrs. Scott’s husband
was arrested at the
Warren County Jail,
where he was already
a prisoner on other
charges, and is lodged in
the Logan County Jail on
murder charges under $1
million bond. State Police
Detective Bill Jenkins
uncovered parts of the
body Monday afternoon
in a field in front of the
house at the farm. Mr.
Scott was later found
guilty and sentenced to
40 years in prison.
Lady Cougars advance
The storybook season
for Jim Thompson and
his Logan County Lady
Cougars continued
Tuesday. The Lady
Cougars rolled their
second upset in a row
with a 49-48 victory over
Warren East, which was
ranked 15th in the state,
in the first round of the
4th Regional Tournament
Tuesday at Barren
County.
First commencement
set for Logan County
High
Logan County High
School will hold its first
commencement exercises
Monday, May 9, at the
high school gymnasium
at 7:30 p.m. The first
ever senior class at LCHS
consists of 158 members.
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2016 Historic & review
News-Democrat & Leader
Tuesday, June 21, 2016 3
Logan County basketball player Fred Tisdale (left) and Russellville
basketball player Oscar York (right).
In 1961, then vicepresident Lyndon B.
Johnson named her
education consultant
to the President’s
Commission on
Equal Employment
Opportunity. From 1967
until retiring in 1970, she
was an associate editor
with the President’s
Commission on Youth
Opportunity.
Her book, A Black
Woman’s ExperienceFrom Schoolhouse
to Whitehouse was
published in 1974. She
was also the author of
The Fascinating Story of
Black Kentuckians: There
Heritage and Tradition.
American Legion
begins drive to build
memorial to war dead
A committee headed by
Jack Dorris and Richard
“Bubba” Simmons at the
Russellville American
Legion is attempting
to build a memorial
honoring all Logan
Countians who have died
fighting for their country.
The two plan to ask the
Russellville City Council
and Logan Fiscal Court
for aid as well as solicit
contributions to fund the
$20,000 project. (This
is the current memorial
next to the American
Legion).
Village Cinema poster
Russellville’s Newest
Noted writer Alice
Allison Dunnigan, 77, dies
Alice Allison Dunnigan,
77, of Washington,
D.C., a former chief of
Washington Bureau of
the old Associated Negro
Press, died Friday, May 6,
in a Washington hospital.
A native of Russellville,
she taught in Logan
and Todd Counties for
18 years. In 1947 she
became the first black
woman to be admitted to
the press galleries of the
Funeral Home
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since 1969
House and the Senate.
Mr. Dunnigan was the
first black member of the
Woman’s National Press
Club, and belonged to
the State Department
Corespondents
Association. She worked
for the Owensboro
Enterprise and The
Louisville Defender
newspapers and was
a corespondent for
the Atlanta Daily
World before going to
Washington.
Post Office bid
letting nears
Work on Russellville’s
new post office should
begin Oct. 1, according
to the architect who has
been responsible for
completing the plans for
the 8,000 square foot
structure.
Greene reminds
magistrates of
neglected duties
Although their powers
have been reduced,
members of the fiscal
court still have several
duties they should attend
to, county attorney
Fred Greene told the
magistrates Tuesday.
The court’s legal advisor
said the magistrates are
not performing those
functions. He urged them
to start implementing
a road plan for County
Judge-executive James
Bailey and County Road
Supervisor Harry Clayton
Johnson to follow.
Spa Lake
closing requested
A resident from the
Spa Lake area near
Lewisburg was present
at the Russellville
City Council Tuesday
representing a group of
concerned people who
also live there and who
own land near the lake
area.
C.W. Harris presented
a petition to the council
that 100 people had
signed requesting the
closing of Spa Lake due
to abuse of the lake and
its surrounding area by a
small minority of people.
Trooper Jerry Smith
was at the meeting at
the request of Harris
to inform the council
members in detail of
what abuse is occurring
at the lake.
He talked about beer
keg parties, marijuana
parties, severe litter
problems, the cutting of
tires on boat trailers, and
the shooting of signs. He
mentioned the drowning
that took place recently.
Larry Carter dies in
shooting spree with
Todd constable
A coroner’s inquest
will be held in connection
with the shooting death
of a Logan Countian who
was killed in Allensville
during a confrontation
with a Todd County
constable.
Larry Carter, 31,
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2016 Historic & review
4 Tuesday, June 21, 2016
News-Democrat & Leader
From left to right are, George Page, Sheldon and Brenda Baugh and Billy Ray Parrish.
of Olmstead was
pronounced dead on the
scene Friday night, Aug.
12, after being shot
by constable Charles
Abney in an altercation
at the Allensville Crop
Service. According
to the Kentucky New
Era in Hopkinsville,
Todd Deputy Coroner
Wade Pearson has said
that an inquest will
be conducted into the
incident.
State Police Detective
Mike Winn said Carter
apparently was trying
to break into the
Allensville Crop Service
when Abney, who was
on patrol about 9:50
p.m., spotted him. Winn
stated that when Carter
stepped from a van he
had a .45 automatic.
Abney grabbed the gun,
a struggle followed, and
Carter’s gun went off,
scorching the top of the
constable’s head. As
they wrestled, Abney
said he was able to get
a hold of his own gun.
Winn said Carter jerked
free and pointed his gun
at Abney. The constable
fired two shots with
his .44, one hitting
Carter in the chest and
the other his left side,
just above his waist,
Logan County Cougar Finley Baird (left) and Russellville Panther
Tobeika Elliot.
according to the New
Era story.
WRUS celebrating
its 30 years on air
WRUS is celebrating
its 30 anniversary this
month with the major
events scheduled this
weekend. Sunday
afternoon at 2 p.m.
Cong. Carroll Hubbard
is scheduled to be
present when station
owner Lon Sosh pushes
the button to increase
the power from 500
watts to 2,500 watts.
Russellville
council displeased
about having to
sell its burley base
Russellville’s city
fathers don’t want to
give up their status as
tobacco base owners.
Several members of the
Russellville City Council
expressed extreme
displeasure that the city
is being forced to sell
it burley tobacco base.
The city is allowed
to grow 0.31 acres
of air cured tobacco
and 1,607 pounds of
burley because of land
it purchased with a
tobacco base. The right
to grow that much
tobacco has been sold
to farmers under a
leasing arrangement.
Councilman Billy
Ray Parrish called it,
“unconstitutional” and
said it bordered on a
“dictatorship.”
Fire destroys
Farmer’s Tobacco site
Fire completely
destroyed Farmer’s
Tobacco Warehouse at
First and Main Tuesday
night, Nov. 1. The
business is owned by
Cecil Brown, Douglas
Rogers, J.C. Monroe
and Earl Bowman, all
for North Carolina.
Electrical power was
knocked out for several
hours in some sections
of town, and some areas
were still without power
until noon Wednesday.
To9 contact Chris Cooper, email
ccooper@newsdemocratleader.
com or call 270-726-8394.
1983 Strawberry Festival Parade float.
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