The year 1998 was not that long ago, or that is the way it seems to me. I noticed an article about the horrors we were to experience when the century changed. All of our computers were going to go bonkers and of course that would affect everything.

I was faced with that problem just this week. I plugged my phone up to my computer at work and before I knew what was happening, instead of downloading my photos to the computer, they disappeared and I had someone else’s information, including photos and contacts. I was able to get the photos back, but now I don’t trust my phone. I don’t know what to do, get a new phone or try to get the old one fixed.

See, that’s what happens when you trust a machine. My publisher spent two hours trying to get someone at the Apple place to tell her what I needed to do. I don’t know if she ever got a real live person or not.

I can’t talk to a machine.

Now back to the news.

Animal control and police officers responded to a dogfight in Atmore.

They found themselves in danger when a man assaulted the officers. The officers took the dog and carried it to be put down and checked for rabies.

An Atmore native almost made it to the Olympics in Japan. Duane Mock missed the chance to go to the games, although he and his fellow bobsled men won several metals before the Olympics.

Cablevision announced that they were adding some sports channels to their line-up.

Construction on Burger King was delayed until the fall. If I am not mistaken, after 20 years, the Burger King is now closed.

Mr. and Mrs. Wayne McKay celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Northview High School took top honors at JDCC in the math tournament.

Citizens of Atmore were to get a rate hike in their sewerage service going from $4 to $5.50.

The Atmore Planning Board recommended the closing of Boyd Street.

Two men, David Allen Wingard and Earl C. Gray were arrested for the death of George Henderson. Apparently they were all in a vehicle when Henderson was shot.

Ryan Carter was named the publisher and editor of The Atmore Advance.

Winn Dixie had ground beef for 88 cents a pound and strawberries for 98 cents a pint.

There was a story about Hainje’s Furniture and how it got its start with a rolling store. Do you know what a rolling star is? You have to have a few years on you to remember back that far. When I was growing up we lived in the country and only went to town on special occasions.

When we needed things, we stopped the rolling store, which was a big bus like vehicle with the most asked for items. We also stopped the ice truck to get ice for our ice box. We didn’t have a refrigerator until I was in the fourth grade. My mother also bought medicine from someone who came around. She hated for that man to stop, so she would take off for the back of our property with instructions to tell him she was not at home. This was not a lie. Technically she wasn’t; she was in the back end of our pasture. I can remember the time she came by the tree where I spent a lot of time and told me to tell the Watkins man she wasn’t there. The same applied to the Stanley man.

Reading what I just wrote makes me realize that I am older than I thought.