Chilton County Cold Snap
Everyone knows it – the giant peach that looms over Interstate 65 in Clanton. The painted water tower is a proud symbol of Chilton County’s $5 million peach industry which draws thousands of visitors each year.
“Well I always stop here when I come to Clanton to get tomatoes, peaches, vegetables, whatever. And the peach cake always. It’s rich, yummy and good. Real good!”
Arlene Parnell of Birmingham was one of many Easter weekend travelers streaming in and out of Headley’s veggie stand, which sits in the shadow of the water tower. They were all anxious about the peach crop.
Growers were anxious too. They tried everything they could to save the young fruit. They burned coal in barrels and turned on giant fans to keep the frost off. They even tried enlisting military helicopters to hover overhead and keep the air circulating, but the choppers weren’t available. Roger Mims, who’s got 40 acres of trees, says he resorted to prayers.
“I don’t think it’ll put me out of business. I can’t speak for everybody, but it’s possible it could put some people out of business, yes…”
Mims says it’ll be several days before he knows how bad the damage is. Saturday night was the coldest. Yesterday morning he went into his orchard and found some fruit – still the size of grapes – brown on the inside. That’s a bad sign, says Mims.
“Well, there’d be a lot of people out of work that’s normally works in the orchards during the summer times. And a lot of money that’s normally spent on chemicals, fertilizer and other things. Now a lot of that’s been done spent. But a lot more would be spent if we make a crop, but if we don’t it won’t be spent. So it’ll be very noticeable in this county.”
Back at Headley’s vegetable stand, owner Linda Cleckler says she could take a hit too.
“I’ll have to cut my workers back. Instead of unloading 200, 300 baskets of peaches, we might not be unloading any!”
Alabama’s agriculture commissioner says if the weather damage is severe the final price tag could be several million dollars.
5 takeaways from the U.S. ceasefire proposal for Israel and Hamas
The leaders of the U.S. and Israel say they have agreed to a broad plan that could end Israel's war in Gaza. But substantial uncertainties remain.
EV sales surge in the U.S. ahead of Sept. 30 tax credit deadline
A $7,500 tax credit is available for the lease or purchase of many electric vehicles — but only if contracts are inked by midnight on Sept. 30. The result: The market for EVs is a little distorted.
Government to shut down after midnight barring last minute breakthrough in Congress
Democrats and Republicans have been unable to resolve an impasse over federal healthcare spending. The government will shutdown at the end of the day on Tuesday barring a last-minute breakthrough.
The MLB postseason begins Tuesday. Who should you root for to win a World Series?
Twelve teams will enter October, but only one team will leave (with a ring). You can root for the three franchises that have never won a title before … or you can pull for the Yankees or Dodgers.
Trump, Hegseth to headline a highly unusual gathering of top military officials
It is highly unusual to bring in military leaders from across the globe to one central location. The president said the meeting would discuss "esprit de corps."
As sports betting explodes, should states set more limits to stop gambling addiction?
With concerns about addiction rising, some advocates and lawmakers call for federal regulations on the gambling industry — but would settle for more state laws to help curb excessive betting.
