Summer approaches.

Memorial Day rescue in Ellison’s Cave involved over 100 people – including 80 expert cavers from Walker, Hamilton, Nashville, Knoxville, Huntsville, and Atlanta. Crews hauled equipment thousands of feet into the cave to treat the man once he was found; afterwards it took over five hours to get all the rescuers and material out.

The trapped man’s name has now been released to the media: Dwight Kempf.

Mr. Kempf’s wife flew in to be with him in the hospital. She released a statement yesterday saying the family is “extremely grateful” for the rescue, and Dwight is “doing as well as can be expected” considering what happened.

Channel 9 went to Pettyjohn’s Cave near Ellison’s Tuesday to see what the cave system is like inside and get some caving information/advice from Walker County Emergency Services.   

WQCH Radio, 05/28/13: “WALKER COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE WORKED AN INCREDIBLE 48 HOUR ‘MARATHON’ DURING THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. IN ADDITION TO THE CAVE RESCUE AT PIGEON MOUNTAIN, THERE WERE ALSO SEVERAL FIRES AND A SEACH AND RESCUE FOR A SNAKE-BITE VICTIM.

“FIRE CHIEF RANDY CAMP SAID THE SNAKE-BITE CALL CAME IN AT 8:30 SUNDAY MORNING. THE VICTIM, A KNOXVILLE MAN IN HIS 20’s, WAS LOST IN THE WOODS OFF OLD MINERAL SPRINGS ROAD JUST OUTSIDE LAFAYETTE. CHIEF CAMP SAID THEY TRIED TO GET A GPS FIX ON HIS CELL PHONE, BUT IT WENT DEAD BEFORE THAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED.

“A STATE PATROL HELICOPTER WAS ALSO CALLED TO JOIN THE SEARCH FROM THE AIR. THE MAN MANAGED TO WANDER OUT OF THE WOODS AT AROUND 3 PM AND LIFEFORCE WAS CALLED TO TRANSPORT HIM TO ERLANGER. HE HAD A COUPLE OF PUNCTURE WOUNDS BUT COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF SNAKE THAT BIT HIM.

Thanks to all the volunteers and employees of Walker County Emergency Services and other groups involved in keeping the community safe even during holidays.   

Around 12:30 Tuesday an accident involving at least three vehicles occurred at the 27/136 intersection in front of Krystal and Walmart. Information about the accident is still pretty thin.   

A man from LaFayette says two women threw “something” at his vehicle while driving down Back Berryton Rd. in Chattooga County.

Alrighty then.   

According to one credit agency, Georgia’s residents are fourth-worst in the nation for credit card delinquency. Delinquency, for their purposes, means at least 90 days behind. Surprisingly enough, it’s only .87% of all card accounts.   

A year or more ago, LU posted about an Alabama man being forced to remove his wife’s body from his front yard. He said being buried there was her last wish, and sued to keep her there. Now an Alabama appeals court has ruled, again, he must move her since a yard burial violates local city codes.   

Over the weekend a group of hikers found (and photographed) a long-rumored alligator on the Chattahoochee River near Atlanta.   

The number of Georgians in county jails dropped from 39,825 to 35,978 between April 2010 and April 13 – a 9.7% decrease. State and private-run prisons in the state went up slightly, 3.3%, between the end of 2010 and the end of 2012. More than 48,000 people were in those state penitentiaries at the end of 2012.

State leaders, notably Jay Neal, credit the drop in local jail populations to state sentencing reform.   

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