So what are so many otherwise reliable people seeing in the woods? Wildlife experts believe most sightings are misidentifications—animals seen in low light that appear larger, darker, or differently shaped than they truly are. Locals frequently report encounters in wooded and mountainous regions, and in most cases, the culprit is likely a bobcat, a black bear cub, an oversized dog, or even a house cat caught in the wrong light. Alabama’s only native wildcat, the bobcat, is typically tan and spotted, though melanistic all-black bobcats have occasionally been recorded—still far smaller than any panther, but striking enough to give pause in a dark wood.

A man who escaped an Alabama prison facility and allegedly staged a local carjacking in 2019 has been extradited to Escambia County, Florida.

Travis Wyatt Dawson was served with outstanding warrants and extricated last week for felony carjacking with a weapon and misdemeanor battery. He remains in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $102,500.

The charges stem from a July 14, 2019, incident on Miller Road in Walnut Hill. Dawson, who had escaped from a Loxley, Alabama, work release center four days prior, allegedly grabbed a victim from behind, brandished a machete, and stole a 2016 Dodge Caravan. As Dawson fled the scene, a witness jumped into the back of the minivan to try to stop him. The vehicle was later found abandoned after running out of gas at Interstate 65 and Government Street in Mobile.

Dawson eluded capture until May 2020, when he was apprehended in Louisiana.

At the time of his escape, Dawson was serving a 20 years sentence for a 2013 convocation for possession of a controlled substance in Escambia County, Alabama.

A man who escaped an Alabama prison facility in 2019 and allegedly staged a local carjacking has been extradited to Escambia County, Florida.

Travis Wyatt Dawson was served with outstanding warrants and extricated last week for felony carjacking with a weapon and misdemeanor battery.

The charges stem from a July 14, 2019, incident on Miller Road in Walnut Hill. Dawson, who had escaped from a Loxley, Alabama, work release center four days prior, allegedly grabbed a victim from behind, brandished a machete, and stole a 2016 Dodge Caravan. As Dawson fled the scene, a witness jumped into the back of the minivan to try to stop him. The vehicle was later found abandoned after running out of gas at Interstate 65 and Government Street in Mobile.

Dawson eluded capture until May 2020, when he was apprehended in Louisiana.

At the time of his escape, Dawson was serving a 20 years sentence for a 2013 convocation for possession of a controlled substance in Escambia County, Alabama.

Pictured top: Officers from the Alabama Department of Corrections speak to an Escambia County (FL) deputy and a citizen a roadblock on Miller Road in Florida on July 12, 2019. Dawson allegedly carjacked a minivan just a few yards from this location on July 14, 2019.  Pictured below: An Escambia County (FL) Road Prison K-9 team searches near a Rockaway Creek Road bridge that spans the Alabama-Florida state line. Pictured bottom: An Escambia County (FL) deputy helps maintain a perimeter around a neighborhood along Rockaway Creek Road at Grubbs Street in Atmore. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

Some Alabama downtowns just feel made for a slow walk and a good coffee, and a new ranking says there’s plenty of them.

World Atlas recently highlighted 10 small towns with the best downtowns in Alabama in a recent travel roundup, pointing to walkable streets, historic storefronts and locally owned shops that give each destination its own sense of place.

The list reflects a growing interest in small-town travel, where downtown districts serve as hubs for dining, shopping and community life.

Standout Alabama downtowns highlighted by World Atlas

A few of the towns on the list stand out for especially distinctive downtown experiences. Here’s what World Atlas had to say.