Photo Courtesy of CBS News

Pastor John H. Cross Jr., who’s Birmingham Church was bombed in 1963, resulting in the deaths of four teenage girls, died this past Thursday night after suffering from a series of strokes. Back in 1972, Cross was appointed associate pastor at Oakhurst Baptist Church.

Daughter Barbara Cross remembered her father in an interview with the AP…

“After the dynamite went off, it dug a large crater,” she recalled. “He had to go through that rubble to make sure all of the children were OK.”

As he dug, other people there told him to stop, worried that there could be another blast.

“But he said, ‘Don’t let another charge go off. I’ve got to go in,”‘ she said of her father.

Cross later presided over a mass funeral for three of the four girls where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the eulogy.

Photo Courtesy of the Paddywax website

The Paddywax Candle Factory Outlet Store is still one of the best kept secrets in the Decatur area. Located at 235 Dekalb Industrial Way (next to Wag-A-Lot), just east of the Decatur city limits, this once small start up’s candles can now be found in candle and specialty stores throughout the country.

Luckily for Decatur residents, their factory also has an outlet store, where customers can purchase slightly “imperfect” candles for less than half the price as one’s found in the store.

So, if you’re looking for a holiday gift that’s truly local or just want a candle that doesn’t come in a massive 22oz jar, check out Paddwax (Open Mon-Fri 10a-5p and Sat 10a-4p). Or for even larger discounts check out their annual Holiday Open House on Sat. December 1st from 9a-5p.