UFO Newsclipping Service - 1978 12 - no 113

Magazine Overview

This issue of the UFO Newsclipping Service, dated December 1978, compiles a wide array of reports on unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and strange aerial phenomena witnessed across the United States. The publication acts as a clearinghouse for eyewitness accounts, radar confirmations, and preliminary investigations into these events.

Key Articles and Reports

Roane, Kanawha Sightings Unexplained After Objects Are Tracked By Radar (Daily Telegram, Oct. 23, 1978) This article details sightings in Roane and Kanawha counties, West Virginia, where brightly-lit objects were tracked by radar. Bill Givens, flight controller supervisor at Kanawha Airport, confirmed three slow-moving objects were observed, moving at speeds much slower than typical aircraft. Trooper Gary Williams and about 13 other citizens observed the objects for 40 minutes on Friday, noting they appeared red and white to the naked eye but green through binoculars. The objects remained a mystery to authorities.

Strange Objects Are Spotted (News-Item, Shamokin, PA, Sept. 29, 1978) This report covers sightings in the Elysburg area, Pennsylvania. Officer Ronald Newman reported bright red round objects in the sky that zig-zagged and made a strange noise. Residents also reported similar sightings. One woman described seeing two 'things' emerge from a saucer-shaped object on a beam of light, collect samples, and then return to the craft.

See Bright Lights in Sky Here, too (News-Review, Petoskey, MI, Oct. 13, 1978) George M. McInnis of Maxwell Road, Ludington, reported seeing an object with intense red, green, and white lights over Lake Michigan. He described the object as being about five miles away at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,000 feet. The FAA Flight Station at Emmet County Airport reported no aircraft in the area, and the Air Force radar station indicated no calls that night, though some were received in July from people overlooking Lake Michigan. Sightings have been predominantly over water along the eastern side of Lake Michigan.

Close Encounters Of A Weird Kind (Quiz, Ord, NE, Oct. 12, 1978) Deanne Kearns reported a close encounter near Ord, Nebraska, where she spotted a grey, metallic saucer-shaped object hovering 200 to 300 feet off the ground. She described observation windows and red and green flashing lights. Two 'things' about five to six feet tall emerged from the saucer, collected samples, and then returned to it before the object shot straight up and disappeared.

UFO Center Investigating Sighting by Mahaffey Woman (Progress, Clearfield, PA, Oct. 11, 1978) Robert Cowell, an expert from the Pennsylvania Center for UFO Research, stated that a Mahaffey, Pennsylvania housewife, Mrs. Kathy Moyer, may have sighted an unidentified flying object. She described a glowing, oval object as big as a picture window, emitting a pulsating blue light. Her husband, Craig Moyer, later saw two similar objects shaped like the bottom half of an egg. Cowell noted that the duration of the second sighting was unusual and required further investigation.

Museum Curator Seeks UFO Data (Times Herald, Dallas, TX, Oct. 11, 1978) Jim Peci, curator of the Pate Museum of Transportation, plans to establish the nation's first comprehensive display on UFOs but is seeking factual information and eyewitness accounts. The museum aims to present information on UFO phenomena, including reports dating from 1897, commonly misidentified natural phenomena, and different types of organizations that study UFOs. Peci personally believes in UFOs and is seeking photographs, drawings, or scale models.

4 UFO Sightings Reported Over Johnstown Wednesday (American, Somerset, PA, Oct. 26, 1978) News director Jeff Wilkinson of WJNL received calls about four lights moving across the sky over Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Police verified the sightings, which occurred between 11:30 p.m. and 12:15 a.m. Over 50 callers described the objects as rectangular or straight-line in shape, red, white, and possibly blue, hovering unlike any airplane and emitting a humming sound.

UFOs Brighten Skies In Ohio, West Virginia (Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, WV, Oct. 24, 1978) This article compiles multiple sightings across West Virginia and Ohio, including Mason, Putnam, Kanawha, Morgan, and Roane counties in West Virginia, and Gallia County in Ohio. The Center for UFO Studies in Evanston, Illinois, received calls from West Virginians. Deputy Frank Crump described a 'jagged spherical shape' with green, orange, red, and blue lights. The object was chased for about 13 miles and estimated to be six feet in diameter.

Dimension Added To UFO's Identified Following Objects (Virginia-Tennessean, Bristol, VA, Oct. 26, 1978) Ken and Laura Hampton of Bristol, Tennessee, reported seeing a hovering object with red, green, and white lights near Galax, Virginia. They described it as moving slowly and silently, similar to a previous sighting by Ken. Other reports from Bristol described bright lights, some comparing them to 'flying saucers.' Lt. Charlie Cross and Capt. Joe Musser of the Bristol Police Department provided descriptions of objects they saw, including one described as rotating with flashing lights.

UFO bright yellow light... (Wyoming News, Cody, WY, Nov. ?, 1978) Bea Bartlett and ten neighbors in Rawlins, Wyoming, watched a possible UFO hover for twenty-five minutes. It was described as a bright yellow light surrounded by yellow light, with an intermittently flashing red light on top and silver lines. The object seemed to separate into two parts and was followed by an aircraft.

UFOs still puzzle men 13 months after sighting (News-Herald, Franklin, PA, Nov. 2, 1978) This article revisits a sighting from October 5, 1977, near Barkeyville, Pennsylvania, where three men reported seeing two UFOs. The objects were described as spinning, stationary, and emitting a low hum. The Tri-County UFO Study Group investigated and found the movements incompatible with air transport.

UFO Sighted By Columnists (Star-Record, Dodge Center, MN, Nov. 2, 1978) Columnists Ruth M. Dutton and Stu reported seeing a 'gigantic plane' hovering near their home in Burnsville, Minnesota. They described it as easily discernible but not identifiable, the size of a 747, with watermelon-sized brilliant lights. The object circled for over an hour without sound.

UFOs Seen, Resident Says (Reporter Argus, Port Allegany, PA, Nov. 2, 1978) This report details sightings in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, where a woman described 'the brightest stars ever seen' as two brilliant objects moving rapidly. The objects appeared at treetop level and occasionally disappeared behind trees. Similar sightings were reported in Dalton, Georgia.

UFOs sighted at Kalkaska (Record Eagle, Traverse City, MI, Nov. 3, 1978) Two Kalkaska County sheriff deputies and two school teachers reported seeing UFOs. Deputies Mike Maxwell and Chuck Witt saw 'two objects, spinning, although stationary in the sky with red, green and white lights.' Sue Carmine, a science teacher, stated she knew she saw a UFO, describing the objects' lights and movements as unlike stars. Officials radioed the FAA, which reported no known aircraft in the area.

Authorities baffled by Jackson UFOs (Citizen Patriot, Jackson, MI, Nov. 2, 1978) At least 20 persons reported seeing amber lights traveling in pairs over Jackson, Michigan. Witnesses included city police officers. Amber fragments, as from a flare, were seen dropping from the object, and a gas-filled balloon appeared above the light. Checks with the Flight Service at Reynolds Field showed no weather balloons were scheduled, and authorities could not imagine a responsible agency launching a flare. The Michigan Air National Guard stated they had not launched flares for years.

Mysterious sound heard in the night (Telegram, Columbus, NE, Nov. 10, 1978) Seven Columbus youths heard and saw a strange phenomenon. They reported seeing three simultaneous flashes in the sky, described as 'lightning, except perfectly straight,' accompanied by a 'schshshumpf' sound and leaving three trails of smoke. The flashes were high in the sky and moved too fast to be an airplane.

Was It UFO Or Helicopter? (News, Indianapolis, IN, Nov. 15, 1978) Cathy Wilfong and Cindy Bridges reported seeing slow-moving, flashing lights in the early evening sky near Greenfield, Indiana. They described the object as a UFO, which left a 40-foot impression in a soybean field. While a state trooper suggested the lights were from Army helicopters, and another report indicated experimental aircraft, the women were certain it was a UFO due to the lack of noise and the nature of the impression left in the field.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the widespread nature of UFO sightings across various regions of the United States, the consistent descriptions of lights and objects, and the frequent lack of conventional explanations. The publication highlights instances where radar confirmed aerial targets, and where physical evidence, such as ground impressions, was noted. The editorial stance appears to be one of documenting these phenomena objectively, presenting eyewitness accounts and official responses (or lack thereof) without definitive conclusions, thereby underscoring the persistent mystery surrounding UFOs. The inclusion of reports from different newspapers and the compilation by the UFO Newsclipping Service suggest an effort to gather and disseminate information on the subject.