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City council accepts bid for water tank work
By DONNA RYDER
Messenger Associate Editor
Unlike water line replacement bids received earlier this month which perplexed the Union City Council because they differed by more than $300,000, there was no confusion in bids received Tuesday night.
Published in The Messenger 4.17.08 Read More ...
Donna Ryder Messenger Associate Editor |
Kiwanis Club hosting ‘Special’ event
The Union City Kiwanis Club has some very “Special” plans Saturday.
And club members hope the community will join them.
The Kiwanis Club will sponsor the Obion County Special Olympics from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at War
Published in The Messenger 4.17.08 Read More ...
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Paper sponsors scavenger hunt
By GLENDA H. CAUDLE
Special Features Editor
So you think you know your hometown well.
You’ve shopped/worked/socialized “downtown” for years, and you are familiar with every square inch of it. No surprises for you.
Published in The Messenger 4.17.08 Read More ...
Glenda H. Caudle Special Features Editor |
Sanderson announces candidacy for office
By JOHN BRANNON
Messenger Staff Reporter
With today’s noon qualifying deadline looming, Kenton businessman Bill Sanderson has thrown his hat in the ring in the race for state representative.
Published in The Messenger 4.17.08 Read More ...
By JOHN BRANNON |
Annie 4.17.08
Dear Annie: I am in my mid-50s and have known since childhood that I am gay but have always lived as a straight man. I met my wife in graduate school. I liked her as a friend and, after many years, gave in and married her. Read More ...
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Education ... briefly
The Messenger 04.16.08
UT faculty holds off
vote on Petersen
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The University of Tennessee Faculty Senate is holding off on a possible no-confidence vote on university President John Petersen.
Senate president David Patterson says there has been progress on some issues since January, when a faculty survey on the Knoxville campus showed dissatisfaction with Petersen’s leadership after former Chancellor Loren Crabtree resigned abruptly. Read More ...
The Associated Press |
FCCLA 'STAR'S
The Messenger 04.16.08
FCCLA ‘STAR’S — Obion County Central High School’s Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter recently competed in STAR event competitions at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Among the students who participated were (from left) Ashley Readenour, illustrated talk; Angel Burns, illustrated talk; Paige Trader, career investigation; Megan Montgomery, applied technology; Diana Whitmore, applied technology; Malori Graddy, creed; Jeylan Isa, creed; and Lauren Hayes, job interview. All OCCHS competitors placed first at the district level and will advance to state competition. The group’s advisors are Amy Montgomery and Michelle Bruner. Read More ...
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Foreign film series offers 'Volver'
The Messenger 04.16.08
“Volver,” the fifth movie in the 2008 Modern Foreign Languages Foreign Film Series, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday in Watkins Auditorium of Boling University Center at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
In “Volver,” Penélope Cruz plays Raimunda, the strong-willed mother of 14-year-old Paula. Raimunda works hard to support her family, but with little support from Paco, her lazy and unscrupulous husband.
After a visit to the windy and superstitious village of their birth, Alcanfor de las Infantas, Raimunda and her sister, Soledad, start to discover the truth about their family’s troubled history. Shortly before their friend and neighbor Agustina is diagnosed with cancer, a virtual ghost from the past returns to set the record straight.
The film has earned numerous awards, including Spain’s Goya for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress; Best Original Screenplay at Cannes; and an Oscar for Best Actress. Read More ...
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Fulton's finest
The Messenger 04.16.08
FULTON’S FINEST — Fulton High/Middle School’s Students of the Month were recently recognized. The honorees included (from left, front row) Jasmine Johnson, Alexia Jaycox, Ashney Williams, (back row) Brandon Carter, Franko Beard, Jordan Miller, Jeremy Forrester and Matthew Lewis. Read More ...
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Hillcrest honorees
The Messenger 04.16.08
HILLCREST HONOREES — The April Students of the Month from grades preK-3 were recently honored at Hillcrest Elementary School in Troy. The recipients included (from left, front row) Morgan Powell, Maddie Flowers, Zoe Zalsman, Jeremiah Fitzgerald, Karoline Parker, Patrick Bishop, Emerson Fussell, Lily Grace Baker, (back row) Casey Henley, Erik Olsen, Brittney Davis, Dillon Wilson, Christian Cary, Jennan Dial, Emylee Osborne, McKinleigh Bell and Taylor Woody. Not pictured is Jack Moore. Read More ...
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Hillcrest's best
The Messenger 04.16.08
HILLCREST’S BEST — Hillcrest Elementary School recently honored its April Students of the Month. The honorees from grades 4-8 included (from left, front row) Kelsey Pollock, Ashley Lyon, Megan Grooms, Dana Barnett, Madison Buchanan, Travis Preuett, Courtney Stewart, Maddie O’Dell, (back row) Bryce Warner, Ashlyn Runions, Remington Beeler, Jacob Morris, Elizabeth Baggett, Crystal Brady, Kadie Burpo and Chandler Fussell. Not pictured are Holly Fletcher and Ashley Hill. Read More ...
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Motive may never be known in Virginia Tech killings
The Messenger 04.16.08
By SUE LINDSEY
Associated Press Writer
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech President Charles Steger remembers being relieved when he learned that police had someone in custody after two students were killed in a dormitory. Moments later, the sound of gunfire erased that comfort.
“We could hear the shots from the board room here where we were all assembled,” Steger said, referring to an executive committee assembled after the dormitory slayings last April 16. “There were people running down the sidewalks with automatic weapons.”
Steger said police were too busy to explain what was happening, even as terrifying sounds continued in the building next to Steger’s Burruss Hall office.
“No one knew what was going on,” Steger said in an interview with The Associated Press.
While the events of that morning that gripped a nation have been detailed extensively in all their horror, one question remains unanswered: What caused student Seung-Hui Cho to stage the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history?
Two hours after shooting the two students in West Ambler Johnston dormitory, Cho methodically gunned down 25 students and five faculty members in a classroom wing of Norris Hall. He took his own life as police stormed the building.
Cho, a 23-year-old loner with a history of mental troubles, left behind no explanation. Read More ...
The Associated Press |
Night of jazz scheduled for April 24
The Messenger 04.16.08
The Weakley, Obion, Gibson, Henry, Carroll and Lake County alumni chapters of the University of Tennessee are sponsoring a night of jazz featuring the UT Martin Jazz Band at 7 p.m. April 24.
The Jazz Band, under the direction of Dr. Kurt Gorman, assistant professor of music, is comprised of musically-talented students who audition regardless of their majors.
The performance will take place at the UT Martin Alumni Center, formerly the Chancellor’s Residence. In the event of rain, it will be held in the Harriet Fulton Performing Arts Theatre of the Fine Arts Building.
The event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required and refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Carol Kirkland at (731) 225-8445 or Charley Deal at (731) 881-7611. Read More ...
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Tops at Carr
The Messenger 04.16.08
TOPS AT CARR — Students of the Month were recently recognized at Carr Elementary School in Fulton. The honorees included (standing, from left) Prentasia Terrell, Susannah Whitesell, Zach Howard, (on the slide, from top to bottom) Makayla LeWinter, Winter Smith, Kameron Trice, Mandrial Allen, Telesha Taylor, Gabe Mays, (standing, continuing from left) Matthew Hastings, Hollie Sowell, Alyssa Ridenour and Mykeya Hudson. Read More ...
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Letters to the editor
Others deserve recognition
To The Editor:
While we appreciate the work that Union City Main Street Inc., has to do to revitalize our historic downtown district, I was appalled, disturbed, saddened and disappointed when I read the red, highlighted statement in the “Up With Union City” article in the April 2008 Tennessee section of
Published in The Messenger 4.17.08 Read More ...
Area readers |
Views from across the state of Tennessee
The following is a roundup of recent editorials from Tennessee members of The Associated Press. In some cases, the editorials have been edited for length. They do not reflect an editorial position of the AP but represent the opinions of the newspapers from which they are taken.
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Chattanooga Times, April 12
The Tennessee Legislature has proved obtusely adverse over the years to bills that would protect the environment. The House Environment subcommittee — it would be more apt to call it the “anti-environment” subcommittee — demonstrated that trait again last week when it killed, on a 5-3 vote, a bill that would have prohibited mountaintop removal mining in Tennessee.
The majority’s reasoning was that mountaintop removal — blowing off the top of a mountain and shoving off the sides into streams and forests below — is part of mining communities’ “heritage.” Committee members who voted to continue allowing the practice also said that banning it would be the death of coal mining jobs in the poorer counties that rely heavily on coal mining to sustain their economy.
It is true that modestly well-paying jobs are sparse in many rural East Tennessee counties, and that mining affords some workers a decent income. But making mining less destructive of the environment wouldn’t end most mining jobs; it would just lessen their brutal impact on surrounding land and water resources.
Mountaintop removal isn’t the only way to extract coal; it’s simply the easiest and most destructive. Deep-bore mines, from the sides or tops of mountains, are equally viable mining alternatives.
Mountaintop removal, by contrast, is an environmental travesty. It entails a level of destruction that mocks the idea of God’s creation and moral stewardship of it in the interest of our children and their grandchildren.
The technique, often also called crossridge mining, relies on blowing off or bulldozing away the forest, rocks and earth that cover coal seams many feet below. In mountaintop removal, the earth and forest that are removed are bulldozed down the side of the mountain, invariably killing streams and despoiling far more land. In cross-ridge mining, that same overburden is saved on the mountain — often in a low point between ridge lines — until the seam below is excavated and exhausted, and then shoved back in a big mound and planted with grasses and a few trees.
Mining companies claim that amounts to restoration.
The economic costs of permitting such destruction are immense, and the pretext that whole mountains can be “reclaimed” and restored, and are subject to relatively insignificant bonds for reclamation, are surreal. Reclamation of a mountain by pushing loose dirt and rocks back into a heap where a mountaintop once stood is, as a concept, laughable on its face, or would be if the scope of the degradation was not so irrevocable or so stunning.
With the price of coal having zoomed 163 percent in the past five years, and subject soon to much higher inflation because of the recent incredible rise in prices for oil and other sources of energy, it is readily evident that coal mining operations can now afford to do deep bore mining. Their poor-mouthing about protecting jobs is mainly cover for protecting higher profits, and getting more coal more quickly.
Tennessee’s legislators should know that and probably do. The ones who are on committees that vote on bans on ridgetop mining surely have been educated by mining lobbyists. Why else would they parrot lobbyists’ defense of mountaintop removal?
The state Senate has yet to address the bill to ban mountaintop removal. Its members should use the opportunity to inform the debate and urge the House to override the environment subcommittee’s rejection of the ban. It’s never too late to do the right thing.
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The (Clarksville) Leaf-Chronicle, April 15
The state Legislature should declare a moratorium on adding new exemptions to the state’s sales and use taxes.
University of Tennessee Economics Professor Bill Fox, who advises the state on financial matters, pointed out that in 1979, about 65 percent of Tennessee’s economy was taxable. The state portion of the sales tax back then was 4.5 percent.
In 2008, less than half — 48 percent — of the state’s economy is taxable. Today, the state portion of the sales tax is 7 percent, with a 5.5 percent tax on food.
It’s obvious what is happening. It’s a rob-Peter-to-pay-Paul scenario. As lawmakers continue to add exemptions to the sales tax, the lost revenue needs to be made up elsewhere. That means a higher sales tax rate for the population at large.
This session alone, among the proposed exemptions are kerosene, flatbed farm trucks, poultry feed, residential solar panels and football merchandise.
Why do lawmakers do this? They like to be seen as giving consumers a tax “break” on certain items. No doubt it also helps them with certain constituencies by exempting the products they sell.
The state as a whole, however, has reached the point of diminishing returns on exemptions. Let’s not add any more to the list.
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Bristol Herald Courier, April 13
On the campaign trail, Tennessee lawmakers are quick to avow their belief in the principles of open government.
But recent votes suggest some are giving only lip service to the concept. They’ve amended an open-records reform bill in such a way that it will make it harder to access public information, not easier.
The poisonous changes were added to the House version of this legislation last week. We urge state lawmakers — in particular Reps. Jon Lundberg and Jason Mumpower, both Bristol Republicans — to oppose the changes and throw their support behind the Senate version of the bill.
No good purpose is served by making it harder for the people to keep tabs on their government. But that’s exactly what the amended version of House Bill 3637 would do.
The revised bill would allow local governments to charge new fees for public record searches that take more than an hour. This invites mischief. Government workers could be instructed to drag out the process in order to generate fees. With no cap on these fees, those requesting public records could easily be forced to fork out a significant amount of cash. This, in turn, would deter future public record requests. But maybe that’s the point.
Another problematic provision of the amended bill provides that only Tennessee residents can file written Freedom of Information Act requests. While the motivation isn’t clear, the results are predictable.
Such a change would hamper newsgathering operations in border communities, like Bristol, where reporters often live in one state but cover another state.
Finally, the revised bill requires that elected and appointed officials be notified when their records are requested and gives the state’s largest cities and counties more time to produce the requested records.
Again, both provisions set the stage for government mischief. The notification provision could be used to intimidate private citizens who ask for information about their local officials. The extra-time provision merely gives governments an additional opportunity to stall. It looks like lawmakers deliberately are trying to make the process harder in order to discourage information requests.
This collection of bad ideas was proposed by Rep. Ulysses Jones, a Memphis Democrat, during a subcommittee hearing. They were approved on a voice vote and sent on to the full House and State Local Government Committee. This amounts to a sneak attack on open government.
The bill must clear the full committee before it moves to the House floor. It should never make it that far. This bill isn’t open records reform; it’s an ersatz version of it that protects government leaders rather than the people. We urge state lawmakers to return the bill to its original form or line up behind the far superior Senate version.
Published in The Messenger 4.17.08 Read More ...
AP |
Checkoff Highlights Soyfoods Research and Innovations at Symposium
ST. LOUIS (April 17, 2008) - The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff’s annual Consumer Attitudes on Nutrition Survey recently found that 85 percent of consumers view soy as healthy. These consumers are also increasing the amount of soy they eat weekly; more than a quarter of Americans consume soy-based products at least once a week, making the 14th Annual Soy Symposium, a two-day-long session for nutritionists and edible soybean industry representatives, more important than ever. Read More ...
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TDA works to advise landowners on forest recovery efforts
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s Division
of Forestry recently released survey results of forests impacted by the
February tornados. The survey concluded that approximately 8,215 acres
of forestland were damaged with an estimated timber value of $10.3
million. Read More ...
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Deed transfers, April 8-14, 2008
The Messenger 04.16.08
The following deed transfers were filed April 8-14 in the office of Obion County Register of Deeds Vicky Long.
The transfers listed exclude deeds of trust (mortgages on real estate) and any miscellaneous instruments recorded in the register’s office. The list is published in its entirety, without exception, from record books in the register’s office.
Amounts are not shown for true quitclaim deeds, or deeds in which a husband and wife divide property. Deeds conveying property to a state, the federal government or a city are exempt from the state transfer tax. Read More ...
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Divorces, April 9-15, 2008
The Messenger 04.16.08
The following divorces or annulments were granted April 9-15 by Chancellor W. Michael Maloan and were filed in the office of Obion County Clerk & Master Paula Rice. All Chancery Court divorces and annulments are listed, without exception, and are only listed once final decrees or orders are signed by the chancellor. Read More ...
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General Sessions, April 8 and April 10, 2008
The Messenger 04.16.08
The following cases were disposed of April 8 and April 10 in Obion County General Sessions Court by Judge Raymond Morris, or fines paid before scheduled court appearances, and were filed in the docket books in the office of Obion County Circuit Court Clerk Harry Johnson.
The cases listed exclude routine traffic violations, civil cases and cases that are dismissed. All others are published, including judicial diversions, without exception. Read More ...
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All systems on go for UC’s Lowrance in victory vs. Rebs
Union City’s Craig Lowrance was cleared to play full-tilt Wednesday and the senior responded by clearing the bases during his team’s 9-3 victory over Obion Central.
The UC hurler — whose play had been scaled back due to rehab from an offseason surgery — emptied the bags with a bases-loaded triple that banged off the 365 sign in left field during the home half of the fifth inning.
Meanwhile, on the hill, Lowrance (1-0) was in full command with his pitch count near 75 on the evening and seven strikeouts over the course of 51⁄3 innings of work. Read More ...
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Messenger Sports Briefs for April 17
Briefly
Memorial golf event
slated for Aug. 15
The 2008 Scotty McCullar Memorial Golf Tournament will be held Aug. 15 at the Goodyear Wingfoot Golf Course in Union City.
Entry fee is $300 per four-person scramble team or $75 per individual. Read More ...
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Predators clip Red Wings to square playoff series
NASHVILLE (AP) — Both of the Detroit Red Wings’ goaltenders have Stanley Cups victories, and Dominik Hasek is one of the NHL’s winningest goalies.
So far, Nashville’s Dan Ellis has as many wins this postseason as Hasek and Chris Osgood combined.
Ellis stopped 39 of 41 shots and helped the Predators tie their Western Conference series with a 3-2 win Wednesday night in Game 4. The goalie, making his playoff debut in this series, has been in net for each game and will be there again Friday night for Game 5 in Detroit. Read More ...
By TERESA M. WALKER, AP Sports Writer |
Prep star Evans reloads Memphis
ASTON, Pa. (AP) — One of the country’s last undecided high-profile basketball recruits will spend next season at Memphis.
Tyreke Evans, the most valuable player of the McDonald’s All-American game last month, announced his decision Wednesday at a news conference surrounded by his family at American Christian School. Read More ...
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Cowboys’ owner shoots Pac breeze with NFL commish
DALLAS (AP) — Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell sat side-by-side at lunch Wednesday, and it’s easy to guess who did most of the talking.
It might be just as easy to guess what they were talking about.
The status of Adam “Pacman” Jones is of major interest to the Cowboys because they are trying to acquire the suspended cornerback-kick returner from the Tennessee Titans. Trade talks have stalled, likely because of uncertainty about when he will be reinstated by Goodell, the NFL commissioner. Read More ...
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer |
Budget meeting set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
The Obion County Budget Committee will meet 9 a.m. Wednesday in the basement conference room at the Obion County Courthouse. Read More ...
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County meeting set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
The Obion County Legislative Body will meet 9 a.m. Monday in the circuit courtroom at the Obion County Courthouse in Union City. Read More ...
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Fund raiser set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
The Colored Hotel Heritage Foundation is sponsoring an exciting musical fund raiser, “The Voice of a Song — A Spiritual Concert,” featuring local talent Jamie Worrell, Boys & Girls Club Chorus, The Gantt Family, Rebecca Easley, Impact Praise Team, The Keathley Family and Bobby Fair April 26 at 6 p.m. at the Union City Civic Auditorium. Read More ...
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Health Expo set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
In celebration of Senior Health and Fitness Month in May, there will be a Health and Fitness Expo for area senior citizens and their caregivers May 30 from 8:30 a.m.-noon at Eddie Cox Senior Center in Union City. Admission is free. Read More ...
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MainLine to appear
The Messenger. 04.17.08
MainLine will be featured Saturday from 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Sunday in the main social room at Fraternal Order of Eagles on Old Rives Road in Union City. Read More ...
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Orientation set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
Freshman orientation has been scheduled for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Union City High School commons area. Read More ...
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Pet show slated
The Messenger. 04.17.08
The Spring Heritage Days pet show will be held April 26 at 10 a.m. at the Whitney Cozart Pavilion at the Obion County Fairgrounds in Union City. Read More ...
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PG event slated
The Messenger. 04.17.08
Obion County Central High School Project Graduation participants will be picking up trash in Rives Saturday. Read More ...
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Quilt show set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
Entries will be accepted next week for the Spring Heritage Days quilt show, being held in conjunction with the annual Spring Heritage Days folk festival April 25-26 at the Obion County Fairgrounds in Union City. Read More ...
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Trivia Night set
The Messenger. 04.17.08
Crosswind Church is hosting Trivia Night Friday beginning at 7 p.m. The cost is $5 per player. Teams of eight will compete for a prize of $80 to the winning table. Read More ...
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Walk of Hope
The Messenger. 04.17.08
The Obion County Central High School Key Club will hold a rock-a-thon to benefit Obion County Hometown Walk of Hope Tuesday from 4-9 p.m. at Higher Ground coffee shop in Union City. Read More ...
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Pat Patrick
The Messenger. 04.17.08
Will D. “Pat” Patrick, of Water Valley, Ky., a former resident of South Fulton and Rives, died April 17, 2008, at his home. Read More ...
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Church news
The Messenger. 04.17.08
To celebrate special day
Bells Chapel C.M.E. Church, located at 207 North Highland Drive in Fulton, will celebrate Family and Friends Day Sunday at 3 p.m. Read More ...
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Hunter Hynds unit has meeting
The Messenger. 04.17.08
The Hunter Hynds Unit of United Methodist Women held its April meeting at Brandy’s Restaurant in Martin recently. The unit enjoyed the food and fellowship there. Read More ...
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Special guests
The Messenger. 04.17.08
Terry Allen and his wife, Sam, will be guests at Union City First Assembly of God at 1810 Pleasant Valley Ave. Sunday. Read More ...
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Pageant scheduled
Dyer Station Celebration is sponsoring the Miss Dyer Station pageants April 26 at Dyer Junior High School gym.
The pageants are open to girls from birth to age 21, who should wear pageant or Sunday best attire. Read More ...
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The power of love in grief
In Nicholas Sparks’ novel, “A Walk to Remember,” after 40 years, at age 57, Landon Carter looks back and describes a life-changing experience that happened during his senior year in 1958-59 at the high school in Beaufort, North Carolina. Read More ...
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