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Officers use GPS to track offenders
Tennessee Board of Probation & Parole officers from Obion County were among those from 20 West Tennessee counties trained Monday on the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring equipment.
This important technology gives authorities another method to use in keeping tabs on convicted sexual predators and other violent offenders. Published in The Messenger 11.27.07 Read More ...
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Photo A Spirited Performance
A SPIRITED PERFORMANCE — Andy Alexander of Union City, in character as Ebenezer Scrooge, peers through his bed curtains as he hears strange noises which foretell the coming of the ghost of Christmas Past. Read More ...
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Photo County's Top Gridder
COUNTY’S TOP GRIDDER — Union City High School’s Pat Polk was named the recipient of the Messenger Obion County Prep Football Player of the Year at Monday night’s Tornado fall sports banquet. Read More ...
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Woman Living As A Man Charged With Rape
By Sabrina Bates
Chief Staff Writer
A convicted sex offender is being housed at the Weakley County Detention Center after she was accused of committing the same crime that landed her on the sex offender registry earlier this year.
Alexander David Cross, also known as Elaine Ann Cross, of Snyder Road in Martin has been charged with aggravated statutory rape for her alleged sexual relations with a 16 year old. Read More ...
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Burglary charged
A Union City man has been charged with burglary and attempted burglary in connection with incidents discovered Friday at two locations on North Second Street in Union City. Published in The Messenger 11.27.07 Read More ...
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Annie 11.27.07
Dear Annie: I have been dating “Jesse” for six years. We recently moved in together. Within the last year he has started playing poker, both online and with his friends. Sometimes the games at our place last until 6 a.m. The online gambling is the real problem, though. Read More ...
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All fired up in SF
The Messenger 11.28.07
ALL FIRED UP — South Fulton Elementary School student Hunter Burton (front) was recently honored for being his school’s winner of a poster contest during Fire Prevention Week. His drawing included fire prevention mascot “Sparky.” Among those on hand to congratulate him were personnel from the South Fulton Fire Department, including (back, from left) South Fulton Fire Chief Tommy Smith, Capt. David Wilds, firefighter Scott Dion, Lt. David Tidwell and Assistant Chief Jerry Moore. Read More ...
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At the college level
The Messenger 11.28.07
ShaRhonda Maclin, granddaughter of Ruby Harris of Union City and daughter of Eugene Maclin of Oklahoma and the late Ruby Lee Maclin, is joining the faculty of McPherson College in Kansas.
She will be an assistant professor in the Curriculum and Instruc-tion Depart-ment for the 2007-08 academic year, moving into the role after completing a year working as an admissions counselor at McPherson College.
Prior to that, she worked as director of Student Development/director of Special Education at a KIPP college-preparatory school in Indianapolis.
Ms. Maclin completed her master of education degree at the University of Oklahoma in 2003 while teaching in the Oklahoma City School System. Read More ...
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Best of Black Oak
The Messenger 11.28.07
BEST OF BLACK OAK — Students of the Month for November were recently honored at Black Oak Elementary School in Hornbeak. The honorees included (from left, front row) kindergartners Hudson Angel, Angel Hicks and Aaliyah Davidson, (second row) first-graders Remington Rudd and Alex Morris, second-graders Devin Hogg, Savannah Jean and Emma Gurien, (third row) third-graders Kameron Donnell and Matthew Chesser, fourth-graders Kevin Leland and Alex Keeling, fifth-graders Adam Thompson and Kane Ferguson, (back row) sixth-graders Casey Tarver and Michael Ellis, seventh-graders Jeremy Childress and Krissy Worrell and eighth-grader Jacob Daniels. Not pictured are pre-kindergartner Andrew Morris and eighth-grader Austin Choate. Read More ...
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Bradford Schools conduct Emergency Evacuation Drill
“In any emergency, the primary concern is to take all appropriate and reasonable actions to protect the safety of children and staff,” Transportation and Operations Director for Bradford Schools said. “BSSD has developed an Emergency Preparedness Plan which includes procedures for cases of nuclear or bomb threats, civil disturbances, earthquake, fire, tornado or other severe weather emergencies,” he added. Read More ...
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Christmas event set at Union
The Messenger 11.28.07
Community members are invited to a night of Christmas carols and scripture reading at the annual “A Union Christmas” Tuesday in Union University’s G.M. Savage Chapel in Jackson.
The music department of Union University is responsible for leading the event.
The night will feature songs from groups such as the University Singers, Proclamation, the Symphonic Band, the Union University Ringers and the Union University Children’s Chorus.
“A Union Christmas” begins at 7:30 p.m. and is free of charge. For more information, contact Gloria Duncan at (731) 661-5345. Read More ...
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Foreign film series offers 'The Ring'
The Messenger 11.28.07
“Ringu (The Ring),” the last movie in the 2007 Modern Foreign Languages Foreign Film Series, is scheduled at 7 p.m. Friday in Watkins Auditorium of Boling University Center at the University of Tennessee at Martin.
“Ringu” is the original horror film that was remade as a commercially-successful American film in 2002.
Its plot concerns a young journalist named Reiko who, after the death of her niece, learns of a mysterious videotape that causes the death of whomever views it in seven days. Skeptical, she views the tape and, to her horror, becomes convinced that she only has seven days to discover the origin of the videotape. She eventually travels to a volcanic island, where she discovers a very peculiar little girl named Sadako. Read More ...
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GCHS receives $500 grant from ExxonMobile program
Gibson County High School has received a $500 grant from the Exxon Mobil Educational Alliance Program to support the school. Exxon Express Shop #49 of Trenton worked with school officials to secure the grant which is one of 4,000 available to schools across the country served by Exxon or Mobil Stations. The grants were made possible by funding from the Exxon Mobil Corporation. Read More ...
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I 'can'
The Messenger 11.28.07
I ‘CAN’ — South Fulton Elementary School recently collected canned items for Twin Cities Care, with the food drive conducted as a contest around the school. Over 2,900 items were collected. Among those on hand for the presentation of the items were (from left) student Jacob Lily, Wayne Fulcher and Billy Hussey of Twin Cities Care and student Elizabeth Archie. The pre-K class won and will get to select one student to put a pie in Fulcher’s face. The grade winners will have popcorn parties and the fourth- and fifth-grade winners will get to play each other in dodgeball. Read More ...
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Jazz ensemble to be featured
The Messenger 11.28.07
The University of Tennessee at Martin jazz ensemble will perform at 7:30 tonight in Harriet Fulton Theatre of the UT Martin Fine Arts Building.
The group will play the music of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk, Billy Strayhorn and the mambo from Bernstein’s West Side Story. This event is free and open to the public. Read More ...
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More UT Knoxville students staying in school — report
The Messenger 11.28.07
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The University of Tennessee’s main campus says it is doing a better job keeping students in school.
The retention rate for first-time, full-time freshmen one year after they began classes in fall 2006 is 84 percent, the university said Monday. That’s up from 81.7 percent from the previous year and rates that have hovered between 75 percent and 80 percent for the past decade.
“Retention is one of the primary measures of institutional success,” said UT Knoxville Provost Bob Holub. “The best public universities have high retention rates, and we aspire to be counted among them.”
They are a measure, he said, “that a campus is doing a good job educating its students.” Read More ...
The Associated Press |
Official proposes rules for buses
The Messenger 11.28.07
By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer
MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters proposed new rules Monday to improve the safety of school bus seats and expand the use of shoulder belts, but declined to order that all new buses include seat belts.
Peters rode a packed school bus to Morrisville Elementary School, among the first schools in the country to equip some of its new buses with seat belts, then said she wants to increase the height of seat backs on all school buses from 20 inches to 24 inches to help protect children during accidents.
Peters also proposed a new requirement for short school buses — the style more prone to rollover accidents — to begin using shoulder straps. For longer buses, however, she instead proposed allowing states the option of using federal highway safety funds to purchase new buses with seat belts. Read More ...
The Associated Press |
Orchestra to perform at Dyersburg State
The Messenger 11.28.07
Scott Speck, music director of the Mobile (Ala.) Symphony and co-author of the best-selling “Classical Music for Dummies,” will be the special guest conductor Friday when the Memphis Symphony Orchestra presents its annual “Home for the Holidays” concert at Dyersburg State Community College.
The performance, which has become a holiday tradition for many, will begin at 8 p.m. at the E.H. Lannom Jr. Gymnasium. As in the past, the concert will include a mix of Christmas classical music such as “The Nutcracker Suite” and “Ave Maria” and sing-along fare such as “Jingle Bells” and “White Christmas.”
Soprano Veronica Chapman-Smith, who is known for her versatility since she made her professional debut in 2003, will be the featured soloist. Previously, she has performed with the Charlotte Symphony, the Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia and Opera Birmingham, among others. Read More ...
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Pianists to perform
The Messenger 11.28.07
The University of Tennessee at Martin piano ensemble, assisted by special guests, will present a concert of music inspired by dance 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Harriet Fulton Theatre on the UT Martin campus.
The event is free and open to the public.
A variety of musical selections for two to eight pianists will be performed. On the program are Brahms’ “Waltzes,” Dello Joio’s “Ballerina,” Leucona’s “Malaguena,” Britten’s “Senti-mental Sarabande” from his “Simple Symphony” and Cop-land’s two-piano setting of music from his ballet “Billy the Kid.” Read More ...
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Receives scholarship
The Messenger 11.28.07
RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP — University of Tennessee at Martin student Amy Sparkman of Union City recently received the university’s Valedictorian Scholarship, a one-year scholarship of $1,000 for the top academic student from high schools in Tennessee. She graduated last year from Obion County Central High School. UTNAA was established in 1836 as a tradition of service of alumni from the Chattanooga, Knoxville, Martin, Memphis and Tullahoma campuses. Miss Sparkman was congratulated by UT Martin chancellor Dr. Tom Rakes. Read More ...
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Recycling event slated for Saturday
The Messenger 11.28.07
University of Tennessee at Martin students and faculty will sponsor a recycling event from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday in the Hardy M. Graham Stadium parking lot on campus.
Anyone interested in participating should take recyclables to the site and learn how to make West Tennessee more eco-friendly. The materials to be accepted include plastic containers, scrap metal of any kind, all paper and cardboard, aluminum cans being collected for local Boy Scouts, eyeglasses for the Lions Club, used clothing in good shape for area charities, cell phones for an area domestic violence shelter and ink cartridges for the Carroll County Humane Society. Read More ...
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SF's best
The Messenger 11.28.07
SF’S BEST — South Fulton Elementary School’s Writers of the Month for October were recently honored for their work based on the prompt, “If I could add one more subject to school, _____.” Winners from third, fourth and fifth grades included (from left, front row) Josie Wilds, Aubrey Zickefoose, Caitlyn McClain, Jonathan Hollowell, (back row) Ariel Stockdale, Taymor Rodgers, Andrew Kinney and Airabella Kinney. “We had some pretty interesting subjects to be added,” SFES principal Elise Braswell said. “Cooking was one and with the holidays coming up, that would be a good one — especially if they could prepare healthy food.” Read More ...
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Student chosen
The Messenger 11.28.07
STUDENT CHOSEN — University of Tennessee at Martin student Josh Potts (left) of South Fulton recently received the National Merit Scholarship, a four-year scholarship of $1,000 to $2,000 for students named as National Merit Finalists. UTNAA was established in 1836 as a tradition of service of alumni from the Chattanooga, Knoxville, Martin, Memphis and Tullahoma campuses. Potts was congratulated by UT Martin chancellor Dr. Tom Rakes. Read More ...
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The Pride of UCHS
The Messenger 11.28.07
THE PRIDE OF UCHS — Several Union City High School students were recently honored through the school’s Tornado Pride program, designed to reward hard-working students who make all A’s and B’s and have no attendance or discipline issues. The students were each given a packet with prizes from Blockbuster, Hollywood Showcase, Snappy Tomato Pizza Co. and Wal-Mart. Students will have two more opportunities to benefit from the reward program this year. The most recent honorees for the first nine weeks include (listed alphabetically and not in order of the photo lineup) Parker Alexander, Will Arnold, Brooke Beachum, Sloane Bradberry, Allison Bruff, Taylor Bruff, Britton Bugg, Wyatt Carr, Dylan Chapman, Blake Cooley, Brent Cooley, Jackson Donnell, Carlie Dotson, Brenna Duncan, Rebecca Easley, Kayla Eason, Taylor Edwards, Cameryn Fishel, Paige Fisher, Katy Lane Frankum, Carlos Fuentes, Elizabeth Fuller, Aaron Gibson, Skye Gifford, Sara Gilliam, Stevie Gossett, Brandon Griffin, Chelsea Hale, Nicole Hardin, Bryan Harper, Katie Hawks, Katrina Hines, Karly Hollis, Hannah Jackson, Treymar Johnson, Matthew Keathley, Caroline Kirkland, Trey Maddox, Adam Moon, Madelynn Moore, Julian Moss, Kassadie Mullins, Caitlin Nelson, Landon Nipp, Alex O’Neill, Taylor Perryman, Katie Potter, Katelyn Ray, Sarah Reese, Luke Sanderson, Dustin Scott, Katey Searcy, Branson Sherwood, Camron Sherwood, Ariel Smith, Russ Smith, Andrew Speed, Colton Speed, Erica Sturkie, Nik Sudbuy, Barrett Tanner, Brady Tidwell, Ashley Thetford, Rachel Triplett, Sarah Triplett, Duncan Trout, Donshai Turner, Spencer Walker, Philip Wesner, Anna White and Peter Wilkes. Read More ...
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Top writers
The Messenger 11.28.07
TOP WRITERS — The Writers of the Month for October were recently honored at South Fulton Elementary School. Their assignment was: “If I could add one more subject to school, _____.” The first- and second-grade winners included (from left, front row) Breanna Clark, Michael Maleck, Anna Barnes, (back row) Sam McMinn, Kenedy Sisson, Jaqueline Strickland, Alec Spangler and Katherine Ward. School principal Elise Braswell said the students suggested some very interesting subjects to be added, including cooking, which was timely because of the holidays. Read More ...
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UT taking a crack at fixing fissures in 40-year-old wing of library
The Messenger 11.28.07
By DARREN DUNLAP
The Knoxville News Sentinel
KNOXVILLE (AP) — Step into the bottom floor of the Kefauver wing in the University of Tennessee’s James D. Hoskins Library and you’ll see more than precious historical manuscripts.
You’ll get a good view of James Agee Street outside, thanks to a horizontal crack about an inch wide that creeps along the edges of the interior wall’s concrete blocks.
Dramatic settling has cracked walls and ceilings, prompting UT officials to close the wing to groups of students, shut down an elevator and begin work to bid out repairs on the 40-year-old wing. UT has budgeted $1.5 million for repairs. Construction could start next year, and the university plans immediate work to fill the many cracks that have widened this year. Read More ...
The Associated Press |
Argus Hamilton
HOLLYWOOD — God bless America, and how’s everybody?
Condi Rice will host a peace conference in Maryland today with Israel and the Arab nations. President Bush is pursuing peace in the Middle East. Everybody tells him that the best way to win an Academy Award is to gain ten pounds and play against type.
Malibu suffered the loss of fifty-one homes Saturday from wildfires ignited by Santa Ana winds. Rescue shelters were set up at two schools, but no one showed up. Why on earth would anybody fly down from Park City to spend the night in a gymnasium?
Published in The Messenger 11.27.07 Read More ...
Argus Hamilton |
Expediency or principle?
By DOUGLAS COHN
and ELEANOR CLIFT
WASHINGTON — A month or so ago in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., was wavering, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, R-N.Y., was holding, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was history, former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., was hailed as the welcome and necessary addition to a faltering field, and former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., was “Who is he?” Today, Romney is solidifying leads in Iowa and New Hampshire; Giuliani’s more liberal social views are beginning to negatively register with the Republican base, causing him to lose ground; McCain has had a resurgence, but appears to be facing a wall of resistance over his pro-war, pro-immigration views; Thompson has flopped and his campaign may not even survive until the first contest; and Huckabee is catching fire
Published in The Messenger 11.27.07 Read More ...
Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift |
Making Sense—Speak English, get ahead
By MICHAEL REAGAN
It’s no secret that in America knowing how to speak the English language is the basic requirement for success – if you can’t speak the language everybody else speaks, you are back at the Tower of Babel wondering what everybody around you is trying to say. Published in The Messenger 11.27.07 Read More ...
Michael Reagan |
Names in the News
RED BANK, N.J. (AP) — Bon Jovi fans will have a chance to see the group’s frontman perform at a charity concert next month. Published in The Messsenger 11.27.07 Read More ...
AP |
Club calf sale set
Obion County FFA Alumni and the University of Tennessee at Martin Block and Bridle Club will sponsor a club calf sale Saturday at 2 p.m. at the UT Martin Livestock Facility. Read More ...
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Give thanks for autumn leaf color
Boughs are daily rifled by the gusty thieves,
And the book of Nature getteth short of leaves.
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Thanksgiving day has come and gone but thanks giving, I trust, will be in our hearts every day until the official holiday returns a year hence. Read More ...
By JIMMY WILLIAMS Special to The Messenger |
It’s tough to compete with foreign farms
Some Florida tomato growers say they are getting out of the business because it has gotten too difficult to compete with foreign growers not bound by U.S. labor laws and environmental and food safety regulations. Read More ...
By The Associated Press |
Photo Coon Hunt
COON HUNT — Obion County Central High School FFA hosted its third annual community coonhunt and potluck dinner recently. Read More ...
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Crime of the Week, Nov. 26-30, 2007
The Messenger 11.28.07
REWARD
Be A Crime Stopper
Clues are being sought in the theft of a cargo trailer from Troy First Baptist Church.
The seven- by 14-foot U-Haul utility cargo trailer was taken from the church’s parking lot at 519 East Harper St. in Troy sometime Monday, authorities reported.
The trailer is described as a white V-shaped trailer with an aluminum gravel shelf on the front, a short tongue, brakes, five shelves built on the front inside part, a side door that opens out and a rear fold-down door. The model number is VHA714TA2 and the vehicle identification number is 5NHUHA4267WO47288.
The estimated value of the trailer is $4,207. Read More ...
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Messenger Sports Briefs for November 27
Briefly
Jr. Devilettes perfect;
SF boys finish sweep
The Thanksgiving holiday and layoff did little to slow South Fulton’s girls’ jayvee basketball team down.
The Lady Devilettes improved to 7-0 — remaining the only Obion County School System basketball squad with a perfect record — amid a 38-8 shellacking of Hickman County. Read More ...
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Nutt’s unemployment stint is short; will be named head coach at Ole Miss
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Houston Nutt wasn’t out of a job for long: He was hired as Mississippi’s football coach just hours after resigning at Arkansas.
Nutt agreed to a contract late Monday night, and replaces Ed Orgeron, who was fired Saturday after the Rebels lost to rival Mississippi State and finished 3-9.
The hiring of Nutt was confirmed by a person close to the program who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made.
Nutt resigned even though the Razorbacks upset then-No. 1 LSU 50-48 in triple overtime last week.
Mississippi planned an announcement on its coaching situation later today. Read More ...
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Redskins’ Taylor loses life
MIAMI (AP) — Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early this morning, a day after the Pro Bowl player was shot at home by what police say was an intruder. He was 24.
Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor’s father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.
“His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me,” said Sharpstein, Taylor’s former lawyer. “It’s a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans.”
Taylor died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday, Sharpstein said. Read More ...
BY MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press Writer |
Lady Vols drown La. Tech amid downpour of trifectas
KNOXVILLE (AP) — The way Tennessee was hitting 3-pointers, it would have been tough for anyone to beat the nation’s top-ranked team.
The Lady Vols made eight of their first nine 3s on the way to a 81-60 win over Louisiana Tech on Monday night.
Tennessee was deadly in the early going as Shannon Bobbitt, Angie Bjorklund, Sydney Smallbone and Alexis Hornbuckle hit two 3s each to lead the Lady Vols to a 29-point halftime lead. Read More ...
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Resilient Big Orange never wavered despite earlier routs
KNOXVILLE — Tennessee gave up a lot of points in their three losses this season, but the Volunteers never gave up hope that they’d play for a Southeastern Conference championship.
The Vols completed an improbable five-game winning streak with a dramatic 52-50 win over Kentucky in four overtimes on Saturday to win the SEC East and earn a bid to play LSU in Atlanta this weekend.
“Our team has some shortcomings in some areas, but heart and fight aren’t one of them,” Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. Read More ...
By BETH RUCKER, Associated Press Writer |
UNC still at helm after holiday slate
The many holiday tournaments didn’t cause any changes at the top of The Associated Press’ men’s college basketball poll.
The bottom of the Top 25, however, was another matter after 13 ranked teams lost a game last week.
North Carolina held its slim lead over No. 2 UCLA on Monday as the top five teams stayed the same from last week.
Five schools fell out of the Top 25 while others made significant jumps and falls. Read More ...
By JIM O'CONNELL, AP Basketball Writer |
UT gals still atop AP poll
How about them Cowgirls.
Wyoming is in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time in school history, entering at No. 25 on Monday.
Tennessee remained the unanimous choice, again receiving all 50 first-places votes in the AP poll. The Lady Vols compiled 1,250 points — 56 more than No. 2 Connecticut. The Huskies ran through the Paradise Jam tournament, beating Stanford, Old Dominion and Duke. Connecticut gained eight second-place votes. Read More ...
BY DOUG FEINBERG, AP Sports Writer |
Board meetings set
The Messenger. 11.28.07
The Obion County Board of Education will meet for board orientation Friday at 7 a.m. at the Obion County Board of Education office at 316 South Third St. in Union City. No official business will be conducted. Read More ...
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Board to meet
The Messenger. 11.28.07
The Local Emergency Food and Shelter Board of Obion County will meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the basement conference room of the Obion County Courthouse. Read More ...
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Boosters to meet
The Messenger. 11.28.07
South Fulton High School Booster Club will meet in the school library immediately following the Thursday basketball game between South Fulton Middle School and Lake Road. Read More ...
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Highway meeting set
The Messenger. 11.28.07
A meeting of the Obion County Highway Commission is set for Monday at 9 a.m. at the office on West Reelfoot Avenue in Union City. Read More ...
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Kiwanis to meet
The Messenger. 11.28.07
The Kiwanis Club of Union City will meet noon Thursday at the Obion County Public Library in Union City and will welcome Students of the Month from Obion County Central High School. Read More ...
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corrections and amplifications
The Messenger. 11.28.07
In Monday’s obituary for Bobby Glen Bone, 76, of Union City, who died Nov. 23, 2007, at his home, some information was omitted from details supplied to The Messenger. Read More ...
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Jeff Montgomery
The Messenger. 11.28.07
Jeff Montgomery, 44, of Troy died of injuries received in a house fire Nov. 28, 2007, in Troy. Read More ...
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Lionel Jordan
The Messenger. 11.28.07
Completed arrangements are being announced for Thomas Lionel Jordan, 90, of Union City, who died at Dyersburg Regional Medical Center Nov. 27, 2007. Read More ...
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Sherry Irene York
The Messenger. 11.28.07
Completed arrangements are being announced for Sherry Irene York, 58, of Obion, who died Nov. 22, 2007, in Carson City, Nev. Read More ...
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Recalls announced
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Tennessee company is recalling cheese sold in seven states and distributed nationwide in gift baskets that could be contaminated with dangerous bacteria. No illnesses have been reported. Read More ...
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