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THE LEADER THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2011 ▪ VO L . 1 2 8 , N O. 1 0 ▪ T H E VO I C E O F TIPTON COUNTY S I N C E 1 8 8 6 ▪
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Friday fire kills Burlison father By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com
Randall Alsbrook, 36, was killed Friday night in a fire at his Randolph Road home. He leaves behind a wife and three children.
RANDOLPH – A 36-yearold Burlison man died in a fire overnight at his Randolph Road residence. The fire is still under investigation by the state fire marshal. A 1993 graduate of Munford High School, Randall Alsbrook was married to Melanie Smith Alsbrook and the couple has three children: 8-year-old Kayla Rose, 5-year-old Lydia Grace and 2-year-old Dalton Perry.
The family lost everything in the fire, including many of their Christmas gifts. Family members said Alsbrook had worked all night Thursday and come home Friday to get some rest before attending a Christmas gathering. The state fire marshal’s office is investigating the exact cause of the fire. It is unclear whether or not there were working smoke detectors inside the house. By Saturday morning, several groups had started collecting donations for the
family. Donations are being taken at the Oak Grove Baptist Church on Highway 59 in Covington. Call the church at (901) 476-7259 for more information. Additionally, a benefit fund for the family has been set up at InSouth Bank. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 at the Covington Funeral Home chapel with interment to follow in Rogers Family Cemetery. The family will receive friends two hours prior to
the service at the funeral home. Alsbrook was an employee of USF and attended Oak Grove Baptist Church. In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by his parents, James and Gail Alsbrook and brothers-inlaw, Brad Smith and Kevin Smith. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Glover “Shorty” and Jessie Stimpson Rose and Bennie H. and Willie Mae Cullum Alsbrook.
2011: The year’s biggest stories
Controversy erupts over canine death
Controversy erupted in October when the death of a pit bull caused activists to speak out against the district attorney. The dog, a pit bull seized from her owner’s home on Sanford Road on Monday, Oct. 10, was severely malnourished and died Friday, Oct. 14. Veterinarians at Northgate Animal Hospital attempted to save her life with a blood transfusion, however the dog nicknamed Grace died during the procedure. Grace was allegedly found tied to a tree by Tipton County deputies; a puppy believed to be about six months old, which has been nicknamed Faith, was found with her. However, the puppy had chewed through her rope and was eating beans from a nearby field. Animal control officers believe this is the only reason she has survived. News of the starving dog’s death, as well as photos of her emaciated body, spread like wildfire across the social networking platform Facebook. Activists called for justice for the dog, and others like her, and claimed the DA’s office does little to prosecute animal cruelty cases. District Attorney General Mike Dunavant disagreed. “There has been some suggestion that this office does not take such animal abuse cases seriously; the citizens of Tipton County and the 25th Judicial District can rest assured that these cases involved animal cruelty will be handled with the same diligence, professionalism and dedication to public safety and justice that any other criminal case receives,” Dunavant said in a press release. The dogs’ owner, Shawn Beard, was cited into court, warrants charging her with aggravated animal cruelty and neglect for Grace and animal cruelty and neglect for Faith. She is due back in court on March 8, 2012.
incorporated. On Friday, June 24, Atoka’s Centennial Celebration began by honoring Mrs. Jewell Forbess as Atoka’s oldest citizen and Baylee Jill Rogers, granddaughter of former alderman Tommy Rogers, as the town’s youngest citizen. An estimated 2,000 people braved the heat to participate in the event’s largest day. To end the three-day event, on Sunday, boy scouts from Troop 60 served barbecue and hot dogs from FasTimes and Post Office BBQ. Newly-named Ole Miss head football coach Hugh Freeze also spoke to the crowd before fireworks ended the evening. “It was good to see all of those come together - the old Atoka and the new,” she said. “I think we did what we set out to do.
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Fite retires, Bibb succeeds as superintendent
After a vote by school board members in mid-May, Dr. Buddy Bibb was named superintendent of Tipton County Public Schools, a position that opened when Dr. Tim Fite announced his retirement after 19 years. Formerly the director of instruction, Dr. William E. “Buddy” Bibb has worked at the board since 1997. He was the only applicant for the position that will be left vacant when Dr. Tim Fite retires on June 30. He has worked with Fite for years and said he felt ready to take over as superintendent when Fite retired on June 30. “Dr. Fite has done an outstanding job and I’m blessed to have worked with him for 30 years,” Bibb said. “He’s been a great mentor and he’s given me some assignments I believe prepared me for this.”
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Bibb said he doesn’t plan on any major changes once he becomes superintendent and his focus will remain on the 12,000 students in the system. “I want to focus on student results,” he said. “I want students to be successful in what they want to do, I want them to have positive experiences with the system, whether it’s in the classroom or at activities.”
Jacob Brown, 16, confessed to killing Ed and Bertha Walker in their Munford home on Jan. 17. He told a TBI agent he “just couldn’t stop” beating the couple with an aluminum bat.
Community comes together in support of 5-year-old with cancer
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Small towns are known for being friendly, for coming together in a time of need. And nowhere is that more evident right now than in Tipton County, where hundreds of families have focused their thoughts and prayers on the healing of Lucy Krull. Diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a highly malignant brain tumor, the 5-year-old was enveloped with an unprecedented show of support. “I felt helpless when I heard the news,” said Covington photographer Emily Peyton Cook, a longtime friend of the family. “The only thing I could do is pray.” Two days after her diagnosis, on Thursday, Feb. 25, Lucy underwent surgery to remove the tumors in her brain and on her spine. That morning, Cook and a friend asked Hometown Flowers & Gifts owner Kathy Daniel Wright to tie bows in Lucy’s favorite colors, hot pink and purple, colors that are now flooding Tipton County with a sea of support. A lifelong resident of Covington, Cook said she’s never seen a cause with so much visibility, so much support, as the campaign now dubbed “Go, Lucy, Go!” Wright said she and her co-workers tied more than 3.5 miles of ribbon. Lucy spent much of 2011 at LeBonheur Children’s Hospital and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital receiving treatment; she is currently at home as she continues her fight. For more information, as well as updates on Lucy’s condition, visit Kate Krull’s blog at erikandkatekrull.blogspot.com.
Atoka celebrates centennial
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It was an event 100 years in the making and this weekend, residents of the Town of Atoka honored a century of incorporation with a celebration that last three days. Though first incorporated in 1872, the Town of Atoka voluntarily gave up its charter in the late 19th century to keep saloons from being established within its city limits. On June 24, 1911, the town was once again
Blalack arrested, pleads guilty to sexual molestation
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On Monday, Dec. 19, Brighton’s former vice mayor pleaded guilty to charges he sexually molested two teens. Walter E. “Booster” Blalack, 77, was sentenced to two years for solicitation of a minor, three years for sexual battery by an authority figure and one year for sexual battery. According to warrants filed in April, Blalack, who is a real estate agent, was accused of touching the genitals of minors he’d hired to care for properties he was selling. The accusations alleged that the behavior took place on multiple occasions while also stating that Blalack forced at least one victim to reciprocate. TBI spokesperson Kristin Helm said Blalack was charged with sexual battery by an authority figure, solicitation of a minor, sexual battery and forcible fondling. He was arrested on April 20 after a hospital stay. According to Brighton Mayor Jeff Scott, Blalack resigned on June 14 citing extensive health complications involving diabetic causes. Scott reported that neither he nor the board had any knowledge of Blalack’s allegations prior to the arrest. Though Blalack pleaded guilty to the charges, he will not serve jail time. He will, instead, be on supervised probation. Alderman Philip Mathis, who lost the 2008 election to George Smith by one vote, has been appointed to serve the remainder of Blalack’s term as alderman.
Munford Bands wins nationals
It couldn’t have been much more dramatic. On the campus of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. on Sunday, Nov. 13, Munford High School band members, parents and supporters waited for about an hour for the judges to render a decision. The news delivered over the stadium’s public address system was good: Munford High School was the 2011 USSBA Group 6 national champions. “We were on edge,” said Brandon Topping, a senior who plays the baritone. “It was very nerve-wracking … When we won, we freaked. People were yelling, crying. Everybody was so excited. All that hard work we did finally paid off.”
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SEE TOP 10, PAGE A2
Police, emergency officials gearing up for NYE By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com The 2010-11 New Year’s driving period was a relatively safe one in Tennessee. From Dec. 30, 2010 to Jan. 2, 2011, there were six vehicular fatalities in the state. Only one of those, which happened in Shelby County, occurred in West Tennessee. And just one of the six was alcohol related.
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According to the Tennessee Department of Transportation, that was the lowest number of traffic deaths ever recorded in the state. Area law enforcement agencies and hospital officials are aware that those numbers can spike any given year though. Atoka Police Chief Jessie Poole said he will deploy an extra officer or two on New Year’s Eve. “It varies,” Poole said when
asked to describe a typical New Year’s Eve in Atoka, the second-largest city in Tipton Couunty “We expect to be busy and hope for less. You just don’t know.” Atoka largely consists of residential areas. Covington, on the other hand, has several night spots that figure to draw New Year’s Eve revelers. Police Chief Bennie Carver said he will have close to three
times as many offices on the streets, looking primarily for impaired drivers. December is a busy month for Baptist Memorial HospitalTipton in Covington. Last December, emergency room visits were six percent higher than other months, in part because of the holiday season. Shelia Fleming, the chief nursing officer at the hospital, said manpower is adjusted
based on statistics from previous years. Additional staff is also on call during potentially busy times, like New Year’s Eve. “It just depends on what happens,” Fleming said. “The month of December is traditionally a busy month.” Carver said his officers will be busy, regardless of how things unfold New Year’s Eve. “I assure you,” he said, “we’ll be out in full force.”
Wishing you a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year! We look forward to serving your banking needs in 2012.
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12/28/11 4:55:23 PM