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THE LEADER Thursday, December 31, 2009
75¢
Serving All of Tipton County
Happy New Year
Established 1886
Volume 123 • No. 93
www.covingtonleader.com
Rain forces Meade Lake bridge closure By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com ATOKA – Recent rainfall has forced the closure of a bridge on Meade Lake Road, city officials announced Tuesday afternoon. According to town administrator Mark E. Johnson, dirt behind the bridge's retaining wall has been washed out and poses a danger to motorists.
The bridge, which is located north of Tracy Road, will remain closed until it is repaired, Johnson said. Residents living in the area north of Kearns Circle are asked to use Atoka-Idaville Road or Walker Parkway as alternate routes. Residents living in the area south of Kearns Circle may access the area using Tracy Road.
The county's repair crew is expected to begin work on the bridge on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010. Johnson said the bridge should reopen on Friday, Jan. 8. The bridge on Tracy Road, near Meade Lake Road, is also still under construction. That project is expected to be comPhoto by RICHARD CRAMER pleted at the end of January Atoka Public Work employees placed road closed signs up on 2010. Meade Lake Road near Kearns Circle. The road will be closed until repairs can be made.
Act of kindness spurs pay it forward By SHERRI ONORATI sonorati@covingtonleader.com It started out as a normal day for June and John Rollo of Covington; a visit to the VA Hospital and then lunch at a favorite restaurant. But what happened at the restaurant was anything but normal, explained June. “There was a young man, maybe in his late 30s, early 40s, sitting towards the back when we were seated,” she said. “He had a uniform on but I couldn’t determine what the uniform was. As we sat down, he smiled really big and we said hello.” During their meal, June said she noticed the young man looking at her and smiling whenever she would look up at him. “When he was done, he smiled and said goodbye and he left. He never said anything to us.” When the Rollos were done with their meal they requested their check only to be told it had already been taken care of. By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com As a year comes to a close, it is natural to reflect on the events that made it memorable. Today, we feature the "Top 10" stories of the year as determined by the staff at The Leader. From extreme amounts of snow and rain to embezzlement and a coup, this year brought many diverse news stories.
10
Pullen, Davison families hit the jackpot In May, word spread that a winning lottery ticket had been sold in Covington and for days it went unclaimed, but Monday, May 18 that changed. And so did the Pullens' and Davisons' lives. On Monday, Millie and her brothers and sisters-in-law – Tom Pullen and Lee and Lynda Davison – traveled to Nashville to claim their prize: a check for $1 million. The four always purchase lottery tickets and vowed to share the winnings if they ever won. On a business trip, Tom Pullen called sister Millie to ask her to purchase their lottery ticket as he had forgotten
to do so before leaving town. Millie purchased the ticket, then left it on the dash of her vehicle. Despite the publicity and gossip about the winning ticket, the numbers weren't checked until three days after the drawing. "We were all excited," said Mrs. Davison. The Pullens and Davisons will share a $1 million dollar win after their quick pick ticket had the first five numbers with the Power Play feature. Since January 2009, this combination has offered an instant million dollar payoff for winners.
9
Munford ranked "my kind of suburb" Hailed as "my kind of town" for several years, the city of Munford now has a new reason to celebrate after being named the best affordable suburb in Tennessee and the fourth best affordable suburb in the nation by BusinessWeek magazine in February. Munford Mayor Dwayne Cole said he was "quite elated" his small town was in the national spotlight. "Munford is a great place to live; 'my kind of town,' that's why we call it that," he added.
BusinessWeek editors stated they "weighed a variety of factors including livability (short commutes, low pollution, green space), education (well-educated residents, high test scores), crime (low personal and property crime), economy (high job growth, low unemployment rate, high family income), and affordability (median household income, cost of expenditures)." Affordability, they said, was most heavily weighted in their calculations. With a projected median income of $53,941 for 2008 (according to U.S. Census Bureau reports), median home price at $142,500 and a violent crime index at just 3 percent of the national average, it's not hard to see why Munford was chosen.
8
Rain, rain, go away! Between snow and rain, Tipton County had more than its share of precipitation in 2009. Though there were several instances of snow early on, on March 1, Mother Nature seemed to outdo even herself. Snow began falling during the afternoon of Saturday, Feb. SEE TOP 10, PAGE A2
“The waitress told us that someone had paid for our meal,” said June. “‘Why did they do that? Who was it?’ we asked.” June said they were told it was the young man who had smiled at them. “She told us they had to wait to tell us until he had left the restaurant,” said June, visibly tearing up. “I was thinking, ‘wow, someone did something nice.’ Not that we needed that, but it was the thought. It was really a blessing that it happened to us.” Both June and her husband John were so surprised by the random act of kindness, they have vowed to pay it forward. “I don’t know how to thank him but I want to let everybody know there are such good people in this world and they catch you totally by surprise at times,” said June. “Because this gave us so much pleasure, my husband and I have decided to start our own “act of kindness.” It was a wonderful feeling and we want to pass it on to others.” SEE KINDNESS, PAGE A3
Petitions for candidacy available next week By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com Each new year brings with it the promise of change. And for Tipton County, the upcoming state, county and municipal elections may bring changes in the roster of elected officials. Up for reelection this year are the following: State Governor P h i l Bredesen U.S. Representative John Tanner Tennessee Representatives Jimmy Naifeth (81st district) and Barrett Rich (94th district) Democratic State Executive Committeepersons Roger Warmath and Gladys Crain Republican State Executive Committeepersons John Wilkerson and Linda Roberts
County County Executive Jeff Huffman County Commissioners in all districts Trustee Kristie G. Maxwell Sheriff J.T. "Pancho" Chumley Circuit Court Clerk Mike Forbess County Clerk Pam S. Deen Register of Deeds Claudia M. Peeler School board members in even districts - Don Clark, Janet Abel, Billy Brooks, Marty Haywood Constables in all districts Municipalities Atoka mayor Charles Walker and aldermen Earl Billings, Tommy Rogers and SEE ELECTION, PAGE A3
Area events
This week’s week’s Featured This featuredChurch: church: Covington • Barretville • Millington • Collierville South Tipton • South Covington Morgage Offices: South Tipton • Millington • Arlington • Collierville
FRONT.indd 1
First Baptist Church of Mason Turn to to Page Turn PageA7 A7forfordetails details
Area events Wishing everyone a Happy New Year
12/30/09 1:50:31 PM