Oil changes just $19.98. Every single day.
COUNTRY
Up to six quarts. Includes tire rotation. (Excludes diesels and synthetics. Plus tax and environmental fees.)
3299 HWY. 51 SOUTH ! COVINGTON, TN 38019 9 0 1 . 3 1 3 . 8 6 2 9 ! t r y u s c h e v y. c o m
CHEVROLET & CADILLAC, INC.
THE LEADER
COVINGTONLEADER.COM ! THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011 ! VO L . 1 2 6 , N O. 3 4 ! T H E VO I C E O F TIPTON COUNTY S I N C E 1 8 8 6 !
The heat is on!
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DEATH
Stimpson’s lung cancer battle ends By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com After a yearlong bout with lung cancer, Tipton County Assessor of Property Bill Stimpson passed away on Thursday, July 7. Elected to the office 19 years ago, Stimpson was known for being fair and genuine. “He was very fair, very level-headed with everyone,” said County Executive Jeff Huffman. “He was a good man.” A member of Calvary Bible Church, Stimpson was the former chief of police in Munford and was also the city manager. He was employed with the City of Munford for 27 years. Huffman said Stimpson’s job with the county was one of the most important. “He was in office when the population and property values Longtime assessor of were increasing,” he said. “The property, Bill Stimpson, died on Thursday entire budget of the county is based out of the numbers from after a yearlong battle that office. He was good at what with lung cancer. he did.” Huffman remembers Stimpson as a man who was well-liked because he was genuinely nice to other people. “When Bill Stimpson talked, you wouldn’t know if he was talking to the King of England or someone flipping burgers, he was the same with everyone. He was just a good fella, he didn’t put on any airs.” Stimpson, 70, was buried on Sunday. He leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Carolyn Hunter Stimpson ; daughter Susan (Scotty) Jackson; son Greg (Lisa) Stimpson; sisters Bonnie Forbess, Betty Belk, Mary Jane Talley and Helen Zenar; and grandchildren Kale Grambling, Will Grambling, Abby Stimpson and Robert Stimpson. Stimpson’s son Greg, who has been deputy assessor, is expected to fill the seat vacated by his father. Bill Stimpson’s term expires in August 2012.
JOBS
Radio station offers new way to get back to work By SHERRI ONORATI sonorati@covingtonleader.com
BLOWING OFF STEAM Despite the triple-digit heat indices this week, band camp began for many high school students this
week. The Mid-South has been under an excessive heat warning since Sunday, with temperatures hovering in the upper 90s. , where temperatures are expected to remain into early next week. Lauren Giuntini, a flute player with the Brighton High School band, is pictured practicing on Wednesday morning. Photo by Andy Posey
STEMC
Power outages attributed to ‘bad year’ By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com First it was a snake, then a tree branch, a raccoon and, this week, equipment failure. It seems that Southwest Tennessee Electric Membership Co-operative’s substations just can’t catch a break this summer. “There’s no definitive problem,” said district manager Ricky Mathis. “There’s really not much we can do.” Since May, the utility has experienced at least five outages not due to inclement weather conditions. On May 8, STEMC reported a snake damaged a breaker that served Mason, knocking out power to 75 percent of customers in Tipton County. On June 16, damage to equipment behind Covington’s Walmart caused an outage for 6,500 homes. On June 22, a raccoon entered a substation overnight and
climbed into a breaker, disrupting service for less than an hour. On June 28, a lightning strike near the Covington substation knocked out power, an outage that affected more than 3,000 customers. A July 6 outage was caused by an accident in which a car struck a utility pole. While shifting some of the load to the Atoka substation, a circuit was overloaded and a wire burned down, interrupting service in the area, a representative said. On Monday, July 11, service was interrupted twice, this time due to a wiring problem in one of the breakers. “It usually doesn’t happen this often,” Mathis said. “This year’s just been a bad year.” Customers are understandably upset with what seems to be constant outages. “It’s frustrating for those of us that have health issues but what can we do but grit and bear it,” Facebook user Danny Claybaugh
COVINGTON – With the American economy still in a recession and local residents struggling to get back on their feet, a local business is helping out its community by providing a much needed and free service to the business community. U.S. 51 Country 93.5 FM has started a new page on their website which connects employers and employees. Unfortunately, throughout the station’s listening area, the average unemployment rate is 11.74 percent. “The unemployment rate is depressing everywhere,” said station program director Jimmy Hicks. “This is a way for us to offer a connection between employers and employees.” Through a link posted on the station’s website, www.us51country.com, employers can post available jobs and their requirements. The service is provided at no cost to the employer and is managed through JobThread. Available jobs posted stay on the website for 30 days, after which they can be reposted as needed. SEE WORK, PAGE A7
Reader’s Guide TODAY’S WEATHER Chance of thunderstorms. High, 87. Low, 71.
On May 8, a snake entered the Covington substation, electrocuting itself and causing an outage over 75 percent of Tipton County. The burned breaker bushing was the damage done to STEMC’s equipment by the incident. Photo courtesy STEMC
posted on The Leader’s Facebook page. Mathis said a new breaker was recently installed and on
INSIDE Opinion Faith Obituaries Property transfers Lifestyles
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Sports Community events Classifieds Puzzles Arrests
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ROCK THE VOTE! Voting in our annual Best of the Best Readers’ Choice Awards begins today! Don’t miss the ballot on page A14. HOW TO REACH US Call 901.476.7116 Email news@covingtonleader.com Visit us at 2001 Hwy. 51 South, Covington, TN 38019
SEE STEMC, PAGE A7
AREA AreaEVENTS events
This featured church: Thisweek’s week’s Featured Church: Covington • Barretville • Millington • Collierville South Tipton • South Covington Mortgage Offices: South Tipton • Millington • South Covington • Collierville
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Munford Church of Christ Turn Page A7 for for details Turn totoPage A16 details
July 20, 3-5:30 p.m. Master Gardeners Diagnostic Clinic Munford Recreation Center Aug. 6, 7 p.m. Miss Tipton County Pageant Ruffin Theater – Covington
7/13/11 7:23:29 PM