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COVINGTONLEADER.COM ▪ THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011 ▪ VO L . 1 2 6 , N O. 2 7 ▪ T H E VO I C E O F TIPTON COUNTY S I N C E 1 8 8 6 ▪
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Brighton work to be completed in August Officials see light at the end of the tunnel By TYLER LINDSEY tlindsey@covingtonleader.com Things are progressing in Brighton’s Main Street renovation after a two-week delay in March due to an unforeseen obligation to abide by more EPA regulations and a
longer delay, overall, because of weather conditions. In October 2010, the Town of Brighton began a series of revitalization efforts on Main Street. Two months, after getting back on track after winter weather held up construction, contractors identified some oil tanks that required removal. This discovery caused yet another delay due to the
Environmental Protection Agency’s overseeing their removal. The renovations were scheduled to be concluded by June 14. As a result of multiple delays including a redesign of the drainage system, Brighton Mayor Jeff Scott looks for construction to wrap up in late July or August. When asked about the new drainage system and how
effective it’s been, Scott said, “It seems to have been working very well especially during all the rain we’ve been having at the end of April and beginning of May. TDOT allowed us to clear out certain areas in the drainage creek and it’s been working well. We’ve been watching it closely.” The Tennessee Department of Transportation has completely closed the area to through traf-
fic. Reportedly, motorists has been using Tipton Street as a detour however unpractical due to its narrow width. To meet these needs, town officials have slated gravel to be poured in an effort to widen it and accommodate mid-sized vehicles. “Citizens need to realize that this is a construction site,” said Scott. “However, when it’s all SEE WORK, A2
SESQUICENTENNIAL: THE WAR IN TIPTON COUNTY
THE GREAT FLOOD OF 2011
Remembering the Great Floods Dorothy Watson shares memories of 20th century flooding By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com For Dorothy Watson, the Great Flood of 2011 was just another flood. But then, nothing can compare to the floods the 85-year-old saw growing up on the Ashport Bluff in Lauderdale County. “It was water everywhere you could see, there was water everywhere,” she said. “Lord, yes, it was high before.” Just a year old during the flood of 1927, Watson was 11 when the Mississippi reached it’s highest crest in history in 1937. She remembers cattle being turned loose on the bluff, allowed to scavenge for food left over after the harvest and having to be rounded up when flooding threatSEE FLOOD, A2
READY, AIM, SHOOT! Jamie Ralyea, daughter of Darcy and Rick Ralyea of Munford, fires a gun Saturday at Randolph during the Tipton County Civil War Encampment, an event that commemorated the 150th anniversary of the start of the war between the states. Photos by Rick Ralyea
War in peace
EVENTS
Motorcycle run to benefit children By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com
Chicasaw Bluff becomes home to Civil War reenactment
White tents of infantry and artillery units dotted the landscape below the bluff as the boom of cannons and blasts of muskets filled the air. It isn’t 1861 – it’s 2011. On May 14 and 15, uniformed Confederate re-enactors performed military drills all day for approximately 300 visitors along the second Chickasaw Bluff. The 90-foot dirt fortification was re-created to give visitors a glimpse of how one of the six Confederate river batteries would have looked at Randolph in 1861. The re-enactors participating in the encampment were members of the 51st Tennessee Infantry of Memphis, the Bankheads Battery of Memphis, and two companies of the Tennessee Artillery Corps of Tipton County. The event was an official Tennessee Civil War Sesquicentennial
On Saturday, Cobb-Parr Park will be a flurry of activity as the first Run on Hwy. 51 Bike Fest and Car Show takes place. “I’ve wanted to do this for years as a fundraiser,” said event chairperson Phyllis Hicks, “it needs to be done.” The day will begin with a highpoint motorcycle run, with bikers starting at one of four locations and making their way to Covington. Hicks said runs usually have one starting point, but this event will allow riders to begin at Bumpus Harley Davidson in Memphis or Jackson, Outerlimits Powersports in Dyersburg or Cobb-Parr Park. The first bike will leave by 8
SEE WAR, A3
SEE RUN, A3
By TAYLOR SMITH tsmith@covingtonleader.com
SCHOOLS
Reader’s Guide
Bibb to succeed Fite as superintendent
TODAY’S WEATHER Partly sunny. High, 80. Low, 62.
By ECHO DAY eday@covingtonleader.com This is shaping up to be quite the year for Buddy Bibb. After a vote by school board members last week, it’s official: he will become the next superintendent of Tipton County Public Schools. “This is an excellent system and I’m going to do my best to keep it headed in the direction it’s been going
in the last few years,” Bibb said. Currently 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. Long before he was a teacher and administrator, Bibb worked for the school system hauling books from school to school the summer before integration.
Working in education is the Bibb family business. His father was a supervisor at the board, his sister Terri Bibb Collins currently works with the county’s education foundation, his wife is an instructor at Tennessee Technology CenterCovington and his daughter, Rachel Blakeman, teaches at Atoka Elementary. Bibb, a lifetime resident of Munford, graduated from Munford High School in 1975. He received his
bachelors degree from the University of TennesseeMartin in 1979, then returned to Munford where he began his career at Munford-Ellis, teaching 7th and 8th grade math and coaching girls’ basketball. “That was the year they started playing 5-on-5,” he said. “Before that, they played 3-on-3, half-court. I was glad they went to 5-on5 because that was the way I was used to it.” In 1982, Bibb transferred
INSIDE Opinion Faith Obituaries Events Education
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Lifestyles Sports Classifieds Puzzles Legals
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CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2011! Tonight, graduates from Brighton High will graduate with Munford and Covington commencements taking place on Friday & Monday nights. HOW TO REACH US Call 901.476.7116 Email news@covingtonleader.com Visit us at 2001 Hwy. 51 South, Covington, TN 38019
SEE BIBB, A3
Thisweek’s week’s Featured Church: This featured church: Covington • Barretville • Millington • Collierville South Tipton • South Covington Mortgage Offices: South Tipton • Millington • South Covington • Collierville
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Jones Grove Missionary Baptist Church TurntotoPage Page A7 details Turn B4forfor details
5/21/11 8 a.m. Area events Run on Highway 51 Cobb Parr Park – Covington 10 a.m. Go Lucy Go 5K Covington High School 7 p.m. Music on the Square – Wild Hearts
5/18/11 5:27:11 PM