v107n25_11-09-11

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BETHEL SPRINGS MEETING 4A

AHS PREPS FOR PLAYOFFS Cardinals host Cascade Friday PAGE 1B

WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY...SCHOOL BOARD RUNNING OUT OF TIME 4A

Independent Appeal

VETS HONORED Selmer holds annual Veterans Day Parade Saturday at 10 a.m.

Making McNairy County headlines for more than 100 years

Volume 107, Number 25, Wednesday, November 9, 2011

www.independentappeal.com 50¢

Fall Hog Food Fest

Mary Winkler movie debuts MRA’s first fall fete a success on Lifetime By Christen Coulon Editor

Staff Photos by Christen Coulon

The City of Selmer hosted the first ever Fall Hog Food Festival last Saturday. The festival featured food, rides, live music, a car show and more. (Left) Lamon Massengill from the Cypress Creek Youth Department works on a rack of ribs for the competition. By Christen Coulon Editor

The first ever Fall Hog Food Festival was held last Saturday in Selmer. The festival, organized by the McNairy Regional Alliance with part of the proceeds going to sponsor Jack Cheshier’s Christmas Shopping Spree program, is likely to become an annual event. According to early figures, attendance

Former Faith Baptist youth pastor tells his side of story

was in the thousands for the one-day event featuring barbeque, chili, cobblers, a car show, children’s rides, live entertainment and more. “It’s a great event, we need all of this we can get in this little town,” said Jane Hillard, Bethel Springs resident who attended the event. “The kids love it. She (referring to her granddaughter) would stay all day if I

See HOG FEST, 3A

BANDTASTIC:

The Lifetime Television Network debuted “The Pastor’s Wife” last Saturday. The movie centers on Mary Winkler, the Selmer housewife who was convicted of killing her husband, Matthew Winkler, in a 2006 shooting. The movie is based on a book by Dianne Fanning, who came to Selmer to attend the trial while researching the book. Winkler, who served 210 days for shooting her husband in the back, later regained custody of the couple’s children and is now reportedly living in Smithville, Winkler Tenn. The description of the movie on mylifetime.com, the estrogen-heavy network’s website, said that the movie is, “Based on the true story of Matthew Winkler, a beloved minister who, in 2006, was found shot and killed in his Selmer home, his wife and young daughters missing. Authorities soon zeroed in on Matthew’s wife, Mary, as the prime suspect in the murder. After her capture, the residents of Selmer were left to wonder what would drive Mary to shoot her husband in the back as he slept. They would get their answers during her trial, when what went on behind the closed doors of this seemingly perfect family was revealed for all to see.” The movie which stars Rose McGowan as Winkler drew mixed criticism online with some supporting the network’s portrayal of the killer and others panning it. Some online posters even felt the movie and its title were poorly researched citing the fact that Church of Christ members do not refer to their preachers as pastors. For those who missed the movie last weekend, there will be other opportunities to view it. It will likely air again (and again) as the network commonly reruns its shows ad nauseam. Lifetime also plans to release the movie for online viewers shortly on its website.

MCHS takes traveling snare, places in top 5 at state finals

By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer

After last week’s article about the altercation at Safe Harbor Church, Justin W. Robertson, the youth pastor who left Faith Baptist for Safe Harbor, approached the Independent Appeal, wishing to tell his story. Robertson said that on Oct. 23 he was driving the Safe Harbor youth bus and Brent Michael Winter was following it. The bus then pulled into the Safe Harbor parking lot, followed by Winter. “The next thing I know he was right up in my face,” Robertson said. Winter complained about two girls that had been attending Faith Baptist and had started attending Safe Harbor. Winter accused Robertson of stealing the two girls, who had also been attending Fellowship Baptist Church. “So it wasn’t like I went out of my way to get these girls. He accused us of proselytizing those girls and in no way did I go out of my way to get these girls,” Robertson said. Robertson added that he had the girls’ parents’ permission to pick them up for church. “I didn’t break any rules and it’s not like I intentionally wanted to hurt the church that I recently left. I was a member of Faith Baptist Church for 12 years. It’s a good church and I wouldn’t want to hurt it in any way, but I am called to serve God and that’s what I was trying to do,” Robertson said. Robertson said that he left Faith Baptist about two months ago. “Faith Baptist, they want you to do things exactly their way and I guess my girlfriend didn’t fit that standard. Every time I turned around I was doing something wrong or not doing right,” he explained his reasons for leaving the church. There was another incident Robertson cited as a reason for leaving

See PASTOR, 3A

Staff Photo by Rodney Murray

The McNairy Central High School Band placed 5th in the 2011 Division II Marching Band State Championship at Independence High School in Thompson’s Station, Tenn. last Saturday. The MCHS Percussion section placed 1st in state with a score of 96 and won the coveted “Traveling Snare” Award for the first time in school history. The band also placed in the top five in the preliminary competition with Percussion winning 1st place in the preliminary competition with a score of 94.5. (See page 13A for a complete listing of this season’s awards for the MCHS band.)

For complete coverage of the

SELMER ELECTION

see our Facebook page.

Results will be posted as they come in.

How Bethel got into this mess Water Rates By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer

If you live in Bethel Springs, the average combined water and sewer bill is $117, according to City Clerk Deborah Sullivan. Many people are not able to pay their bills. A few residents are so far behind that their bills are $300 per month. At one time, the city was owed $15-20,000, but City Recorder Erin Pickle said that since the payment plans were ended practically everyone

is paying something and the amount owed the city is trivial. As of the end of the last fiscal year in June 2010, the city owed $2,354,879 in utility fund long-term debt that was used to finance improvements to the town’s utility system. The origin of the sewer dates back to 1981 when the County Health Department requested that the city deny water to service to anyone that wasn’t

See BETHEL, 3A

(per 2,000 gallons)

*Santa Fe, N.M. Bethel Springs Selmer Adamsville *Highest in the nation

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