HOPES FOR MCNAIRY 4G FADE, 3A
CATS DEVOUR CARDINALS MCHS swipes two from AHS in county classic PAGE 1B
CULVER’S BAND COMPETES FOR SONG OF THE YEAR, 5A
Independent Appeal
ADAMSVILLE PARADE Residents celebrate the Christmas season PAGE 2A
Making McNairy County headlines for more than 100 years
Volume 107, Number 30, Wednesday, December 14, 2011
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Governor visits Adamsville High Walking Fast By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer
Gov. Bill Haslam visited Adamsville Junior/Senior High School last Wednesday on an education fact-finding mission. In attendance were teachers and students of AJSHS, local government and education officials, as well as Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture Jai Templeton, St. Sen. Dolores Gresham and St. Rep. Vance Dennis. The Governor said that he came to the school to have a conversation about education. “We spend a whole lot of time talking about education in Nashville, but yet we’re very aware that we’re a long way from the classroom. One of the things we want to make sure is that we have enough conversations with enough people who are everyday in a school to hear different perspectives,” he said.
“Let me start with a broad question for anybody who is a professional educator: For those of us who don’t spend every day in a school, what would most surprise us about the world you live in?” Haslam asked. “How unrealistic expectations are,” answered AJSHS Principal Greg Martin. Martin noted that when he started teaching in 1988, there were 13 students out of 75 who qualified for free or reduced price lunches, but today more than half of students qualify. “The criteria for graduation has increased immensely since then. To have a belief that everyone…in that time could pass Algebra II was much more realistic than what we deal with now. So I guess from my opinion as an administrator, that’s the one thing I really see, maybe the guidelines and standards that have been passed down are really out of line
Buck discusses past while looking foward By Christen Coulon and Jeff Whitten Independent Appeal Staff
Staff Photo by Jeff Whitten
Adamsville Mayor David Leckner presents Gov. Bill Haslam with a Buford Pusser big stick at Adamsville Junior/Senior High School last Wednesday. Haslam promised not to use it on any state legislators. with what we get to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” Martin said. McNairy County Board of Education member Larry Smith
said that expectations of what the school system can do with
See HASLAM, 5A
Quick thinking, response time limits fire’s damage By Christen Coulon Editor
A Vitran Express Semi Truck was destroyed by fire on Court Avenue in Selmer at 12:19 p.m. last Tuesday between the North Y intersection and Eighth Street. The driver of the truck, John Paulk, Lexington Tenn., escaped without injury. Quick thinking on the part of the Paulk averted what could have been a much more serious situation. He said that he noticed the fire as he was driving through downtown near Fourth street, but continued past Eighth Street because he knew that it was not a convenient place to stop. Had he stopped at Fourth Street, it would have placed the burning rig between the court house and the Latta Building in heavy traffic. Paulk said that he thought the fire was caused by a short circuit and said, “By the time I knew what was happening, I couldn’t stop it.” In addition to the Quick thinking of Paulk, a fast response by Selmer Emergency Service personnel had the fire under control in minutes. Staff Photo by Christen Coulon
See NORTH Y FIRE, 5A
Selmer firemen extinguish a truck fire near the North Y intersection.
Stray animals: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves. Should not the shepherds take care of the flock? You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you did not take care of the flock! You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. - Ezekiel 34:2-4 By Christen Coulon Editor
When it comes to unwanted or stray animals in McNairy County, residents are left with few options to deal with this growing problem. Even as packs of wild dogs roam the county scavenging for scraps, county officials, animal care charities, and animal lovers all claim that lack of funding is the biggest obstacle to finding a solution to this issue. “It’s been a problem for several years,” said McNairy County Mayor Wilburn Gene Ashe about the animal control issue. Ashe said that other than the McNairy County
The times faced by the present sheriff are quite different than those faced by McNairy County’s most famous one. “In no way do I think anyone’s ever tried to compare me with Sheriff Pusser. I’m a sheriff in a much different time,” said Sheriff Guy Buck. Buck does not have to face anything like the state line or Dixie mafia, as did Sheriff Buford Pusser. Buck does acknowledge that the Pusser legacy endures. “If you’re in law enforcement circles anywhere and you tell them you are from McNairy County, they bring up Pusser,” Buck said. Buck said his department has been very open to anybody that wants to come in and look at the vehicles or anything like that. BUCK “Visiting law enforcement agencies are interested in (uniform) patches from McNairy County or sit in the patrol car and get their pictures made, it’s not because Guy Buck is the sheriff of McNairy County, it’s because Buford Pusser was the sheriff of McNairy County,” Buck said. One change noted by Buck is that there was not even a deputy on duty at night back then. There are now four criminal investigators, where there was only one back then. Though his focus is not on illegal liquor or gambling, Buck does face the problem of meth. Buck has been very vocal on its effects on the county. He notes that although it is not a new drug, it is more dangerous than it used to be. He said that it used to be made in large laboratories but can now be made at home, and, in this form, is pure
Big problem with little funding in McNairy County
Health Department’s rabies control program, the county is not able to allocate much funding for this problem. “It would be ideal, but there are no finances available for it,” Ashe said. The county’s rabies control program is mandated by Tennessee state law, and requires the county to ensure that all dogs and cats over six months of age have rabies vaccinations. “The health department ensures that all dogs and cats in the county have been vaccinated,” said Stacey Deaton, environmental health specialist for the McNairy County Health Dept. Deaton said that the health department partners with local private organizations and veterinarians to make sure the vaccines are given as well as following up on any animal bite cases. “We respond to animal bites, and we respond to the victims of these bites,” Deaton said. “We make sure that the animal involved does not have rabies. We provide vets with rabies tags and keep a list of animals that have received these vaccinations.” Deaton said that since there is no animal control officer, there is no way to be sure that all of the animals are getting the vaccinations. He said that the extent of what the health department is able to provide for animals through this program is limited to its record keeping and spring vaccination clinics. “We have special clinics in the spring of each year where people can take their dogs and cats to get reduced priced vaccinations,” Deaton said. When these strays or unwanted animals become a nuisance to property owners, upend garbage cans, cause property damage, or threaten people, most residents turn to the sheriff’s department. However, the lack of animal control officers means that deputies, untrained in animal control, have few resources to deal with this problem. “(In McNairy County) we don’t really have a resource for every unwanted pet,” said Sheriff Guy Buck. The sheriff’s department does have a list of individuals that will take abused, unwanted or problem animals that deputies come in contact with.” Buck said that there are some good people in this county who do take in some animals but hesitated to publish the names of these individuals acknowledging that they have limited resources as well and are not able to handle every case in the county. Buck said that his department would like to have some officers trained to recognize and handle animal abuse in the future but repeated that finances would dictate the department’s ability to intervene in animal cases. As far as unwanted
See ANIMAL RESCUE, 4A
See BUCK, 3A
Maybe next year? School board again fails to choose new school site, funding By Jeff Whitten Head News Writer
The McNairy Board of Education again failed to choose a site for the proposed Selmer Elementary School or a funding plan to pay for it and the new school at Adamsville at its meeting last Thursday. Planning Committee Chairman Larry Smith told the board that the committee had met twice, on Dec.1 and Dec. 5. At the first meeting, they talked about all of the various sites for the new proposed SES. Smith said they considered 12 sites, but could not come to a consensus. The agenda was the same for the meeting
held four days later. Smith said they had the survey of the East-West Motor Freight property near Wal-Mart. Smith said the cut and fill dirt work on the property would cost $575,000. According to McNairy County Administrator of Elections, in order to put a funding mechanism such as a half-cent local option sales tax on the March 6 presidential primary election ballot, the school board would have to first pass it, then the County Commission. They would then have to present the resolution to Collin’s office by Dec. 15.
See NO DECISION, 3A
Carl Perkins Center spreads Christmas cheer by Amber Price Staff Writer
Carl Perkins Center of McNairy County continues to provide greatly needed services to the children of the community, not only during the holidays, but all throughout the year. Many children in the community are in need, and the holidays can be a less than magical time for some of them. Christmas, with its focus on giving, provides a great opportunity for people to reach out and help those that need it. The Carl Perkins Christmas program helps to provide Christmas gifts to children in need. Each client, along with their siblings, complete a wish list for Christmas, which is passed on to members of the community. According to Luke DeLaVergne, county director of the Carl Perkins Center of McNairy County, each of the center’s approximately 70 clients, have been sponsored this year by local volunteers. “It’s been a real blessing to see the community
rise to support the children of Carl Perkins Center because when we all work together, we can make a difference in the children’s lives,” said DeLaVergne. The Carl Perkins Center, centrally located in Jackson, Tenn., has 18 locations throughout West
See PERKINS CENTER, 5A
Letters to Santa Notice to schools: Santa is allowing an extension for your student’s Christmas wish letters or Christmas essays for publication. Please submit all letters to the proper location by noon this Friday if you would like to see them in print. Please call (731) 645-5346 if you have any questions. Please read next week’s Independent Appeal for our annual Christmas Section with letters to Santa, colorful artwork and essays from area elementary school students and holiday greetings from local businesses.
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