catch of the week, 1b
BIRCHETT
where has all the water gone? bethel loses half its water, 3a 24 HOUR
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Independent Appeal Making McNairy County headlines for more than 111 years
Volume 111, Number 05, Wednesday, June 19, 2013
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Scuba diver ends water crisis By Christen Coulon Managing Editor
After nearly a week of work to repair a hard to find water leak, which left up to 1,100 Milledgeville, Morris Chapel and Enville residents without water, the Adamsville Water Department was able to restore service to all of its customers by last Thursday morning. What began as a slow leak in the Adamsville water lines June 5 developed into a large problem for residents on the northern end of their system, said Adamsville’s City Administrator Steve Simon. A minor leak was identified in Morris Chapel early on, but after repairs it was apparent there was another leak in the system. Simon said that workers toiled around the clock to find and correct this issue; however, the leak was hidden because it was six feet under water in a creek near Highway 22 in Milledgeville. “These guys were doing everything in their power to get it fixed,” Simon said. The leak was found in a 6-inch pipe by workers who noticed that the water appeared to be boiling. Workers were able to determine that about one half of the pipe was missing but then faced the challenge of fixing an underwater leak.
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BRIAN TULL
Inside This Week
Flag Day Ceremony American Legion holds flag disposal ceremony
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Simon said that he reached out to Melvin Martin at the Hardin County Emergency Management Agency, who sent diver Shannon Sims to fix the problem. Sims was able to place a clamp on the pipe and stop the leak. “If we hadn’t had him, I’m not sure how we would have gotten to it,” Simon said. Simon praised all of the employees who worked long hours to restore service and thanked the affected customers for their patience. “It is hard to express my gratitude and awe for these guys who were able to work as hard and long as they did with so little rest,” Simon said. Simon also expressed gratitude to all of the businesses, individuals and organizations who made efforts to assist the affected residents. Following the repairs, the lines were charged and service was restored quickly. The precautionary boil notice for affected customers and water conservation request for all customers were both cancelled last Friday morning. The town estimates that nearly 1 million gallons of water were lost during the nearly week-long outage. Simon said that the Adamsville Utility Department feels confident that this should fix the water problem.
Photo Courtesy of the Hardin County Fire Department
Hardin County diver Shannon Sims puts a clamp on a broken 6-inch water main near Milledgeville. The clamp helped restore water to the more than 1,100 Adamsville water customers who lost service in a nearly week-long outage.
‘Big Shoes to Fill’
Johnson retires from BancorpSouth By Emily Pitts Staff Writer
McNairy Football cheerleaders McNairy cheerleaders win three first-place awards
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In his years living in McNairy County, BancorpSouth’s Selmer Branch President Earl Johnson has made a name for himself, not just as a bank president, but as an outstanding member of the community. After 16 years in Selmer, Johnson retired from BancorpSouth last week to move back to Mississippi—but his many contributions to McNairy County will not be forgotten. Johnson grew up in the Mathiston, Miss. area, near Starkville. He attended Mississippi State University and after graduation worked for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corpora-
See johnson, 4A
Staff Photo by Emily Pitts
Pictured above is Johnson hard at work in his office at the Selmer branch of BancorpSouth.
31 Grand Jury indictments By Christen Coulon Managing Editor
The McNairy County Grand Jury met June 10 and returned 31 total indictments against 29 individuals. (Two of those named face multiple indictments.) Charges revealed in the recent indictments range from drugs and theft to assault and sexual battery by an authority figure. Since the indictments were released, the sheriff’s department has been working to round up all of the suspects. So far, they have captured all but two of those named in the recent indictments. The following is a list of names and related charges for the individuals who have been captured so far. The indictments for the suspects who are still at large will remain sealed until an arrest has been made. list of Indictments and Mug Shots
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Selmer firefighters make quick work of truck fire
Weekend Events Relay for Life Friday, June 21 6 p.m.-6 a.m. Selmer City Park
Michie Summer Bash Saturday, June 22 1 p.m. Michie City Park
Staff Photo By Christen Coulon
Minutes after receiving a call last Thursday, firefighters from the Selmer Fire Department extinguish a vehicle fire. The fire, which began in the rear storage compartment of a Selmer Utilities Division truck in a parking lot near General Electric in Selmer, was extinguished using a speciality foam designed to suppress fires involving oil based fuel.
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